《You are Summoned》 Intro: Unwelcome Guests. Danny woke to someone pounding on his apartment door. A bleary-eyed glance at his phone showed that it was three in the morning, not a time that he would normally expect visitors to show up. The painful spasm in his back as he tried to move reminded Danny that he needed to stop falling asleep on the living room sofa. He had bought a bed for a reason, but never seemed to make it there when he was worn out. The pounding on the door became louder, and the door began to shake in the frame. A bit concerned over who might be out there, Danny linked his phone to the small camera that he had installed over the door. Three people were there, two bulky men and a young woman. All three were dressed in black business suits, not the sort of people that you¡¯d expect to show up to your ratty apartment complex just to welcome you to the neighborhood. He had planned for this, knowing the day would eventually come. Still not entirely awake, Danny stumbled into the bedroom, grabbed his go-bag, and wrestled with the window latch. The knocking on the door turned to solid kicks, but the door was holding for now. He had only just moved in, but one of the first things he had done was replace the screws in the deadbolt with thick, six-inch-long ones. Most people don¡¯t realize that the locks usually come with tiny screws that let just about anyone kick open a door with little trouble. His setup should keep them out long enough for him to make his escape. It took some effort to pull open the window and scramble out onto the fire escape landing, but he managed it in record time. As he started down the fire escape, Danny could hear the door to his apartment begin to splinter. While running down the last few steps to the alleyway below, Danny could hear the door to his apartment finally give way. ¡°Mr. Wilcox, stop where you are. We¡¯re here to help you,¡± a man said as he stepped from behind a dumpster only a few feet from Danny. He wore the same type of dark suit as the three people who had just broken into his apartment. Unlike the others, this man wore an old-fashioned bowler hat that seemed out of place for rest of his outfit. He didn¡¯t have time to judge the man¡¯s fashion sense, there were other pressing matters at hand. ¡°Just leave me alone, I don¡¯t need any help,¡± Danny replied. He started to run out of the alley, but three more thugs in suits chose that moment to make their appearance at the end of the alleyway, cutting off his escape. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to mess with me, I¡¯m not in the mood,¡± Danny warned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in the mood, Danny? I hope you¡¯re not experiencing any pain. Do you have a headache? We can help with that,¡± the guy in the bowler hat claimed. Unfortunately, Danny didn¡¯t have a headache, which might have given him a chance. He would have to handle this on his own. If he could just deal with the man in front of him, he believed that he could bull rush his way past the thugs at the end of the alley. He needed to make his escape before the ones climbing down the fire escape joined their comrades. Not wasting any time, Danny launched a front ball kick into the man with the bowler hat¡¯s gut. The man tried to move away from the kick, but Danny had done this thousands of times, and his strike was perfect. Doubled over from the pain of the kick, the man offered no defense when Danny kneed him in the chin, knocking the man to the ground and hopefully breaking a few teeth in the process. Danny sprinted toward the end of the alley where the three thugs formed a line to block his exit. Two of the men drew pistols, and the third was talking into his phone. Well, it didn¡¯t look like this was going to be as easy as just pushing his way past a few unarmed goons. If they wanted to escalate this encounter, he was more than happy to oblige. Turning his focus inward, Danny reached out to the mana that was safely sealed away in his core. Tapping into that mana, he began to form a spell. The mana started to boil rapidly away as soon as he pulled it from the safety of his core, but he figured that there should be enough for two or three casts. A red-tinted glow covered Danny as the mana for his protection spell snapped into place. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It was only a low-tier Protection from Missiles spell, but it was quick to cast and had a long duration. Normally the spell wouldn¡¯t expire for several hours at his tier and rank, but here on Earth, Danny knew the spell would only give him less than thirty seconds to get things done. His second spell formed as the thugs at the end of the alley began to fire. The slugs from their pistols flattened against the shield, depleting the spell¡¯s power a bit with each hit. A green portal grew behind the trio of shooters, and out of the portal stepped a man covered in chainmail who was wielding a longsword. Not the summons Danny had hoped for, but these things were random, and sometimes the dice didn¡¯t roll in your favor. Giving his summons a mental command to kill the people attacking him, Danny cast another spell, his mana down below half and falling lower by the second. Another portal started to form in front of the trio of shooters just as the man in chainmail ran his target through. The thugs weren¡¯t wearing any body armor, so the summoned warrior¡¯s longsword met no resistance. Screaming in pain, the dying man shifted the focus of his comrades away from Danny just as his shield spell failed. Between the normal mana drain of this world, and the impacts of the bullets, the shield had collapsed far sooner than Danny had hoped. The surviving gunmen opened fire on the warrior, who found that bullets pretty much ignored chainmail. As the summoned warrior fell, Danny¡¯s next summoning portal finished opening, and a pair of goblins with spears charged out. Shrieking their strange, high-pitched war cries, the goblins didn¡¯t even need a command from Danny to start their stabbing spree. The little green terrors loved bloodshed and were often difficult to control. With his escape clear, Danny ran for it. After only taking a few steps, something punched him in the back twice and threw him to the ground. He couldn¡¯t move, and it took him a second to realize that he had just been shot. Trying to form a healing spell, he realized there wasn¡¯t enough mana for the task. Pulling the remaining dregs of mana back into the protective core, Danny tried to think of a spell that would get him out of this situation, but it was becoming difficult to think straight. Cackling with glee, the goblins finished off the men blocking the alley and ran off toward whoever had shot Danny. A fresh hail of gunfire cut down the pair of goblins and their bodies hit the ground before fading away into small clouds of vaporized mana. Danny tried again to move but couldn¡¯t. One of the shots must have hit his spine. Danny¡¯s vision started to fade as the woman in the suit that had knocked on his door crouched over him. ¡°The goal was to take him alive,¡± she chided the man in the bowler hat who also limped over to stare down at Danny, a smoking pistol held in his right hand. ¡°He was going to escape, and at least his death will feed our master,¡± the bowler hat guy said. ¡°Capturing him would have fed our master over and over again. You¡¯ve wasted a resource, and your actions were foolish. That is not acceptable,¡± the woman said. Another gunshot rang out and the man collapsed next to Danny, his bowler hat rolling slowly down the alleyway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young man,¡± the woman said to Danny as she pulled a long, curved dagger from inside her jacket. ¡°Despite my associate¡¯s carelessness, I won¡¯t allow you to suffer any longer than is necessary. Die knowing that your passing serves something greater than all of us. I¡¯m sorry,¡± the woman apologized as she dragged the knife across Danny¡¯s throat. ¡°Clean up the site and get our men out of here. Throw the body of the summoned being in the dumpster but take his wallet and any valuables. Make it look like a robbery gone bad. Work fast people, even in this neighborhood, someone will have called the police because of the gunfire,¡± the woman ordered. Her voice faded away as Danny¡¯s life ebbed. One final prompt appeared before he was no more. This summoned being is dying. The new candidate selection process has begun. A new summoned being has been identified, beginning the connection and compatibility assessment. This new candidate is deemed undesirable, the subject¡¯s mental state is unbalanced. Restarting process¡­new subject identified. Beginning the connection and compatibility assessment process. Initial tests show that the chosen subject meets the minimum requirements. Establishing a link to begin integration. Chapter 1. The Headache. Trying to open the bottle of aspirin while eating my breakfast proved to be a bad idea. The spoon slipped from my hand and plopped into the bowl, creating an impressive splash. Milk and a few colorful nuggets of vaguely fruit-flavored cereal splashed all over my shirt. Not a big deal, this kind of thing happens, but little annoyances like this are amplified when you have a headache, and today I had a whopper. To make matters worse, it was just a normal, random headache. It wasn¡¯t a hangover, which would have at least indicated that I had some fun the night before. There were no happy memories of partying to go with the throbbing pain behind my eyes. My memories of last night were those of a typical weeknight of boredom, playing games and watching videos on my phone. If only I could just forget everything and jump back into bed. Sadly, I had already burned all my sick and vacation time and it would be several more weeks before I accrued another day. I told myself to toughen up and deal with it, not that it made my head feel any better. All I could do was fish the spoon out of the bowl and shovel down the rest of my breakfast. Checking the time, I could see that I needed to move it if I wanted to catch the bus. Before I left the apartment, I needed to switch out of my breakfast-encrusted company polo shirt and into something clean. Only one shirt in the pile of clothes on the messy floor of my bedroom proved to be a worthy candidate. It was an older, faded one that my manager kept hinting that I needed to replace, I really needed to do some laundry. At least it was clean, well, sort of clean. At least it didn¡¯t reek too bad. You don¡¯t want to be the smelly guy at the office. The usual cast of characters were gathered at the bus stop when I arrived. I¡¯ve seen the same people every day for months, but I couldn¡¯t tell you a single one of their names. This was LA and it wasn¡¯t the kind of city where you just struck up random conversations with strangers. My dad would have known them all by now and been on all their Christmas card lists. Sadly, I never inherited my dad¡¯s ability to make friends wherever he went. Mom was the same as me, an introvert who preferred to just interact with her family, not with strangers at a bus stop. Thinking about my parents brought up bittersweet feelings. I had lost them both a few years ago when they were involved in a bad traffic accident. The only family I had left was an older sister who lived back in Florida. We talked a couple of times a year, but she was busy and had a family of her own to take care of. ¡°You have it, don¡¯t you? It wanted me, but it couldn¡¯t have me,¡± a homeless lady said as she approached the bus stop. She wore several layers of clothing that had to be stifling in the California spring heat wave we were experiencing. Being accosted by a crazy homeless person was the last thing I needed right now, but of course, she made a beeline right toward me. ¡°It¡¯s you I¡¯m speaking to,¡± she said, pointing a filth-encrusted finger in my face. ¡°Their touch is on you; can you see the words in your head yet? They wanted to take me, but I told them to take you instead. Don¡¯t you want to go?¡± The crazy woman asked. Before I could figure out what to do, she tipped her surprisingly clean bowler hat to me and wandered off, muttering to herself about the words in her head. Nobody said anything about the incident and we all just pretended that it hadn¡¯t happened. It wasn¡¯t my first time dealing with the homeless in the area, and most were pretty cool. I didn¡¯t mind stopping to chat with the ones near the apartment, often buying a meal or giving a few bucks if I could spare it. The bus finally appeared down the street, and I craned my neck to see who our chauffeur would be today. Great, it was the angry bus driver lady today. Jorge, the normal guy on this route, was a good dude. He was friendly and always said hi to everyone as they got on the bus. This lady didn¡¯t even want to look at you. She was also a horrible driver and seemed to hit every pothole on the route. The pain in my head pounded harder with each thump of the tires. If there was an Olympic sport for driving into potholes, this lady would be a gold medalist. By the time we reached my stop, half a block from my office, nausea had joined the pain party inside my head. I soldiered on, and somehow made it the rest of the way to the insurance office complex where I worked without puking. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yo, Rico, did you catch the game?¡± Will asked as I finally sat down in my cubicle. Will was a nice enough guy, but way too into sports. He was one of those people that couldn¡¯t fathom the fact that I didn¡¯t care for sports and didn¡¯t watch every game that he did. He was also a morning person, which I most definitely was not. ¡°No man, I missed it, but don¡¯t tell me what happened, I¡¯m planning on watching it later tonight.¡± Telling Will that I planned to watch the game later was a good way to avoid a long conversation about something I had no interest in. Long, boring conversations weren¡¯t fun when your head was feeling like it was going to explode. Sure, I¡¯d have to watch some recap of the game later and regurgitate the highlights back to Will about it tomorrow, but by then, the headache would be gone. I logged into the system just before my shift officially started. The insurance company that I worked for was a stickler for signing in on time, never early, and never late. They wanted to avoid paying any overtime while also making sure that every possible minute of work was squeezed out of you. My current work queue populated, and another exciting day of handling car insurance claims was about to begin. The queue never seemed to shrink. You¡¯d think with all the new safety features in cars that people wouldn¡¯t be such idiots. No matter how much safety tech they packed into each vehicle, drivers still seemed to keep crashing into each other. It wasn¡¯t just crashing into each other. People found a myriad of strange ways to damage their vehicles, even without another car being involved. My headache was becoming worse, despite having taken some aspirin before I left the apartment. I¡¯m sure if you took too many, you¡¯d damage your liver or something. Exceeding the recommended daily dose was the least of my worries right now, so I fished through the top desk drawer, looking for that bottle of Ibuprofen I had bought when I caught the flu last year. Just my luck, the bottle was there, but it was empty. I tossed the empty bottle in the trash, lying to myself that I wouldn¡¯t forget to buy another one at the grocery store this week. ¡°Mr. Rico Kline, may I have a word with you?¡± Barbara, my supervisor asked. Her sudden appearance startled me, causing me to jump a bit in my seat. She always seemed to magically appear at the entrance to my cubicle without warning, like she was some kind of office ninja. ¡°Sure Barbara, what can I do for you?¡± I replied, trying to smile and look upbeat, which is how the company wanted all their employees to look at all times. It wasn¡¯t easy to maintain that facade when you were in pain, and it was never easy to maintain it when it came to Barbara, the most annoying supervisor on the floor. ¡°I needed to go over your production reports. You¡¯ve only closed three files this week and the expectation is for every insurance adjuster to close out at least ten per week. It¡¯s already Wednesday and I don¡¯t want you to fall too far behind. Is there anything I can do to help?¡± She asked. I had played this game before, Barbara didn¡¯t really want to help me, she was just offering help to check a box on the employee evaluation form. ¡°Did you offer additional assistance to help bring the employee up to standard?¡± It looked like there was another personal improvement plan write-up heading my way soon. ¡°It¡¯s just a rough spot on a couple of these claims, I¡¯ll catch up before the week¡¯s over,¡± I replied with a confidence I didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Great, I¡¯m glad to hear that. The last thing I want to do is have to write you up for not meeting the expected performance indicators,¡± Barbara said, moving on to her next victim. ¡°Dude, you need to pick up the pace. I heard that corporate is pushing to reduce the headcount in our department,¡± Will said, leaning over from his side of the cube. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get it done. Don¡¯t worry too much about those layoff rumors. We¡¯re understaffed as it is. Hey, you don¡¯t happen to have any aspirin or something. My head¡¯s killing me,¡± I asked. ¡°I think so, let me check. Did you party it up last night? That must be why you missed the game. My buddy Rico¡¯s living large! Just take it easy on the weeknight parties, you look rough today,¡± Will said with more enthusiasm than anyone had the right to possess at eight in the morning. I heard the metal drawers of Will¡¯s desk open and close, as he looked for some medicine. Each slamming of a drawer brought new waves of pain into my head, and for the first time, I started seeing spots in front of my eyes. Maybe I was having a stroke or something? The pain intensified and the sounds in Will¡¯s cubicle faded as my hearing began to go. Panic set in as a bright pop of light and a final, nauseating burst of pain slammed into my head. I was in total darkness for a moment before some strange lights flickered and a booming voice called out from the darkness. ¡°The new link to this mana-free world is complete. Connection to a viable subject has been established.¡± ¡°You are summoned!¡± Chapter 2. Here I go. ¡°This is your first summons, you may ask a single question at this time,¡± the mysterious voice told me. I tried to look around and find who was speaking to me, but my vision was blocked by a grey fog, and I felt numb all over. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s going on here?¡± I muttered, my voice didn¡¯t sound like my own and I still couldn¡¯t see anything or even feel my body. Did I even actually say something, or was that just a thought? ¡°You have been summoned. That is what is going on here. Your one question has been answered, prepare for your first activation,¡± the voice said. I could feel a sense of movement as if I had been hurled into the cosmos by a giant hand. The only good thing about this whole experience was that my headache seemed to have finally gone away. ¡°Wait, that wasn¡¯t my question, well, okay, I guess it was a question, but you didn¡¯t explain what¡¯s happening. Did I have a stroke?¡± I shouted. ¡°The summoned being will remain silent during the summoning process. If your input is required, you will be promptly notified,¡± the voice said. ¡°My input is required, and so are your answers. You can¡¯t just take someone and not tell them what¡¯s going on!¡± I shouted. ¡°Subject has proven unwilling to listen to instruction. Noise cancellation protocols will be enacted at this time. Please wait silently and patiently for your summons to complete.¡± I shouted into the void, but there was no sound and the voice didn¡¯t reply. Whoever was doing this had just hit the cosmic mute button on me, and it was just as annoying here as someone muting you on a call in the real world was. Trying to move, I found that everything was still numb, and I couldn¡¯t even tell if I still had a body. Strange words started appearing before my eyes. It was gibberish, a mishmash of different languages and symbols that didn¡¯t make any sense. Still, it was the only thing to look at, so I kept trying to read what was in front of me. The longer I looked at the words, the more I could understand. Something clicked in my brain and the words changed into regular old English. The initial calibration for this subject has begun. A single ability slot has been unlocked, and a linguistic adaptation interface has been installed. The minimum intellectual capacity is present in the subject. All physical parameters meet the current requirements. No compatible skills have been detected. All the subject¡¯s starting abilities will remain at the standard human level. It was weird, I could feel something, or someone, poking all over my body. It was almost like one of those quick doctor¡¯s physicals they gave you in high school before they let you play sports. At least whoever was running this show didn¡¯t ask me to turn my head and cough. The invasive feelings faded, and more words appeared. All baseline tests have been passed. The subject is cleared for his first summoning. The summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. Queue position: 248.
  2. Summoning tier, 0.
  3. Rewards level, minuscule.
  4. This summons is combat-related, prepare accordingly.
  5. Forced compliance is active.
  6. No compatible gear has been found in your armory. A facsimile of your current attire will suffice for this tier 0 summons.
Seeking a compatible summoning request, please stand by. What was all this nonsense? The queue number began to spin down, and I could only hope that whatever this was all about would be revealed when it was done. I sure didn¡¯t like the sound of forced compliance, and it mentioned preparing for some kind of combat. What was that all about? I hadn¡¯t even been in a real fight since the tenth grade and had no idea how to prepare for combat. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I couldn¡¯t do anything but wait in the murky grey fog while this whole thing played out. Maybe I was in the hospital? This was all probably just some hallucination from the drugs that the hospital was pumping into me. Whatever this was, I supposed I¡¯d find out the truth once the queue spun down and something finally happened. I tried to calm myself as I reached the front of the queue. You are summoned by the mage Sharnlynn, prepare for battle. A glowing blue oval appeared before me. I was standing in front of the glowing oval, but I couldn¡¯t see what I was standing on. To make matters worse, it looked like I was naked, but before I could become embarrassed, business casual attire appeared on my body. I was instantly dressed in the same pair of khakis and the almost clean company polo shirt that I had put on that morning. My ID badge was even clipped to my collar, but I could pretty much assume that I wasn¡¯t inside the insurance building anymore. Everything felt normal, and there was no pain. While I stood there looking around, I felt something else take control of my body. I was forced to step forward into the glowing blue oval. I barely had time to orient myself as I stepped through what must have been a portal or teleporter or something. I wasn¡¯t back in the office, and I wasn¡¯t inside the strange void that I had been in before. Nope, this time, I was in a small clearing in the forest. Night was starting to fall and visibility was fading. ¡°Stop the orc!¡± A woman behind me shouted in panic. I briefly caught a glimpse of her before my body responded to her command. She was young, about my age, and had a look on her face that was stuck somewhere between determination and fear. A glow appeared around her hands as my head snapped toward the target that she had given me. Twenty yards away, a huge, monstrous figure with an axe was charging toward me. Instead of screaming and collapsing to the ground in terror like I wanted to, I found myself forced to stand in front of the charging monster. He had an axe and wore heavy armor. All I had were my fists and a company polo, this wasn¡¯t exactly a fair matchup. I didn¡¯t think of myself as a weakling, and I actually did enjoy working out. The insurance company had a good gym membership program, and I made the most of it. Even though I was in moderately good shape, I wasn¡¯t some former soldier, cop, or martial arts expert. I was just a normal guy who didn¡¯t know much about fighting other than watching action movies. There was no way I could take on this monster thing. Why would something like this happen to someone like me? Before I could figure out an answer, I felt an overwhelming compulsion to stop this attacker. I needed to protect the woman that has summoned me, but I couldn¡¯t tell you why. My fists shot forward as the monster closed in. Had that woman called it an orc, like in the movies and games? This lady needed someone from the Lord of the Rings to protect her, not Rico from the claims department. When my fist landed on the orc¡¯s jaw, I felt something snap in my hand. Pain lanced up my now sprained or broken wrist and to nobody¡¯s surprise, my attack was completely ineffective. The orc thing didn¡¯t even flinch from the blow. While my efforts at fighting had proven pretty much useless, the orc¡¯s attack was another story. His axe flew right toward my head, and I tried to dodge to the side. It was no use; this orc was way too fast for me. Nothing that big should be that quick. For a fraction of a second, before I died, I could see the two halves of my body fall to the ground with a meaty slap. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of the young woman that had commanded me. She was throwing a glowing ball of fire at the orc. Things seemed to move in slow motion as the pain of being cut in half finally hit. Darkness closed in and I silently screamed into the void. At least here in the dark, the pain was gone, and my mind started to clear. I was in shock; it wasn¡¯t every day that you got cut in half by an orc and then floated in the void. What had just happened? If this was all some stress-induced hallucination, I hoped it would end soon. A new prompt appeared before me as this strange place presented a new notice. It took me a good minute or two before I could focus enough to read it. I kept replaying my final moments over and over. Eventually, I calmed down enough to comprehend what was in front of me. Your first calibration summons is complete, and the link has maintained its cohesion. A Summoner imprint has been noted. At least two additional calibration summonings are required for this subject. Your performance rating has been measured as Abysmal. Rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 0, and your performance rating of Abysmal. Prepare to return to your world. Chapter 80. More rewards. Popping the last bit of dragon finger into my mouth, I looked for a place to throw away the stick it had been served on. Rather than wander around or ask a random person like a clueless tourist, I observed the folks around me. It turned out there were several grated openings in the street that must have led to the sewers or something. People seemed to throw any trash they might have in there and nobody gave them a second glance. Following suit, I felt a bit guilty for potentially littering, but the city must have had some magical means to process the waste. After all, the gnomish village had something like it to deal with sewage, and this city had to be more advanced than Fitzfazzle¡¯s little hamlet. Thinking about my gnomish friend made me check my pocket to make sure all my figurines were still there. I found the street that Tonpu had mentioned, Via Sorcere, and it was a wide throughfare that ran through the eastern side of the city. The street was paved and there were sidewalks on either side. Lots of foot traffic as well as carts and mounted travelers used it, and I got quite the show as I walked. Just about every fantasy race would saunter by if I watched long enough, but I was smart enough not to stop and stare when something particularly interesting, such as the pair of heavily armored hill giants that walked by. Tonpu hadn¡¯t led me astray, and I found the intersection with the guardhouse easily enough. The apothecary shop was in a building across the street and seemed to be doing a brisk business. Before I went to the apothecary, I wanted to collect my new gear. The guardhouse was a stout looking stone building on the corner. Patrols came and went from there, and I was stopped as I approached. After explaining that I had an equipment requisition, they waved me past. In the dank basement of the building was the quartermaster, a one-legged orc, who grabbed my equipment requisition and grunted before moving along the shelves of the shop. ¡°This is what you get,¡± the orc rumbled as he started to lay out equipment on the counter. The first item was a large backpack that triggered a system prompt when I looked at it. Pack of holding. This pack is enchanted to reduce the weight of any item placed inside by 90%. Larger on the inside, the pack can hold a surprising amount of gear and supplies. Not bad, one of the best things you could get in a game, so I figured it would be more than helpful here in the real world. Next up, the orc handed me a scroll and a belt that had several pockets and loops on it. Stuffed into three of the loops were small vials, two red, and one blue. Again, system information appeared as I accepted the items. Scroll of armor proficiency. Read this scroll to unlock proficiency in all types of light armor. Proficiency will allow you to move more naturally when armored and can help you identify the quality of any armor of this type. If you equip an armor of a type that you are proficient in, you will reduce its gear cost by 5. Linked belt. This belt is linked to your mana core. When you reach into a pouch, you will be able to think about what item you wish to retrieve and will appear in your hand. Capacity is limited and once equipped, the belt will become bound to you. The belt comes standard with two minor healing, and one minor mana potion. Perfect, just the type of gear I needed. I was worried that I was going to get another set of armor or a weapon that wasn¡¯t as good as what I already had. When I tried on the belt, I could feel it link to my core, and after closing my eyes, I touched the belt while thinking about the mana potion. Suddenly, the potion appeared in my hand.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Yep, the belt was going to be very useful for my class, and I quickly added all my figurines to the various pouches. A quick test confirmed that I could summon the figurines as easily as I had done with the potions. I then took a moment to read the scroll. Knowledge drifted slowly into my mind, and once it was done, I knew where I had messed up when donning my armor earlier. A few tweaks to the adjustment straps and the whole set of padded leather felt lighter and I could move a bit easier. The orc returned, dropping two more items on the table. One was a studded leather breastplate, and the other was a wooden torch. A system prompt told me the torch was something called an Ever Burn torch. I could ignite it on command, and it would never burn out. Contact with the torch had to be maintained for it to remain lit, and it required a single point of mana to activate each time. My new breastplate was better than the padded one I currently wore, so I swapped it out and placed the old one in my new pack. The gear cost for my armor set didn¡¯t change with the addition of the new piece, and instead was a bit lower overall because of my new proficiency. ¡°That¡¯s it, get out,¡± the orc growled. Not one to argue with an orc that had just given me a bunch of free stuff, I thanked him for his time and left the guard house. My next stop was the apothecary, where I hoped to do a bit of shopping before I moved on. The blue and white painted exterior of the apothecary shop housed large windows that let lots of natural light into the place. Several clerks worked behind the counter, filling customer orders. I looked around at several of the displays as I waited for my turn to come up. Most of what was out on display were things you find in a normal drug store, concoctions for heartburn, medicine for headaches, and a cream that dealt with itching and chafing seemed to be popular choices. ¡°Sir, how may I assist you today,¡± the clerk said as my turn came up. ¡°I have a writ for five mana pill things,¡± I said as I handed over the paper. ¡°Ah, yes, they¡¯re called mana tabs, and I¡¯ll have them bottled up for you shortly. Is there anything else you might be interested in?¡± the clerk asked. ¡°How much would it cost to purchase more of the mana tabs?¡± I asked, excited because these would supposedly work back on Earth. ¡°Ten silver each for the same ones you¡¯ve entitled to on your writ, and I typically have a decent supply in stock. I take it that you¡¯ve never used them before,¡± the clerk correctly assumed. ¡°Yeah, anything I should know about them?¡± I asked. ¡°As with most pills, potions, powders, and poultices, they have diminishing returns if used too often. Every twelve hours is the recommended standard before using a second mana tab. If you use one earlier, it will only have around half the normal efficacy. Using more than two in a twenty-four-hour period will cause damage to your internal organs. The ones you¡¯re getting from your writ are the weakest version, granting ten to twenty mana when used,¡± the clerk explained. ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s good to know. I assume the ones that give you more mana are more expensive?¡± I asked. The clerk confirmed it, and I decided to put off any purchases here until I had more time to shop around. Blowing all my cash in the first shop might make buying something important impossible later. The five chewable tablets I was given were about the size of a quarter and had a powdery feel to them, like an antacid tablet. I didn¡¯t waste one on a test, and trusted these would work as advertised. Placing them in my cool new pouch, I could grab them easily if I needed them. Mana tabs were another thing I wanted to bring back with me when I returned home. They¡¯d work well there, and I now had more things to spend my mana on other than just a Psionic Jolt or a Fail Weapons spell. The shop also offered more items like healing potions and mana potions of various strengths. I found out that the mana potion on my belt would restore fifteen mana and had the same diminishing returns as the mana tabs, though interestingly enough, the potions and tablets were different enough that one wouldn¡¯t trigger diminishing returns on the other. Potions were also much cheaper than the mana tabs, and for two silver each, I splurged on an extra pair of them. The mana potions couldn¡¯t go back home with me, as unlike the mana tabs, they would be drained of their power. I had some great new gear and a way to refill my mana. Now, I needed to check out the summoned market for some new skills, and then see what the deal was with the arena. Chapter 81. Too many options. The summoned market was only two streets north of the apothecary shop. It was nestled up against the wall separating the first and second tier of the city. When I had visited the summoned market that was outside the walls of city, it had been a simple tent. Here, it occupied a storefront. As with the previous shop, it was painted orange for some reason. At least the color scheme made it rather easy to spot. As I approached the shop, I noticed several people standing outside, each trying to get the attention of the customers either entering or leaving the shop. They didn¡¯t look like employees of the place, and they were dressed in what passed for nice, but normal clothing in the city. One, an odd humanoid that looked like a mix between a mouse and a halfling, made a beeline toward me as I tried to get inside. ¡°Good sir, may I inquire if you are a summoned being?¡± the three-foot-tall creature asked. I was a bit taken aback, not expecting a mouse person to be talking to me. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve got some business inside,¡± I replied, trying to brush past him politely. The last thing I needed was to create another problem like I had gotten myself into with that Bixby guy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but if you would just hear me out for one minute, I¡¯ll pay you a silver for your time,¡± the mouse said, holding up a silver coin in front of me. Not one to pass up free money, I paused for a moment. I¡¯d been invited to those vacation seminar scams before, where they give you a prize, but you had to sit through their entire spiel. I knew this was likely Somhagen¡¯s version of it, but I could endure hearing him out for one minute if he paid me. ¡°You got sixty seconds, go,¡± I said as I snatched the coin out of his hand and placing it in my pouch. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be quick. I assume you are a summoned being and this is your first visit to this tier of the city?¡± He asked. I nodded; it was pretty obvious what I was since I was trying to get into the shop that catered only to summoned beings. ¡°Excellent. What you may not be aware of is that once you hit the first tier, you may sign contracts to participate in various summonings. You can review the type and duration of the summoning before agreeing, and you¡¯ll be paid a small retainer in addition to the normal rewards you receive at the end of the summoning. I know my time is almost up, but if you would like to earn some extra coin doing what you¡¯ll be doing anyway, just visit our nearby shop, Contracted Summonings LTD. Hand them this voucher, and you¡¯ll get a bonus of five silver upon completion of your first contract,¡± the man said. ¡°Your minute¡¯s up. I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I replied. The mouse-man moved out of my way and gave me a friendly wave goodbye as I left to enter the shop. ¡°Thank you, good sir, I hope we can do business together!¡± He shouted after me as I walked inside the summoned market. As I entered, I looked at the voucher he had handed me. This voucher entitles the summoned being to a bonus of 5 silver upon completion of the first contract. There is a performance requirement of at least a rating of Poor to remain eligible for the bonus. This voucher must be endorsed by an official recruiter to remain valid. Signed, Pakrinas Tier 1 recruiter. Weird, but interesting if this was legit. From what this Pakrinas guy had said, I would know the type of summoning that I¡¯d get, and if I could get a bonus just for doing a summoning like I normally would do, it could be a good gig. Maybe I¡¯d check it out, but first, I need to find some new skills and abilities while I was here. I did remember that Minerva had recommended an information broker she said I could trust, Lavelle Varnoth, and his shop was supposed to be nearby. If I had the time, and if his fees weren¡¯t too exorbitant, I¡¯d ask about the contract deal. Maybe he could also give me some tips on this arena thing that I was supposed to enter. ¡°Honored summoned being, welcome to our market. May I assist you in a purchase today?¡± One of the attendants, a young-looking elvish woman dressed in the orange robe that seemed like the uniform for this place, asked. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m looking for some skills and abilities for tier one. Can you point me in the right direction?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, though I should warn you that the abilities we offer for that tier are quite numerous. Perhaps, if you tell me what you are hoping to find, I can narrow down your search?¡± The attendant offered. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, do you have any suggestions for someone that¡¯s kind of new to all this?¡± I asked.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°While I can¡¯t recommend specific abilities, at this tier, our clients are typically trying to shore up either combat abilities, spell selection, or something to make their life easier,¡± she said. I couldn¡¯t help but notice she avoided asking me what my class was. Just like Lumpy had told me, it was considered rude to outright ask someone. What did I need? First off, something that would work just as well at home as it did during a summoning. Other than that, maybe a way to conserve my mana or unlock an additional skills that would improve the efficiency of my Foe Summoner stuff. ¡°I come from a world without mana, do you have anything that doesn¡¯t require mana to activate? Also, anything that improves efficiency would be a good start.¡± I said. ¡°I think we can accommodate that, though I do remind you that most of the skill and ability scrolls we have merely offer you a selection from among a few random options. I can¡¯t guarantee exactly what options you might be offered, but there should be some things here that might help you. Why don¡¯t we start with some tier zero offerings. If you already possess a skill in one of these categories, we can go to the tier one upgrade if you wish,¡± the attendant said as she led me further into the shop. Where the other shop resembled an old record store, this one looked much nicer. The ability and skill offerings were displayed on shelves like in a bookstore, and you didn¡¯t need to paw through stacks of stuff to find what you wanted. Things were arranged by the tier and type of upgrade they offered. New spells would be nice, but mana and gear rating were the bottlenecks to my growth. There was no guarantee that the spells offered would be upgrades over what I had. We stopped in front of a rack that was labeled physical skills. It was nearly full, but many were duplicate offerings. I took a look at a few titles. Basic weapon skills. Basic unarmed combat skills. Basic ranged weapon skills. Basic polearm skills. Basic rogue skills. It was all pretty generic, and I wasn¡¯t sure if another combat skill was going to be that much of a help. I was a bit more interested in what a rogue skill might be, and after thinking for a moment, having an unarmed fighting skill would always be worthwhile, both at home and during a summoning. Still, I was looking for something a bit better suited to my class. ¡°Can you answer a question for me that¡¯s not related to shopping?¡± I asked ¡°Within reason,¡± the attendant said, getting a more serious and suspicious look on her face. Oh great, she thinks I might be a creeper or something. ¡°It¡¯s nothing weird, it¡¯s just that I know asking about someone¡¯s class is considered offensive, and perhaps dangerous. How can you truly offer the best help to someone if you don¡¯t know exactly what they need?¡± I hurriedly asked. Her expression softened a bit as she replied. ¡°I see, and yes, asking about class information is considered offensive and something that could get you hurt if you have acquired powerful enemies that seek to harm you with the information they receive. As an attendant of the summoned market, I am bound by both my oath, and through a geas from disclosing any information I learn about our clients.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say that in the first place?¡± I asked, getting a bit annoyed with the woman. ¡°It¡¯s another restriction we are placed under, you must be the one to ask about class revelation in order to prevent any unintended offenses from occurring. Now that you¡¯ve broached the subject, if you wish, you may share your class information and I¡¯ll help you as much as I can,¡± she offered. It was a gamble, but this shop seemed to be highly regulated by the system. ¡°Do I have any assurance that what you said is correct, I don¡¯t mean to imply that you¡¯re lying, but if you were, and my information came into the wrong hands, like you said, it could be dangerous for me,¡± I said. ¡°When you request to share information, you will see the restrictions that the system is placing on me. I¡¯ll initiate the exchange if that makes you feel a bit more secure in your decision,¡± she told me as a system prompt appeared. The summoned market attendant, Meara, has requested an exchange of class information. Meara is under geas and verbal bond to not disclose your information to any third party. If she violates her obligation, severe consequences, both physical and financial, will be imposed by the system. Do you wish to disclose your class, skill, ability, and spell book information to this person? Y/N. It looked like my privacy was going to be enforced by the system which was as good as I could hope for. I allowed her access to my information, and she stood there, looking contemplative as she held her chin in her hands. After a few moments, Meara came to a decision. ¡°A rather interesting type of class you have, and one that lends itself to your home world much better than a typical summoner. I can see that you¡¯d need a way to mitigate mana costs in a way that will not be affected when you return to a mana starved world. I have something that might help,¡± Meara said as she moved quickly to several shelves and grabbed a few scrolls. ¡°Remember that there is no guarantee that the choices you are offered will be exactly what you¡¯re looking for. Ability slots are limited so choose what you think is best. I¡¯ve also included some physical skills from tier zero that might offer a good option for you,¡± Meara said as she handed me the six scrolls that she had gathered. I read the titles of her suggestions, and two were the ones I¡¯d already considered. Each one had the summoning point cost written on it. Basic unarmed combat skills (10). Basic rogue skills (10). Tier 1 mana conservation abilities (25). Tier 1 gear efficiency abilities (25). Tier 1 summoner spells (25). Tier 1 protection spells (25). ¡°Other than skill and ability scrolls, do you have other things to offer here? I don¡¯t want to miss out on something if I go overboard on the scrolls,¡± I asked. My summoning point total was sitting at a healthy 131, but I didn¡¯t want to waste a single point if I could help it. ¡°Yes, we do. The market offers gear and weapons, accessories, and consumables. At this tier, selection will be limited for many of these categories. Would you like to peruse what we offer before you make your final choices regarding spells, skills, and abilities?¡± Meara asked. ¡°Absolutely, let¡¯s get some shopping done,¡± I said, getting more than a little excited over what I might find. Chapter 82. Some good finds. Meara walked me to another part of the store where there were more display stands as well as some tables where various bits of gear were laid out. I was also interested to see that they had a small collection of summoning figurines. These were single use items and as such, weren¡¯t overly expensive. With my class giving me a boost of one rank to anything I summoned from a figurine, as well as my mana cost for such items being set at one, they might be good purchases, especially to have back home. While my regular summoning figurines were bound to my core and could travel between worlds, if I could stash a few consumables, that would give me some additional protection back home. It may make me less effective during a summoning session if they weren¡¯t there, but overall, it was the smart choice. From my experience with the gnomes, having a good rating at the end of a summoning could be very lucrative, but I¡¯d sacrifice a few coins to preserve my life. I also inquired about more of the notice of cessation consumables. There was one already in my loadout, but once it was gone, I wouldn¡¯t have another chance to purchase one until I hit tier one, rank five. Meara had several in stock and reminded me they were good only for tier one summonings. After that, they would be useless items in my loadout as they were not returnable. I could maybe find someone to purchase them inside the city, but I could only expect a few coppers for one. They were fifteen summoning points each, which was steep, but a price I was willing to pay to prevent being forced to do something horrible. Thirty summoning points lighter, I purchased two more, which I hoped would get me through rank five of this tier. Into my pack they went as I took a look at the other offerings on hand. Making my way back to the figurines, I could see they were mainly priced based on their tier and rank. For the five tier zero summoning figurines, the prices ranged from one summoning point each for a pair of rat figurines, up to three points for the most expensive one, which was a snake with wings. I could only purchase the rank zero versions of tier one figurines, but as I¡¯d seen with my ghoul, they could be a nice bump in power over the previous tier. For the tier one, rank zero figurines, I had a choice between three items. There was one figurine that appeared to be a two for one type of deal. It depicted a pair of small goblins that each held a crude spear in their hands. Another figurine was a large dog or wolf of some type. The most expensive figurine in the mix was a skeleton holding a greatsword. He was priced at seven summoning points, while the other tier one figurines were five. I wanted the whole lot, that would give me a good spread of creatures to bring home, as well as a few to keep on hand for my loadout when being summoned. With summoning point total drained down after paying for the figurines, the system populated a bit of information on each. You have acquired the following summoning figurines. These are single use, consumable items. Tier 0, rank 0.
  1. Dire rat. Gear cost 1.
  2. Dire rat. Gear cost 1.
  3. Angry housecat. Gear cost 1.
Tier 0, rank 5.
  1. Dwarven militia. Gear cost 2.
Tier 0, rank 9.
  1. Air Serpent, venom spitter. Gear cost 5.
Tier 1, rank 0.
  1. Goblin raiding pair. Gear cost 5.
  2. Forest razor wolf. Gear cost 5.
  3. Skeletal blademaster (veteran). Gear cost 5.
You have acquired your first veteran figurine. These figurines represent a more powerful version of the creature that will perform at a level much higher than its tier and rank would suggest. Typically, the mana cost to activate such a figurine would be double the normal cost, but your class reduces the mana cost of all figurines to 1. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The veteran was a great find, and explained why he was more expensive than the other figurines that were the same rank and tier. With the advantage my class gave, I¡¯d have to keep an eye out for advanced figurines in the future. No matter how much mana they would normally require to summon, the cost of summoning these figurines would always be one for me. My purchases had put a dent in my summoning point total, but I felt good about the purchases I¡¯d made so far. Meara led me to the next display where some weapons and armor were laid out on a table. Several of the weapons were things I didn¡¯t have the skills for yet. Out of the armor selections, I found some leather armor pieces that I could wear, but they weren¡¯t enough of an upgrade over the armor I currently had to justify the cost. Meara assured me that other light armor was available inside the city, but they liked to have at least a small offering available to the summoned beings so they could purchase using their summoning points rather than cash. After passing on the armor, and not finding any weapons for my tier and rank that even came close to my magic war hammer, we moved on toward the next table. ¡°I believe this would be a good fit for your class. It only functions on summoned creatures up to tier one, but I believe that is the current limit of what you can summon. As you progress further in your class, it will become obsolete, but they have a strong resale value here in the summoned market and also inside the city itself if you prefer coin instead of summoning points,¡± Meara said as she handed me a silver headband. The system populated information about it as I held the item. Headband of the apprentice summoner. This headband boosts the power of any creature that is summoned when this item is equipped, increasing their rank by 1. It functions on all types of summons, up to tier 1. The gear cost for equipping this item is 10, and the price is 25 summoning points. It was something I definitely wanted, but I had to ask Meara something first to make sure I wasn¡¯t wasting points on it. ¡°Meara, my class also grants me a rank increase of one for anything I summon. Will this add to that, or just mirror the same boost, making it useless?¡± I asked. ¡°Since you shared your class information with me, I wouldn¡¯t offer you something that would be of no benefit. I can confirm that the bonus rank this item confers will stack with your class ability,¡± Meara confirmed. With the headband, everything, even the expendable figurines, would be bumped by a total of two ranks, a huge boost at my current rank and tier. Without hesitation, I purchased the headband and stashed it in my pack. It was too bad that I couldn¡¯t go back to the armory and adjust my loadout, but I was glad to have the item for future use. Some hard decisions on what to cut to make room for the headband would have to be made, but it was too good to leave off my loadout. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± I asked, getting into a consumer frenzy as I shopped in the bizarre store. ¡°Might I suggest we revisit the skills and ability offerings? I don¡¯t know your current budget, but I¡¯d hate to sell you items that completely deplete your summoning points and then leave you without a chance to gather new abilities. Remember, abilities and skills are some of the most important things you can purchase here. They will follow you forever, while the consumables and other items will lose some, or all, of their usefulness as you ascend to the higher tiers,¡± Meara suggested. She was right, I had spent 80 of my 131 summoning points, and I wanted to get at least a couple of skills or spells before I ran out of funds. Back to our first stop we went, but I did cast a few longing glances at the tables and racks of gear that we hadn¡¯t made it to yet. I had a feeling that Meara was doing her best to find me good fits for my class, and if there was something out there that was a must-have, she would have shown it to me earlier. We had the same scrolls to consider that I had reviewed before. No matter how much I pestered Meara, she couldn¡¯t give me any greater detail on the offerings. It was going to be something of a mystery with each choice, but the scrolls typically offered multiple options to choose from, mitigating the potential downside. Now, it was time to make a decision. Basic unarmed combat skills (10). Basic rogue skills (10). Tier 1 mana conservation abilities (25). Tier 1 gear efficiency upgrades (25). Tier 1 summoner spells (25). Tier 1 protection spells (25). Chapter 83. Skills and advice. I had 51 summoning points remaining. Out of the options that Meara found for me, the ones I was most interested in were the mana conservation and gear efficiency. I¡¯d already bumped up against the gear score cap, and the situation was only going to get worse if I continued to perform well and gathered more rewards. Mana conservation was key if I wanted to maximize my mana pool, especially back home. Despite that, more spells were probably not the best use of my points right now. It made no sense to buy more spells that I couldn¡¯t equip due to the gear score cap. Both basic skills were also attractive, who didn¡¯t want to learn how to fight unarmed, or learn some rogue skill that might come in handy on both worlds. I could go with two tier one skills, or a tier one coupled with both basic skills. After thinking about it, mana conservation wasn¡¯t going to be that big of a boost for me yet. Most of my power was going to be in summoning using the figurines, and they were already only one mana to activate. My other spells were important, but not nearly as critical as getting a summoned creature out during a fight. Back home, some minor spell efficiency would be nice, but I¡¯d still rather use my limited mana to summon a creature to help me. If I was out of figurines, buffing what I had would be nice, but that would mean I was probably already in a bad spot and nearly out of mana. ¡°Meara, I¡¯ll take these,¡± I said, keeping the tier one gear efficiency upgrade along with the basic unarmed combat skills and basic rogue skills. I felt these would give me the best value. When I returned to Somhagen at tier one, rank five, I may have other priorities, but for now, these worked. ¡°All fine choices, please read them at your convenience, but if you would like, we do have some private areas for you to comfortably and privately examine your options,¡± Meara said as the summoning points were deducted from my balance. I now had a whopping six points remaining out of the 131 I had started with. It was fine, I¡¯d have another five ranks to rebuild my balance before I returned to the city. Not wanting to leave without learning my skills, I took Meara up on her offer, and she led me to several small alcoves at the back of the building. She left me to work, mentioning that I should feel free to ask her if I had any questions. I did ask her if she had any suggestions for six summoning points, and she said she would consider it while I worked. It was time to dig into my options, so I started with the unarmed combat skills scroll. Basic Unarmed Combat. Knowledge of basic fighting techniques applicable to your species will now be imprinted on your mind. Your new skill will incorporate any existing combat knowledge you might possess. The basic tier of this skill is universal, but to progress further in the unarmed combat path, a specialization will be required. There weren¡¯t multiple options with this one. As I activated the skill, I could feel the knowledge load into my mind. It incorporated itself with the few lessons that I¡¯d already received back home, and it made me miss my time in the dojo. I found that I had genuinely enjoyed learning martial arts, and I would love to find another school when my life wasn¡¯t so crazy. With the new baseline knowledge I had, I felt I could hold my own against anyone that didn¡¯t have similar training. Back home, that meant I could take on most of the people I encountered. Maybe the agents had more training, but the average cultist I could deal with in a hand-to-hand situation. Sadly, the cultists seemed to travel in groups, which was terrifying and made going up against them with just my fists a poor option. Basic Rogue Skills. Please select a skill from the following options.
  1. Hide in shadows. This skill pulls from your mana pool to hide you from casual observation. You must break visual contact before activating for maximum results. This skill requires 1 mana every 5 seconds to remain active.
  2. Lockpick/Disarm Device. This skill gives you the basic knowledge to defeat simple traps and locks. Higher complexity or magical locks are beyond the scope of this skill and would require specialized training.
  3. Attack of Opportunity. With this skill you recognize openings in your opponent¡¯s defense, giving you a higher chance to inflict critical damage on your foe when engaged in melee combat.
It wasn¡¯t a bad trio of options. As far as the hide in shadows skill, being mana based made it less useful. If I tried to continuously channel mana into it back home, my mana pool would burn up in seconds. Attack of opportunity was also pretty situational. If I was locked in melee combat, I would have already done something wrong. My minions should bear the brunt of any direct combat.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Learning to pick locks and disarm traps sounded awesome, and that was my selection. Once I confirmed my selection, I began to understand how locks functioned, and how they could be defeated. I also learned how to spot simple traps and take measures to disarm or at least mitigate their effects. Oddly enough, some idea of how to defeat basic electronic locks was also part of the program, though anything too complex was going to be beyond my skill level. I also could deal with simple magical traps by channeling my own mana to disrupt them. Happy with my choice, I moved on to the final selection, the gear efficiency upgrade. I was granted another three options to choose from. Gear Efficiency. Please select a skill from the following options.
  1. Armor efficiency expert. This ability stacks with any other armor reduction skills you may have gained. The armor efficiency expert skill will decrease the gear cost of any armor by 10. Please be advised that the gear cost for any armor set can never be reduced below 1.
  2. Spell miser. The spell miser ability makes equipping all your spells more efficient, reducing their gear cost by 1. Please be advised that the gear cost for any spell can never be reduced below 1.
  3. Consumable planner. The consumable planner ability makes equipping any limited use item more efficient. The gear cost for equipping any limited use item is reduced by 1. Please be advised that the gear cost for equipping any item can never be reduced below 1.
All three choices seemed fine. Of the three, armor efficiency expert gave me the largest upfront discount. Sadly, the fact that it didn¡¯t scale as I rose in rank and tier made it less desirable. The gear cost savings was big for me now, but when I hit tier 3 or 4, it would probably be considered a negligible discount. Spells and consumable discounts would scale as I gained power and used more of them. I had to consider my future plans. Spells would always be a part of my loadout, but I never saw myself as a pure mage. Most of my spells would be in support of my minions, so equipping my whole spell book wasn¡¯t going to be necessary to get a decent bang for the buck. Consumables were going to be a good part of my strategy going forward. One time use summoning figurines were relatively inexpensive, so I planned to have as many as I could get my hands on. In addition, it looked like my magic missile wand was also classified as a consumable since it had limited charges. With the wand and my notice of cessation, I would always have some consumable equipped other than just figurines. Of the three choices I was offered, I was leaning toward Consumable Planner. If I ended up with a pocketful of one-time-use figurines, it would save me quite a few gear points. Even if I was down to the dregs on my single use figurines, I¡¯d still get value for the wand, the notice, and any other limited use things I might run across. You have acquired the ability Consumable Planner. Return to your armory to make any changes to your loadout. Returning to the armory would have to wait until I was done here in Somhagen. Before I left the summoned market, I checked back in with Meara. She had come through and found another item that I was interested in. I was handed a small bronze ring that the system identified for me when I looked at it. Ring of multi-summon (2). This ring allows you to duplicate a summoned creature by using one of the rings charges. When the final charge on this ring is expended, it becomes a simple bronze ring and cannot be recharged. The gear cost for this item is 2 before any class or ability discounts, and it requires 1 mana to activate. The price for this ring is 3 summoning points. ¡°That¡¯s not bad, but with only two charges, and no way to refill it, it¡¯s kind of limited,¡± I complained. ¡°While its use is limited, the cost for the item reflects its shortcomings,¡± Meara argued. She was right, if I used this to duplicate my best summoned creature, it would be much more efficient than buying a figurine. For only three summoning points, and a gear cost of one after my discount, it was a good buy. ¡°I¡¯ll take it, thanks for all your help. Can I bother you with a couple more questions before I go?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly. What can I help you with?¡± Meara replied. ¡°First, I¡¯m looking for directions to the arena from here. Also, as I walked in, I was handed one of these. Any idea if this is legit, or is it some kind of scam?¡± I asked, showing her the flier that the Pakrinas guy had handed me. ¡°The arena is an easy answer, it¡¯s three blocks from here, toward the western side of this tier of the city. Just look for the crowds and you¡¯ll know you¡¯re there. As for the contract broker, many summoned beings use them, and there are both good and bad ones operating here. I¡¯m sorry, but I just don¡¯t know which ones will offer you a fair deal. What I can do is recommend an information broker that might be able to help answer that for you. A man named Lavelle Varnoth has a small shop that is on your way to the arena, and he has an honest reputation,¡± Meara offered. ¡°I appreciate it, you¡¯re the second one to recommend this Lavelle. Thanks again, I hope to see you when I hit rank five,¡± I said as I left. It was time to find out what this whole arena business was about, but first, I¡¯d visit the information broker. If both Minerva and Meara recommended him, the odds were that I could get good and honest information from him. The real question was what that information might cost me. Chapter 84. Information sale. I moved around the outer ring of the city, toward the west where the information broker that everyone recommended was supposed to be located. His shop was easy enough to find based on the directions, a small storefront that looked like someone¡¯s residence. It was a simple stone structure that had a wooden sign standing on the tidy lawn out front. As I walked into the shop, the front door creaked and a small bell above the door gave out a cheerful ring. Inside, there was a waiting area, with a pair of overstuffed chairs that looked rather comfortable. A door led deeper into the shop and a voice called out from back there. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡± It was odd, most people in Somhagen, as well as those I interacted with during my summonings sounded pretty much like I did. They all had your typical California accent, or lack of an accent if you asked me. It was the way the system worked as it translated language directly into my mind, making the language both understandable and familiar. This guy, he had one of those thick country accents, the kind that made people sound friendly, but could be a little hard to understand. ¡°No rush, I¡¯ll wait out here for you,¡± I replied. ¡°Sorry for the wait, what can I do for you?¡± the man asked as he joined me in the lobby, settling himself down in the other overstuffed chair. I wouldn¡¯t trade one of these for the rocking chair back in my personal space, but I could see myself spending an afternoon reading in this chair. ¡°Are you Lavelle Varnoth? I was told you could help me with some information,¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I am, sorry for not introducing myself, I was doing some cataloguing and editing back there, and I tend to lose myself in the task. Who might you be, and what type of information can I round up for you?¡± Lavelle asked. He looked to be in his forties and had a dark beard starting to streak with grey. The man had a devious gleam in his eye, but one that seemed more on the side of mischievous rather than cruel. ¡°My name¡¯s Rico, and there¡¯s a ton I want to ask about, but I suppose it all depends on what you¡¯re charging,¡± I answered. ¡°I understand, we¡¯re all on a budget. Why don¡¯t you ask me something simple to start, and we¡¯ll call that a free sample. After I answer, I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯d normally charge for such things,¡± Lavelle offered. ¡°Fair enough, why don¡¯t we start with this,¡± I said as I handed over the flier I¡¯d been given in front of the summoned market. ¡°This won¡¯t be much trouble, these summoning brokers are in most tiers of the city, and their reputations aren¡¯t too hard to figure out. Let¡¯s see who we have, ah, Contracted Summonings LTD, and the recruiter is Pakrinas. I know of this one, no research needed. This organization is about the middle of the road as far as these places go. They have a fair reputation and won¡¯t try to pull anything too egregious. Mostly, they¡¯ll try to pay you coppers on the silver for their services,¡± Lavelle said. ¡°And how much would you have charged for that information if it wasn¡¯t free?¡± I asked. ¡°For something like this, my going rate would be ten silver. Prices go up from there depending on what you¡¯re looking for and how much effort it requires from me,¡± Lavelle explained. ¡°So, this broker place is fine, but be sure to negotiate on the pricing if I decide to use them?¡± I asked. ¡°Exactly, many summoned beings prefer to use these brokers,¡± Lavelle said. ¡°Why, other than a few extra coins, what advantage do they offer?¡± I asked. ¡°Sorry, your free question has already been more than answered. For what you seek, I would require 10 silver,¡± Lavelle offered. I considered it, knowing why the other summoned beings used these services would give me some piece of mind, and confirm if I was missing out on an opportunity. ¡°I¡¯ll go for that,¡± I decided, pulling ten silver out of my pouch to hand to Lavelle. ¡°A good question. The advantage of summoning brokers is twofold. First, there is a little guaranteed cash when you finish up each summoning. Of course, you¡¯ll have to make it back here to Somhagen to retrieve that bonus, but you can build up a nice purse of coins just from the bonuses you¡¯ll acquire during five ranks worth of summonings. ¡°The second reason is that with a contract, you¡¯ll have a better idea of the types of summonings you¡¯ll be called to. You see, when you contract with a broker, they have specific jobs in mind and the contract will disclose what you¡¯re required to do for each one. The details may be a bit vague, but when a contracted summoning comes up, you¡¯ll be at least somewhat prepared for the situation. If you¡¯ve hit tier one, I don¡¯t have to tell you how bad some of the summonings can get,¡± Lavelle said. ¡°Okay, it seems like the summoning brokers aren¡¯t too bad. I¡¯ll check this one out and see what they offer. My other question is what to expect from the arena. My advisor said it would be in my best interest to join, since I was given a free entry, but she was a bit vague on what participating in the arena entails,¡± I asked.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°You¡¯ll have to narrow down your question a bit. There¡¯s quite a bit of knowledge involved in arena function, tactics, betting, and so forth. What in particular are you trying to find out? Tell me that, and I can give you a price,¡± Lavelle explained. ¡°What about information on improving my chances when I participate?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s still a bit broad, why don¡¯t I make a suggestion. I can offer you information on the signup process, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to use any upgrade certificates you might have on hand. For all that, I¡¯d need forty silver. If you use the information I give you, and follow my advice, you¡¯ll more than likely earn back the fee and a bit more,¡± Lavelle offered. It was a steep price, but if it improved my chances to the point that it paid the bill Lavelle was charging me, there wasn¡¯t much downside. ¡°This¡¯ll hurt, but sure, here you go,¡± I agreed, digging out the funds to pay the man with. ¡°Good, the first thing you need to understand is that the arena events aren¡¯t held that often. It may take days, or even weeks before a full roster is signed up. Once that happens, you¡¯ll be sent a system notice, or if you¡¯re back in your home world, you¡¯ll be summoned directly to the event. ¡°If you are summoned to the event, you will be restricted to the locker room and the arena itself. Participation doesn¡¯t include an extra shopping trip to Somhagen. At your tier, the accommodations in town are pricey compared to what you¡¯re probably earning. If the tournament isn¡¯t going to start in a day or two, I recommend that you head back home and wait to be summoned. ¡°Do I just show up to sign up for the tournament?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, the clerks at the arena can fill you in on an estimated start date. I should also mention that you may ask me clarification questions like you just did, without any additional charge. Should you try and exploit that free service, I will begin to charge you for every answer I provide, no matter how mundane,¡± Lavelle explained. ¡°Got it, don¡¯t abuse the clarification questions,¡± I confirmed. ¡°As far as what the tournament actually is, that changes each time, but they are almost always combat related. Sometimes, it¡¯ll pit the summoned beings against each other in an elimination tournament. Other times, it¡¯s a survival-based situation, seeing who lives the longest, or even something more interesting, such as defending a dungeon against pre-selected teams of adventurers. ¡°No matter which format your particular tournament takes, you¡¯ll be rated on your performance. Do better than your peers and you¡¯ll take home a greater portion of the prize pool. My advice is to be aggressive out of the gate, regardless of the type of tournament. Given that this is the first tournament that you and the other summoned beings will experience, you¡¯ll find that the natural reaction for people is to hang back, watch what happens, and try to play it safe. For this first tournament, go full bore and try to be bold,¡± Lavelle said before a hissing teapot somewhere in the building was heard. Lavelle excused himself and was kind enough to offer me a cup of tea. I¡¯d never been a huge tea person, I preferred coffee, but this tea was good, and kind of minty and refreshing. There were also some cookies that Lavelle had placed on the saucer that weren¡¯t too sweet and went well with the drink. After enjoying a few sips and a cookie, Lavelle continued his explanation. ¡°Now, the last thing you¡¯ll need to know is how to use any arena upgrade certificates. How many do you have?¡± Lavelle asked. ¡°Five, and don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t charge you for that answer,¡± I joked. Lavelle seemed like the type of guy that would enjoy a little levity in our conversation, and he responded with a smile and a threat to charge me triple if I started trying to charge him. ¡°Five is a very good number of certificates at tier one. If you take my earlier suggested strategy, try to use your certificates for any offense related upgrades. Many times, you¡¯ll be given a choice to sabotage another random participant with one or protect yourself from sabotage. While that might be tempting, you won¡¯t have any idea in this first tournament about who you¡¯ll be up against. ¡°You might waste a certificate on hampering someone who had no real chance anyway. Go with tangible things, like minions, or a head start, extra gear, things like that. For this tier, stay away from defensive items, they typically just offer a small percentage damage reduction, which is of dubious use at this tier. ¡°Also, if you¡¯re offered a mystery upgrade for one of your certificates, take it. The odds are 50/50 that the mystery upgrade will be a dud, but when it isn¡¯t, the upgrade is usually very good, and something that could give you a big advantage. ¡°A final piece of advice, whatever you do, don¡¯t bet on the tournament, or be enticed into selling any of your information. There will be shady individuals offering you money for favors inside the tournament, but they are just as likely to steal your last copper than live up to their end of the bargain. Don¡¯t gamble, don¡¯t take any hot tips. In addition, you need to make sure that you don¡¯t cause trouble before the tournament starts,¡± Lavelle warned. I sat there processing what he had just told me, trying to figure out if was worth forty silver or not. Lavelle seemed to realize what I was thinking and pulled a small scroll out of his coat pocket that he slid over to me. ¡°Take this, I get a few now and then as rewards for service to the city. This alone will be worth my information fee. I like you, Rico, and I hope you do well as a summoned being.¡± I looked at the scroll, shocked to find it was another arena upgrade certificate, but the paper it was on was gold colored, instead of the normal ivory parchment. The system populated information as I looked at it. Elite arena upgrade certificate. Use this to improve the next arena upgrade certificate you activate. ¡°Thank you, this seems like something valuable, why just give it to me?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a guess here, based on the way you talk and dress, that you¡¯re from Earth. I¡¯m always glad to help out a fellow earthling early in their career. I was where you were sitting once, and I do wish you luck Rico,¡± Lavelle said, shocking me a bit. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re from Earth? Where? I have so many questions for you,¡± I started to ask as Lavelle waved me off. ¡°That¡¯s a long story and contains information that I don¡¯t think you can afford yet. The system places a high price on such things, and just like everyone else, I must abide by the system guidelines. When you manage to gather 500 gold, come back and see me. We¡¯ll have a long, and very fruitful discussion,¡± Lavelle said, ushering me out when another summoned being showed up to purchase information. I stood outside his shop, more than a little shocked and curious. Lavelle was from Earth, and he wasn¡¯t a summoned being anymore. He lived and worked here in Somhagen. I¡¯d considered leaving Earth if the opportunity arose, and Lavelle¡¯s presence just confirmed that it was possible. Too bad that learning how Lavelle managed all this was going to cost me far more than I was willing or able to pay. Chapter 85. Staying the night. There was a lot running through my mind as I walked the last two blocks toward the arena. At least one person from Earth was living and had a business in Somhagen. As much as that intrigued me, the goal of finding where I wanted to live was one for the future. For now, I had to continue to climb the tiers and gather power and money if I wanted to survive. The next step in my visit was to check out the arena. It was near Lavelle¡¯s shop, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, maybe something like the Roman Colosseum. What I found wasn¡¯t quite that impressive. The oval stone arena was sized more like a high school stadium than a grand edifice that would stand the test of time. While the viewing stand area was huge, it wrapped around an area that couldn¡¯t quite fit a football field. The building itself was stone, as were the stands, but it had a rough and unfinished look, as if the city had gone with the lowest bidder and didn¡¯t bother to inspect the results before paying them. Given that there was magic in this world, I would have expected something grander. Maybe the higher tiers of the city had better facilities and this place reflected that this was the bush league for arena contestants. Several gates dotted the outside of the arena, but only one appeared open at this time. A small trickle of people was entering and exiting the building in a steady flow. I joined the queue and made my way inside. This portion of the arena had several ticket booths, and there were signs posted directing people to the various offerings. Most were used for betting on the upcoming match, and there was a bewildering array of things you could bet on. Several shady-looking characters tried to approach me and engage in conversation, but I waved them off, heeding Lavelle¡¯s earlier warning about not messing around with gambling or people trying to get me to sell my information. One booth that was empty had a sign announcing new participant signups, which was exactly what I was looking for. ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like to enter the next tournament,¡± I said to a bored looking humanoid that looked like a cross between a cobra and a human woman. ¡°Place your entry form on the counter so I can validate it,¡± the snake lady said. I dug out the certificate from my pack and passed it through the small opening under the counter. She muttered some spell and then held the certificate up to examine it for long enough that I started to get nervous. ¡°This checks out, the next tournament is still not ready to begin, when we have enough entrants, you will be notified and summoned directly if you¡¯re not in town,¡± she said flatly as she placed my certificate on a shelf with a pile of similar certificates. ¡°How long until it starts?¡± I asked. ¡°Nobody knows, but from the influx we¡¯re seeing of participants, I¡¯d say you have at least a week or two before you have to worry about showing up here,¡± she replied, pointing to the stack of arena certificates. ¡°How many people are usually entered in a tournament?¡± I asked. ¡°It varies, but for this planned event, we expect somewhere between three and four hundred,¡± she offered. ¡°That¡¯s more than I had thought. Can you tell me any details about the event that¡¯s planned. I understand each tournament can be different,¡± I asked. ¡°No, that is information I cannot disclose. I can tell you this,¡± she said in a rather conspiratorial manner after looking around to see if anyone was watching her. The move looked even more shady when the person doing it was part snake. ¡°If you can tell me about your gear, and show me how many upgrade certificates you have, I might be able to find something out for you,¡± she offered. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m good, but I appreciate the offer,¡± I said, backing away as the alarm bells rang inside my head. The clerk gave me a glare before waving me away. Before I left, I did take a peek inside the arena itself, and was rather surprised that it consisted of a simple stone floor that led to a series of glowing panels spaced at regular intervals. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it, but I was pretty sure the glowing panels were teleportation devices of some type. If that were the case, they must have some magical means for the crowds to view the coming contest.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I had another decision to make, did I approach Pakrinas and his offer of a summoning contract? That was something I¡¯d have to think about for a bit, and I tried to distract myself with some shopping while I pondered my next move. First, I stopped at a few of the inns to check on lodging prices. They were as steep as the others had warned me about, and a single night was nineteen silver at the least expensive place. When I factored in meals, my cash reserves could be badly depleted before my time in the arena began. It would be nice to stay and explore the city for a week or two until the tournament started, but I had already been gone from home for quite a while and I was worried about what might be happening while I was away. There really wasn¡¯t much waiting for me back home, just a crappy motel room and several groups hunting for me, but I couldn¡¯t afford to stay here permanently, at least not yet. While I couldn¡¯t afford to live in Somhagen permanently, I could afford to stay for a night or two, which would give me more time to explore. With a room rented for the night at the cheapest place I could find, I hit the streets looking for deals on upgrades to my gear. My summoning points were tapped out, but I still had coins to spend. I wanted to save a few gold to melt down back home, as well as some silver and copper to start building up a cash reserve. Other than that, the rest of my funds were ready to spend. There wasn¡¯t much of a rhyme or reason to the shop locations, but in general, stores that offered similar goods tended to group together. With my war hammer, I felt good about my melee weapons, so I looked for some armor upgrades. There was a wide variety of armor types, and even a few that were enchanted. The enchanted items were very expensive, and the shops had a limited selection. Several of the merchants confirmed that as I moved through the tiers and got closer to the city center, the options and power of gear generally improved. The economy here was based mostly on the tourist trade. Summoned beings made up the smallest percentage of the population at any given time. Tourists visited the markets and arena for entertainment or the chance to make a quick buck. Strange beings and humans both fit into this category, and I found it amusing that the other species walking or slithering around didn¡¯t even faze me anymore. Many of the others I approached avoided contact, but I did manage to strike up a few conversations, and enjoyed exchanging information about our worlds. Other than shops that sold armor, weapons, and other adventuring gear, the majority of the stores offered mundane items like food, household goods, and other things that you might need to live in the city. Stores stayed open well into the evening and by the time it started getting dark, I had circled this city once, giving all my options a once over. I also spotted the company Pakrinas worked for and made a point to check it out before I returned home. My stomach was growling by the time I made it back to the inn I was staying at. I purchased a bowl of pork and vegetable stew with a small loaf of crusty bread to mop up every bit of the hearty broth. A mug of strong ale chased down my meal before I made my way back to the room. The inn was a rather shabby place whose only claim to fame was being the cheapest place to sleep on this tier of the city. Cheap as it was, at least the cramped room I was staying in was clean. The last thing I¡¯d want was to catch the fantasy world equivalent of bedbugs. Despite the day¡¯s events still brewing inside my mind, I fell asleep quickly, enjoying the cool breeze from the small window in my room. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯d been sleeping when I came to a groggy wakefulness as I sensed something wrong. Maybe it was the time spent traveling with the gnomes and worrying about the undead lurking about, or maybe I¡¯d just heard a sound that shouldn¡¯t be there. Whatever it was, I was awake and could feel the presence of something else in the dark room with me. Though the small, open window, the glow of streetlamp let in a bit of light, enough to make out the shapes nearby. On the nightstand was a lantern that I had turned down for the night, and I tried to sit up and reach for it. Trying to sit up, I realized my limbs weren¡¯t moving like they should have been, I fumbled with the lamp, clumsily turning up the flame as a figure in the shadows hissed. At the foot of my bed was a young woman wearing tattered and stained clothing. She had a hold of my left leg, and her face was buried in my calf. Her eyes looked up at me, pupils slit like those of a beast. Even as we gazed at each other, the woman made slurping sounds as she clamped tight onto my leg and continued to feed. There was no pain, but I didn¡¯t need to feel anything to be horrified by what was happening. I had gone to bed with my new magic belt on, and I reached to grab the first thing that came to mind, my Foe Summoner ghoul figurine. As I thought of the figurine, I could feel it in my hand as I touched the belt. My mind started to get foggy, and I dropped back down on the bed, sleep fighting to pull me back. More of the horrible slurping sounds caused me to shake off the fatigue long enough to push a point of mana into the figurine. On the brink of passing out, I issued an order to have the ghoul defend me. My undead minion materialized at the side of my bed, shrieking and ripping at the woman that was feeding on my leg. I nodded off, only coming to as I heard voices shouting. Light from several lanterns flooded the room as the door was knocked off its hinges. The ghoul charged forward to deal with the new intruders but was cut down in seconds. As I sat up, I could see the shredded and partially consumed body of the young woman on the floor near the foot of my bed. A blade was leveled at my neck as a gruff voice issued a command. ¡°Move and die.¡± Chapter 86. Bounties and blobs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not moving. What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked as the sword blade pricked the skin on my throat and a small trickle of blood dripped down. ¡°Screams and sounds of combat were heard from inside this room, and when we entered, your summoned creature attacked us. It seems you and your minion have committed a murder,¡± the man, who was encased in plate armor, accused. One of the other guards moved to the body of the woman. ¡°The ghoul did a number on her, sir, even began to feed. Gads! Look at that, this is no woman, it¡¯s a leechling,¡± the guard said with disgust as he turned the body of the woman over. ¡°What¡¯s a leechling?¡± I asked, noticing how cramped the room had become with three armored guards stuffed inside. ¡°A creature that stalks the sewers and hidden alleyways of this city, looking for unsuspecting victims to feed upon. Given the wound on your leg, she was having quite the feast before your ghoul showed up,¡± the guard said as they lowered their weapons, no longer suspecting me of summoning a creature to kill some innocent woman. ¡°You have a healing potion on your belt, drink it, you fool,¡± the first guard said. He was right, and I clumsily popped the cork out of one of the potions and downed it. It tasted like a bad, menthol flavored cough medicine, but I managed to choke it down. My leg wasn¡¯t pretty, and I still had no feeling in it. A circular wound, that still trickled out blood was right in the center of my calf. As the potion took effect, the wound stopped leaking and began to heal. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± I asked as I downed a second potion to finish the healing process, wanting the grotesque wound gone despite the diminishing returns of drinking a second potion. ¡°City watch, and we¡¯re the reason you should mind yourself while in the city. Here, there¡¯s a bounty for leechlings. If you¡¯d like, I¡¯ll have its carcass hauled to an alchemist. They can extract whatever is in the monster¡¯s saliva for various potions,¡± the guard said, as he passed me three silver for the bounty. ¡°How much will the alchemist pay?¡± I asked. ¡°Not much, but I can see that he gets you a couple healing potions to replace what you¡¯ve used up. As for anything else, that¡¯s my finder¡¯s fee for doing all the heavy lifting. We¡¯ll leave the potions with the innkeeper for you to pick up later,¡± the guard said. ¡°Fair enough. Is everything else okay now?¡± I asked, still a little worried I might have broken a law of some sort. ¡°You¡¯re good, and as a bit of warning, keep your window closed in this neighborhood at night. You don¡¯t want more creepy crawlies coming in and making a meal out of you. Better yet, don¡¯t go cheap on your lodgings and pick a place that can afford to have wards on the windows,¡± the guard said. One of the trio hauled the leechling corpse over his shoulder as they left. No sooner had they left when the innkeeper arrived and began to chastise me for the mess and the broken door. After parting with the money that I had received from my bounty to reimburse the innkeeper for the damage, I was moved to another room where I made sure to secure the window before trying to sleep. Despite waking up every time I heard a noise, I made it through the rest of the night without any strange leech creatures trying to suck out all my bodily fluids. After a quick breakfast in the inn, I headed out for a final day of shopping and exploration. I had given most of this tier of the city a good look yesterday and it narrowed down my search to a few shops that had promising items for reasonable prices. My first stop was at a leatherworker who had just finished making a set of studded leather armor that he could size to fit me. It offered a strong bump in protection over the padded leather from the gnomes and the breastplate I had gotten from the voucher. The armor was a natural, dark brown color and the bronze studs added additional protection against slashing damage. Taking a cue from my gnomish armor, I had the man add some extra padding where it wouldn¡¯t interfere with my movement. While my days of piloting mechs were probably over, a little padding would help if I was knocked around in a fight. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My gear cost for the new armor remained the same, and I had a feeling that all similar types of armor, such as the leather I now wore, would have a similar gear cost unless you started to add enchantments or other improvements. I perused a few more weapons at the smiths in the area but didn¡¯t come up with anything too exciting. Any weapon that might be better than my hammer was substantially more expensive, even after the trade in value from my existing weapon. Unless I lucked out on a summoning reward, getting a melee weapon upgrade wasn¡¯t likely to happen until tier two. The arena might provide something, but I¡¯d have to wait and see how I did in there. While I was out shopping, I realized that the ghoul figurine had reformed and was ready for me to use again. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly when that happened, and I¡¯d have to try and keep track of it the next time I used a figurine from my Foe Summoner class. I picked up a few more odds and ends to round out my pack, mainly some rations that were supposed to never go bad, and a water skin that was enchanted to slowly refill as long as there was ambient mana in the area. One shop was rather interesting compared to the others; it was a place that sold pets. Inside were animals that were close, but not quite what you¡¯d expect to see on Earth. The place had some weird cats with super long ears, a pair of puppies that looked more like wolves than dogs, and your typical lizards, birds, and fish. I¡¯d always loved pets but living on my own left little time to care for something. In the back of the shop, past the more Earth-like animals, were the exotic creatures. Spiders that were far too large for my liking, bunnies with unicorn horns, and even a two headed lizard with a spiked tail were on offer. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zillaria, may I help you find your perfect friend today?¡± The woman behind the counter, a young-looking elf, asked after I had browsed for a bit. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m not really able to care for a pet just yet. I hope you don¡¯t mind me looking around,¡± I replied. ¡°No, go right ahead. Are you a summoned being by chance?¡± She asked. It wasn¡¯t too hard for locals to peg who the summoned beings were. ¡°Yeah, so you can see why I can¡¯t care for an animal right now,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, on the contrary, several of the pets here are perfect for someone who¡¯s away for long periods of time. From what I understand, most summoned beings move from their world to a personal space where their physical needs are sustained though mana. There are a wide range of creatures that would survive and thrive in such an atmosphere,¡± Zillaria suggested. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they get sad not having anyone else around very often?¡± I asked. ¡°No, many are quite content to be on their own, while at the same time relishing your company when you are present,¡± she replied. ¡°Okay, what do you suggest?¡± I asked, intrigued at the possibility of finding a pet. ¡°What about one of these darlings?¡± Zillaria asked, pointing toward the cage holding the spiders. ¡°Nope, no spiders or anything resembling them,¡± I quickly blurted. Zillaria gave me a wry smile at my growing arachnophobia. ¡°I understand, we all have our preferences,¡± she replied before walking toward a glass cage where a bright green gelatinous cube the size of a shoebox slid slowly along. ¡°This here is Melvin, a rare, sapient gelatinous cube. He is perfectly happy on his own, even in a confined environment like his cage, but when let loose in a larger area, he¡¯ll happily explore for hours. Normally, a cube like this is very dangerous, but ones like Melvin can form a bond with his new friend and will not harm them,¡± Zillaria said. ¡°Does he, you know, actually like people?¡± I asked. Stuff like dogs and cats really did want you around and were happy to see you, but some of the more exotic animals people liked to keep seemed like they couldn¡¯t care less about who their owner was, as long as they fed them. ¡°Of course, if it¡¯s a friend that he¡¯s approved of. That¡¯s part of my shop¡¯s purpose, we match pets to each other. You see, to Melvin, he¡¯d think you¡¯re the one that¡¯s the pet,¡± Zillaria said. ¡°What about feeding him and stuff,¡± I asked apprehensively. I¡¯ve seen the blob movie and I don¡¯t want to unleash something that¡¯ll go nuts and dissolve everyone. ¡°Inside a summoned being¡¯s personal space, Melvin will be perfectly happy absorbing ambient mana. Were you to take him anywhere else, he¡¯d need a steady diet of some form of biomass. As an intelligent being, Melvin realizes he can¡¯t just eat and grow incessantly, and has mastered his baser urges,¡± Zillaria explained. ¡°If you really think he¡¯d be happy in my personal space, this might work. How much is Melvin?¡± I asked. Having a pet in my personal space sounded like a great idea, but I couldn¡¯t afford to blow too much money on something like this. ¡°For Melvin, twenty silver. Of course, we¡¯ll have to see if you two are compatible first,¡± Zillaria said. Twenty silver was something I could handle. There wasn¡¯t much else in this tier of the city that I needed to spend my funds on. Having a pet would be great, and my personal space would feel empty now that Minerva was gone. ¡°I¡¯ll take him, what¡¯s the next step?¡± I asked. ¡°Before I can accept payment, you¡¯ll need you to place your hand inside Melvin to see if he¡¯ll accept you,¡± Zillaria said. ¡°So, you want me to stick my hand inside a creature that can dissolve my flesh in seconds?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Zillaria replied with a smile as she opened Melvin¡¯s cage so I could reach him. Chapter 87. Sign on the dotted line. ¡°If my hand melts off, you¡¯re getting a bad Yelp review,¡± I warned as I placed my hand on the cube. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a yelp review is, but as long as you don¡¯t harbor any thoughts of harm to Melvin, you should be fine,¡± Zillaria replied. The outer surface of the cube was warm, and a bit sticky. My natural reaction was to pull away, but I forced myself to keep the hand there, trying my hardest not to think of any bad thoughts toward the little guy. Why did Zillaria have to say that? Didn¡¯t she know how hard it was not to think about something that you were warned not to think about. In a smooth motion, the cube grabbed onto my hand and gave a gross slurping sound as it pulled itself over my hand and up half of my forearm. I waited for the pain of acid melting my flesh away to hit, but it appeared that Melvin was just being friendly toward me and wasn¡¯t hungry enough to start feasting on my appendages. ¡°Well, little buddy, you want to come and stay in my personal space? It might be lonely in there sometimes, but you¡¯ll be safe,¡± I offered. Melvin couldn¡¯t talk, but I was surprised to sense some of his emotion while it was hanging onto my arm. The gelatinous cube felt content, happy, and a bit nervous at a change in his environment. I couldn¡¯t blame him; it was a big change to live in a new place. At least he didn¡¯t keep getting summoned all over the place. The cube released my arm and plopped back into his cage. Zillaria pet the cube like it was a cat all the while murmuring to it in a voice that was too quiet for me to hear. It would make sense that a pet shop owner in a magical city had some way to communicate with her pets. ¡°He likes you and will accept your offer of friendship. The price will be twenty silver, and I¡¯ll even throw in a travel container so you can get him safely to his new home,¡± Zillaria said. After paying her, Zillaria pulled out a smaller box that Melvin was coaxed into. He was packed in there pretty tight, but Zillaria confirmed he¡¯d be fine in that space for several days if need be. It was recommended that I get him to his new home sooner if it was at all possible. After stowing Melvin away in my pack, I considered my next moves. Other than more of those mana tabs, I had just about everything I could hope to purchase. More spells and abilities would be nice, but those required summoner points which I was fresh out of. Stock would change as time passed in the city, and when I eventually hit tier one, rank five, there might be more treasures for me to purchase. Zillaria gave me directions to a nearby apothecary, where I purchased another five of the mana tablets. My goal was to have five on hand for summoning and five to take home. With a long cooldown between use, stocking up even further would be counterproductive since I¡¯d probably want to buy stronger ones as my tier and rank increased. I had completed my other shopping, but I did spend a bit more time in this apothecary shop, perusing anything that might be useful. I ended up purchasing three potions that were pricey but could really come in handy for a critical summoning. The system proved helpful, displaying the information I needed to make a decision.
  1. Potion of Mirror Image. Imbibing this potion will create several duplicate images of yourself. The number of images is equal to 1, plus an additional image for every tier of the imbiber. The illusions look and act just like the original, masking most methods of detection. When attacked, the illusion will dissipate. The gear cost for this potion is 1, and there is a 1-hour cooldown before a second potion of this type can be used.
  2. Elixir of Life. When ingested, this elixir will remain active for up to 48 hours. If you are killed during this time, your death will be prevented. The gear cost for this potion is 5, and there is a 30-day cooldown before another potion of this type can be used.
  3. Salve of the Flame Mage. Once applied, this salve will infuse your skin with magical flame. Attackers will be faced with a blast of heat whenever you are struck in melee. The mana of this potion is expended after five blows have been received. The gear cost for this potion is 2, and there is a 1-day cooldown before another potion of this type can be used.
None of the potions were cheap, but they could turn the tide of battle or help me survive in some way. The gear cost was minimal, and it gave me more options to customize my loadout for various scenarios. It was too bad I couldn¡¯t take potions home, but neither the apothecary shops nor the alchemists had had any luck doing to other potions what they had done with the mana tabs. After last night¡¯s visitor, I decided it was probably best if I returned home and waited for the tournament. It would conserve funds, and I¡¯d purchased just about everything I could for now. There was just one more stop I was contemplating, the Contracted Summonings place. Its office was near the arena, which I suppose was a convenient place for them given the business they were in. The journey there wasn¡¯t far, and I found the small building they were located in with little trouble.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°How can I help you?¡± A young gnomish woman said from behind the counter. I had seen several gnomes in the city, but talking to one made me miss Fitzfazzle¡¯s village. ¡°Hello, I was given this by Pakrinas and wanted to see what kind of deal we might work out,¡± I said, passing the flyer over. ¡°Excellent, you¡¯ve made a good choice, we have many happy clients at Contracted Summonings, and we¡¯re always glad to see a new summoned being join our team,¡± the perky receptionist replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need more details before I¡¯m willing to agree to anything,¡± I stated, resolved not to get ripped off by this place. ¡°Oh, I understand completely, let me get Pakrinas, he¡¯ll be glad to help you,¡± the receptionist replied before heading down a hallway and knocking on a door. ¡°Mr. Pakrinas, I have a new summoned being that you spoke to here to review our offer,¡± the woman shouted. ¡°Well, send him in, don¡¯t keep our potential client waiting,¡± Pakrinas said as he opened the door and waved me in. His office was cramped and had well organized piles of scrolls set on various shelves. A rather traditional desk, sized for his diminutive body, took up most of the rest of the space. In front of the desk were three chairs of various sizes and I chose the one in the middle that was just right for a human. ¡°I remember you; we met outside the arena. Have you given our offer some thought?¡± Pakrinas asked. ¡°I have, and I¡¯ve done some research on your company. Why don¡¯t you give me quick version of what you do, how you do it, and how it might benefit me,¡± I requested, trying to put out ¡°don¡¯t try to rip me off¡± vibes. ¡°No problem at all, I understand your trepidation in signing a contract with someone you¡¯ve never done business with before. As for what we actually do, I¡¯ll give you the quick version and we can dig deeper if you want. Contracted Summonings allows for various summoners to request specific help for a challenge they are facing or are expecting to face. ¡°They pay us a nominal fee and we match their needs up with a summoned being who is a good fit for the job. If you¡¯re matched with a client, you¡¯ll be given some idea of the type of summoning and the threats you might face. In addition, you¡¯ll earn a bit of extra coin. Would you like to see what we currently have available?¡± Pakrinas asked. ¡°Sure, do I have options?¡± I asked. ¡°Absolutely, though, with this being your first contract, we¡¯re a bit limited on what we can offer. As you do more work with us, we can open things up to longer contracts with our more established clients. Give me a moment and I¡¯ll see what¡¯s currently available. I¡¯ll need to use a spell to scan your summoning data, please accept when the system prompts you,¡± Pakrinas said before chanting and building mana in his hands. When he finished, the spell washed over me, and a system prompt appeared. The being known as Pakrinas has requested to review your summoning history and results. Only the most limited information on types of summons and performance rankings will be available to him. Do you wish to allow this? It was just my summoning history and ratings, nothing too intrusive, so I went ahead and approved it. Pakrinas stood staring off into space as he read my past achievements, or lack thereof. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he moved to one of the piles of scrolls and began sorting through them. After shuffling through the pile, Pakrinas pulled out two scrolls that he handed to me. ¡°Here you go, these are both basic options for a first contract. I can only offer you one for now, but if you complete this one to the satisfaction of both the client, and our company, you¡¯ll have much more available when you visit us,¡± Pakrinas said as the system kicked in, outlining what was offered with each. You have been offered a choice of single use summoning contracts.
  1. Guardian contract to protect an individual as they perform academic research in a dangerous ruin. Duration, short. Bonus, 5 silver.
  2. A dungeon core has requested a summoned being to help in the temporary role as a floor guardian. Duration, moderate. Bonus, 10 silver.
¡°A dungeon? That¡¯s a real thing?¡± I asked after reading the second contract. I was familiar with the concept in gaming, and a bit surprised they were real. ¡°It is, and while the vast majority cores that control these places are just mad constructs, some are intelligent beings that seek out our services,¡± Pakrinas explained. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s see what this whole dungeon thing is all about. Your flyer offered an extra bonus, I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s on top of the one listed here,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, but for a contract of this caliber, the ten silver is generally considered more than adequate,¡± Pakrinas argued. I remembered Lavelle warning me that they could be cheap with new clients, so I stuck to my guns. ¡°Nope, that¡¯s not what you promised. I don¡¯t think I want to do business with someone who plays games,¡± I said, starting to stand up when Pakrinas waved me back to my seat. ¡°You are correct, my apologies, but I do have an obligation to save the company money when I can. If you sign with us for the dungeon contract, you¡¯ll receive a total of fifteen silver for your efforts. In fact, I¡¯ll throw in an extra two silver as compensation for any misunderstanding,¡± Pakrinas confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m in, what do we do now?¡± I asked, and my question was answered by yet another system prompt. Do you accept the following terms offered by Contracted Summonings?
  1. Assignment to a dungeon core as a summoned being. This assignment is of a moderate duration, and you will be operating in the role of a floor guardian.
  2. Your compensation for this summoning is 17 silver coins of standard weight in addition to any normal rewards you acquire through the system. This contract is for a single summoning and will bind neither yourself, nor Contracted Summonings to further summoning options unless both parties agree.
I confirmed yes with the system and received new information. The contract has been accepted by both parties. During your next summoning session, this contract will be activated. ¡°Thanks, Pakrinas, we¡¯ll see how this contract goes and talk about further business next time I¡¯m in town,¡± I said as I made my exit. I was done in Somhagen for the time being, it was time to return to my personal space, then back to Earth. Chapter 88. Loadout. I enjoyed my final stroll through Somhagen. For all the dangers and surprises the city held, it also had a mystical beauty that you would be hard pressed to replicate back on Earth. True to my word, I did stop and visit the food cart that Tonpu Zavai and his wife ran. Another batch of their fried dragon fingers made for a nice final meal in the city. As I exited the gates and walked past the tents and shops outside the first wall, the crowds dissipated and I had only Melvin, who was quietly resting in his box, for company. Just where I had left it, the door to my personal space waited. Taking one final check, I realized that I hadn¡¯t missed anything, and it was time to head back home. I stepped into the familiar space, closing the door behind me. Out of curiosity, I tried to open it again, only to have the door disappear before my eyes. For what it was worth, Minerva hadn¡¯t lied to me about access to Somhagen. First things first, I wanted to let Melvin out to start exploring his new digs. Near my rocking chair and storage chest seemed like a good spot. The one thing I forgot to ask Zillaria at the pet show was if Melvin needed a pet bed or something like that. Since she hadn¡¯t mentioned it, and didn¡¯t try to upsell me on one, I had to assume that Melvin would be just fine in the largely undecorated personal space. ¡°Here you go, buddy, have fun exploring your new home,¡± I said as I opened the box that he was stored in. The cube slowly slid from the box, sticking close to me for a few minutes before gliding across the floor at the pace of a snail. These guys weren¡¯t fast, so playing fetch was probably not going to happen. At least he didn¡¯t seem too stressed or scared, not that I had any idea what a stressed gelatinous cube looked like. The mana in this place would keep him fed, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about leaving out food and water or scooping out a litter box. With Melvin slowly doing his thing, it was time to tweak my loadout before I headed home. Inside the armory, I reminded myself to leave the door open in case Melvin wanted to explore in here too. The same went for my training center. All in all, the little cube had quite a large area to slide around in, definitely much bigger than the scummy motel I rented back home. It was too bad Melvin couldn¡¯t make the trip back and forth to Earth, he would do a great job cleaning up the place by absorbing all the crud inside the room. The first thing I changed on my loadout was to swap out my armor for the new, studded leather set that I¡¯d purchased. As I did so, an additional armor stand was created, allowing me to store the armor that I wasn¡¯t assigning to the loadout. Hooray for the system giving you stuff when you needed it and not making me shop in Somhagen for an armor stand or having to just pile my stuff on the floor. Next were my weapons. I equipped the war hammer, the wand, and my dagger. If gear points became tight, I¡¯d ditch the dagger, but for now, I¡¯d leave it equipped. After the armor and my weapons, my gear score was 85/150. Next, I made sure my Headband of the Apprentice Summoner was added. The MESS key and Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine were both zero gear cost and I added them both the mix. I¡¯d also take Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine home with me as it was one of the rare items that could travel between worlds since it was linked directly to my core. For the rest of my consumables, I added the three potions I¡¯d purchased in town. Along with the potions, I equipped my ring of Duplicate. With the discount from Consumable Planner, it required only seven gear points for all three potions and the ring. The healing and mana potions on my belt didn¡¯t require any gear points, but their use was limited, since you could only consume a couple before they started to lose their efficacy. I also took five mana tabs, also free as far as gear scores went. The other five I¡¯d take home with me. My Everburn torch was also equipped inside my pack of holding. Before I forgot, I also added the Notice of Cessation. If I was summoned again by cultists trying to sacrifice me, I was going to nope out of there as fast as I could. When I added the notice to my loadout, it prompted a system notice.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. You have equipped a consumable that you possess multiple copies of. If this consumable is used, do you wish to automatically replenish it from your inventory? Y/N. Excellent, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about replacing it manually in between summonings. Sometimes, I didn¡¯t have much time to prep before my summoning began, and it meant one less thing for me to worry about. I had to hope that a total of three of these would be enough to see me through to tier one, rank five. After the notice of cessation was equipped, I added the summoning figurines from my class. I kept the ghoul, Rupert, and the dog as my choices. Since they were related to a core class ability, it didn¡¯t take any gear points to equip them. My consumable figurines were a different story, and I had to decide which ones to add to the loadout and which ones needed to go home with me. Just like with Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine, I could take all three of the class related figurines back and forth from Earth with no problem. The consumables could be used on Earth, but they were subject to the same restrictions that the system placed on most items. If I took them home, they couldn¡¯t come back with me when I was summoned. Thinking about the matter, I figured that taking the best of my figurines with me back home was probably the smart option. If I lacked a consumable during a summoning session, it might affect my performance by a small amount, possibly reducing my income. If I really needed one back home, it was probably a life-or-death situation. In the end, I decided to take some of the better ones with me. I included the tier one Skeletal Blademaster, the skeletal warrior, the advanced ghoul, the pair of goblin raiders, the venom spitter flying snake thing, and an angry housecat, because who doesn¡¯t want an angry housecat fighting alongside them. It was a total of nine figurines when you counted the three from my class. That should be more than enough to defend myself back home. When I was summoned again, I could pull some of the others from my loadout to replenish the ones I might use back on Earth. I was left with two dire rats, the dwarven militia, and the wolf to add to my loadout. With my discount from Consumable Planner, those cost me a total of seven gear points. My gear point total was now at 114/150, and I only had my spells to add to the mix. For my spells, I was able to equip everything and left my gear score at 149/150. It was as close enough to my maximum that I didn¡¯t feel like I was missing anything. Thanks to the armor proficiency and my consumable ability, I just squeaked in with most of my gear. I didn¡¯t mind leaving behind my old mace, it was fine, but having a second main weapon wasn¡¯t needed. With my loadout squared away, I sorted through everything I wanted to take home. I already had the mana tabs and the figurines. The only thing left was figuring out how much money I wanted to bring back. I checked my loot chest, getting a total of what was left after my shopping in Somhagen. Rico¡¯s Loot contents.
  1. Copper coins, 814.
  2. Silver coins, 318.
  3. Gold coins, 17.
  4. Small gems, 12.
  5. High-quality gems, 4.
  6. Fine gems, 1.
Most of what I had would remain behind. I hadn¡¯t been able to spend it all in Somhagen on this trip, but the stores will be stocked with new items by my next visit, and it might be smart to start stockpiling funds for the next tier. From what the shopkeepers told me, each tier offered better items, but the cost exploded upward as the items improved. To see me financially secure back home, I¡¯d need enough money to survive until the next summoning session where I¡¯d get a chance to replenish my funds. Gold was very valuable back home, and a couple ounces would have me set for a while. From my practice with the gnomes, I was confident I could smelt the coins down with no problem. I also wanted to test out smelting silver and copper, so in addition to three gold coins, I¡¯d take twenty silver and forty copper to work with. Once home, I¡¯d need to think about where to try and sell everything without attracting the attention of those who wanted to track me down for their own nefarious purposes. Long trips to other towns would be good, and I needed to expand out from just pawn shops. Back home, I¡¯d have lots of free time to deal with it. I said a final goodbye to Melvin, giving him a sticky pat on the back of his cube. Through our link, I could tell he was content with his new digs, which helped me not feel too bad about leaving him behind. With everything I wanted to take home designated, I notified the system that I was ready to go. One moment I was standing in my personal space looking at Melvin, and the next I was back in my motel room. The system had been kind enough to bag up all the stuff I wanted to take back, just like it did with the rewards. Taking in a breath of hot, stale air, I looked around the room, trying to find my phone so I could see how long I¡¯d been gone. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, only now realizing that there were two men standing outside on my tiny deck. ¡°What are you doing here, get out!¡± One of them shouted as he pulled a pistol from his waistband. This was not the welcome home I was hoping for. Chapter 89. Burgled. ¡°This is my room, who are you two?¡± I asked as I tried to formulate a plan. The two men were dressed like street thugs, and a quick glance over my shoulder revealed that the front door of my room had been kicked in. The crappy locks provided by the motel had done little to stop the thieves. ¡°Drop your bag, wallet and phone,¡± the young man with the gun said. I could see a small pile of valuables that the two had already gathered, including several of my burner phones. The pair had been out on the deck getting the crucible and my smelting supplies. The last thing I could afford at this point was to lose everything I¡¯d brought back with me. I didn¡¯t want to cast a spell and attract unwanted attention, but it looked like there was no chance to resolve this without using magic. I doubted that I could use a summoning figurine before the thug pulled the trigger on the pistol. Summoning was out, but I had another spell that might be useful in this situation. Pulling on my mana, I watched as it bubbled quickly away when I formed the Fail Weapons spell. Casting the spell, I could feel it connect to the pistol in the man¡¯s hand, and I knew that the firing pin was now jammed and slightly bent, rendering the gun useless. These two had that scrawny, half-starved look of meth heads, so I figured I had a good enough chance against them in a standup fight if their gun was out of the picture and I had the element of surprise on my side. I dropped my bag and surged forward, shocking the two thieves. The man with the pistol tried to pull the trigger and looked dumbfounded when nothing happened. Focusing on the unarmed thug, I snapped a front ball kick into his bladder, causing him to double over just in time for his face to meet my knee. I could feel his nose crunch under the blow as blood began to flow freely down his face. The other thug tried to pistol whip me with the gun, but I partially dodged his first strike, taking it on the shoulder rather than the top of my head. A throat punch knocked the man on his butt and left him gasping for air. Reaching down, I pulled the pistol out of the man¡¯s hand, throwing it into the corner of the room. ¡°Both of you get out of here, there¡¯s nothing in my room or in this entire building that¡¯s worth your lives. If I see you here again, I won¡¯t be so gentle,¡± I threatened as I pulled the man with the bleeding face to his feet and shoved his scrawny form out the door. The second man raised his hands in surrender and stumbled his way out. They had thought the room empty, and my sudden appearance and aggression caught them off guard. The pair stumbled down the hallway and presumably off the property. A quick look at my front door revealed it wasn¡¯t going to latch closed anytime soon. For now, I pushed it closed as much as I could while I sorted through the room. It hit me then, I had just used magic again on Earth. Minerva had warned me that casting spells was akin to firing off a flare for those that were seeking me. Doing so in the past had put both the corporation and the cultists on my tail, but they hadn¡¯t tracked me down immediately. In fact, it was only by combing through the nearby pawn shops that the corporate thugs found me. There was no way I was going to sell anything in my neighborhood, so unless they got extremely lucky and spotted me, there shouldn¡¯t be much chance they could pinpoint my exact location. I¡¯d have to be more careful in the future, but it was a choice of using my power or being robbed of everything I¡¯d owned, and probably killed or viciously beaten. Reacting to the threat had been almost instinctual. My fighting skills and the rapid response to threats had been burned into me from the various summonings and the war against the lich. I was no longer the same person I was back when the corporate goons found me the last time. If a few corporate goons, or a small group of cultists somehow managed to track me down, they were in for a world of hurt. Turning my attention back to the immediate problem, I could see that the burglars hadn¡¯t been content with just robbing the place and had knocked over lamps and kicked in the screen of the cheap television that the motel provided. I pulled my currently active phone from the pile, noting it was out of power. A quick search of the mess the thieves left behind allowed me to find the charging cable, which had been kicked under the bed. I plugged the phone in and powered it up. As it connected to the network, I checked the date. Nearly three weeks had passed since I was summoned to help Fitzfazzle. That meant my rent was almost due and my cash reserves were low. A quick call to the front desk resulted in an argument with the lady that owned the place. She wanted me to pay for the damage, and I wanted a new room without a kicked open door. I wasn¡¯t responsible for people breaking in and she should have had some security in place. For a minute, I thought I was going to get kicked out as I¡¯m ashamed to admit that I lost my temper a bit. A threat to call the police made the lady, a grizzled old woman named Bao, back off. It triggered my memory of an article I had read about places like this being declared hazards and closed down if too many crimes took place on the premises. My break in couldn¡¯t have been the only thing to have happened here recently, and given Bao¡¯s change of tone, she was on the edge of getting in trouble with the authorities. In short order, I was placed in a new room on the other side of the motel. The room had the added benefit of the small deck overlooking my old room. I could keep tabs on whether anyone started sniffing around there. The odds of one of my pursuers zeroing in on the exact location was miniscule, but this way, I felt like I had a small advantage if they did.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. After negotiating for an extra week¡¯s free rent, I was happy. This room was as gross as mine had been when I first moved in, but I had already bought plenty of cleaning supplies and worked on sprucing the place up as much as I could while planning my next moves. I needed to move out of this place, but to do that, I needed money. I was down the last bits of cash and would have rent due in a week or so. To get the ball rolling on moving out, I¡¯d need to sell some of my gold and silver. After cleaning up the place as best I could, I got the crucible ready to go on the deck. I scrounged up a few bricks from a partially fallen fence at the back of the property, so I had something to place the crucible on. My efforts at smelting the metals wouldn¡¯t inadvertently burn down the entire motel, though burning the place down might be the best thing for the neighborhood. It seemed so strange working on the little crucible here at a motel on Earth, when just a couple weeks ago, I was doing something similar in another world. The lessons the gnomes taught me seemed to stick and after a few hours of effort, I had two gold ingots, nine silver, and a score of copper ingots. Each ingot was supposed to be around two ounces and given the slight fluctuation in some of the coin sizes, my efforts seemed to come out about where I expected. As I worked, I thought again about what had just happened. Before I became a summoned being, I would have freaked out over two people robbing my place and would have likely given them everything I had to keep from getting hurt. Now, it was almost a trivial effort dealing with the pair I had just fought, and I hadn¡¯t even needed a single summoned creature to do so. Having faced constant summonings that threw me into the most dangerous situations imaginable, it was hard to be intimidated by a couple of drugged out thugs. No, I had to temper those thoughts, and not get too cocky. When I was summoned, I was rarely in any true danger, and my biggest fear was failing to protect the people I was helping. Here, I had to worry about dying, and couldn¡¯t afford to lose even a single fight. With my smelting done, I did a quick check of the web to find several jewelry stores within a bus ride distance of where I was. First off, I¡¯d go a lot further north to Fresno and hit a couple shops that I found online. That would be an all-day affair given the distance and the slow nature of having to transfer buses several time. I would like to unload half of what I¡¯d smelted, using the same stores for a few trips before heading somewhere else. While I sold things off in Fresno, I¡¯d move further south in my search for a new place to live. A quick check of the web revealed several likely places to rent, none of them nice, but most were on par or better than where I was now. I narrowed the search down to two that were close to each other, which meant I could knock out finding a new place in just a single day once I had the money to do so. Another idea I toyed with was dropping several of the intact coins around LA or mailing them to random people. Maybe that would get the people who were after me chasing their tails. In the end, I nixed that plan, I wouldn¡¯t want someone to inadvertently get hurt because they were confused with a summoned being. No, I¡¯d just sell what I needed and keep off the radar as much as possible. I even toyed with the idea of selling online, but that had just as many pitfalls as anything else and required me opening accounts which I was afraid to do. My power, both when summoned and here on Earth, had grown considerably from when I started. There was a possibility that in the not-too-distant future, I could deal with the cultists and corporate kidnappers using my magic. If my power ever grew to those levels, it might be worth taking them on to eliminate the threat permanently. I wasn¡¯t there yet and had a bunch of summoning sessions to deal with before that happened. With everything done, I watched TV for a bit before heading to bed. In the middle of the night, I woke in terror, imagining the strange leech lady was sucking all my blood. After turning on all the lights and checking everywhere in my room, I realized there wasn¡¯t a monster lurking under the bed. The system suppressed fears and anxiety from the summonings I¡¯d experienced, but Minerva didn¡¯t say anything about it helping out with my experiences in Somhagen. Next time I went there, I would make sure I didn¡¯t stay in the cheapest place in town. Unable to go back to sleep, I got dressed and made my way to the bus stop. I had dropped the ingots into one of the small leather bags that I¡¯d acquired from summoning rewards and stuffed my pockets full of figurines. At least the little stone figures were only a couple inches tall and didn¡¯t weigh that much. I brought one of the gold ingots and four silver. The copper ones I¡¯d try to sell off on another day to a salvage yard that wasn¡¯t too far from where I lived. I figured there was much less risk there than at a jewelry store or pawn shop. The trip to Fresno was about as exciting as I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised that everything went off without a hitch. One jewelry store tried to low ball me a bit too much, but the second shop dealt with me fairly. They didn¡¯t dig too deep into questions of where I got the gold and silver and seemed to buy my explanation that my uncle had passed away and left me the ingots as part of my inheritance. My fake ID also worked well enough and for a while I was my alter ego, Raymond Durant. Back at the motel, I splurged on a meal at a real restaurant nearby. Over the next few days, I kept a close eye out for anyone suspicious as I unloaded the rest of my metals and acquired a nice nest egg of cash. Maybe I could find a nicer place to live than crappy motels if I kept making this kind of money. That also brought up the problem of what my future held here on Earth. I didn¡¯t think I wanted this to be my permanent home, I¡¯d seen too much, and there were other worlds just waiting for me. I lucked out on a place to stay. An elderly couple in Huntington Beach had an old, detached garage they¡¯d converted into a room. The pair were struggling with the high cost of living in the area and were happy to have a renter that paid in cash a couple months in advance. My new digs were much nicer than the motel, but it wasn¡¯t exactly up to code, so the couple didn¡¯t ask too many questions as long as I returned the favor. Just six days after getting settled in my new home, and right in the middle of an episode of the live action One Piece, I received a familiar message. You are Summoned! Chapter 90. To the rescue. I was back in my personal space in an instant, all the while trying to remember if I¡¯d locked the door to my new room or not. My new converted garage home was in a nice enough neighborhood, but I didn¡¯t want to risk some crackheads coming in and pillaging all my stuff. Odds were everything would be fine, and even if it wasn¡¯t¡¯ I¡¯d taken time to hide my cash and other valuables inside a little hidden compartment I¡¯d cut into the wall and covered with one of the pictures the old couple had left in the room. A thorough search of the room would find my hiding space, but I figured whoever was breaking into my place was going to go for the quick cash and leave. To that end, I left one of my burner phones and a couple hundred dollars in cash inside the drawer on the nightstand as bait. Hopefully, they¡¯d be content with that after tossing the place. I was probably just being paranoid about getting robbed again, but the way things have gone in my life lately, it was probably smart to be a bit paranoid. ¡°Hey Melvin, how are you doing?¡± I asked as I spotted the little guy sliding his way from the propped open door of the training center. My link with the pet kicked in and I could tell he was happy that I was there but was perfectly content to continue his never-ending exploration of the room when I left. ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t stay long; I¡¯ve got a new summoning session starting. I¡¯ll be back in between each summoning, so I¡¯ll catch you later,¡± I said to the silent cube. The portal appeared at the usual place on the wall, and I made one final check of my loadout before stepping in. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Dalbezon.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 0.
  4. Rewards level, nominal.
  5. This summons is task related with a limited chance of combat. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been activated.
With that, I stepped out of the portal and into a frozen wasteland. My normal clothes, even with the leather armor I wore, weren¡¯t enough to keep from starting to shiver almost immediately. I felt the summoner link activate and there at my feet, propped up against what looked like a pine tree on steroids, was my summoner. ¡°I need your help, I¡¯m trapped. Can you get me out of here?¡± The man asked, pain wracking his features as he spoke. It was dark here, and I had missed that the man wasn¡¯t just reclining against the tree, a branch had fallen and was pinning his legs under the snow. ¡°Let me dig you out, do you happen to have a shovel?¡± I asked, realizing I¡¯d made a mistake by not including some basic tools in my loadout. ¡°No, just get me out of here,¡± the man demanded. Compulsion kicked in and I started to dig in the snow under him. It was hard packed, and I made slow progress. Given the bluish look on the man¡¯s skin, he wasn¡¯t going to last too much longer out here. ¡°Here, this might help,¡± I said, passing the man one of my healing potions. Those potions could come in handy later, but I wasn¡¯t going to watch this man die when I had the means to help him. He quaffed down the potion and a bit of color returned to his cheeks. ¡°Thank you,¡± he muttered. The potion had helped a bit, but the guy was still in dire straits. Pawing at the snow, I realized that I was being an idiot. I didn¡¯t have to do this alone, so I started summoning my figurines. First up was the ghoul, which gave my summoner a bit of a scare before he realized that I was the one that had summoned the undead monster. After that, Rupert the dwarf and the mangy hound. All three joined me and we made quick progress. The ghoul was especially adept at digging, his claws easily cutting thought the packed snow.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. In only a few minutes, we had dug down enough to free the man. I grabbed his arms and slowly slid him from under the log. His legs had been broken and the healing potion hadn¡¯t been enough to mend the bones. Laying the man on the snow, I waited for his next command. ¡°A tavern, back down the mountain about a mile, take me there. A trail is over there,¡± the man gestured toward the trees, his voice fading and his speech choppy as the pain and cold took their toll on his body. He was an older man, no spring chicken, and this had to have been agony for him. ¡°We¡¯ll get you back, don¡¯t worry,¡± I replied, before ordering Rupert to carry the man over his shoulder. Despite his diminutive size, the summoned dwarf was as strong as the rest of his race and the scrawny old man barely slowed him down. Pulling out my Everburn torch, I led the way, the ghoul flanking me and the dog bringing up the rear. Deeper into the trees where the snow hadn¡¯t built up as much, I could see the trail that the summoner had mentioned. It wound down the mountain and the footing looked risky in the best of times. We started our descent, my boots slipping on a few icy patches before I got the hang of spotting the danger areas. The trail led toward the side of the mountain, and I was getting a bit nervous walking on the narrow ledge without any safety railing whatsoever. My ghoul had an easier time, his clawed feet easily finding purchase. The dwarf wasn¡¯t as sure footed as the ghoul, but he was keeping up okay. With a yelp, the poor hound went sliding over the edge, giving a mournful wail as he rocketed toward the bottom of the mountain. Poor dog, he was a good boy and I¡¯d have to give him some attention the next time I summoned him. We kept a slow and steady pace, and after several minutes, I could see a glow from the windows of a building in the distance. I tried to speed up our pace, the summoner was now unconscious, and I didn¡¯t know how long he was going to survive out here. He wasn¡¯t the only one struggling. I think frostbite was setting in and I had a numb feeling in my fingers and toes. The trail widened as it met up with the ledge that the building was on. A large area of the side of the mountain had been leveled out, enough to fit several buildings. The place looked like one of those rustic mountain resorts that people paid a lot of money to stay at when on a ski trip. I stumbled forward shouting for help as we approached. My mind was becoming foggy as the cold threatened to take me. About that time, Rupert collapsed and turned into a puff of mana vapor, dumping the summoner back into the snow. ¡°You, take the summoner to the cabin and bang on the door,¡± I ordered the ghoul. I collapsed near where Rupert had fallen, and for some reason, the cold no longer seemed to bother me and I felt perfectly fine. In the back of my mind, something triggered, reminding me that I wasn¡¯t really feeling warmer, I was in the last stages of hypothermia. The ghoul hissed at me once more, only the fact that it was bound as my summons kept it from feeding on both me and the unfortunate summoner that had called me here to this frozen place. As an undead thing, the cold didn¡¯t worry the ghoul all that much and he dragged the summoner quickly to the first building, a large structure that was well lit and I could hear the sounds of several people inside. The ghoul dropped the summoner on the porch and started clawing and banging on the door. I closed my eyes as the door opened, too tired to watch what happened next. Drifting into sleep, I wondered if the summoner survived his ordeal. If he made it through this, he¡¯d have quite a story to tell his friends. My mind wandered and I tried to figure out how that man had wound up in the position he was in. He was a mage of some sort, or he wouldn¡¯t have been able to summon me. He also was all alone out in the woods, without proper clothing. Was it a teleportation gone wrong, or had something nefarious happened to him? Sadly, I¡¯d never have answers to the question. A system prompt startled my mind back into wakefulness. You have died from hypothermia. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Good. Your rewards will reflect that you were summoned at tier 1, rank 0, and earned a performance rating of Good. You have earned 7 experience points. You have earned 5 summoning points. Prepare to return to your personal space. I had to assume that given a rating of good, the summoner must have survived the ordeal. My rewards weren¡¯t bad either, a bit better than I had gotten from my last good rating. Maybe the bump to tier one had improved the payouts from the system. As I returned to my personal space, I headed toward the reward chest to find out if the cash rewards had also improved. Melvin wasn¡¯t in sight and must have slid into the training room or armory where I couldn¡¯t see him. Strange, I looked forward to seeing the little guy each time I arrived here. Having a pet was pretty great when you didn¡¯t have to do anything to care for them. Thoughts of pets were set aside as I opened the chest to see what I¡¯d received from my most recent summoning. Chapter 91. Practice makes perfect. Sorting the loot chest to reveal only new items, I pulled up the summary. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 94.
  2. Silver coins, 21.
  3. Potion of minor healing, 1.
It wasn¡¯t too exciting of a haul, but I was glad to see a replacement for the healing potion that I¡¯d used on the summoner. I didn¡¯t know if the system took into account that I had used it, or if it was simply random chance that I¡¯d been granted one. Minerva wasn¡¯t here to explain, and I was fine with that. With her gone, I was on my own, but at the same time, I felt much more in control of my life. Sure, I was still going to be summoned and couldn¡¯t control when it happened, but the summoned life was becoming familiar to me. If I could find a place to live permanently and eventually retire from my career as a summoned being, things would be great. Lavelle had offered to share information about how he broke free and started up his own business, but with the system requiring five hundred gold for the answer, it was going to be some time before I could ask. That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t start planning for it, and I did know that when I finally broke free, I¡¯d like to be powerful enough in my class to defend myself and be financially secure to the point I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about starting a new life. There was a chance that I¡¯d hit my next rank after another summoning. I was curious to see if anything changed or improved with my class other than a stat boost. Hitting rank one would give me another point in presence, which would reduce the mana reserved for my figurines. It wasn¡¯t much, just one point, but it would add up over time, eventually allowing me to carry more of the figurines and still have mana left over to cast some spells. A check of the return home gauge over my loot chest revealed that I had only gained about 15% of a charge. I was going to be facing several more summonings before I was back on Earth. It was fine with me; I was paid ahead for the room I rented so a few extra summoning sessions wouldn¡¯t see me evicted or anything. Time was strange while being summoned. Sometimes after several summonings, only a few moments passed back home, but during the longer summoning with Fitzfazzle, the time that passed between the two worlds was close to the same. I wondered just how many other worlds were out there for me to explore, and which one I should choose for my permanent home. With my next summoning not popping off immediately, I had a bit of free time. I wanted to put that to good use, so I went to the armory to replace the potion I¡¯d used with the new one I acquired. Since they didn¡¯t have a gear cost associated with them, the restock feature like I had with the Notice of Cessation, didn¡¯t function and I had to do things manually. There wasn¡¯t anything I wanted to change on the loadout, so my next stop was the training center. I could sense that mana had refreshed from the last time I¡¯d been here, and I wanted to test out a few different loadout options for my summoning figurines. Instead of the ghoul, I tested bringing two of my tier zero, rank five minions. Of the options I had for that tier and rank, Lillia and the cave spider seemed to be the best pair. Lillia was a decent fighter, and with her shield and limited armor, she could often take more than a few blows from a similarly ranked opponent. The cave spider was rather fragile, but with Lillia holding the attention of an opponent, the spider could often sneak behind a foe and begin to bite. Spider venom turned out to be pretty good against most of the opponents, usually slowing down the foe after only a few seconds. The zombie was a hard no for me. It was slow and had trouble closing the distance with a foe. When it did latch on, the zombie was good at tying up a foe and unleashing some rather brutal bites. My main problem with it, if I was being honest, was the horrible stench the thing gave off. Once it even bumped into me while I was helping in melee against a bunch of gnolls that I¡¯d summoned as our foes. The stench stayed on my shirt for far longer than I wanted, and I was worried it might never go away.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. All in all, the zombie was about on par with Lillia, and she was much easier to put up with. Still, having Lillia and the spider together as a team weren¡¯t nearly as powerful as the ghoul. I even tested them against a ghoul, which I had several versions of in my shelf of figurines. The ghoul easily cut down the pair, and as much as I disliked the undead creature, I had to admit the ghoul was the better pick. My decision was further reinforced when I cast Duplicate. A second Lillia or spider wasn¡¯t that exciting, but a second ghoul was a nice bump in power, even if it couldn¡¯t withstand as much damage as the original one did. While it might have taken more damage, its attacks were just as powerful as the original ghoul. With my favorite loadout of figurines confirmed, we tried to fight against various combinations of foes. Testing ran from large numbers of weak attackers, to single, but powerful, opponents. I used as many support spells as I could during the more difficult battles and waded into melee to get more practice with the hammer. My close combat skills were fine against untrained thugs back home, but against any opponent with a modicum of skill, I faltered. Thankfully, I was rarely fighting on my own, and instead, I had my minions to help out. At least my magic warhammer proved more than up to the task, it made my blows more powerful than they should have been, and the light weight made it easy to wield. Oddly enough, fighting in melee alongside my two weakest summons was rather effective. Rupert, the hound, and I could come at a foe from all sides, and when it was distracted by one of us, the others invariably landed a few good shots. Things fell apart when attacked by multiple foes; that was when we needed the ghoul to help out. Fighting in melee also helped me work on casting in combat. My Empower Minion spell proved easy to cast, and I was often able to fire off the spell in between swings of my hammer. Psionic Jolt also could be cast in the heat of combat, giving my foes a nasty surprise. It also gave me a peek at the other class I could have chosen, the Psionic Hammer. I was more than happy with my choice of Foe Summoner, as I seemed to do much better in a fight with allies at my side. Whether they were summoned creatures, or an army of gnomish friends, I seemed to be able to focus better when I wasn¡¯t alone. My other spells, Fail Weapons, and Redirect were more situational and didn¡¯t come into play all that often while fighting. Against archers, Fail Weapons was great, snapping bowstrings and the like, but it was slow to affect melee weapons and would often require multiple castings before I saw any results. It had proven very effective against the handgun the burglars had tried to use against me back home, which sort of confirmed why technology hadn¡¯t replaced magic in most of the worlds I¡¯d seen so far. Redirect was a bit useless right now, but after thinking about it a bit, I could see it becoming more powerful as my tier increased and my minions became stronger. Being able to force a foe to square off against a powerful summoned creature like an ogre, instead of hacking me to bits, could easily turn a fight in our favor. In that same vein, my spells like Psionic Jolt would become less and less effective as the power of my foes increased. It was great now, so I¡¯d enjoy the advantage while I had it. As I trained, I began to tune into the amount of mana in the room. Once it was expended, I¡¯d have to wait for it to recharge again before I could use it. The longer I spent here, the better the feel I had for how much was left. There was no gauge on the wall, like the completion gauge for when my summoning series was over, but I wouldn¡¯t need anything like it here where I could feel it with my core. We were getting down the dregs of the mana in the training center when I finally received my next summoning. You are Summoned! I left the training center and said goodbye to Melvin who was trucking along near my rocking chair. Maybe I was imagining it, but the little guy seemed to be moving a bit faster than before. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was getting bigger, but Zillaria from the pet shop had said that Melvin would absorb nutrition from the ambient mana of my personal space. Did that mean he would grow? ¡°Are you picking up the pace there, buddy, you seem to be faster. Good work, Melvin, keep it up,¡± I said, trying to encourage him. A feeling of thanks trickled in from our link, confirming that he could understand my intent if not the actual words when I spoke to him. ¡°I got to go, try to stay out of trouble while I¡¯m gone,¡± I said, taking a final look around before stepping into the swirling blue portal as I began my next adventure. Chapter 92. Hiding in plain sight. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by a magical device.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 0.
  4. Rewards level, nominal.
  5. This summons is training related with a moderate chance of combat. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been activated.
I stepped from the portal and into a dark alleyway, my nose assaulted by the smell of raw sewage and rotting vegetables. Not sure where I was, I stayed still and tried to follow the link to my summoner to see what the heck I had gotten myself into this time. It was supposed to be a training mission, but what kind of training went on in a dark, garbage strewn alleyway? ¡°There you are, what is your rank and tier summoned creature?¡± An elderly man asked as I stood there. I could see the link between the wand he carried and myself. He had used a wand, not a spell to bring me here. ¡°I¡¯m tier one, rank zero,¡± I replied, having no reason to attempt to resist giving that information. ¡°What is you class?¡± A second, younger voice asked. ¡°Do not answer that,¡± my summoner commanded before turning his attention to younger man standing next to him. My eyes were starting to adjust to the dark, and the dim glow of the city around us allowed me to make out the forms of my summoner and several other hooded and cloaked figures in the alley with us. ¡°You won¡¯t always have complete information on your target, and if there is limited information from the contract, I expect that you¡¯ll also have limited time to stalk and observe. This is a test of your tracking and combat skills, not a threat assessment activity, you¡¯ve done plenty of that with your other instructors,¡± the old man said, his raspy voice sounded like he had either had surgery on his throat recently or was a five pack a day smoker. ¡°How many are out there?¡± One of the hooded figures asked, her voice sounded young, but devoid of any emotion. ¡°Three others are being released at various points of the city. You four need only worry about this one, he is your task. The task is to track and eliminate,¡± the old man said before turning back to me. Being tracked and eliminated didn¡¯t sound like much fun, but it wasn¡¯t something I was willing to pop a notice of cessation for, at least not yet. ¡°You will do your best to evade these four, run, hide, and try to stay alive until your summoning runs out. Do not defend yourself. The chase will begin in one minute,¡± I was ordered. Great, I was the fox, and these were the hounds. Worse yet, I had my teeth pulled and couldn¡¯t fight back if and when I was finally tracked down. Compulsion kicked in and I ran out of the alleyway and into a strange city that I had never been to before. It was your typical medieval-looking city and wouldn¡¯t have been too out of place if it had been dropped into 8th century Europe. The compulsion to run wore off as I continued to jog down deserted streets. I was supposed to hide from the four that were going to track me. From their look, these weren¡¯t just normal soldiers using summoned beings as target dummies, no, these looked like the type of folks that didn¡¯t want their activities to be spotted. My best option wasn¡¯t hiding in another alley or climbing onto the roof of a building. I think my best bet is heading to where there are other people, a place where I could lose myself in the crowd. I turned from the narrow back streets that I was on and found a main street with regular lanterns giving the place a bit of light. Only a few people were out, and most were stumbling along, trying to find their way home after having a few too many at the pub. That was probably my best bet, a pub with a good crowd. I passed by one smaller place, but it seemed like a place where everyone knew each other, and I would stand out like a sore thumb. Further down the street a larger tavern and inn seemed to be attracting a sizeable crowd. I didn¡¯t know how long the wand would keep me summoned for, but it couldn¡¯t be all that long. Since I was only tier one, rank zero, the wand wouldn¡¯t be a high-level device, and I¡¯d say my visit was going to be, at most, just under an hour.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A burly, and far too hairy guy that looked like he might have been the son of bigfoot acted as bouncer outside the tavern. He waved me in, my armor and weapons didn¡¯t seem too outside the ordinary given the other people that were coming and going. Pipe smoke and the scent of spilled ale assailed my senses as I entered the crowded place. A long bar that looked like it had been stolen from an old western movie stood on the far wall, and several bartenders tried to keep the drinks flowing as servers shouted their orders. I bumped my way past several people, trying to find somewhere to hole up and plan my next step. Large, densely packed communal tables occupied the center of the room, and booths with a bit more privacy lined the walls. My instinct was to find a booth that was empty and try to keep an eye on the crowd to see if any of the four people tracking me showed up. As appealing as that option seemed, I figured I was better off staying in plain sight at one of the tables. I found an open spot and tried to flag down a server. It was then that I realized I had zero funds on me, an oversight in my loadout that I¡¯d have to fix the next time I hit my personal space. I wondered what would happen if I took money with me on a summoning and was robbed or commanded to give it to my summoner. Would the money stay here, or would it be returned to me when I reappeared in my personal space? Given that all my gear was recreated when I returned, I had to believe that coins would do the same. I¡¯d feel a little bad about stiffing someone when the coins disappeared, but I would only be spending money when the circumstances warranted it. There was no way I¡¯d want to rip off someone that worked hard for their money, like a server. ¡°Hey mate, what¡¯re you drinkin¡¯ tonight?¡± the man next to me, who seemed to have had more than a few already, asked. ¡°Nothing yet, came all the way out here this fine evening and forgot my coin purse,¡± I bemoaned. ¡°Never fear, I¡¯ll stand you for a pint. You¡¯re a stone mason ain¡¯t ye?¡± He asked. I looked the man over, and he was wearing rough-spun work clothes and had the thick calloused hands of someone who did hard physical labor for most of his life. Around me, the rest of the men at this end of the table seemed to be cut of the same cloth as my new friend. ¡°Sorry, not a stone mason, just an adventurer that might have sat at the wrong spot,¡± I apologized, realizing that I¡¯d inadvertently crashed their party. ¡°Adventurer you say, well, every day spent hewing stone is an adventure, so let¡¯s just say he¡¯s one of us tonight. What do you think lads?¡± the jovial mason asked the dozen or so drinking buddies around him. ¡°Give the adventurer a drink, we¡¯ll make him an honorary stone mason tonight,¡± another of the men replied as he threw something into my face. My hand went to my hammer when I realized he wasn¡¯t trying to attack me or do any harm. The man had just pulled a handful of dust from one of his pockets and tossed it on me. Dust and stone chips stuck to the thin sheen of sweat on my face from the short jog here and the heat of the tavern. ¡°Baptize him as a true mason lads, what¡¯s your name, friend?¡± the mason asked as he and the others also tossed rock dust and stone chips on me from their pockets. I bet the stuff got into every nook and cranny of their clothes after a hard day of work shaping stone. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, what¡¯s yours?¡± I replied with a smile as the man poured me a drink from one of the pitchers on the table. ¡°Davie my friends call me,¡± the mason said, spilling a bit as he topped off his own cup. ¡°Good to meet you Davie, and all of you as well,¡± I said raising my glass to the other masons at the table. ¡°A toast to all you masons, and your generosity to stand a man for a good pint,¡± I said, which elicited a small cheer from the group. The ale wasn¡¯t that great, and I could tell it had been watered down a bit. Given the state that most of the masons were in, I doubted they would have noticed. The innkeeper must have been a shrewd one, realizing what tables were too drunk to care that their ale didn¡¯t pack quite the same punch. Too bad I didn¡¯t have coins with me today or I¡¯d buy these happy and generous guys a round of the good stuff. When my coins disappeared, it would serve the tavernkeeper right for watering down the drinks. Another round of dust from one of the masons hit me right in the left eye. I was more than happy for that little ritual to be completed. The masons seated around looked at me in shock as I slid off my stool and onto the floor. It was then that the pain hit me, it hadn¡¯t been dust that had just hit me in the face, it was a blade that was sticking out of my eye socket. I could feel the pain but couldn¡¯t seem to move. My body wouldn¡¯t respond to my commands, and my vision in my other eye began to fade as shouts of alarm and outrage from the masons filled the tavern. You have been stabbed through the eye with a throwing dagger. The damage from the wound, combined with the yellow viper venom coating the blade have killed you. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 0, and your performance rating of Average. You have earned 4 experience points. Congratulations, you have reached tier 1, rank 1. You have earned 3 summoning points. Chapter 93. Learning from past foes. I returned to my personal space, still trying to figure out what had happened. My idea of hiding in plain sight didn¡¯t quite work out how I expected, but at least it did take them some time to find me. What had I just gone through? It was like a training camp for junior assassins or something. Not the most pleasant summoning, but far from the worst. At least I got to drink a mug of watered-down ale before I was done. My performance was only considered average by the system, and it didn¡¯t seem too far off. I was now only three points away from hitting tier one, rank one and unless I completely choked on my next summoning, I should hit it. A quick check of my loot revealed that my rewards were, well, average. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 64.
  2. Silver coins, 9.
Melvin was halfway across the floor on his way toward the armory, and I gave him a gentle pat as I walked by. He sent me a greeting through our link. It was great to have him here, he didn¡¯t cause any trouble, and was genuinely happy to see me each time I appeared. It was too bad I couldn¡¯t get a gelatinous cube pet back home. Inside the armory, I tried to add my coin pouch to my loadout which worked without any trouble. I added a handful of copper coins, a dozen silver, and a single piece of gold, just in case. Since the pouch and its contents would reform when my summoning was over, I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about it. With that finished, I checked on the training center. The mana inside was still low, but I went in and practiced anyway. Pulling a figurine from the second shelf that looked a bit like an assassin, I could tell it was indeed an assassin and was tier one, rank six. Not too far from my own tier and rank, the assassin should prove a difficult opponent. I summoned my squad and activated our foe, curious to see how I¡¯d do against something that had just killed me. The ghoul, Rupert, and the hound all charged toward a person that was hooded and cloaked in black. I cast Empower Minion on them, starting with the ghoul. While I was casting the first spell, the assassin¡¯s hands flashed forward as he hurled a pair of daggers toward my charging minions. With the mournful yelp, the hound crashed to the floor before disappearing in a puff of mana vapor. The ghoul was hit with the second dagger, but he seemed to ignore the blade, it was only a minor inconvenience, and the undead monster was completely focused on the delicious flesh of the opponent in front of him. My Empower Minion spell hit, and the ghoul¡¯s arms and claws elongated. His speed also increased, but right when the ghoul reached the assassin, our foe disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It wasn¡¯t mana vapor, and I knew the assassin was still out there, using some class ability to hide from our sight. With a howl of rage over missing a meal that had almost been in reach, the ghoul began to frantically sniff around him. Like a dog catching the scent of a rabbit, the ghoul snapped his head toward me. I was moving almost before I realized what had happened. The ghoul began his scuttling run in my direction which could only mean that the assassin was somewhere behind me. I dropped to the floor and rolled, seeing the assassin appear with his daggers thrusting toward where I had just been standing. Before he could disappear again, I cast Psionic Jolt. He seemed to shake off the spell quickly enough, but the blast of psionic energy kept the assassin from disappearing. Backpedaling, I kept my eye on the assassin as my two surviving minions closed in. I wasn¡¯t too confident that I could best this foe in melee combat, so I would let my summoned creatures handle it. As I moved, I began to cast Duplicate on the ghoul. Having two of the lightning fast, and rather deadly creatures seemed like a good counter to something like a hidden assassin.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. While the ghoul¡¯s sense of smell hadn¡¯t been listed as a special ability, it had proved especially helpful in this type of fight. The assassin managed to disappear again, just as my duplicate completed. The ghouls immediately started to sniff him out, and this time, he either couldn¡¯t teleport again, or made the mistake of not teleporting away. One of the ghouls, my original summons, lashed out. The clawed hands raked into the invisible assassin, causing our foe to pop into view. Not reacting at all to the damage he had just taken, the assassin began to stab at the ghoul with a short sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. I had no doubt both blades were coated in something nasty, but ghouls didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d be susceptible to much in the way of toxins, venom, or poisons. Receiving an expertly placed stab to the throat, my original ghoul staggered back, and several of his fingers were sliced off by the assassin¡¯s dagger as the ghoul tried to reach again for his meal. The duplicate ghoul managed to hack into the back of the assassin, both claws digging through the target¡¯s cloak. I didn¡¯t know if the assassin was wearing armor, but the grunt of pain from the previously silent foe told me he was hurting. Not missing a beat, the assassin finished off the first ghoul with another pair of thrusts before turning to face the one that had just hit him. My duplicate ghoul attacked with wild abandon, landing a couple glancing blows before being taken apart by the highly skilled assassin. By the time he finished, I hit the assassin with another psionic jolt, and this time, it seemed to have more effect. My foe staggered a couple steps before hurrying to close the gap with me. Readying my magic missile wand, I decided instead that I needed more practice with melee weapons than with the wand. I¡¯d had more than enough practice with wands while piloting my mech and fighting alongside the gnomes. The odds were against me, but the purpose of this exercise was to train for these exact kinds of situations. As the assassin entered into melee range, I swung my hammer and tried to step to the right. Able to read my body movements, the assassin followed me, unfazed by my shift in direction and easily avoiding the hammer blow. To my surprise, the assassin didn¡¯t press the attack and instead spun around, presenting his back to me. Not wasting the opportunity, I took another swing. This time, my blow hit, and the assassin disappeared in a cloud of mana vapor. When the assassin disappeared, I could see that he hadn¡¯t turned not to offer me a chance at a free hit, but to face Rupert who we¡¯d all forgotten about. The slow and steady pace of the dwarf finally allowed him to reach the fast-moving fight. Not only that, but he had also armed himself with one of the throwing daggers that the assassin had used on his first attack. ¡°Well done, Rupert, that was some quick thinking to arm yourself,¡± I told the summoned minion. I knew he wasn¡¯t real, but I couldn¡¯t help talking to my minions when they did something special. Rupert remained unimpressed by my comment and had the same blank expression plastered on his face that he always wore. The mana inside the training center was now down to its last dregs. There wasn¡¯t enough to start another round of training and I needed time to reflect on what I¡¯d learned. Back to my rocking chair I went, trying to think back to my earlier fight, and the sparring session to see if I could glean any knowledge from them. Assassins, rogues, and the like were going to be difficult to spot, but with summoned creatures, I had an advantage. My ghoul, and I would bet the hound also, could sniff out hidden foes. Of course, at higher tiers, the hidden creature we fought would likely be using some kind of magical means to mask their presence, but by then, I¡¯d probably have other creatures in my arsenal to counter them. The trainee assassins I had tried to evade in my last summoning likely had some means to track me down. Without any knowledge of how their abilities worked, there wasn¡¯t much I could do to counter it, other than have minions with generic detection skills. It irked me a bit, as I had to have been close to the end of the summoning when the lucky assassin had found me. If I had been left alone a few more minutes, I might have survived long enough to probably reach at least a good ranking, not to mention I¡¯d have had time for a few more pints with the stone masons who had been really cool to me. Thinking about the masons, and the brief comradery that I¡¯d experienced with them, I felt my mood darken. I was experiencing something amazing, something that most of humanity couldn¡¯t even fathom. The problem was that I had nobody to share it with. I had no friends, only Melvin and my summoned creatures. While I liked my new pet, I knew that I needed human company as well. Maybe I could strike up some friendships in Somhagen? That place seemed like the most likely spot where I¡¯d meet people who understood and could accept what my life was like. I was still in a funk when I was summoned once more. You are Summoned! Your contracted summoning contract has been activated. The portal opened and I stepped into it, curious what a real-life dungeon was like. Chapter 94. Forests rebuke. More system prompts filled my vision as I stepped out of the portal. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned via a pre-negotiated contract.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 1.
  4. Rewards level, good.
  5. This summons involves a specialized form of combat. The duration for this summons is greater than normal. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been activated.
I don¡¯t know what I expected in a dungeon, but a brightly lit, happy looking forest glade wasn¡¯t it. My link to the summoner led to a large pine tree that grew in the center of the glade. In front of the tree was an older stump, which is where my link terminated. The stump was chopped and burnt, and at its center was a green and brown gem the size of my fist. A voice sang out from the gem, it was both pleasant and powerful, as if the being that was speaking could be either benevolent and helpful or crush me without a second thought. ¡°You are the summoned being I requested. I¡¯m sorry to say you don¡¯t look all that formidable.¡± ¡°Looks can be deceiving, and after all, you contracted for a tier one, rank one being, which is what I am. What is it that you needed from me?¡± I asked a bit sharply since I felt that the dungeon was being a bit rude with its comment about me not looking up to the task. ¡°Quick and to the point, I can appreciate that. As you know, I am a dungeon core, and very recently, a party of adventurers tried to destroy me,¡± the voice said. I could feel my eyes being drawn into the gem, and I noticed for the first time that it was chipped and cracked. A small section even appeared to have been carved completely off. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look good, I hope it doesn¡¯t hurt too bad,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you for your concern, and while unpleasant, I no longer experience pain as a normal being would. It¡¯s more a sense of loss and diminishment. As for what you are needed for, I require additional protection as I heal the damage inflicted by the adventurers,¡± the gem said. ¡°The contract mentioned a floor guardian, whatever that is,¡± I stated. ¡°Correct. Normally, my influence covers and populates all three levels of this place, but with the damage I sustained, I can no longer support enough defenders for my first level. It is there that you are needed. You will join the few defenders I have already respawned, and act as the final challenge on that level. Fight hard, the longer you can keep the adventurers at bay, the more time I have to heal,¡± the gem said. ¡°I¡¯ll do everything I can,¡± I replied, still not entirely sure what my task would entail. ¡°Excellent, I was reluctant to hire outside help, but my contacts in Somhagen assured me that the company I contracted with was reputable. What type of skills and abilities do you have?¡± the gem asked. ¡°I¡¯m a summoner of sorts, but the total number of summons I can command is limited at my tier and rank. I can also fight in melee, but my skills are nominal, though I am rather good with a wand of magic missiles,¡± I advised. ¡°That should be sufficient. My advisor, Hoen, will guide you to where you are needed. As long as you are in reach of my power, we will be able to communicate,¡± the gem said. ¡°Sorry to ask, I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but what should I call you. I mean, I can just say ¡®hey summoner¡¯ or whatever, but that doesn¡¯t feel quite right,¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s been long since I¡¯ve spoken my name, my dungeon is called the Forest¡¯s Rebuke¡­¡± the gem started to say before a small, fluffy white rabbit hopped in from behind the tree to interrupt the conversation. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be all mysterious and aloof Glenda, you can¡¯t expect this kid to keep calling you Forest¡¯s Rebuke,¡± the rabbit chastised before hopping in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m Hoen, and the gem over there that¡¯s really full of herself is Glenda,¡± the rabbit said, pointing with his little paw. It would be painfully cute if this situation wasn¡¯t so strange. The dungeon core, Glenda, has granted her assistant, Hoen complete control over your summoning. You will obey Hoen as if he were your summoner. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, by the way, glad to meet you both,¡± I said. ¡°Great, kid, follow me, and I¡¯ll help you get set up. Those adventurers will be back at some point. We gave ¡®em a good thrashing and picked off more than a few, but we suspect that will just get them more riled up. Adventurers tend to get all murdery on a dungeon core when they lose some of their party members. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s my fault the morons didn¡¯t clear the whole level before heading to the final guardian. What kind of low rank adventurers don¡¯t expect the dungeon to bring everything they bypassed down on them when they threaten the core,¡± Hoen said a mile a minute as he led me toward the tree line. The trunk of a large pine tree creaked open, revealing a portal that the rabbit waved me toward. I only understood about half of what he was saying but was glad for the company. Hopefully, the rabbit would be just as chatty when it came to what I was supposed to do as a floor guardian. I was dumped into another forest glade, this one much smaller than the one I had left. It was in the middle of the night here and instead of a stump with a cracked gem, the center of the glade held a rickety cabin. A fence, about half collapsed, ran around the place, and a few sickly-looking crops grew in patches. A large graveyard stretched out from the back of the place, and two freshly dug graves caught my attention. ¡°Here you are, your new home away from home. Sorry it¡¯s not much, but I don¡¯t suspect you¡¯ll be here for all that long. Take some time, check the place out. The dungeon is empty of any adventurers for now, but I suspect it¡¯s not going to stay that way for long,¡± Hoen said. ¡°What exactly am I supposed to do?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, Glenda wasn¡¯t all that big on details, was she. Here¡¯s the scoop. You¡¯ll stay here and wait for adventurers to show up. When they arrive, you do everything in your power to take them out or at least force them away. Our minions are a little sparse here on the first floor, but Glenda will eventually get around to repopulating the place as she heals up. For now, I¡¯ll give you control over the floor, so you can coordinate the defense with any defenders that might still be running around,¡± Hoen said. The being known as Hoen has granted you control of this floor of the dungeon. New information appeared, but the rabbit stopped me before I could dig too deep into it. ¡°Hold up there Rico, before you spend far too much time going over dungeon stuff, we need to set a few things straight. You see, there¡¯s a whole theme thing going on with this place, and Glenda is really into keeping up appearances. You said you were some kind of summoner, so what kind of critters do you summon?¡± ¡°I can summon a ghoul, a dwarf commoner, and a dog,¡± I replied, feeling a bit inadequate given the size of the place I was supposed to defend. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s not exactly a cohesive aesthetic you go going on there bud. Hey Glenda,¡± Hoen shouted. ¡°Yes Hoen?¡± Glenda replied, reminding me that she could see and control everything inside the dungeon. ¡°Rico¡¯s summons are all over the place, a ghoul, a dwarf, and a dog. I just wanted to let you know in case you¡¯d like to change things up for him. Yeah, I get we¡¯re in dire straits and all, but we have to keep up our image, you know,¡± Hoen said. ¡°I agree, and I¡¯ll have his summons enhanced with a themed skin while they¡¯re here,¡± Glenda said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, rather confused over the whole situation. ¡°No big deal, Glenda¡¯s just going to make your summoned creatures look like something else while they¡¯re in the dungeon. We got a whole nature thing going on here. This first level is supposed to show the slow corruption of the forest, the second level is desolation, and the final level, where Glenda hangs out, is the forest¡¯s inevitable rebirth. Don¡¯t worry, the changes she¡¯s making are only visual to keep things up to standard,¡± Hoen said as I felt a strange spell come over me. You have been granted a temporary visual update to your minions. This update will be removed when your summoning is complete. ¡°Okay, the system just confirmed it. So, what do you want me to do first?¡± I asked. ¡°Get your summons out and ready to fight. The defenders that Glenda spawns on this level must stay where they¡¯re summoned, but you guys have free run of the place. Choose a good spot to make your stand and teach these murderous adventurers not to mess with this dungeon,¡± Hoen said. ¡°Murderous? What¡¯s the deal there?¡± I asked, not quite sure I wanted to take part of killing adventurers. ¡°Normal adventurers are okay, they explore, fight the creatures inside, and then leave with their loot. The guys that we just ran off were different, they wanted Glenda¡¯s core. If they can destroy her core, the shards sell for big money. Adventurers that follow the rules are fine, we give them a challenge, but we don¡¯t actively try to kill them. Some die, but that¡¯s just due to their own stupidity and whatnot. Anyone looking to come here to kill Glenda, well buddy, we go all out on those jerks,¡± Hoen advised. ¡°Got it, regular adventurers, just let them do their thing. I assume you¡¯ll tell me when the bad guys show up. Can you share how the dungeon works? I¡¯m not sure how this even exists, or why Glenda would want adventurers here in the first place,¡± I asked. ¡°Trust me, we don¡¯t have time to go into dungeon ecology. Let¡¯s keep it simple. Normal adventurers get to explore, and you¡¯ll give them a good fight, but not go out of your way to kill them. The other guys, we tear apart,¡± Hoen replied. ¡°I won¡¯t say that I understand all this, but I get that you hired me to do a job, not learn about the ins and outs of running a dungeon,¡± I said. Dungeons sounded fascinating, and I hoped that Hoen might continue to be talkative if we had some down time. It looked like there wouldn¡¯t be much downtime as an ominous gong sounded on the floor, and Hoen quickly let me know that it was to warn us that adventurers were approaching the dungeon entrance. Chapter 95. Defend the forest. ¡°These aren¡¯t the jerks that tried to kill us, so we¡¯ll keep things normal for this group,¡± Hoen said. I found that I could tap into the system that Glenda and Hoen used to run the dungeon, which meant I could see everywhere inside the place. At first, when I tapped into the system, I became dizzy and felt like I was seasick. That was because the system tried to show me every view at once. My human brain couldn¡¯t process that much information, so I was able to get Hoen to dumb things down for me. Now, I could switch views like I was a security guard cycling through all the different cameras at the mall, watching each store for shoplifters. If I wanted, I could even pin the view to anything inside the dungeon, allowing me to follow the progress of the adventurers without any trouble. Getting my first look at the party of adventurers, they seemed about what I¡¯d expected. There were eight of them, and four were geared up in chainmail with shields and various one-handed melee weapons. Two more wore leather armor that wasn¡¯t all that different than mine and carried longbows. One wore what looked like simple robes and given the ball of light hovering over her head, I assumed she must be a spellcaster of some sort. The final member of the party was a bit more unusual, a gnome walking around in an armored suit. It was like a scaled down version of my mech, but only the size of an orc. I gave the gnome a good look, but he didn¡¯t resemble anyone I knew from Fitzfazzle¡¯s village. The tech was obviously gnomish, but quite a bit different than what Fitzfazzle had cooked up. It was more like an exoskeleton suit than a true mech, and the gnome inside was visible and vulnerable. The suit did carry an impressive looking giant hammer that looked like it could do some serious damage. With my view over the dungeon unlocked, I could get my first glimpse of the defenders of this floor. Just as Hoen had warned, our defenders were rather limited. I counted a total of three rabbits that were the size of small dogs, and a humanoid plant creature. The rabbits were in one of the first rooms of the floor, and the plant guy was in the room right before the glade I was in. This level of the dungeon looked like a night shrouded forest, but we were underground, and the adventurers had limited options to proceed forward. Hoen advised that the first floors of a dungeon were generally pretty simple things and didn¡¯t¡¯ have complicated secret doors or multiple paths to the floor guardian. Our little floor of the dungeon had six rooms in total, and the adventurers had just entered the one with the rabbits. As soon as they spotted the first adventurer, the rabbits went bonkers and charged forward. Their eyes glowed red and claws extended from their paws as wicked looking fangs replaced the square front teeth of the rabbits. The adventurers were prepared, and the four armored warriors formed a line to block the rabbits while the two archers began to fire. I felt bad for the bunnies, they weren¡¯t anywhere near strong enough to deal with the adventurers, and never even got close before they were filled with arrows. Hoen noticed my disappointment and let me know that the three rabbits in the first room were there to provide a challenge for new adventurers. Normally, the next few rooms would slowly ramp up the difficulty, but they were currently devoid of any defenders. The adventurers paused next to each rabbit corpse, and as they reached toward them, the bodies vanished into mana vapor and whatever Glenda passed out as loot was left behind. There were no cries of joy over whatever they got, and with the whole group of them crowded around, blocking my view of the reward. While not enough to cause them to cheer, the rewards must have been good enough to spur them on since the party continued to walk deeper into the nearly undefended dungeon. ¡°Hey Rico, get cracking, you don¡¯t want to be a disappointment, do you?¡± Hoen asked. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said as I began to summon my minions. First, I summoned the ghoul, but instead of the monster I expected, a lanky chimpanzee stood in his place. The ghoul was the same creep he normally was, and I could feel him pressing against my control as he tried to get at fluffy little Hoen, who must have looked like quite the tasty treat. Before I summoned my next minion, I cast Duplicate on the ghoul, and the duplicate also looked like a chimpanzee.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of forest that would have chimps living in it,¡± I said to Hoen. The forest had more of a European vibe to it than a tropical forest or savanna where I¡¯d expect to find chimpanzees. ¡°Give me a break, at least it¡¯s an animal, not some undead freak,¡± Hoen replied, shrugging off my complaint. Rupert looked about the same, but his outfit had changed to overalls, giving him the look of a gardener. Hoen proved extra helpful and was able to conjure up a pitchfork for Rupert using the dungeon¡¯s mana reserve. My final summon was the dog, who now looked normal. After buffing everyone with Empower Minion, I tried to figure out placement. ¡°Any suggestions on where everyone should go?¡± I asked Hoen. ¡°There¡¯s an art to this, you want to keep up the theme, but also make it dangerous. Hmm, why don¡¯t we do this. Have the farmer and his dog on the porch of the house. The ghoul chimps can stay hidden in the forest, charging out when the party starts to attack the dwarf. For the final hurrah, you and I will wait inside the house, ready to take on anyone who makes it past your crew,¡± Hoen suggested. ¡°That sounds good, but I¡¯d like to join the fight earlier. My spells and abilities are focused on helping my minions in the fight,¡± I added. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about that, you aren¡¯t restricted to line of sight here, since you can see everywhere at once. You¡¯re part of the dungeon now, Rico, and that has certain privileges,¡± Hoen added. He was right, I found that I could now target any of my spells anywhere in the dungeon. Even better, I could target the other defenders since they were essentially summoned minions, and the dungeon had granted me authority over them. As the party entered the room before ours, the plant man remained hidden in the forest. It was only when the adventurers were about to pass into the next room that he struck. Just before he attacked, I hit him with Empower Minion, and was happy to see the vines that made up his arms grow some nasty looking thorns. The plant monster caught the adventurers by surprise, they had been lulled into a sense of safety as they passed empty room after empty room. The adventurers reacted quickly, with their mage shooting a stream of fire into the plant monster. Its leaves and vines blackened and crumbled, but not before it managed to get close enough to lash out at the gnome. With a swing of his hammer, the gnome in his exoskeleton turned the plant monster into pulp, but not before the thing got some vines around the gnome¡¯s head. The lashing vines with the added thorns tore up the gnome¡¯s face, but a spell from their caster soon healed the damage. As cool as the gnomish exoskeleton mech looked, the gaps in the armor were a major drawback. I wouldn¡¯t be trading my MESS key for one anytime soon. We were now the last defenders on this floor, and it was showtime. The adventurers slowly entered the glade, wary now that they had been attacked, and likely realizing this was going to be a tougher encounter than a trio of overgrown rabbits or a single plant monster. I let the party see Rupert and the hound before I ordered them to duck behind the crumbling railing on the porch. There was no reason to give the archers free target practice. If these adventurers wanted loot, they¡¯d have to come up close and get it. The adventurers kept the same formation as before, the warriors in front, the archers on the flanks, and the gnome and spellcaster in the back. Poor Rupert and the dog didn¡¯t have any ranged attacks, so they¡¯d have to wait until the enemy closed in. If I had them charge forward, there was no way they would make it more than a few steps before being cut down. My ghouls were another story, and they hurled their chimpanzee-looking bodies toward one of the archers when the party passed close to the tree they were hiding behind. The adventurers reacted quickly, but the archer seemed shocked when his arrow had little effect on the chimpanzee running toward him. Drawing a thin rapier, the archer switched to melee combat, calling out to his companions as he fought. One of the ghouls accepted a stab to the chest since taking the blow allowed the undead creature within reach of his prey. Claws punched through the light leather armor the archer wore, and he screamed in pain as the second ghoul bit down on the archer¡¯s shoulder. All at once, the archer¡¯s cries cut off as his body turned stiff as a board before dropping to the floor of the glade. They may have looked like chimps, but their ghoul claws still held danger for the unwary. Another blast of flame from the caster, and a hammer blow from the gnome ended the ghoul duo. Rupert and the dog fell a few moments later as the warriors reached the front porch. When the door was kicked in and the adventurers flooded into the house, I fired off a Psionic Jolt before swinging my hammer with wild abandon. A swipe of an adventurer¡¯s sword ended my attack and left me bleeding and slowly sliding to the floor in pain. At least I got some satisfaction when a Riposte triggered off the adventurer¡¯s attack. My hammer slammed into the face of the warrior that had just gutted me. It wasn¡¯t anywhere near a fatal blow, but the guy would be spitting out teeth once the fight was over. Before my vision faded, I could see Hoen had transformed into one of the giant rabbits before launching his own unsuccessful assault. You have fallen to the adventurers. The summoning link with the dungeon allows you to utilize their respawns system. Please wait while the system restores you. That was different. It looked like I wasn¡¯t heading back to my personal space just yet. I had an extra crack at this, and given how tough adventurers had proven to be, I was going to need all the chances that I could get. Chapter 96. Verdigrim. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about dying Rico, you¡¯ll be back in no time once the adventurers are done,¡± Hoen advised as I floated in the void for a moment. It wasn¡¯t too dissimilar to being in the void waiting to return to my personal space. One nice change was that my link to the dungeon was still active, and I could follow what was going on inside while I waited to respawn. Even better, I had someone to talk to as Hoen seemed to be in wherever this place was with me. ¡°Since we¡¯ve got a bit of time, any chance that you can explain things a bit more for me?¡± I asked. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s not a problem, though the system will limit what I can disclose since you¡¯re only a temporary part of our dungeon. There¡¯s no giving up of important trade secrets allowed,¡± Hoen replied. It was just like being a temp at an office. They wanted you there to complete a specific task, but didn¡¯t want to splurge on any additional training, or disclose any company secrets to someone who probably wasn¡¯t going to be there for more than a few weeks. ¡°How about we start with what just happened? I was almost expecting the summons to be over, and I¡¯d be sent back to my personal space to wait for the next one,¡± Rico asked. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re with us now, pal. You roll with the dungeon core, and you get a few advantages. First, unless Glenda is destroyed, none of us can be permanently killed or harmed. You also get a front row seat to watch things while we wait, take a look, these guys are going to clear the place, I¡¯d say,¡± Hoen advised. I shifted my view to the adventurers. In the time that I had died, been sent to the void, and linked back with the dungeon, the adventurers had just about cleared out the next level of the Forest of Rebuke. The second floor of Glenda¡¯s dungeon was the corrupted forest. Inside were twisted versions of forest creatures, and rotting plant monsters. The floor champion on the second floor was a corrupted, twelve-foot tall treant. Powerful, but slow, the treant compensated for its lack of speed with the ability to push roots up from the ground to stab its foes. In addition, the yellow-green noxious sap of the beast sprayed out whenever it was hit in melee, causing the adventurers more than a few problems. As I looked over the floor champion, the system granted me more detailed information on it. Verdigrim, 2nd floor champion of the Forest of Rebuke. Tier 1, rank 5 Veteran. Abilities.
  1. Impaling Roots. Verdigrim can thrust one of its roots up through the ground at a single target. The target must be within 30-feet of the treant, and the attack does both bludgeoning and piercing damage.
  2. Swipe. Verdigrim can swipe its arms to hit any creature in reach. If hit, an enemy has a chance to be swept back and knocked off their feet.
Traits.
  1. Corrupted Sap. Each time Verdigrim is struck in melee, pressurized sap is released from the wound. In his corrupted state, Verdigrim¡¯s sap corrodes the flesh of anyone hit by it and has a chance to inflict a rotting disease.
  2. Rotting Bark. Just as with the rest of his body, Verdigrim¡¯s bark has undergone a corrupting change. It no longer provides a hard, protective shell, and instead has become soft, moist, and spongy in nature. All slashing and piercing damage inflicted on Verdigrim is increased by 15%. All crushing and fire-based damage is reduced by 30%.
¡°Verdigrim has the veteran tag on his information, what exactly does that mean?¡± I asked Hoen. One of my single-use figurines, the skeletal blademaster, also had that tag, which would have normally increased its mana cost to summon, but my class dropped it back down to one. ¡°Veterans, and the other upgraded minions are pretty great for a dungeon. When Glenda upgrades one of our creatures to a floor champion, it automatically becomes a veteran. The veteran defenders are considered five tiers higher than the normal version. It saves Glenda her, well, it looks like the system isn¡¯t going to let me go into how her dungeon resources for summoning defenders works. In simple terms, it allows us to have a more powerful defender that doesn¡¯t cost us as much,¡± Hoen said.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. While the dungeon advisor was restricted from giving me the lowdown on how the dungeon worked, I had to assume it was similar to the amount of my mana that needed to be reserved for my summoning figurines. My blademaster figurine was tier one, rank zero, but it sounded like he¡¯d perform as if he was tier one, rank five. It was a nice bump in power, especially when I included the rank bump from my class skill and the headband I wore. ¡°That seems like a powerful ability, I assume that the number of defenders you can promote to veteran is limited,¡± I inquired. ¡°Yeah, again, I can¡¯t go into details, but each time Glenda adds a floor, it works out that we get a veteran for a floor boss. Of course, the baseline tier and rank of the floor champion is connected to what floor it¡¯s on. The higher the floors, the higher the tier and rank go. We also get one dungeon champion that¡¯s considered elite,¡± Hoen said. ¡°How much better is an elite over a veteran?¡± I asked, already drooling at the thought of acquiring some elite figurines. Maybe they were available in the shops at the higher tiers of Somhagen. ¡°Where the veteran is five ranks over his base rating, an elite is an entire tier higher. Even better, the elite gets abilities and skills that are often upgraded higher than the tier bump would suggest,¡± Hoen said with pride. While the adventurers battled Verdigrim, I looked through the last floor of the dungeon to check out the elite dungeon champion. To my surprise, the third floor had both a regular floor champion, a bear with an elf archer riding on top of it, and the dungeon champion. The dungeon champion was located through a small trail in the woods that led from the clearing where the final floor champion waited. Glenda¡¯s core had been too badly damaged, so the dungeon champion hadn¡¯t respawned yet. All I could see was a glowing blur where it would eventually respawn. ¡°How do the adventurers know about the dungeon champion?¡± I asked, curious how many adventurers left this place after defeating the bear and rider combo, thinking they¡¯d completed all that the dungeon had to offer. ¡°It¡¯s sort of a standard thing, you know. Every dungeon has an optional elite champion that gives greater rewards but is much more difficult to defeat. I take it you don¡¯t have dungeons in your world. This stuff is kind of common knowledge, champ,¡± Hoen replied. ¡°No, where I¡¯m from, its mana starved, so no dungeons. Thanks again, I do appreciate you sharing info with me,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s weird, how do you do stuff without magic?¡± Hoen asked, seemingly just as curious about my world as I was about his. ¡°Technology, and I don¡¯t mean the gnomish stuff that¡¯s powered by magic, we have all kinds of machines that do just about everything magic does. I suppose technology would be a bit further along on mana-rich worlds, except you have common spells that knock out anything complex,¡± I replied. ¡°Yeah, those spells are common enough, which makes magic all that much better. That being said, it would be fun to check out your home world, it seems like an interesting place to visit,¡± Hoen said. ¡°Ha, funny you say that I¡¯m looking to leave my world as soon as I can,¡± I replied. ¡°Grass is always greener, eh?¡± Hoen asked. ¡°You got it,¡± I replied, amused that the translation provided by the system also translated whatever Hoen was saying into phrases that matched what I was comfortable with. I was pretty sure he didn¡¯t really say ¡°the grass is always greener¡± in whatever language or communication ability he used. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take for the dungeon champion to respawn?¡± I asked. ¡°A while yet, I know Glenda¡¯s focusing on that, but I think she was hurt worse than she was letting on. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll respawn quickly once the adventurers leave. I can¡¯t go into why it¡¯s easier for us to come back than for her to respawn the missing defenders, system restrictions again,¡± Hoen said. ¡°Look, they beat Verdigrim,¡± I said, as the giant, corrupted treant fell to the ground in a pile of slowly dissolving wooden bits and sap. ¡°He fought well enough, but everything¡¯s still a bit off until Glenda¡¯s back to normal,¡± Hoen explained. Verdigrim had been a difficult foe for the adventurers, and while none of them had died in the encounter, they were battered, injured, and much of their equipment was damaged. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re packing things in. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re heading to the third floor,¡± I said. The party had gathered around the fallen champion, gathering up the loot that Glenda had spawned for them. They came away with a sizeable pile of coins, and a gnarled, wooden staff that glowed with mana. As hurt as they were, the party seemed pleased with their rewards as they cautiously moved back toward the entrance. Maybe there was something like a library in the next tier of Somhagen. It would be nice to check out how a dungeon functioned. I was sure that the rewards Glenda created took a lot of her power, but that indicated that she was getting all that and more back from the adventurers somehow. As the final adventurer, the gnome in the exoskeleton, left the dungeon. I could feel myself being pulled back to the first floor. It was time for me to make some changes based on what I¡¯d experienced with the adventurers. I vowed to not be such a pushover next time. Chapter 97. Planning to duplicate. I popped back into existence in front of the rickety cabin. Hoen was also there, once more in his tiny bunny form. Through my link to the dungeon, I could see the other creatures on my floor start to repopulate as well. There were only three rats in the first room, and a single plant creature in the room closest to me. Hoen assured me that with the last batch of adventurers coming through, Glenda would be able to speed up her recovery a bit. As I had been told earlier, the upper floors of the dungeon were getting the most attention, but even a few more defenders in here with my team would be a big benefit. One interesting aspect was the fact that this was the first time I got to check out how long it took for my summoning figurines to regenerate. The fact I was in the dungeon might have skewed the results, but it appeared that the regeneration rate was around a few minutes per rank of the figurine. First back were the hound and Rupert. I gave the pair a good inspection, and they seemed no worse for wear. If anything, they looked pretty good considering that even though they were Tier 0, Rank 0, my ability and the necklace boosted them to Tier 0, Rank 2. The hound looked like a regular, happy dog, and Rupert was a bit more filled out. The dwarf also seemed to handle the makeshift weapon that Hoen had given him, the pitchfork, with a bit more confidence. ¡°Hoen, when the adventurers that we¡¯re trying to stop arrive, is there any way we can push all the creatures back into this room? Also, is room even the correct term, given that this place looks like a forest,¡± I asked. ¡°Normally, a dungeon is required to keep their minions where they are assigned. Only a few exceptions can allow the dungeon core to alter that strategy. Having a party actively try and hurt the dungeon core is one of those situations, and it was the only reason we survived. Once they attacked Glenda directly, every creature they had bypassed on their way to the core charged there as quickly as they could and attacked.¡± ¡°If that same party arrives, we¡¯re able to do everything we can to stop them. I suspect that Glenda will order all of us to rally at the dungeon champion¡¯s room when they show. The only potential problem is that if they stay away for long enough, usually a few days to a week depending on the damage they caused, the timer resets and we¡¯re back to normal operations when they get here. If that happens, we¡¯ll have to wait for them to threaten the core before we can react. As for your other question, yeah, room is the generally used term despite the d¨¦cor and theme we have going on,¡± Hoen explained. ¡°If they stay away for a week, is that long enough for Glenda to heal up and respawn everything?¡± I asked. ¡°Probably not, but we¡¯ll be in a lot better position than where we are now,¡± Hoen said. We discussed some different options for dealing with adventurers. Even with Hoen and I added to the first-floor defenders, we just didn¡¯t have enough muscle to be a real threat to even a weaker adventuring team. With the enemy potentially arriving at any time, we couldn¡¯t count on any additional defenders respawning in here, so we had to get creative. Instead of waiting inside the cabin to ambush the adventurers when they charged in, we were going to hang back with the ghoul. I¡¯d duplicate him, then our team would attack the enemy from the rear. If the adventurers were behaving normally, their most heavily armed and armored team members would be the first ones through the door of the cabin. At the rear of their party would be any mages, healers, or ranged attackers looking to snipe the targets inside the cabin. If we gathered at the point in the forest closest to the cabin, we might be able to surprise the unarmored party members. That wasn¡¯t much time to close the distance, but while we ran, I could unleash a few magic missile shots and psionic jolts to keep them busy. With half their team inside the cabin, our forces should be able to get some damage done before we were inevitably defeated. Sadly, our job wasn¡¯t to stop the enemy, just to attrit them down so the heavy hitters at the end of the dungeon could do their thing. I liked spending time with Hoen, and while Glenda was mostly occupied with repairing her damaged core, she did pop in and talk with us on occasion. They were an interesting pair, and I didn¡¯t want to see them killed just so some adventurers could harvest Glenda¡¯s shards. To that end, I contemplated using some of my consumables. I had a few that might even fit the forest motif. The tier zero, rank five razor wolf was a candidate, as were the two tier zero, rank zero dire rats. Other than that, I wasn¡¯t comfortable burning up too many of my resources. The MESS key was my get out of trouble free card and I wanted to save it for the arena. It might also prove useful it I ran into something like that leech creature in Somhagen.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I had almost forgotten about Fitzfazzle. He wasn¡¯t truly a consumable; it was just that he was supposed to take a really long time respawn after I called him to help. He¡¯d mirror my rank and tier as far as gear and abilities went, and I was pretty sure the necklace and my class abilities would bump him an extra two ranks since he was being summoned via a figurine. I¡¯d have to play it by ear, but at least I had a plan, and a few consumables that I was fine with burning to help Glenda and Hoen. When I told him my plan, Hoen seemed genuinely touched that I¡¯d risk using some of my personal items to help them. It went above and beyond the scope of the summoning, but maybe that would be reflected in the rewards I received at the end. If nothing else, it would give me a better shot at a higher ranking at the end, which meant that even if I lost the consumable, I¡¯d at least have a bit more cash. As the hours passed, I had the team practice a few times. Hoen seemed a bit surprised that I wanted to have multiple practice runs. He was used to the dungeon minions doing exactly as he commanded. My minions would follow my orders, even if it was reluctantly on the part of the ghoul, but I was the one that needed the practice at managing them in this particular environment. In his combat form, I could tell that Hoen was at least as powerful as the ghoul, but he lacked any special abilities or debuffs like the ghoul possessed. He wasn¡¯t too tanky either, but another body with sharp, gnashing rabbit teeth was always a plus. As time passed, I finally felt we had a handle on the next fight. There was no way our little force would stop the hostile adventurers here on the first floor, but I was confident that we could at least force them to burn up some resources. My floor of the dungeon didn¡¯t get much attention from Glenda as she correctly focused on the upper levels where the defenders were more powerful. We did eventually get another of the plant creatures in the room before mine. Since I was able to cast Empower Minion anywhere in the dungeon, it made me rethink fighting a last stand here on the first floor. It was something I¡¯d want to confirm with Hoen and Glenda. ¡°Glenda, sorry to bother you, but I had a question about where you want me to fight. If I stay here on the first floor, the adventurers will take me out early. Do you want me to retreat when they appear? My minions would stay and fight, but if Hoen and I fall back, we could help support the dungeon with my magic. Empower Minion isn¡¯t all that exciting, but if everything in your dungeon gets bumped a rank, that should help, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, that does seem like a better use of your presence, but the restrictions on a dungeon are a bit rigid. Since you¡¯ve been summoned as the floor champion for the first floor, you¡¯re locked into that role and typically cannot leave,¡± Glenda said. It was silent after that, and I got the sense that she was pondering the situation. ¡°If the adventurers trying to kill you show up, we¡¯re allowed to call all the defenders inside the dungeon to come and protect my core. As long as the system tags the intruders as hostile to the core, we should be able to reposition everything if we wanted to,¡± Glenda postulated. ¡°I think you¡¯re right, why don¡¯t we try it that way. If they show up as hostile, we head back to the second floor with everything here,¡± Hoen offered. ¡°Even better, I think the third floor will be where we make our stand. We risk the enemy reaching us with full resources, but we¡¯ll also be at our most powerful,¡± Glenda decided. ¡°That works, I¡¯ll buff everything I can, and oh, I had another thought. Let¡¯s see if my duplicate spell also works on your defenders,¡± I said as I focused my attention on the third-floor champion. The dungeon champion still hadn¡¯t respawned, so I¡¯d have to wait to try the spell out on an elite defender. Despite not being an elite, the third-floor champion was still a force to be reckoned with. I hadn¡¯t seen them in action, but an elf archer riding a giant dire bear seemed like they could hold their own in a fight. Starting to cast the spell, the connection to the dungeon made my targeting feel strange, but the connection was there and as I pushed more mana into the spell, a second bear and rider appeared. It was more draining than usual, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was because I was in the dungeon or if it was because I was casting it on a veteran minion. At the end of the spell, my mana tanked hard, leaving me with just two points remaining. At least inside the dungeon, it seemed to regenerate faster than I had experienced before. ¡°Impressive, this will be a boon to our defense. How long will the duplicate remain?¡± Glenda asked. ¡°As far as I know, indefinitely, but I can only have one duplicate out at a time, and there is a short cooldown when this one is killed or unsummoned before I can use the spell again. I should also point out that while the duplicate has the same skills and abilities as the original, it¡¯s more vulnerable, and takes double the damage from any attack,¡± I advised. ¡°This is still excellent. I believe we have a plan and the only thing that remains is to see how much time our foes allow us to have,¡± Glenda said. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to give us any longer, boss,¡± Hoen said as a system message appeared. Hostile adventurers are approaching the dungeon. This party has recently attacked your core, all defensive restraints placed upon your dungeon are removed. Chapter 98. A Friend Bearing Gifts. ¡°The system has designated the attackers as hostile, fall back to the second-floor champion and we¡¯ll see what our foes have brought to the fight this time,¡± Glenda ordered. ¡°Wait, I thought we were making our stand on the third floor?¡± I asked. ¡°That was my initial thought, but I decided to change things up a bit. With the dungeon defenders gone from their posts, the adventurers will likely think we¡¯re doing the natural thing, holing up at the final champion room, but instead, we¡¯ll hit them early and hopefully give them a bit of a surprise,¡± Glenda replied. Hoen led me to the portal to the second floor, confirming that the system wouldn¡¯t just let us turn off the portal to prevent the attack. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t expand further on the issue as it delved into how the dungeon operated and the system restricted him. As we fell back through the second floor, I kept checking back at the dungeon entrance, wanting to get a view of the attackers. The second floor was interesting, and eerily similar to the first floor that I had been placed on. It wasn¡¯t night here, but the sky had a sickly green glow to it. From what Glenda had said, the aesthetic of the dungeon was the corruption of the forest and its rebirth. My floor was supposed to be the place where the forest was normal, but with the corruption starting to creep in. Here, on the second floor, it was full-blown corrupted, and the creatures reflected that. For the second-floor defenders, we had a small tribe of elves that looked like they had been merged with plants. They moved in an almost zombie-like fashion, and in addition to the weapons they carried, they could lash out with vines that writhed in their skin. While corrupted elves made up the bulk of the second-floor defenders, a solid dozen of them, there were a few other heavy hitters. This floor contained plant monsters that were scaled up versions of the pipsqueaks on my floor. These second-floor variants exuded a noxious sap that would cause instant disease to any foe that came into contact with it. In addition to three of the plant monsters, the floor had a large bear that had almost been completely converted into disgusting, corrupted plant matter. I¡¯d already witnessed this floor¡¯s champion, Verdigrim, in action and he had proven to be very strong. All our forces were gathered in the glade that was normally the area where the champion battle occurred. It was the largest room on the floor, and easily housed the current residents of all three floors. We had enough room to fight in the large open glade, but there were also spots to skulk about inside the forested areas bordering the glade. The third-floor defenders that joined us consisted of the champion that I¡¯d already seen and duplicated, as well as a trio of elves that Hoen called bladesingers. Apparently, they were a blend of bard and melee warrior with a dash of forest magic thrown in. A pack of eight dire wolves were also on the floor, along with a minor treant that was a smaller, uncorrupted version of Verdigrim. I started by casting Empower Minion on the most powerful defenders. My mana had regenerated a bit by now, but I still ran out after hitting all the floor champions and then the third-floor defenders. I¡¯d already buffed my first-floor troops, so all that left were the second-floor defenders. I didn¡¯t know how much more mana I¡¯d be able to regenerate now that the adventurers were finally making their appearance, but I was fine with burning one of my mana potions to help out. It might have been a stretch to call the people that entered adventurers, as it looked more like a small army had invaded. A few scouts were the first to enter, humans dressed in leather armor and holding bows that were drawn and ready to fire. Behind the scouts, a shield wall of ten, more heavily armored warriors with shields and spears entered. Behind the shield wall were four halflings all dressed in matching yellow robes. After the halflings entered, a tall man in bright green robes stepped into the dungeon. He began giving orders immediately and was obviously the one in charge of these invaders. On the heels of the man in green robes, a pair of armored warriors with greatswords followed. Bringing up the rear, was the last of the invaders, another pair of scouts that were intently watching their back trail. ¡°Were there this many last time?¡± I asked as the invaders made their way cautiously through the first floor.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No, their initial force consisted of only six. It was the enchanter in the green robes, two men with the greatswords, a scout, and a pair of the halfling healers like the ones in the yellow robes. This is a larger force, but that won¡¯t stop us,¡± Glenda said, trying to bolster our morale, which was dropping rapidly by the moment. The dungeon had barely survived the first attack by these adventurers, and there had been a lot fewer of them last time. Our defenders didn¡¯t care, they were all conjured minions of one form or another, but I could feel that both Hoen and I were doubting our chances in the coming fight. Sharing a link to the dungeon was nice when it came to efficiently handling the normal tasks, but the link also shared the emotions of its members, and we couldn¡¯t afford to succumb to despair. ¡°I think I might have someone that can help us out in this fight,¡± I said as I pulled a figurine from my belt. It was Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine, and it was time to call on my friend for a bit of assistance here. Pushing one mana into the figurine, I could feel a strange pull on our connection as the call went out for Fitzfazzle. I didn¡¯t know what to expect. The system description for the figurine confirmed that Fitzfazzle would arrive at my tier and rank but would benefit from the same class and item buffs I possessed. What I should see was a Tier 1, Rank 2 Fitzfazzle. It was considered bad form to ask someone about their rank and tier, so I¡¯d never pestered Fitzfazzle for the specifics of his class and how high a tier he was. If I had to guess, he had been at least a full tier above me, and this summoning would be a downgrade for my friend. The glowing blue portal opened nearby, and out stepped Fitzfazzle, dressed in leather armor and hauling a small, wooden cart behind him. His hand dropped to the wand and hammer on his belt as he viewed the strange creatures around him. Upon spotting me, a smile lit up Fitzfazzle¡¯s face and he seemed to be less concerned about the odd dungeon defenders. ¡°Rico! I heard you might be in a bit of a bind, so I brought some toys for us to play with. What¡¯s the situation?¡± Fitzfazzle asked. ¡°Good to see you, Fitzfazzle, and yeah, we¡¯re in a bit of trouble here. I was summoned to help this dungeon defend itself against adventurers that are trying to kill the core. Say hi Glenda,¡± I replied. ¡°Hello, friend of Rico, welcome to my home,¡± Glenda replied. ¡°Hey, bud, good to meet you,¡± Hoen added before going back to work as he and Glenda sorted out where they wanted the troops. ¡°A dungeon, this is rather odd, but if they¡¯re your friends, I¡¯m glad to assist,¡± Fitzfazzle said, still a bit confused, but he wasn¡¯t doing too badly compared to when I was first summoned. ¡°Yeah, you get used to it, strange situations are kind of the norm for me now. Glenda, can you share a link to the dungeon¡¯s vision with Fitzfazzle? I¡¯d like him to get an idea of what¡¯s heading our way,¡± I asked. Since my gnomish friend was considered part of my overall summoning, the system allowed Glenda to share some access to the dungeon. Fitzfazzle didn¡¯t seem to suffer from the disorientation that I did when I first tried to view the entire dungeon. Maybe Glenda had realized it was too much for beings that were used to a single point of view and pared it down to something that was more manageable. I joined my friend in looking over the enemy¡¯s progress. They were moving cautiously, following the scout¡¯s slow and careful pace as if they expected an attack at any moment. ¡°Quite the force they brought, isn¡¯t it,¡± Fitzfazzle said about the attackers as he looked over the summoned defenders. ¡°Hey there, Fitzfazzle. I¡¯m not going to look a gift horse, or in this case, a gift gnome in the mouth, but what exactly are you going to be able to do to help us?¡± Hoen inquired. ¡°In melee combat, not all that much, I¡¯m a competent, but not exceptional fighter. My skills lie in other areas,¡± Fitzfazzle replied. ¡°I¡¯m assuming the system didn¡¯t let you bring a MESS with you,¡± I said, looking at the small cart he had brought. It was covered in a tarp and Fitzfazzle hadn¡¯t revealed what was underneath it yet. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t bring a MESS, but I was able to bring some bits and bobs that I¡¯d been wanting to test out. These invaders are not going to enjoy their visit to this rather interesting dungeon,¡± my gnomish friend said with the same bloodthirsty grin plastered on his face that I remembered from our battles against the necromancer. He was even rubbing his hands together like an evil villain as he approached his cart. Fitzfazzle threw back the canvas cover, revealing that the cart was filled with odd mechanical devices. The system kicked in, granting me, and I assumed Glenda and Hoen, a bit of information on the toys that Fitzfazzle had brought. The gnome known as Fitzfazzle has brought the following assortment of experimental weapons to test against your foes.
  1. Gnomish toe popper (10).
  2. Mana powered minor automaton (2).
  3. Automated crossbow mounting structure with faulty targeting array. (3).
  4. Blast chuckers, unlabeled (4).
  5. Vestments of departure (1).
  6. Samophlange (1).
¡°I have no idea what any of this is, but knowing you, Fitzfazzle, it¡¯s going to be fun finding out,¡± I said, excited to see what these gadgets would do. The only problem was, the adventurers were almost at the portal to the second floor, and our time to plan and prepare was running out. Chapter 99. Toe Popper and Confetti. ¡°Here, Rico, help me with these. Get the toe poppers set up around the entrance to the room. We¡¯ll see how well these invaders can fight with half their foot blown off. Be careful, pressure sets them off. Place them somewhere in the path but bury them under some dirt so they can¡¯t spot them easily,¡± Fitzfazzle said, taking charge of the situation. I ordered the ghoul to help me, pointing out spots near the entry to the second-floor champions room where the enemy were likely to step. The toe poppers were odd, an amber glass globe the size of my fist that hummed with power. There was mana inside, but the colored glass had something imbedded in it to block me seeing the mana directly. It was probably a way to keep a foe from just looking for the item¡¯s mana signature to find where they had been placed. Fitzfazzle worked on setting up his other surprises, with a bit of help from Hoen and the elf defenders. The ground in the corrupted forest was loosely packed soil, so I had no trouble digging a few inches down to hide most of the globe, then covering it up with some twigs and leaves. Anyone looking closely would spot that something had disturbed the soil, but they were hidden from casual observation. It was about the best I could do with the time constraints we had. ¡°Do you want those crossbow¡¯s this close to the entrance? Would it be better to have them back here where the other defenders are?¡± Hoen asked as Fitzfazzle setup the three automated crossbows just behind the line of toe poppers that I placed. The automated weapons looked like a crossbow mounted on a tripod with several gears that used magical energy to turn and aim. Each weapon had a small hopper attached with a half-dozen extra bolts. They would automatically reload and fire until they were out of ammo. ¡°The targeting systems aren¡¯t working like they should, these babies will just fire at anything in range, whether it¡¯s a friend or enemy. It¡¯s best if I leave them here, or our defenders will suffer as much as the enemy. Now, when I give the signal, everyone needs to run at least fifty feet away from these things. Once I activate them, they¡¯ll start hunting for targets within a few seconds,¡± Fitzfazzle said. Time was short and the only way to camouflage the crossbows was to toss a branch or two in front to partially conceal the weapons. With that done we fell back to the clearing. Glenda had placed all her heavy hitters there, the two elf champions riding bears, Verdigrim, and all the third-floor defenders. My summoned creatures were in the forest to the right of the glade, along with all the first-floor defenders. On the left side of the glade were the remaining second-floor defenders. The plan was for the enemy to attack the visible and powerful threats in front of them, allowing the weaker combatants a chance to flank the enemy and hopefully get a shot at the less durable healers. ¡°Rico, so, you¡¯re sure I really can¡¯t die while doing this?¡± Fitzfazzle asked with a look of concern on his face. ¡°No, you¡¯re fine. When you¡¯re killed here, you¡¯ll just pop back to your world, right where you were summoned from,¡± I advised. This was just a normal type of summoning and there was nothing attacking us here that could truly threaten our lives, unlike the lich. ¡°Good, I didn¡¯t want to wear the vestments of departure if there was a problem,¡± Fitzfazzle said, pulling on a thick, leather cloak over his other armor, it looked bulky and uncomfortable, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Oh, one thing I should warn you of, when you get back home, you may or may not be naked. Sorry about that, I hope it doesn¡¯t cause you any problems,¡± I added. ¡°Weird, but I was inside my home when I was summoned, so I won¡¯t shock the village with my perfect gnomish body. As far as the fight, I think I¡¯ll make my stand there in the glade, near where my cart is parked. Oh, take these,¡± Fitzfazzle said, handing me a small bag with four brightly colored glass globes inside. They were similar in size to the toe poppers we¡¯d just planted. ¡°What are these?¡± I asked. ¡°Blast chuckers, can¡¯t you tell?¡± Fitzfazzle replied, looking at me like I was ignorant. ¡°No, how could I tell that these were blast chuckers, I¡¯ve never heard or seen one before, what does it do?¡± I asked. ¡°You throw it at the bad guys, and, well, it¡¯ll do something. I got to go, those invaders will be here any minute and I need to activate the automatons and setup the samophlange,¡± Fitzfazzle said before trotting into the glade. ¡°Wait, what kinds of things are the blast chuckers going to do? And what the hell is a samophlange?¡± I shouted, but Fitzfazzle just waved me off, muttering something about experimental and unexpected results. Annoyed and amused at my friend at the same time, I took the bag of blast chuckers and figured I¡¯d use them as grenades or something. Better yet, given their untested nature, I¡¯d have my minions use them. There was no need for me to risk my summoning on an experimental gnomish device that even Fitzfazzle couldn¡¯t explain.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I handed a pair of blast chuckers to each of the plant creatures from the first floor, after having them throw a few rocks for me to make sure they were capable of hitting at least close to the target. I¡¯d keep them by my side and send them out to attack when I saw an opening. With Fitzfazzle and his toys, I figured I could save the consumable summoning figurines unless they were really needed, so for my side of the forest, I¡¯d just have my normal summons, and the few first floor defenders to fight alongside me. Hoen had positioned himself over with the second-floor defenders on the other side of the glade. That way we had someone on each flank to order the defenders around. Glenda would be focusing her attention on the forces in the glade itself. With three champions, the third-floor defenders, and Fitzfazzle with the rest of his devices, they were our best chance to stop the attack. We finished just in time, as even now, the first scout peeked into the room. He spotted the forces waiting in the center of the glade and ducked back to report to his leader. They must have realized that we could see and hear everything in the dungeon, as they used hand signals and whispered commands to direct their forces. I watched as the shield wall formed, with the scouts taking position on the flanks before the entire force moved forward at a slow jog. As soon as they were inside the huge champion¡¯s room, the scouts broke off, half moving into each side of the forest while the shield wall and other attackers moved up the middle, straight toward the waiting champions. I hadn¡¯t seen the third-floor champion in action yet and was a bit surprised when the elves mounted atop the bears drew their bows and fired. The arrows glowed with power as they flew toward the shield wall, covering a distance that should have been impossible for that type of weapon. Both arrows shattered, causing a minor explosion of mana as they hit an invisible shield a few yards in front of the attackers. Their leader, the man in green robes, flinched a bit with the impact. He must have been powering a shield that protected the group from any ranged attacks, and I could imagine his mana was draining from the impact. As the elves drew back on their bows for a second shot, the attackers broke into a charge, desperate to close into melee range. Two of the attackers from the shield wall stumbled and shouted in pain as they stepped on our makeshift minefield. The toe poppers lived up their name and I could see parts of the victims¡¯ boots, along with a good-sized chunk of their feet, had been blown off with the blast. After the toe poppers triggered, the automated crossbows went into action, firing the first volley of bolts that also impacted against the shield, doing no damage. I knew that despite not hitting a live foe, each hit was draining a bit of mana from the enemy leader, a good enough trade for an automated, and still experimental, weapon that Fitzfazzle had brought along. The second volley of arrows from the elves hit, and the man in green robes waved the uninjured troops forward, leaving the wounded to be dealt with by a pair of the healers that stayed behind. ¡°That¡¯s our target, the healers, and the wounded defenders, but we need to push past the scouts to get at them. You plant guys, throw those blast chuckers at the enemy scouts once we run into them,¡± I ordered. The bunnies were in the lead, I was using them as a tripwire to tell me where the three scouts on this side of the glade were hiding. As I suspected, the scouts fired at the rabbits as soon as they were in range. My ghoul was right on their heels, grabbing the scouts¡¯ attention as the plant creatures shuffled into throwing range. Rupert and the dog also charged forward, adding more targets for the scouts to worry about. I took aim at the nearest, firing off a magic missile from my wand as soon as I was close enough. All three of the rabbits went down from the scout¡¯s second volley, and the ghoul was also turned into a pincushion with the following shots before the plant creatures made it into throwing range. The four blast chucker globes sailed toward the closest pair of scouts. One pair of the weapons impacted, splashing a green, acidic liquid all over the hapless scout. The second globe hit him directly on the chest, and instead of acid, it released a fist-sized scorpion that immediately began to sting as it scurried up toward the man¡¯s face. I added to his troubles with a magic missile that crunched into his cheek, knocking the man down. Between the acid, the scorpion, and my magic missile shots, this one was out of action. The other pair of blast chuckers were somewhat less effective. One burst into a respectable ball of flame, causing some serious burns to the target, but the second globe burst open into a cloud of harmless confetti. I cursed the crazy gnomes as I shifted my magic missile fire toward the injured scout, ordering all my surviving creatures to attack the final, still uninjured man. My magic missile was followed up by a Psionic Jolt as the man ignored his burns drew his bow and targeted me. The magic missile and my spell landed before he could fire, his actions were hampered by the painful burns he¡¯d suffered. I closed the distance as I waited for my wand to recharge for another shot. The man stumbled to his knees, his bow dropping to the ground next to him as the Psionic Jolt caused confusion and the magic missile crushed some of his ribs. He staggered to his feet pulling out a shortsword as I made it into melee range. I swung the hammer, which was knocked aside by a block from the short sword. A follow up blow landed on the scout¡¯s chest, dropping him to the ground for good. Thankfully, he was already heavily injured, and my mediocre skill with melee weapons proved more than sufficient to deal with him. A quick check on the final scout showed that he was also down, along with almost all of my minions and the dungeon defenders. My hound was the sole survivor of the fight. We¡¯d cleared our side of the forest, but the rest of our army was having troubles of their own. The shield wall and the main force of invaders were closing in on the center of the glade, and I could see many of our defenders there were already down. Fitzfazzle was holding his own, firing an oversized crossbow at the approaching enemies while taking cover behind his cart. ¡°Come on pup, let¡¯s do what we can to help,¡± I said, targeting the pair of healers and the two spearmen who had been left behind by the main force. We were outnumbered and probably under-tiered for the foe, but I had few figurines I could use, and I wasn¡¯t going to let these clowns kill Glenda and Hoen. Chapter 100. Core Defense. The sounds of battle increased as the enemy shield wall reached the defenders in the glade. I kept an eye on it as I led the hound toward the pair of healers and the two wounded spearmen. Their injuries were healing rapidly, and both men were back on their feet, but still not quite up to charging into battle. I wasn¡¯t sure how healing worked, but I figured that replacing a chunk of foot that had been blown off was a bit more involved than patching up a puncture wound. Being inside the tree line, the invaders couldn¡¯t spot us that easily, and it allowed my forces to approach until we were only twenty yards from our target. I kept my focus on the four in front of me, trying to ignore the larger battle going on inside the glade. For now, I couldn¡¯t affect that fight, other than keeping these four from joining it. After casting a few psionic jolts, my mana was depleted back down to three points now. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot that I could do to the invaders with just the hound at my side, and only my wand and hammer as weapons. It was time to dip into my consumables to bolster our forces. With three mana, I summoned the Teir 1, Rank 0 forest razor wolf and the Tier 0, Rank 9 dwarven militia member. Using my last point of mana, I summoned one of the Tier 0, Rank 0 dire rats. A pounding headache started as my mana drained completely, but it didn¡¯t interfere with any of my summoned creatures appearing. The forest razor wolf was a wicked looking creature. It had a metallic coat with fur that ended in razor sharp points. My dwarven militia summons was armored in chainmail with a shield in one hand and a steel axe in the other. At his hip, the dwarf even had a pair of throwing axes. The final summons, the dire rat, wasn¡¯t nearly as impressive. He was just a big, hungry-looking rat the size of a small dog. At least his teeth looked rather formidable, and even though it wasn¡¯t listed as a skill or ability, I had to believe that a bite from those nasty teeth would result in some kind of disease. Having all the forces I could gather; it was time to move. I ordered the rat and dog to lead the way, hopefully drawing the enemy¡¯s attention as my more powerful creatures closed in. From their gear, the spearmen didn¡¯t seem to have any ranged weapons, but the healers were sure to have some offensive spells tucked away in their spell book. Just as I was about to charge out of the forest, there was a commotion in the woods across from us. Out of the woods, a huge, corrupted plant-bear thing, along with a half-dozen of the corrupted elves charged out. Hoen was right behind the force, already transformed into his big and dangerous rabbit form. The spear bearers hefted their shields and turned to face the threat. As I suspected, the healers had some kind of offensive magic, and I could see the glow of mana as they prepared their spells. ¡°Go, hit them while their backs are turned,¡± I ordered to my small force. We charged out of the trees, moving at the pace of our slowest member, the dwarf. As we closed in, I was able to target one of the halfling healers with my magic missile wand. A ball of energy flew from the wand and slammed the healer in the back, just after she had released her own spell. The healer stumbled forward, jostling the spearman in front of her, which allowed the giant plant bear to avoid being skewered as it slammed into the man. The healer turned to face me, shouting a warning to the others. It was too late for them, and as Hoen¡¯s force crashed into their line, they had no way to shift and defend against my troops. The dwarf zeroed in on the other healer, hacking into her with his axe, while the dog and rat harried the healer that I¡¯d already injured. My razor wolf nipped at the heels of one of the spearmen, rubbing up against him almost like an affectionate pet would. Instead of soft fur, the wolf was rubbing razor-sharp metallic strands into the man, some of which wormed their way past his armor to drive deep into vulnerable flesh. The spearman turned to deal with the wolf, but that opened him up to several of the corrupted elves, who lashed out at him with their vine covered limbs. Our enemies were swarmed over, and quickly dealt with through sheer numbers. We weren¡¯t without casualties, and the spearmen, supported by some offensive spells by the healers, had killed half the corrupted elves. Sadly, Hoen had also been a casualty of the fight, leaving me in charge of what was left. I organized the remaining troops as I took stock of the huge fight going on in the center of the glade. Verdigrim was down, as was one of the elf bear riders. The bear rider that had fallen was the one I had cast duplicate on, which was expected since the duplicate took increased damage from any attacks. Over half the third-floor defenders were also out of action, though Fitzfazzle and the remaining defenders were fighting with everything they had. The attackers had only taken a few casualties, a pair of spearmen, a healer, and one of the greatsword wielders. Their leader, the man in the green robes was hurling spells like he would never run out of mana. A ball of fire engulfed the surviving third-floor champion, but not before she released another magical arrow that hammered through the helmet of one of the spearmen, dropping him in a single blow.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Another spell, this time an ice spear, impaled the elf in return. The huge bear she rode upon roared in rage and charged the enemy shield wall, trying to break through with his enormous bulk. Things were chaotic, and the enemy hadn¡¯t noticed the small victory that Hoen and I had just achieved. ¡°Charge forward, wipe them out,¡± I ordered to the dungeon defenders and my summoned minions. They moved at their best possible speed, and I didn¡¯t try to keep them in any kind of formation. I kept pace with the dwarven militiaman, who would make a good bodyguard for the coming fight. The quickest of my forces turned out to be the razor wolf, followed closely by the dire rat. Both creatures homed in on the enemy leader, who was conducting the battle from behind the enemy forces. Just before the wolf reached him, the enemy leader detected the threat. He spun on his heels and held his hand out in front of him. A cone of fire spewed forth from his hands, covering both the rat and wolf. My dire rat was only a Tier 0, Rank 2 minion after the buffs from my class and the necklace were taken into consideration. He burnt to a crisp before my eyes. The wolf was quite a bit stronger, and endured flames long enough to reach the enemy leader. Like it had done before, the wolf tried to bite the man, then rub its now red-hot, sharp metallic fur onto the unarmored man. The flash of red mana appeared in a globe around the enemy leader as some personal shield spell took effect, keeping the wolf at bay. I was now in range, and sent a magic missile toward the leader, while the dwarf at my side hurled one of his throwing axes. Both attacks hit, my magic missile was also absorbed by the shield, but I could see the glowing shield crack when the axe hit it. Several conjured daggers appeared around the enemy leader as he cast another spell. One after the other, the daggers flew toward my minions. Two slammed into the razor wolf, taking him out, while another hit the poor hound who had almost reached his target. The final daggers impaled two of the corrupted elves. I could see on the enemy¡¯s face that he was spent. He was panting hard and shouting for the others to help him. Next to arrive and join the fight was the corrupted plant-bear. A swipe of its tentacle like vines shattered the shield and the monster then latched its mouth onto the enemy leader¡¯s shoulder, shaking him like a dog would a toy. Screaming in pain, the enemy leader was hurled toward the surviving corrupted elves, who swarmed over the foe. I waved the bear on, ordering him to attack the remaining healers while the elves dealt with the enemy leader. The dwarf and I finally caught up, and he joined the elves in tearing apart the surprisingly resilient enemy caster. Back at the main fight, things were looking grim. The shield wall had killed the final champion bear and were pushing through the last of the third-floor defenders. They hadn¡¯t come out unscathed, though, and only five of them were left. A single healer, guarded by the last enemy greatsword wielder turned to fight my forces as the others cut down the final defenders and charged on Fitzfazzle. ¡°I got this, Rico,¡± Fitzfazzle shouted as he caught the concerned look on my face. My gnomish friend slapped his hands on the two boxes next to him, which made creaking noises as they transformed into a pair of small, wood and metal automatons with daggers for hands. Fitzfazzle stepped back and fired his crossbow one last time before casting aside the empty weapon. I shifted focus to fire a magic missile at the final healer, not sure how many shots my wand had left. The plant bear was out of the fight, hacked apart by the invader with the greatsword. My dwarven ally had thrown his final axe at the healer, dropping her before turning his attention toward the man with the greatsword. I drew my hammer and moved to assist. The greatsword sliced through one of the corrupted elves, but they had already achieved their goal of killing the enemy leader. Spinning his blade, the swordsman activated a skill, allowing his greatsword to strike three times instantly, killing off all but one of the elves. I fired another magic missile as the dwarf and the final corrupted elf attacked. My dwarf blocked the greatsword with his shield, but the shield was shattered by the blow. Tossing the battered remnant of the shield at the swordsman, the dwarf caused him to flinch, allowing the corrupted elf to close and wrap the man in vines that tried to burrow into any exposed skin. The dwarf laid into him with his axe, and I pumped another magic missile into the man. He fell after a few more moments, but not before running the dwarf through with his blade. It was just me and the last corrupted elf. My wand was almost empty, and the elf had taken a beating. At least my mana had regenerated a point, but it wasn¡¯t enough for a Psionic Jolt. Across the battlefield, the five spearmen had destroyed the automatons and had Fitzfazzle surrounded. ¡°See you around, Rico,¡± Fitzfazzle shouted before cackling and pulling off a button on his leather overcoat. As he pulled, the coat, apparently his vestments of departure, exploded into a ball of flame that temporarily blinded me. When my sight returned to normal, I could see that the last enemies had been completely immolated, along with poor Fitzfazzle. ¡°I suppose that one needs a bit of work still,¡± I said to myself about the vestments of departure. It sure was one way to make an exit, but Fitzfazzle had more work to do if he wanted the wearer to survive the experience. Thankfully, he¡¯d be just fine, and buck naked, back in his home. I¡¯m sure I¡¯d see my friend again before too long, but his figurine now had a considerable cooldown before he could be summoned again. ¡°Thank you, Rico, I would not have survived this without your assistance,¡± Glenda said. ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help, please tell Hoen I said goodbye when he respawns. The system is about to send me away,¡± I replied as the expected system prompt appeared. You have successfully fulfilled your obligation as a dungeon floor champion. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect your summoning of tier 1, rank 0, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 13 experience points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 1, Rank 2. You have earned 9 summoning points. With the new rank, you have gained 1 point of presence. A new template is available for your Foe Summoner class. Chapter 101. New Lineup. My vision faded along with the forest battlefield. After what seemed like only a moment, I was back in my personal space. I took a deep breath and planned my next moves. Before I did anything else, I wanted to see what my rewards had been from the last summoning. I pulled open my loot chest and sorted for it to display only the new items. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 187.
  2. Silver coins, 27.
  3. Gold coins 9.
  4. Small gem, 1.
  5. Summoning Figurine (1).
Not a bad haul. Not only had I unlocked a new Foe Summoner template, but I¡¯d also replaced one of my consumable figurines. I¡¯d seen coins and gems before, so I left them in the chest, but I did grab the new figurine to see what it was. Thinking about the item I wanted to retrieve, I reached into the box, feeling the cold stone figurine appear in my grasp. Verdigrim, corrupted treant. Tier 1, rank 2 (veteran). Gear cost, 5. Nice, I got a veteran version of Verdigrim. It was too bad I could only summon him once, but he was a welcome addition to the collection. I headed toward the armory to add Verdigrim to my loadout. I would likely keep him there for now, but I would take him home if some of the other figurines I had stashed back on Earth needed to be replaced. Verdigrim¡¯s gear cost equaled the cost of the razor wolf I¡¯d used. I¡¯d also used the dwarven militia figurine and a dire rat which freed up another three gear points for future additions. I was now 146 out of my new maximum gear cap of 155. There was a little wiggle room of nine points now if I found some extra consumables or other new items during the rest of this summoning session. A quick check of the summoning gauge atop the reward chest showed it to be around 68% filled. The dungeon mission had given me a nice bump. I¡¯d also have an extra seventeen silver waiting for me from the contract. There would probably be a couple more summonings before I was sent home again, and by then I should be getting close to the next rank. My training center had probably recharged a bit of mana by now, but before I dove into more training, I wanted to check out the new summoning template I¡¯d unlocked. Available summoning templates: Tier 0, rank 0. Mana reserve required, 5.
  1. Dwarf Commoner, Rupert.
  2. Mangy hound.
Tier 0, rank 5. Mana reserve required, 25.
  1. Elven militia, Lillia Farwind.
  2. Juvenile cave spider.
  3. Zombie.
Tier 1. Mana reserve required, 50.
  1. Ghoul.
  2. Advanced skeleton.
  3. Human warrior, Marvin Glum.
  4. Cave spinner spider.
  5. Halfling healer.
It looked like my new template was for a tier one version of the halfling healers that we¡¯d dealt with while protecting Glenda¡¯s dungeon. It was a solid addition to my options, and I only wish I had more mana so I could summon the healer along with some tankier creatures for it to heal. As it stood now, if I summoned the healer, I would only have enough mana left over for some of the weaker creatures, none of which were likely to survive long enough in a fight to require healing. There was still the question of how often I¡¯d have a new template added to my roster. It seemed random as to which foe was selected, but my forces did engage with quite a few of the healers during our latest dungeon battle. I was also willing to bet that the healers we had been up against were higher than Tier 1, Rank 0 given how they had performed in the fight. That led me to believe the system could scale certain minions up or down in their tier and rank to fit what the system needed.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. No matter how the system decided to distribute templates, the one I had just gained need some testing to see how it performed. It was time to take my minions into the training center for another test drive. Before I could do that, I needed to craft the figurine. Like before, I concentrated and pushed mana into my ability. Slowly, a new stone figurine of a halfling healer appeared in my hand. With the figurine crafted, I entered the training center where Melvin seemed to be having fun sliding slowly along the floor. I warned him about what was about to happen inside here, and he began to slowly slide to the side of the room in order to keep out of the way. While I could feel a connection to my pet, I really had no way to know for sure how much of what I asked was understood by the little guy. As I summoned my new minion, a halfling in yellow robes appeared at the spot I¡¯d indicated. She had the same blank look that Rupert had, telling me that just as Minerva had claimed, the minion was simply a mana creation. The healer was a tiny thing, barely four feet tall, and her slender frame held little in the way of muscle. Still, I hadn¡¯t summoned her for melee combat, she was a healer. While concentrating on her, detailed information on the newest member of the team appeared. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, rank 0. Current health, 100%. Current mana, 100%. Attacks:
  1. Unarmed strike/untrained simple weapon usage.
Spells:
  1. Minor healing burst.
  2. Blast of light.
  3. Personal shield.
The halfling had three spells, so I summoned a few foes and a combination of allies to test them out. The minor healing burst was a ranged spell that seemed to work at a maximum distance of around twenty-five feet. Its healing power was modest, and I pegged it around the same as the weak healing potions I used. Unlike the healing potions, there were no diminishing returns on the spell and Elida could chain cast one every five seconds or so. Each cast used up about five percent of her mana pool, making it a rather efficient spell. I could see why the enemy we had just defeated took multiple healers into battle as they could keep a continuous stream of healing pouring into the front-line fighters. Her other spells were also useful. As I suspected, Blast of Light was a medium range, single-target damage spell that burned any foe hit by it. Targeting was automatic, so, just like with her healing spell, I didn¡¯t have to worry about Elida missing her shots. The damage of the spell was underwhelming, but ranged damage was not her specialty. The personal shield was something I¡¯d seen before, but the one on Elida was pretty weak, and would barely hold back a single blow. Still, any protection for an unarmored caster was always welcome. In melee Elida was rather pathetic, and even struggled to best a tier zero, rank zero opponent. It didn¡¯t matter, she filled a role my growing force would eventually need as our numbers and power grew. I tested out a few different minion combinations but kept coming back to the fact that I needed more mana before I could run a team that was truly powerful. I found that Elida, paired with Lillia, the tier zero, rank five elvish militia recruit, was a solid combo. Pairing those two reserved 69/80 mana after I factored in the new presence score dropping the total cost. Having only eleven available mana to work with was too small of a mana pool. Sadly, Elida would have to wait on the bench until my mana pool expanded or I found some way to reduce the amount of mana that my ability reserved. Testing a few different opponents proved that my current combo was solid, but I did swap out the ghoul to give the tier one, rank zero warrior, Marvin Glum, a shot. He did about the same damage as the ghoul but lacked the paralyzing ability of the monster. Glum made up for it a bit in his ability to carry out more complex orders and wield a variety of weapons. The ghoul tended to charge forward and attack anything in sight, while Glum would work with the other minions to help flank opponents and create openings for deadly attacks. Marvin Glum, Rupert, and the hound reserved 54/85 mana leaving me a much healthier available mana pool of 31 to work with. I locked in the changes in the armory and spent more time trying out different tactics with my minions. With the new tier one minion in the rotation, I finally had someone with a ranged weapon. The sling that Marvin Glum carried was more powerful than I had realized. I figured slings were like toy slingshots back home, but these weapons were deadly. Marvin would be summoned with a pouch of ammo, twenty smooth metal balls the size of a marble. Once that ammo was expended, he was back to his shortsword and dagger. His melee skills were on point, and he carved through weaker foes almost as quickly as the ghoul could. Just before the mana in the training center ran out, the system intervened once again. You are Summoned. Chapter 102. Labor Conditions. I stepped into the blue portal that opened, ready for my next adventure. Having completed the contracted summoning with the dungeon core, I was more than ready to sign up for other contracts when the opportunity arose. Extra money for the contracts was great, but having some idea about what kind of situation I was going to find myself in was an even better reward. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Jhan¡¯diga.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 2.
  4. Rewards level, nominal.
  5. This summons is labor related with a very low chance of combat. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been activated.
I appeared at my new summoning with a hot, bright sun burning my eyes. My personal space was well lit, but it didn¡¯t prepare me for being popped randomly into the desert. As my eyes adjusted, I began to take in the details about where I found summoned to this time. I was at the bottom of a huge open pit. Around the edges of the pit, scores of filthy humanoids dug and worked with simple tools. Others were hauling huge blocks of stone into place using a primitive crane that was glowing with mana as a mage enhanced its power. The link to my summoner led to a scrawny, dirty old man in a robe. He completely ignored me as he walked toward a large glowing crystal that was placed near a group of various humanoids dressed in fine clothing. Something I wasn¡¯t expecting happened after that, I could see my summoner chant, pulling more mana from his core. As he worked, my link to him shifted, and I was now tethered to the glowing crystal, not the man who had summoned me. ¡°He¡¯s yours now, but I can only do it once more before I must rest,¡± my original summoner said to one of the well-dressed humanoids, an elf that had a look of disdain for everyone around him plastered on his face. ¡°Your quota was for twenty, and with this one, you¡¯re only at eighteen,¡± the elf said. The old man looked scared and took a moment before stammering out a response. ¡°Just a little rest, my mana is low. Look at this one, he¡¯s obviously a prime specimen. He¡¯s even a rank higher than the summoning spell I used,¡± the summoner pleaded. ¡°You, what is your class, tier, and rank,¡± the elf demanded. Oddly enough, I was compelled to answer him, the glowing crystal had somehow shifted my summoning link to the elf. He was now my summoner for all system intents and purposes. ¡°I¡¯m a class called a Foe Summoner. My tier is one, and my rank is two,¡± I said, giving the elf the bare minimum of information that he requested. He didn¡¯t strike me as one of the good ones, and I was glad that I had the notice of cessation ready in case things went sideways. ¡°Your class is a summoning class? Can you summon humanoids and how long can you keep them around for?¡± The elf demanded. ¡°I have two humanoids that I can currently summon, and they¡¯ll remain here for as long as I do,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s good, very good. It looks like you¡¯re off the hook, Jhan¡¯diga. Your summoned creature here is going to fulfill the rest of your quota for you,¡± the elf said. ¡°Yes, Lord Yarantar, I¡¯m glad to help in any way,¡± the summoner said, bowing low for the elf, who was apparently some lord of this place. ¡°You¡¯re not done yet, Jhan¡¯diga. Since you didn¡¯t have to summon another two humanoids, you¡¯ll use whatever mana you have left to help fuel the anchor crystal,¡± Lord Yarantar demanded. ¡°The mage nodded and began to channel mana into the crystal. Yarantar ignored the mage¡¯s request to stop as he neared the end of his mana pool, forcing the old summoner to push every last point of mana out. From my own experience, I knew that going down to zero mana was a rather painful experience and I almost felt a bit sorry for the elderly summoner. ¡°Now for you, summon your two minions. After that, I want all of you to shed whatever equipment and weapons you have. Place them in the cart and then dress yourselves in worker¡¯s garb. Grab a tool that pile and follow the instructions of the foremen,¡± Lord Yarantar demanded. I followed his instructions, summoning first Marvin Glum, then Rupert. Yarantar wanted humanoids for some reason, so my faithful hound would remain behind. After we were all summoned, our gear was collected and placed inside a wagon where a trio of rather burly looking orcs stood guard. Our clothing went into a second wagon, and we were waved over to where our new outfits waited.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I donned a scratchy set of burlap-like pants and shirt. The clothes, like everything else in this giant pit, had a thick layer of dust ground into them. Glum and Rupert did the same following my orders. Even worse than the itchy clothing were the ratty sandals we were required to wear. Mine had a broken strap that allowed it to flop and fold over when I was walking if I wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°All right, you three, grab a shovel and follow me,¡± one of the foremen that Yarantar mentioned, a corpulent dwarf with a very short and dusty beard, demanded. I might not know everything about these crazy worlds I was summoned to, but one thing I did know was that dwarves almost universally prized their beards. Even Rupert, my tier zero summoned creature, had a rather magnificent one by Earth standards. Either this foreman was a real trend setter, or he had his beard cut short as punishment for some crime. Whatever the reason, the short beard seemed to come standard with a short temper as the foreman kicked Rupert who he thought was moving too slowly. I really wanted to let Rupert attack, but my summoned dwarf was just a mana construct and didn¡¯t mind one bit about an insult. Since Yarantar was now my summoner and he had ordered me to obey the foreman, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it either, except follow my orders. The dig site we were in was in the shape of an enormous square. We were led off to one corner of the dig site where a cart full of sand was placed. The foreman ordered us to shovel some sand and spread it on the smoothed-out ground around the edge of the pit. The layer of sand needed to be a certain thickness, which the system translated for my Earth based Imperial measurement brain into just over an inch. ¡°Keep at it until one of the foremen tells you to stop. If any of the inspectors ask you, you¡¯re here from Brightfarm Village and are contracted for the length of the job. Remember this, you¡¯re experts at foundations and are happy to work on this project. You¡¯ll give them some enthusiasm and assure them that you¡¯re going to do perfect work,¡± the foreman said before walking away to berate some other poor sod. With our orders given, I joined my two summoned creatures in spreading out sand at the base of what I guess was going to be the foundation of some new building. The big problem was that the person who had summoned me was no longer in control. I had no idea what an anchor crystal was, but I had a bad feeling it would keep me here, leashed to this summoning for longer than a regular summoner would have been able to. Time passed and the dry, desert heat made it seem like weights were attached to my body, slowing me down as I proceeded to sweat out every bit of liquid inside of me. My summoned minions didn¡¯t seem to mind as much, they didn¡¯t require food or water, but they were subject to the effects of the environment. Rupert was already a rather tanned individual, but Marvin Glum was pasty white and freckled. Any exposed skin on Glum had already gone from white, to pink, and now to an angry red as the sun mercilessly burned him to a crisp. Just before I thought I was going to pass out, a pair of young human kids made their way past where we were working. They had a large drum of water on a wheeled cart that they dished up ladles of to the various workers. As grossed out as I was at drinking from the same ladle as possibly hundreds of other workers, I drank deeply when it was my turn. I even mentally had my summons wave off any water, giving their share to me. They couldn¡¯t use the water, but I sure could. With my thirst quenched, and my body likely harboring an unknown number of diseases from cross contamination, we got back to work. I had hated being an insurance adjuster, but this was far worse of a job than sitting in that cubicle hell hole. Even with an annoying boss, at least I had air conditioning and scheduled breaks. ¡°You there, how long have you been at this?¡± A voice ordered from behind, startling me and almost causing me to drop my shovel. ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused as a trio of gnomes stood there with the foreman, one of the gnomes glared impatiently at me as he waited for an answer. ¡°Sorry, Mister Grumfimble, these boys from Brightfarm Village, and folks from there aren¡¯t the sharpest bunch. This crew¡¯s been with the company for just over a year. They specialize in foundations. All my boys is trained workers, they are, just like the contract demands,¡± the foreman said. The gnomes must be the inspectors that the foreman had mentioned, and once I realized that, the summoning compulsion kicked in. ¡°That¡¯s right good sirs, me and the lads have over a year of experience, and we¡¯ll have you a foundation to outlast them all,¡± I lied while silently pitying whoever built atop something that I had worked on. The gnome just grunted in response, moving on toward the next group of workers. I kept my eye on them while continuing my work. After making the rounds in the pit, the gnomes were hauled back up to the ground level in one of several lifts that were placed around the dig site. A while after that, a horn sounded from above us and I noticed Lord Yarantar descending another lift. Yarantar strode over to the mana crystal and began to cast some spell over it. Across the worksite, I could see people pop out of existence. Only about one in twenty of the workers here in the pits turned out to be natives of this world. It looked like the overwhelming majority of us were summoned creatures, all linked to the mana stone. Since I had been one of the last summoned here, it took a while for Yarantar to get to me. The link to your summoner has been terminated. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Average. Your rewards will reflect your summoning as tier 1, rank 2, and your performance rating of Average. You have earned 5 experience points. You have earned 4 summoning points. Great, I¡¯d successfully participated in contractor fraud. I could only hope that my next summoning would be something a bit more exciting, and a bit less fraudulent. Chapter 103. Training is Overbooked. I returned to my personal space, rather glad to find that my reconstructed body was no longer sunburned and dehydrated. It had felt like a long summoning, but I could probably attribute a lot of that to the drudgery of the task and the uncomfortable working conditions. It had been nowhere near bad enough for me to pop a notice of cessation, even if I felt a bit guilty at having helped a contractor cheat someone. I suppose there were crooked contractors on worlds containing mana just like there were on mana-free Earth. Well, I didn¡¯t get to choose the summonings, I just had to live through them. After getting my bearings, I headed to the rewards chest to see what I¡¯d received. My rating had been average, but it wasn¡¯t really a summoning that you could over or under perform that much on. Setting the chest to display only new items, I took a look. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 67.
  2. Silver coins, 8.
About what I¡¯d expected, but I¡¯d done really well with the contracted summoning, so I wasn¡¯t too disappointed. My summoning gauge was at 84%, which told me I had one more good summoning before returning home. If I somehow choked on the next summoning run, I might have to do another, but I was feeling pretty good about my progress so far. After checking on my rewards, I made a circuit of my personal space, keeping an eye out for Melvin to see where he¡¯d squelched off to. I found him in the training center, sliding up the wall near where the figurines for training were stored. The gelatinous cube sent me a greeting via our link. ¡°Howdy Melvin, are you getting some training in today?¡± I joked with the cube. Oddly enough, I got a feeling though our link, Melvin was like a kid wanting to play with a toy. A system prompt appeared shortly after. A bonded companion inside your personal space has requested the use of your training center. Do you wish to allow the entity known as Melvin to have access to this feature of your personal space? Y/N. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s going on there Melvin? Can you actually train here?¡± I asked, though the system prompt seemed to indicate that it was indeed a possibility. Concentrating on the system request, I tried to decide how I wanted to proceed. As if registering my hesitation, the system offered me some options. Since this training center utilizes a finite resource, mana, and that resource can take considerable time before replenishment, you may designate the permissions for your companion to operate under. You may choose one of the following.
  1. Complete access. Melvin will be able to activate and use the training center any time he wishes. If one of you is using the training center, the other can only observe the activity and not participate.
  2. Limited access. Melvin must seek permission each time he wishes to use the training center.
  3. Situational access. You may set specific parameters of Melvin¡¯s use of this facility.
  4. No access. This choice will prevent Melvin from activating the training center under all circumstances.
I didn¡¯t want to cut off Melvin completely from the training center, but I also didn¡¯t want to have my own time limited if his training siphoned off too much of the mana that the place held. After all, I only had a short time between summonings to make use of the place. Maybe the situational access could be tailored to a viable compromise. I worked out the details in my head, confirming them after the system approved my situational offer. You have offered the entity known as Melvin to have situational access to your training center. Access will be granted with the following guidelines.
  1. When you are away from the personal space, Melvin may have full access to the training center.
  2. If you are present, he may only access the training center with your express permission.
  3. At any time that Melvin is accessing the training center, he must terminate his session when the ambient mana is below 50% of its normal capacity.
That should be fair for both of us. Melvin would have something to do while I was gone, but I¡¯d be in control when I was here in the personal space. By restricting Melvin to only using up half the ambient mana, it would guarantee I wouldn¡¯t return to a tapped-out training center after a summoning.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What do you think Melvin, fair enough for both of us? I don¡¯t want you to be bored here, but I do need to use this place as much as I can if I want to survive,¡± I asked. The entity known as Melvin has approved of your offer. All access to the training center will now follow the guidelines of the agreement. ¡°Glad that works for you, buddy,¡± I said, only to have another system prompt appear. The entity known as Melvin has requested access to the training center. Do you wish to allow access at this time? Y/N. ¡°Wow, that was quick. I was planning to work out some of the kinks with my new team composition, but I have to say, I¡¯m curious what you¡¯ll actually do in here, so have at it. The entity known as Melvin has been granted access to the training center. You may remain as an observer, but you will not be able to interact with any of the summoned challengers, or Melvin, during this time. I dragged my rocking chair into the training center to get my first look at how a pet gelatinous cube might train. Melvin started his training session by absorbing several of the training figurines into his body. All the figures were from the first row where the easier challenges were found. I was a bit worried that he might try to eat them or something, but they seemed to be just fine even after floating around in his goop for a minute or two. Melvin dropped to the floor with a plop before slowly sliding toward the center of the room. He made it maybe five feet before the first summoning occurred. A goblin in tattered clothing stood there with a wooden spear. On some unknown command from Melvin, the goblin charged forward. While goblins weren¡¯t known for their great intelligence, this one was at least smart enough to know that he shouldn¡¯t let a gelatinous cube get ahold of him. The goblin stabbed ineffectively at Melvin with his spear, but given my pet¡¯s slow speed, and the goblin¡¯s caution, not much was happening. The standoff and ineffectual stabbing continued for a time, but eventually, Melvin unsummoned the challenger and conjured up another from one of the figurines he had gathered. This time, it was wolf, and as soon as Melvin gave it the signal, the wolf leaped forward, nipping and biting at the cube. Melvin was patient, and the wolf was not. The wolf eventually tried to take a big bite out of the cube. In response, Melvin grabbed onto the wolf and began to slighter down its throat. Thankfully, these were training summons and not real animals, because the sight of Melvin dissolving the wolf from the inside out was one that might haunt my nightmares. ¡°Wow Melvin, that wasn¡¯t pretty, but you won the fight,¡± I told him, trying to be supportive just in case he felt bad over the obvious look of disgust on my face. Did gelatinous cubes have the ability to read facial expressions? Probably not, but he might have felt my emotions through our link, and at least he¡¯d know that I was trying to support him, even if it grossed me out. A glutton for punishment, I stayed for the next fight. This was a challenge for Melvin. Sort of like when I chose the dragon, just to see what it was like, Melvin chose an opponent he had no chance against, a minor fire elemental. The elemental was only a foot and a half high and showed in my interface as a simple Tier 0, Rank 4 creature. The elemental resembled a lizard and it immediately scrambled forward to attack, his feet leaving little smoky footprints behind it as it ran. Melvin did what he did in every encounter, sat there barely moving. Once it got a foot or so away, the lizard began to spit small puffs of fire at Melvin. It looked to me like nothing was happening to Melvin as the damage was all being calculated by the system; it wasn¡¯t really happening. After a solid minute of fire spitting, the lizard finally had enough and charged directly into Melvin, who finally had a chance to retaliate. The two squirmed around a bit, and I couldn¡¯t make heads or lizard tails of who was winning. A few moments later, the lizard disappeared, having been unsummoned after defeating poor Melvin. ¡°That¡¯s probably one of the toughest types of foes you can go up against, Melvin. Don¡¯t feel bad, you gave it a good try and if you keep practicing, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll learn how to beat them,¡± I offered. Melvin didn¡¯t respond, he seemed happy enough to go right back to summoning opponents. He chose the lizard again, and rather than watch a similar battle play out, I decided to drag my chair back into the main room and spend some time planning out my next moves when I returned home. After only a few minutes of rocking in my chair, my thoughts were interrupted by another system prompt. You are Summoned. Chapter 104. Not Your Average Summoner. The blue summoning portal opened, and I stepped in. As soon as I did, the system gave me the details of this summoning as I made the transition to another world. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the sapient vessel Serapis.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 2.
  4. Rewards level, Above Average.
  5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been activated.
I appeared in about the last place I expected, a large compartment that looked almost like a ship¡¯s bridge or a space station from a science fiction movie. Oddly enough, the mana link to my summoner wasn¡¯t to one of the dozen or so people in the room, it was to the ship itself. ¡°Serapis, I know your mana is under assault, but we need a shield over the teleportation chamber, or all is lost,¡± an elderly human man loudly demanded. He wore a shiny, metallic suit that looked like a spacesuit or a diving suit to me. A small hologram of a man¡¯s face appeared next to him. ¡°Captain, I will maintain the shield over the teleportation chamber, but it will allow the enemy vessel to cancel out our drives, and we¡¯ll be helpless to their boarding action. Please have crewman Hargrave continue to scry our foe,¡± the hologram replied. ¡°Hargrave, keep on it, and call out what you find so Serapis can respond,¡± the elderly man, who was apparently the captain of this vessel, ordered. I took a better look around the place as my summoner, who appeared to be a freaking starship, discussed things with the captain and other crew. I was in a small alcove off the main bridge of the ship. Also stuffed in the small alcove were eight or nine other people. They were a mix of the various humanoid races, and from their garb, most were what you¡¯d expect from the strange, almost medieval fantasy worlds I¡¯d visited. All of us looked a little dumbfounded by the situation we found ourselves in, but we couldn¡¯t converse amongst ourselves as the summoner hadn¡¯t granted us permission to do so. In the main bridge area, the crew seemed to be going about their tasks in an efficient manner, but there was obviously some kind of battle going on. The stress of the situation was etched on their faces, but they remained professional. They interacted with the ship by using floating holographic screens. Instead of touching the screens or typing, the crew¡¯s hands glowed with mana as they operated the various functions of the ship. ¡°Lieutenant Uxrab, this latest batch of defenders is ready to go. I can grant you only a few more batches of summons, that is all my mana core can allow at this time if we want to keep up the shielding in place over my critical systems,¡± the holographic ship¡¯s avatar, who was also my summoner, ordered. ¡°As you wish, Serapis. This group is designated to support the defense of passageway nineteen,¡± the lieutenant, one of the few non-humans of the crew replied. He had scaly skin and lizard-like features, but as with most of the worlds I¡¯d visited, he fit in just fine among the other species. ¡°Lieutenant, I¡¯ll grant you, any ships officer, and all other security personnel control over the summoned creatures. Use them wisely,¡± Serapis ordered, which triggered a system prompt. Your summoner has granted full control over your current summoning to various members of this ship¡¯s crew. All forced compliance permissions are now shared by the designated crew members. With that, my mana link to the ship spread out into dozens of different tendrils, one of which was linked to Lieutenant Uxrab. The summoned creatures around me were also linked in the same way. Through the multiple links, I could sense something odd, well, probably not quite as odd as being summoned by a starship. This ship wasn¡¯t powered by some weird reactor, fuel tank, or anything like that. The ship was powered by pure mana, an incredibly dense reservoir of which was at the heart of the vessel. The crew were mages of various types, using their control over mana to interact with the ship¡¯s systems and help Serapis function. Just as quickly as it appeared, my glimpse into the inner workings of the ship ended as the mana links to all the designated crew were finalized. I fell in behind the other summoned beings as we followed Lieutenant Uxrab out of the bridge and down a series of passageways. After several minutes, we stopped outside of a hatchway and the lieutenant had us line up along the wall, out of the way of all the frenzied activity on the ship. He tapped the door, and it slid open instantly, just like an old Star Trek episode. Inside he addressed several other crew members that I couldn¡¯t see from my position.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°We have ten more to be equipped for possible boarding action. They¡¯re going to be positioned in passageway nineteen near the mana core, so don¡¯t skimp on the gear. I haven¡¯t questioned them yet on any class abilities, so as always, ask before you arm. We need them as effective as they can be, and we don¡¯t want to lose Serapis because you forgot to ask someone what skills they have,¡± Uxrab ordered. We started to file in two at a time. Inside the compartment were two crewmembers, both middle-aged human women, that stood behind a metal counter. Behind them, were rows of sealed storage boxes, ranging in size from a shoebox to a refrigerator. As we waited in the queue, the crew questioned each summoned being before casting some spell that caused the desired storage boxes to hover, then fly to the counter. I tried to peek at what everyone was getting, but there was too much activity as the summoned beings passed over much of their current gear, to make room for their new stuff. ¡°Next, you, human, what¡¯s your class, tier, and rank,¡± the harried clerk asked. ¡°I¡¯m a class called a Foe Summoner and I¡¯m tier one, rank two,¡± I replied. ¡°Very well, how many and what type of creatures do you summon, also, what is your summoning duration?¡± She asked. ¡°Right now, two humanoid creatures, a human, and a dwarf. I also can summon a dog, but that¡¯s my limit. My summoned creatures stay with me until they¡¯re destroyed, I¡¯m killed, or the summoning ends,¡± I replied. ¡°Excellent, summon them now so I can scan them for gear compatibility. Pause after each one and tell me their abilities and combat skills,¡± the clerk ordered. I began to pull out my figurines, starting with Marvin Glum. I explained he fought with shortsword and dagger but was also good with a sling. Once I gave the rundown on Marvin Glum, the clerk chanted while waving what looked like a credit card in front of him. After a moment, she slid the card behind the counter and a pair of crates drifted over. ¡°Have him equip these items, none of them require any specialized abilities. He can replace his sling ammunition with the new ammo that I¡¯m issuing. Make sure he doesn¡¯t fire it near any friendlies, it has a small area of effect that doesn¡¯t differentiate between friend or foe,¡± the clerk advised. I had Marvin put on the gear; his old stuff was dumped into a chute that opened up at the base of the counter. He got a spacesuit like the other crew wore, and the clerk confirmed it contained a limited armor capacity, that was greater than the leather armor I was currently wearing. His blades were replaced by ones that were monomolecular, which would allow them to cut through even the hardest materials. On the utility belt his suit came with several pouches bulged with metal, marble sized ammunition for the leather sling Marvin Glum carried. Rupert was next, and since he was more limited in his abilities, he just got the armored spacesuit and a metal spear tipped with a blade similar to what Marvin now wielded. For my faithful hound, there wasn¡¯t much in the way of armor would fit him, but the dog did get a harness that strapped over his head, that looked almost like a muzzle, but in this case, left him free to bite. When the dog bit at something, the harness would produce a blast of energy that would slam into the target. ¡°Now that your summoned creatures are equipped, what are your spells, skills, abilities, and current equipment,¡± the clerk asked me. I gave her a brief rundown of my spells and abilities. She had me go ahead and cast empower minion on all three of my summons to make sure their gear wouldn¡¯t need to be adjusted for them. They were all fine, and my mana would have some time to regenerate before we faced whatever it was that threatened the ship. After she finished her questioning, the clerk called up several boxes from the back. ¡°Your armor is the same as your humanoid minions. Place your old gear in the chute,¡± the clerk said. I pulled out from the box the armor, a healing, and a mana potion. My hammer was as good as what they were willing to issue me, but I did get one of the monomolecular daggers. The final box contained a two-foot-long magic missile wand that held thirty charges. ¡°Hand me the wand, I¡¯ll insert it into the proper housing. Have you used a crossbow before? The housing is shaped not too differently,¡± the clerk said, opening the final box of gear she had gathered for me. Inside, was what looked like some kind of laser rifle from a movie. She popped open something at the butt of the rifle and put the magic missile wand inside, snapping the seal back into place. ¡°I¡¯ve never used a crossbow before, but that looks like a rifle from back home, which I have shot a few times,¡± I told the clerk. I¡¯d gone to the gun range with my dad more than once as a kid, but haven¡¯t touched a firearm since I¡¯d moved to LA. ¡°You come from a world with technology similar to this?¡± she asked, looking a bit shocked as she eyed the rest of my gear. ¡°Not quite, we¡¯re much lower tech than this. We have guns that fire projectiles using a chemical reaction. Our computers also are simpler, and we don¡¯t have mana,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s odd, but here, I¡¯ll get you some reloads if you think you can handle operating the weapon,¡± the clerk said, giving me two extra wands that she figured I might put to good use. The magic missile rifle felt a bit odd in my grip, but it was light and instead of a trigger, it had a finger-sized indentation along the barrel of the weapon that served the same function. Reloading was as simple as popping open a tab at the back of the rifle and inserting a new wand. ¡°Hurry it up there, we don¡¯t have time for fine tuning this one¡¯s gear,¡± Lieutenant Uxrab ordered. I noticed that I was the last one getting gear, and the rest of my group was ready to leave. The clerk wished me luck and I fell into position at the rear of the line of summoned beings. ¡°The enemy ship is almost on us, we need to be in position on the double, so move it,¡± Uxrab ordered, leading our party into a slow trot as we moved through the living ship. Chapter 105. Repel Boarders. ¡°Fall in here, I¡¯ll summon the defensive barriers," Uxrab ordered. We had jogged through the ship for a few minutes before stopping in a passageway that was double the width of any of the other ones we¡¯d seen. At the end of the passageway, a huge, armored door sealed us off from whatever might be lurking on the other side. Uxrab conjured up a small holographic tablet that he tapped away on. One by one, large metal plates rose from the floor, providing small fighting positions for each of us. They looked thick, about three inches of alloy that would protect us from whatever was coming our way. A small, clear section was placed near the top of the barricades, allowing us to look out without exposing ourselves. ¡°Go to where I assign and stay under cover. When the enemy boards, you¡¯ll use what cover you can and engage them. Stay out of melee if you can help it. The enemy drones are deadly up close. They¡¯re deadly at range too, but there, you¡¯ll at least have a fighting chance,¡± Uxrab told us as he began to position the defenders. There were nine other defenders, not counting me and my summoned minions. The others were a mix of humans, elves, and a single gnome that was too short to fire his magic missile rifle over the barricade, requiring Uxrab to lower it a foot and a half. He spent some time repositioning the others, sometimes even lowering a barricade back into the floor before raising one in a slightly different position. I just watched and waited alongside my minions since Uxrab hadn¡¯t decided where to place me yet. Once the rest were positioned where he wanted them, Uxrab turned to my little force. ¡°You and your team follow me,¡± Uxrab ordered. He touched the side of the passageway, just in front of the last defender, a large, elderly man with greenish skin indicating that he had at least some orc blood in him. A doorway opened where Uxrab touched, and I was led into an empty room that was about thirty feet in length and fifteen wide. He raised a longer defensive barricade at the back of the room, allowing me to fight alongside my two humanoid minions. Right inside the doorway, a smaller barricade was raised, one that my hound could hide behind, out of line of sight from the door. ¡°Your group will fight here, creating a crossfire before the enemy breaks through the final defenders. If they try to ignore you and pass you by, head out of here and engage the enemy wherever you find them. Any questions?¡± Uxrab asked. ¡°Yes, sir. Who, or what exactly are we fighting?¡± I asked. Normally I couldn¡¯t speak to a summoner, but Uxrab had left that option open with his question. ¡°We don¡¯t know what their true name is, we simply call them the Mana Slayers. They seek out any who possess magical ability and destroy them. Unfeeling and uncaring, the mana slayers have never responded to any attempts at communication,¡± Uxrab said. ¡°You¡¯re on a starship in the middle of space. How did they track you down?¡± I asked, wondering if these mana slayers ever happened to pass by Earth. If they did, would they decide to make a pitstop and eradicate me and the other summoned beings? ¡°Our world was destroyed, and Serapis is one of the few vessels remaining to us. Since the other ships contained huge numbers of refugees, we volunteered to lure away the mana slayers and attempt to battle them. If we can buy enough time, Serapis and the more powerful mages aboard can open a teleportation link to another ship and evacuate us to safety,¡± Uxrab said. ¡°I¡¯ll do everything I can to stop them, Uxrab,¡± I told the strange lizard man. ¡°I thank you, and I can see you are no mana creation. You are one of the few true summoned beings and it is an honor to have you fight at our side. Should we fall, take the knowledge of what happened here and use it to defend your world if this threat should ever show itself. I must leave now, more defenders have been summoned and they need to be placed before the enemy is upon us,¡± Uxrab told me before he turned and hustled back the way we had come. After that, I was left on my own, unable to communicate with the other summoned beings, but I found that I did have some leeway in my positioning based on Uxrab¡¯s orders to pursue the enemy if they pass by. I took up position in the doorway, looking down the passageway where the armored door stood between us and whatever threat might be heading our way. Having a peek at the exterior of Serapis and the enemy ships would have been interesting, but I doubted the ship and its crew had time to teach Magic Ships 101 to me. Minutes passed, and a few times, I could feel Serapis shake as whatever attacks the enemy was unleashing on it overcame the magic it used to keep the passengers safe while maneuvering. After another series of jolts, Uxrab returned with four more summoned defenders. All four of these were human, and equipped about the same as the rest of us were. ¡°Warning, enemy ships are approaching boarding range. Mana shields are down over most of our vessel and the major mana conduits are severed. Automated defenses are operating on batteries only. All personnel are to report to teleportation bays one and two for immediate evacuation. All summoned beings are to defend and hold the enemy,¡± Serapis announced across the ship through some unseen speaker system.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I felt another thud through the hull, and a metallic clank just outside the armored door. The door began to glow a dull orange color, as if it had been dropped into a forge, but I couldn¡¯t feel any heat coming off it. Glowing red, then white, the door finally exploded into a cloud of metallic dust particles. I was expecting a blast from an explosive, but whatever the enemy used to breach it merely turned the door into powder. Holding up my magic missile rifle and using the hatchway as cover, I leaned into the main passage, watching for signs of the enemy. Instead of a horde of crazed marauders, we were met with silence. The only sign that there was trouble was when the two defenders closest to the breach suddenly had their heads severed from their bodies. Without a target to spot, I couldn¡¯t fire my rifle. The weapon I held was essentially an extended range magic missile wand that eliminated the delay between firing off the stored charges. Unfortunately, a magic missile needed a visible target to lock onto. ¡°Marvin Glum, get up here,¡± I said. Glum trotted over to the door and I ordered him to start firing his sling down the passage toward where the defenders had just been killed. After a few spins, Glum released the metal ball that the ship had provided. The first one sailed into the opening between the ships and deeper into the enemy vessel, hopefully hitting something aboard it. After the third stone was launched, the ball seemed to shatter in thin air, spraying a caustic gel across a small area. Like something out of a movie, the enemy became visible as whatever it used to cloak itself became damaged. Standing right next to a defender, the enemy looked for all intents and purposes to be some kind of robotic drone. Its body was roughly humanoid shaped, but it had four long arms, two of which ended in impossibly sharp claws. The other two arms were more traditional, and, in each of those hands, the enemy held something that looked like a metal globe the size of a softball. The metallic monster¡¯s legs ended in almost cat-like paws with their own set of sharp claws. For its body, the attacker had thick, overlapping panels of metal and odd plastic-like plates that gave it some bulk. To me, the machine looked like some killer droids from a low budge science fiction movie. As I watched, the thing swung down one of its bladed arms, slicing through the defender it had been standing next to when Glum¡¯s shot hit it. ¡°Enemy cloaking fields detected, activating countermeasures,¡± Serapis announced through our section of the ship. Small panels in the roof of the passageway began to open every ten or so yards, and a fine spray of some orange slime began to fill the area. I was worried it was going to hurt me when I was doused with a good bit of it, but the ship and its crew had fought these monsters before and must have been prepared for its tricks. The orange spray was benign to the ship¡¯s defenders, but it highlighted the half-dozen killer droids that had made their way onto our ship so far. I pulled the magic missile rifle to my shoulder and began squeeze off magic missile shots every second or so, despite finding the finger-tap trigger method of the weapon a bit cumbersome to use. The other defenders joined in, and soon, the passageway was filled with glowing balls of magic that hammered into the enemy. The droids staggered back under the onslaught, but their armor offered them good protection. It took several hits in the same armor plate to breach their defenses. With the amount of fire that we were putting out, it wasn¡¯t long before the enemy started to take damage. We didn¡¯t have it all going our way, though, and the metal globes the droids held in their humanoid hands began to emit beams of light that cut through just about anything they hit. One by one, the defenders started to fall, and I barely avoided one of the beams that scorched the side of the hatch I was taking cover behind. Marvin Glum wasn¡¯t so lucky. He had kept following my last orders and was slinging more of the corrosive shot down the passageway at the attackers when the beam struck, cleanly slicing off the top of his head and turning my summoned minion into mana vapor. I fell back into the room I had been assigned to, joining Rupert to help defend the barricade that Uxrab had constructed for us. More beams and magic missiles flew past the hatchway, but I couldn¡¯t tell who was winning the exchange. While I waited for the enemy to reach my defensive position, I swapped out the nearly depleted wand in my rifle for a fresh one. Eventually the firing died down as the defenders depleted the last of their magic missile charges. For whatever reason, the ship had been stingy about giving out reloads, and once depleted, our forces were down to their melee weapons. The sounds of combat moved closer to my hatchway, and I prepared to fight and buy as much time for the crew as I could. The elderly half-orc that was nearest to my hatch staggered into view, one of his arms sliced off. A droid moved past the hatch to finish off the orc, and I began to pepper it with magic missile shots. To his credit, the half-orc was going down fighting, and he slammed a hand axe into the attacker¡¯s chest before he fell. The monomolecular blade of the axe bit deep into the droid¡¯s armor, elicting an electronic squeal from the droid. Another swipe of the droid¡¯s clawed hands sent the half-orc back in a cloud of mana vapor to wherever it was he had been summoned from. The droid took one look at the compartment I was in, and instead of attacking, he reached into a storage panel on his side and pulled two cylinders out. The droid casually tossed the cylinders before it tried to move out of my line of sight. I had punched through a section of its armor by that time, and my magic missiles were slamming deep into the inner workings of the machine, causing it to shoot out sparks and then spin in a circle before collapsing to the deck. I ducked behind the barricade, expecting the cylinders to be some kind of grenade. Instead of an explosion, the cylinders fired off a slew of the beams that the droids used as ranged weapons. Somehow, the weapons had targeted everyone in the compartment, even the hound. Each of us was hit by at least a dozen of the beams, which burned through the barricade with ease. Several cut through my body, but before I could even begin to feel the pain of the attack, the summoning ended. You have been killed by repeated blasts from a disruptor beam dispenser. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Good. Your rewards will reflect you being summoned as Tier 1, Rank 2 and your performance rating of Good. You have earned 8 experience points. You have earned 6 summoning points. Chapter 106. Time is Limited. I stepped though the portal back into the familiarity of my personal space. My head was still reeling from the summoning I had just finished. Apparently, space mages were a thing, as well as living starships that ran on or used mana to summon defenders. I had a feeling that this was going to be an extremely rare occurrence, but it brought up a lot of questions and a lot of possibilities. There was also the warning that Lieutenant Uxrab gave. The mana slayers sounded and looked like some kind of terminator aliens with orders to kill and destroy anyone using mana. If these things made it to Earth, maybe we¡¯d escape notice since mana was almost non-existent save for a few folks like me. There was also the very real possibility that these summonings weren¡¯t even happening in the same universe and I was exploring alternate versions of reality each time I was summoned. It gave me a headache to think about, and worrying how many worlds and universes might exist wasn¡¯t going to improve my situation in any way. What might improve my situation was the rewards I should have just received. I set the reward chest to show only new items and dug in. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 88.
  2. Silver coins, 26.
  3. Handheld magic missile wand projector.
The coins weren¡¯t bad, but the handheld magic missile wand projector sounded interesting. I thought about the reward and pulled the item from the chest. It was similar to the weapon I had just used aboard Serapis, except instead of resembling a rifle, this one resembled a compact handgun. The weapon was surprisingly light, and the rear of the barrel held the same kind of latch that the rifle had. A quick twist released the magic missile wand inside. I was surprised to see it was the same shorter version of the wand that I had at home. On this weapon, there was also a small charging port that would allow me to recharge the wand inside without having to pull it from the weapon. The only negative about the weapon was that it had the same odd fingertip triggering mechanism that felt unnatural to someone used to a traditional trigger. I had to lay my finger along the length of the barrel and tap a specific area to get it to fire. The advantage of this weapon over a traditional wand was readily apparent, it had no cooldown between shots. All you had to do was tap the barrel in the correct spot and the next missile would fire. It was an odd blend of technology and magic, which seemed on par with what I¡¯d experienced aboard Serapis. I was sure Fitzfazzle would be interested in it, and maybe he could improve on the design. As I examined the weapon, the system granted me a bit more information. Handheld magic missile wand projector. Gear cost 10. This weapon provides an easy-to-use method for firing compact magic missile wands. Although the wands used by this weapon can only carry a maximum of six charges, those charges can be fired as rapidly as the weapon can be activated. The weapon is shielded against any mana draining effects, though that shielding is negated when the weapon is opened to change wands. While it is shielded against mana drain, the handheld magic missile wand projector is still vulnerable to direct magic attacks. A fail weapons, mass fail weapons, or sympathetic mana detonation spell will affect it. The internal wand inside the weapon can be switched out to any similar wands that utilize a ranged, single target damaging effect. Interesting, it was shielded against mana drain, but not against other spells. That would limit its use on most of the worlds I was sent to, as I figured this thing was a prime target for a Fail Weapons spell. If the pistol somehow failed, I could still pull the wand and use it normally, but I¡¯d then be subject to the cooldown period between shots. The weapon was obviously created with a specific threat in mind, the mana slayers. They didn¡¯t use magic or have access to anything like a Fail Weapons spell, but they must have had some way to drain mana from their victims, creating the need for the weapon to be shielded.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It was better in some ways than the normal magic missile wand I had in my loadout, but I was thinking the best place for this was back home on Earth. It was shielded against mana drain, so its wand probably wouldn''t be sucked dry the moment I retuned. I¡¯d have six shots without interruption. Unlike a normal gun, magic missiles were homing spells, and even if my aim was off, the target was still going to get hit. Recharging it would be a problem, our world would rip mana away from me as soon as I tried to push a charge back into the weapon through the small charging port. I could maybe add one or two charges if my mana was full, but that would leave me vulnerable so I¡¯d only be able to recharge it right before I was summoned away. If I was desperate, I could always chew a mana tab, which might not be a big deal if I eventually built up a good supply of them. Weighing my options, I¡¯d go ahead and take the weapon back home. My full-sized wand, even with the cooldown between shots, had a higher charge capacity, and was the better choice for summoning. I could even pass this magic missile pistol off as an airsoft or paintball gun that was designed to look like something from a science fiction show if I had to. A quick check of the gauge over the reward chest showed that it was time for me to return home. I was only two experience points away from hitting tier one, rank three. It would have been nice to hit it before I returned home. Hitting rank three would also give me an extra point in presence, which would reduce my overall mana reserve. A system prompt appeared as soon as I looked at the summoning series completion gauge. You have completed the latest summoning session. A time has been set aside for you to wrap up any final business here in your personal space, but you must not linger past the indicated return time, or you will be forcibly sent back. Please advise when you are ready to leave your personal space and return home. That was new, though I suppose this was the first time I had completed a summoning session after Minerva left. The new prompt must have been the system¡¯s way of informing me that I couldn¡¯t overstay my welcome. While I had to finalize what I wanted to take home, as well as check in on Melvin, it would have been nice to get a few more training sessions in. Given the rate the countdown gauge was ticking away, a long training session wasn¡¯t in the cards. Looking around, I could see that Melvin was even now trucking his way out of the training center. After ducking my head inside the training center, it was nearly half empty of mana, so my return hadn¡¯t really interrupted his latest round of training, and he was likely forced out of it due to the mana restriction I¡¯d placed on him. ¡°Melvin, I hope your training is going well, I have to head back to Earth soon, so you be good while I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ll see you soon, buddy,¡± I told the cube. Through our connection, I could feel gratitude and a bit of excitement from the little guy. I would have never thought that the cube would be so excited about practicing combat against various foes, but he really seemed to get a kick out of it. With Melvin squared away, the only question was what to bring back home with me. The gun was going home, but I also needed to bring a bit more metal to smelt. I had found the recycling centers to not be bad regarding the copper, and the fact it was smelted into ingots seemed to relax the staff at the place I¡¯d used. Thinking about it, they probably got a lot of shady characters that stole wire and the like, trying to come up with a story about why they had spools of the stuff to sell. I doubted many thieves took the time to neatly smelt down the stolen copper into ingots. So far, I¡¯d just given them my copper ingots, shown my bogus ID, and collected some cash. I ended up deciding to take a couple hundred copper coins, and twenty silver. That should hold me over until I had to return for my next summoning series. After a final check, I confirmed with the system what I wanted to take home, and that I was ready to go. You will now be returned to your home world. The portal appeared on the wall and stepped through it and back into the room I rented in Huntington Beach. A quick check confirmed that there were no crackheads robbing the place and everything was back exactly where I¡¯d left it. I dropped off my coins into the hiding place I¡¯d carved out for them and tried to figure out where to place the magic missile pistol. My new pistol was compact, but just a bit too big to just fit inside my pants pocket. It wasn¡¯t like it had come with a concealed carry holster or anything like that. If I was heading out, I¡¯d have to place it in my waistband and find a bulky shirt to cover it up well enough. Here in the room, I wanted it somewhere easily accessible, but not visible to the casual observer. I didn¡¯t want to give my elderly landlords a heart attack if they somehow needed to come in here while I was gone and saw a gun in plain sight. There was a coat rack near the front door, and the one coat I had to my name was hung up there. It was still way too hot to even be thinking about a coat in this part of California, but the oversized coat pockets made for a good enough hiding spot. After putting away the pistol and confirming I could draw it quickly enough if someone tried to break in, I took stock of what I needed to do. It was now after 11pm, but I wasn¡¯t tired yet. Maybe I¡¯d take a walk to the nearby grocery store and stock up a bit for the next few days. As I was getting my stuff together for a shopping trip, I heard a knock on the door. Who was knocking on my door after 11pm on a weeknight? Chapter 107. Whos at the Door? I drew the magic missile pistol from the coat pocket and looked through the peephole of the door. Out on the porch were a man and woman both well dressed in nice casual outfits. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t wearing the same suits that the Grimslade Group corporate thugs had worn. They also didn¡¯t look like the disheveled cultists that wanted to sacrifice me to their so-called god. ¡°What do you want, it¡¯s late,¡± I growled through the door, checking that all my figurines were in my pocket where they would be ready for summoning. ¡°Hi, we¡¯d like to talk to you in private about a serious matter,¡± the woman said in a friendly voice. ¡°No thanks, whatever you¡¯re selling, I¡¯m not buying. You should leave now before I call the police. It¡¯s far too late to be harassing people at this hour,¡± I warned. While I had no desire to have the police look too closely at me, I¡¯d rather have them here if these two turned out to be here for some nefarious purpose. ¡°Sir, we need to speak to you. We detected the summoning portal, and if we did, that means others may have as well,¡± the man offered. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m calling the police, you people are crazy,¡± I said, turning on my phone to dial 911. They said they could detect the summoning portal opening, if that was the case, I was hosed. While I could limit using mana while on Earth, I had no control over when the portals that summoned me opened. My phone turned on, and promptly failed to connect to any service. This was the middle of a city; cell service was usually perfect here. I tried to connect to the Wi-Fi that the nice couple who rented the place to me provided. It too was blocked. ¡°Sir, by now you¡¯re realizing that your cell and internet aren¡¯t working,¡± the man started to say, perfectly predicting my actions. ¡°I suggest you leave, I¡¯m not someone you want to mess with,¡± I replied, ready to defend myself if these two and whatever friends they may have hidden out there tried to break in. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt that you¡¯ve developed means to defend yourself, but whatever powers you¡¯ve developed won¡¯t be enough to stop what¡¯s coming for you. Our organization wants to help, the others that are coming want to either cage you like test animal for an experiment, or sacrifice you to some otherworldly being,¡± the woman pleaded. ¡°And who exactly are you people? Let me warn you, the best way to continue this conversation isn¡¯t to give me vague answers,¡± I replied. The cozy little rental made from the detached garage was beginning to feel like a prison. The front door was the only way in or out. There was a window on the front wall, but that was right next to the door. In the restroom at the back of the place, I only had a small window that was way too small to slip through to escape. ¡°We belong to a group that works to organize, and help summoned beings. Our world is slowly being changed and people like you are going to be our only hope to survive in the future,¡± the man pleaded. ¡°Then just drop off your card, and I¡¯ll call you if I need you,¡± I argued, checking to confirm that my mana core was full. My figurines were only supposed to take a single point of mana to activate, but I suspected I¡¯d burn around three to activate one here on Earth. Besides the figurines, I needed to save some mana for Psionic Jolts and maybe Fail Weapons if these people brought guns to the party. ¡°You need to listen to us, sir, you¡¯re in danger,¡± the woman said starting to sound desperate. ¡°No, Marie, he doesn¡¯t want to join us, and we decided long ago never to force one of the summoned into our ranks. You, there, inside, I¡¯m going to do what you asked, I¡¯m leaving a card here. Memorize the number and call us if you need help. Do it soon, we weren¡¯t lying when we said that portals can now be tracked. Some of the corporate organizations and pseudo-government groups likely have access to the technology, and if they have it, I¡¯m sure one of the cults have infiltrated their ranks and found it as well,¡± the man replied. ¡°How exactly are you able to track summoning portals?¡± I asked. It was information I¡¯d need to know, and if these two were willing to share, I¡¯d let them stand at my doorstep for a few seconds more.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I¡¯m no scientist, but from what our scientists said, it turned out to be quite simple for them to track. By monitoring the summoned beings that have joined us, the team discovered that the summoning portals give off a unique form of radiation when they appear. It¡¯s completely harmless, but the energy it gives off lingers for some time, allowing us to track it down from passive sensors we¡¯ve placed in the area,¡± the woman, Marie, explained. ¡°Is that how you detect mana as well?¡± I asked. The mana gave the previous people tracking me a general idea of where I was operating, but it wasn¡¯t until they canvassed the pawn shops that they located me. If these sensors to detect portals were more accurate, I¡¯d never be safe, and would have to constantly keep on the move. ¡°I can¡¯t say for the others, but our mana detection is done through a summoned being. The ability to passively detect mana is one that you¡¯ll develop as you rise in tier and rank. Right now, depending on your tier, you can probably feel when someone is pulling mana for a spell nearby. The summoned beings working with us are a variety of tiers and ranks, the highest of which can detect mana usage in a wide area. Given the population density here, the number of summoned beings is rather high on the west coast,¡± the man explained. It sort of made sense, I could almost instinctively detect someone pulling mana for a spell. I could see some ability unlocking that would expand the radius of detection. If these people had summoned beings willingly working for them, they could probably canvas a large area. ¡°And just how many of you are there, and how many summoned beings are working with you?¡± I asked. ¡°Our organization is compartmentalized into various cells so we can¡¯t be tracked by any of the hostile groups. Each major city probably has a small team, and my team covers Southern California. As for how many summoned beings our team works with, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer that. Odds are, one of the other groups is going to snatch you up soon, and I don¡¯t want you to disclose any critical information,¡± the man said. ¡°I can tell him about¡­¡± the woman started to say before the man cut her off. ¡°No don¡¯t it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Randy, we need to show some trust if we expect some in return. So far, all we¡¯ve done is show up on his doorstep with some dire warnings,¡± Marie said. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s your own life you¡¯re risking,¡± Randy reluctantly said. ¡°I¡¯m a summoned being as well, and my skills have allowed me to try and track down a summoned being in this area for the last month,¡± Marie said. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve been tracking a summoned being here, in Huntington Beach, for the last month?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s taken a while for the sensors to zero in on you. I thought it was going to take even longer, but your return portal just pinged a sensor less than a block from here,¡± Marie told me. ¡°I hate to tell you this, I just moved here a few days ago,¡± I replied. There must have been some other summoned being in town, and it was just my luck that instead of tracking him down, they found me first. ¡°Ah, that explains his voice and lack of accent. The guy we¡¯re tracking is supposed to have only recently immigrated here,¡± Randy said to his partner. ¡°I take it you¡¯re not Tran Nguyen?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Uh, no. While I don¡¯t plan to give you my personal details, I can confirm that I¡¯m not Tran Nguyen, I said. ¡°Well, you may not be the person we were looking for, but you are a summoned being and need our help. We have places where you can¡¯t be tracked. If you join us, we can help you, both here on Earth, and when you¡¯re summoned. Have you been a summoned being for very long? Have you been to Somhagen? What about linked summonings, have you experienced any of those? If you join us, we can help you navigate your new life,¡± Marie offered. She sure sounded like she knew what she was talking about. It¡¯d be nice not to be on my own. I was running around like a fugitive and the chance to belong to a group that didn¡¯t want to experiment on me or sacrifice me held a strong appeal. Still, I was nowhere near ready to accept them at their word, that would be foolish. ¡°Leave your card, then leave as well. I¡¯ll call you if I see the need for your help. I should also warn you that if I detect any of you trailing me, you¡¯ll have broken my trust and I¡¯ll never consider joining you after that,¡± I replied. ¡°I understand, we¡¯ll leave this here and leave you alone,¡± Randy said, dropping a card on the doorstep before the pair backed off. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll think about joining us, and can I at least have your name?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Raymond,¡± I lied, giving the name listed on my fake ID. ¡°I wish you luck Raymond. Be careful, the others may not have been as lucky as we have been in pinpointing your location, but they will eventually find you unless you keep on the move. That¡¯s no kind of life to live, Raymond, as I know from experience,¡± Marie said as the pair turned and walked away toward the street. I remained for some time, just looking through the peephole in the door, and then through the windows, watching for signs of someone watching the house. After a time, nobody showed themselves, so I felt safe enough to crack open the door and retrieve the business card they had left. It was a simple thing, a plain white card with a local number written on it. There were some tough decisions for me to make, but before I could think further about it, I needed to move out of this place, and quickly. Chapter 108. The Arena Calls. Convinced that my late-night visitors hadn¡¯t left behind anyone to watch me, I gathered my possessions. Thankfully, the place I was staying in was fully furnished, so I hadn¡¯t wasted money on furniture that I¡¯d have to leave behind. As it was, my pack was bulky and heavy. The crucible and my tools took up much of the room, and I also had a duffle bag slung over the other shoulder which held clothing, toiletries, phones, and the like. I hated to leave the nice elderly family without any notice, so I jotted down a quick note telling them that I had a family emergency and would have to leave, I folded up some money with the note and slid it under the back door of their house. With that done, I had to find somewhere to stay. For now, I¡¯d have to hoof it a few miles to a motel I found online that took cash. On my walk, I kept an eye out for anyone that might be tailing me, but at least from my untrained eye, I couldn¡¯t spot anyone. That was a mark in favor of Marie, Randy, and the nameless organization they worked for. So far, they seemed to have kept their word. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted to sign up with them just yet, I was too paranoid that a decision to join their group would end up with me as some lab rat. They claimed to want to help, and the fact they didn¡¯t try to force me to go with them, like the Grimslade Group had done, led me to believe that they just might be the good guys. If the other groups could track me now whenever the portals opened, my life was going to take a turn for the worse. I¡¯d have to keep on the run, and if I ever stopped in one place for more than one summoning session, I¡¯d likely be snatched up by one group or another. The streets were relatively quiet at this time of night, and I was a little self-conscious being the only person on the sidewalk. A few cars were always out driving around in the city, mostly people working odd shifts and the like. Huntington Beach was a nice, and very expensive, city, but there were still some sketchy parts of it tucked away here and there. Sadly, seedy motels seemed to be my lot in life for the time being. I eventually made it to the place I was looking for, the Dolphin¡¯s Bay motel. It was about what I expected, a place that had long since given up on any effort at resembling a respectable establishment. The once brightly colored building had faded, and the dolphin on the sign looked like it was about ready to be put out of its misery. Arriving so late cost me a bit extra, as I had to bribe the front desk clerk to let me in without a credit card. Unlike the first motel I¡¯d stayed at, this one seemed to at least make some effort at keeping the place clean, and I didn¡¯t feel the need to go out and purchase cleaning supplies first thing in the morning. After settling in, locking the door, and barricading it with furniture, I tried to get some rest. When I came back from a summoning session, I was usually well rested, but the late visitors, and the need to relocate to a new place left me more mentally exhausted than anything physical. The next thing I knew, I woke up as a beam of sunshine leaked through the tattered blinds to hit me in the face. Groaning, I got up from my short sleep and tried to prepare for my day. First off, I needed more cash, which meant I needed to melt down some of the metal I¡¯d brought back with me. Unfortunately, this motel had nowhere for me to work, so I¡¯d have to try and find some other place for my smelting. With the crucible, my tools, and the metal in my backpack, I headed out. My first stop was a hole in the wall taco shop on the corner that had a rather tasty breakfast burrito to go with my morning coffee. I picked up the first bus to roll by, using the random trip to scout the neighborhood. Eventually, I found a decent place behind a strip mall with several closed stores. I¡¯d be hidden from any casual passers-by, and someone would have to go out of their way to spot me. Between a pair of dumpsters, I set things up and tried to work as fast as I could. It didn¡¯t take long to smelt down the metal into ingots, but I was forced to wait for some time after the work was done while the crucible cooled down enough for me to place it safely back in my pack. After a quick trip to drop off the crucible and tools at my motel room, I took a bus ride south to find a couple of jewelry stores that offered a low, but still fair price for the gold and silver I had on hand. It was odd, before the visitors last night, this part of my life, selling off my rewards, was the riskiest part of my day. Now, just being summoned was going to become the biggest danger I faced. Well, the summoning itself wasn¡¯t that dangerous, it was coming back home to possibly find several nefarious groups on my doorstep. Over the next few days, I made trips to various parts of the area, selling off the precious metals I had left in my possession. All the while, I kept thinking about my options. I briefly considered packing up and heading out into the wilderness, but I wasn¡¯t exactly the survivalist type. To make matters worse, it was probably easier to track me out in the wild than it was in a city full of other people. At least here, there were other summoned beings, and lots of places to hide among the crowds.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I also considered traveling further out, heading to other states, or perhaps even other countries. Other countries were a no-go after some thought. My fake ID wouldn¡¯t hold up against any real scrutiny, and I would probably not know the language. To make matters worse, those hunting me were probably under fewer restrictions in many of the countries I considered living in. Traveling to other states wouldn¡¯t fix the main problem either, since no matter what I did, the portals summoning and returning me home could now be tracked. At some point I was going to have to choose a side, choose one of the organizations that I wanted to align myself with. It would be a choice of the lesser of several evils, I feared. My other option was to find somewhere else to live, another world, or Somhagen itself. To do that, I needed to find a way to quit the summoned being gig. Lavelle had done it, but the system was restricting how much he could tell me about the process unless I paid a rather exorbitant fee. Gathering 500 gold would eventually happen, but it would take some time, and I would have to survive capture for quite a while before I got there. My power had grown, and I felt more confident in defending myself, but aside from my figurines, I was alone. It was odd, before, I¡¯d dreaded each summoning session and now I was looking forward to them. My life in these other worlds was often dangerous, but it was also exciting. Many times, I had the chance to truly help other people. I¡¯d saved lives, and even protected a kid from being eaten by zombies. That was something I doubt would have ever happened if I was still sitting in my cubicle working as an insurance adjustor. I was never an adrenaline junkie, but I was beginning to look forward to the next challenge I would face. Thinking about it in my dingy apartment, I found that I was even looking forward to seeing Melvin again. The little gelatinous cube was probably hard at work, sparring against different foes. What would become of him after he was done with all this training? Time passed and the expected headache that signaled another summoning session never came. I¡¯d sold off all my metal and had enough of a nest egg to last a while, but it wouldn¡¯t last forever. I was in the office paying another week¡¯s rent when it finally happened. It was faster than ever before, I was talking with the sleazy desk clerk, trying to get a discount for paying in advance when the pain of a headache hit harder than it had before. My vision blurred and I felt myself falling to the floor as a system prompt appeared. You are Summoned! The arena challenge you have signed up for is now being activated. You will be given a short time in your personal space to make any final adjustments to your loadout. I seemed to float for a few moments in the darkness, the pain of the intense headache lingering more than it usually did. Light began to gradually filter through the darkness, and I found myself on the floor of my personal space. I stood on wobbly legs as a countdown timer appeared in the corner of my vision. I had five minutes to make my final preparations. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot I wanted to change; I¡¯d adjusted my loadout before I left for Earth the last time. I had expended some of my consumable figurines, but at least partially replaced their missing numbers with the newest addition to my consumable collection, Verdigrim. Melvin slithered his way into the armory, moving quite a bit faster than he had ever done before. ¡°Hey buddy, is all that training paying off?¡± I asked him. Instead of responding, Melvin¡¯s body bulged a bit as a small stone cube was pushed out of his jelly-like mass. It clinked on the wooden floor, and I could feel through our link that Melvin wanted me to pick it up. As soon as I touched the stone cube, a system prompt appeared. The entity known as Melvin has shed some of his power to create a summoning figurine for your use. This is a consumable item, but due to your link with the entity, there is no gear cost associated with the figurine. Melvin has asked nothing in return, and this offering should be considered a gift from a friend in order to assist you in the challenge you face. That was odd, I knew Melvin was training hard, but I had no idea he would end up being able to do something like this. He sent kind feelings through our link, and I got the sense he was rooting for me in the coming arena trial. Not one to look a gift horse, or gelatinous cube, in the mouth, I accepted his gift. The system added the figurine to my loadout while giving me a peek at what it was. Gelatinous Launcher. Tier 1, rank 1. ¡°What¡¯s a gelatinous launcher?¡± I asked Melvin. He sent me an image of a cube spitting out bits of acidic gel that stuck to enemies and rapidly dissolved anything it came in contact with. The launcher was outside my direct control, but it would continuously target the nearest threat. My new friend had given me what was essentially a defensive turret to use in the coming challenge. ¡°Nice, thanks Melvin, I¡¯ll put this to good use,¡± I told him. Melvin couldn¡¯t speak, but I was pretty sure he could at least understand the gist of what I was saying. Arena summoning is commencing. You will be sent to the preparation area and given a short chance to utilize any upgrade certificates you might have acquired. Once inside the preparation area, the parameters of the contest will be explained, and the challenge will commence. Perform well and earn valuable rewards. Chapter 109. Upgrade Certificates. After double checking to see if I had all my arena upgrade certificates on me, I stepped into the portal that had just opened in my personal space and found myself back at the arena in Somhagen. This was a different part of the arena, a long, concrete room with dozens of booths lining the wall. The portal had dumped me at the rear of a long, snaking queue line with what I assumed were other summoned beings. Despite the number of summoned beings, the line was moving smoothly. A look around showed that most of the other summoned beings were humanoids of various sorts, with humans making up a decent number. Most of the other species I recognized, but a few were a mystery to me. One looked like a sized-up version of Melvin, and another was made up of flickering shadows residing inside a set of floating clothing. Nobody seemed to be talking to each other, and I wasn¡¯t going to strike up a conversation with the orc in front of me, or the human with a psychotic grin on his face behind me. When I reached the front of the queue, one of the clerks working to help organize things waved me toward an open booth. Across from me was a young-looking halfling woman who was waving her glowing hands over a set of documents. ¡°Please place your right hand, palm down, onto the scroll,¡± the woman asked. I did as instructed, feeling the tingle of magic as the document began to fill in with my information. The woman nodded in satisfaction and handed the paper over to me. ¡°Can you verify the information is correct?¡± She asked. I looked at the paper, and it seemed almost like a printed version of the basic system information about me. Rico Kline Class type: Summoner. Tier 1, Rank 2. Current/maximum gear rank: 146/160. Stats: Strength, 12. Agility, 11. Constitution, 11. Mind, 17. Presence, 6. Maximum Mana, 85. ¡°It appears correct. Is this information to confirm my identity or something?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, the system requires that we get verbal confirmation that you acknowledge the information is accurate. It will be used for those setting the odds of success,¡± the halfling woman explained. It was understandable that betting on the arena was a huge profit center for the city, though the information on me was rather sparse. Whoever looked at my info wouldn¡¯t have the details of my class, or even the exact class name. It also didn¡¯t consider that a good chunk of mana was reserved for the summoning figurines my class utilized. The gear score could indicate all sorts of things. Betting hard earned coins on this limited data seemed like a fool¡¯s errand, but people back home bet on things with even less information all the time. ¡°If you have any upgrade certificates you may now activate them. The information on them is confidential, so please don¡¯t disclose what you were offered and which of those options that you¡¯ve chosen. I will be here to assist you if you have any questions,¡± the clerk advised. I pulled out the first one, and a system prompt appeared. Arena upgrade certificate, common.
  1. Improved Defense. This choice will reduce all incoming damage by 5%.
  2. Improved Offense. This choice will improve all damage from your personal attacks, both magical and melee, by 5%.
  3. Improved summons. Improves the rank of your summoned creatures by 1.
Thinking back to Lavelle¡¯s advice, he said to avoid straight percentage increases at this tier. All the summoned beings¡¯ damage and defenses were limited, and 5% better leather armor or a slightly better hit with my hammer wasn¡¯t all that great. What could make a difference was an extra rank for my summoned creatures. With the upgrade certificate and my other boosts, all my summoned creatures were going to arrive a total of three ranks higher. I¡¯d take stronger minions over the other choices all day long. When combined with duplicate on my most powerful minions, the boost was even better. I confirmed my selection and opened the next certificate.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Arena upgrade certificate, common.
  1. Hamper a random opponent. This upgrade will place a minor, random hinderance on one of your foes.
  2. Protection against hampering. This upgrade will protect you from a single, minor hinderance placed upon you by another participant.
  3. Minor mana regeneration boost. This regeneration boost will improve your existing mana recharge rates by 5%.
This was something else that Lavelle had warned me about. He said I should avoid wasting a certificate on hampering another opponent, at least at this tier. What he didn¡¯t comment on was selecting protection from being hampered as an option. My other choice was a slight boost to mana regen, which sounded good too. None of these choices were great, but of the three, the minor mana regen boost was probably the best. There was no guarantee that I¡¯d be selected for a random hinderance, so burning a certificate on that could be a waste. Even though it was only 5%, the mana regen buff was going to get at least some use. Confirming my choice, I moved on to the third upgrade certificate. Arena upgrade certificate, common.
  1. Improved Defense. This choice will reduce all incoming damage by 5%.
  2. Improved Offense. This choice will improve all damage from your personal attacks, both magical and melee, by 5%.
  3. Improved summons. Improves the rank of your summoned creatures by 1.
It was a repeat of the first certificate. I didn¡¯t know you could get duplicates, but I wasn¡¯t going to complain, and I wasn¡¯t going to make a different choice this time, either unless there was something preventing doubling up on the same buff. ¡°Excuse me, I noticed I was offered the same choice multiple times. If I choose the same option, will the bonuses stack?¡± I asked the clerk. ¡°You are correct, multiple instances of the same upgrade will stack unless otherwise noted inside the upgrade certificate¡¯s description,¡± the halfling clerk confirmed. I hit Improved Summons for my selection, and with my class bonus, the headband, and the upgrade certificates, my minions would pop into existence four ranks higher than normal. On to my fourth certificate. Arena upgrade certificate, common.
  1. Double Cast. This option allows you to cast a copy of a single spell or ability once during the challenge.
  2. Duplicate Consumable. This choice allows you to duplicate any single use item in your inventory. The duplicate item can only be used during the challenge, and it cannot be used to duplicate items that have the capacity to hold multiple charges.
  3. Double Strike. This option allows you to instantly strike a foe in either melee or at range a second time. The second blow will benefit from the same effects or enhancements as the first blow.
These were all good choices, but one stood out to me. I still had the MESS key in my inventory, and if I chose Duplicate Consumable, it would grant me a second key. This would allow me to use one for free here in the arena, letting me figure out exactly how the key worked, while keeping the original in my inventory for life-or-death emergencies. After making my selection, it was time to move on to the final certificate. Stopping myself right before activating the certificate, I slowed down and took a breath. I had almost forgotten that I had the gold upgrade certificate that Lavelle had given to me. I needed to use it before I activated the last certificate. With the gold certificate active, I opened my final upgrade certificate. Each of the choices was now listed as rare. Arena upgrade certificate, rare.
  1. Choose Again. This option allows you to choose any of the previously offered upgrades.
  2. Random Mystery Upgrade.
  3. Out of the Gate. Start the arena challenge two minutes early, granting you a head start on your opponents.
Oh, this was the thing Lavelle had told me to take, the random mystery option. My odds were fifty/fifty that it¡¯d be helpful, but if I was lucky, the boost it gave was supposed to be considerable. Normally, I would choose something that gave me a guaranteed upgrade, but the information broker hadn¡¯t steered me wrong yet, so I chose the Random Mystery Upgrade. You have received the following random upgrade.
  1. Back at you. This upgrade allows you to reflect one attack, spell, or ability back at a foe. It can only be used once on each individual foe and there is a five-minute cooldown between uses.
That was good, if one of the opponents had a powerful, all-in attack, I could bounce it right back at them. The limitations weren¡¯t all that bad either, it was something to turn around a fight, and not being able to use it twice on the same target wasn¡¯t going to matter all that much. If I couldn¡¯t beat them after reflecting their biggest hit, I was probably going to lose the fight anyway. ¡°If that is your last certificate, you may enter the arena and step into one of the portals. Once inside, the parameters of this challenge will be revealed. When all the contestants are ready, the contest will begin. Best of luck to you Rico Kline,¡± the halfling clerk said in a friendly, but bored manner. I had done customer service before, so I cut her some slack, she¡¯d have to say good luck to dozens if not hundreds of people today. I was guided out of the long, plain concrete room I was in and through a door that had been propped open on the far wall. Outside, I could see the same arena floor that I had visited earlier. As I suspected on my first visit, the glowing panels on the arena floor were now wreathed in the familiar blue glow of a portal. ¡°Step forward sir, it doesn¡¯t matter which portal you choose,¡± A worker stationed right outside the door said, ushering me along when I stopped to stare at what was right in front of me. Not wanting to hold up the whole show, I walked to the closest portal and stepped inside. At the other end of the portal, I found myself in a cage made of bone that was suspended over a large bonfire. Around the fire, a tribe of goblins cackled and chanted. The arena challenge will begin shortly, please standby for final instructions. Chapter 110. Cookout. This challenge will be one to test your speed, endurance, and intellect. You must proceed through the various stages of the challenge and defeat the obstacle at the end to claim victory. The challengers that clear the final stage will be awarded with extra prizes based on their completion order. Please note that you are in a summoned environment and any deaths while participating in the challenge are not permanent. Should you fall, you will be returned to your personal space, or if you prefer, you may remain to watch the end of the competition. The first stage of your challenge will begin shortly. You must escape confinement and travel on the marked pathway to complete this challenge. A short countdown will be given once the challenge is ready to start. I looked out of the bars of the cage, noting that the fire below me wasn¡¯t giving off any heat. A quick count told me there were a dozen goblins gathered around the fire. Another pair of the diminutive green monsters stood guard over a pathway that was marked by glowing stones. It was dark, and the jungle we were in surrounded everything but the small village clearing and the marked path. When the countdown started, I would need to move quickly. The bone cage I was imprisoned in was a rather shoddy bit of construction. It was just larger bones from various creatures tied together with vines from the jungle. I was pretty sure that I could smash my way out easily enough with my hammer and might even be able to rip it apart with my bare hands if given enough time. The problem wasn¡¯t getting out, the problem was going to be dealing with the goblin horde surrounding me. They were small, the tallest only coming up to my chest. While scrawny looking, the goblins didn¡¯t need much power to punch holes in me with their primitive weapons. Spears made from branches sharpened into a point and hardened in the fire seemed to be the weapon of choice, though a few of them held stone axes or flint daggers. I¡¯d need a distraction to draw their attention, and my class was perfect for that. I could use my summoning figurines up to fifteen feet away, which would put them right behind the cackling goblins. I¡¯d start with my most powerful figurine, Marvin Glum, then follow up with Rupert and the hound. With my class skill, the magic headband, and the buffs from the arena, my minions would be four ranks higher than they were normally. It should give them even more of an edge over the simple goblins. For now, I¡¯d hold back on using any of my consumables. There had to be more serious opponents further into the challenge where I would probably need the extra kick from my consumable figurines. The instructions had also mentioned testing not only our strength, but also our intellect. I really hope that didn¡¯t mean any kind of puzzle rooms, I always hated those things, both in video games, and in real life. My old manager loved them, and she always took us to one of those escape rooms when corporate allowed funding for a ¡°team building exercise¡±. The arena challenge will begin in 10 seconds, 9, 8¡­ Ok, it was showtime. I held Glum¡¯s figurine and picked my target. He¡¯d appear right behind a goblin with a headdress that seemed to be the leader of this mob. As the countdown hit zero, two things happened. The first was me pushing a single mana point into the figurine to activate it, the second was my surprise that the fire was now giving off heat, a lot of it. To make matters worse, a few of the goblins began cranking on a wheel to lower the cage into the flames. Grabbing my hammer in one hand and Rupert¡¯s figurine in the other, I began to slam my weapon into the side of the cage. Pausing between swings, I summoned Rupert right next to the goblins cranking me into the fire. I quickly grabbed the hound figurine and took another swipe at the cage as the pain from the heat began to overpower my concentration. With a loud snap, several of the vines holding the cage together burst apart. Between my hammering and the heat of the flames, they were too weak to hold my weight. I fell into the middle of the bonfire, covering my face and trying roll to the side before I became cooked to medium-well.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Coals burned into my left arm as I pushed against the ground to lever myself out of the bonfire. Rolling to my feet, I was faced with a goblin spear heading right toward my gut. Reacting quickly, I tried out my new ability for this arena run, Back at You. I watched in amusement as the goblin¡¯s spear thrust forward, but instead of skewering me, the tip of the crude weapon burst from the goblin¡¯s own belly. The little green guy screamed and rolled on the ground, forgetting about me entirely as he bled out. More goblins were moving to engage, so I summoned the hound to help defend me, and readied my hammer. I was a bit shocked that the Mangy Hound was no longer a Mangy Hound. He had bumped up four tiers, and that was enough to turn him into a rather formidable looking dog that resembled a Rottweiler. Growling and snapping at the goblins, the hound picked a target out of the mob and charged forward. The hound latched onto the goblin by the throat, and started shaking the small creature like it was his favorite chew toy. Another goblin stepped forward to stab at me, but his attacks were clumsy and even my limited melee skills were more than enough to avoid the strike. After dodging the spear, I stepped forward and brought my hammer down on his head. A sickening crunch was heard and then the goblin dissipated into mana vapor. As I suspected, all these creatures were summoned by the system specifically for this fight and weren¡¯t real. I found myself without anything else to fight. All the other goblins were dead or engaged with my minions. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I looked for an openings to fire off Psionic Jolts at the foes threatening my summoned creatures. Marvin Glum was going to town on a final goblin near him. He was now Tier 1, Rank 6 and it showed. He deftly avoided goblin stabs and slashes, his dual blades taking apart anything that came into range. Rupert was having a bit of a rougher time. He had spawned four tiers higher, but still didn¡¯t spawn with a weapon. He¡¯d overpowered one of the goblins, snatching up his spear, but only one foe was down, and Rupert was facing off against the two other goblins at the cage wheel. My first Psionic Jolt was fired at one of the pair threatening Rupert. The goblin shrieked in pain, dropping his weapon before stumbling blindly around. These foes must have been relatively low ranked to have a simple ability do so much damage to them, but I wasn¡¯t going to complain. Psionic Jolt had proven less effective as I faced more challenging opponents, but against goblins, it was almost overpowered. Rupert used my attack to focus on the final opponent facing him, the goblin was looking back toward me, then toward Rupert, and he missed the spear strike coming in from my dwarven minion. A short squeal of pain later, that goblin, and the one still trying to shake off my spell were destroyed. Quickly checking the battlefield, the dozen foes surrounding the fire were almost all down, the hound was harrying the last one, and with Rupert moving to assist, he wasn¡¯t going to last long. Marvin Glum charged the pair of goblins who were guarding the pathway, but both turned and ran away. ¡°Glum, get back here, don¡¯t chase off on your own,¡± I ordered. Marvin obeyed and jogged back to join me and the other summoned creatures. ¡°Rupert, find the best weapons you can from the fallen,¡± I told the battered dwarf. He had a few shallow stab wounds but seemed to still be moving around well enough. He ditched the short spear for a stone axe in one hand, and a flint knife in the other, both taken from where the goblin with the headdress had fallen. Thankfully, the system chose to leave equipment behind when the goblins were destroyed and turned into mana vapor. A quick check of the camp revealed that there was nothing else to loot here, so I made my way to the path. The hound would lead the way, hopefully sniffing out the last pair of goblins if they happened to be lying in wait for us somewhere in the jungle. The dirt path was clear of any threats, and after moving about a hundred yards, A system prompt appeared. You have cleared the first stage of the challenge. All mana and health will now be replenished. After clearing this stage, you are ranked 481/1000. Nice, my mana pool was full again and the burns from the bonfire were healed. Rupert and the others had also been healed, leaving everyone ready to go for whatever else faced us. I had stopped when the system prompt appeared, but now that it was gone, it was time to pick up the pace. My ranking after the first stage had left me around the middle of the pack compared to my competitors, I needed to push harder if I wanted to win a decent prize. Just after we started jogging forward, a pair of pain-filled screams sounded out from behind a bend in the path. Something else was out there, something that had just turned the two fleeing goblins into snacks. The jungle blocked our view of what was ahead, but the hound¡¯s low growl told me it was something dangerous. Chapter 111. Trees and Farms Speed was of the essence, so I moved forward, peeking around the bend in the path to see what had happened to the goblins. The path widened ahead and right near the edge of the path was a half-dead tree. For something planted in a thriving tropical jungle, the tree looked dried out and sickly. It was devoid of leaves, and nothing grew in the ground around it. Hanging in its branches were the two whimpering and struggling goblins. The tips of several branches were stuck into the flesh of the goblins and the tree seemed to be feeding off them somehow. Options were limited, and even though the path was a bit wider near the tree, the monster had more than enough reach to grab whoever tried to pass by. It also had more than enough limbs to snatch up me and all my minions, so sending one of them in as a sacrificial lamb was out. Maybe the condition of the tree was the answer to how to deal with it. ¡°Rupert, Glum, run back to the goblin bonfire and bring back some burning sticks,¡± I ordered. The pair scampered off to follow my orders, and in less than a minute they came back, each hauling a burning chuck of wood. ¡°Toss them at the tree, but don¡¯t get too close,¡± I told the pair. They moved forward, and though they were well out of range of the tree, I could see the limbs of the monstrosity quiver in anticipation of another meal. Marvin Glum¡¯s throw was a bit off the mark, and the burning log landed in the desolate ground around the tree. Rupert was on the mark and his shot hit the trunk of the tree and rolled only a few inches away. A rumbling, creaking sound erupted from the tree, almost as if it was trying to move away from the deadly threat just a few feet from it. I sent the pair back for more burning logs to toss, but as I watched, their first shots seemed to be doing better than I had expected. The dried-up ground around the tree was littered with dead plants, likely victims of the tree as it had grown there. Despite the humidity, the tree seemed to absorb all moisture around it, and the flames of both logs were starting to catch in the dry kindling the tree had inadvertently created with its feeding. By the time Rupert and Glum returned, a small fire was starting at the base of the tree and the bark of the trunk was starting to catch. The tree began to swat at the flames, using the bodies of the two goblins like a pair of fire blankets. It would have been effective if the goblins hadn¡¯t been summoned creatures. The earlier feeding, combined with being slammed into the fiery mulch killed the fragile goblins who disappeared in a puff of mana vapor. The tree tried to use its branches to swat out the flames, but the dried limbs started to catch fire themselves. My minions threw their next round of burning logs and I had them target new spots, away from the existing flames. Both shots were decent, and the evil tree now was ringed in fire that was licking at the trunk. In no time, the fire engulfed the tree, which began to shudder violently before finally going still. ¡°Let¡¯s move, keep to the far side of the path,¡± I ordered. The hound was positioned in front, with me right behind. Rupert was behind me, and Marvin Glum brought up the rear. I could feel the heat of the blazing tree, and half expected it to reach out in a final act of defiance, like a villain in a horror movie, but the thing was good and dead by this time. Once past the burning tree, we moved back to the center of the now wider path. I kept up the pace of a slow jog, which was surprisingly easy to do with my enhanced stats. Most of my physical stats weren¡¯t high, but I was stronger than I had been before becoming a summoned being. In less than a mile, the jungle gave way to rolling plains and well-tended fields. A crop that looked like wheat, or something similar was growing, and though I was no farming expert, it looked like it was ready for harvesting. In the distance, a small village stood, with several indistinct figures walking around it. A low wall surrounded the village with an open gate near the road. While the wall looked like it was built for defensive purposes, nobody was standing watch, or giving me and my team more than a casual glance.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. It was odd, even when I got closer to the village, the images of the people remained indistinct and blurry. Even the structures were hard to make out the detail of. With weapons at the ready, we pressed forward, there was nothing to be gained by standing back and trying to analyze things further. As we neared the village gate, my vision swam, and a system prompt appeared. You have reached the second stage of the challenge. All health and mana will now be replenished. Your current rank is 306/1000. For this stage of the trial, you must take control of the village in front of you. Three other villages are inside the valley and a war is waging between them. Eliminate the other three challengers to secure victory. Select your faction from the remaining choices. Further instructions will be given once you and the other three challengers are ready. Congratulations, you are the first of the four challengers in your group to reach this stage. You will have first choice among the four factions vying for control of the valley. In addition, you will receive 2 immediate structure upgrades while the other challengers will receive 1. While you will not be able to leave the confines of your village until the other contenders arrive, you will have the advantage of inspecting your village and plan for the coming fight. Please choose one of the following factions to align yourself with.
  1. Human Wheat Farmers.
  2. Elvish Vinesingers.
  3. Halfling Fungus Burrow Tenders.
  4. Orcish Hog Wranglers.
This was strange, it looked like the next stage in the arena challenge was some kind of village battle between four factions. A summoned being would oversee each village, and we had to participate in some free-for-all battle if we wanted to secure victory. This was going to eliminate a huge number of contenders before the next challenge, as only one in four would make it past this stage. I was already moving up the ranks and was at 306/1000. If I could pull this stage of the challenge off, I¡¯d likely be among the top-ranking contenders. There were four different faction choices for me to pick from. The system was being its usual vague self once again and didn¡¯t give me much of an idea of the advantages and disadvantages of each faction. With nothing else to go on, I¡¯d have to say that the orcs seemed like the best choice. This was going to be a fight, and I had to believe that orcish hog wranglers would be better in a scrap than some halflings growing fungus. Of course, I could be completely misreading this whole thing, but I remembered Lavelle¡¯s advice. Lavell had told me to be bold and aggressive as the other contenders at tier one would tend to be a bit more cautious given it was a new experience for them. Nothing said bold and aggressive like an orc. You have selected the Orcish Hog Wranglers as your faction. Step forward and claim your village. I walked past the village gate, and it was like everything snapped into focus. The indistinct buildings became crude but sturdy structures, and the wall went from a nice stone affair, to a rickety looking one that was made from mismatched pieces of lumber and stood between six and eight feet tall, depending on what bits of lumber had been used for that section. The streets were dirt and mud caked, and the smell was something between a farmyard and a septic tank. My hound whimpered and tried to shake the filth off his feet, but only succeeded in spraying the rest of us with the gunk. Getting over the olfactory assault, I could see my new village was a hive of activity. Orcs went about their tasks, with most of them tending to a bunch of oversized hogs that were stuffed into four corrals. Unlike the first orc that I¡¯d ever seen, these guys weren¡¯t nearly as impressive. They were larger and more muscular than an average human, but they didn¡¯t have the battle-hardened look that the other orcs I¡¯d run into possessed. A few larger specimens of the orcs manned a quartet of rickety watchtowers placed just inside the wall. The ones in the watch towers were at least equipped with simple armor and weapons and they had the familiar, predatory look about them. Sadly, there were only four of the buffed-up orcs in sight, one in each tower. The rest of this village seemed to consist of the scrawnier farmer orcs, all of which were moving in slow motion like a bunch of tired, unmotivated kids. I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d gotten myself into and was beginning to wonder if elves or humans might have been the better option. Unfortunately, there was no way to go back and change my selection. ¡°Oy, you da new boss?¡± A rumbling voice growled from behind me. I turned to see an older orc in thick studded leather armor holding a well-used battleaxe in each hand. He had scars over most of his exposed skin and I could tell this guy was a real fighter. Finally, this was the type of orc I was hoping to find. Chapter 112. Orcs is for Fighting. ¡°That¡¯s me, I¡¯m the boss,¡± I said, leaning into the role I was given. Something told me that acting overly friendly and trying to coddle the orcs wasn¡¯t the way to go with this lot. ¡°What you want us do?¡± The orc demanded. ¡°First off, who are you?¡± I replied shortly. ¡°I¡¯m da top orc in dis here village. I¡¯s helps you with the others, and carries outs your orders,¡± the orc explained in his broken English. For some reason, the system either didn¡¯t translate orcish smoothly, or it could be that their language was so crude that this counted as clean and polished speech for an orc. ¡°You got a name?¡± I asked. ¡°Dey calls me Top, because that¡¯s what I is, da top orc,¡± the orc replied. ¡°Well, Top, from what I understand, we got a village to whip into shape and a war to win. These three other villages need to be wiped off the map,¡± I told Top, trying to give him my most bloodthirsty look. While I doubted that I had pulled the look off, Top seemed to appreciate the effort. ¡°Ya hear dat boys! We¡¯s going to get into a scrap and gets ta stomp some humies, elves, and pipsqueaks. Boss here¡¯s going ta lead us into war,¡± Top shouted out. The orcs streamed over from the across the village to see what the commotion was about. ¡°You ready to do this, Top?¡± I asked him loud enough for the others to hear. They seemed ready to charge out and fight right now even with most of them being unarmed farmers. ¡°We¡¯s ready, boss, orcs is for fightin, and for winnin!¡± Top shouted to the cheers of the other orcs. I had a good feeling that I¡¯d picked the correct faction for this stage of the contest. ¡°Now, da lot of ya get back ta work. Boss and I got some building and plannings stuff ta works on,¡± Top said. He seemed to have pumped up the rest of the orcs rather well, and I could see a bit more pep in their step as they returned to work. ¡°Where should we start first?¡± I asked. Instead of Top replying, a system prompt appeared. You may now access the village interface panel, it¡¯s time to prepare your village for battle. There are 2 structure upgrades remaining. Any further upgrades must be researched using your factions specific resource material. Each faction has several traits, both positive and detrimental, that differentiate them from their foes. The Orcish Hog Wranglers possess the following. Faction resource: Hog meat. Each faction has a foodstuff resource that is used as a universal resource for this challenge.
  1. Tough and Resilient. Orcs are a strong and hardy species, this allows them to do 10% more damage in melee, and take 10% less damage from all physical attacks.
  2. Limited Intellect. Orcs aren¡¯t known for their high intelligence, and their hog wranglers are even on the low end of the orcish average. Orcs Hog Wranglers have a 25% chance to fly into a rage during combat, ignoring all orders and attacking the nearest foe. They also have a 10% greater vulnerability to any magic attacks that affect the mind.
  3. Made for War, not Wrangling. Your faction produces 15% fewer resources from their farms than the average humanoid farm produces. Hog farms require 15% more time to construct. Armory, barracks, and defensive structures require 15% less time to construct.
  4. Pillage and Plunder. While orcs have a penalty to resource generation through their farms, they have the unique ability to gather resources simply by being engaged in combat. In the mind of an orc, any humanoid flesh is as good as a hog. Unlike the other 3 factions, your workers may leave the village to participate in battle, but their combat prowess is 40% less than that of an orc warrior.
I read through the faction description, and it was about what I¡¯d expect from a village of orcs. My orcs would be physically stronger than the other factions, but we¡¯d fall behind in resource gathering unless we were in battle. I would need to push for an aggressive stance and attack right away if I wanted to have a chance to win this one. Sitting around and building up my village wasn¡¯t going to work. After looking through the faction info, I moved on to read the actual interface options. Village Interface.
  1. Current Status.
  2. Construction.
  3. Upgrades.
  4. Command Options.
I pulled up the interface options in order, the system giving me a helpful rundown of where we stood. Village Status. Total Population: 100/100. Workers: 95. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Warriors: 4. Commanders: 1. Your commander, Top, has the ability to inspire any troops around him. All allied forces within 100-feet of Top get a 10% bonus to all attack and defense stats. Structures: Structures may only be constructed within the designated section of your village. There is a maximum number you can build of each structure type. You may not exceed the limit, but you may replace any that are destroyed.
  1. Farms: 4/8. Each farm produces 10 hog meat per minute. Each farm can support 25 population and requires 10 workers. If an insufficient number of workers are assigned to a farm, production will be slowed. Farms generate 1 worker per minute if you are below your population cap. For your farms to generate workers, the Command Post must be active.
  2. Barracks: 1/2. Each barracks may convert a worker into a warrior at a rate of 2 per minute. A barracks requires 5 workers to operate.
  3. Armory 1/1. Each armory requires 10% of your hog meat production and will slowly upgrade the arms, armor, and tools of your village. Multiple armories increase the rate of gear improvement. The Armory requires 5 workers to operate.
  4. Command Post: 1/1. The command post is where you will stay to participate in the coming battle. From here, you can issue orders to your commanders and monitor the progress of your troops. If your commander falls, a new one will slowly be regenerated inside the barracks. The Command Post requires 5 workers to operate.
  5. Defenses: 1/10. A crude wall surrounds the village, and four watchtowers increase the range of vision for your defenders.
Construction: All construction projects will be delayed if there are insufficient workers assigned to the task. For each missing worker, construction will be slowed by 10%.
  1. Farm: Requires 100 hog meat and 10 workers to construct.
  2. Barracks: Requires 250 hog meat and 10 workers to construct.
  3. Armory: Requires 250 hog meat and 10 workers to construct. Your faction may only have 1 armory in service at each village.
  4. Command Post: Requires 500 resources and 20 workers to construct. A command post may only be produced on a designated spot at each village. For each additional command post you control, farm output and the combat values of your troops are improved by 10%. An additional commander may be trained for each command post you control.
  5. Improved Defenses: Requires 250 resources and 20 workers to construct.
Upgrades: Orcish structures are simple affairs and cannot be upgraded. Since orcish structures cannot be upgraded, your 2 free structure upgrades may instead be used to construct a building or improve your defenses. Command Options. As the leader of the orcish village, you may enact the following commands.
  1. To Arms! Rally the workers inside your village to assist in defense. This ability lasts for 5 minutes and has a 10-minute cooldown. When called to arms, the normal combat penalty for workers is halved.
  2. Forced March. You may activate Forced March on any forces outside of your village. The command lasts for 5 minutes and there is a 10-minute cooldown between uses. This command increases the movement speed of your troops by 25%. Orcs are hardy creatures and unlike the other factions in this challenge, they are not exhausted at the end of a forced march.
  3. Rub some Dirt on it! This unique command for the orcish faction grants your forces a minor heal over time buff for 1 minute. You have 3 charges of this ability and multiple uses on the same forces at the same time will enhance the effect.
It was a lot of information to absorb, but nothing seemed too out there. The thing I needed to do next was use my two upgrades. I already had a battle plan for the coming fight. I was going to charge out of the gate as fast as I could, with as large a force as I could. If I could wipe out one of the other factions in the opening minutes of the challenge, I¡¯d get space at the conquered village to build more structures, not to mention the fact that I¡¯d gather resources just from fighting. To accomplish my plan, I¡¯d need more warriors and a greater total population. I selected a barracks and another farm to use my upgrades on. Thankfully, the system created the buildings instantly and I didn¡¯t have to wait for them to construct. Even better, the farm came with enough workers to max out my total population without having to wait for the new workers to spawn. As soon as I created the barracks, four of the new workers were instantly changed to warriors. Village Status. Population: 125/125. Workers: 116. Warriors: 8. Commanders: 1. Structures: Farms: 5/8. Barracks: 2/2. Armory: 1/1. Command Post: 1/1. I assigned the correct number of workers to each structure. That left me with 46 workers that had nothing to do. All 46 were sent to the barracks to be changed into warriors. With two barracks, I¡¯d convert a pair of workers into warriors every minute. My workers were unarmored but did have simple spears that they used to slaughter the hogs with. It was way better than something like a shovel, and I felt the spears might give our workers an edge over the enemy workers. In addition to the spears, the workers also had a hand tool, either an axe or hammer that would function as a backup weapon. My warriors wore thick leather armor and had heavy chopping blades or axes for their main weapons. Each of them also had a hog wrangler spear to use as a throwing weapon. Top was kitted out the best of the bunch. His leather armor had metal plates bolted to it, helping to cover the vital areas on his body. He used twin axes as his melee weapons of choice and had a quartet of smaller throwing axes tucked into his belt. I was hoping that I¡¯d have enough time to get my extra workers turned into warriors before the fight started, but almost immediately after choosing my upgrades and assigning workers, a system prompt appeared. The battle for control of the valley has begun. Chapter 113. Charge into Battle. Starting resources have been deposited for each faction. The system deposited 100 hog meat for us. It was enough for another farm, and another farm meant the potential for more workers and warriors. I ordered the construction of the farm which took ten workers out of the queue for the barracks. Once they finished construction, the workers would have to stay and work on the farm. I could feel the restrictions on my forces lift, they could now be sent out of the village and onto the battlefield. My plan was to send out a strong force immediately, but I thought that waiting for a few more warriors to be trained might be a better call. I couldn¡¯t delay too long, or the enemy would have a chance to get their economy going and eventually overrun me with greater efficiency. ¡°Top, what do you know of the valley¡¯s layout?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯s here, elfsies is dat way and the humies is da other way. Never seen the little twerps, but I assume dey across from us. Not sure, but sumpthin good is in the center of the valley. Might be we should finds it first?¡± Top suggested. The battlefield was an odd one, and now that all the vision restrictions had been lifted, I could see a bit further. A massive ring of mountains hemmed in the valley that was our battleground. The road I had traveled to get through the jungle and to the village led to a narrow pass in the mountains, and I suspected there was a similar pass near each of the other villages. My village was situated at the edge of the valley, close to the mountains. The others must have been spread out around the ring an equal distance from each other. Facing the center of the valley, if we moved along the ring of mountains counterclockwise, the humans waited, and clockwise around the edge of the valley would bring us into conflict with the elves. Top gave a hint of something interesting in the center of the valley, so maybe that should be the army¡¯s first stop, after that, I wasn¡¯t sure which opponent to take on first. ¡°Do the other villages know about the thing in the center of the valley?¡± I asked. ¡°Dunno, but I guess so, it ain¡¯t no secrets that sumthin is dere,¡± Top replied. That might change things, if all the other factions knew about whatever bonus was in the center of the valley, they would push hard to get it for themselves, that meant, while the others were skirmishing over the prize, their villages wouldn¡¯t have their entire force available to protect them. ¡°Once we get a total of 16 warriors take them and twenty workers out to attack. I¡¯ll let you choose which opponent. Do you want to go after the humans or the elves?¡± I asked. ¡°Gimme a crack at them flouncy elves. Dey needs a good thrashin,¡± Top said with a string of drool running down his chin. ¡°All right, go get them once our warriors are ready,¡± I ordered. After Top and his forces left, there would only be eight workers remaining in the queue to be made into warriors. With two warriors per barracks being trained every minute, it only took two minutes of training to convert the warriors that I had assigned to Top¡¯s force. I wanted to wait and process more, but I felt time slipping away. It would be too easy to convince myself to keep waiting until more forces were ready, but I needed to resist the temptation and send Top out now to go out and stomp our enemies. The system forced me to remain here in the command post, but the system hadn¡¯t said anything about my minions. I ordered my three summoned creatures to join Top¡¯s forces. Even a few extra fighters might mean the difference between victory and defeat. Before they left, I hit the summoned creatures with Empower Minion, granting them an extra rank of power. Unfortunately, my troops from the village didn¡¯t function like the dungeon defenders had, and I couldn''t duplicate or buff any of them. I did duplicate Marvin Glum before they left, he was my best fighter and even if he fell in battle, this could very well become a longer fight and I might have enough time for the cooldown on duplicate to expire, and perhaps even enough time for the figurines to recharge after one of my summoned creatures was destroyed. With everything in place, Top led his force of 16 warriors, 20 workers, 2 Glums, 1 Rupert, and 1 hound. It was a large strike team and the orcs all seemed pumped up and ready for a fight. Top even had them all chanting ¡°get em¡± over and over again as they jogged toward the elf village. From the command post, I was able to monitor their progress. After they left, I realized that it would be good to keep tabs on the other enemies that were lurking in the valley. As the remaining eight workers were converted into warriors, I sent three of them out as scouts, one to find the humans, one the halflings, and one to see what was up with the center of the valley. My time working with Glenda and Hoen in the dungeon had trained me to keep track of multiple views at once. While I couldn¡¯t focus on everything at the same time, like the dungeon core could, I was able to shift my focus between my scouts and Top¡¯s force without getting confused.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Construction on what would be our sixth hog farm was going slow. The workers had built the fence to keep the hogs in and were now working on a stable and feeding area. Where the hogs would come from was a mystery, but I figured it was going to be some kind of system hocus pocus once the structures were completed. After the scouts were sent, and the last of the workers in the barracks queue were trained, I had five warriors to help defend the village. I placed one in each of the watchtowers and had the final one stand guard outside the command post. The command post sounded like a rather impressive structure, but like everything else the orcs made, it was slapdash, yet somehow functional. Large wooden beams held up walls that were made of whatever materials they could scrounge. It was apparently a high orcish design detail to add bones and spiky things on every surface they could. However it might have looked, it was my home until this stage of the arena challenge was completed. A check back on Top reminded me to activate Forced March. As the ability hit, the orcs¡¯ trot became a noticeably faster. My summoned creatures were able to keep up, but they would probably be winded if the elf village was too far away. Given the curvature of the mountains around us, it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few miles to the next villages. Only a few minutes later, the elf village came into view. It was located in a similar spot as ours, but it looked much nicer than my place. Instead of muddy hog farms, the elves had neatly tended vineyards and the farm workers moved about plucking grapes into large baskets. Once the baskets were full, they poured the grapes into an opening in the side of their command post. Here at my village, the workers slaughtered the hogs when they got big enough and dumped the meat into a gore encrusted hatch at the command post. Whatever summoned being that was controlling the elves spotted our attack quickly, and the farmers rushed from the fields to retreat behind the village wall. While my hog farms were ugly and smelly, at least they were protected behind the wall. The elf workers on their farms were exposed to anything that might come running out of the woods. It looked like most of the elves were going to make it back inside the safety of the village, but Top and his orcs were closing in on a few stragglers. Just before they reached the stragglers, the elves turned and tried to use their farm tools to defend themselves. Top hacked apart the first of the enemy farmers, his heavy axes crunched through the shovel that the elf used as a makeshift weapon. Axes bit deep into unarmored elf flesh, leaving only a bit of mana vapor behind. A quick check of my village status showed that the kill had gained me two hog meat. It was a rather gruesome way to gain resources, but Pillage and Plunder seemed to be working just as the system described. I had been a bit worried that I¡¯d have to assign workers to haul the bodies over to my command post or something, but the system seemed to take care of everything for me. Top and the other orcs were stopped as the gates of the village closed in front of them. In total, we had taken out eight enemy workers with no losses or wounds to our troops. Protected behind the walls, elvish warriors started to pop over and fire arrows at my forces. The village wall wasn¡¯t impressive, only around seven feet tall, but it did sport firing steps to allow the elves to limit the time they were exposed. Given that the wall wasn¡¯t all that tall, Top decided to not waste time hacking open the gate and instead jumped up, grabbed ahold of the wall, and hauled himself over. The other warriors followed Top¡¯s example and we soon gained a foothold on the wall. My orcish warriors easily handled the pair of elvish warriors and the dozen or so workers that tried to stop them. More elves poured from the buildings, responding to the attack as they tried to defend their village. I didn¡¯t see any other enemy warriors remaining, and the elvish workers weren¡¯t all that effective in melee combat. Back in the center of the valley, it appeared that, as I suspected, the other factions were moving to secure whatever the treasure was that waited there. Each of the other three factions had sent a small force to take control of a stone altar at the center of a lightly forested area. They must have needed to secure the altar to unlock whatever advantage the system had placed there. My scout could see a pair of elf warriors and ten or so workers fighting against a similar number of humans. My opponents weren¡¯t supposed to be able to send out their workers to fight, they were supposed to only be used in combat to defend their villages. It must have been some ability the system granted them, as each faction seemed to have the same number of workers available. I had at least one ability that was orc specific, Rub Some Dirt on It, but the others were universal, so having a way for the other challengers to send a smaller force of workers outside the walls of their village made sense. At the center of the glade, a halfling was sneaking up to the altar while the humans and elves skirmished. Suddenly, the elves turned and ran, moving back in the direction of their village. The humans were able to cut several of them down, before turning to engage the halflings. Before they reached the halfling, the humans spotted my scout and charged at him. My scout was giving a good account of himself, but he was outnumbered ten to one. He managed to kill a human worker and wound a warrior before finally being cut down. Back at the elf village, Top had broken the enemy defense, and the surviving elves were retreating to the command post. Top had lost two of his warriors and nine workers in the assault, but they had slain at least forty enemy workers. Rupert was also a casualty, as I could no longer see him, and a check of his figurine showed he was slowly being regenerated. A blast of fire caught my attention as a young woman stepped from the command post, her hands raised as she prepared another spell. The first spell had caught Top, two warriors, and the duplicate Marvin Glum. Top was still alive but looked to be badly hurt. It remained to be seen whether my orcs could overcome the rest of the elves as well as a summoned being with magic and other skills at her disposal. Chapter 114. An Elf is as Good as a Hog. ¡°Don¡¯t ya just stands there gawkin, throw something at dat humie and kill ¡®er afore she burns us up!¡± Top ordered. He followed his own advice, pulling a throwing axe from his belt that he hurled at the human mage. One of the elves jumped in front of the axe sacrificing himself to buy time for the summoned being¡¯s magic to help turn the tide of the battle. Unfortunately for my opponent, the orcs didn¡¯t need much prodding from Top to attack. Each of the warriors grabbed their spears and hurled them at the mage. To my surprise the hog wranglers did as well. Marvin Glum also joined the party and fired off a sling stone. Several more elves tried to save the summoned being, but the sheer number of missiles thrown and shot at them meant that more than a few would strike. One after another, the spears flew in. At first, the incoming missiles that made it through the sacrificial elves bounced off some sort of protective shield. After a half dozen strikes, the shield shattered with the sound of breaking glass and a flash of light. Three more spears hit the mage in the chest. She must have had some kind of armor under her robes, or the garment was enchanted in some way as those weapons didn¡¯t seem to pierce very deep. Whatever was protecting her robes, it did nothing against the spear that hit her in the mouth, or the sling stone from Glum that blasted into her eye. Another fire spell launched just as the summoned being was pummeled by the incoming missiles. It was like her hands turned into flame throwers, toasting Top and the first ranks of orcs before the mage stumbled under the assault, losing control of her spell and burning half of the remaining elvish workers to a crisp before she disappeared in a puff of mana vapor. With a shout of rage, the surviving orcs charged, hammering their weapons into the shocked and leaderless elves. It took a moment before the system rendered its judgement, but I was given a very welcome system prompt that caused my orcs to immediately stop their assault. You have eliminated another challenger. Their village is now under your control, though all structures and defenses will be razed. From these razed structures, you will gain a small fraction of their cost as resources due to your faction¡¯s Pillage and Plunder trait. You must rebuild from scratch but will have the assistance of any surviving elf workers and warriors, who will now join your faction as loyal servants. The elves will not replenish their numbers, and anything they construct will be up to orcish standards, not elvish. These newly gained forces also do not count against your population cap. You have acquired the following servants.
  1. Elf Workers: 19.
  2. Elf Warriors: 1.
The buildings began to crumble to dust, and my resource count spun upwards. When the last building, the command post, fell, I was up to 514 resources. More hog meat was constantly coming in as the farms continued to produce, but what I had was just enough to start a new command post. It was the largest, most expensive building in the village and would take a while to construct. I assigned all 19 elf workers to the project and added one of the orc workers from the attack force to give me the correct number of builders. Only thirteen elf workers were here at the village, the remainder, along with the single warrior, were still making their way back from the center of the valley. The warrior I had scouting the center of the valley was dead, so I couldn¡¯t tell which of the other two factions had taken control of it, or whatever that control might have given them. For now, I was going to have the survivors of the attack stay at the elf village and help to defend it if any of the other summoned beings made a move against us. I was glad the system didn¡¯t announce the fall of one of the contestants, as it would surely trigger an aggressive response from the others who would have to guess that the victor was weakened from the fight. Out of my attack force, I now only had five warriors and six workers. Marvin Glum and the hound were still there, but I decided to recall them back to the orc village. I wanted my minions back home to protect me if we were attacked here. Replacements for my losses were being produced by the farms. There were now six farms, as the one under construction was finally finished. All the replacements were workers, and they would have to cycle back through the barracks to turn them into warriors again. As I built new buildings at the elf village, I could run at least some of the structures with the surviving elf workers which would free up more of the orc population to take on the role of warrior. A replacement for Top was already being worked on at one of the barracks, but it would unfortunately tie up that building¡¯s production until he was done.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Turning my attention back to my foes, I found that the warrior assigned to scout the human village had arrived. He was reasonably well hidden behind some brush, and he gave me a good view of what was going on there. Like with the elf village, the human village had farms outside the town walls. They were growing wheat, just like the system description of the faction claimed, and the place seemed to be functioning efficiently. Workers harvested the fast-growing crops, depositing them into a wagon that was placed next to the command post. Human warriors walked along the village wall, keeping an eye out for any attacks. The summoned being controlling the human faction must have had some kind of production efficiency advantage, as they seemed content to sit tight and build up. Since the farms were outside the wall, it was easy to see that the humans had six of the structures, but I could only make out a single barracks. I counted six warriors on the walls, and everyone else that I could see was a worker. It wasn¡¯t long before the remaining troops that had killed my scout and skirmished with the halflings over the item in the center of the valley returned. They didn¡¯t appear to have been successful, and only a single warrior and a pair of battered-looking workers shuffled their way back to the village. My scout heading toward the halfling village was gone. I only caught a glimpse of his demise when several halflings with long spears leaped out from the undergrowth and stabbed the orc to death. I wanted to get eyes on the halfling village, and maybe spot whatever the prize was that the halflings had secured from the center of the valley, but I wasn¡¯t willing to risk more of my warriors to do so. I was in an interesting position now. My faction was normally less efficient than the two surviving opponents, but now I controlled two villages to their one. Instead of playing the aggressor, sitting back and building up was going to be a valid tactic for the remainder of the fight. Inefficient or not, I had double the building slots that the others had, and that meant double the population. Given time, I¡¯d have a huge force of orc warriors that could run right over the other factions which would be hampered by having a maximum of eight farms for population growth, when I would eventually have sixteen. With time on my side, I waited and let my resources stockpile, planning to add structures whenever I had enough hog meat to do so. The command post at the elf village finished, and with it, I unlocked a second commander. Top had regenerated at the barracks, and a twin, also named Top, finished soon after the second command post went live. The command post also boosted the combat values of all my troops by 10% and granted a 10% efficiency boost in meat production at the farms. The efficiency gap between my resource gathering and that of my opponents had dwindled. My next buildings were another farm, this time at the elf village, and then the first level of defenses there. I felt naked with the village not having any sort of wall. I¡¯d not seen anything, but I had no doubt that both my foes would have scouted my position by now. The fact that the captured elf workers allowed me to keep a higher percentage of warriors on hand seemed to help dissuade any immediate attacks. The defenses eventually completed, then another farm at the elf village, as well as an armory. With two armories operating, I started to see my forces get upgrades to their gear. The regular warriors now had the steel reinforced leather armor that Top wore, and Top had chainmail to protect him as well as better made battleaxes. My workers¡¯ tools also seemed to improve, and everything looked sturdier than the poorly made items they¡¯d been using before. After the newest farm was complete, my population cap shot up to 200. From that population I had to keep 110 workers at the structures to keep them going. Nineteen of those workers were the free elves I¡¯d gotten, so my actual orc worker count was at 91 with 107 warriors and 2 commanders. I had a sizeable force, and it was only going to get bigger as time went on. I had the warriors and commanders split evenly between the two villages. My two villages weren¡¯t exactly close, but with Forced March, I figured that reinforcements would have enough time to arrive and help out if one of my villages was in trouble. I finally spotted several halfling scouts, and tasked my elf warrior to shoot at them if they got within range of the wall. One of my worries was that the two surviving summoned beings would team up to attack me. As strong as I was getting, I didn¡¯t know if I could take on both their armies at once, at least not yet. My scout positioned at the human village caught sight of something that helped me to allay those fears. I watched as a large force of halflings slinked through the grass toward the human village. If they wanted to fight amongst themselves, I was more than happy to let them. After they weakened each other, I¡¯d move in and take out both summoned beings. Chapter 115. The Battle of the Two Tops. The fight was on, and the humans were a bit slow to notice that the halflings were sneaking up on them. Their surprise cost them workers as the halfling warriors charged out, impaling human workers on their spears as the rest tried to make it to the protection of the walls. While the human warriors seemed well equipped with chainmail, wooden shields, and longswords, their workers only had farm tools to fight with. A scythe or pitchfork was a poor option against halfling warriors with long spears. Despite their diminutive size, the halflings fought like crazed badgers. The spears they wielded negated any reach advantages the humans and my orcs would have normally had over them, but their armor wasn¡¯t quite as formidable. They wore some kind of woven leather that was reinforced with bronze studs. As they cut through the nearby farmers, I tried to get a count of the total number of forces in play. Human warriors lined the walls of the village, and there were at least thirty of them in sight. One in five of the human warriors held crossbows that they were putting to good use. The halflings numbered somewhere between forty and fifty, but it was hard to keep track of them as they sprinted around or tried to hide in the tall wheat fields. With those numbers, the halflings had no chance at victory, and I figured they were just here for a hit and run strike. Something big moved out of the forest, and my thoughts of this just being a simple raid were shattered as a huge, armored ogre moved out of the nearby trees and walked toward the front gate of the human village. The ogre was covered in oversized chainmail, with human-sized shields tacked on to give the monster more protection. A giant bronze hammer was held in the ogre¡¯s hands, and he seemed eager to put it to work. The monster was at least twelve feet tall and seemed to shrug off the few crossbow bolts heading its way. Another dozen halflings charged from the forest to support the ogre and his assault. This ogre must have been the reward that had been waiting at the center of the valley. ¡°This is our chance. Top and Top, take your warriors out and attack. The Top at the former elf village will head to and engage the halfling village, and the Top here at the orc village will move to attack the humans,¡± I ordered. This was it; the enemy had given me an opening to finish this in one swoop, and I wasn¡¯t going to pass it up. I pulled almost all the workers to join the fight, sending them along for the attack. Only enough workers to man two of the farms remained behind, one at each village. When we started taking casualties, I¡¯d need at least a couple of farms still operating to regenerate workers. Even if I failed, my opponents would be in the same boat with their forces depleted down to almost nothing, so the risk of an immediate counterattack was slim to none. Each Top led their prospective forces. The one from the elf village had the same number of warriors as the other group, but fewer workers since most of my structures were over at the main orc village. Still, over 50 orc warriors, and a score of armed workers was a formidable force in this little war of mine. I hit each group with Forced March to speed up their attack. They should hit their targets at around the same time. While I waited for my attacking armies to arrive, I turned my attention back to the human village to see how the fight there was progressing. My concern was that if the halflings broke off their attack and returned to their village, my forces moving there to attack wouldn¡¯t be enough. I might have to counter my orders and send the troops in that attack force back. It didn¡¯t look like that was going to be a problem, the small halflings and their giant ogre ally were still pressing the attack. The main gate to the human village was down, and the ogre, supported by halfling warriors, pushed against a wall of human warriors and farm workers who tried to stop them. An alarm bell rang out at the human command post, and I was a bit shocked to see the workers instantly change before my eyes. Instead of farmers in peasant robes, armed with scythes and pitchforks, the workers now wore leather armor and held shortswords and small wooden shields. The summoned being in charge of the human village must have had an ability similar to my To Arms ability, which improved the workers when the village was under assault. Despite the upgrade to the defenders, casualties were mounting. The halflings were also falling, but the ogre seemed to be unstoppable. As the halfling attack pushed past the gate and into the village itself, I lost my view of most of the action. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t issue orders to the warrior I had scouting the place, he would stay there until Top arrived to add him to the attack.Stolen novel; please report. While my view was obstructed, I was able to at least monitor the progress of the halfling attack by the position of the ogre, who was taller than the walls of the human village. His progress was slow and steady, the bronze hammer occasionally glinting in the sun as he lifted it to strike. Once or twice, I could see human bodies fly into the air after the hammer fell. Most turned to mana vapor as they flew, making for quite the show. As the attack neared the command post, the ogre finally fell, and my view of the action was cut off. There were no explosions or flashy magic, so the summoned being in charge of the human village must have been some kind of melee class that was able to deal with an ogre. The sounds of battle began to taper off and as my forces reached the village, and suddenly, the walls collapsed into dust. It was just like when my troops killed the summoned being at the elf village, everything was scrubbed clean and the halfling leader would have to start from scratch. With Top and his troops on the outskirts of the human village, I got a good look at what had survived the fight. There were around thirty halfling warriors left, though many of them bore injuries, and all of them looked a little worse for wear. From the human forces, the halflings had only seven or eight human workers to join their forces as allies. All of the halfling warriors and their new human allies just stood there as my army approached. I didn¡¯t see anything resembling a commander among the surviving halfling forces, so their responses might be slowed until another commander could be produced back at the halfling village. My orcs were pumped for the fight, chanting, and shouting as they closed in. Top kept them in order, making sure that everyone stayed close enough to get the buff that Top provided to the troops. I hit the force attacking the remnants at the human village with Rub Some Dirt on It, giving them a bit of healing to sustain them in the fight. Back at the halfling village, the other attack was also slamming home. Unlike the human and elf villages, the halflings didn¡¯t have farms outside their village walls. They were fungus growers if their faction¡¯s name was accurate, which probably meant some cave or something like that was used for their farms. The workers lined the walls of the village, and the summoned being controlling them must have used their version of To Arms. Villagers suddenly had slings in addition to short spears as their new weapons. Sling stones began to pepper my attacking forces, and I also hit them with Rub some Dirt on It to help them weather the barrage. The wall here was low, and the Top commanding these forces did the same as the first one, and just clambered over it with little trouble. Once atop the wall, my orc warriors were making short work of the halfling villagers. The only problem was that there were a whole lot of halflings. I watched as a flurry of arrows slammed into Top, the orc commander grunted once and fell. His death seemed to enrage the other orcs who pressed the attack, clambering over the wall and tearing into the workers defending the place. Behind the line of defenders stood the summoned being that controlled the halflings. It was a species I¡¯d only seen a few times, one of the strange, serpent-like people. This one¡¯s head was hooded like a cobra, and he held a wicked looking bow in his hands. Each time the summoned being fired, the arrow split into three identical ones, easily enough to slay an orc warrior with each shot. You have gained control of the human village. No structures are present, and there are no resources stockpiled. The system prompt told me that the attack on the human village was over. A quick check on that front revealed that the Top there still had over thirty warriors and nearly forty workers in the fight. I hit him with Forced March and ordered him to take his troops to support the other attack, which was faltering under the deadly archery of my opponent. Back at the halfling village, my forces had eliminated all the workers, and only the summoned being remained. He didn¡¯t come out unscathed, and several wounds seeped blood through his scaly skin. All the troops that had attacked the village were down, but it was just a matter of time before my opponent fell. It didn¡¯t appear that there were any living workers, so he had nobody to man the farms. Without the farms in operation, no replacements for his losses would respawn. The serpent-like foe seemed to know this and prepared to make his last stand. Top eventually arrived, and the serpent went to work, shooting down attackers as they closed in. To his credit, the summoned being managed to take down half of my force before they surrounded him in melee and hacked the foe to death. Congratulations, you have completed this stage of the challenge. Proceed along the highlighted path to reach the next, and final stage of the challenge. You are currently ranked 93/1000. The system prompt lit up a small hatchway in the ground near my command post. It was odd that it hadn¡¯t been there before, but that didn¡¯t stop me from moving forward. There was a timed component to this challenge, and it didn¡¯t make sense to delay. If I was going to place as high as I could in the rankings, I needed to push on. Chapter 116. Final Challenge. I climbed down a metal ladder that descended into the dark. Glum grabbed the hound in an awkward carry and followed me down the ladder. A few patches of glowing moss lit the sides of the wall next to the ladder, but they were too dim for me to spot my destination. After what felt like an impossibly long time, I could finally see the ground below me. A small fire, several tents and a few torches were placed around a camp that seemed to draw me forward. There was nobody else in the camp, but it had the feeling that it had just been vacated. So far, the system hadn¡¯t given me a heads up on what to expect for this final challenge, so I took stock of what I had to work with. My wand was full, my other weapons were good. Rupert¡¯s figurine had also been regenerated, and he was ready to be summoned again. I called forth my dwarven minion, and I immediately regretted not bringing any weapons with me from the orc camp. I¡¯d have to start remembering to bring something for him to fight with. The hound sniffed around, and Rupert and Glum walked the perimeter, looking into the darkness for any threats. I couldn¡¯t see very far past the small ring of torches driven in the ground around the tents. This underground rest stop had an eerie feel to it, and looking into the dark gave me the creeps. I ordered my minions to keep a watch on things as I explored the largest tent, hoping to find something to give me directions. After entering the tent, I finally had a system prompt appear. The final leg of the arena challenge stands before you. This challenge is a simple journey through the cavern and out onto the arena floor. Follow the lit path and defend yourself against the horrors of the dark. After reading the prompt, a string of torches appeared, spaced about every twenty yards or so and stretching out into the cavern as far as I could see. The torches created small islands of light in the pitch black of the cavern, giving me a path toward my goal. All I needed to do was walk out of this cavern and back to the arena. Of course, the system was more than likely going to throw something horrible at me as I went. ¡°Grab a torch, and let¡¯s get going. Pup, you let me know if you sniff anything out,¡± I ordered to my stalwart band. The hound seemed to understand my command and began to sniff its way toward the first torch. Rupert and Glum grabbed torches and followed behind me. I also grabbed a torch in one hand, and my hammer in the other. It would be a bit cumbersome to drop the hammer and pull my wand if I needed to fight at range, but something told me that the dangers we would face were going to be a bit more up close and personal. We¡¯d made it past the third torch when the hound stopped, turned to the right, then spun around and growled. I held my torch high, trying to peer further into the gloom, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. The hound was insistent that there was something out there, but he seemed to be having a hard time pinpointing the location. I heard a scuffle behind me and turned to see that Marvin Glum was gone. He had been at the rear of our column and only his torch and shortsword were there on the stone floor of the cavern. ¡°Rupert, grab that sword,¡± I ordered. The dwarf moved to comply, but the blade turned into mana vapor as Glum was killed by whatever was lurking out there. I couldn¡¯t stay here and wait for whatever was out here to kill us off one by one, so I ordered the survivors forward, moving our way to the next patch of light. The hound stopped and growled again, this time looking toward our rear. I turned back toward our path just in time to see a tentacle drop from the darkness above and grab Rupert. The dwarven minion was hauled up into the dark, but he had kept the presence of mind to retain his torch, which the dwarf hammered away at the tentacle with. Sickening crunching sounds were heard as the tentacle tightened its grip. Rupert burst into mana vapor as he was crushed, but his torch did finally give me a brief glimpse of the ceiling. There were things moving around up there, they looked like living stalagmites, stalactites, or whatever those things were called. Clusters of them hovered in the area above the pathway torch, and even now, I could see more of the impossibly long tentacle-like appendages reach down for me. I ran into the dark, but my poor hound was a bit too slow to follow. One of the tentacles snatched him up, my hound giving a whimper before he too disappeared into mana vapor. I waited for one of the things to grab me and haul me up to my fate, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any above me.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Thinking about the brief glimpse I had of the monsters, and the fact that I was in the dark without being eaten by anything, I began to wonder. Was moving into the light the true danger of this challenge? While I considered it, I could see one of the long arms of the monster drifting down into the light of the torch that lit the path ahead. It began to slowly move toward where I was crouching. Taking a chance, I hurled my torch as far as I could. Just before the tentacle disappeared into the dark, I noted that its direction had changed. Instead of heading toward me, it moved toward the light of the torch I¡¯d thrown. I finally had this challenge¡¯s number. To survive, I had to stay in the dark, using the path of torches to guide my direction while never straying into the light if I could help it. It was slow going, as the ground in the cavern wasn¡¯t exactly smooth. I had to make sure I didn¡¯t walk off the edge of a cliff or something, so I had to slowly creep along. After a good thirty minutes of shuffling in the dark, I heard something moving in the distance. Further back along the trail I saw something light up the dark. A young woman was running from torch to torch, a glowing white shield of energy encasing her. Near each torch, tentacles dropped down, but electricity shot up the limbs when they encountered the shield, causing them to retract into the dark. As the woman drew closer, I could see she was dressed in a mages robe, with glowing sigils on it. The thing that struck me about her was, oddly enough, her footwear. She was sporting a pair of iconic black Doc Martens boots. She had to be from Earth, and she was about to get ambushed by the creatures on the ceiling. My instinct was to call out to warn her, but I was here to win, and fellow earthling or not, she was the competition. Neither of us could be permanently hurt here, so it was up to her to figure out how the monsters in this cavern worked. I continued my slow and steady pace in the dark, careful not to fall off a ledge or slip into a sinkhole. The woman made it to the torch closest to where I was and stopped to catch a breather. That was a mistake, and one she paid dearly for as several of the tentacles dropped down and slammed into her glowing shield. More of the electric shocks burst from the shield, but each was a bit less powerful than the previous one. She seemed to realize that standing there was a bad idea and began to run toward the next torch. Just as she left the circle of torchlight, the shield protecting her shattered. A tentacle grabbed on and began to reel her up toward the monster that waited above. The woman muttered a spell and a burst of electricity flew from her hands rippling up the tentacle for a good ten feet before fizzling out. A rumbling roar of pain echoed from the cavern ceiling, and the girl was dropped to the stone floor. She grunted and had trouble making it to her feet, it seemed like her left leg was injured or broken. More tentacles dropped down, and she blasted a few more with spells, but her mana wasn¡¯t unlimited and before long, she was out. A final shriek was heard as the girl was hauled up to meet her fate. Thankfully, she¡¯d just become a puff of mana vapor. I shuddered as I thought about something like this being my true end. Being hauled up into the dark, helpless to defend yourself against the hungry monsters waiting for your arrival. As difficult as my life was, at least the deaths I faced while summoned were only temporary inconveniences. I shook off my fears and plowed ahead. It was slow going, but after about an hour of stumbling my way forward in the dark, I could see daylight. The cavern ended at a set of wide double doors that opened onto a green field of grass with the very welcome sight of a summoning portal waiting for me to enter. Another contestant passed through the torchlight, running wildly for the exit. It was a halfling, which were a common enough sight in Somhagen and during my various summonings, but they weren¡¯t a species that I could remember seeing as actual summoned beings. Most came from mana-rich worlds, but there must have been at least one world out there in the same condition as Earth, only populated with extras from The Hobbit rather than humans. The light ahead beckoned and as the ground around me brightened, I made a dash forward. I lost sight of the halfling, but it didn¡¯t matter as the light was now bright enough to see that there were none of the strange creatures hanging on the ceiling above me. Sprinting toward the portal, I hoped that I¡¯d place reasonably high in the rankings. Just before exiting the cavern, pain lanced into by back, and I lost control of my body. I collapsed to the ground in a heap, my vision fading as I spotted the halfling jogging past me, cackling as he looked from me to the bloody pair of blades in his hands. You have been killed by stab wounds to your spine and kidney inflicted by the competitor Erton Deeptopple. Congratulations, you have completed the arena challenge and have placed 67/1000. You are not eligible for the completion enhancement for ranking in the top 10, but your rewards will reflect your final ranking. All rewards will be calculated once the last competitor has completed the arena challenge or been eliminated. Do you wish to watch the remaining challengers compete, or would you prefer to return to your personal space? Chapter 117. Gift Shop. I opted to watch the remining challengers rather that return immediately to my personal space. After making my selection, I appeared back at the arena entrance where the ticket and participant registration booths were kept. The streets of Somhagen were behind me, but when I tried, I couldn¡¯t get my body to walk out into the city. You are restricted to the arena grounds during the arena challenge. To venture into Somhagen, you need to reach Tier 1, Rank 5. The system prompt wasn¡¯t really needed since I was being physically prevented from leaving. With the option of hitting the city and doing some shopping shut down, I decided to explore the arena grounds. On my previous visits here, I had just been in the ticket booth area and the arena floor. There was nothing stopping me as I strolled around the outer ring of the arena. Crude stone viewing stands were placed around the portals on the arena floor, but nobody was sitting there. Whichever way the population of Somhagen watched the arena contests, it wasn¡¯t from sitting in the stands themselves. A few workers moved about the place, busy with various tasks and stadium maintenance. Still a bit unsure of what to do next, I flagged one down. ¡°Hey, do you mind answering a question for me? I¡¯m new here, how do people usual view the contest?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of the participants, how¡¯d you do?¡± The worker, an older human woman asked. ¡°I was just eliminated, and I wound up 67/1000,¡± I replied. ¡°Not bad, you made it to the top 100, which should get you some nice rewards. As for viewing the rest of the contest, all you need to do is sit in the stands and you¡¯ll be moved to a private viewing area, or if you prefer the roar of the crowds, you can enter the community viewing area,¡± the woman answered. ¡°Is there anything else to do here?¡± I asked. The place seemed deserted, but if all the people had been teleported to viewing areas, that would make sense. ¡°Sure, there¡¯s a refreshment stand, restroom facilities, and a gift shop in section R1,¡± she replied. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate your help,¡± I said. The woman gave me a friendly wave and left me to my business. Unlike in my personal space or when competing in the arena, I wasn¡¯t being sustained by the system. I expected the contest to end soon, so grabbing Somhagen¡¯s equivalent of a hot dog and nachos from the snack bar would be a waste of funds since I wasn¡¯t feeling hungry or thirsty yet. While I had the option to watch the rest of the match, and see the final contenders make their way through the challenge, I¡¯d been there and done that. There might be some intel on the other participants that I could glean from watching the remaining challengers, but there had been over a thousand participants, and I¡¯d only get to watch a few, not even seeing their full range of abilities. The odds were good that the ones I watched wouldn¡¯t even be in the same future arena matches since we were all going to climb ranks and tiers at a different pace. What I wanted to do before the contest ended was check out the gift shop. If it was anything like the ones back home, it¡¯d have overpriced stuff, but maybe there was something that would appeal to a summoned being. The worker had given me good directions, and I soon spotted the gift shop not too far from where the ticket booths were. The gift shop reminded me of a gas station convenience store. It had a few narrow aisles, and various products and snacks displayed. About a half dozen people were in the shop with me, and a dwarven clerk manned a counter near the entrance. So far, my experiences with the workers here hadn¡¯t been bad, so I had no qualms about asking the clerk for help. ¡°Excuse me, do you have anything on offer that a summoned being can use?¡± ¡°All of our delicious snacks and beverages are available, and you could buy a souvenir to decorate your personal space with. Other than that, we do have a small shelf of things that might interest you,¡± the clerk explained, pointing toward a small wooden rack near the back of the store. I made my way over to the rack, noting that the other people in here with me seemed to be locals or tourists, given their shopping habits. Food and drink seemed popular, as well as commemorative drinking mugs, and ribbons with various names that I was unfamiliar with on them. My destination was a rickety wooden rack that had a few odds and ends on its shelves.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The rack had been picked clean by previous shoppers, or maybe the store just didn¡¯t bother to restock very often. I perused my choices; it was mostly several brightly wrapped packages that promised the possibility of a chance for an ability, spell, or skill scroll. Both abilities and skills were high on my list of purchases. I still had two slots still open for abilities. Many of the skills tended to be more passive things, like armor proficiency, that didn¡¯t always take up an ability slot. The whole mystery box thing was annoying, and these weren¡¯t cheap ones either. Each brightly colored box could contain nothing but air, and at a gold a pop, it was a very expensive way to throw away money. With a sigh, I realized that I was going to have to buy at least one box to see what I got. I convinced myself it was for future research. While the mystery boxes seemed to make up most items on offer, there was also a single magic missile wand for an exorbitant price. I had one wand in my loadout, and one at home. Adding another was of limited benefit, especially at the cost of three gold and fifteen silver. Other than the wand, and the mystery rip-off boxes, there was another group of packages that caught my eye. It was a plain box with stamped on simple text. Commemorative Summoning Figurine. Tier 1 Arena special! Each guest is limited to one commemorative figurine. I had no idea if the figurine was something I could summon, but at twenty silver, it was worth the chance to find out. So far, I¡¯d only found a good selection of figurines in the shop that used summoning points. If my arena visits could net me another consumable when I wasn¡¯t able to shop in the city itself, that would be great. Maybe the clerk would be willing to shed some light. ¡°Sorry to bother you again, but is there any way to tell what these wrapped boxes contain?¡± I asked the clerk, holding up one of the mystery boxes. ¡°No, and if you try to pinch open the paper to peek, the system will force you to buy it. All I¡¯m allowed to say is that there will be at least something useful inside each one,¡± the clerk replied. He was a younger-looking dwarf that looked bored to be there, but at least tried to be helpful. ¡°Okay, I appreciate the info. Now, about these commemorative figurines, are they summoning figurines or just something to display on a shelf as a souvenir?¡± I asked. ¡°Those I can tell you are summoning figurines, and they could be from any of the challenges you¡¯ve faced today. Each will contain at least one item, but don¡¯t bother shaking them or anything, they¡¯re magically enchanted so that to the customers, they all appear the same. As a summoned being, any purchases you make in the shop will be automatically delivered to your personal space,¡± the dwarf advised. ¡°Thanks again, I hope you can accept a tip,¡± I said, sliding him a silver for his time. ¡°I certainly can, and generous tips are always welcome for my assistance. Now that I have a chance to get a better look at this one, it appears the edge of the box is a little battered up. Why don¡¯t you bring another one over and I¡¯ll have this repaired later,¡± the dwarf said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. I got the hint, if I could slip him some coins, the dwarf would be willing to bend the rules on the commemorative figurines. Back at the wooden shelf, there were four other figurine boxes, and I hauled all four back to the counter. I stacked ten silver coins next to the boxes, and after seeing the slight frown on the dwarf¡¯s face, I doubled the number of coins. His frown turned back into a devious smirk. Just to make sure, I also added a couple stacks of copper coins, to which dwarf gave me a little nod. This was all I was willing to risk, after all, I still had to pay for the stupid box. ¡°A fine selection sir, are you ready to complete your purchase?¡± The dwarf asked, giving me a brief nod of no when I went to grab one of the mystery boxes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done for this visit, just that figurine,¡± I replied, giving a general wave of my hand toward the figurine boxes lined up on the shelf. ¡°That¡¯ll be twenty silver, enjoy your purchase,¡± the dwarf said, taking my payment and handing me a box that he appeared to select from random. The box disappeared as I tried to grab it, the item teleporting to my personal space. My tip disappeared just as quickly a moment later, the dwarf swiping the coins into his personal coin pouch. I gave him a wave and exited the shop, hoping that the dwarf hadn¡¯t done me dirty with the whole box selecting shenanigans. I was going to get more visits to Somhagen, so I could look him back up if he had ripped me off. With my shopping done, I opted to hit the arena stands to get a look at the rest of the challenge. I opted for a private viewing and suddenly found myself inside a small booth that seemed to hover above the arena. As I looked down onto the arena floor, I could see small windows appear in front of my vision. One was there for each competitor that was still participating. I could select each individual competitor and my view would expand to focus on them. The darkness in the cavern was eliminated and I could easily watch all the monsters that slowly creeped along the ceiling, looking for victims. There were only a handful of competitors left, and most of them fell prey to the strange creatures that dropped tentacles down like they were fishing. A few had figured out the challenge and were doing something similar to what I had done. Just like with my less than spectacular finish, a few were killed by other competitors just before they reached the end of the cavern and the swirling portal that waited beyond it. As the last competitor finished, a system prompt appeared. This arena challenge is complete, your standing has not been altered by any of the final competitors¡¯ performance. Prepare to return to your personal space. Chapter 118. Arena Rewards. I found myself back in my personal space, and before I could get my bearings, a system prompt appeared. The arena challenge is complete. Congratulations on a top 100 ranking. Please be advised that your time in this personal space is limited. A countdown timer started up, placed right next to the gauge that normally told me how close I was to finishing a summoning series. I only had five minutes, so I needed to move with a purpose. I jogged over to the rewards chest, popping it open and the settings so it would display only new items. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 1,188.
  2. Silver coins, 466.
  3. Gold coins, 10.
  4. Mana Core Upgrade.
  5. Foe Summoner Template.
  6. Personal Space Expansion Token.
  7. Personal Enhancement Token.
  8. Arena Upgrade Certificate, Tier 2. (2)
  9. MESS Key Duplicate.
  10. Commemorative Arena Figurine Box.
There was a lot to take in and not much time to do so. I ignored the coins other than selecting 100 copper, 20 silver, and 1 gold to take back home with me. I¡¯d need to replenish my stock of metals whenever I had the chance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the monetary rewards were great, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. First up I wanted to see my new Foe Summoner Template. It was a simple scroll and once I activated it, the new information populated in my interface. Foe Summoner Template: Teir 1, Rank 5. Mana Reserve Required, 75. Orcish Warrior (Veteran). Nice! I¡¯d received a Veteran Template, and it didn¡¯t cost any additional mana over a regular minion of the same tier and rank. As a veteran summoned creature, the new orc template would also be as powerful as a Tier 2, Rank 0 minion before any of my class and item bonuses were added in. The only downside was that the new template was for rank Tier 1, Rank 5, which meant I couldn¡¯t quite summon it yet. While I was a bit disappointed to not be able to see what type of veteran orc warrior that I¡¯d have fighting for me, at least it meant that I would have something ready to go once I hit rank five. I could only hope there would be some way to mitigate the mana reserve cost, either through an ability or perhaps an item that might be available in the summoned market. By the time I hit rank five, I¡¯d have gained another point in mind, bringing me up to 90 mana. I¡¯d also get more points in Presence by rank five, which would reduce my total mana reserve by a couple points. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t appear that arena challenges offered anything in the way of summoning or experience points. What it did give was another two arena certificates. If and when I hit the arena again at tier two, I should already have built up a number of upgrades. Next on my agenda was looking at my mana core upgrade. The only upgrade for my core that I had now was the Rift Travel Containment Field. Preventing me from returning home naked every time had been my favorite upgrade, and I hoped this one would be just as useful. Mana Core Shielding, Stage 1. The Mana Core Shielding upgrade for your mana core allows you to keep a portion of your mana pool protected from most forms of mana drain. Each stage of upgrade will keep 5 mana protected. Any mana stored in the shield will be consumed last when you pull upon your mana pool, and it will also be the first to recharge when your pool is low. This was good news for me. If this upgrade worked as advertised, at least part of my mana pool would be protected back on Earth. My other mana would still dissipate rapidly when I pulled on it, but this would mean a small reserve would be available for emergencies. I activated the upgrade and could see that a small portion of my core was now separated from the rest by a glowing shield. With the upgrade active, I moved on to the next item. Personal Space Expansion Token. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Activate this token to add an additional room to your personal space. Be advised that when you use this token, you must select the type of addition you wish to make. At present, you do not have any design templates for additional rooms. I didn¡¯t have the designs for anything new yet, it was another thing I¡¯d have to research when I made it back to Somhagen. It sounded like this expansion token was something I¡¯d have to pay Lavelle to explain to me now that Minerva was gone. I had to think that expanding your personal space was going to be expensive, and this token was going to save me some cash, or maybe even summoning points in the future. I left it in the rewards chest and pulled out the next reward. Personal Enhancement Upgrade Token. Activate this token to add 1 point to any primary or secondary attribute. This one was pretty straightforward. Having just finished complaining about my mana pool, I selected Mind for the bump in ability points. My Mind score was now 18, which bumped my mana pool to 90. The next thing in the reward box was the duplicate MESS key. This one was a pleasant surprise. I hadn¡¯t used it while in the arena, so the system had included it as part of my rewards. Just like the original, the duplicate key wasn¡¯t taking up anything as far as gear cost was concerned. It also gave me the option to bring one of the keys home and leave the other one here in my loadout. I wasn¡¯t sure how it would react or function on Earth, but it was worth it to have it on hand, just in case. Time was ticking away so I grabbed the last item, in the reward chest, the purchase I¡¯d made in the gift shop. Opening the box, I found a large figurine that consisted of ten smaller figures mounted on the same base. Just like the goblin raiding pair figurine I had, this one would summon multiple creatures when used. Halfling Hit Squad (Elite). Tier 1, Rank 2. Gear Cost, 10. This consumable summoning figurine will summon a team of veteran halfling warriors, led by an elite battlemaster. Excellent. It was the best consumable I¡¯d found so far. The gear cost was high, but it was also something that could potentially turn the tide of battle all on its own. Even better, it would provide a strong protection force back home. I added it to the coins and MESS key that I¡¯d selected for my return home. It made sense to keep the most powerful consumables on hand where my battles were life and death struggles. The dwarf at the gift shop had done me a solid, and the tip I¡¯d left him had been more than earned. I felt bad now that I hadn¡¯t caught his name. Next time I was in Somhagen, I¡¯d have to check if he was working. Maybe he¡¯d steer me in the right direction again if there was something similar offered for sale. Time was almost up, and while I wanted to work on my loadout, I had less than a minute which made it impossible. Instead, I looked for Melvin. He was inside the training room again, and he wasn¡¯t quite the same gelatinous cube that I remembered. He¡¯d grown larger by at least a good 25%, and now was moving faster. Fast for Melvin was still about the speed of a human crawling, but it was better than the snail¡¯s pace he¡¯d started with. ¡°Melvin, have you been leveling up? Looking good big guy,¡± I told him, sending him a proud feeling over our connection. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I thought for a moment that Melvin bulged out part of his cube, and I got the impression it was akin to a human flexing his muscles. ¡°Keep at it, I¡¯m going now, hold down the fort for me,¡± I told Melvin. He sent feelings of contentedness and excitement over his opportunity to stay here and play in the training center. Prepare to return to your home world. The system prompt hit as the seconds ticked down to zero, and my vision faded as I was sent back to Earth. There was the feeling of movement before a portal opened in front of me and stepped through and back into the dingy motel lobby where I had been standing when I had left. ¡°Grab him! Bind his limbs, gag him, blindfold him, and empty his pockets,¡± A shrill woman¡¯s voice called as several bodies slammed into me, knocking me down to the threadbare, dirty carpet of the motel lobby. My hand-to-hand combat training kicked in and I freed one hand to slam the ear of an assailant, hopefully rupturing his ear drum. It was no use, there were at least four of them piling up on me, and my only option was going to be to use magic if I wanted out of this situation. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t do that in here, stop or I¡¯m calling the police!¡± The front desk clerk shouted. I couldn¡¯t see him, but I heard him gurgle in pain a moment later. ¡°Subdue him, I don¡¯t want him wasting any of his precious mana,¡± the woman said again. I hadn¡¯t caught sight of her or anyone else yet, except for a flew flashes of the burly men holding me down. My face was pushed into the carpet, and I heard a crackling sound as the weight on my back lifted. Before I could stand, the pain of a taser hit me in the small of the back. ¡°Want me to hit him again?¡± One of the brutes holding me asked. My mind wasn¡¯t working right, and neither was my body after having suffered far too many volts of electricity entering it. As my head lolled to the side, I caught of glimpse of the motel clerk, a dagger had been hammered into his throat and the man was convulsing as the last of his life left his body. ¡°Yes, hit him again, and then give him the sedative. He may not look it, but this one may be as dangerous as the others,¡± the woman warned as another jolt of electricity hit me and the sharp pinch of needle poked into my butt cheek. Whatever it was they injected into me, it worked fast, and a feeling of comforting warmth filled my body as I drifted off into sleep. Chapter 119. Not Exactly Helpless. Chapter 119. Not Exactly Helpless. I woke with a pounding headache, and not the kind that meant I was going to be summoned again. This was the kind of headache you got from being slammed to the ground, tased multiple times, then injected with something to knock me out. I tried to open my eyes, but they were taped shut. I was also gagged, and tied down to a hard table that made my back ache. Panic began to set in, my captors weren¡¯t the kindly pair that had visited my apartment a few nights earlier. There was no Notice of Cessation that I could trigger here to escape whatever this situation was. I needed to remain calm and prepare to act when the time was right. This wasn¡¯t like the first time I ran into cultists and corporate goons. This time, I was trained, armed, and had combat experience that most soldiers would envy. My breathing calmed and the panic dissipated as I thought on all I had faced and defeated so far. I took stock of what I had to work with. My mana was full, but all of my items had been taken away. That didn¡¯t mean I was helpless. My summoning figurines from the Foe Summoner class couldn¡¯t be taken away permanently. I didn¡¯t know how long it would take for them to return to me, but I¡¯d be ready when they did. If I could summon Rupert and Marvin Glum, I could have them free me and begin to hack our way out of this place. Time was on my side, so I stayed still and quiet, at least until the team was ready to be summoned. I could hear voices in the distance, and it seemed like an argument was going strong not too far from me. ¡°He¡¯s awake,¡± a young woman¡¯s voice whispered. ¡°Silence, I know that already. You¡¯re here to scry his abilities, that¡¯s it. Do your job, and you¡¯ll live another day. Press your luck, and I sacrifice you to the master,¡± A second person, the woman with the shrill voice from the motel snapped. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do my job for now. You can¡¯t harm me, I¡¯m the only one who can find your master,¡± the first woman muttered under her breath. ¡°Bhalkur begins to waken, and soon, we will find and free him. Once that happens, I may not need your services any longer. When I free him, our master will let me know his wishes directly and your value will diminish. Perhaps he¡¯ll wish you to be sacrificed to him. Your mana and lifeblood will be a fine feast for our newly awakened Lord Bhalkur,¡± the shrill woman claimed. Whoever these creeps were, they didn¡¯t play well amongst themselves. Maybe it was something I could use to my advantage. The bad news was that these seemed like another group of cultists, worshiping something or someone called Bhalkur. I wasn¡¯t afraid of some slumbering creature, and I sincerely doubted the mana level on our world could support some evil being that was powerful enough to gather a cult to worship him. ¡°Remove the tape, I need to see his eyes in order to read his soul,¡± the first woman whispered. Rough hands pulled the tape from my eyes, not caring that they ripped out some of my eyebrows and eyelashes with it. I blinked, half blind from the oppressive fluorescent lights that bathed the room in their glow. As my vision returned, I got a chance to look around at my surroundings. I was strapped to a cold metal table, and to make matters worse, I was naked. The table had drain holes placed at regular intervals, and while it appeared clean, I was sure that more than one person had their lifeblood drain away while they had lain here. Inside the room were several people. The first was a middle-aged and sour faced woman in red robes. Next to her was a younger, frail looking woman who was wearing grey sweats and a hoodie. The young woman stared at me from the foot of my table. Two larger men in white robes stood at the head of the table, clearly subordinates who seemed to defer to the woman in red. ¡°Look into her eyes, or you will regret it,¡± the woman in red ordered. She was the screechy voiced lady, which meant the young woman in sweats was the whisperer. I had no problem staring into the young lady¡¯s sad, brown eyes. As I looked, I began to feel something, mana was flowing from her, burning off rapidly like it always did on Earth. Tendrils of mana reached out to me, and I almost triggered my own mana in response. When the mana hit my eyes, I felt an intrusion into my mind. I fought back, pushing against the intruder sifting through my thoughts. To my surprise, she was forced back, the tendrils of mana finding no purchase inside my mind.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I have finished. His mind is strong, and while I don¡¯t know what his class is, it¡¯s safe to assume that he¡¯s a mage of some sort,¡± the girl claimed. ¡°You will answer my questions, or I shall begin the sacrifice early. I can make your passing into Lord Bhalkur¡¯s embrace a pleasant journey, or a painful one, it¡¯s all up to you. If we detect you trying to cast a spell, you will be killed. Now, for my first question, what is your name?¡± The woman in red asked. ¡°Raymond, Raymond Durant,¡± I muttered giving her the name on my fake ID. ¡°That¡¯s unlikely, but in the end, your name is unimportant. Tell me, Raymond, what is your class, tier, and rank?¡± she demanded. I tried to look scared and confused as I worked on a lie that would distract her from my real skills. ¡°I¡¯m a fire mage, tier one, rank zero,¡± I lied as I tried to look around the room. ¡°Is that what this is, a fire wand of some sort?¡± the woman asked, holding up my pistol-like magic missile wand projector. ¡°Yes, it lets me shoot small bolts of flame. Hand it over and I¡¯ll demonstrate,¡± I offered. ¡°Cute, but I want only the truth, no additional commentary,¡± she said, pulling a curved, and wicked looking knife from somewhere inside her robes. The knife looked like something that you¡¯d see in an Indiana Jones movie. A wicked blade that the bad guys would use to cut out your heart. Instead of my heart, she made several cuts at the end bottom of my toes. I¡¯m sorry to say that my bravado failed at that point as my blood dribbled down onto the metal table. She wasn¡¯t inflicting a fatal wound, and I would never bleed out from a bunch of cuts to my toes, but I struggled to keep from losing it as the pain hit. One by one she slowly sliced into my toes, taking her time, and enjoying her ability to inflict pain on me. Things like this were much easier to face when you knew at the end, you¡¯d just return home good as new. Here on Earth, dead was dead. ¡°There is still mana contained in the device, I can feel it, almost taste it,¡± the young woman said, before slinking over to the side of my table. ¡°You should listen to the master¡¯s favored, otherwise the pain will continue. Too many of us have been hurt, I don¡¯t want any more pain,¡± the young girl whispered in my ear. One of the burly guards shoved her none too gently back toward the woman in red. ¡°Stay back fool, I need you to advise me, not banter with the sacrifice. If this does contain mana, when we¡¯re done here, bring this to the offering room. The mana can be drained there for our master. Now, on to the next question, Raymond. What are these?¡± the woman in red asked, holding up several of my summoning figurines. ¡°I can answer that, Lucinda,¡± the young girl interrupted. ¡°Those are summoning figurines. A mage can push mana into them and poof, the creature depicted on the figurine appears. Keep them away from him, he¡¯ll have to touch them to use them,¡± the young girl claimed. ¡°Do they contain mana?¡± the woman in red, Lucinda, asked with a look of greed on her face. ¡°No, mana must be pushed into them to work,¡± the young woman replied, seeming to become bored with the whole process as she rifled through my belongings. The young woman wasn¡¯t all there, and I didn¡¯t know whether to fear her or feel sorry for her. ¡°Can you use these?¡± Lucinda asked the young woman. ¡°Let me see. Hmm, I can use some of them, but a few will not answer my call for some reason,¡± the girl muttered as she went through the small pile of figurines. The consumables could probably be used by anyone with mana, but the ones created by my Foe Summoner class were linked only to me. ¡°Is there anything else you can tell me about those?¡± Lucinda asked me, smiling as she watched a drop of my blood run down the curved blade of her knife. This was it, my chance. The young girl knew something about the summoning figurines, but she didn¡¯t know one important part, the fact that my class allowed me to use them from range. ¡°She needs to be careful with those. Some of them are dangerous and can¡¯t be controlled. Look out!¡± I shouted as I pushed a point of mana into the hound¡¯s figurine which the girl was looking closely at. The figurine disappeared as the hound appeared next to her. I silently commanded the hound to attack Lucinda while I pushed out more mana to summon Marvin Glum. Chaos erupted as the hound leaped toward Lucinda. She wasn¡¯t a trained fighter, seemed more used to inflicting pain on helpless victims rather than defending herself. She took a clumsy swipe with the dagger, missing the hound who latched onto her arm and shook. The two guards ran to assist just as Glum appeared. I targeted him to appear just behind one of the goons as I worked to push mana into Rupert¡¯s figurine. I could only use the figurines linked to my class from a distance, reducing my options. Wasting no time, Glum drove his shortsword into the spine of one of the goons as the other turned to face him as he pulled a pistol from his robes. Rupert appeared and my mana dropped further. Only one point was needed to activate a figurine, but this world burned two mana for every one point that I could use. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Rupert appear behind the unwounded, but armed goon. My ear drums threatened to burst as the goon began firing off shots at Marvin Glum. My best warrior turned into mana vapor as Rupert grabbed onto the goon¡¯s arm, wrestling with him for the gun. Lucinda dropped her dagger and the dog let go of her now-mangled arm before tearing into her legs. The young woman shrieked and ducked behind the table my gear was piled on. I watched one of her hands reach up and grasp a figurine. She had one of my consumables, and as a summoned being, she probably had enough mana to use it. Being tied helplessly to a table, and with my best fighter dead, I could feel my odds of survival dropping. Chapter 120. Hey, Thats Mine. Another round of loud booms echoed inside the room as the surviving goon managed to get his arm free from Rupert¡¯s grip and began firing into the dwarf. The man then turned his weapon toward me as I pulled mana to cast Fail Weapons. My spell hit and when the man pulled the trigger, nothing happened. He dropped the pistol and pulled a combat knife from inside his robes before approaching the table I was tied to. I wanted to summon one of my figurines, but I could only use my ability at range for my class figurines, all of which had already been used. The man raised the blade and stalked forward, madness glittering in his eyes. ¡°Your blood and mana will feed a god!¡± He shouted, only to stumble and fall, screaming in pain. I figured my hound had finally dealt with Lucinda and joined the fight, but I could still hear him growling and tearing at the woman who was giving weak shouts of pain. The man was on the ground lying to one side of the table, the edge of which blocked my view. I was helpless, but I still had some mana to work with. My mana pool was down to 20 out of the 35 I had started with. Mana tabs were still with my other possessions, but I couldn¡¯t get to them when I was tied down. All at once, a skeleton with a huge sword appeared at the foot of my table. It moved with a speed and grace that I hadn¡¯t seen an undead move with before. The heavy blade swept through the air, slicing down at the final goon who was still struggling with whatever had attacked him. A meaty squelch was heard and then the ting of the blade cutting though the man and hitting the concrete beneath him. ¡°If I have him cut you free, will you promise to not hurt me?¡± the girl asked, standing up from behind the table, holding another of my consumable figurines, the one containing the Advanced Ghoul. ¡°I take it you¡¯re not part of this cult. If that¡¯s true, set me free and we can get out of here together,¡± I offered. ¡°I¡¯m not one of them, they just use me to find others like us. More of the cultists will check on us eventually. They¡¯re used to noise when Lucinda is sacrificing people, but the gunfire might be more than they would expect from an interrogation and sacrifice,¡± the girl said as she ordered the skeleton to cut me free. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mine,¡± I said, pointing toward the figurine in her hands. The skeleton that was cutting me free must have been the blademaster figurine, a veteran summoned creature, and one of my more powerful items. The undead warrior cut my bonds free, and I stumbled to my feet. My head was still pounding from the stun gun and the drugs that they had pumped into me, but I was moving under my own power. I stumbled over to the table that held my possessions. My foot flared in pain as I put pressure on my sliced toes. Ignoring the pain of my still bleeding feet, I started to pull on my clothes while holding onto the Halfling Hit Squad figurine. If anyone came through that door, or if the odd girl became hostile, I was going to fill the room with an entire squad of murder hobbits. Getting dressed under pressure was something I hadn¡¯t had to deal with in a while, and it was almost like the first days as a summoned being again. ¡°Can I keep this one? He looks cool,¡± the girl asked, holding up the Advanced Ghoul figurine. ¡°You already used my skeleton and who knows what else,¡± I said, looking over to the final goon¡¯s body to see what had stopped him from stabbing me. Sitting nicely on the floor grooming himself was a huge housecat, which must have been the first figurine that the girl had grabbed off the table. ¡°But I like this one, and I think I have enough mana to summon one more thing,¡± she said. ¡°You already got the angry housecat and a veteran skeletal warrior, which was one of my best figurines. Why are we even discussing this, we need to find a way out,¡± I argued as I finally finished dressing and started to gather up my figurines and other gear. ¡°I¡¯ll help you get out, if I can keep it,¡± she offered. ¡°Fine, help me get out, and you can keep it. What¡¯s your name. If we¡¯re going to be working together, I should know who you are,¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m Celeste, and you¡¯re Rico Kline,¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°How do you know, oh, I get it, you must have figured that out when you probed my mind. Well, thanks for not spilling the beans to these wackos. Give me the rundown, where are we, and how do we get out,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re in the basement of a warehouse. Above us, some of the cultists live in the actual warehouse, and others are renting a place nearby. All of them are probably armed, at least with blades, but there will be more than a few guns. Another summoned being is one of the leaders here, a guy with some kind of poison or disease type of magic,¡± Celeste advised.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°How many are we talking numbers-wise?¡± I asked, trying to get a feel of how big this organization was, and more importantly, how many I might have to fight through in the warehouse above. ¡°Over a hundred, but at this time of day, probably thirty or forty are here. If they spread the alarm, others could arrive in a few minutes,¡± Celeste warned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can take on that many, even with all the consumables. What¡¯s your class, can you help in a fight?¡± I asked. ¡°My class is called a Mana Seer. I specialize in finding missing things and sensing mana, unlike most other seers who try to predict the future or spy on people. These clowns caught me and made me their pet radar dish for finding other summoned beings. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never developed much in the way of combat skills. I have simple weapons proficiency, and a spell that can cloud someone¡¯s mind. Other than that, not much. Most of the time when I¡¯m summoned, I¡¯m matched up with people needing investigations and the like,¡± Celeste explained. ¡°Anything waiting right outside the door?¡± I asked. Her class was interesting, and I would love to discuss it with her after we made it to safety. It seemed that the system was matching her various summonings to her class. I wondered if my summonings were the same deal. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a stairway leading to the warehouse floor. There¡¯s a door at the top of the stairs that leads out onto the warehouse floor,¡± Celeste said. ¡°Give me a moment to think this through,¡± I told her. The numbers were against us, and even pulling out all the stops, I wasn¡¯t sure I could fight my way out of this. We were in a bind, and the only way I could think of getting out of it was to call in someone that I didn¡¯t completely trust. Maybe Celeste could add some insight into who the people were that knocked on my door the other night. ¡°Celeste, I came across two people who tracked me by the summoning energy signature. They didn¡¯t try to force me to do anything, or try to take me into custody, but I¡¯m not sure they¡¯re the good guys either. What do you know about other groups looking for summoned beings?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch. This cult is one of the larger ones, at least in this area, but there are others scattered about. The cult bashes heads with the Grimslade Group on occasion, and I think the cult has called them sworn enemies of their master. I don¡¯t know much about Grimslade other than they¡¯re linked to some corporate shenanigans. This group you encountered; did they give you a name of their organization?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°No, they just left a card with a number on it. From my conversation, I didn¡¯t get the feeling that they had an army at their disposal, which is what we¡¯d need to fight through as many cultists as there are above us,¡± I said. ¡°Well, you can call and ask. I¡¯ve been a prisoner of these guys for over six months. I doubt that whoever the people who contacted you are, they aren¡¯t going to sacrifice you in a ritual, or force you to watch as they torture people,¡± Celeste said. She began shaking and her eyes glazed over. It was like her mind slipped back into the memories of what she had experienced. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s call them,¡± I said, powering up my phone and typing in the number that I had memorized from the card. ¡°Hello,¡± an elderly woman answered. ¡°Hi, someone visited my house in the middle of the night not too long ago. Marie and Randy, I think they were called. They said that you might be able to help me?¡± I asked. ¡°What type of help do you need?¡± the voice on the other end asked. ¡°The summoned being kind,¡± I replied flatly. There was no time to play games or banter back and forth with this person. ¡°Got it, are you in trouble right now, or do you just want to meet up and talk?¡± the voice asked. ¡°Trouble, of the cultist variety,¡± I said. ¡°I see, give me the rundown of what¡¯s going on,¡± the woman said. ¡°I was captured after a summoning and was being interrogated when I managed to escape with the help of another summoned being. We¡¯re trapped in a small basement under a warehouse that¡¯s crawling with cultists,¡± I explained. ¡°Hmm, did they mention someone, or something called Bhalkur?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the thing they worship and sacrifice summoned beings to,¡± I said. ¡°We know about that group. I don¡¯t have the manpower on hand right now to hit them head on. Do you have a combat class? Can you handle yourself in a fight?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I can handle myself, but I can¡¯t take out thirty or more cultists on my own. The other summoned being with me has a non-combat class,¡± I explained. ¡°Got it, the best I can do on short notice is create a distraction and try to pull some of them away from the warehouse. Give me fifteen minutes, and we¡¯ll begin. I¡¯ll text you the word go, when you see it, make a break for it. Head south and one of our people will pick you up,¡± the woman promised. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we have before someone comes down here to investigate, but we¡¯ll be ready to go in fifteen minutes,¡± I replied. ¡°Wait for my signal, then unleash everything you got on these cultists. If they captured you, I don¡¯t need to explain that they¡¯re evil. Fight your way out and don¡¯t stick around any longer than you must,¡± the woman advised. ¡°I have no plans of staying here for a second longer than I have to. We¡¯ll wait for your signal,¡± I replied. The woman ended the call without saying anything else. I¡¯d called on this mysterious group for help, and they promised to do so. Whether I was dropping out of the frying pan and into the fire remained to be seen, but if they could get me out of this bind, I¡¯d give them a chance. Celeste was still a wild card, and I didn¡¯t think that she was all that much of an asset in a fight. Still, she had saved my life and I owed it to her to help get her out of this hellhole. I had the fight of my life ahead of me, a real life or death struggle. Thankfully, I had a pocket full of summoning figurines and the key to a MESS on hand. It was time to unleash a gnomish mech beatdown on these cultists. Chapter 121. Escape Plans. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think I¡¯ll need that figurine back. My class lets me keep these things around for longer,¡± I said as the veteran skeleton and the cat both disappeared only a couple of minutes after Celeste had summoned them. ¡°Fine, but you owe me a replacement,¡± she said, patting the head of my hound as she spoke. I could tell that she wasn¡¯t all there, but after what she¡¯d endured over the last few months would make anyone a bit loopy. ¡°Take this for now, it only has six shots, but the magic missiles it fires are self-targeting, so if you can see your target, you¡¯ll probably hit it. I will want that back after we escape,¡± I told Celeste as I took the figurine back from her and replaced it with the magic missile pistol that I¡¯d received as a reward from the fight on the starship. ¡°Cool, this¡¯ll work,¡± Celeste said, mimicking action poses as she waved the gun around dangerously. ¡°Woah, be careful, the trigger is a bit weird, and you don¡¯t want to accidentally fire that thing,¡± I said, pushing the barrel of the weapon toward the floor as I showed Celeste how it operated. ¡°So, what¡¯s our plan for getting out of here?¡± She asked. ¡°When the other folks give the signal, I¡¯m going to summon a small army and send them up the stars. We¡¯ll follow behind, and once out of the narrow hallway, I have a little, no, make that a big surprise for the cultists. Stay behind me, the hound will protect you. Once we¡¯re out of the warehouse, we run south like the lady on the phone suggested,¡± I explained. ¡°Cool, but what if these other people turn out to be just as bad?¡± Celeste asked, mirroring my fears. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we do the same to them that we¡¯re going to do to the cultists. I¡¯m not going to be anyone¡¯s sacrifice, prisoner, or lab rat,¡± I said with conviction. ¡°Me too, never again,¡± Celeste said with determination. I believed her. I waited for several tense minutes as the time ticked down. With Celeste holding onto the pistol, I liberated a real gun from one of the thugs. They must not have figured they¡¯d have to use them, as each only carried one magazine in their weapons and no spares. I wasn¡¯t a weapons expert, but the sight of a Colt 1911 was rather iconic and while they may be crazy cultists, the thugs had good taste in weapons. The magazine only held seven rounds with another in the chamber, but I wasn¡¯t too concerned, it was only a last resort option. My main firepower was in my summoned creatures. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that. I can¡¯t say for sure why, but something tells me that thing isn¡¯t a normal knife. It¡¯s evil,¡± Celeste warned as I made to pick up the knife that Lucinda had slashed me with. Just thinking about it made my feet throb. The cuts had finally stopped bleeding but had reopened when I put my shoes on. Each step was a painful experience, and I wasn¡¯t exactly going to be up to my full speed when we escaped. My plan was simple. Once I received the word to go from the other group, I¡¯d start summoning. It was time to burn all my resources if I wanted to survive. Minutes passed and I kept waiting to hear someone open the door at the top of the stairs, but Lucinda must have ordered everyone to leave her alone as she tortured and sacrificed me. Minutes ticked by and then my phone dinged to indicate an incoming text. A simple word, Go, was on the screen. They didn¡¯t have to tell me twice and I began pouring mana into summoning figurines. First off were the Halfling Hit Squad. In a puff of mana, ten diminutive halflings appeared. They were all armored in darkened chainmail, with steel plates fastened over vulnerable areas for extra protection. Each held a short spear that would help give them reach over the larger humans they¡¯d fight. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot the leader. He was the one encased in black plate armor with the image of a bloody spear emblazoned on the center of his chest piece. Instead of a single spear and shield, this guy had one spear in each hand. The halflings were small but vicious, and from the way they moved, these were expert fighters. To supplement them, I summoned the advanced ghoul, which hissed at everyone before waiting to hear my commands. A goblin raiding pair, two goblins with primitive gear, joined the party. Activating the last two of my consumable figurines, I added a skeletal warrior, who was just a single skeleton in rusty chainmail with a notched sword, and the wind serpent venom spitter. The serpent was exactly as described, a five-foot-long snake with wings, that I assumed would spit venom on the foes we were about to attack.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°You, open the door up there and then I want everyone to rush the staircase. Once up there attack any cultist you can find, and protect us as we flee,¡± I ordered. My minions would follow my orders to the best of their ability, though I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how they would identify the cultists. Maybe some system trickery would work in my favor, but if not, at least they would attack anyone targeting me or Celeste. ¡°Celeste, when we get up there, I¡¯m going to try this,¡± I said, showing her the MESS key. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it will do, probably create a big mech that I¡¯ll fight with. Once I activate it, use my mech suit as cover as we make our way out of here,¡± I said. She looked scared, and the magic missile pistol in her hand shook along with the rest of her body. At the top of the stairs, one of the halflings threw open the door, and my menagerie of odd, summoned creatures poured out with me and Celeste hot on their heels. For a few crucial seconds nothing happened, then I started to hear shouts of warning, gunfire, and the sounds of combat. I paused at the top of the stairs and took in the chaos. The halflings were in and amongst a large group of cultists who had gathered around one of the roll up doors leading out of the warehouse. A few bodies were already on the ground, but the cultists didn¡¯t hesitate and charged into the fight. Most were armed only with the daggers that seemed to be the signup bonus for joining the cult. More than a few had pistols of various types, which they used to blast away at my summoned army. I willed the MESS key to activate and in a burst of light, I was no longer standing on the floor of the warehouse. Instead, I was strapped into the pilot¡¯s seat of one of the first generation mechs. This one was armed with one long steel spear, and a single magic missile wand launcher over the right shoulder. The mech was familiar to me, and I wasted no time in joining the fight. Magic missiles began to cough out of the launcher as fast as I could trigger them as I stomped my way to the nearest wall. My flashy appearance had attracted more than a bit of attention, and I could hear and feel a few pistol shots pinging of the mech¡¯s armor. It seemed the armor was holding up okay, but I angled myself to protect the cockpit as much as I could. The mech worked great, but there was only one problem with it. My mech was powered by mana, and despite my fuel supply being deep inside the mech, our world was sucking it down quickly. My magic missile wand launcher was also affected, my firing stopped after only six shots as the rest of the mana inside the wand was ripped away. It was fine, the mech didn¡¯t have to get me far, just to the wall where I could make our exit. I stomped my way forward as my army held off most of the cultists. Just when I thought we had things in the bag, a door to the warehouse office opened and a pair of men wielding AK-47s joined the fray, their guns ripping out 7.62mm rounds as fast the weapons could cycle. Half of my halflings were mowed down, but the venom spitter took out one of the shooters before being blasted away. Seeing my mech, the surviving shooter clicked in a fresh magazine and began to rip into the mech. Armor bent and cracked, it was designed to stand up to a ghoul¡¯s claws, not full auto rifle fire. I angled my armor to put as much protection between me and the shooter. A pair of cultists wielding knives charged toward the mech. I wasn¡¯t sure what they thought they were going to do to me, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it happen. With a motion I¡¯d practiced a hundred times when fighting against the necromancer, I swept my spear forward. The blade neatly cut the cultists in half and my mech stomped over the remains as I headed toward the far wall and freedom. The shooter with the AK began a new barrage against my mech. He was out of my line of sight, and I couldn¡¯t target him with a Fail Weapons spell. The shooting stopped as his magazine ran dry. One of my minions must have dealt with him since the AK never started back up again. Something in one of the mech¡¯s legs failed as the limb gave off a horrible grinding noise. I could only drag myself slowly forward, but I was almost at the wall. With a swipe of my spear, I tore through the thin steel shell of the building, opening our escape route for us. My mech suddenly shuddered as something critical went wrong with it and the thing started smoking. Afraid I was going to get burned alive, I hit the hatch release. The hatch was jammed, and I had a bit of trouble prying it open. With a final heave the hatch popped open, and I dropped to the ground. I gave a shout of pain as my feet hit the concrete and I could feel the damaged toes begin to soak my socks with blood. Stumbling toward the opening in the wall, I shouted for Celeste to follow. Looking back, I could see the dog was gone, likely having been destroyed while trying to protect Celeste. It was all for naught, as the young woman lay crumpled on the cold concrete of the warehouse. A round must have ricocheted off my mech and had hit her in the face, killing the poor woman instantly. My army continued to fight the remnants of the cultists, but the battle for me was over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save you, Celeste,¡± I muttered after shuffling over to confirm she was gone. Anger flared, and I picked up the dropped magic missile pistol. My minions had pushed the enemy deeper into the warehouse and as much as I wanted to join them, throwing myself into battle wasn¡¯t going to change what had happened. I had wanted to protect Celeste, to let her taste freedom after being captured and held for so long by the cultists, but she was gone and there was nothing I could do to help. Tears shed for a woman I never got a chance to know rolled down my cheeks as I climbed through the opening in the wall and began to stumble my way south toward what I hoped was freedom. Chapter 122. Finding Refuge. My adrenaline-fueled sprint only lasted about a hundred yards before the pain in my feet overcame the fear of being gunned down from behind. Looking around, I could see I was in an old industrial park. It was dark out, save for a few streetlamps, and I had no idea what city I was in. I could have been out for a while after I had been snatched up by the cultists and I had no idea if a few hours or a few days had passed. I stumble-jogged my way toward the nearest street, trying to figure out which way was south, which was where the other group was supposed to meet me. The sounds of gunfire had grown faint, and it now blended in with the rest of the city noise. A tattered chain link fence separated the industrial area I was in from a street. Squeezing through a gap in the fence, I almost had a heart attack when someone stood up right next to me. ¡°Yo, whaddya have to make so much noise for. Tryin¡¯ ta sleep,¡± an elderly man growled before sitting back down to a pile of blankets and his half-empty bottle. More homeless lined the street, living in tents and abandoned buildings. At the corner, I could see that I was on Crocker Street. It ran north/south so I turned south and started to walk, hoping to blend in with the crowds. I knew this place vaguely as a part of LA that you didn¡¯t want to hang out at after dark. This was Skid Row, and despite its reputation, it was a great place to hide yourself. Nobody bothered me as I shuffled my way south. My mana was down to nine points, but I had the 1911 in the back of my waistband, as well as my magic missile pistol if trouble showed up. I absently chewed a mana tab as I walked, not wanting to face the rest of the night without more mana at my disposal. It managed to bump my mana back up to 17 points, not great but it helped. The tablet was chalky, like an antacid, but it had an odd, savory taste that I found unpleasant. It left an oily coating in my mouth as I chewed it, one that I¡¯d need a soda or something with carbonation to cut through once I had the chance. Thinking about things like the taste of the mana tab helped distract my thoughts from drifting back to Celeste. Now that the adrenaline was all burned off, I began to feel tired which didn¡¯t help my mental state any. There was no sign of the other group that was supposed to help me, but there was a liquor store at the end of the block. The last thing I needed was alcohol, but an energy drink might be just what the doctor ordered. I needed time to think and plan. The store was nasty and dirty, just like you¡¯d expect in this part of town. Shielded behind a bullet proof glass cage, the clerk gave me a cursory glance as he checked out a customer. I must not have looked very threatening to him, a bit too clean cut despite the chaotic night I¡¯d had. Little did he know I was probably the most dangerous person in here. At the cooler in the back, I had my choice of energy drink beverages, the small liquor store having a rather surprising selection of them. I had never been a big energy drink fan, but in a pinch they¡¯d work. The trouble was finding which one wouldn¡¯t make me crash hard after the initial rush of energy. ¡°Mr. Durant, is that you?¡± A woman asked from behind me. I prepared to fire off a Psionic Jolt or Fail Weapons depending on the situation that met me when I turned around. To my relief it was Marie, the woman that had knocked on my door the other night. She was dressed almost like a security guard in tactical pants and vest. It conflicted with the middle-aged woman¡¯s looks. She seemed more like someone¡¯s mom than a secret agent. ¡°Marie, I thought your people were going to provide a distraction? Celeste was killed, and nobody was there to help us,¡± I growled, snapping at Marie and happy to have someone to vent my anger on. ¡°We were there, at least twenty of the cultists, as well as their summoned being leader, chased after my team. You weren¡¯t the only one that lost someone tonight, Randy died pulling heat off of you,¡± Marie snapped back, her words holding the same sharpness and barely restrained emotion as my own. I took a deep breath and tried to tamp back my emotions. It sounded like Marie¡¯s people had tried to help and not only that, at least one had died to allow me the chance to escape. My anger was directed at the wrong person, and I took a moment to calm down before speaking again.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Sorry, we both lost people tonight. I didn¡¯t even really know Celeste, but she saved my life. I¡¯m not sure the effort was worth it, two people gone to help me escape from a cult,¡± I said, trying to come to grips with what had happened tonight. There was no system suppression of my emotions on Earth, and this whole event didn¡¯t have the unreal feeling of a summoning session. ¡°It¡¯s actually three people that died to help you escape, we lost not only Randy and your friend, but another young man who¡¯d only recently joined us. What you can do now is make sure that their sacrifices weren¡¯t in vain. Come with me and we¡¯ll get you somewhere safe,¡± Marie offered. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, turning to follow her out of the dingy store. The clerk started to protest as I began to walk out without paying for the drink in my hand, but Marie pulled out some bills and dropped them on the counter. Once outside, an old Buick sedan with the clearcoat flaking off the paint waited as our ride. It was definitely not as conspicuous as the giant black SUVs of the Grimslade Group, and the car fit in perfectly for the neighborhood we were in. The windows were lightly tinted, but weren¡¯t too dark where the police would be tempted to pull us over. ¡°We¡¯re heading home, but it¡¯ll take us an hour or so to get there,¡± Marie said. The driver just nodded at me once in greeting through the rearview mirror before turning his focus toward the road. ¡°We have time, why don¡¯t you tell me about your group? What are you called?¡± I asked, not wanting to sit in silence with my thoughts. ¡°At first, we were just a group of people who found each other online, some were summoned beings, others were family and friends who wanted to help them. We lost a lot of people before we learned how many others were out there hunting us. For now, we just call ourselves Refuge. There are chapters of our organization across the United States and we¡¯re trying to build up international allies,¡± Marie replied. ¡°What kind of help are you offering, and more important, what do you want from me?¡± I asked. There was no reason to beat around the bush, I wanted to know what their plan was for me, and if was something I didn¡¯t like, I was out of here. Better to be on my own and risk another encounter with cultists, than be some organization¡¯s plaything or lab rat just for the illusion of safety. ¡°We want your help, and in return, you¡¯ll have ours. As for what we can offer, the most important one is a safe place to stay when you¡¯re here on Earth, or at least a safer place than you would have out on your own. Other than that, you¡¯ll have access to our information on summoned beings, different classes, types of summonings we¡¯ve documented, and a host of other little things that can help you not make the mistakes some of the others have,¡± Marie said, pausing to wipe tears from her eyes. She was dealing with loss tonight as well and was probably just as happy to chat as I was. I didn¡¯t detect any deceit in her words, and she seemed genuinely willing to help. Still, I had things I needed to know before I willingly traveled to wherever it was that they were taking me. ¡°What would you have me do if I join you?¡¯ I asked again. ¡°Sorry, I know you¡¯re probably concerned about us doing something horrible to you. All we ask for in return for our help is for you to contribute to our knowledge base. We¡¯ll have people debrief you on your experience as a summoned being and add that to the other information we¡¯ve collected. In addition to contributing what you know, we ask that you help us on certain missions where your particular class and skills might be of use,¡± Marie explained. ¡°Missions? That¡¯s a little vague, can you give me a bit more? Am I going to have to fight cultists and the like? While I¡¯m prepared to defend myself, signing up for some summoned being army isn¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for,¡± I said. ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t be like a soldier or anything. Just if there was a mission where we needed to help another summoned being out of a spot of trouble, you know, like we did for you tonight. It¡¯s not something we do every day, but there might be times when we call on you to help. When that happens, we expect you to answer just like we did when you needed us,¡± Marie said a little sharply. ¡°I get it, and I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t want to help, or at least return the favor. My only concern is that you will use me up as cannon fodder. Your organization saved my life tonight, and I¡¯ll do what I can to pay that debt,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this happened to you Raymond, but together we¡¯ll figure out what¡¯s going on and how to make the most of it,¡± Marie said. ¡°It¡¯s actually not Raymond Durant. My real name is Rico Kline,¡± I offered as a show of trust as I made my decision to join them. People had risked their lives, and some had lost their lives, to save me tonight. I couldn¡¯t save Celeste, but maybe I could save someone else in the future. It was time to choose a side, and these Refuge people appeared to be the good guys. I¡¯d keep my eyes open though, and if they tried anything, my minions and I would be ready. ¡°A pleasure to meet you Rico, you¡¯re not alone in this anymore,¡± Marie said as we shook hands to seal the deal. Chapter 123. Settling in. The rest of the ride passed in silence as both Marie and I were lost in our thoughts. I kept tabs on where we were headed as the Buick traveled south on the 405 Freeway. We exited on Beach Boulevard and headed back toward Huntington Beach. It made sense, Marie and her partner had found where I was staying quickly after I had returned from a summoning. If they hadn¡¯t been close, I doubt they would have reached me so quickly. We pulled into a small apartment complex a few blocks from the beach. The place was a bit older, but well-kept and not nearly as bad as some of the motels I¡¯d been forced to stay at. Marie motioned for me to exit as the driver parked in one of the spaces marked for residents. ¡°I¡¯m Julio, by the way, sorry, it didn¡¯t seem like you were in the mood for chatting while we were driving,¡± the driver said, introducing himself. Julio was middle aged and a bit pudgy. Not exactly threatening, but with magic and whatnot, looks could be deceiving. ¡°Thanks Julio, I think it was a rough night for everyone,¡± I offered as I shook his hand. ¡°We can jump right in if you want, Rico, or you can get some sleep first, your call,¡± Marie said. ¡°Where will I stay?¡± I asked. ¡°Let me find out. We own this apartment building, I just need to figure out which room is open for you,¡± Marie replied fishing out her phone and calling someone. An older lady, maybe the one I had talked to on the phone, walked out and handed Marie a key and a small bag of toiletries that Marie handed over to me. ¡°Number 33. It should be on the second floor up there,¡± she pointed to the room. It faced the street and would give me a good view of whoever might be lurking nearby. It would also grant me a quick escape route if I needed it. ¡°Thanks, can we get together in the morning? I think I need a good night¡¯s sleep and some time to process everything,¡± ¡°No problem, just come down to the apartment office when you¡¯re up. There¡¯ll be some breakfast there and we can get started on your debrief and what future plans we might need to make. You¡¯ll also probably need to do some shopping since it isn¡¯t safe to return to where you had been staying. ¡°Goodnight, we¡¯ll talk in the morning,¡± I said, waving to the pair as I walked up the stairs to my new apartment. The place was small, but it was furnished with things about as nice as I had in my first apartment that I had been forced to abandon when the summonings began. Despite how exhausted I felt, I had a hard time going to sleep. I watched TV for a while and kept walking through the apartment, afraid someone was about to come crashing through the front door or leap out from a closet. Eventually, sleep took me as I sat on a chair by the window. The sun coming through the window woke me up and I paid for sleeping on a chair all night with a sharp pain every time I turned my head to the right. After a quick shower, I headed down to find the apartment manager¡¯s office. There was a second apartment building behind the one I was in, and the office was there, in the bottom floor corner. It was just a converted apartment, and when I stepped inside, the place was bustling with activity. Couches and several chairs were placed in the front room and people were chowing down on bacon and eggs. The whole apartment was filled with the divine smell of cooked bacon, and I found my mouth watering as I looked for Marie or someone who could tell me where I was supposed to go. ¡°Rico, over here,¡± Marie said, waiving me over toward the kitchen area where a buffet had been set out. Trays of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and hashbrowns were beckoning me. ¡°Is this the new guy? He doesn¡¯t look like much,¡± A young man that looked like he should be in high school said. ¡°Leave him alone Elliot, Rico just got here,¡± Marie chided. The kid, Elliot, just shrugged and began filling his plate with eggs and bacon. ¡°This was unexpected,¡± I said pointing at the food. ¡°It¡¯s Friday, we do breakfast every Friday as a group. Jeanette, who you probably talked to on the phone when you called us, used to own a bed and breakfast. She does an amazing job with the food. It¡¯s best to get on her good side, if you do, you¡¯ll be well fed,¡± Marie said with a grin. ¡°So, what happens now?¡± I asked. ¡°First, we eat, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re as hungry as I am. After that, we can head out and chat. I¡¯d like to get a rundown on your experience as a summoned being and how your class operates,¡± Marie explained. ¡°That sounds good, especially the eating part,¡± I said, following Marie as she grabbed a plate and began filling it with breakfast.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I¡¯ve always been a fast eater, and it didn¡¯t take me long to finish off my breakfast. I offered to help with dishes, which Jeanette declined, telling me I had more important things to do this morning. There was a vague warning that my dishwashing skills would be put to the test in the future. When we were both done eating, Marie led me outside to a bench placed in the shade of a tree next to the neatly trimmed lawn. ¡°How long have you been a summoned being?¡± Marie asked, starting out with the easy questions. ¡°I¡¯ve kind of lost track of the time. It¡¯s hard when you spend a lot of your time in other worlds but when I come back here, hardly any time has passed. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say a couple of months,¡± I offered. ¡°Okay, that should put you around tier one now, maybe the early to middle ranks of that tier if you¡¯re doing well,¡± Marie said. ¡°Exactly, I¡¯m tier one, rank two right now. I¡¯m a class called Foe Summoner. Now, I¡¯ve answered a few of your questions, can you answer some for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, if I know the answer, I¡¯d be glad to share it with you,¡± Marie offered. A thousand things ran through my mind, and it was hard to decide on one. ¡°How many people here are summoned beings, and what tiers and ranks are they?¡± I asked. It might be helpful to know who I might be working with, or if things went sideways, who I might need to fight. ¡°Here at the apartment complex, there¡¯s only four of us. There were five, but we lost Randy last night,¡± Marie said, pausing for a minute as she fought back emotion. ¡°He was tier two, rank three. His class was called Elemental Shield Master and it blended strong defenses with elemental attacks. He died shielding our distraction team from the cultist¡¯s summoned being,¡± Marie said. ¡°Who is the cultist¡¯s summoned being, and how powerful is he?¡± I asked. ¡°His exact tier and rank are unknown, but we estimate that he¡¯s at least tier three. He¡¯s a class called Plague Warrior and likes to get up close into melee. His body releases toxins while he fights, weakening or killing his foes,¡± Marie said. ¡°Sounds nasty, not someone I want anywhere close to me. What about the other summoned beings here?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m a tier one, rank five Illusionist. It allows me to detect illusions, hidden items, and grants me the ability to track mana. I¡¯m the one that helps to track down other summoned beings. As for the others here, the young man you met earlier, Elliot, he¡¯s just tier zero, rank 6. He doesn¡¯t have his class yet, but if pain in the butt is a class, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what he¡¯ll earn,¡± Marie said before pausing to take a breath. ¡°Jeanette is now the highest ranking summoned being here. She¡¯s tier two, rank nine and has a support class called Homesteader. It¡¯s been a great help, and if you could access the system here on Earth, you¡¯d see that the breakfast she made probably bumped a random stat for you that will last for most of the day.¡± ¡°What else does a Homesteader do?¡± I asked, more than a bit curious about the strange sounding class. ¡°It bolsters the defenses of wherever she lives, in this case, an alarm will sound if anyone with hostile intent nears the property. She¡¯s also the reason we can¡¯t be tracked, even after being summoned. Her ability blocks all forms of scrying or mana detection for her guests. At higher tiers, she can turn a place like this into a mini fortress, but that¡¯s in the future. ¡°For now, we¡¯re happy to have her food buffs and other maintenance skills. Our last summoned being is a young man named Quinn. He¡¯s a more traditional warrior type, called a Quest Knight. Quinn just got his class and is still tier one, rank zero. He¡¯s got a lot to learn, so he¡¯s probably in his room poring over our database,¡± Marie said. ¡°Can I access the database? I¡¯d love to research things, there¡¯s a guy in Somhagen that sells information, but if you¡¯ve already collected it, it could save me a lot of coin,¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yeah, I take it that you¡¯ve met Lavelle. As for the database library, it¡¯s all online, here, take this. It¡¯s secure and if you¡¯re physically on the property, it¡¯ll allow you access to the library database that we''re constantly building,¡± Marie said, handing me a new phone. I looked at it a bit skeptically. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s protected. Your location is masked, and you can¡¯t be tracked by it from anyone outside our organization,¡± Marie tried to assure me. ¡°I¡¯ve had a run in with some corporate goons from the Grimslade Group, and I suspect they have the tech or the connections in government to have my phones tracked,¡± I offered. ¡°We know of them, and there¡¯s a mutual understanding that they stay out of our business, and we stay out of theirs. Now that you¡¯re with us, they¡¯ll call off their dogs. The only people who can track that phone is our group, and even then, we¡¯d only use it to help find you if you¡¯re in danger,¡± Marie said. ¡°The Grimslade people tried to kidnap me, and you¡¯re on friendly terms with them?¡± I asked, a little worried that the organization I¡¯d just joined may not be all sunshine and rainbows. ¡°Not friendly, just not hostile. We trade information on certain threats, like the cultists you ran into. In fact, I suspect they¡¯re going to try to wipe them out in the not-too-distant future. There are more than a few groups like that cult running around, I¡¯m afraid to say. I don¡¯t like how Grimslade operates, but I also don¡¯t feel the need to go to war with them over it. For now, we have an uneasy truce,¡± Marie explained. ¡°Got it, I understand that you can¡¯t fight everyone,¡± I admitted. ¡°True, but there are lines we won¡¯t cross. Holding people against their will is one of those. Look, I have a few things to handle this morning, so I¡¯m afraid I have to cut this short and leave for a while. Take a look at the database while I¡¯m gone, I suspect a lot of questions you might have will be answered there. While you¡¯re perusing it, make sure to submit anything you might know that¡¯s missing from our records. This is a work in progress and every bit of information we can find might help someone in the future,¡± Marie said. ¡°What about if I want to leave the apartment? I need to get clothes and some other things. All I have is what was on me when I was kidnapped,¡± I asked. ¡°Go see Jeanette when she¡¯s done with breakfast. She¡¯ll get you a car to use, and arrange for IDs, credit cards, cash, and whatever else you might need. Check the database, we support our people, but you¡¯ll be expected to contribute a portion of what you earn when you can,¡± Marie said as she stood to leave. ¡°Can¡¯t avoid tax, even as a summoned being,¡± I joked. ¡°True, though I think you¡¯ll get far more out of Refuge than you put in,¡± Marie said as she walked away. I hoped she was right, but only time would tell. Chapter 124. Database Dive. Marie was true to her word, and Jeanette provided me with a couple hundred dollars in cash, as well as a key to the crappy Buick. It was transportation, and it was free, so I wasn¡¯t complaining. I¡¯d have to share the car with a few others, but if it wasn¡¯t being used, I could take it when I wanted to. Jeanette also said she could get me a new driver¡¯s license and a credit card to use. Her class allowed her some system mumbo jumbo to create them, and I wasn¡¯t going to complain. In return, she wanted one of my mana tabs, which I gladly handed over. If she was going to burn mana to get me squared away, the least I could do was help refill her mana pool. I drove over to a few stores that were close to the apartment, purchasing some more clothes and some groceries for the fridge. Jeanette¡¯s class made a mean breakfast, but she was only able to do that occasionally. Other than those special meals, I was on my own. Being able to go out without hiding and worrying about people trying to capture me was a huge relief. Sure, the cultists were still out there, but unless I was summoned, they wouldn¡¯t have any idea where I was. With all my personal needs squared away, I dove into the database. It was well organized, despite there being some rather huge gaps in the information. First, I dug into general information on summoned beings. There was no good estimate on how many of us there were, but the group speculated that the numbers were increasing. It seemed that as Earth slowly absorbed mana, the system was able to exert more influence over the planet. How long the summoned beings had been around was a mystery. The first chapters of what would become Refuge were founded in the 1970s and nobody had information on summoned beings going back much further than that time. The speculation was that summoned beings had been around for way longer, but the numbers of summoned beings in the past would have been minuscule since the mana levels wouldn¡¯t support very many. It was also doubtful that anyone in the past would document their experience, they would have been considered nuts or probably burned at the stake for their powers. When one summoned being died, the system was able to select another, usually from a nearby match. Minerva had explained that to me before, but the database also confirmed that a new summoned being would always be in the same general area. It was thought that the system needed us in specific places to keep seeding mana in those areas. When that area finally had amassed enough mana, a new summoned being position would be opened, and a fresh candidate recruited by the system. Everything was leading toward our world eventually gathering enough mana for the system to integrate it. The numbers were all over the place regarding when they thought this integration would happen. Some figured we were close, and others estimated the integration was centuries in the future. Hopefully I¡¯d be around to see it. Sure, things would be chaotic, but at least I¡¯d be ahead of the curve, along with all the other summoned beings. Thinking about that, I delved into who the highest-ranking summoned beings were. That¡¯s where I hit a snag, the highest recorded in the database was only tier four. It seemed that gaining tiers and ranks got progressively more difficult, and before long, everyone seemed to either run into a fatal situation they couldn¡¯t get out of, or just disappeared. I was warned to never become complacent in my abilities. No matter how strong I became, there was always a threat out there that could beat me. While I was sure that dangers here on Earth, and during the various summonings claimed more than a few victims, I suspected the overwhelming majority simply decided to pull up stakes and move elsewhere once they had the power and means to do so. It was something I was still on board for, and I wanted to move to Somhagen or some other world once I could afford it. While perusing the database I came across the tax requirement for the group. We were expected to bring at least 20% of what we earned during our summonings back. It would be used to keep Refuge going and provide for our day-to-day expenses. The group had various contacts that would convert the raw metals, gems, and other valuables into cash, and they could do so at a rate far better than I would get at pawn shops and the like. The 20% seemed like a lot to give up, but if they could give me safe shelter, spending money, and transportation, it would be worth it. I figured much of what I was giving up would be offset by the considerably better exchange rates on our precious metals that we were given by the people that handled things here. Even better, they could give me access to real bank accounts, and the documents that Jeanette provided were real and would even pass a government screening.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I skimmed through a lot of the summoned being information. Much of it was stuff I¡¯d already known. There was a rather extensive list of summoning types and how they were broken down by classes. The class you held determined the types of summonings you were qualified for. There was some crossover and even non-combat classes could be summoned into a battle. I¡¯d had a rather odd mix of summonings and was able to add a bit here and there to the database on different encounters. In particular, my summoning aboard Serapis was something I hadn¡¯t seen documented. Alien space wizards being tracked down by terminator robots was a new one for Refuge. From what I could gather, most of my summonings would be for combat-related or other potentially dangerous situations, which fit my class. Class descriptions were all over the board, and I added the basic information of my class to the sub-category of summoners. It was interesting to find that most classes had at least one summoning spell or ability offered to them. The consensus was that we all had experience with being summoned, so the system granting us a summoning spell was a natural fit to almost any class. I thought back to one of my earlier summonings, when I had been summoned by the guy in Nigeria named Isaac. A few instances of being summoned by another summoned being were recorded, but it was a very rare occurrence. I documented my experience and wondered if Isaac was a member of something similar to Refuge. I scanned the information on the database for hitting tier two. It looked like I had quite a bit to look forward to when I finally reached it. Most classes would evolve at tier two, and most changed quite a bit from the standard way the system operated things. More basic classes would plod along the same, but stuff that was a bit more unique, like my Foe Summoner class, could have completely altered mechanics. I was the only Foe Summoner listed in the database, so I couldn¡¯t confirm what awaited me at tier two. The arena would become another option when I hit that tier, but this time, I¡¯d have to pay for it. From what the others had experienced, if you at least placed in the middle of the pack, you¡¯d would likely earn more than you spent to enter. The cost to enter for tier two varied, but it was a healthy sum of anywhere from 25-50 gold. I¡¯d done well on the first visit, and hopefully that trend will continue. I was sort of looking forward to the arena again, and from what I understood, the type of challenge could change drastically from what I¡¯d already experienced. Since I was closing in on rank five for my tier, I would have another Somhagen visit in the not-too-distant future. There was a rating for the various shops as well as a rundown of where the best place was to find different items. The summoned market was the only place to spend summoning points, and those were best used for abilities, skills, or other items not easily found in the other shops. Cash was king everywhere else, and I could expect a fresh restock for most shops every few days. Staying in Somhagen would still be prohibitively expensive, and there were dangers involved as I found out during my last visit. That was another entry I was able to contribute to the database, my experience with the creepy leech girl thing that had crawled through the window of my room at the inn. A scan showed only a few other entries on creatures attacking you in the city, and most of those occurred when the summoned being decided to poke around in areas they shouldn¡¯t, like the sewers. There were other dangers besides creatures that slipped into attack you in your room. Most of the warnings revolved around bad summoning contracts and which companies and individuals to avoid. I also found it interesting that some of the merchants in the city would offer contracts to summoned beings to provide security for their shops. These were typically lucrative and highly sought after as they usually include a free stay while on the job. I was probably too low of a tier and rank to attract the eye of shopkeepers just yet, but at least I knew it was possible. There were also some reviews of the various information brokers for each tier of the city. Lavelle stood out for the first tier, and one named Rhett seemed to be the go-to for the second. Much of what I would have paid for on my next visit was already documented here. Mostly, I had some good general arena strategies for the various types of formats. Some of the information was unable to be shared, the system filtering it out if we tried to document it. The database also explained several types of arena challenges that could be offered. My arena experience seemed to be a bit of a hodgepodge of mini versions of various challenges thrown into one. There were also ones that weren¡¯t combat related at all, though those seemed to me more on the rare side. I kind of felt sorry for the support classes, they didn¡¯t have much of a chance for most of the challenges. I suspected many didn¡¯t bother with the arena after the first one or two. There was a wealth of information, and I dug in whenever I had some free time. My days flowed into a pattern now, I¡¯d help some of the others out with things around the apartment or go along with some of the other people when they went to place more sensors around the city so we could detect summonings. My class allowed my summoned figurines to reset automatically, which was seen as a huge benefit by the group. I became the defacto bodyguard for many of the others when they were out and about, since I could always summon help if we needed it. Only three days into my stay with Refuge, A headache began building. After a short while, the familiar prompt appeared. You are Summoned! Chapter 125. The Wall. The familiar blue portal opened inside my apartment, and I stepped through, feeling a bit better about it this time. Jeanette¡¯s ability would shield the summoning portal energy signature. I was safe and didn¡¯t have to worry about a cult standing there, ready to snatch me up when I returned. Being part of a group was already paying dividends. My personal space looked the same as before, and as I suspected, Melvin was practicing away inside the training center. The first summoning portal was already appearing on the wall, so I wouldn¡¯t pull Melvin away from his fun. I only had a few minutes before I would be forced into the summoning, A look at my loadout showed that the cupboard was bare on consumable figurines, I only had Verdigrim and Melvin¡¯s cube launcher thing left. Back home, I had nothing but my class figurines. Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine was also still on cooldown. It was supposed to take quite a while, which made sense given that it was a permanent item. Maybe it was time to shake up my loadout. I¡¯d had the hound, Rupert, and either Marvin Glum or the Ghoul for a while now. My total mana had was up to 90 and I could support a bit more being reserved for figurines while keeping a good supply on hand for spells. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try out a quantity over quality approach and see how it went. There wasn¡¯t time to test new loadouts with my higher mana pool, but taking a chance on a summoning shouldn¡¯t be too much of a risk. I dropped Marvin Glum and, in his place, added all three of my tier zero, rank five minions. The zombie, Lillia Farwind, and the Juvenile Cave Spider all had their strengths and weaknesses, and it would be good to see them in action. My reserved mana was up to 75 from the trio I selected, and when I added Rupert to the mix, I was at 80/90. After deducting my Presence score, my reserved mana was down to 74/90. That left me sixteen mana for summoning or casting spells, but I still had mana potions and mana tabs in my loadout for emergencies. I confirmed my choices and with the loadout completed, I stepped through the summoning portal. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the war mage Ix.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 2.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is combat related. The likelihood of combat is considered high. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Full compliance is active.
  7. Your current armory loadout has been activated.
I stepped through the portal onto the battlements of a stone wall. Smoke filled the late afternoon air, and the sounds of combat were heard all around me. A quick check of the summoning link led to a disheveled young man with a bald head and days of grit coating the bright yellow robes he wore. I didn¡¯t need the summoning link to recognize the pain of an empty mana pool etched on his face. ¡°You, man this wall, hold them back for as long as you can,¡± he ordered. My attention turned to the attackers who were even now charging across an open stretch of ground to reach the walls. The attackers appeared human, huge men wearing just crude leather clothing. None wore armor, and many didn¡¯t even have a shirt. All were proudly displaying various symbols and patterns painted onto their bare flesh. They were too far away to make out much else in the way of details, but I could see that most held large, round wooden shields that also had patterns painted on them. The weapon of choice seemed to be oversized hand axes, but more than a few swords and spears were in the mix. A low humming sound was heard from the attackers, and with so many out there, the sound was ominous and a bit unnerving. I pulled out my gnomish hammer in one hand, and my magic missile wand in the other as I took in my fellow defenders. The long wall held only one defender every five or so feet, way too few if the attacking force managed to climb over. This also wasn¡¯t the only wall defending this place, in the distance, I could see another outer wall had been breached, which was where all the attackers were coming from. The smaller inner wall I was on surrounded a large keep. Between the walls was open ground, piled with rubble where structures had recently been razed. Homes and businesses had once filled the area between the walls, but they had all been destroyed, either during some kind of siege bombardment, or purposely by the defenders to deny their attackers cover as they charged forward. The open ground didn¡¯t seem to be much of an advantage, as only one in ten of the defenders was armed with a ranged weapon. Those that did have a ranged weapon were firing continuously, but it appeared everyone was low on ammo. A few younger teens were running crossbow bolts and arrows up to the archers, but the bundles they carried were small, and probably would only work out to another five or six shots for each archer.Stolen story; please report. I was the only summoned being on the wall, and the other defenders seemed to be residents of this place. Each was armored with a padded hauberk with steel breastplate secured over it. About half had longswords and shields, while the other half was equipped with halberds. Everyone looked exhausted and more than a few were sporting recently bandaged wounds. The gate on this wall was just about fifty yards from where I was positioned. A thicker knot of defenders was placed in that vulnerable area. On the ground behind the gate, a small phalanx of halberdiers stood ready to defend the gateway if it was breached. My summoner looked over the wall at the attackers, then back toward the village and small keep that were protected by the wall. A mass of civilians and wounded soldiers were slowly filing through the main street and into the keep. The keep wasn¡¯t anywhere near large enough to hold all those people, so there must have been a portal or escape tunnel inside. Whatever they were using to escape, the process was slow and if the enemy got over the walls it would be a massacre. ¡°Hold here, I must see to the evacuation,¡± the mage who summoned me ordered. He climbed down a nearby ladder, flanked by two defenders who looked to be his bodyguards. They joined the throng of evacuees, and he was hopefully safe, as his death would end my summoning, and it looked like these people could use all the help they could get. With the wave of attackers drawing near, I began to summon my team. First out was Lillia, who stood ready with spear and shield. Next out was the spider, who I hid behind a crenelation where it could get the bite on anyone that tried to climb over the wall. I could see that many of the attackers held ladders and the wall wasn¡¯t all that high and would be easily scaled. The zombie was placed to the other side of me, downwind where his stench wouldn¡¯t distract me. I could see many of the defenders were not happy with the stench emanating from the undead creature, but they seemed to know the rotting zombie was on their side, so they didn¡¯t complain too much. Last out was Rupert who I was able to scrounge up a sword for. While the defenders might be down to the dregs of their ammo, weapons and armor were plentiful after the losses they had sustained during what must have been a protracted siege. With the last of my team summoned and ready to fight, the attackers had neared the wall and were now within range of my wand. Using a crenelation for cover, I popped out and fired each time the wand was off its cooldown. No return fire hit, the attackers were solely a melee force, but I didn¡¯t take any chances. I didn¡¯t know these people I was defending, but the attackers didn¡¯t seem like the type to spare women and children once they forced their way through. One after another my wand fired out magic missiles. Each shot was a hit, but the attackers were sturdy folk and could often absorb one hit without falling. Now that they were close, I could see the attackers all looked like bodybuilders turned into extras for a sword and sorcery film. I fired off my last missile and pulled back out of sight, waiting for the ladders to hit the wall. A quick check behind me showed the crowd was still massing outside the keep, but the queue was slowly thinning as more and more made it inside. A ladder clacked against the wall, and I had the zombie move up to push it over. At first, he tried to just push it away from the wall, which only caused the ladder to move a few inches then thump back into place. I had to yell at him to push it to the side. It was easier to knock over that way and it also might hit another ladder as it fell. The ladder slid to the side, but before it fell, a large hand grabbed onto the wall and an enemy warrior started to haul himself up. My zombie didn¡¯t need any urging and lurched forward battering the lone warrior¡¯s hands and sinking his teeth into the top of the man¡¯s head. With a grunt of pain, the man slipped from the wall, shouting curses as he fell. The ladder didn¡¯t reappear, but it didn¡¯t have to, at least a half dozen other ladders were in place and hordes of attackers were climbing onto the walls. At first, our forces seemed to do okay, but the sheer number of attackers gained a foothold on the wall after only a short time. Once on the wall, the enemy easily hacked their way through the defenders. The wall a lost cause, the only thing I could think of was defending the nearby ladder that led down to the courtyard. My summoner had demanded that I defend the wall, so I couldn¡¯t climb down myself and join the growing line of soldiers forming up behind the people evacuating into the keep. A horn sounded and the last of the defenders fled, moving to join their fellows at the final defensive live. That left me alone with my minions and a horde of berserk attackers charging toward us. I contemplated using one of my consumables, but even Verdigrim or the gelatinous cube launcher would hardly slow this mass of attackers down. All of my minions fought hard, but we were overwhelmed in seconds. I managed to get one swing of my hammer in, crushing the chest of an attacker. The next attacker landed an axe hit that split my chest open. In the moment before the news that I was dead reached my brain, I watched as Riposte activated and my hammer swung out to smash my killer in the face with gnomish steel. Your heart has been cleaved by an axe and you have died. Your summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 2, and your performance rating of Average. You have earned 4 experience points. Congratulations, you have reached tier 1, rank 3. You have earned 3 summoning points. You have gained 1 point in Presence. You have unlocked a class feature. Chapter 126. Shaking up the Roster. I was transported back to my personal space in a flash, and I couldn¡¯t resist making sure there wasn¡¯t a huge axe wound in my chest. Just like always, I was fine, but sometimes, my mind just wouldn¡¯t accept it. I knew the system suppressed some of the trauma, but I guess it let though a bit to remind me that I was still human. Shaking off the last summoning, I headed to the reward chest to see what I received. This time, I sorted by the new items, then pulled up a total to look at. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 67.
  2. Silver coins, 17.
  3. Small gems, 2.
Total Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 2,204.
  2. Silver coins, 215.
  3. Gold coins, 11.
  4. Small gems, 14.
  5. High-quality gems, 4.
  6. Fine gems, 1.
While the last summoning didn¡¯t exactly net me a fortune, I was glad to see the totals were getting up there to a respectable number. One thing I¡¯d held off on spending were the gems. I had no idea how to put a price on them and had always worried that I was getting ripped off. Maybe it would be good to bring those back home. The people at Refuge should be able to get me a fair price and take their cut at the same time. Even more important than the cash rewards was the message I¡¯d received at the end of my last summoning. I had unlocked something from my class. Normally, I¡¯d get something every five ranks or so, but if the system wanted to start doling out rewards every few ranks, I¡¯d be more than happy with it. The frequency of class upgrades and options would be something I needed to research in the Reforged database. Of course, my class was supposed to be a bit unique, so it might not parallel others that closely. New Class Ability: Lend Skills and Abilities. This class ability allows you to share one of your existing skills and abilities with a single summoned minion. You must select the skill and who it will be shared with in your loadout. Only one skill or ability may be shared at any time. While this skill is shared, you will not be able to personally utilize it. Interesting, and the new skill made me wonder if there might be a class ability down the road that would share skills in the other direction. Who wouldn¡¯t want their melee attacks to inflict paralysis like a ghoul¡¯s attacks could. I¡¯d been a while since I had checked out my complete status, and since the next summoning hadn¡¯t arrived, I figured it was a good time for a review. Rico Kline, Foe Summoner. Tier 1, Rank 3. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 2/25. Summoning points: 33. Gear Score, 146/165. Stats: Strength, 12. Agility, 11. Constitution, 11. Mind, 18. Presence, 7. Current Mana, 37/90. Reserved mana, 53. Mana core upgrades:
  1. Rift travel containment field.
  2. Core Shielding, Stage 1. (5 mana).
Skills and Abilities:
  1. Basic bludgeoning weapons skill.
  2. Basic Unarmed Combat.
  3. Light armor proficiency. Reduces the gear cost of all light armor by 5.
  4. Lockpick/Disarm Device.
  5. Linguistic adaptation interface.
  6. Riposte.
  7. Consumable planner.
  8. Lend Skills.
  9. Open.
Stolen novel; please report. Resistances:
  1. Curse of Undeath, minor.
Spell Book: Cantrips.
  1. Psionic Jolt. Mana cost 2. Gear cost 5.
  2. Redirect. Mana cost 2. Gear cost 5.
Tier 0 spells:
  1. Fail Weapons. Mana cost 4. Gear cost 10.
  2. Empower Minion. Mana cost 4, gear cost 10.
Tier 1 spells:
  1. Duplicate, mana cost 10, gear cost 20.
It looked like my new class ability took up one of the few open slots I had for skills and abilities. There was only one open slot remaining, but I would get another when I reached rank five. There was always the possibility of finding another of those scrolls that added a slot, and Minerva had said it was common to get at least one as a reward at some point in between each tier. ¡°Melvin, I¡¯m going to need the training center for a bit, sorry to cut off your fun,¡± I said to my friend as he slithered out from the training center. He sent feelings over our link that where the gelatinous cube equivalent of ¡°no problem¡±. To start things off, I summoned Rupert and lent him a skill that I didn¡¯t use all that much, Riposte. I summoned one of the weakest creatures on the figurine display, something called a Sickly Goblin. It was accurately described, and the goblin appeared with a sharpened stick to use as a spear, as well as a bad case of the sniffles. I had the goblin disarm itself and begin attacking Rupert. Its hits barely did any damage, and after four or five strikes, the goblin had a hacking fit as his illness got the better of him. Rupert took the limited damage like a champ, and after a dozen hits, Riposte activated, and he punched the goblin right in the runny nose. The goblin let out a squawk and stumbled back. The tests continued and the goblin was eventually defeated by Rupert just triggering Riposte. My only problem with using the skill myself was the fact that I had to use it in melee combat. Now, I could give it one of my minions to use, and I¡¯d get much more mileage out of it. The question became which minion did I bestow the skill upon. I¡¯d have to rethink my lineup, and before I made any decisions, I tried out the skill on all my various minion options. So far, Riposte seemed like the best candidate to share with minions out of all my skills and abilities. Other than basic skills in weapons and armor, everything else was class related. If this worked out well, it¡¯d help to shape the types of skills and abilities I was willing to purchase. So far, I¡¯d been leaning away from the melee combat oriented ones in favor of stuff that synergized with my class. My various minions went through the training center, each testing out how well Riposte worked against different opponents. In the end, the best fit for the ability seemed to be the ghoul, with Marvin Glum in close second. Everything else wasn¡¯t quite durable enough and would likely die before the ability had a chance to trigger. I needed to shuffle my lineup again, bringing the ghoul back into the party. In addition to the ghoul, I added Lillia Farwind and Rupert. After the discount for my Presence stat, I was using up 73/90. It was a good mix of troops and at rank four, I¡¯d get another point in my mind stat which would let me add my hound back into the loadout without feeling too pressed for mana. Riposte was linked to the ghoul, who would get the most out of it. A quick check of the return gauge showed that I had only filled in about 15% so far. I¡¯d have several more summonings before I would be able to head home. With my lineup ready to go, I jumped into the armory. I equipped just about everything I could, even adding my old mace so I could give it to Rupert when I summoned him. I had the system itemize my gear, and with my new rank, the maximum gear score had increased to 165. Current Loadout. Gear Score: 150/165. Armor and Weapons:
  1. Gnomish Warhammer of Undead Slaying. Gear cost, 50.
  2. Magic Missile Wand. Gear cost, 10.
  3. Studded Leather Armor. Gear cost, 25(20).
  4. Simple Mace. Gear cost 10.
Miscellaneous Gear:
  1. Headband of the Apprentice Summoner. Gear cost 10.
  2. Fitzfazzle Figurine (inactive).
  3. Everburn torch.
  4. Pack of holding.
  5. Linked belt.
Spells: Cantrips.
  1. Psionic Jolt. Mana cost 2. Gear cost 5.
Teir 0 spells.
  1. Fail Weapons. Man cost 4. Gear cost 10.
  2. Empower Minion. Mana cost 4. Gear cost 10.
Tier 1 spells.
  1. Duplicate. Mana cost 10. Gear cost 20.
Consumables:
  1. Notice of Cessation. Gear cost 5 (4).
  2. Ring of Duplicate, 2 charges. Gear cost, 2 (1).
  3. Potion of Mirror Image.
  4. Elixir of Life.
  5. Salve of the Flame Mage.
  6. Minor healing potions (3). Gear cost 0.
  7. Minor mana potions (3). Gear cost 0.
I was happy with my loadout, but I really missed having the extra consumable figurines. The ones I did have, I was going to save for when I returned home. As it stood, I¡¯d used up everything to escape the cultists. That¡¯s what they were for, to save me in a tight spot, so I didn¡¯t begrudge their use. After sorting things out with my lineup and loadout, I got in a few more training sessions. After I was confident in my picks for the team, I let Melvin know that the training center was all his. I¡¯d dropped the mana in there down to about fifteen percent, but it should regenerate in a short time and my cube buddy could get back to work. A new system prompt appeared at almost the exact instant I sat in my rocking chair. You are Summoned! Chapter 127. Doing Laps. I stepped into the portal, as prepared as I could be for my next summoning. Once was inside the portal, the summoning parameters appeared. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by Grand Sage Bila.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 3.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is training related. The chance of combat during this summoning session is considered very low.
  6. Full compliance is active.
  7. Your current armory loadout has been activated.
After a moment¡¯s disorientation, I found myself standing next to a podium on the stage of a huge auditorium. The speaker at the podium was my summoner, and he wasn¡¯t what I expected a grand sage to be. Instead of some humanoid standing behind the podium, it was a big, fluffy housecat with orange and white fur. Cat or not, it was somehow able to speak out to its audience, who I couldn¡¯t see because of the lights pointed at the stage we were on. ¡°Now that our subject is here, let me ascertain his capability. You, summoned creature, tell us your species and then your tier and rank,¡± the cat summoner demanded. ¡°I¡¯m a human and my tier is one and my rank is three,¡± I answered, a bit confused over what was going on. ¡°Excellent,¡± the summoner replied before turning his attention back to the audience. ¡°Now, we have here an average example of a human male in the prime of his life. He should make a fine subject for tonight¡¯s experiment. Now can someone review for the class, what the intent of this education module is, and how do you think our subject here will fare,¡± the cat said, standing and stretching like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. It looked like the Grand Sage Bila was about to start grooming himself, like all cats seem to do when they¡¯re bored, but he restrained himself when a voice from the students in the audience sounded out. ¡°Professor, the current education module focusses on the strengths and weaknesses of the various humanoid species. In particular, you sought to compare their endurance to that of one of our species,¡± the student said in the smug voice of someone who thought they knew everything. ¡°Correct. How can we ascertain the extent of our species¡¯ superiority if we do not understand how the other, lesser beings function. For tonight¡¯s exercise, we¡¯ll monitor the stamina of this human as he does something I know we all detest, swimming,¡± my summoner said. I was not a fan of experiments, but I was a fan of swimming, just not doing so in full armor and weapons. ¡°Professor, how do we know this human doesn¡¯t have a class that would make him excel at or be hampered excessively in this experiment,¡± A student called out. ¡°There it is, that¡¯s what I was looking for, one of you to show initiative and consider the experiment at more than face value. Yes, knowing a summoned creature¡¯s class can be very important. You there, summoned human, tell us, do you have a class that grants you any physical empowerment, or some System generated exceptional swimming ability?¡± the summoner asked. ¡°No, my class has neither of those,¡± I said. The question was open enough that I could have given my class information, and I wasn¡¯t getting good vibes from this one. The less information I disclosed, the better. ¡°Ah, very good, let¡¯s get started shall we. I want everyone in the marked rows to be aware that you may be in the splash zone. If you are willing to risk a splash, you will find a closer view more advantageous. In keeping with the spirit of no advantages or disadvantages, I¡¯ll have the human remove his gear before entering the pool,¡± the professor said as he tapped his paw at several glowing buttons on the podium. With a slow rumble, the section of floor right in front of the podium began to open. Some of the seating sections were also moving back as the floor shifted to reveal a large swimming pool. There were magical lights placed inside the water, allowing me to see that the water was clean and clear.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Strip down to your normal garments and in you go,¡± the summoner demanded. I followed his orders, dropping all my gear in a pile, and jumping into the pool. It was cold, not dangerously cold, but the cats had obviously never heard of heated swimming pools before. I treaded water and waited for whatever was going to happen next. ¡°I want you all to submit how long you think the human can go for. I¡¯ll give a twenty-point bump to the test on this module to the student or students that get the closest. The students murmured with excitement at the chance to improve their grades, while I sat there in the water, finally cluing in on what was going on here. ¡°Human, you may swim, float on your back, tread water, or do as you please, but you cannot grab the side of the pool to rest,¡± the summoner ordered before calling the class¡¯s attention to me. The compulsion to follow my summoners instruction kicked in and I knew that no matter how tired I got, I wouldn¡¯t be able to swim to the safety of the edge of the pool. ¡°Look here class, you see how his body is shivering. The pool temperature is cold, but not to the point of hypothermia. In fact, it is probably optimized for the experiment. As the subject continues to exercise, his body¡¯s heat begins to increase. The pool will help keep him cool and may add a bit more time to his survival. Let¡¯s see what everyone is picking,¡± my summoner said, and I heard the sound of chalk on a chalkboard as the students came up and wrote their estimates. It sounded like he was having a good time at this, but I was just going to tread water until I finally was too exhausted to continue and then I would drown. The pool was recessed into the floor, so couldn¡¯t see the summoner. I was a bit curious about how long they thought I could swim for. They must have thought it would be short enough for the summoning not to expire. Then again, the summoner must have been a powerful one if he was the professor at some cat college. While I couldn¡¯t see the chalkboard that they were writing their estimates at my demise on, I could see several cat tails poking over edge of the pool as observers strolled over to look down upon me. I was a bit weirded out that there was a whole college class of intelligent cats, and they were studying me like I was a lab rat. I almost giggled at that thought. I sincerely doubted that lab rats had a long lifespan here, the scientists probably wouldn¡¯t be able to help themselves and would eat all their subjects. Minutes passed by and I was still doing fine. These cats sure didn¡¯t seem too happy about the wait, and I could hear several complaining that I was taking too long to die. Maybe this was the first run of this experiment, but humans could tread water for hours under the right conditions. Time dragged on and I started to get tired. I¡¯d faced a lot of deaths during my time as a summoned being. Mostly, they were painful, but quick. To float here in a pool listening to cat¡¯s whine about why I wasn¡¯t dying fast enough was a bit more than I was willing to take. Exhausted, I could see this going on for quite a while longer until I hit muscle failure and slowly drowned. Nope, I was out of here. I had a moment of panic, my exhausted mind thought that I had to physically touch a Notice of Cessation to activate it. Just acknowledging that I wanted to use the consumable caused a system prompt to appear. Do you wish to activate the Notice of Cessation, Y/N? Please be advised that your rewards for this session will be greatly reduced if this item is activated. I acknowledged my choice and found myself out of the pool and floating in the void. Your session has been terminated early due to the use of a consumable item. Your performance rating is calculated as Incomplete. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 3, and your performance rating of Incomplete. You have earned 1 experience point. You have earned 1 summoning point. You will now be returned to your personal space. I arrived back in my personal space, happy to see I was fully clothed once more, and the system hadn¡¯t dropped me back here soaking wet. Normally, I loved pets, but I was going to look at cats with a bit more suspicion after that encounter. Somewhere, there was a world full of intelligent cats that used humans for experiments. Maybe I could find the place and send all of Earth¡¯s crazy cat ladies there to take over. Over by my rocking chair, Melvin was taking a break. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d been gone, but it might not have been long enough for the mana in the training center to refresh. Most of what I had wanted to do in the training center had been completed, and I was fine with letting him use it, especially if there was a chance that he could make me another figurine. I sat in the chair next to my cube-shaped buddy and we just enjoyed a moment of calm and relaxation. A quick check of the rewards chest showed that I¡¯d earned a paltry fifteen copper pieces for my reward this time. Oh well, I would gladly pass on the whole experience of slowly drowning, even if it meant losing out a few silver and copper coins. Chapter 128. Pack Hunting. The return gauge above my reward chest had barely moved, another downside to using the Notice of Cessation. I¡¯d take the downsides to the certificate any day if it meant I could skip out of the worst types of summonings. I peeked into the training center, noting it was only at 39% mana. The last summoning seemed to take a while, as I¡¯d treaded water long enough for most of the cat students to get bored and leave. Time seemed to flow differently when I was summoned, and so far, I hadn¡¯t figured out a pattern to it. I was getting a bit bored in my personal space, and I was just about to try and teach Melvin how to play fetch when the next portal opened. You are Summoned! ¡°I¡¯m off to work, Melvin. Maybe we can figure out something to do during our down time when I get back. Do gelatinous cubes play games?¡± I asked. Melvin sent me a curious feeling through our link. He was intrigued over what a game was, but I didn¡¯t have time to explain. Stepping through the portal, I prepared for my next adventure. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the Shaman Thezzen Dustmaw.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 3.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is combat related. The chance of combat during this summoning session is considered very high.
  6. Full compliance is active.
  7. Your current armory loadout has been activated.
¡°You want my warriors to fight these puny things? That¡¯s not how our pack trains for battle. Hunting strong prey makes for strong hunters,¡± A gruff voice complained as I exited the portal into bright sunlight that my eyes needed time to adjust to. ¡°Packmaster Gnikx, we know you are mighty and capable of handling any foe, but many of your troops are green, and still need to be blooded in battle. What better way to do that than by having them fight summoned creatures. If you want, we can even order them to refrain from killing our warriors, preventing any unnecessary losses,¡± another voice said as my eyes finally began to adjust to the bright sun. ¡°Bah, only the strong have a place in my army. Send the green troops against these summoned weak things and let them practice. But if they¡¯re going to fight, they¡¯re going to have to maybe die, no ordering the summoned creatures to go easy on them,¡± an enormous figure that I assumed to be Packmaster Gnikx grumbled before stomping off. It was a humanoid creature I was only vaguely familiar with, having seen but a handful in Somhagen. At around seven feet tall, the Packmaster was a rather large example of a gnoll, a hyena-like humanoid. The creature was muscular, but it was the lean muscle of a runner, not the bulky, bodybuilder type like an orc. ¡°All of you head into the ruins. Find a place to hide and prepare to fight the pack that I will send in to hunt you,¡± my summoner, an older looking gnoll shaman named Thezzen Dustmaw, ordered. Surrounding Thezzen were a half dozen other, smaller gnolls that, from the look of their gear, must have been apprentice shamans. Given the number of summoned beings standing around me, there had to have been more than one summoner operating. As one, Thezzen and the apprentices pointed off to somewhere behind me. When I turned, I could see the ruins of a desert village a few hundred yards ahead. Around me were more than a score of various other summoned beings, and we all charged toward the ruins, looking for a place to defend. A troop of young gnoll warriors were formed up in a rectangular formation near the shaman. They looked upon us with a savage gleam in their eyes and more than a few had tendrils of drool running from their snouts. I estimated about fifty of the gnolls were in the pack that was going to hunt us down. Used to quickly sizing up my foes, I took a close look at their gear before I was forced to turn around and watch where I was going. Each of the gnolls wore chainmail armor that seemed new and unblemished by combat. For weapons, each gnoll had a thick chopping axe in one hand, and in the other was a long javelin. They also seemed to enjoy having trophies of their past kills tied to their armor. Most sported the skulls of wolves and the like, but few had already claimed humanoid victims and those that had, proudly displayed the skulls for everyone to see.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I lost sight of the gnolls that would be hunting us as I reached the ruins. It must have been a large village once, as there were dozens of partially collapsed walls and piles of rubble. Whatever had led to this village¡¯s ruined state had happened long ago. Once out of line of sight of the gnolls, I looked for a place to defend. It seemed like it was every man or humanoid for themselves as most of the others scattered into the ruins. ¡°Stick together, and we have a better chance,¡± a halfling woman said, trying to wave people over. A few had stopped near her, and I joined their group. The gnolls were organized and well-armed, we stood a better chance at scoring well on this summoning if we put up a strong, unified defense. She led us deeper into the ruins, and I could see other summoned beings staking out various structures to make their stand. A few more joined our group and we grew to seven in total. Most were armored and geared like I was, except for the halfling woman who wore the robes of a mage. Two of our group were a pair of stout-looking dwarves, each wearing heavier armor than the rest of us and wielding high quality axes and shields. They looked almost like twins, and I wondered if summoned beings were ever picked as a group. Before I could ask, a loud hunting horn sounded from the direction of the gnolls, and I could hear their guttural yips that served as a war cry for the gnolls as they began their hunt. The halfling pulled us into a partially ruined building that still had three good walls. Its opening faced the wall of another ruined building, which would force the gnolls to get in close if they wanted to dig us out. The pair of dwarves, a human, and an elf with a long spear formed up in front of the opening while another human in dark leather armor seemed to disappear after warning us that he¡¯d strike when the enemy least expected it. I explained that I was a summoner and began to summon my minions. Out first was the ghoul, who I hit with Empower Minion as soon as he appeared. An extra rank would help toughen him up against the powerful force we found ourselves up against. Lillia Farwind was next and with her spear and shield, I placed with the main line of defenders. I called Rupert out as the sounds of combat began to reach us, the gnolls were hunting down the others that had chosen to go it alone. This time, I¡¯d brought a weapon for Rupert to use, and handed him my old mace. He was ordered to stay near me and the halfling who was a mage of some sort. Each minion received a cast of Empower Minion, and while we waited for the gnolls to appear, my mana regenerated enough for me to cast Duplicate on the ghoul. The two ghouls were positioned behind the main line of defenders. When the gnolls attacked, they would move to flank the enemy. My mana was almost gone, so I opted to use one of my mana potions to regenerate enough for a few Psionic Jolts on our foes. Other than magic, I held my warhammer in a tight grip in one hand and my wand of magic missiles in the other. It looked like the gnolls weren¡¯t having things all their way, and I heard more than one of their odd yelps of pain blend in with the cries of the summoned beings they ran down. Once, we even spotted a burst of flames from a few buildings over as a fireball was dropped on our foes. Before long, we could hear the gnolls shouting encouragement to each other as a group of them neared our position. A few trotted by, shocked at seeing us grouped up and ready to fight. Just before the gnolls could raise the alarm, the halfling mage unleashed a bolt of lightning that slammed into one and then split off and crackled against the armor of the other two gnolls. One of the gnolls shook off the lightning strike and raised his javelin to throw. I fired off a magic missile that proved to be a lucky strike, blowing off the gnolls hand. My victim didn¡¯t seem to mind losing his hand and just yelled and charged forward with his axe. Our line of defenders stopped the wounded gnoll, but another appeared and immediately hurled his javelin. The javelin punched a hole in the chest of the elf, taking him out of the fight. From behind the gnolls, the stealthed human appeared, shortsword slamming home into the javelin throwers back. The gnoll collapsed just as more began to arrive, flinging javelins and swinging axes. My ghouls jumped into the fight, their claws paralyzing at least one foe before they were targeted with a barrage of javelins. I began to cast Psionic Jolt or fired a magic missile at any gnoll that seemed to prefer fighting at range. The mage next to me seemed to be doing the same, firing bursts of flame or hurling small balls of lighting at the gnoll javelin throwers. We silenced the enemy¡¯s ranged firepower one after the other. It was too little too late, and over a dozen gnolls flooded the area, overrunning our small defensive line. I barely got to swing my hammer as one closed in, smashing the enchanted weapon into the shoulder of a gnoll before I felt my head tug to the side as the world grew dark around me. Your brain has been impaled by a gnoll javelin. This summoning session is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Above Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 3, and your performance rating of Above Average. You have earned 5 experience points. You have earned 4 summoning points. Prepare to return to your personal space. Chapter 129. Just a Taste. I returned to my personal space, happy with my performance in the last summoning. A quick check of the summoning gauge showed it was around the 40% mark. As long as I didn¡¯t have to burn another Notice of Cessation, I should finish the series in another three or so summonings, barring any poor or exceptional performance. Sorting the loot chest for new items, I looked at my rewards. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 78.
  2. Silver coins, 25.
  3. Whistle.
The coin haul was about what I expected, but the whistle was something new. I selected it in the loot chest and pulled out a small metal whistle. There was a lanyard on it so I could wear it over my neck if I wanted to. Concentrating on the item, the system kicked in with an explanation. Whistle of the Huntmaster (5). Gear cost 10. When blown, this whistle summons a hyena to fight for the summoner. The hyena¡¯s summoned by this item are rated as a Tier 1, Rank 3 creatures and will do the summoners bidding for up to one hour. It was a perfect item for my class build. There were five charges on the item, and a pack of five tier one, rank three hyenas as nothing to sneeze at. With my various upgrades, the hyenas would even come out a couple of ranks higher while the cost to equip the item would drop from ten to nine for me. Taking it home wasn¡¯t an option, since the mana inside the device would be instantly drained. I moved to the armory to equip it. With the whistle my gear score went up to 163/165. I was almost at the cap, but I wasn¡¯t too worried. If I managed to find something great in the other summonings, I could always start replacing and upgrading some of the less useful spells or items. With my housekeeping squared away, I checked in on Melvin. He was hard at work in the training center, so I left him to keep at it. It would have been nice to have some way to communicate directly with him, but it seemed that all we could do was send emotions and intentions through our connection. I¡¯d love to find out how he had made the figurine he had given me and if there was a chance that he¡¯d be able to make more. It wasn¡¯t long after finishing up in the armory and checking on Melvin when the summoning portal and prompt appeared. You are Summoned! I stepped through and while floating in the void, the system gave me the details of what I would be facing. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Abbasa.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 3.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of non-combat related support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped from the portal into something quite different than I had seen before. Instead of a battlefield or small town, I was inside an immense dining hall. The place contained a couple dozen long tables, each able to seat a score of people. Each of the tables was heavily decorated and packed with guests, all of whom seemed to be decked out in their finest attire and enjoying themselves. Gaudy jewelry and impeccably tailored clothing that was almost Victorian in nature were on display. Chandeliers with hundreds of candles provided a warm glow throughout the room, and there was a low buzz of conversation coming from the crowd. I felt rather underdressed in my current clothing and wasn¡¯t quite sure why I had been summoned here. My summoner link led to a man standing beside me who was dressed more like a butler than a wizard. He gave no instructions and didn¡¯t even seem to acknowledge my presence. We were standing behind the head table of this party where a man and woman dressed in the most extravagant outfits in the room sat. The crowns they wore gave it away that they were both royalty, and the hosts of this party.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°The first courses will be served soon. As the plates come by, you will take a small taste of each. Do not mess up the presentation on the plate, I will not have the kitchen ranting at me because you were ham-fisted with the utensils. You will take a clean utensil between each tasting, and if you detect anything out of the ordinary with any dish you taste, you will notify me immediately. Do you understand these instructions?¡± my summoner asked. ¡°Yes, I think I got it, I figure that I¡¯m testing the food to make sure nobody¡¯s trying to poison whoever they are,¡± I said nodding toward the royal couple. The two held hands as they chatted with the others seated at the royal table. They were middle-aged and very attractive, but they had that soft, but not quite fat look of people who had led very easy lives. ¡°Exactly, there are always threats, and a party of this size increases the danger exponentially. I only wish that I had enough mana to summon ten of you. Sadly, the king requires much of my power to do other things,¡± my summoner, Abbasa lamented. ¡°I might be able to help out a bit, as long as a dwarf and an elf joining us wouldn¡¯t cause problems,¡± I mentioned. Having a strong rating after this summoning was going to be difficult if all I was doing was tasting dishes, but maybe I could bump the score by offering to summon my minions to help. ¡°A dwarf and an elf you say, yes, that should be fine. We¡¯re mainly a human kingdom, but royalty of the other civilized folk is often entertained by the court. The physiology should be close enough to not mask any dangers to the king. Bring them out, I assume you¡¯re also a summoner of some sort,¡± Abbasa asked. ¡°Yes, and I can keep these two here for as long as we need them,¡± I answered while summoning both Lillia and Rupert. The elf and dwarf appeared nearby and Abbasa rounded them up, giving them the same instructions that he had given to me. ¡°Excellent. Now for the next part, I¡¯m going to infuse all three of you with a pair of spells. If there is any toxin or disease lurking inside a dish you taste, the negative effects will be amplified and hastened. You must accept this spell when I cast it. Once the kitchen is ready, they¡¯ll start bringing dishes out. Take turns tasting them and report anything that seems out of the ordinary,¡± Abbasa ordered. A spell, Amplify Toxin, has been cast upon you. All toxins introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. A spell, Amplify Disease, has been cast upon you. All diseases introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. That sounded horrible, but I couldn¡¯t refuse my summoner. All in all, it wasn¡¯t the worst possible summoning to participate in. The odds of something deadly being introduced into a dish when the perpetrators knew they would be tested had to be low. Abbasa repeated the spells for each of my minions, and I could see he was looking taxed by the end. Those spells must have been very mana intensive if it meant that he couldn¡¯t summon more than one person to help. We were asked to line up along the wall behind the royal table, hidden behind a pair of armored guards. I waited for something to happen and watched the crowd enjoying themselves. For the most part the king and queen seemed nice enough. I had to give them credit that they were willing to have the court mage summon minions to test the food so the staff living here wouldn¡¯t be into the dangerous task. My thoughts were interrupted by a line of servants bringing out trays of food. As the food was distributed among the tables, one set of servants approached Abbasa who gestured toward me and my minions. Baskets containing clean forks with two tines as well as long handled spoons were dropped off by the servants as they waited impatiently for me to sample the fare. First off were appetizers, a broth that tasted like miso, and a salad of greens and vegetables that I was unfamiliar with. I took only a small bite of each and was surprised to find them both rather tasty. Even better, I didn¡¯t keel over dead after tasting them. My minions were also no worse for wear as the evening continued. Dish after dish were presented for me and my crew to taste and even with only taking a tiny bite of each, I could feel myself getting full. I had no idea how the king and queen managed to put away the whole portion of each thing they were being brought. Appetizers gave way to entr¨¦e¡¯s and then finally to dessert. My favorite was a delicate pastry topped with various fruits I¡¯d never tasted before. I kept expecting something to happen with each mouthful, but all the food seemed to be untampered with tonight. As the evening wound down, Abbasa motioned me forward. ¡°Good work tonight, and thank you for summoning your friends, it kept things flowing much more efficiently. I can detect that you¡¯re a real summoned being, not a mana construct, so I thought it appropriate to show my appreciation,¡± Abbasa said. He surprised me with not only the revelation that he¡¯d known what I was, but also with him extending the courtesy of thanking me for my work. I didn¡¯t get a chance to reply as the summoning ended and I was sent back to my personal space. Your session has been terminated by your summoner. A summoner link has been established. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 3, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 15 experience points. You have earned 11 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 130. Spar and Summon. I returned to my personal space a bit excited. An excellent rating meant better rewards, so the first thing I did was head to the reward chest. Cracking it open, I sorted for new items only. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 278.
  2. Silver coins, 47.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
  4. Resistance scroll.
It was a rather nice haul, and it was good to see a gold coin again after getting so many copper and silver ones. The thing I was most interested in was the scroll. I selected it from my inventory and reached in to grab it. The system put the scroll in my hands and gave me a description of what it was. Scroll of Resist Toxin. This scroll can be activated to grant the user minor resistance to all toxins that are harmful to its species. Once activated, the resistance will slowly build up over a period of several hours and there may be some discomfort while going through the process. This was great, it wasn¡¯t as exciting as a whistle that summoned angry hyenas, but this was something that could save my life. Even better, it affected my body which meant that it should follow me back home. I wasn¡¯t sure how much a ¡°minor¡± resistance would help if I gulped down a bottle of cyanide, but it would probably help out with something bad in my food, or if I inhaled a gas or something. With nothing to lose, I activated the scroll. I could feel changes in my body begin, but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint them. It was like a buzzing sensation that moved throughout my body. The tingle grew into a dull pain that moved from spot to spot. At times, I would feel hot and feverish, then I would have horrible stomach cramps which were followed by a sore throat. I plopped down into my rocking chair and tried to ride it out. It wasn¡¯t the worst pain in the world, but it was enough that I didn¡¯t want to do anything other than sit there. From my rocking chair, I was able to catch a glimpse of the return gauge. It showed that I was well over 70% now. The excellent rating really made a difference not only in the rewards, but also in how short my summoning sessions would be. After the worst of the scroll¡¯s effects passed, I dragged my chair into the training center so I could finish recovering and watch Melvin while I waited for the next summoning to start. He was in the middle of a battle when I sat down, my friend was up against another of those small fire elementals that looked like a burning lizard, and it was biting and pawing at Melvin who tried to engulf the creature. He gave a better accounting of himself this time, but the system judged that Melvin had taken enough damage to kill him and ended the match. ¡°You¡¯re getting better against those, and I think you¡¯ll have its number before too long,¡± I said, trying to encourage the little cube. Well, I thought of him as little, but he had grown since I¡¯d gotten him. Seeing him fight the elemental showed his size had increased from the last time I¡¯d watched the two fight. I had no idea how big he¡¯d get, but I may need to find a use for the room expansion before long if he kept growing. Maybe they had a gelatinous cube residence I could purchase. Checking on the ambient mana in the room, it was at 65%, probably enough for Melvin to fight another round or two if he wanted. Instead of choosing a new opponent, Melvin picked the fire elemental again. He sent the cube equivalent of a ¡°watch this¡± feeling through our connection, and I ignored the lingering effects of the scroll in my body as I anticipated a good fight. The fire lizard elemental appeared at the other end of the training center and began to charge toward Melvin. I still thought it was cute how the elemental left little flaming footprints behind him as he ran. The footprints only lasted a few seconds and from what I could tell, the training center was sort of indestructible. I was just glad I didn¡¯t have to clean it after each session. During my brief time studying martial arts, cleaning the mats after a session was my least favorite part. Melvin responded to the attack by forming a little pseudopod at the corner of his cube. With a quick snap, the pseudopod launched a lump of slimy goo that flew at the lizard. The blob slapped into the lizard¡¯s face and began to dissolve it even as the flames consumed the slime. The lizard stopped in its tracks and pawned at the acidic slime. Its flames burned away the attack after only a second or so, but the strike had left the creature blind. Sliding slowly across the floor, Melvin tried to keep away from the now rampaging fire elemental as it went berserk and ran blindly around the training center looking for its prey. After about a minute of this, Melvin fired off another blob of slime at the lizard, hitting it on one of its back legs. The lizard hissed and began to bite and claw at the wound, doing almost as much damage as the slime itself.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It burned off the new attack in seconds, but its speed was much reduced from before as it dragged its wounded leg behind. Melvin had a plan for this foe, and he was executing it perfectly. He was too slow to avoid the elemental attacking him, so he first blinded it, then reduced its ability to move. Now, as long as the elemental didn¡¯t somehow stumble upon Melvin, he could pick it apart with ranged attacks. Minutes passed and Melvin kept up his attacks. He could only fire about once every minute or so, but after a few more hits, the lizard was just lying there on the ground. He moved in to finish off the lizard-like elemental, engulfing it with his body and ending the match. ¡°Nicely done, Melvin. Those ranged attacks were a nasty surprise for your foe. The only thing I don¡¯t understand is why you moved in to finish it off at the end. Getting up close with something like that would hurt you pretty bad in a real fight,¡± I asked, not really expecting an answer. I was shocked when Melvin started sending me not just thoughts, but also some images to back them up. First, he showed how the ranged attacks used up a small portion of his mass, and I now understood why he didn¡¯t keep them going indefinitely. Next, he showed me images of him trying to engulf the fire elemental dozens of times. He was testing to see where the flames and heat were weakest. In a real fight, he¡¯d take less damage but still finish off the foe. His last image was him engulfing a fire elemental over and over again. After a time, the exterior of his cube began to take on a slightly different shade and it seemed to resist the fire a lot more. Eventually, flame attacks would be much less dangerous to him. ¡°That¡¯s a good use of your training time Melvin, but it¡¯s too bad you can¡¯t build up your resistances by training against these figurines. They¡¯re just system created punching bags for us. I get enough of being cut, burnt, crushed, and eaten during my summonings, so I¡¯m kind of glad nothing in here really hurts,¡± I told him. Melvin sent me an image of him going with me through the portal. The image shocked me as he sent his desire to join me and help out. ¡°Sorry, buddy, I don¡¯t think you can go through the portals. Even if you could, there¡¯s no guarantee that you¡¯d come back again. I get rebuilt by the system here, but I¡¯m not sure you would be. It¡¯s too much of a risk, I don¡¯t want you getting hurt out there if the injuries might be permanent,¡± I argued, feeling bad as I sensed his disappointment. There was also a tinge of sadness, and he felt like I didn¡¯t want him to go with me. ¡°Don¡¯t feel that way, I really do want you to go with me, it¡¯d be awesome to have you helping out,¡± I assured him. ¡°If that is true, then I go,¡± Melvin whispered in my mind. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s new, you can talk?¡± I asked. He didn¡¯t speak again, but I got the impression that speaking directly to my mind was much more difficult than just sending emotions or images. ¡°That is true, Melvin, I would love to have you come with me, but only if we could be sure you¡¯re safe,¡± I answered. Hopefully he¡¯d realize that I was being truthful, I really did want to hang out with him more. The little cube was a cool dude. Instead of another answer, images, or emotions, Melvin¡¯s cube just sat there on the ground quivering slightly. I was worried that something was wrong, but he sent one last burst of emotion, assuring me he was okay. A small, stone version of Melvin was pushed out of his body, and I could sense his weariness as Melvin sent his intent for me to take it. When I grasped the cube, a system prompt suddenly appeared. Your bonded companion, the gelatinous cube known as Melvin, has offered to bind himself to a summoning figure. If you accept this offer, Melvin will function as an additional summoned minion, linked to your core. When inside your personal space, Melvin will revert to his normal form, but once you leave the personal space, he will inhabit the figurine once more. In return for his help, Melvin requests a chance to see and experience other worlds. Do you accept Melvin¡¯s offer to become one of your summoning figurines? Y/N. ¡°Are you sure of this, Melvin? I don¡¯t always go to nice places you know, and there will be battles where pain and even worse things could occur. I¡¯d love to have your help, but only if you know what you¡¯re getting into,¡± I said. ¡°I want to go.¡± Was his reply. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me, glad to have you aboard, Melvin,¡± I said as I accepted his offer. The entity known as Melvin is now a bound companion figurine. Summoning him requires no mana, and there is no gear cost to equip this figurine. Should he be destroyed during a summoning, Melvin¡¯s figurine will have an extended recovery time before he can be summoned again. Should you return to your personal space, he will appear there, but will not be available for summoning until the recovery time is over. Melvin has the following tier, rank, and abilities. As you gain experience, so will Melvin and his skills and power will grow with your own. Melvin. Gelatinous Cube. Teir 0. Rank 2. Experience. 0/10. Abilities. Digestive Touch. When a gelatinous cube touches another creature, it will begin to digest it, causing continuous damage as long as it is in contact with the target. Fling Corrosive Slime. Melvin can fling a small bit of his mass once per minute. He can only fire 3 shots before his body refuses to lose any additional mass. After feeding on a foe, or resting in your personal space, he will recover mass and this ability will reset. Resistances. Gelatinous cubes are resistant to most non-magical physical attacks. Vulnerabilities. Gelatinous cubes are vulnerable to fire and freezing damage. ¡°Looking good Melvin. We¡¯ll get your tier and rank up in no time,¡± I told him. I barely had time to add him to my loadout and my return home selections when the familiar prompt appeared. You are Summoned! Chapter 131. Devil in the Details. The portal opened near the reward chest, and I stepped through. As I looked back into my personal space, I could see Melvin disappear in a puff of mana vapor as he became the stone figurine I carried. A moment later the details of this summoning appeared. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by use of a magical device.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 3.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of combat support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped into a dark, stone room that was lit by flickering torches placed every few feet. A pair of men argued with each other, and I followed my summoner link to a middle-aged man in leather armor who held a wand. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I could see the room was a large storage area, with huge casks and boxes of provisions stacked inside. ¡°Caranox, you can keep sending these summoned things up into keep all day, but it¡¯s not going to help. Not a single summoned creature has come back. In fact, I don¡¯t think any of our people are coming back either,¡± A man in chainmail said with panic in his voice. Caranox, the man holding the wand that had summoned me, responded. ¡°Darv, if you have a better plan, I¡¯m all ears. We can rush up there and try to make a break for it, but you know how well that went for everyone else.¡± ¡°Quiet you two, I think I hear something,¡± a young woman crouched with her ear to the one door leading from this room said. The two men ceased their argument, and I took stock of the others in the room. My summoner, the man in chainmail, and the woman at the door were the only people that were armed and appeared able to defend themselves. Inside the large storage room with use were another score of people who were dressed like servants and workers from a medieval movie. All of them seemed terrified and would likely be useless in a fight. ¡°What do you hear?¡± Darv whispered. ¡°I could hear shouts of battle and the sound of people running. Like before, there were a lot of screams, but they seemed to be moving up into the keep,¡± the woman replied. ¡°This could be our chance, while that thing is hunting down people up in the keep, we can make for the escape tunnel,¡± Caraxon, my summoner, added. ¡°Maybe, it¡¯s too bad that none of us know where the tunnel is. Lord Hamlan kept its exact location a closely guarded secret, even if everyone seemed to know that it exists. Despite running around blind, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get a better chance. Send your summoned creature up into the keep. Maybe it¡¯ll help distract that thing while we work on finding the escape tunnel,¡± the woman ordered, clearly taking the leadership role of the group. ¡°Didn¡¯t the coronation occur, isn¡¯t he King Hamlan now?¡± my summoner asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and don¡¯t really care right now. Whatever our former lord is called, I doubt he still lives. All we can do is make our escape and hope that thing doesn¡¯t follow. ¡°Roger that, Imsa,¡± my summoner said before turning to me. ¡°Okay, you, leave here, head to the right and go up the stairs into the keep. Once there, try and delay whatever is attacking us,¡± my summoner ordered. I moved toward the door before any compulsion could kick in. This seemed like a straightforward summoning where some kind of assassin or monster was tracking down these people. They looked scared and desperate, so maybe I could do something to buy them time to escape. Imsa opened the door for me when I approached. Out in the hallway, I was glad to see it was dimly lit with lanterns and wasn¡¯t completely dark. As I walked down the hall, I began to summon my team. First out was the ghoul, followed by Lillia and Rupert. I Immediately handed Rupert my old mace as we walked toward a stairwell in the distance. It would probably be smart to hold off on summoning Melvin, but he wanted to check out the summoned life, and I had promised to let him. As he appeared, I tried to think of what to do with him. He was too slow to keep up, and I didn¡¯t want to burden the ghoul or Lillia with carrying them, the pair of them were my best warriors. I could lug him around, but it would make using at least one of my weapons awkward.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Rupert, try to carry Melvin,¡± I ordered. Melvin sent a feeling of uncertainty over our connection. ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted to tag along buddy, and this is the only way I can think of getting you around. While your speed has been improving, it¡¯s still nowhere close to ours, and I can¡¯t have the rest of the party slow down to accommodate you,¡± I argued. Melvin sent me the image of me carrying him. When I started to argue, he modified the image, showing him draped over my shoulders, like a gelatinous form of shoulder pads. From there, he could fire his ranged attacks, and then, if anything got close, he could slide forward and start to attack. It was a good call, and I gave him permission to do so as we climbed the stairs into the keep above. At the landing, I could see a pair of bodies, both had been recently slain. One was decapitated, the head missing, and the other and been eviscerated and had giant claw marks cutting through his chainmail. The armor they wore seemed to do little against whatever had attacked them. Both men had steel longswords still grasped in their hands, but neither weapon had any blood or evidence they¡¯d done any damage at all to their assailant. ¡°Keep away from there, unless you can smell what killed them,¡± I ordered the ghoul as he licked his lips and approached the fresh corpses. He turned and hissed at me in anger and annoyance, but followed my command, sniffing around the bodies. A scream echoing from the floor above stopped him and the ghoul turned toward the stairs leading up. Whoever had cried out, it wasn¡¯t in our immediate area. The stone walls of the keep and the storage area below caused sound to echo. Unfortunately, the survivors escaping from the storage room were making far too much noise for my taste. Whatever was above us, I¡¯d rather fight it on level ground rather than on a small stairwell landing, so I pressed forward. The ghoul was in the lead, and while he hadn¡¯t seemed to pick up on any of the enemy¡¯s scent from the bodies, he was our best chance at spotting a creature waiting in ambush. At the top of the stairwell, we found a long, wide hallway that had several doors leading off it. About half of the doors had been smashed open and in the center of the hall, a small knot of defenders had made their stand. Four more guards had died there, with wounds like the first pair we¡¯d found. At the far end of the hall were a pair of double doors that had also been torn off their hinges. Whatever had befallen these people, it was powerful enough to burst through thick wooden doors with ease. A quick check of the rooms we passed as we headed to the shattered double doors revealed either a gory end to the people seeking shelter inside, or rooms that were completely empty. The empty rooms were all the ones with the doors intact. Whatever we were facing, it had no trouble sniffing out its victims and wasn¡¯t into wanton destruction just for the sake of it. As we approached the shattered double doors at the end of the hall, the ghoul gave a quiet hiss and slowed his pace of advance, trying, and succeeding at being stealthy. While the ghoul could make a quiet approach, the rest of us were not so lucky. Whatever the ghoul was trying to hide from would hear us approaching long before we spotted it. If groups of armed guards hadn¡¯t slowed the creature down, I doubted my team would be all that effective, but I had to try. Making my way to the end of the hall, the sounds of combat started up again and a booming laugh was heard over the din of battle. I rushed to a position near the doorway, using the wall and part of the shattered door to cover my approach. The minions stacked up behind me, except for the ghoul which was using the other side of the doorway for cover. ¡°You summoned me, Your Majesty, and when the time arrived to pay me for my efforts, you sought to deny me. The only one responsible for your predicament is you, and your failure to keep to the letter of our agreement,¡± the voice boomed. ¡°But, you never said that you would take them, all. You only promised to take one of my bloodline,¡± A weak voice replied between panting breaths. ¡°Our agreement stands, I was to select the soul that I wished to harvest, the choice was mine, not yours. The agreement perhaps was a bit vague, but those tiresome documents usually are. When things are left open to interpretation, I¡¯m the sole arbiter of how the contract is to be enforced,¡± the booming voice taunted. ¡°I never saw that in the contract,¡± the breathless man whined. ¡°Ha, you never even bothered to read the whole thing, did you. No, you merely lusted after the power I would grant to you. You wanted the throne that I now sit upon. I would have allowed you to have a scribe inspect the contract, but you didn¡¯t want our dirty little agreement to be known, did you Lord Hamlin. Wait, I suppose you were coronated, I should call you King Hamlin now. After all, the proper forms should be maintained,¡± the deep voice taunted. ¡°If I am king, you must obey me,¡± the man weakly offered. ¡°No, you may be a king and though your reign may be a very short one, your subjects are bound to obey you. Unfortunately, I am not your subject. Ha, King Hamlin, you do amuse me. I¡¯m sure when I take your soul, it will provide me with hours of entertainment. Even though I may be entertained by your eternal torment, I think you¡¯ll find the experience a bit less enjoyable,¡± the voice boomed as I peeked around the corner to see what I was dealing with. Chapter 132. Name and Agreement. Chapter 132. Name and Agreement. The sight that greeted me was horrifying, and not what I was expecting. I was looking at the throne room of the keep, a room that had once been elaborately decorated, but now looked like a war zone. Seated on the garish throne wasn¡¯t the king, it was a monster. Given the booming voice and the damage done to the guards, I had expected a hulking beast. Instead of a hulking beast, my gaze was met with a being that couldn¡¯t been much over four feet tall. It was red-skinned, potbellied, and had long, gangly arms and legs. A pair of glowing, red, beady eyes were positioned over a bulbous nose. Ears that were as long as my forearm topped off the creature. It wore only a simple loincloth and had no weapons or other items visible. Coming upon this creature in a dark alley, I wouldn¡¯t have thought twice about fighting it. The only thing remotely terrifying were the eight-inch-long claws that topped each hand. Looks were deceiving and I could see the little monster had a man dressed in elaborate robes and wearing a crown by the arm. The man in the monster¡¯s grasp must have been the king, and no amount of squiggling or pulling against the creature¡¯s grip seemed to budge the monster a single inch. Standing around the throne were a half dozen guards armored in plate mail, each holding halberds or swords and shields. Scattered around the throne were a couple of dozen dead guards who bore the same types of wounds as the other victims I¡¯d found. ¡°Ah, it looks like we have impartial witnesses for the final adjudication of our contract,¡± the creature boomed with a voice that didn¡¯t match his body in the least. To me, the thing looked like an imp from a video game, but it was far more powerful than any imp I¡¯d fought against digitally. ¡°Save me and I¡¯ll pay you each your weight in gold,¡± the king squawked. ¡°Settle down, Your Majesty, these people cannot stand against me any better than your guards have done. Come out, let¡¯s get a look at you,¡± the monster demanded. My summoner had given me the order to delay this thing, and the longer it wanted to talk, the more time I was buying for the others to escape. I stepped out from the doorway, taking a few steps into the slaughterhouse that was once a throne room. Now that my vision wasn¡¯t obstructed, I could see the imp had killed not only the guards, but also a gaggle of courtiers who were piled up near another sealed door. ¡°Come closer, I¡¯m not going to bite,¡± the imp taunted, waving me further into the room with its hideous claws. ¡°You may not bite, but you sure can slash if this is all your handywork,¡± I said, motioning toward the dead. ¡°Guilty as charged, may I have your name young man?¡± the imp asked as he met my gaze. I could feel his presence press against my mind, but I refused to let him in. ¡°No, I think I¡¯d like to remain anonymous for whatever this is,¡± I replied. Some instinct told me that this thing wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d want to know your name, or much of anything about you. ¡°As you wish, for the purposes of our little discussion, your name won¡¯t be necessary,¡± the imp acquiesced. The imp seemed chatty and the longer I could drag this out, the better my rating at the end of the summoning would be. Guilt washed over me, as I realized that the king and all his guards were about to die a horrible death and I was only worried about my rating. It was too easy to feel like none of this was real, and those I was dealing with weren¡¯t living, breathing people. Before I could say anything else, the imp shivered in delight and continued to speak. ¡°Mmm, delicious. I may not be able to peer into your soul, young man, but that wave of guilt you just felt was like waving a finely cooked meal in front of a very hungry man. Let me guess, you''re feeling sorry for this lot?¡± the imp asked, giving the king a shake that caused him to whimper. ¡°Perhaps, maybe I don¡¯t want someone to die a horrible death if I can help it,¡± I argued. ¡°An understandable response for a mortal such as yourself. What about if the victims in question deserved it?¡± the imp asked his eyes glowing brighter for a moment. I could feel a sense of dread build inside me, this thing was dangerous, and not just to my summoning rating. I had the horrible feeling, looking into its eyes, that this thing could easily track me down, even to Earth if it desired to do so.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Who am I to say if someone deserves death or not,¡± I replied weakly, not quite sure how to respond. ¡°You¡¯re in luck today, you don¡¯t have to render judgement, you merely have to witness it,¡± the imp said with a happy smile on his face. It¡¯s ability to shift back and forth from a friendly creature enjoying himself to the face of utter evil threw me. ¡°And If I try to stop you?¡± I asked, tightening my grip on the warhammer as I readied my team to attack if need be. ¡°You can¡¯t win and, at best, you would gain this wretch what, maybe another few seconds of life? Now, if you stay here and act as witness to the contract¡¯s enforcement, you¡¯ll be extending his life much longer than a few paltry seconds. What say you, young man, will you stand as witness to this?¡± the imp asked. ¡°What happens after I witness this whatever it is you plan on doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Why, I kill you all, of course. I can tell you¡¯re not of this world, are you. A summoned being, how quaint. Most of the summoned things are just mana constructs you know, just like your companions. Wait, one isn¡¯t a construct, is it. Now that¡¯s a bit of a fashion accessory I can appreciate, your little companion there,¡± the imp said, glaring at Melvin. ¡°Don¡¯t look at him Melvin.¡± I sent through our link. He replied in the affirmative, but I could sense that even Melvin was a bit terrified. ¡°Is there any way that ends with them going free?¡± I asked gesturing toward the king and his loyal guards. ¡°Highly unlikely, though, if you feel so attached to him, I might be willing to offer him lenience if you¡¯re willing to make a deal with me,¡± the imp said. ¡°No, I sincerely doubt that would end well for me. Rumors of your kind are well known to my people,¡± I said, figuring this thing was a devil, demon, djinn, or whatever you¡¯d want to call the evil entity. ¡°Very well, if there¡¯s no new deal to be had, we return to the task at hand, despite how entertaining our little conversation has been. Do you wish to stand as witness, or should I just kill you now? Those are your only options,¡± the imp demanded. I needed to buy time, and if some kind of show trial was the way to do that, I would accept his offer. Back down in the basement were over a score of people trying to escape. While the imp played with the king and his guards, I would hopefully give them the time they needed to reach safety. ¡°I¡¯ll witness what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m only agreeing to that and nothing else that you might try to slip into the deal,¡± I said, clumsily trying to make sure I wasn¡¯t somehow signing a deal with a literal devil. ¡°Perfect. As an added bonus, I¡¯ll make sure your death is as painless as possible,¡± the imp said. ¡°Now, for your edification, young man, I¡¯ll lay out the agreement. I agreed to provide the means for Lord Hamlin to become king of this realm. In return, I¡¯d receive the soul of one of his offspring. Today, Lord Hamlin became King Hamlin, and I came to collect my fee. When I made my selection, he refused, trying to pawn off a child that he had fathered with one of his servants,¡± the imp argued. ¡°I gave you what you asked for, and you¡¯re the one that broke our deal, not me,¡± the king whined. ¡°Again, Your Majesty, you didn¡¯t bother to read the details. The choice of offspring was mine, not yours, and our fair, impartial witness can see for himself,¡± the imp said, snapping his fingers as a flaming parchment appeared in front of me. The parchment wasn¡¯t consumed by the flames, and in fact, might have even been made of them. Taking my time, and leaning into the role I had been given, I looked at the highlighted section of the infernal document. Upon his coronation, a choice of offspring will be offered to *********** ******* ***** *********. Failure to provide the abovementioned remuneration will result in default, and the penalties outlined in the appropriate section of this document will be enforced. ¡°I can see where there would be confusion, and it appears that there is some text missing in this section,¡± I said, noting the asterisked words. ¡°That was a little gift from me to you, young human. The hidden text is merely my true name. For a mortal such as yourself to hear or even read it will result in madness and death. Here, let me demonstrate,¡± the imp said, reaching out and catching one of the halberds pointed toward him. The guard holding the weapon stumbled forward, too slow to react to the lightning fast grab the imp made. A clawed hand pulled the guard closer, and it was disturbing to see the little creature manhandle a huge, armored man. The imp released the king to grasp onto the guard with both hands, pulling his neck at an awkward angle so he could whisper in his ear. ¡°You may want to cover your ears for this, I wouldn¡¯t want any unfortunate accidents to occur,¡± the imp said with a smile. I followed his advice, covering my ears with my hands and humming to block out any sound. The imp leaned over and I could see his lips moving as he whispered his name to the hapless guard. Releasing the guard, the imp sat back down and watched as the man began to scream and claw at his ears. Babbling incoherently, the man¡¯s eyes filled with madness a moment before he collapsed to the floor and began to convulse. ¡°There you go, I¡¯m sure you can understand my reluctance to show you the printed version of my name. With that little demonstration out of the way, do you agree that the contract clearly states that I was to be offered the choice of offspring?¡± the imp asked with a friendly grin, oblivious to the guard who gurgled a final time and died at his feet. Chapter 133. Kings Fate. ¡°Despite your whole evil name that kills people thing, I have to say the contract is too ambiguous. It says a choice of offspring, but it doesn¡¯t say who makes that choice, or what the choices will include,¡± I argued, trying to find an out for the people here. There was a good chance the king was a dirtbag, anyone trying to offer up their child to an evil creature as payment for advancement probably deserved what he was going to get. I had no idea if the guards were complicit or not, though I did give them credit for their loyalty in the face of almost certain death. My summoner and the people with him were the ones I really wanted to see make it. I had no way to gauge how they were doing in their quest to escape, but I figured if they made it far enough away, my summoning would end. A similar thing had happened a while back when being summoned by Sharnlynn. The imp stared at me and the king, enjoying the tension as he made us wait for his next response. ¡°Did you think I didn¡¯t have that covered. Here, this should put the final nail in the coffin for His Majesty,¡± the imp offered, conjuring another bit of flaming contract for me to examine. Appendix ix: In the event of a dispute or disagreement on the verbiage or intent of this contract, *********** ******* ***** ********* will make the final decision as to how the contract is to be interpreted. ¡°You really signed this without reading it? How did you become a lord, let alone a king, if you¡¯re that stupid,¡± I chastised. ¡°Who are you to insult me, commoner. If I wasn¡¯t in this predicament, my guards would throw you in the deepest part of my dungeon,¡± the king blustered. He was a bit braver now that the imp had released him. He had finally managed to slink his way behind his remaining guards, enjoying their dubious protection. ¡°I¡¯m the commoner that¡¯s trying to save your worthless hide. Okay, you, well, what do I call you?¡± I asked the imp, not sure how to address him. ¡°You may address me as Lord of the Pit, if you must have a title,¡± the imp offered, he was beginning to look impatient. ¡°So, is everyone in here a lord or king or whatever? If everyone¡¯s special, then nobody is,¡± I argued, trying to delay again. ¡°Call me whatever you wish, it won¡¯t change the outcome of this little trial,¡± the imp said, waiving me to continue. ¡°Okay if I call you Gary? You look like a Gary,¡± I said, threading the line between annoying the imp and getting him to drag out this conversation. ¡°If that is what you desire, so be it. You know, speaking of desire, I can grant you just about anything you desire. It¡¯s obvious you are sharper than His Majesty here, maybe we can work something out to benefit us both,¡± the imp suggested. ¡°Sorry, Gary, I don¡¯t want to end up like him, about to be condemned and sent to wherever it is you plan to send him,¡± I replied. ¡°You can¡¯t blame a Lord of the Pit for trying, can you. Now, enough banter and delay, you can see from that portion of the contract that I¡¯m the one who decides how any language inside the agreement is to be interpreted,¡± Gary growled. I think I had pushed him about as far as I could with frivolous conversations, now I had to focus on the document and finding some way out of it. ¡°I have one thing to ask,¡± I said, using my best TV lawyer voice. ¡°What,¡± Gary replied. ¡°Did you know that the king here was an idiot before you entered into a contract with him?¡± I asked. ¡°That should be obvious,¡± Gary said flatly. ¡°In that case, I believe there is a problem with this document,¡± I argued. ¡°I know you¡¯re stalling for time, and I understand, you mortals have so little of it, even a few more moments must seem like an eternity. You¡¯re not going to get me on a mental capacity technicality. The agreement was signed in blood, and it cannot be broken or annulled. I just need you to confirm, remember that the appendix I showed you grants me permission to read the contract verbiage as I see fit,¡± Gary growled, his voice rumbling across the room.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not trying to stall, I just like to do a good job, that¡¯s how I¡¯m rewarded for these summonings. As far as dying, that¡¯s not possible for me. When I die here, I reappear somewhere else. Oh, and don¡¯t think the whole torture me thing will work, I have ways out of that as well,¡± I warned. Using another Notice of Cessation would stink, but if I had to, I would if it prevented me being tortured by some demon thing. ¡°Don¡¯t count on that young man, you see, there are things my kind can do, even to a summoned being. There are many things that don¡¯t require a contract. For your own edification, you should realize what a pile of scum this king is. To secure his throne, he first tried to offer the soul of his wife. Of course, I had no need for such a corrupt thing as her soul, did I mention she poisoned a rival when she was vying for the affection of Lord Hamlin? ¡°The king here was quick to offer up the soul of his offspring since at least it would be young enough to be free of any major corruption. Once he agreed, the king went on a rampage, trying to father as many children as possible before our agreement came due. Now, it¡¯s time to pay and since I¡¯ve selected his heir as my prize, the king decided to make his foolish attempt to break his agreement,¡± Gary argued. ¡°Is that true, can he even do that, bargain away someone else¡¯s soul. Don¡¯t they have control over their own soul?¡± I asked, genuinely confused, but even more convinced that the king probably deserved this. ¡°That is not something for mortals to know. Now, for the final time, you see that the agreement is worded as I explained,¡± Gary demanded. He had me, the king had signed his whatever away, and it was time to face the music. ¡°I agree, he¡¯s an idiot to have signed, but it¡¯s worded as you explained,¡± I relented. I was out of angles to argue with the monster, but I was ready to fight. My team and I might buy a few more precious seconds for my summoner and the people with him. ¡°Finally, now you have a treat, something most people don¡¯t get to witness and walk away from. I¡¯ll slay you in a moment, don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t forgotten that bit. But before you go, you¡¯ll get to watch the good king¡¯s demise,¡± Gary said, sounding much more chipper now that the dispute was over. The king screamed and his remaining guards attacked. Gary did nothing to defend himself, instead choosing to let them stab and slash him for a few seconds before swiping his claw several times. Each swipe ended with another dead guard. When the last one had fallen, he looked over to me, as if he half expected me to jump into the fight. I was fine with battling with the fiend, but if he wanted to let me watch some spectacle and waste time, my hopeless last stand could wait. Muttering words my brain couldn¡¯t comprehend, words that made me feel sick to my very core, Gary opened a glowing red portal on the floor near the cowering king. King Hamlin had been reduced to a blubbering, pathetic thing as he waited for his end, lacking even the fortitude to stand and meet his fate as a man. Out from the portal, a pair of hands on impossibly long arms reached into the throne room. The red flesh of the limbs sizzled with burning energy as they grasped onto the legs of the king and began to slowly drag him away. Gary laughed, enjoying the terror and suffering that the king was going through. The horrible arms took their time, extending the king¡¯s torment for as long as they could. As he reached the edge of the pit, the king tried to hold on. I could see the look of abject terror in his eyes when a final tug sent him to his fate. ¡°With that, my business on this plane is done, at least for now. Perhaps we shall meet again sometime Rico Kline,¡± Gary said. He knew my name, despite me not giving away the information. I wondered what else he knew, and if he planned to do anything with that knowledge. Maybe that was part of his scheme, to use my fear of him appearing again to torment me. Thoughts of Gary showing up back in my apartment fled my mind, replaced by terror as the tiny imp began to change. His body grew nearly to the ceiling and his scrawny form was replaced by a body that seemed to finally fit his voice and power. Bat-like wings unfolded behind the monster and his face turned from that of an imp, into a bestial and predatory thing that sported a mouth filled with teeth that would give a great white shark a run for its money. Gary gave me one final sneer before sweeping his arm in a lazy slashing motion. My mind didn¡¯t register my death immediately, and for a moment, I could see my body separate into three pieces that flopped onto the ground. Gary laughed and jumped into the portal he had opened as my summoning ended. You have been killed by the Rend and Slash ability cast by the being known to you as Gary. This summoning session is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 3, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 11 experience points. You have earned 8 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 1, Rank 4. Congratulations, you have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 134. Rewards and Daycare. I returned to my personal space a bit freaked out. That Gary thing wasn¡¯t just some normal monster, it was an intelligent embodiment of evil. At least the thing didn¡¯t seem to take enough interest in me to worry about. I¡¯d just have to remind myself to never take any deal without reading the fine print first. Whatever awaited King Hamlin in that horrible pit he was dragged into, I wanted nothing to do with. Shaking off the last summoning, I decided to jump right into my rewards. Before I dug in, I checked out the return gauge. It was at 94%, and it was almost time to return home. Oddly enough, I didn¡¯t dread returning as much anymore. The people at Refuge were treating me well, and I didn¡¯t have to hide in fear anymore. When I did return, I¡¯d have to take some loot back to share with them, so I set my rewards chest for new items only and reviewed what I¡¯d received. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 188.
  2. Silver coins, 29.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
  4. Small gems, 5.
  5. Arena upgrade certificate. 1.
It was a good haul, and another arena upgrade certificate was good to see. The toxin resistance scroll from my previous reward was also a good find, and I couldn¡¯t complain with the amount of money I received from this one. I¡¯d have a good haul to bring back with me, and I also needed to see how Refuge worked out their fee and how well they converted the coins and gems into cash that I could use at home. For now, they¡¯d been generous enough to stake me a small bank account, credit card, and furniture for my apartment. It would feel bad not to at least try and reimburse them for what they¡¯d done. There was also the upcoming trip to Somhagen when I reached Tier 1, Rank 5. A quick check of my status showed I wasn¡¯t too far away from that goal. Rico Kline, Foe Summoner. Tier 1, Rank 4. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 9/25. Summoning points: 49. Max Gear rank, 170. Only sixteen experience points to go before I hit Rank 5. I probably wouldn¡¯t do that on this summoning series, as there was likely only one more summoning before it would be complete. While I was eager to visit Somhagen and get more shopping done, I was also happy to return home and explore the database further before I went. That brought up the question of what to budget for the trip. I would have access to all my summoning points, and I should probably take a sizeable portion of my loot chest with me, leaving enough so I¡¯d have some funds to bring back home. My visit to the city would still be at the first tier of the place, and I already had a good idea of what things cost there. I had plenty of time to plan my trip, and I wanted to check in on Melvin. A quick inspection of his summoning figurine showed it was still recharging. The system had said it would take longer than normal for him to become available for a summoning again, but I hoped it was less time consuming than the Fitzfazzle figurine, that one still hadn¡¯t recharged from when I summoned him to help out inside the dungeon core. Just as the system had said, Melvin was still here in my personal space despite being on cooldown for his figurine. He was back and in the training center which had recharged all its mana from our last visit. He sent a greeting over our link and didn¡¯t seem too traumatized with the adventure I had taken him on. Maybe the system suppressed trauma for him, like it did for me. It was also possible that the gelatinous cube dealt with things differently. It must have affected him somewhat, as Melvin was hovering around the last row of training figurines. ¡°Melvin, don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew there, buddy,¡± I warned him, though I supposed he would learn the dangers of taking on powerful opponents on his own quickly enough once the sparring started.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Leaving Melvin to do his thing, I headed to the armory. A new point in my Mind stat from hitting rank four gave me five more mana to work with. I could now add the hound back into my lineup. He wasn¡¯t especially powerful, but I always liked dogs, and I got the feeling that the hound really tried hard to help on a summoning. Having a second nose to sniff out traps and hidden enemies was also a welcome addition to the party. Current Mana, 78/95. I had 17 mana left over after the discount for my Presence stat. It should be enough to summon all my minions, cast a few buff spells on them, and have a Psionic Jolt or Fail Weapons ready to go. Psionic Jolt was becoming less useful as the opponents I faced rose in strength but Fail Weapons had saved my life in the real world. I finished up in the armory, only to have the summoning portal appear. You are Summoned! ¡°Sorry Melvin, it looks like your figurine is still on cooldown. Maybe you can join me for the next summoning. If not, I¡¯ll be taking you home to my world and let you check things out there if you want,¡± I told the cube. He sent back feelings of excitement, but I could also sense that he was distracted by his training. With that, I stepped into the familiar blue portal. As I entered, the system gave me the normal, less than detailed information on what I¡¯d be facing. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by use of a magical device.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 4.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is support related. The chance of combat for this summoning is considered low. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped out of the portal and into an argument between a middle-aged man and woman. ¡°Reginald, I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t like you summoning things to watch over the baby,¡± the woman complained. ¡°Dear, you know what happened with the last nanny we hired. With what that fiasco cost me, I could have bought another champion mount for our stables,¡± the man replied. ¡°Horses, horses, horses, that¡¯s all you care about. Maybe if you¡¯d paid more attention to your family, we wouldn¡¯t be in this predicament. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t, you¡¯re not blaming that on me. You were his mother, and you were supposed to be watching him,¡± the man hurled back. ¡°So, while you galivant around all day, showing everyone how important you are, I¡¯m supposed to stay home and be the dutiful housewife!¡± She shouted at him. ¡°Dutiful housewife, tell me, dear, when¡¯s the last time you did a lick of work around here. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll answer that for you, the last time you did any work was never. I can show you the bills for the staff I¡¯m forced to hire if you need any proof. If you helped out a bit, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have to spend as much of my hard-earned money on a bevy of servants to keep the house up to standard,¡± the man argued. The two didn¡¯t show any signs of slowing, so I was forced to stand there and listen to them. Nobody wanted to watch a family argument, and I still had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. The summoner link led to the man, who held a summoning wand in one hand as he argued with his wife. It was a good twenty minutes before they turned things down a notch and finally spoke to me. ¡°You¡¯ll obey my wife just as if she is your summoner,¡± the man ordered, I nodded my understanding. ¡°What can you do, I don¡¯t suppose you have any childcare skills do you? Out with it, what is your class,¡± the woman demanded. ¡°I¡¯m a Foe Summoner, and no, I don¡¯t have any experience caring for children,¡± I replied. Children were fine, I didn¡¯t mind being around them, but I wasn¡¯t looking forward to figuring out how to change diapers and whatnot if this was a young child that they wanted me to care for. ¡°See, Reginald, another wizard of some type that will be totally useless with Junior,¡± the woman complained. ¡°Ha, a wizard or warrior stands a better chance dealing with Junior than another nanny would,¡± Reginald said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be in this mess if you hadn¡¯t decided to play at being an alchemist,¡± the woman screeched. I waited for them to launch into another argument. ¡°My alchemist set wasn¡¯t the problem, you not watching Junior and allowing him into my study is what put us where we¡¯re at,¡± Reginald growled back. ¡°Let¡¯s drop it, we both have things to do, and Junior needs to be cared for,¡± the woman said. I thought I detected a hint of sadness and regret as the heat of her anger finally cooled a bit. Whatever had gone on with Junior, it was tearing these two apart. I was happy to remain silent here, marriage counselor wasn¡¯t in my job description. ¡°All right, we¡¯re wasting time, just send him into the nursery and see how he does,¡± Reginald told his wife. ¡°Fine, in you go. I must emphasize that you are not to harm Junior in any way. Play with him, keep him entertained, but don¡¯t let him get ahold of you,¡± the wife warned. We were standing in the hallway in front of an oversized wooden door that was reinforced with iron straps. I hadn¡¯t noticed earlier that the door was barred from the outside and the couple summoned a pair of servants to open the door and shove me inside. What had I gotten myself into this time? Chapter 135. Junior. The room I was shoved into was huge and looked to have once been a dining hall that had been turned into a makeshift nursery. Toys of all types were scattered around, most of them crushed and broken. Whoever or whatever lived here had made several blanket and pillow forts, giving way too many places for someone to hide. The place smelled, the odor a foul mix of human waste and a musky scent, like something from an animal. ¡°Uh, hello? Junior, are you here?¡± I asked, trying to spot the ¡°child¡± through the debris of the room. While I looked around, I summoned the hound, giving him instructions to find whoever else was in here and not to harm him even if he was attacked. The hound gave a low whoof of agreement and started to sniff around. The hound stopped near a large pile of sheets and blankets, pointing his nose toward the pile and growling softly. Whatever was in there wasn¡¯t something the dog didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with, but he was a good boy and was going to warn me about the threat. Above the dog¡¯s low growl, I could make out another rumbling sound that was a mix between a wheeze and a snore. The kid I was supposed to play with and care for must have been taking a nap. I was fine with that, figuring that my performance rating for this summoning would probably be based primarily on how long I could keep performing the task given to me. The longer Junior slept, the better off I¡¯d be. Shushing up the dog, I looked for somewhere to park myself. The room was filthy, and there were dirty plates and bowls everywhere. I assumed that whoever fed Junior did so in a hurry, dumping off the chow and making a break for it. If they had to feed him that quickly, there was no way servants would come in here regularly to clean. As far from the front door as I could get was a broken sofa that I plopped down on while I waited. The hound curled up next to me but kept his eye on the pile of bedding that Junior was hiding under. Minutes passed and I began to wonder how long the summoning would last for. Wands had a time limit, but if these people were as wealthy as they seemed, they probably splurged for a higher quality wand that would allow the summoned being to stick around longer. About the time I figured that I was in the clear, the bedding shifted, and the snores became a whine as Junior tried to unbury himself from the bedding. I wasn¡¯t sure what I expected, but the sight of Junior wasn¡¯t it. Instead of a human toddler I was seeing what looked like a monster from a bad science fiction movie. Junior had a humanoid body that was little kid chubby, and he stood about four feet tall. His skin consisted of leathery scales and his face had several spikes growing out of it. The mouth had morphed into a beast¡¯s snout, and was filled with sharp, needle-like teeth. Junior began to whimper and cry, a long tongue snaking out as he built up to an ear-splitting volume. This was bad, and I went ahead and summoned the rest of my crew. I was careful to give each of them instructions not to harm Junior, I really wanted to get a good rating on this summoning if I could. Rupert, then Lillia was summoned, but I ran into a problem when I summoned the ghoul. As soon as the ghoul appeared, he recoiled from the noise that Junior was making and hissed loudly at the monstrous child. Somehow hearing this over his own wailing, Junior turned toward my group, his cries lowing in volume as a wicked grin appeared on his face. He stared at us for a solid minute, and I figured that maybe I should try and talk to him. ¡°Hi there Junior, how are you doing today? Did you have a good nap? Did you want to play?¡± I asked in that overfriendly voice that most of us reserve for small children or pets. ¡°Play!¡± Junior babbled as he began to move toward the group. It was oddly disturbing how he walked, Junior had the stumbling gait of a toddler, but seeing that coming from such a monstrous figure freaked me out. His hands reached forward as he approached; cruel-looking claws grew as I watched. Instead of pudgy, scaly hands, Junior now had scaly hands with eight-inch claws sticking out of them like he was some kind of fantasy monster version of Wolverine.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Uh, scatter guys, I think it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t let Junior catch us. Remember, we can¡¯t hurt him,¡± I ordered. Following my own advice, I ran back to the far wall as the others spread out across the room. It was no good, since I was the one that had spoken to him, Junior seemed to zero in on me as his first playmate. The room was a mess, and it didn¡¯t make for a quick getaway. Thankfully, the mess also hindered Junior and he stumbled and dropped on his butt more than once. I was worried at first that he¡¯d hurt himself when he fell, but it seemed like he was used to the occurrence and brushed it off in his mad dash to catch me. Junior had a look of glee plastered on his face as he chased me, babbling ¡°play¡± over and over as he ran. He was gaining on me and the last thing I wanted was for him to catch me and end this summoning session too early. The nearest summoned creature was the hound, so I gave him an order I¡¯m not proud of. ¡°Hound, move in and try to play with Junior, let¡¯s see what he does.¡± The hound dutifully obeyed my order, barking in a friendly manner to get Junior¡¯s attention. Slowing his approach, Junior turned to see the dog wagging his tail and barking excitedly. Giving a giggle, the giant monster toddler turned and approached the dog. ¡°Doggy, pet doggy,¡± Junior muttered. I almost expected him to stop and try to pet the hound, but that wasn¡¯t to be the case. Instead of trying to pet and cuddle with my summoned pup, Junior lashed out with his claws, tearing into the poor beast. The hound gave a yelp of surprise before turning into mana vapor. Junior swatted at the vapor, giving a huge belly laugh. His distraction allowed me to put more distance between us. The room we were in may have once been some grand dining hall, but even a large hall seemed like a cramped space when a monster toddler that you couldn¡¯t fight back against was trying to kill you. His amusement over the hound¡¯s demise and unsummoning ended quickly and the toddler stumbled back to his feet and began to look for his next victim. I ordered the ghoul up next, opting to hide myself from Junior¡¯s line of sight by ducking behind a broken table. I waved for Rupert and Lillia to do the same, taking cover while Junior went after the ghoul. ¡°Play!¡± Junor shouted as the ghoul hissed at him and ran for the nearest wall. A large tapestry was hung up there and the ghoul used his own set of rather impressive claws to scurry his way up. Undeterred, Junior moved to the tapestry, grabbed ahold, and pulled. The tapestry tore from the wall, and with a squeal, the ghoul fell to the ground. The impact sounded bad, and the ghoul must have injured his feet or legs as his speed dropped considerably. Junior caught up to the ghoul and swatted at him with his oversized claws. The blows cut through the leathery hide of the ghoul like it was paper and severed its spine. Just before the ghoul reverted to mana vapor, he lashed out with his own rather impressive claws at Junior. It was Riposte, I had forgotten that I had linked that ability to him. I held my breath as I waited for Junior to begin wailing in pain from the ghoul¡¯s blow and for my rating to plummet. Instead, the claws seemed to not harm Junior in the least and he looked around for another playmate. Looking closer, I could see the ghoul¡¯s attack hadn¡¯t even penetrated the scaly skin of Junior. If the monster baby was this powerful as a toddler, would anything stop him when he was fully grown? Rupert was the next minion to take one for the team. Sadly, dwarves weren¡¯t known for their agility, and Rupert was quickly caught and dispatched by Junior. Dwarves were many things, but outrunning things was just not in their wheelhouse. Lillia stepped up to the plate, doing better than Rupert but also being caught rather easily. She did manage to block one of Junior¡¯s swipes with her shield, but his claws sliced right through the reinforced wood. It was my turn for toddler terror when Junior sniffed out my hiding place. As I fled, I noticed a weakness in Junior¡¯s pursuit. He was faster than me, but he had trouble reacting to rapid direction changes. I zig zagged my way around the dining hall, trying to use the debris and clutter to my advantage. ¡°Chase, catch!¡± Junior chuckled. I turned to look at him just as he opened his tooth-filled maw wider than it should have been able to open. Junior¡¯s long tongue lashed out, easily covering the six-foot lead I had on him. The slimy appendage wrapped around my waist and pulled me toward the monster. I gave a rather unheroic shriek as I was pulled into Junior¡¯s clutches, opting to close my eyes as those deadly claws closed in. You have been killed by claws severing your spine. This summoning is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 4, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 10 experience points. You have earned 9 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 136. Return to Refuge. It wasn¡¯t my most heroic performance, but I¡¯d take the very good rating any time the system wanted to dole it out. Despite being chased down and killed by a monster toddler, it wasn¡¯t a horrible summoning, all things considered. There wasn¡¯t anyone in real danger this time, and I was glad to not have to watch innocents be hurt. While I could feel for the couple arguing over their situation with Junior, it wasn¡¯t my problem. Back in my personal space, I checked on the return gauge before going to look at my latest haul of loot. As I suspected, the gauge was full, and I could head back when I desired. There was no countdown timer for my return, but I knew that if dilly dallied for too long, I¡¯d be punted back. Setting the nearby loot chest to reveal only new rewards, I reviewed my haul. Rico¡¯s Loot. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 164.
  2. Silver coins, 21.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
  4. Weapon Stone.
Nice, I got another gold coin. I was worried that just a very good performance might not cross the line into getting gold. My other coins were downgraded a bit, and I didn¡¯t get any additional gems from the summoning. One new item was something called a weapon stone. I selected the weapon stone and pulled it from the chest. It was a small disk of white stone that felt cold to the touch. While it didn¡¯t look all that special, I could feel the slight tingle of mana inside the stone. By concentrating on the weapon stone, the system populated some information on what its purpose was. Minor Weapon Stone (Frost). A single weapon stone can be added to any melee weapon, adding additional damage of the type indicated. A weapon stone can only interact with a magical weapon, and it cannot contain a damage type opposed to the weapon¡¯s enchanted type. Once affixed, the stone cannot be removed, but it can be replaced by another weapon stone. As it granted a description of the item, the system also showed me how to use it. I held the stone up against the head of my hammer. Pushing mana into the stone, I could feel a brief resistance before it bonded to the side of the hammer¡¯s head. My hammer was enchanted against the undead, and cold worked just fine with it. If I had a fire enchant on the hammer, the two would have negated each other, preventing the stone from bonding, and perhaps destroying both it and the weapon. From what I could tell with my limited skill, the weapon stone didn¡¯t affect the weight or balance of my weapon, and when I struck the floor with the hammer, it left a small patch of ice behind. It was something I needed to check out in the Training Center before I had to leave. Mevin was inside, but when I explained the situation, he gladly made way for me to test out my new toy. I summoned a couple of tier zero goblins and went to town with the hammer. Goblins were easy enough targets for me now, and I was familiar with the hammer¡¯s normal damage. The magical boost it gave made it hit a bit harder and it would do even more against an undead creature. With the frost stone on it, the hammer left a small frozen patch behind with each hit. It wasn¡¯t super powerful, but the target wasn¡¯t going to like it very much. As an added benefit, the frost seemed to magically slow down the target by a small amount. It was a nice bump to my melee damage. While I didn¡¯t get caught in melee all that often, having some frost damage to slow an enemy down a bit would help when I was in a bad situation. It might allow me to create a gap and summon one of my minions to battle. Creating minions was the true strength of my class, not swinging hammers at things. I relinquished the training center back to Melvin and made plans for my return home. My consumables were completely expended during my battle with the cultists, and while I wanted to keep some for my next summoning session, my life was more important than a slightly better rating. With me were going the figurines for Verdigrim and the gelatinous cube launcher. The only other thing I could take back that wouldn¡¯t be ruined was the second MESS key. I had probably only survived my encounter with the cultists because of the MESS, so I felt it was a necessary addition. Since I was only a summoning or two away from getting another visit to Somhagen, I wasn¡¯t too worried. There was a good chance I could stock up on consumables when I visited.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As for my other loot, I ended up getting distracted as I looked at the reward chest. I had named it Rico¡¯s Loot back when I first got here, but now that I had time to think about it, the name was kind of stupid. By concentrating, the system granted me the ability to rename the chest. It was now a much more generic, but just fine, Reward Chest. Doing the same as I had with the chest, I also renamed Rico¡¯s Place to just Personal Space. I would personalize the place in the future, but it wasn¡¯t the name that would make it my own, it was what I did with it and who I shared it with. Melvin was a happy addition to the place, and Minerva had hinted that there might be others willing to stay here in the future. It would be nice to see it become a place others could visit while continuing to allow me to grow in power. With the naming updates taken care of, I tried to decide how many valuables I wanted to bring back. Refuge needed their cut, and with all they¡¯d done for me, I was happy to give it. Frist off, I considered all the gems I¡¯d been hoarding. There was a total of 17 of the small, and I assumed lower value, ones. All of those were added, along with the 4 high quality and 1 fine gem I had in my possession. Added to that were 500 copper, 50 silver, and 2 gold coins. This was way more than I owed Refuge, but their people would be able to liquidate them for me and convert everything into cash. That should net me more than enough spending money for the foreseeable future, as well as leave me a solid nest egg for when I visited Somhagen. ¡°Melvin, I¡¯m heading home, keep the place from burning down while I¡¯m gone,¡± I shouted to my friend. His figurine was still in the process of recharging, so I doubted that I would be summoning him for a visit to Earth this time around. My other class figurines were ready to go, and I¡¯d have to rely on them and the consumables if I ran into trouble. A last look around confirmed that I hadn¡¯t missed anything, and I informed the system that I was ready to leave. The void waited for me, and I floated comfortably back to reality. I reappeared in my apartment, and despite living here for a few days already, it still felt weird to me. I¡¯m sure it would feel more like home the longer I stayed here, but at least it was comfortable, safe, and as long as I kept paying my Refuge tax, the place was rent free. The system was nice enough to send another leather bag to store all the loot I returned with. A quick check of my phone revealed that only about twenty minutes had passed on Earth while I had been going through my summoning series. The passage of time was odd, and what I had gleaned from the Refuge database, time passed inconsistently between here and the other worlds. A few of the summoned beings had returned to the same world only to find that centuries had passed on the summoned world when only a few days had done so on Earth. There was no rhyme or reason to it either. Going to the same world three times could see a century, a second, or a few days pass with each visit. People had a lot of theories on why this happened, but the most logical to me was that the system operated not only across the universe, but also across different realities. Our realities weren¡¯t synced up neatly and to breach one was to face a randomized passage of time. The only exception to the wacky time differential was linked summonings. Most, but not all the time, a linked summoning mirrored our timeline a bit more closely. I put thoughts of time aside and plucked the summoning figurines and the MESS key from the loot bag. Those were placed in my pockets, so they¡¯d be ready if I needed them. The rest of the valuables would go to Jeanette, who had contacts that would help to liquidate the treasure. A final check of the apartment showed that not much had changed since I had left. I made a mental note of the shopping that I¡¯d need to do. Clothes, shoes, and maybe a game console to help pass the time while I was home would be nice. I would also need to try to get to know the people here a bit better. Most weren¡¯t summoned beings, and a surprising number were family members or friends of theirs. This place must truly be a refuge for those caught up in the life of a summoned being when they had kids or a spouse. I could only imagine how hard those conversations were, having to explain what was happening to you, and at the same time, being forced to remove your family from your previous life or get tracked down by bad people. It made sense that loved ones would join the summoned beings here. Leaving family at home was an open invitation for groups like the cultists to force people out of hiding. My life might have been a bit lonely, but at least becoming a summoned being hadn¡¯t affected anyone other than myself. A loud and insistent knock on the door startled me, and I frantically looked around for either my real pistol, or the magic missile version. Marie shouting through the door allayed my fears of a hostile break in, but what she said didn¡¯t exactly end my anxiety. ¡°Rico, are you awake? We need your help, a summoned being is in trouble,¡± Marie shouted as I fumbled with the locks. If one of our people was in trouble, I wasn¡¯t going to leave them on their own. Chapter 137. Lunch Rush. Opening the front door, I could see Marie and a pair of other residents of the apartments behind her. I vaguely knew the pair, neither were summoned beings, but both were ex-military and knew how to handle themselves. One, the driver Julio who had driven me to the apartment after escaping the cultists, was planning to teach me how to shoot the pistol I¡¯d liberated from one of the cultist goons. It was too bad we haven¡¯t had the time to do so yet, and given the grim looks on everyone¡¯s faces, we might be in for trouble. ¡°Just let me grab a couple things,¡± I said, getting my phone and trying to find a better place to stash my pistols. Julio came through and tossed me a holster for the 1911, it was a weird design that was kind of sticky on the outside and would stay put inside the waistband of my pants if I had my belt snugged in. For the magic missile pistol, the best I could do was a small gym bag that I threw over my shoulder. It only took me a few seconds to get ready and then we piled into a battered Ford Explorer and tore out of the parking lot. Julio was the driver again, he apparently had some kind of training for driving in hostile situations, another leftover from his military days. The other former military member with us was a middle-aged woman named Samantha. She had been part of base security for the Air Force and apparently knew her stuff. ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to track down a summoned being in Huntington Beach for a while now. He¡¯s a bit like you, and didn¡¯t want to come in and join us, but now he¡¯s being stalked by what we think are the same cultists that nabbed you. He¡¯s being followed and we¡¯re going to try and get to him before the cult does,¡± Marie explained. ¡°Tran Nguyen,¡± I muttered, my brain somehow remembering who Marie and Randy had been looking for the night they found me. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m surprised you remembered,¡± Marie said. ¡°This is my first ¡®rescue of a summoned being in trouble run¡¯, what should I expect?¡± I asked. ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯re not sure. Tran said there were several people tailing him and he was going to head toward somewhere public. He had no idea how many were after him, but given how the cult operates, it¡¯s usually around a half-dozen,¡± Marie advised. ¡°That many, even after the losses they took the other night,¡± I said, feeling a pang of sadness as I remembered our losses as well. ¡°You might be right, they took a beating from your efforts, and I know the Grimslade Group has been working them over as well. Maybe we¡¯ll catch a break, but don¡¯t plan on it,¡± Marie warned. ¡°What do we do? Go in with guns blazing? Won¡¯t the police have something to say about that?¡± I asked. This was the middle of the city. Sure, shootouts happened on occasion, but gunfire brought down lots of cops and far too much attention. ¡°Jeanette has burned a bunch of her mana to cast a spell on the car. It won¡¯t last long, but while we¡¯re near it, others will tend to not notice us. Once we get out, we need to work quickly and get Tran into the car so we can make a run for it. We¡¯re not here for a battle, just to rescue Tran,¡± Marie advised. ¡°If things go south, won¡¯t the police be after us?¡¯ I asked. ¡°No, not for long. We have a contact at one of the other Refuge locations that can use her power to alter information on us that the police might be lucky enough to get,¡± Marie said as her phone rang interrupting any other conversation. ¡°Tran, are you okay?¡± Marie asked. She hit the speaker button so we could listen in on the conversation. ¡°No, the guys following me are coming across the parking lot. I¡¯m in the Jack in the Box on Brookhurst, but they seem to be holding back because the place is crowded,¡± Tran said. Marie looked over at Julio. ¡°We¡¯re five minutes out, almost there. Look for a silver Ford Explorer with a damaged driver¡¯s side fender, that¡¯s us,¡± Julio told Tran. ¡°Got it, I can defend myself if I have to, but my class isn¡¯t exactly combat focused. I can make out two of them, and old woman in a black skirt and white blouse, and a big guy in cargo shorts wearing a blue t-shirt,¡± Tran said. With help on the way, I could hear a bit of confidence return to his voice. He was like me, a summoned being, and if he was high enough tier and rank to have a class, he¡¯d have faced situations worse than this many times. The only difference was that this time, we were playing for keeps and lives were on the line.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The normally annoying California traffic was made even worse by the fact that time was of the essence. Julio wove in and out of lanes to avoid what he could, but the fact that our vehicle was less noticeable due to Jeanette¡¯s spell made getting in a crash a distinct possibility. Maybe that was why the fender was smashed in on the vehicle. I double checked my summoning figurines, planning to drop the most powerful of my class creatures first. The ghoul would cause a bit of commotion, but people might just chalk it up to some stupid influencer stunt. Shooting the regular pistol was something I still wasn¡¯t confident in, so I¡¯d try to use the magic missile version if I could. At least those shots were guided and wouldn¡¯t slam into an innocent victim if I missed. My true power was still in my summoned creatures, and they would do the lion¡¯s share of the work if things turned into a fight. Marie pulled up a street view of the restaurant, so we had an idea of where we were headed. It was inside a large shopping center on a busy street. Even the cultists might pause at causing a fight here. I couldn¡¯t help but crave a pair of the 99-cent tacos that the restaurant always offered. They looked like they were stuffed with dog food, and used nasty American Cheese in them, but man, they were good. Embarrassed that I was craving lunch, I focused on the task at hand. Julio pulled into the parking lot at the far side of the shopping complex. He told us to look for whoever might be hunting Tran. We had a description of two of them, and they were wearing normal clothes which would blend in well with the other people out and about. We parked across from the restaurant near an auto repair place. Julio and Samantha would stay with the car where they could come get us quickly and Samantha would provide overwatch with the rifle she¡¯d brought. The Explorer was backed in, so the rear hatch of the SUV covered the restaurant. Samantha had a good, unobstructed field of fire as she folded down the rear seats and set up a mobile sniper¡¯s nest. I was more than a bit nervous as I held the ghoul figurine in one hand as we crossed the parking lot. The bag over my shoulder was unzipped and I could spot the grip of the magic missile pistol waiting for me. I tried and failed to spot the cultists until we got close, and I could see the ones that Tran had described were inside the restaurant with him. ¡°You see that?¡± I asked Marie. ¡°Yes, we go in and pull him out. They haven¡¯t started anything yet, so there¡¯s a good chance we can do this without any trouble. I¡¯ll lead, you find a spot to cover me,¡± Marie said. ¡°Got it,¡± I replied, trying to sound like I was more confident than I was. Despite the reluctance of the cult to cause problems in public, I was pretty convinced that my ghoul was going to get a workout today. The familiar scent of fried food assaulted me as we walked in the door of the restaurant. Tran was sweating and shaking as he sat in a booth toward the back corner of the restaurant. I could see one of the cultists, an older woman that must have been in her 70s, talking nicely to him. She was seated across from him, and another cultist had slid into the booth on the same side as Tran, boxing him in. There were probably others in the restaurant, or out in the parking lot, but I hadn¡¯t spotted them. I could only hope that my partners were on the ball and ready to deal with them. ¡°Tran, it¡¯s been a long time, how have you been,¡± Marie said, putting on a pleasant and carefree demeanor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t recognize you,¡± Tran muttered out, confused. ¡°It¡¯s me, Marie Valentine, your English Lit teacher. You were one of the best students I ever taught. Tell me, what have you been doing with your life?¡± Marie lied, trying to catch the attention and distract the cultists as I walked past her and sat at the table across from them where I could watch over everything. ¡°Oh yeah, Miss Valentine. I¡¯ve been good, working hard and finishing up my master¡¯s degree. It¡¯s nice to see you again,¡± Tran said, playing along and pushing against the man boxing him in. The guy pushed Tran back into his seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young lady, we¡¯re in a private conversation,¡± the old woman said with a pleasant smile that seemed disturbing given who she worshiped. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t pass up the chance to visit with a prior student,¡± Marie said, sitting next to the old woman and using her hip to shove the cultists down the bench close to the wall. I caught the gleam of a pistol in her hand, the weapon shoved into the ribs of the old woman. Marie positioned the oversized purse she¡¯d brought so nobody walking by could see the gun. ¡°What do you want,¡± the old woman growled. ¡°Tran and I are leaving, if you follow or try to stop us, you die,¡± I could barely make out Marie replying. ¡°We won¡¯t let him go, you people have been troublesome, and the Master will deal with you eventually,¡± the old woman hissed. ¡°I doubt your master is going to do anything about the forty-five caliber round that¡¯s only a few pounds of trigger pressure away from blasting a hole in you. Let¡¯s make this easy and not cause a stink in a public place,¡± Marie said, motioning for the man trapping Tran to move out of his seat. I took a quick visual sweep of the rest of the restaurant. We were on the tail end of the lunch rush and the place was about half full. Nobody else seemed to be focusing on our little showdown, and I couldn¡¯t spot any other cultists in the place. The next few seconds, and the reaction of the man who was sitting next to Tran, would determine if we were going to leave without trouble or if the restaurant would turn into a bloodbath. Chapter 138. Toxins and Targets. ¡°Lord Bhalkur will have his sacrifice, and nothing your pathetic group can do will stop him,¡± the man seated next to Tran shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant. As I watched, a cloud of yellow gas seemed to billow out of the man and I could detect mana burning off of him at a rapid rate. When the gas hit me, I was immediately struck with an overwhelming sense of weariness. All around me people were dropping down as the gas hit them. For some reason, I was barely able to stay awake. Even the old lady cultist was struck down by the gas, and I could only hope that this was something to just knock people out, not kill them. After all, the cult wanted to sacrifice the summoned beings and draw out mana for their master. Minor Toxin Resistance, that was it, that was why I was barely able to stay awake when others couldn¡¯t. I played like I was asleep, resting my head on the table as I pushed mana into the ghoul figurine. If I summoned any of the others, they would probably just drop and fall asleep immediately, but the ghoul was undead, and would probably be immune. ¡°What is this,¡± I heard the man say to himself as the ghoul appeared and immediately attacked. My creature seemed more eager than normal, probably happy to finally dine on human flesh once again. I was having trouble staying awake, and I think I drifted off for a few seconds. Struggling awake, I lifted my head up to look around while my hand fumbled for the magic missile pistol. The cloud of gas was dissipating, and I could see that the figurine for my ghoul was on recharge. Whoever the guy was with the gas, he had been strong enough to fight off my toughest creature. A quick check of the room showed that everyone else was still asleep. Some of the gas had even leaked out from the gaps in the doors and had knocked out guests about to walk into the restaurant. In the aisle between my table and Tran¡¯s the gas guy sat. His body looked oddly stiff and there were several deep claw and bit marks on him. He was paralyzed, and my ghoul had done a number on him before being taken down. Tran and Marie seemed fine, so I grabbed ahold of them and tried to drag them toward the door. I wanted to get them out of here before the authorities showed up. ¡°That was you, wasn¡¯t it. You summoned the ghoul,¡± the paralyzed man said as he stumbled to his feet. ¡°It was, and there¡¯s more where that came from,¡± I warned, reaching into my pocket for one of my consumable figurines. I grabbed the gelatinous cube launcher and didn¡¯t wait to banter with the man, instead I pushed a point of mana into it and then fired off a Psionic Jolt, my mana burning off as our world drank it down greedily. ¡°Pathetic, I¡¯m an honored servant of Lord Bhalkur, and you are merely food to nourish his return. Your weak magic has no effect on me,¡± the man said, not even flinching from my Psionic Jolt. I began to back away, drawing him away from Tran and Marie since I didn¡¯t want them caught in the crossfire. Behind the man, an oversized version of Melvin appeared, and I could see it winding up to hurl a blast of acidic slime at my foe. Before the cube launcher could fire, the man flicked his wrist toward me, and several sharp spines flew out. One buried itself in the gym bag I was reaching into, but the other two hit. My leg and chest burned as the spines, which seemed made of bone, burrowed into my flesh. I brushed them off, but I could already feel whatever venom or toxin that they were steeped in was starting to work on me. I drew the magic missile pistol; the action was slow and clumsy as the aftereffects of the gas combined with the new toxins from the spikes. My resistance to toxins was only a minor one, and whatever nasty abilities this guy had were overcoming my resistance. As soon as the weapon was out, I activated a shot. A familiar glowing ball of light flew out, slamming into the man¡¯s chest and knocking him backward into a table. I tried to trigger a second shot, but the pistol sparked and popped as something went wrong inside of it. Reaching behind me, I grabbed the 1911, trying to line up the sights on the man who was standing up once more. My vision kept blurring and it made it difficult to focus. Behind the man, my cube launcher tossed a ball of slime that hit the man in the back, causing him to scream in pain as the acidic stuff did its work.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He mastered the pain, and I could feel mana burning off him as he cast some new spell. I finally had a good sight picture of the man and tried to press the trigger. Nothing happened and I wondered if I was too weak to pull it. A wave of sickness overcame me and collapsed to the floor, barely able to sit and desperately trying to get my pistol to work. ¡°Fail weapons never ceases to deliver,¡± the man said. I looked behind him, waiting for the gelatinous cube to fire again. Unfortunately, the oversized cube was just sitting there, doing nothing. ¡°Your toys are all broken now. That fleshy creation is asleep, and your weapons are out of commission. Now, do I slay you here, or drag you back for my people to do things properly,¡± the man taunted as I slumped over on my side, darkness clawing at the edge of my vision. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get to die so easily,¡± the man taunted reaching down to place his hand on my chest as he chanted and began to burn mana. My vision focused a bit, and though I was still weak from the toxic sickness the man had inflicted on me, but I could feel him cancelling the toxins from the spikes, keeping me alive for the time being. The remnants of the gas cloud in the restaurant still had me groggy, but I was awake and if I was awake, I had a chance. I tried to move my hand toward my pocket where the Verdigrim figurine and my MESS key were, but I wasn¡¯t able to move. My other option was to summon my class figurines, I could activate them up to fifteen feet away. Mana poured from me as I pushed a point into Lillia Farwind. The elf appeared next to me and immediately attacked the gas man as I was calling him in my toxin addled brain. For some reason, Lillia seemed unaffected by the sleeping gas, and the man seemed shocked to see her appear. Shocked or not, the man wasted no time in responding, sending a hail of spikes at my summoned minion. Lillia blocked them with her shield and closed the distance. A quick strike of her spear was only partially dodged by the cultist who took the point of the weapon in his shoulder. He roared in pain and instead of backing off, pushed his way closer to Lillia who tried to hold him back with her shield. The man was stronger than my summoned elf and reached behind the shield to get at my summoned minion. Grasping onto Lillia¡¯s shield arm, the man burned more mana and the summoned elf shrieked in pain as green and black corruption moved up her arm at a terrifying pace. Only a few seconds later, she was turned into mana vapor. This guy was powerful, and I wasn¡¯t sure that Rupert and my hound would be enough to deal with him. Rupert appeared next and he only made it two steps before the gas took him down. Maybe elves were resistant to the sleeping gas, but it seemed to work on dwarves just fine. At least Rupert¡¯s sudden appearance distracted the man who was stuffing a torn piece of his shirt into the hole in his shoulder that Lillia¡¯s spear had opened. My mana was getting low, and I couldn¡¯t grab a mana tab to replenish it. I summoned the hound with some effort, wasting even more mana than normal as I had trouble focusing on the spell. The hound fell on its side almost immediately as it appeared in the gas filled restaurant. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too dangerous to leave alive, I¡¯m beginning to believe. May my master forgive me, but I think I need to finish you. Wait, are you the one that summoned all those foul creatures at the warehouse,¡± the cultists asked, anger etched on his features as he moved closer. ¡°Unnh,¡± was all I could mumble. Just as he recognized me, I recognized him. This was the Plague Warrior, the summoned being member of the cult that Marie said had taken out Randy. With a supreme effort, I tried to inch my fingers toward my pocket where Verdigrim was waiting. That plant monster would take care of this Plague Warrior without a problem. I just couldn¡¯t do it; I couldn¡¯t overcome the toxins running through my system. The man walked over to the old lady, reaching into her purse, and pulling out a cruel-looking curved knife that seemed familiar. It was the same one that the woman had used on me when I was captured. The weapon was an evil thing, and Celeste had warned me not to touch it. He was going to use it to sacrifice me as I lay here helpless. No matter how much I tried, no matter how much I wanted to kill the man who was responsible for so much death and suffering, I couldn¡¯t do it. As the man stood over me, he grinned and chanted in some strange language to his god. Behind him, the window to the store shattered and the gas started to flow outside. The knife the man held clattered to the dirty restaurant floor next to me, and when I looked up at the cultist, I was shocked to see his head had split open like a melon. He collapsed over me and the darkness pulling at the edges of my vision finally won out and I drifted off. Chapter 139. Fitting in. Voices cut through the film of sleep that covered me. Slowly, my mind cleared, and my eyes peeked open to find that I was no longer in the restaurant. I rested on a soft bed in an unfamiliar room. A quick check showed that I had two bandages on me where the cultist¡¯s spine attacks had landed. When trying to sit up, a wave of nausea hit, and it took all my effort to not retch all over the clean bedding. My gagging alerted someone in the next room, and I heard Marie¡¯s voice as she opened the door. Julio and Samantha were with her, and it looked like the team had come out relatively unscathed. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, the recent events were still a bit muddled. ¡°What do you remember?¡± Marie asked. ¡°That one guy pumped out all that gas and knocked everyone but me out. I fought him and burned up all my minions, but he still beat me. I was about dead and then his head exploded. After that, I woke up here,¡± I recounted. ¡°I was the reason for his head exploding,¡± Samantha said. That was right, she was in the back of the Explorer keeping overwatch on our team. ¡°You could have done it a bit sooner,¡± I jokingly complained, pointing toward my bandaged wounds. ¡°Ha, I would have if you hadn¡¯t kept standing in my line of fire the whole time. It was like every time I shifted positions to get an angle on that creep, you moved just the wrong way. Between that and the gas hampering vision into the restaurant, it was a tough shot,¡± Samantha replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I collapsed to the floor then. Who knew that my passing out was all that I needed to do to stop the guy. What about Tran Nguyen, is he okay?¡± I asked, remembering our original purpose in going there. ¡°He¡¯s fine and we¡¯re getting him squared away here in an apartment. Thanks to you, he¡¯s only a bit groggy from the gas the cultist Plague Warrior was spewing out,¡± Marie added. ¡°Good, what happens now?¡± I asked. ¡°We captured the elderly cultist lady, and with a little help from the Grimslade Group, we¡¯re tracking down the remnants of the cult,¡± Marie said. I felt a bit of unease at the mention of working with the Grimslade Group, and it must have shown on my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, Rico, we¡¯re making sure they don¡¯t do anything we disagree with. What¡¯s more important is that we break up this cult for good. It should be easy enough now that the Plague Warrior is out of the picture. He was a summoned being named Seth Michael, and without him, the rest of cult lost its main leader,¡± Marie assured me. The guy sure didn¡¯t sound like an ominous Plague Warrior. Seth Michael was a normal enough name. I couldn¡¯t imagine what would draw someone into a cult like that. Maybe it was the trauma of experiencing the life of a summoned being, or maybe that Bhalkur creature could really communicate with him. ¡°Do we know what tier and rank he was?¡± I asked, curious to see since he countered me hard during our fight. ¡°The other woman we captured said that he boasted at nearly being tier three,¡± Marie replied. ¡°What about the aftermath? Everyone in a restaurant was knocked out and someone was shot,¡± I asked, wondering if the police were out there trying to track us down for terrorist activities. ¡°We¡¯re good. Our contacts in the police force are framing this as a gas leak. It¡¯ll also explain any oddities that people might have witnessed. Everything will be chalked up to hallucinations from the gas. As for the dead body, we grabbed that before the police arrived, so they don¡¯t know about it,¡± Julio explained.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s nice having friends in high places,¡± I mused. Life wasn¡¯t any less crazy since I¡¯d joined Refuge, but it sure was easier to deal with when you had support. ¡°What happens now?¡± I asked. ¡°The doctor says you¡¯ll need a few days to fully recover, I¡¯m still having issues too and I wasn¡¯t pumped full of all the stuff the Plague Warrior pumped into you. I¡¯m surprised you survived and even remained conscious when the gas appeared,¡± Marie said. ¡°I had a bit of help with that, something I should probably document in the database. Back during one of my recent summonings, I was ordered to be a taste tester for some king, making sure that he wasn¡¯t poisoned. As a performance reward, I was granted minor resistance to toxins. It sure wasn¡¯t enough to negate what was happening, but I was able to remain conscious and summon my minions,¡± I explained. ¡°Great, any kind of resistance you can get is a much better reward than you¡¯d think. For now, you concentrate on getting better. If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll be summoned again, which should cure everything for you. While you have some down time, it¡¯d be great if you could see about updating anything you can think of in the database,¡± Marie suggested. Now that I got a better look at her, I could see that Marie wasn¡¯t doing all that hot either. She had a light sheen of sweat on her face that told me she was feeling the same stomach-churning aftereffects of the Plague Warrior¡¯s gas. I¡¯d had the added joy of being poisoned by the spines he¡¯d shot into me, though he had negated at least some of that before he attempted to sacrifice me. Janette broke up our little meeting, shooing everyone out as she brought me a plate of breakfast. It turned out that it was her apartment I was in, and one of the people that lived in the complex was a doctor who was also the father of one of the summoned beings. The doctor had promised to check in on both me and Marie later. There wasn¡¯t much he could do, but there was some medicine he was getting to help with the nausea. I had been knocked out all afternoon and through the night. It was only 9am now, and I hadn¡¯t eaten since breakfast the day before. Thoughts of food made me feel like I was going to lose whatever might be left in my stomach, but as soon as I caught a whiff of the breakfast burrito that Janette had made, everything settled a bit. Her homesteader class ability came through again, and the system-upgraded food she prepared did as much to make me feel better as any drug the doctor could have prescribed. After eating, I drifted off again, my body healing as I slept away the day. When I woke, I spent time in the database, adding everything I could think of. I had no qualms helping as much as I could. Refuge had done everything I had asked of them, and then some. There was no reason to hold back, and all the information I could add might help someone else out in the future. It felt good, I finally felt like part of something. There were people I could now call friends, and I liked the fact that they could count on me as well. I had a purpose, and that¡¯s all anyone could really ask for in this life. Sure, my life was a rather bizarre one, but I didn¡¯t have to face it alone any longer. Who knew what other threats and monsters I would have to deal with, both here on Earth, and in the various worlds I visited. Whatever those threats were, I was ready to face them and was confident that my power would continue to grow. For the first time since all this started, I felt comfortable with my lot as a summoned being. Thoughts of remaining one for a while weren¡¯t as bad as they once were. Resting and working on the database gave me time to think. The summonings I¡¯d been on had allowed me to save several lives. There was that young child being attacked by the zombies, the man stranded on the snowy mountain, and too many others to count. I¡¯d failed more than a few times, but those failures weren¡¯t due to lack of effort on my part. I still had a lot to learn, and working with others like me, I¡¯d learn quickly. After a few days, I was feeling better. I¡¯d done all I could for the database, and even began working on some odd jobs around the apartment until the doctor gave his blessing for me to return to full duty. I helped to escort the others while they went about their business away from the apartment, though the threat of the cult had been eliminated. Other dangers were out there, and our people needed protection. I was happy to be the one to provide it. Julio was true to his word and took me to the gun range every other day. I was horrible at shooting but getting better under his tutelage. He taught me not only how to hit the target I was shooting at, but also how to operate in a combat environment. It was still the early stages of my training, but I could see it paying big dividends down the line. After shooting, we¡¯d spend time in Julio¡¯s apartment, cleaning the guns and sharing about our lives. He was an interesting dude, a combat veteran who was wounded by an IED and had to leave the Army. His cousin was a summoned being, the young man named Quinn who had gained the class Quest Knight. Before he could get into how he learned about Quinn¡¯s situation as a summoned being, the familiar prompt appeared. You are Summoned! Chapter 140. Its a Trap! I appeared in my personal space, surprised to see Melvin taking a break from the training room. Not only was he taking a break, but he also had flopped on the seat of the rocking chair. I didn¡¯t know if he actually enjoyed the chair or if he was just copying my actions. Whatever the reason, I was happy to see my gelatinous cube friend. ¡°Melvin, it¡¯s nice to see you getting some rest and relaxation. Is everything okay?¡± I asked. He sent feelings of contentedness and then suggested I focus my attention on the reward chest. Sitting next to the reward chest was a new figurine, it looked like a set of armor that was dripping or melting in some way. I picked up the figurine and the system granted me some information on what Melvin had created. Gelatinous Armor. Gear cost 5, Crafted by your bonded companion, this set of armor may be summoned the same way you would summon one of your minions. Once activated the armor will appear, already equipped. The armor will cover any existing armor, reinforcing it and granting additional modest protection against crushing, slashing, and piercing damage. Well balanced, the additional weight of the armor is negligible. In addition to the enhanced protection it offers, the armor will also damage any foe that touches it, quickly shedding a portion of itself as it attempts to consume the foe. ¡°Thanks Melvin, I¡¯m sure this will come in handy,¡± I said. Through our connection, I could feel Melvin brim with pride. Before I could ask him about how he managed to keep crafting these things, the summoning portal opened, and I felt a compulsion to enter. Before I was forced in, I managed to run to the armory and add the armor to my loadout. I would most likely add it to my take home pile when the summoning series was done, but for now, I¡¯d keep it in the loadout for emergencies. As I stepped through the portal, a system prompt appeared telling me what my newest summoning entailed. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by use of a magical device.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 4.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is combat related, prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped out of the portal and into a darkened hallway. A flickering torch in the distance granted me a bit of light to maneuver, but until my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I wasn¡¯t going to be very effective at whatever I supposed to do. Checking for my summoner link, I could see a thin thread of mana leading to a small alcove with an empty pedestal near where I was summoned. More system prompts appeared, explaining the new type of summoning I was experiencing. You have been summed by a magical trap. Any intruders that attempt to exit from the nearby room are to be attacked on sight. Pursuit of any intruders is allowed for up to fifty yards from the summoning pedestal. If there are no targets in range, you will return to this spot and guard the area. Compulsion washed over me, and my attention was drawn to a door set in hallway about five yards from where I stood. Whatever, or whoever came out of there was to be attacked. For a moment, I contemplated using a Notice of Cessation, but until I could confirm if I was the bad guy in this situation, I¡¯d hold off. With nothing moving out of the door, I had time to summon my minions. Out first was the ghoul who I placed on one side of the door. Lillia Farwind covered the other side; her spear and shield would be particularly useful in the choke point. Rupert stood nearby, ready to step in if either of my minions fell. Once again, I handed Rupert my original mace, giving him a decent weapon to use. My final minion was the hound who I kept at my side. With my hammer and wand at the ready, I waited to see if anyone would try to exit though the door before my summoning timer expired. I had been summoned by an item and from what I¡¯d read in the database, item summoning tended to have the shortest summoning length.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. An experienced summoner had class skills and abilities that would typically extend the time of a summons. When crafting an item, everything reverted to the baseline summoning spell the item was duplicating. Other than unique situations, such as with my Foe Summoner class, things were limited to around two- or three-minutes per rank of the summoning spell. At tier one, rank four, I¡¯d probably be stuck here for around thirty- or forty-minutes max. Normally, my summonings ended much sooner than that, but for some reason, whatever had triggered the trap that I was bound to hadn¡¯t made itself know yet. I was perfectly content to just wait here for the entire time and let the spell expire. Doing so should grant me at least an average rating, and perhaps above average as I¡¯d summoned all my minions and prepared as best I could for the task at hand. After a few boring minutes, my eyes adjusted as well as they could to the dim lighting. A single torch placed fifteen feet down the passage allowed me to barely make out the door I was guarding. A few feet from me, a second, unlit torch was placed in a wall sconce. I used the existing torch to ignite the second one which gave us a bit more lighting to work with if things turned into a battle. I still had that Everburn torch in my loadout, but if there were normal ones provided, I¡¯d use them instead of risking my personal gear. It was part of my loadout, so I was reasonably certain it would return after I used it in a summoning, but since it didn¡¯t have a gear cost associated with it, I couldn¡¯t be entirely sure. It was something I¡¯d try to research when I returned home. Time passed and after around ten minutes I could hear something inside the room behind the door we were guarding. There was a series of low growls that went silent soon after. The sound of people moving drowned out any further growls, and I got ready to deal with whoever was coming through the door. A roar followed by frantic shouts was heard as the sounds of combat erupted. I was tempted to throw open the door and see what was happening, but the compulsion prevented me from opening it. A loud shriek of pain was heard before the battle died down. Screechy voices chatted among themselves, and I placed an ear to the door to try and eavesdrop on them. It took a moment or two before my Linguistic Adaptation Interface kicked in and I could make out some of what was being said. ¡°¡­not like we expected, and now Glumb is hurt,¡± one voice said. ¡°We need to keep moving,¡± another answered. ¡°No, we¡¯re not going to leave anyone behind or waste good rations. Hurry up and butcher Glumb, he¡¯ll feed us for a day at least,¡± one of the voices ordered. More sounds of fighting ensued, followed by the death cry of whoever Glumb was. ¡°Bah, too stringy, we¡¯ll have to cook this one a bit, and that giant cat was just a summoned thing, and those don¡¯t leave nothing to eat,¡± one of the voices complained as the disturbing sounds of a body being butchered were heard. ¡°Hurry up, we¡¯re almost out of this place. The sooner we get back to the village, the better. I hope what we found was worth it,¡± one of the voices stated. ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re the one that missed the traps. Some shaman you are,¡± another challenged. The pair began to argue, with others joining in on one side or the other. For a while, it seemed like they were going to do my work for me and kill each other off, but in the end, no further fighting broke out. The door began to creak open, and I could see drool dripping from the mouth of the ghoul as he waited for his next meal to appear. A stunted, gangly humanoid creature emerged. It was dressed in filthy clothing and had a few pieces of makeshift armor strapped onto seemingly random locations. In one hand was a shortsword with a notched blade, and in the other was a hunk of raw meat. My ghoul lunged forward, but the little creature reacted quickly and leaped back into the room. The door slammed shut and the ghoul scratched at it a few times before returning to the position I had selected for him. He hissed at me and proceeded to snatch the hunk of meat off the floor where our foe had dropped it. It turned out to be a small hand with long green fingers that the ghoul quickly stripped of flesh. Our opponents didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to rush out and engage in a fight, and I was fine with just sitting here in a stalemate. The clock was ticking on my summoning, though I was reasonably sure the things that we were facing weren¡¯t the good guys here. My mind clicked, finally recognizing what I faced. They were goblins, and from the sounds of arguing that broke out again behind the door, there were more than a few of the creeps. ¡°¡­you dropped yours. You want more rations, go out there and get your portion back from whatever is on the other side of the door,¡± one goblin shouted. ¡°It¡¯s a ghoul, if you want to fight it, go out and do it yourself. You¡¯re lucky I wasn¡¯t paralyzed and blocking the door open,¡± the first goblin commented. The arguing continued in earnest, with half the goblins arguing to press the attack, and the other half realizing the ghoul was probably summoned and would disappear eventually. I almost chuckled at what the goblins would think when they realized the ghoul wasn¡¯t the only threat waiting for them outside the door. Chapter 141. Goblin be Gone. The arguing goblins kept at it for another few minutes before deciding that they would try to rush us. They had no idea that I could hear everything they were saying while they came up with their plan. Some wanted to wait longer, but the leader, who I think was the goblin shaman, reminded the others that something was chasing them, something they feared even more than a ghoul. To get things ready for their pending attack, I had the ghoul step back from the door and into the passageway. The rest of us retreated into the gloom on the other side of the passage where we would be out of sight when the attack commenced. The goblin arguments had at least bought me enough time to cast Empower Minion on everyone, and for my mana to recharge a bit. With shrill goblin war cries, the horde of enemies burst forth from the room. The ghoul moved in and attacked, forced to fight two against one in the wide passageway. Goblins seemed perfectly suited for this kind of fight, swarming a more powerful opponent with superior numbers. Despite being outnumbered, the ghoul kept up a ferocious attack, eventually getting in a few slashes in and paralyzing one of the goblins. To support the ghoul, I cast Duplicate on him, and the goblins chittered among themselves as the number of ghouls doubled. The duplicate ghoul took extra damage from every attack that landed on it, but the goblins in the front rank weren¡¯t interested in attacking and were too busy trying to back away. While the lead goblins tried to retreat, those in the back were busy pushing those ahead of them, creating quite the roadblock. ¡°Get in there and deal with those goblins,¡± I ordered, leading the rest of the team to flank our foes. Goblins shrieked in surprise as a human, an elf, a dwarf, and a dog emerged from the dark and attacked them from the other side. The goblins were hemmed in by ghouls on one side, and the rest of my odd team on the other. I kept back, lurking behind the line of battle as I waited to see if any of the goblins needed special attention. At least eight goblins were jammed into the passageway, and several others were crowded in the doorway. I had no idea how many goblins there were in total, but from the commotion they were creating, I¡¯d estimate that we were facing off against at least a score of these creatures between those in the passage and those still in the room. Rupert got a good hit in with his mace, dropping a goblin, but once the goblins got over their shock, they began to fight back against the second front. Even though he was armed, Rupert was still just a dwarf commoner and was outclassed by the better armed and armored goblins. Lillia Farwind did much better, her militia training coming in handy as she worked to block attacks with her shield, then counterattack with her spear. Having greater reach meant that a goblin had to expose themselves if they wanted to hit her. Rupert was fading fast though, and the dog stood ready to fill the gap once he fell. I moved up, ready to replace whoever went down after Rupert. On the other side of the passageway, the ghouls were giving a good account of themselves, and I could see several bodies at their feet. A stream of fire suddenly shot from the doorway and lanced into the chest of the duplicate ghoul. My minion staggered back, but remained in the fight, taking a final swipe at a goblin before a second blast of flame did the ghoul in. The goblin shaman was lurking back in the room, popping into the doorway to cast spells before retreating back. I waited for him to appear again, noticing Rupert fall out of the corner of my eye, and the hound moving to take his place. An arm peeked out from the doorway, mana already collecting into another dangerous spell. I tried to cast Psionic Jolt using just the hand as my target. It turned out that targeting the hand was as good as targeting the person and the shaman stumbled from the doorway holding his head and crying out in pain. With the largest threat exposed, I fired off a magic missile at the shaman. My bolt flew true and slammed into the side of my target causing him to drop to the floor. I didn¡¯t think the shaman was dead, but he¡¯d be out of the picture for at least a short time. With their shaman out of the fight, the other goblins lost some of their aggression and began to retreat toward the doorway.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Goblin cowardice allowed Lillia and the ghoul to get more hits on the retreating horde. Before the last pair could make it through the doorway, the other goblins slammed it shut, leaving their allies to their doom. The team made quick work of the surviving goblins, and the ghoul dug the still living shaman out of the pile of bodies in front of the door. A bite or two from the ghoul took care of the shaman and I counted a total of nine corpses. The fight had cut the goblin numbers down by about half. Sadly, the hound didn¡¯t make it, leaving just me, the ghoul, and Lillia ready to fight. There was silence for a few minutes before the goblins began to bicker among themselves once again, trying to screw up their courage enough to make another assault. Time was ticking away, and I had the feeling that the summoning was almost over. It was too bad I didn¡¯t have a timer to show how long remained. Maybe there was something like that in Somhagen. I¡¯d have to check the database back at Refuge when I got the chance, but I figured I¡¯d be heading to the city before I returned home again. The goblins shushed each other and demanded they all listen. Demanding that goblins be quiet and listen had the expected results, and the arguments flared up even hotter for a few moments. It was only when I could feel the thump of heavy footsteps through the floor that the goblins went silent. Something big was approaching from the other side of the room where the goblins were hiding. Outright panic broke out as something began to attack the surviving goblins. I sort of figured whatever had gone into the room with them was on the same side that I was. Since we were summoned by a trap, maybe that other creature probably had been as well. It¡¯s slow pace had taken it this long to catch up to the goblin intruders. Whatever it was that was in there, it sounded like it was doing a number on the goblins. Heavy, meaty sounding blows cut off the shrieking goblins one by one. My summoning compulsion kept me from opening the door to peek, so I instead gathered my troops beside me near the doorway, ready for whatever was coming our way. As I suspected, one of the goblins finally opened the door and tried to make a break for it. My hammer, the ghoul¡¯s claw, and Lillia¡¯s spear hit it at the same time, obliterating the foe. It left the door swinging open and I could see inside the room for the first time. It was a large storage area of some sort. Rotting and corroded crates littered the floor, as did more than a few goblin bodies. In the corner of the room, someone inside a massive suit of plate armor held the final goblin aloft by its throat. Choaking, the goblin tried to drive his dagger into the armored hand that held him, but the cheap blade had no chance against the thick, steel armor. A sickening crunch sounded out as the armored figure squeezed and cracked the goblin¡¯s neck, tossing the corpse to the floor. The armored figure looked in our direction after checking for any goblin survivors. An open helm revealed that no living creature was inside the armor. Instead, a swirling mass of darkness piloted the armor, and a pair of glowing red eyes appraised my group. I readied our team for a tough fight, but the armor merely turned and stomped its way back out the second doorway on the far side of the room. I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize that I¡¯d been holding. The armored creature was another defender of this place. With the defenders friendly, I would have loved to explore the place a bit more. Was this just a well-protected area with magical traps, or was it a true dungeon? ¡°If you are a dungeon, I hope we accomplished what you wanted from us,¡± I said into the darkness. There was no reply, making me think this wasn¡¯t an actual dungeon. My experience with the previous dungeon I¡¯d contracted with was a good one, and I kind of looked forward to working with one again. Maybe that Pakrinas guy from Contracted Summonings could set something like that up again. It was only a few minutes after the animated armor had walked away when the summoning was completed. I¡¯d had one of the rare summonings where I¡¯d survived to outlast the timer before being killed in some gruesome way. A system prompt gave my final rating results. Your summoning session has been completed. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect you being summoned at Tier 1, Rank 4, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 11 experience points. You have earned 10 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 1, Rank 5. You have gained a point in Presence. You have gained a point in Constitution. A visit to Somhagen has been unlocked. The connection between Somhagen and your personal space has been established. Chapter 142. New Additions. I returned to my personal space, excited to get another chance to explore the city. Looking at the far wall, I could see the familiar doorway leading from my personal space to Somhagen had appeared. Before I headed out, I needed to review my rewards and decide on what to bring with me. Sorting for new items I cracked open the rewards chest to see what I¡¯d gained. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 158.
  2. Silver coins, 22.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
  4. Class Scroll.
The monetary rewards were about what I¡¯d expected, but the Class Scroll was something new. Selecting it and pulling it from the reward chest caused the system to populate information on the item. Class Scroll. Activating this scroll will unlock an item, skill, or upgrade related to your class. It is a single use item, and the results are completely random. Do you wish to activate this item now? I hit yes, activating the scroll and new information appeared. A new summoning template will be added to your existing roster. Please select the Tier and Rank of the template you wish to unlock. After reading the item description, options filled out for each rank and tier. It was capped at my current Tier 1, Rank 5, but I had the option of selecting a summoning template from anywhere up to that point. I stopped and thought about what I needed to bolster the most. I already had the veteran orc warrior template that I could now access, and since it was a veteran template, I doubted that a normal one would compete for that slot. My tier one options were well stocked, with Marvin Glum, ghoul, Advanced Skeleton, spider, and the new halfling healer. Any of the lower tier options were fine but burning the scroll on another tier zero, rank zero or tier zero, rank five seemed like a waste. Even though this was just a normal scroll, I felt that having at least two options for tier one, rank five seemed like the best play. Even if the veteran figure was the go-to choice 99% of the time, maybe I¡¯d unlock something that was better in certain conditions or for a specific contract. You have unlocked the Tier 1, Rank 5 template, Goblin Raiders. The figurine formed in my hand, and like some of the consumable ones that I¡¯d found, it was a trio of goblins on a single base. I¡¯d have the option of a single, powerful orc, or a swarm of three angry goblins for this tier. Somhagen would have to wait a bit longer, I needed to test out my new additions. There was just under 70% of the mana remaining in the training center, and Melvin wasn¡¯t too upset that I kicked him from his training. He even seemed rather excited to see what I¡¯d gotten. Just like with the other class figurines, these new Foe Summoner templates would customize with additional information when I activated them for the first time. I started with the normal summoning, the goblin raiding party. They appeared as a group and looked like I had pulled them directly from my last summoning. I wondered if I had gotten the goblins because the reward was tied to that summoning I¡¯d just had, or if it was just random. If I had chosen a lower tier, would I have gotten the same reward, just with fewer, or more poorly equipped goblins? There was no point in wondering about other possibilities, I had some goblins to test out. The three were equipped with makeshift bits of armor strapped onto their rough clothing. As far as weapons were concerned, the trio were each armed differently, giving the group good flexibility in combat. One of the goblins had a short spear, and the second had a one-handed chopping blade that looked like a cross between a meat cleaver and a shortsword. The final goblin held a short bow and a quiver of crude looking arrows. A dagger without a sheath was shoved into the archer¡¯s belt, giving it at least something to fight with if things got up close and personal.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Having two front line fighters and a dedicated ranged attacker was a nice mix and I summoned a few different creatures to try them out on. Despite their less than brave nature in real life, these goblins were summoned creatures that fought to the death. Not exactly durable, it still took the various foes some time to cut through all of them. While not the most skilled warriors I¡¯d seen, the goblins were what I would consider competent with their weapons. They seemed to wield them about as well as I did with the warhammer and my basic bludgeoning weapons skill. I did a few tests against multiple weaker opponents, which is where the goblins shined, and against more powerful single target foes. After dismissing the trio, I checked out their figurine, the system giving a bit more detail now that I¡¯d activated the item. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5. Current health, 100%, 100%, 100%. Attacks/skills/abilities.
  1. Basic weapon and armor skills for all equipped weapons.
  2. Crude, patchwork armor.
  3. Horde Tactics. As long as at least one other goblin is alive, each goblin receives a 10% bonus to attack and defense.
The description gave me a name for each of the goblins, and their naming conventions seemed about as odd as the gnome ones had. Glem was the one with the spear, Glamb was the chopping blade guy, and Glurk was the archer. As I suspected, they had basic skills, and the Horde Tactics was a nice ability to get a bit more oomph out of their attacks. I dismissed the goblins and then equipped the orc warrior. The veteran status of the orc didn¡¯t disappoint as a hulking and well-equipped orc appeared in front of me as I activated the figurine. Wearing full chainmail armor, the orc warrior held a well-crafted axe in one hand, and a spiked mace in the other. Sheathed in a baldric were several throwing daggers and slung across his back was a small, round metal shield. Testing out the warrior showed he was as good as advertised. Weaker foes fell quickly to his weapons, each of which he wielded with a skill greater than any of my other summoned minions. He would also adapt to the situation, putting away one of his weapons and equipping the shield when facing ranged attackers, and looking for weaknesses in more powerful foes. I didn¡¯t have the mana to equip both the goblin trio and the orc veteran at the same time and have them face off against each other. Despite that, I was confident the orc would mop the floor with my goblin trio, though I could see the goblins being more useful in situations where I just needed a bunch of bodies. Just like with the goblins, the system gave a bit more detail on the orc figurine once I activated him. Grulnok, Orc Weapon Master, Veteran. Current Health, 100%. Attacks/skills/abilities/equipment.
  1. Intermediate weapon and armor skills for all equipped weapons.
  2. Dual Wield. Grulnok can effectively fight with a weapon in each hand. When using two weapons, Grulnok¡¯s melee damage is increased by 15%.
  3. Second Wind. When below 25% health, Grulnok will gain a further 15% bonus to both attack skill and damage.
Grulnok was a beast, and I had some hard decisions to make on my roster. I had 95 mana to work with and the tier one, rank five minions required a reserve of 75. My Presence score would drop the reserved amount a bit, but I would still need to leave some gas in the tank for spells. My ideal loadout would be Grulnok paired with the halfling healer, Elida Silverbarrow, but I couldn¡¯t afford that with my current mana pool. I¡¯d have to go with Grulnok, and something cheaper. With Grulnok, Rupert, and the hound, I was at 85 mana reserved. After the discount for Presence, my total reserved mana was 77. That left enough to cast Duplicate, which would be amazing on Grulnok, and a couple of Empower Minion, Fail Weapons, or Psionic Jolt spells. Back home, I felt that Grulnok was also the better choice for a bodyguard. With Rupert and the hound to help deal with swarms, I was in as good a position as I could be at my current tier and rank. There was a busy day of shopping ahead of me in Somhagen, as well as a good chance of finding something to help with my mana problems. Back in the armory, I finalized my selections and looked at what I¡¯d need to bring into town for spending money. I had 68 summoning points, which was a decent amount for the Summoned Market. I¡¯d need to reserve some cash for my return home, but with my return gauge at only 42%, I had at least a couple more summonings to stockpile funds before I was sent home. I decided to take everything but 200 copper and 25 silver. With 200 copper and 25 silver as a nest egg, I should be able to earn enough on my remaining summonings to contribute to Refuge and still bring a nice pile of coins for shopping today. With my loadout squared away, and my pack full of money, it was time to hit the town. Chapter 143. Summoned Market. A quick double check confirmed that I hadn¡¯t forgotten anything and was ready to go. Opening the door, I could see that it was early evening in Somhagen. During my previous visits, I had arrived during the day and had never seen the city from a distance at night. It was a surprisingly beautiful place, with each tier of the city lit up for the evening. The small hill where the doorway to my personal space had appeared was covered with other doors, and I wondered if all the summoned beings appeared here, or if there were other hills on the far side of the city that they could spawn from. My door was in a different place on the hill this time, which told me the link to this world shifted a bit each time I¡¯d visited. There was a small bit of traffic on the road, most of it leading away from the city as those that had brought goods in for trade left to return home. The hills ringing the city blocked my view further out and I wondered if there were other settlements nearby, or if the people visiting here had made some long trek to get to Somhagen. A few of the people on the wagons gave me a friendly nod as they passed, but many looked tired and just wanted to get to where they were going without any more effort than was necessary. I passed through the outer areas of Somhagen and took in the collection of tents and other structures that comprised the area that the tier zero summoned beings could visit. I now had access to the first tier of the city, and soon, I¡¯d get a peek at the second tier. The database back at Refuge had a good bit of information on the second tier, but I noticed that things were a bit sparse after that. Not many people on Earth were at tier three or higher, and I wondered if most simply found a new life, or if I should be wary of some unexpected threat at that tier. The database didn¡¯t shed much light on it, and I knew that everyone at Refuge was looking forward to one of their own reaching tier three so they could uncover the mystery. The information brokers on the second tier offered potential answers to the question, but the cost of such information was beyond the budget of anyone that had reached there so far. The guards at the gate gave me a friendly nod as I passed their inspection and I headed toward my first objective, the tier one summoned market. From my exploration during the last visit, I learned that the summoned market tended to close earlier than the other shops. Smells from the food vendors caught my attention and I almost slowed down to peruse the options. I did spot a familiar cart, the one offering Somhagen¡¯s version of corn dogs. The man that ran the cart was Tonpu I believed, and while the food there was good, I had to make it to the market before they closed. Once my business there was done, I could look around and find the best option for dinner. It wasn¡¯t far to the market; it was easy enough to spot with the building sporting the familiar orange color that all the summoned markets seemed to be painted in. I had 68 summoning points and I really needed to spend them wisely. An older looking halfling man greeted me at the entrance. ¡°Welcome to the summoned market, how may I be of service this fine evening?¡± the man asked. ¡°Hello, I was looking for a few things, mainly something to help with a limited mana pool. Other than that, any skills, abilities, or summoning figurines for my tier and rank,¡± I advised. The clerk sent a system request for me to share my class information. I¡¯d gone through this last time and was confident that the system would protect me from any abuse of the information I shared. ¡°I think we can accommodate what you need, I¡¯m Harrison, by the way. Please, follow me,¡± the man said, leading me deeper into the store. He led me toward a section with various types of jewelry. He sorted through several displays and pulled out a necklace and a ring for me to examine. ¡°Either of these items may help you. They¡¯re in high demand and usually sell out quickly, but we¡¯ve just restocked and have a few left,¡± Harrison said as the system populated information on each piece. Apprentice Ring of the Mind. Gear cost, 10. This ring provides a +1 bonus to your Mind stat. The ring was a simple thing, a silver band with several runes carved in red. It automatically sized itself to fit on my finger when I wore it, which was an odd sensation, especially when it adjusted several times to get the right fit. Pendant of the Summoner. This pendant provides a +2 bonus to Mind, and a +1 bonus to Presence. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Unlike the ring, the pendant was a bit more involved. It was made from a long pair of thick silver chains that intertwined. Hanging at the bottom of the chains was a small square of marble with more engravings that looked like they were made of gold. I¡¯d feel a bit like I was wearing the Mr. T starter set if I wore it, but the stats were amazing. ¡°Thanks, Harrison, these are just what I was looking for. How much are they?¡± I asked, wanting to get both if they were in my budget. ¡°In case you weren¡¯t aware. It¡¯s only possible to receive the bonus from a single item that boosts a particular stat. If you wore both items, the ring would do nothing for you as the pendant¡¯s bonus is the higher of the two,¡± Harrison advised. ¡°In that case, what about the pendant,¡± I asked. ¡°That one is 150 summoning points,¡± Harrison replied. ¡°Ouch, a little out of my budget, what about the ring?¡± I wanted the stats on the necklace, but I nowhere near enough to purchase it. ¡°It¡¯s offered at 25 summoning points,¡± Harrison replied. ¡°It¡¯s a whole lot cheaper than the pendant, I¡¯ll take it,¡± I said, placing the ring back on my finger after authorizing the system payment. ¡°Excellent choice, the cost of enhancement items goes up considerably as the stats improve, blending two stats on the same item is also a laborious and mana exhausting task,¡± Harrison explained, justifying the much higher cost of the necklace. ¡°I appreciate you at least informing me that things like the necklace are available. Is there anything else you can think of that might help with my mana situation? I¡¯m down to 43 summoning points now, and there are other things I need,¡± I asked. ¡°Perhaps, but it wouldn¡¯t be a permanent solution,¡± the clerk offered, moving to a different part of the display shelf. He pulled three blue stones, each about the size of a chicken egg from a shelf. Handing one over, the system explained what I was looking at. Mana Boost Stone. This stone will temporarily add 25 mana to your mana pool. The stone will last for one summoning session and when you return to your personal space, it¡¯s power will be exhausted. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, how much do these run?¡± I asked. ¡°These are priced at 10 summoning points per stone,¡± Harrison advised. It was steep for a one time use item, but it would last for an entire summoning session. Having one of these on hand for when I was sent to a contracted summoning, or a linked summoning where I knew that I would be gone for an extended duration. ¡°I¡¯ll take one. Are the Notice of Cessation scrolls still 15 summoning points?¡± I asked, wanting to replace the one I¡¯d used, but at 15 points, I would just roll the dice that the pair I still had on hand would be sufficient. After all, I could only use them for the next five ranks and would have to buy the more powerful version once I hit tier two. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll find the prices don¡¯t fluctuate much on such items. What else might I help you find?¡± Harrison asked as I paid for a single Mana Boost Stone. ¡°I¡¯d like to see any skills for my class, and perhaps some melee combat ones as well. I¡¯d also like to look at any summoning figurines you might have in stock,¡± I asked. My priority would be upgrades for me and my class, but if I had the funds, I¡¯d like to see any skills that might be good to share with my minions, like Riposte. It took Harrison a few minutes of searching, and he eventually found three scrolls for me. He explained that everything else in stock was more geared toward other classes. There were only three options for skills and abilities, but all were decent enough finds and wouldn¡¯t destroy my budget. Tier 1 summoner spells (25). Tier 1 protection spells (25). Tier 1 melee abilities (25). With only 33 summoning points left, I could only afford one. It was a tough call, and since the system would only give random choices for each scroll, it was a bit of a gamble for any of them. While I wanted melee abilities for my minions, I was leaning toward looking at protection spells. I had nothing defensive right now, and I could use something to save me in a pinch, especially if it was something that would function back on Earth. After hemming and hawing a bit, I ended up purchasing the protection spell. Before I activated the tier one protection spell scroll, Harrison showed me their current collection of summoning figurines. There were a few lower-level figurines, but I was drawn to the most expensive one, a lanky troll holding a trident and weighted net. He looked like something out of a gladiator movie, and the figurine was the only veteran one in the bunch. It would clean me out at 8 summoning points, but I wanted a powerful defender to help me if I was in trouble back on Earth. With the purchases done, Harrison let me use one of their private cubicles to activate my protection spell scroll. As usual, activating the scroll offered three choices, and I had yet another decision to make. Tier 1 Protection Spells. Please select a spell from the following options.
  1. Summoner¡¯s Armor. This spell grants you a magical shield that will absorb a modest amount of damage before failing. It can be cast on all friendly targets and requires 10 mana to cast. The gear cost for equipping this spell is 20.
  2. Health Bloom. This spell grants a minor healing effect for all friendly allies within a 10¡¯ radius for a duration of 5 seconds. The spell has a range of up to 100 yards and the caster must have line of sight on the targeted area. Health Bloom requires 10 mana to cast and has a gear cost of 20.
  3. Minor Counterspell. This spell creates an energy field around the caster that will disrupt one targeted spell of Tier 1 or lower. There is a 1-minute cooldown before the spell can be cast again. Minor Counterspell requires 10 mana to cast and has a gear cost of 20.
Chapter 144. A New Contract. All three options weren¡¯t bad, though Minor Counterspell was very situational and wouldn¡¯t likely help much back home. My choice was between the armor spell and the healing one. For most summonings, the armor spell would likely be the better pick. I could armor up my most powerful minion and send him into the fight. The downside was that it was a single target spell, and my mana pool wouldn¡¯t support continuous castings of it. Despite the positives of the armor spell, I was leaning toward the healing spell being the better pick. It would prove effective during a summoning and might save lives back home. With my newest minion, the veteran orc, I could see the spell getting a lot of use. He wasn¡¯t going to be easy to take down and healing him up during a fight would make him even more effective. I¡¯d also get the chance to heal allies during a battle, which might really boost my rating at the end of a summoning. You have gained the spell Health Bloom. With my new spell learned and my summoning points tapped out, it was time to head back into the city. My next stop was at the apothecary. I had a few things to stock up on. I purchased another forty mana tabs to take home. When someone at Refuge visited Somhagen, it was requested they bring back a resupply for the group. Jeanette burned mana to keep up the food buffs and protections that her Homesteader class offered. Her class was also summoned very infrequently, as it was a rather specialized one. While I wanted to help out Jeanette and Refuge, I also wanted plenty of mana tabs on hand if I ran into an emergency back home. There were supposedly more powerful versions of the tabs available at the higher tiers of the city, but the price increase was substantial. On Earth, the mana tabs I used would regenerate anywhere from 10 to 18 or so mana. With the diminishing return on the tabs, a second one taken before twelve hours had gone by would only restore 5 or 6 mana. Any more than two and you would not only get zero mana, but you would also cause severe damage to your body. I also restocked my mana and healing potions. They were minor ones that weren¡¯t very powerful, but just like with the mana tabs, more powerful versions were available at the higher tiers of the city. Since they were cheap and didn¡¯t have a gear cost associated with them, I grabbed enough to bring my stock up to five each. With a more powerful minion, I¡¯d have to experiment with giving one to the orc veteran Grulnok to keep on hand during a longer summoning. After the apothecary, I took a break to get something to eat. I didn¡¯t want to spend a long time in a restaurant, so I returned to the area near the entrance gate where several of the smaller carts and food stalls were found. I didn¡¯t think that Somhagen had anything like a department of public health and safety, but everything looked clean and sanitary, which contrasted with the almost medieval vibe of the city. I waved at and greeted Tonpu and his wife, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood for a corn dog. One cart with a wide, flat grill caught my eye and my appetite. The wonderful scent of grilled meat, peppers, and onions hit me as the worker at the cart moved the food around the grill with a pair of what looked like giant chopsticks. When he topped everything with diced garlic and some kind of dark sauce, I was sold. ¡°What do you call that, and how much is it for a bowl?¡± I asked. ¡°Good evening to you, sir. This is called the Taikar raider bowl. It¡¯s named after a nomadic warrior people from a faraway land that were rumored to have cooked their food using a similar method. For one silver, you can get a portion large and tasty enough to satisfy a Taikar prince,¡± the man said. I handed over my money and was a bit surprised to find the thinly sliced meat and veggies he had grilled were served over some rather familiar looking noodles. It was a bit awkward to eat with the wooden spoon he gave as an eating utensil. I would have preferred a fork, or even a pair of chopsticks, despite how horrible I was at using them. Still, the spoon served well enough to help me scoop food into my face.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. With just the right amount of salty goodness, the savory dish was scarfed down in record time. Passing the empty bowl and spoon back to the clerk, I was ready to continue my shopping adventures. Next on the list of stops was a visit to Contracted Summonings. I had a bonus to collect, and I wanted to see if I could get some new contracts. The mouse-looking guy, Pakrinas, had done right by me and I was looking forward to doing more business with him. It wasn¡¯t too hard to find the shop, and I was starting to get the hang of this tier of the city. This would be my last visit, since I¡¯d move up to tier two by the time I was allowed in again. The building where Contracted Summonings was located was right next to the arena, and I¡¯d have to check out the gift shop again afterward to see if the same person was working there today. I didn¡¯t mind generously tipping the worker if he pointed me toward another good find. ¡°Good evening, sir, how may I assist you?¡± the young woman that worked at the front desk of Contracted Summonings asked as I walked in. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m here to collect a bonus and see if we could work out a deal on some new contracts. I worked with Pakrinas last time,¡± I offered. ¡°That¡¯s great, Mr. Pakrinas is in his office, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be more than happy to see you,¡± the woman said, waving me back toward the same office I had been in before. Pakrinas was stacking scrolls on his desk and looked like he might be packing up for the night. ¡°Sir, this gentleman is here to see you about a bonus as well as some additional work,¡± the woman said before leaving to return to her post at the front of the shop. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me. I never forget a client. Uh, let¡¯s see, you¡¯re Rocko, Vigo, no, it¡¯s Rico, yeah, that¡¯s it, Rico. You did a starter contract with the dungeon core if I remember correctly. Received a very good recommendation from the core on that one, good work, Rico,¡± Pakrinas said, sorting through a drawer in his desk where he pulled out a scroll and small pouch of coins that he passed over to me. A quick check revealed the pouch held seventeen silver coins, just as promised. ¡°Thanks, do you have any additional work for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Given your past performance, absolutely. Now refresh my memory, what type of class do you have again?¡± Pakrinas asked. ¡°I¡¯m called a Foe Summoner, and it¡¯s a summoner class as you might have guessed from the title,¡± I advised. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good, I have a few things that might work. Tell me, how long can you maintain your summoned creatures for? I have a contract that could use some extra numbers, but they need them to stick around for more than a few minutes at a time,¡± Pakrinas said. ¡°I have a limited number of minions that I can summon, but I can keep them around indefinitely. If one of my summoned creatures is destroyed, there is some delay before I can bring them back again,¡± I told Pakrinas. From my prior experience, it appeared that the higher the tier and rank of the minion, the longer it took for their figurine to reform. ¡°Perfect, let me find the contract. Normally I wouldn¡¯t offer an extended contract like this to someone who¡¯s only completed a single trial contract, but this is a bit of a unique situation that I believe fits your class perfectly,¡± Pakrinas said as he dug through various piles of scrolls. ¡°How long are we talking with an extended summoning?¡± I asked. It didn¡¯t matter too much to me, I was fine with a longer summoning, but I would like to have a heads up on how long I could expect. ¡°Like I said, this one is a bit unique. It¡¯s a new client for the company, so I wanted to find the perfect fit. I suspect it¡¯ll be anywhere from a few days to few weeks in duration. Tell me Rico, have you ever served in the military or in a law enforcement role? Pakrinas asked as he finally found the correct contract scroll. ¡°No, I can¡¯t say that I have,¡± I answered, a bit concerned over exactly what type of summoning this was supposed to be. ¡°That¡¯s fine, the client is a retired military leader and they are requesting someone like you to augment the security of the village he¡¯s been assigned to oversee. I figured if you had worked in either of those fields, you might hit it off better with this client, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do just fine,¡± Pakrinas told me. ¡°What are the details of the summoning?¡± I asked. Pakrinas pushed the scroll over to me and a system prompt filled in the details. You have been offered the following summoning contract by Contracted Summonings.
  1. Assignment to perform extended security services for the protection of the village of Veterhaven. There is a high chance of combat associated with this summoning, and you will have greater autonomy to carry out your duties.
  2. Your compensation for this summoning is 1 gold coin of standard weight in addition to any normal rewards you acquire through the system. This contract is for a single, extended summoning and will bind neither yourself nor Contracted Summonings to further summoning options unless both parties agree.
¡°That¡¯s not a lot of detail,¡± I said warily. ¡°True, but it¡¯s a rather open-ended type of contract. You can¡¯t expect them to detail every action you¡¯ll take for weeks on end. Many summoned beings would see this as a dream assignment. You¡¯ll have the freedom to act as you see fit. What do you say, Rico, are you up for the challenge?¡± Pakrinas asked. Chapter 145. Finishing Up. There wasn¡¯t much to think about. It would be a longer and likely more difficult summoning, but receiving an extra gold coin for completing it was a solid reward considering my last contract was only 17 silver. The details of the summoning were sparse, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any huge red flags. As an added bonus, I¡¯d probably complete this summoning series with just this one summoning. ¡°Anything else I should know about it?¡± I asked, just to make sure Pakrinas wasn¡¯t holding back anything. ¡°Not really, save for the summoning being marked as urgent. When that happens, you can usually count on it being the next summoning in your series. The normal system rewards for these longer contracts tend to be a bit better as well,¡± Pakrinas advised. ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± I agreed, accepting the quest. The system confirmed my decision. The contract has been accepted by both parties and will be activated at your next summoning session. ¡°Cool, anything else you might have for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Not right now, the one you¡¯ve just agreed to should keep you busy for a while. What tier and rank are you now?¡± Pakrinas asked. ¡°I¡¯m tier one, rank five.¡± ¡°Your next visit here will be at the second tier of the city. I don¡¯t oversee that tier, but my cousin, Bactras will be working there. The details of your contract will be forwarded to him, and he can get you paid. Just like here, our offices on the second tier are near the arena. There¡¯s no need to return to the first tier to collect your compensation. If I don¡¯t see you again, it¡¯s been a pleasure working with you Rico, and I wish you the best in your life,¡± Pakrinas said. "Thank you Pakrinas, I appreciate all your help, and the fact you¡¯ve dealt with me fairly,¡± I replied. ¡°Stay safe and remember to mind yourself when offered a contract. Our company is well respected, but not all that work in the city have the same scruples,¡± Pakrinas said as I left. The new summoning sounded like an interesting one, but I still had more to do here in Somhagen before I needed to return to my personal space. I had mapped out several shops that were most likely to offer summoning figurines. As for other gear, I would probably not get much in the way of upgrades until I hit tier two. Since I was close by, I hit the arena gift shop first. I was a bit worried that they wouldn¡¯t let me past the ticket booths if I wasn¡¯t purchasing a ticket or participating in the arena, but I walked right through without any trouble. The little gift shop looked the same as before, and I noticed the clerk was the same dwarf that I had worked with during my last visit. The shop was doing a brisk business and the dwarven clerk wasn¡¯t alone at the counter this time. A halfling man in a rather dapper suit was helping customers right alongside the dwarf. From the way they were dressed and the interaction between the two, the halfling was the boss and my dwarf friend didn¡¯t seem too fond of him. Unsure how to approach things, I perused the small rack holding things that were geared to appeal to the summoned beings. Once again, there were a few overpriced items, like a wand that may have been the same one I had seen before. What I homed in on were the mystery boxes that could contain anything, or nothing. I gathered the four mystery boxes that were in stock and waited for the dwarf to finish up with his current customer. Whenever the halfling was free, I made sure to look like I was shopping some more. I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with an unknown person at this point, and the dwarf and I had an agreement already. ¡°Sir, can I help you?¡± the dwarf asked once he was free. ¡°Yes, thanks, I¡¯m considering one of these mystery boxes, what kinds of things can they contain?¡± I asked, while sliding a few silver coins over.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°They can have anything, sir, some of the choices are truly marvelous,¡± he replied, glancing toward his boss to make sure he wasn¡¯t looking. The dwarf pushed back the coins, looked at the boxes, and subtly shook his head no. ¡°Got it, thanks for your assistance. I think I¡¯ll pass this time.,¡± I replied before taking the boxes back to the rack that I had grabbed them from. The dwarf seemed scared to take a tip from a customer while his boss was watching. From his reaction, I suspected that all four of the boxes were duds. The arena gift shop wasn¡¯t going to work, but it was far from the only place in town that offered what I wanted. Three other stores on this tier were reported to contain summoning figurines. They were considered a useful consumable by most summoned beings, and it was common for them to have at least one in their loadout. With my cost reductions, and needing only one mana to activate them, the figurines were much more valuable to me. The first shop I stopped at specialized in spell components and alchemy ingredients. They kept a few figurines on hand as they were used in the creation of some different magic items. With only three figurines in stock, all of which were inexpensive, lower ranked ones, I bought them all. My next stop was a larger store, that reminded me of an old department store. They offered just about everything you could think of, but their selection of summoning figurines wasn¡¯t that great. I bought all of what they had, and one pair of figurines stood out. They were different from just about anything else I¡¯d see so far. These new figurines were more than triple the price of other figurines of the same tier and rank, but I still purchased them. Not only did they cost me more coins, the figures also were double the gear cost of other figurines. Because of their oddity, the system granted me a bit more information on them when I had completed my purchase.
  1. First aid station, Tier 1, Rank 5. Gear cost, 10, This figurine will summon a well-stocked first aid station that will remain in place for up to one hour.
  2. Ballista emplacement, Tier 1, Rank 5. Gear cost 10. This figurine will summon a ballista, simple fortifications, and a supply of appropriate ammunition. The ballista will remain in action for up to one hour.
Both the new figurines didn¡¯t come with any minion to operate them, but I figured the first aid station could be used at home if we were ever in a bad fight. The ballista was more likely something I could use during a summoning. He might not have the proper skills, but maybe Rupert could figure out how to use the weapon. I was excited to see what new types of figurines might become available as I reached the higher tiers. My final stop was a smaller shop, but they had a decent stock of figurines. About half were lower tier offerings, but there was one veteran figurine that I was looking forward to seeing in action. I picked up a total of five figurines from the last shop, and all told, I had a dozen figurines to work with now. Many I¡¯d take home, but I felt comfortable keeping a stock on hand for my summonings as well. I had accomplished everything I wanted to in the city. My shopping was done, and there wasn¡¯t anything the information broker on this tier could offer me that I couldn¡¯t find the answer to in Refuge¡¯s database. The things that I couldn¡¯t find in the database were going to be far too costly for me to afford. Information on leaving my status as a summoned being was still out there, but at five hundred gold for the answer, I wasn¡¯t going to purchase that answer anytime soon. Before returning to my personal space, I stopped at a bench in front of a bakery, enjoying the wonderful smells as I organized my newest finds. The system kicked in to help me to keep track of things. Several of the shops had duplicates of various figurines, but I had purchased them all. If I had multiples of the same figurine, I could always take one home and leave the rest in my loadout. Consumable Summoning Figurines. Tier 0, Rank 0.
  1. Dire rat (2). Gear cost 5 (4).
  2. Deadspore fungal patch. Gear cost 5 (4).
Tier 0, Rank 5.
  1. Orc commoner (3). Gear cost 5 (4).
  2. Wild Razor Boar (2). Gear cost 5 (4).
  3. Gnome technician. Gear cost 5 (4).
Tier 1, Rank 0.
  1. Zombie pair. Gear cost 5 (4). Veteran.
Tier 1, Rank 5.
  1. First aid station. Gear cost 10 (9).
  2. Ballista emplacement. Gear cost 10 (9).
After sorting through my finds, I was getting anxious to return to my personal space. I was looking forward to my next summoning, curious and excited to see what I¡¯d be doing that would grant me a gold coin just as a bonus. Before I left, I forced myself to calm down and enjoy a final stroll through the city. My visits here to this tier were over, and I wanted to take everything in and commit it to memory. Chapter 146. Muster Village. Back in my personal space, I could see that Melvin was heading for the training center. I left him to it; his figurine was recharged so he¡¯d get to spend the next summoning with me. Before I got called away, I needed to sort through my loadout to add the new items that I¡¯d gathered. There were some tough choices that I needed to make about what I was going to take with me on the contracted mission. Since this was going to be an extended summoning, I would use the mana stone I¡¯d purchased. It gave me an additional 25 mana which brought my total mana pool for this mission up to 120. If I equipped the ring of the mind, I¡¯d be up to 125. The boosted mana was going to allow me to bring even more of my Foe Summoner minions along for the ride. I currently had Grunlok, Rupert, and the hound equipped in my loadout. They required a mana reserve of 77 after my discount for Presence. I added Lillia Farwind, who I considered my best tier zero, rank five minion. With Lillia, my reserved mana bumped up to 102. I would have 23 mana to work with for spells and buffs during the next summoning. The gear cap was going to be a bit of a problem as well. My maximum gear score after hitting tier one, rank five was up to 175. I was over that limit now, and if I didn¡¯t pare things down, I would risk the system deciding what I had to cut for me. Dropping both my cantrip spells would be fine. Psionic Jolt was becoming less useful, and Redirect hadn¡¯t really come in handy yet. Duplicate was powerful, as was the new Health Bloom, but both had a gear cost of 20. My other two spells, Empower Minion, and Fail Weapons cost 10 each. With more minions along for the ride, and not likely facing a modern foe with firearms, I could reasonably cut Fail Weapons. That meant my spells were still topping out at a combined gear cost of 50. From my other standard loadout items, I would drop the Notice of Cessation. This was going to be a contracted summoning and I was pretty sure that the Pakrinas wouldn¡¯t take a job that required undue torture of one of his contractors. My weapons were also getting downgraded for this mission. The warhammer had a steep gear cost of 50 and I replaced it with the simple mace. For Rupert, who I normally gave the mace to, I would bring my dagger along for him to use. With a few final tweaks of consumables, I came up with the following loadout. Gear cost 174/175 Spells:
  1. Empower Minion, gear cost 10.
  2. Duplicate, gear cost 20.
  3. Health Bloom, gear cost 20.
Weapons and Armor:
  1. Studded leather armor, gear cost 25 (20).
  2. Simple mace, gear cost 10.
  3. Simple dagger, gear cost 5.
  4. Magic missile wand, gear cost 10.
Miscellaneous equipment:
  1. Apprentice Ring of the Mind, gear cost 10.
  2. Headband of the Apprentice Summoner, gear cost 10.
Consumables:
  1. Ring of Duplicate, 2 charges. Gear cost 1.
  2. Whistle of the Houndmaster, 5 charges. Gear cost 9.
Consumable Figurines.
  1. Gelatinous armor, gear cost 4.
  2. Dire rat x2, total gear cost 8.
  3. Deadspore fungal patch, gear cost 4.
  4. Orc Commoner x3, total gear cost 12.
  5. Wild razor boar, gear cost 4.
  6. Gnome technician, gear cost 4.
  7. Zombie pair, gear cost 4.
  8. Ballista emplacement, gear cost 9.
I was only a point away from maxing out my gear score. There was a solid collection of consumable figurines, but I would try to hold off on burning them up without good cause. Each one I didn¡¯t use on the summoning was one that might save my life back home. As it stood, the first aid station figurine, a razor boar, a dire rat, and a pair of orc commoners were going to remain behind from my pool of consumable figurines.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The loadout was a good enough compromise on effectiveness vs. efficiency and I figured it would see me through a longer summoning. Just like with my mana situation, it was becoming evident that I¡¯d need to do something on my next visit to expand my gear score. The second tier of the city likely had what I needed, but I was sure that whatever I found would be expensive. Getting a higher ranking and the ensuing greater rewards was going to be more important than ever. For this trip I¡¯d also have Melvin to help, but Fitzfazzle¡¯s wasn¡¯t quite ready yet. It¡¯d been a while since I¡¯d seen my gnomish friend, but I knew that he would be ready to go if I needed help. I had to admit that I wouldn¡¯t mind being summoned by him again. I¡¯d like to see how things at the village were going now that a bunch of undead weren¡¯t trying to kill them. I finished up the loadout just as the summoning portal appeared, along with a system message confirming that this was the contracted summoning. You are Summoned! Your summoning contract has been activated. I stepped through the portal and into a small-town square. It was early afternoon, and the place was a bustle of activity. My summoner link led to an elderly man who held a crumbling scroll in his hand. He looked me up and down with a bit of disappointment. Sure, I didn¡¯t exactly cut the most heroic-looking figure, but it felt bad to have your summoner look disappointed with you from the get-go. ¡°You¡¯re the one I got from that contract?¡± the old man asked, but it felt more like a confirmation of his first appraisal of me rather than an actual question. ¡°Yes, what I can I help you with?¡± I asked, curious what I would be doing on this contract. My last contract had been with the dungeon core, and I¡¯d found that a rather interesting summoning. ¡°I don¡¯t know, what can you do for me?¡± the man grumbled. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one that summoned me. Is there some kind of threat or something going on or did you just need someone to grumble at for an extended period of time,¡± I snapped back, my annoyance getting the better of me. ¡°Hamish, you hush now. Don¡¯t take things out on the boy, he¡¯s just here to help,¡± an elderly woman said as she slid next to the old man and wrapped an arm around him. The old man, who was apparently named Hamish, dropped his gruff demeanor for a moment, and I caught him giving the woman a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Esther, it¡¯s just that we¡¯re in quite the pickle, and I expected, well, I don¡¯t know what I expected, except that I didn¡¯t expect some young kid,¡± Hamish admitted. ¡°You, young man, what¡¯s your name,¡± Esther asked me. She had a way about her that seemed to brighten things up with her presence. I couldn¡¯t hold onto my annoyance at Hamish while she stood there looking like someone¡¯s grandma that was about to bake me cookies. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Rico, Rico Kline. I¡¯m glad to help in any way I can, I just have no idea what you folks need,¡± I admitted. ¡°There we go, Hamish, the young man is Rico. Oh, and don¡¯t give me this ma¡¯am stuff, you can just call me Esther. Rico, like my husband said, we¡¯re in a bit of a pickle and one that we should have seen coming long before it did. As for what the danger is, well, we¡¯re at war, and the enemy will be here by morning,¡± Esther said. ¡°What kind of enemy are we dealing with?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as my cue to leave. Hamish, the old soldier that he is, will be more than happy to fill you in on the details. I¡¯ve got other things to work on,¡± Esther said, taking her leave of us. Even with her gone, Hamish was much more cordial to me. ¡°We¡¯re facing a mixed force that is a combination of reavers from the blighted lands and the mercenary companies they¡¯ve managed to hire. These aren¡¯t your normal sellswords they¡¯ve hired either, they¡¯ve hired groups of kobolds, gnolls, and even a few ogres if our scouts are to be believed,¡± Hamish said. ¡°Why are they headed here? What¡¯s this war about?¡± I asked. ¡°Long story, but I¡¯ll give you the condensed version. We belong to the Empire of Veldtland, and normally, the legion would be here to deal with such things. Unfortunately, the powers that be don¡¯t believe that the enemy is appearing in the numbers they are. The army is mustering, but if a few outlying villages like ours are destroyed, it¡¯s deemed a reasonable sacrifice by those in power,¡± Hamish said. I could see him getting red in the face with anger as he spoke. ¡°Can¡¯t you evacuate?¡± I asked. ¡°Not likely, you see, we¡¯re right on the edge of the blighted lands and this is a muster village,¡± Hamish said. ¡°What¡¯s a muster village?¡± I asked, confused about the term. ¡°Must not be the same where you¡¯re from, but here, a legionnaire can retire from the army after putting in twenty years of service. The empire grants veterans a stipend and an allocation of land. Unfortunately, the lands they grant us tend to be places like this, places the empire has little use for, and where we might be a roadblock for any hostile neighbors. ¡°The muster village is full of retirees, many of which wouldn¡¯t make a forced march evacuation. Even if the people here were still top shape, active-duty legionnaires, no legion can outpace the march of the reavers,¡± Hamish explained. Looking around the village, I could see that there did seem to be a larger than normal percentage of elderly people. ¡°So, you can¡¯t leave unless you want to abandon those that need you the most,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Exactly. Now, I¡¯ve called in a lot of favors to get his summoning contract, so tell me, Rico, what can you do to help me stop an army?¡± Chapter 147. Optio. I¡¯d come a long way from when I was first snatched up in a summoning. From a guy in a work polo and khakis, I was now armored and armed with powerful weapons and magic. Despite how far I¡¯d come, there was no way I was going to stop an army on my own. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can fight and summon a few minions to assist me, but I don¡¯t think I can take on an army by myself,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to do this alone. You¡¯ll have help in defending the village, but if you can summon minions, that will help out greatly. What kind of things can you summon?¡± Hamish asked. ¡°Currently, I can summon a powerful orc warrior, an elvish militia member, a dwarf commoner, and a hound. In addition, I can cast a few spells to improve their fighting ability and heal nearby allies,¡± I offered. ¡°Good, that is perfect for what we need. Follow me Rico, let me show you around,¡± Hamish said, walking me toward the wooden palisade that surrounded the village. The palisade was made from large tree trunks and was around twelve feet tall. Whoever had made it knew what they were doing, and the structure was solid enough and featured a narrow parapet for people to fight on. A couple of armored men were walking the parapet, their eyes trained outward for signs of the enemy. There was a gate at each end of the village, and both were currently open. In the streets, groups of people were preparing wagons, loading them with valuables and passengers. ¡°Hamish, you said there was no way your people could outrun the reavers and that was why you had to stand and fight,¡± I asked, a bit confused based on the activity I was seeing in the village. ¡°That¡¯s right, if we all cut and run, we¡¯d be caught within a couple days. What we¡¯re planning to do is leave a strong force here to keep the enemy busy. Reavers lust for battle, as the death and destruction they sow is considered an offering to their foul gods. If they see a force defending the village, they will turn all their focus here, where they can engage in immediate battle. While they¡¯re fighting us, the others can escape,¡± Hamish said. ¡°How much time do we need to buy them? If a huge army overruns us, we¡¯re just going to buy them a few hours,¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ll hold them for longer than that, especially with your help. If we can tie them up for at least a day, our people can make it to the main road where legion patrols will help protect them. It may take time for the army to muster, but there are some units on the frontier that will at least slow down the reavers even further. Our people just need to make it out of the borderlands here,¡± Hamish said. ¡°One other question, what is a reaver? Where I¡¯m from that¡¯s just like some kind of barbarian that¡¯s looking for pillage,¡± I asked. ¡°Similar, but instead of pillage, the prize they¡¯re looking for is death for their gods. Most of them started out as men, but the blighted lands changed them. They are more monster than man now, both in appearance and action. Still, they die just as easily as you or I,¡± Hamish explained. ¡°So, creepy mutant looking guys, got it. What role am I going to play in this? I asked. ¡°That¡¯s easy, you were supposed to be bait for a trap, but since you can summon other creatures, they can fill in for you. If your creatures are destroyed, can you summon them back?¡± Hamish asked. I didn¡¯t like the idea of being bait, but I also didn¡¯t want these villagers to be slaughtered. ¡°I can, but it takes time for them to regenerate. How is this trap supposed to work?¡± I asked. ¡°Let¡¯s head out the gate, I¡¯ll show you what we¡¯ve got planned,¡± Hamish said. As we descended from the walls, the first wagons were starting to roll out. Families and a few bedridden elderly people were packed inside the wagons and as they passed me and Hamish, they saluted the old man. ¡°Hail Optio!¡± one of the young men driving the wagon shouted out as they passed. The chant continued as each wagon passed.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Hamish returned their salute, which consisted of holding his right arm across his chest with hand made into a fist. There was a look of pride in his eyes, and I caught a glimpse of the confident young soldier he must have been years ago. Whatever Hamish was taking me to see was put on hold as we waited for the last of the wagons to roll past. All told, just over thirty wagons left the village, and I would estimate only a third of the inhabitants remained. Of those that remained, all were elderly, and all wore at least some bit of armor or pieces of their old military uniforms. With quiet determination, Hamish waved me forward, remaining silent as we walked in the opposite direction the wagons were taking. Outside the village were several fields with crops that looked to have been left in the middle of being harvested. A dozen old men and women worked in the fields, but we passed too far away to see how the harvest was going. It seemed a waste to me unless their plan was to burn or somehow destroy the crops so their enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain themselves on it. Past the fields, a light forest grew, and from the old stumps I could see that this was where the logs for the palisade had been sourced. The forest was only a mile or so thick and on the other side, I could see the ground begin to change. Just past the forest, the ground was barren, it was like life had been cut off in a line. I could see why these were called the blighted lands. We followed a small rocky path that Hamish advised me to keep upon. Wandering into the blight wasn¡¯t normally a problem, but sometimes, people that strayed from the rocky path came back changed, and not in a good way. Not far into the blight, low hills rose. These were jagged and steep hills that would make crossing with an army almost impossible. In the distance, I could see a handful of men working on erecting a barricade between a narrow gap in two of the hills. A wooden wall was about shoulder high and ran for nearly fifty yards, cutting off the gap. The wall wouldn¡¯t stop an army, but maybe it would make a good defensive position. ¡°Here we are, this is where the fun begins,¡± Hamish said, greeting the men working on the wall. ¡°Optio, the barricade is almost ready, as well as the other surprises. Are our people on their way to safety?¡± an old man with a jagged scar on his face where an old war wound had taken his eye some time ago said. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re on their way to safety. Well done with the barricade. I know we can¡¯t work like we once did, but you got this ready in record time,¡± Hamish replied. I kind of figured that the Optio they kept calling him must have been his old military rank, but while the Linguistic Adaptation Interface translated what Hamish was saying into something I could understand, military ranks weren¡¯t my forte. ¡°This is Rico, when the enemy arrives, he¡¯s going to summon something to help you to defend this position,¡± Hamish said. ¡°Understood, welcome Rico, I¡¯m Saul,¡± the one-eyed man said, giving my hand a vigorous shake. ¡°Good to meet you Saul,¡± I replied, giving the man a rundown of what I could summon. ¡°Saul, Rico won¡¯t be making his stand here. When the time comes, he¡¯ll summon his minions and then fall back to the forest with the second line,¡± Hamish said. ¡°What second line?¡± I asked, a bit confused about Hamish¡¯s overall plan of defense. ¡°It¡¯s easy. We bleed them here, in the forest, and then in the fields before they ever reach the walls. Once on the walls, we hold them for as long as we can before falling back to the great hall and a few other buildings where we¡¯ll make our final stand. Saul and his boys volunteered to be the first line of defense. Now that you can bolster their numbers a bit, things should go a bit easier for them,¡± Hamish explained. ¡°We¡¯ll bleed them good,¡± Saul said with a bloodthirsty gleam in his one good eye. ¡°Bleed them, but don¡¯t forget to fall back when the time comes. I expect you to be at my side at the great hall,¡± Hamish warned. ¡°I¡¯ll be there, Optio,¡± Saul said, but if the dozen or so men stationed here, along with my summons, were the only things holding back an army, I was a bit concerned that any of them would make it out alive. This was going to be a difficult fight, and while I wanted to be thrifty, I was getting the feeling that more than a few of my consumables would be needed if the enemy was as powerful as they seemed to think. While a consumable might save my life back home, I didn¡¯t think I could live with myself if I let innocent people die because I was too selfish to summon a few extra defenders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rico, we¡¯ve known this was coming for some time, and we¡¯ve prepared things accordingly. Take a look,¡± Hamish said, pointing up as he noted my look of concern. Where he pointed, up near the top of the hill, was a cluster of large stones. They looked like they could fall at any time, and only an old log jammed under the mess was holding them back. Saul moved over to where their supply of lumber to construct the barricade was piled and pulled out a thick rope. It led to the log that was holding the stones back. You wouldn¡¯t want to be anywhere near the valley when the rope was pulled, and half the hillside crashed down. These old soldiers were crazy, but they had a lifetime of war experience to draw upon. I had a feeling that the invaders were going to be in for a much more difficult time than they had planned on. Chapter 148. Preparations. ¡°We should have some warning before they get here, so there¡¯s no need for you to wait by the barricade,¡± Hamish told me. ¡°Is there someone tracking the enemy?¡± I asked, a bit worried that Hamish might be a bit overconfident in his ability to spot the enemy before they arrived. ¡°Yes, while the army is taking its time to muster, at least the leadership sent out a recon company of cavalry who are tracking the enemy¡¯s progress. They send a rider every few hours to report back to their headquarters and they pass warning to us on the way. We should see the enemy here sometime around midnight,¡± Hamish advised. ¡°Good, what can I do to help now?¡± I asked, not wanting to stand around being useless while everyone else was working. ¡°How good are you with a shovel?¡± Hamish asked. ¡°Not great, but I have a few friends that can help,¡± I replied, summoning my team. With my class, the minions would remain for as long as I was here, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about them despawning. Hamish led us back to the fields surrounding the village. People were still hard at work, but I now realized that they weren¡¯t bringing in the harvest, they were setting traps for when the enemy arrived. We were put to work digging leg breaker traps, narrow, but deep holes that would allow someone¡¯s leg to slip in and then snap the limb as they fell. It was a rather nasty trap that would leave its victims crippled and easy prey for archers. Some larger pits were camouflaged to look like part of the field. Inside were sharpened spikes that would do a number on anyone who fell in. In addition to the pits, there were also tripwires hidden where the crops still grew. Placed around where the body and head of a normal man would land if he was tripped up, several more spikes were waiting. A dozen people were in the fields, and I joined them with Grulnok, Lillia, Rupert, and the hound. While the hound was of little use in the construction efforts, I had gotten used to having a dog around. Somehow, the companionship always made the work seem to go by more quickly. Melvin also joined the party, and while he gave the other workers a bit of a shock, one of them had a good suggestion as to how the gelatinous cube might contribute to the defense. The idea was for Melvin to lurk inside one of the larger pits we were working on. When the enemy fell inside, he¡¯d go to work on them. If everyone in the pit was down, he¡¯d lurk around the fields, slipping into other pits, or dealing with the enemy tied up in the leg breaker traps. He seemed content to fill the role he was given, and I left him to it. While we worked, Melvin made the rounds, and seemed excited to introduce himself to the other villagers. They were reluctant to get too close, it seemed that they had never heard of an intelligent version of his species, and the ones they knew were deadly ambush predators. It didn¡¯t take long for the cube to win them over, and I spotted more than one try to slip him a treat from the lunches they¡¯d brought with them. It was hard work, and the villagers that had remained behind were mostly on the downhill slope of 60 years old. Still, they had grit and determination, doing as much as they could to help prepare for the village defense before the enemy arrived. I did catch a glimpse of riders from the cavalry unit moving past the village once. Hamish had remained in the forest and would let us know if the riders brought any urgent news. I had arrived in the village in the early afternoon and by the time the sun was setting, everyone was too exhausted to continue with the heavy manual labor. My minions were still able to work, it seemed that since they were mana constructs, they recovered more quickly than normal. There was more to do, but the rest of the villagers were called away to rest before helping to work on defenses in the town, and the tricks they were planning inside the forest. The village had known about the threat and with military efficiency, they had planned for the inevitable attack. Precut lumber for barricades, stockpiles of ranged weapon ammunition, and even smaller items like the wooden spikes for our pit traps were already prepared, allowing us to do more than you¡¯d expect with the time we had. While the others were called away to other tasks, I remained in the fields with my minions, having them continue to work. The enemy would come pouring from the forest, and from what the villagers had told me of the reavers, the odds were that they would charge directly for the nearest gate to the city. The fields outside that gate were where most of the defenses that I had been working on were placed. Now, I had the team work outward from the main approach, expanding the danger facing our foes. I was brought some food about an hour after dark by a pair of old women with an honest to goodness picnic basket. My minions didn¡¯t need to eat, but my stomach was starting to growl. They brought a bowl of a thick and hearty stew. It was filled with fresh vegetables and chucks of seasoned pork. The dish had just enough spice to give it a kick, and along with a small loaf of crusty bread, it made for a filling and satisfying meal.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Do they need to eat?¡± one of the pair of older women who had brought my food asked. ¡°No, they¡¯re mana constructs and don¡¯t need to eat,¡± I explained. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work today, I don¡¯t think we would have made nearly as much progress without you and your friends,¡± one of the women said as she ¡°accidentally¡± dropped a small bread loaf for Melvin who had somehow magically shown up as soon as the food had. ¡°I¡¯m glad to help, you seem like good people, and I don¡¯t want to see you hurt,¡± I replied. ¡°Do you have reavers where you come from?¡± she asked. ¡°No, not like what Hamish described, but we do have more than our fair share of evil people who will do just about the same thing as the reavers, but without the mutations and whatnot,¡± I explained. ¡°Well, whoever they are back in your world, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll deal with them just like you¡¯re going to deal with our reavers. Would you care for a slice of pie? I used up the last of the berries from the garden to make them,¡± the other woman said, pulling a slice from the basket. It made me wonder what other treats were in there, and if there was such a thing as a basket of holding that created baked goods. The pie was as tasty as it looked. Its thick filling was made of various sweetened berries I wasn¡¯t familiar with, and the flaky crust had the texture and flavor that only homemade from scratch things could possess. They left after feeding me, and without further orders I continued to do what I had been doing. In addition to the food, the women had brought out several lanterns that could be hung from a stake, allowing us to work in the dark. What felt like several hours had passed before Hamish sent word for me to hurry and join him at the barricade. As I reached the forest, one of the villagers was there waiting for me. The villager showed me how to spot the markers for the safe trails through the trees. The team in the forest had been as busy as me and the others had been in fields, and the idyllic forest was now a deadly one. It didn¡¯t take too long to reach the barricade, and it looked a lot different from when I¡¯d last seen it. The barricade had added a small trench in front of it, making the wall effectively taller than most people. Wooden spikes like the ones that I¡¯d been placing all day, had been inserted into predrilled holes in the barricade. It now looked like a wall crossed with a porcupine, and I wouldn¡¯t want to have to charge into it and try to climb over. Saul and the other defenders at the barricade gave my crew of minions more than a few curious stares as we arrived. Hamish was nowhere to be found, and the guide that had brought me here said he was still working with the team in the forest. It looked like the forces here at the barricade had also been reinforced during the day, and I recognized a few of the faces from the villagers that had worked in the fields with me. The total count of defenders was up to eighteen, not including my team. Hardly enough to stop an army, but we¡¯d slow them down. ¡°Rico, that¡¯s quite the circus you¡¯ve brought with you,¡± Saul said, taking in the rather diverse set of things that I¡¯d summoned. ¡°They¡¯re ready to fight, despite digging ditches all day. Just tell me where you want them,¡± I replied. ¡°Ha, that big orc fella can stay right here in the center of the line, the young lady with the spear and shield, as well as your dwarven friend can remain back as a reserve. Can he use a weapon other than that toe scratcher you¡¯ve given him?¡± Saul asked as he positioned Rupert. ¡°The dagger was all I could bring with me, but if you have a spear, he¡¯s decent with one,¡± I added. It turned out the defenders weren¡¯t hurting for weapons and there was a nice six-foot spear with an iron tip that I grabbed for Rupert. I considered summoning a few of my consumables, but I¡¯d wait until the enemy was spotted and I got a look at what I¡¯d be up against. There was one consumable that would take a bit of prep work though, and I figured I should bring it up before the battle started. ¡°Saul, I do have something that might help. Do any of your people know how to work a siege engine. I can summon a small ballista if you think it would help,¡± I offered. The consumable was an expensive one, but I was willing to part with it to help these folks. ¡°A siege engine! Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner. Let me see, we got plenty that can operate a ballista, it¡¯s part of legion training after all. The question is where the best place would be to position it. I¡¯m thinking either atop the village wall, or better yet, inside the great hall. How long does it take for you to summon it?¡± Saul asked. ¡°Just a second or so, show me where to put it and I¡¯ll have it ready to go in no time,¡± I replied. ¡°Excellent, hold onto it, when we fall back to the village we can decide where to place it. I do need to let Hamish know, he might have other ideas for that weapon,¡± Saul said, sending a runner back to the forest to find Hamish. ¡°Riders coming in!¡± someone shouted from out in the darkness of the pass we were defending. Saul and Hamish had not just counted on the cavalry to spot the enemy and had their own scouts out in the dark watching for danger. ¡°Everyone stand to, there¡¯s no indication that the enemy have any mounted forces, but I¡¯m not going to take that for granted,¡± Saul ordered. The defenders at the barricade stopped whatever they were doing and began to don their armor. They all had a thick chainmail hauberk and a large oval shield. In addition, each defender wore a shortsword and there were several stacks of javelins placed within easy reach. Four of the new defenders, older women from the village, wore no armor and instead had longbows and several bundles of arrows ready to fire. ¡°Should I light the watchfires Saul?¡± one of the soldiers asked. ¡°No, not yet, best to wait for the enemy to arrive, it might gain us a few minutes,¡± Saul replied as several dark figures emerged from the dark. It was four of the cavalry troopers and they looked much worse for wear. ¡°Hail, Saul, I hope your people are ready, the entire enemy army is right on our heels and they¡¯re out for blood,¡± one of the riders, who had a dirty and bloody bandage over his head said wearily. The fight was about to start, and I was more than ready to do my part. Chapter 149. Flames of Battle. ¡°We¡¯ll slow them down, don¡¯t you worry. Just make sure you light a fire under the army and get them ready for what¡¯s coming,¡± Saul said to the cavalry scouts. The battered riders passed through a gap in the barricade the villagers had made for just this type of situation. Once the last scout was through, they closed the gap and reinforced that section of the barricade. As the riders passed by me, I waved them over. ¡°I may be able to help a bit with your wounds. Can I get you all to gather as close to each other as you can get?¡± I asked, glad for a chance to try out my new Health Bloom spell. The riders looked a bit skeptical but did as I asked. Pushing mana into the spell, I could see a green aura appear around the area I¡¯d targeted. At first, I was worried that nothing was happening, but one of the riders assured me that he could feel the pain of his wounds lessen. After a second casting, my mana was almost drained, and I¡¯d need time for it to recharge. ¡°I hope that helped,¡± I told them after the second spell expired. ¡°It did indeed, mage, I thank you for your efforts. It may not have healed us completely, but it¡¯ll make the long journey ahead of us much less of a challenge,¡± the leader of the riders said. It appeared the spell had also helped the horses, several of which had minor wounds from the fighting they¡¯d been involved in. ¡°That was well done, Rico, how long will it take you to regenerate your mana? That spell could come in handy during the fight,¡± Saul asked. I tried to get a feel for the amount of ambient mana in the area, it seemed about average, which meant I could regenerate a point every minute or so. ¡°It¡¯ll take a while, but I do have some mana potions if we need them,¡± I offered. The potions were cheap and while they wouldn¡¯t refill my mana, one might allow me to cast another spell or two. I also had a few mana tabs stashed, but I¡¯d save those for emergencies as they were more costly, and unlike the potions, I could use them back home. At least the potions and tablets were on different cooldowns, which helped given how bad the diminishing returns on them were. We waited in the dark, the bulk of the defenders taking the opportunity to sit and rest while a few of us kept watch. Saul said there were still two of our scouts out there, villagers with skills in tracking and ambush who were supposed to give us warning when the enemy arrived. Given how big the army coming toward us was supposed to be, I suspected we might hear them long before we spotted them. Minutes passed and even with casting Empower Minion on all of my summoned minions, I was back up to full mana before one of the scouts appeared. He expertly negotiated the spike filled trench and climbed the barricade where Saul asked him about the other scout. The man just shook his head no and looked down as he moved to join the thin line of defenders. The scout was the last of our people out there, so we readied ourselves for the coming attack. The sound of armor and weapons rattling in the dark was joined by grunted orders from the enemy leaders that were dispersed throughout their army. After only a moment¡¯s silence, battle shouts from our foes began to sound in the dark valley. The noise spread from what sounded like a few dozen voices, to hundreds, then to a volume that I had only experienced before during stadium filled rock concerts. ¡°Light the watchfires,¡± Saul ordered. At either end of the barricade, torches were used to ignite oil-soaked ropes that burned quickly into the dark. One by one, large fires began to ignite on the hillside where the watchfires had been pre-positioned. The valley before us lit up in a dim, orange glow from the fires.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Standing there, a bit stunned by the sudden brightness, was the horde of enemies. They were tightly packed in the valley, some even pushed up the treacherous hillsides as they went. Once they realized the fires weren¡¯t some weapon or trap, the leaders of the horde began to shout orders to their men. Their language was a harsh, guttural thing that I wasn¡¯t close enough to understand. Eventually, the Linguistic Adaptation Interface would kick in and translate the language for me, but I was in no rush. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out what they were saying, it was an order to charge, and the entire mass did so as one. I raised my magic missile wand, determined to take down as many as I could once they entered melee range. Looking over to Saul, I could see a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he waved again to the defenders at the ends of the barricade. The defenders reached down had grabbed ahold of thick ropes that had been buried just beneath the soil. Half of our defenders grabbed onto each and pulled as hard as they could. I ordered my minions to help and joined in myself when it looked like they were struggling. Memories of playing tug o war on the school grounds popped into my head as the ropes slowly were pulled back. I could feel something pop though the ropes as whatever was causing them to bind up gave way. Out on the hillside, the battle cries of the enemy gave way to shouts of fear that drowned out the commands of the enemy leaders. From just above the bonfires on each of the hillsides, dozens of hidden casks of oil were toppled over by the ropes. The oil ignited as it lazily streamed down the hillside, leaving a blazing trail in its path. It was moving so slowly that I feared the enemy would have more than enough time to get out of the way before the flames reached the valley. I didn¡¯t need to fear, for in their panic, the horde pushed this way and that, each man pushing aside his ally to get out of the kill zone before the flames arrived. Fights broke out and several of the enemy were cut down in their crazed fear. A few of what must have been officers also met a gruesome fate at the weapons of their warriors when they tried to intervene and restore order. ¡°That¡¯s what you do to these barbarians, throw something unexpected at them and wait for the chaos to erupt,¡± Saul said with a chuckle as all the rope pullers moved back into position behind the barricade. To my surprise, the flames looked like they wouldn¡¯t make it all the way down to the valley. The volume of oil from even a dozen barrels wasn¡¯t enough to do more than put on a show. It felt a bit anticlimactic, and the enemy ceased their struggles and turned to attack once more. Just when I thought things were over, the flames finally hit their true target, an even larger collection of barrels hidden just a few dozen feet from the valley floor. A fresh flood of flames poured out from the hidden barrels, and this time, they didn¡¯t have nearly as far to go before they found the panicked enemy force. Terrible screams of pain were heard as the flames poured down among the leading attackers. I gave silent thanks that the wind wasn¡¯t blowing in our direction as scores of enemy warriors were burned to a crisp. The chaos lasted for a good fifteen minutes, but without much fuel to sustain them, the flames eventually exhausted themselves and went out. Instead of immediately attacking, the horde pulled back from the valley. I expected Saul to send a scout to shadow them, but he just watched along with the rest of us as the enemy retreated. None of the others seemed surprised, and Saul noticed my look of confusion. ¡°You haven¡¯t fought reavers before. Do you want to know what happens next?¡± Saul asked. ¡°Of course, why are they leaving? The casualties they just took were miniscule compared to the size of their army,¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re right, and while the reavers might be crazy, they¡¯re also cunning. They had hoped for a quick victory and had likely scouted our defenses and knew we were few in number. A quick rush by their better-quality troops and they figured they¡¯d be through us and on the way to the village. Instead, we bloodied their nose and now they realize this might be a tougher nut to crack than they thought. ¡°I figure they¡¯ll either send one of their lesser tribes, or some of the mercenaries they hired to lead the next attack. No use wasting quality troops on fixed defenses full of traps,¡± Saul advised. ¡°Do we have more traps ready to go?¡± I asked, hopeful of seeing a repeat of the burning hillside. ¡°No, other than our final play, we¡¯re left with just our steel and grit to face off against them,¡± Saul said, gesturing toward the final rope that was supposed to bring down part of the hillside. It was our last resort, something to cover our retreat. Before we could do that, we needed to bloody the foe a bit more, and that meant it was time to go toe to toe against them. Chapter 150. The Barricade. We waited for around twenty minutes before the enemy showed themselves. Yipping voices shouted in the distance, and when the enemy entered the light of the watchfires, I was less than impressed. Short, gangly, and lizard-like, a swarm of small creatures charged toward us. Each wielded wooden spears with metal tips, but while the weapons were sized appropriately for the little creatures, they would have no reach advantage over a human with a sword. ¡°Do they hold us in such contempt that they¡¯d throw a swarm of kobolds at us,¡± Saul grumbled as he reached down to grab one of the javelins that were neatly stacked at the base of the barricade. I joined him, knowing little about how to throw a javelin, but I figured tossing one out into the barking mass of kobolds, I had a better than even chance of skewering one. The archers started up first. There was a total of four archers with longbows, and two with crossbows. Behind the main line, three of the older women began to shoot arrows at the swarming kobolds. They were the wives of some of the retired soldiers holding the barricade line. The final archer behind the line of defenders was a younger man, the grandson of one of the retired legionnaires that refused to leave the man who had raised him. Two of the men at the barricade worked the crossbows, which they would drop in favor of javelins once the enemy closed in a bit more. Arrows and crossbow bolts sailed into the crowded kobolds, every shot seeming to find the mark. The kobolds wore no armor, and only a few had battered wooden shields to go with their spears. They paid the price for their lack of armor, and the numbers began to be whittled down with each volley. After the second volley, the crossbowmen grabbed javelins and we all waited for Saul¡¯s order to throw. I noticed the kobold formation was getting ragged, many had fallen to the archers and those that fell often tripped up others that were hot on their heels. Still, they seemed to ignore their losses and were keen to press the attack. ¡°Ready, throw!¡± Saul called and our first volley of javelins went out. With the scout that had joined us, we had fifteen villagers manning the barricade. Rupert, Grulnok, Lillia, and I joined them and a total of nineteen javelins slammed into the lead kobolds. The entire front of the enemy charge went down, many screaming in pain as they were pinned to the hard packed valley floor. I fumbled for a second javelin and by the time I was ready to throw it, the retired legionnaires had already loosed their third volley. The front ranks of kobolds continued to melt and after five volleys, the charge started to falter. In ones and twos, kobolds turned and ran. The fear was infectious and spread like wildfire through the kobold ranks. They hadn¡¯t even made it near the barricade, and I began to feel a bit of hope for our situation. ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll do next?¡± I asked Saul as I pushed some mana into the magic missile wand to replace one of the charges I¡¯d expended. If the enemy was going to take their time between attacks, I¡¯d use all the mana I could to maximize my efforts. ¡°Their initial push was repulsed, but I doubt they had high hopes for the kobolds to succeed. If I had to guess, I think they¡¯ll push forward with some of the less powerful reaver tribes, or some of their better mercenaries. I suspect we¡¯ll continue to see the fodder as they try and wear us down,¡± Saul replied. ¡°Tribes? Are there separate reaver groups?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, they typically are found in smaller bands that war among themselves as much as raid the civilized settlements. It¡¯s rare that they can form an army as strong as the one we¡¯re facing, and it likely means they have found a powerful leader to bind them all together under one banner,¡± Saul explained. ¡°At what point should we fall back to the forest?¡± I asked. ¡°If we start to take too many losses or it looks like we¡¯re about to be overrun. Getting the landslide started is key for our escape, so if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like you to position yourself near the rope controlling it. Can your magic reach the opposite end of the barricade from there?¡± Saul asked.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It can, and I¡¯ll keep supporting you with healing and firing magic missiles when I can. On that note, I think I can spare the mana to go ahead and duplicate my most powerful minion,¡± I said as I cast duplicate on Grulnok. A second orc veteran, equipped identically, appeared. The rope to trigger the landslide was positioned a few yards behind the right side of the barricade, and I would help hold that end of the line. Saul added the duplicate Grulnok to the left flank to reinforce the troops there. I kept the hound with me as my personal canine bodyguard, while Rupert and Lillia joined the barricade defenders. We¡¯d already fought off the first two attempts, and rather than leave them in reserve, it was better to just place on the fighting line now. While we waited for the next attack, I took stock of which consumables I¡¯d be willing to use to bolster our defenses. I didn¡¯t want to waste anything, but if the additional defenders I could summon might make a difference, I was willing to part with a few. The only thing holding me back from summoning them now, was the fact that they might be put to better use later in the battle when the elderly soldiers were worn down by the constant attacks. ¡°Here they come,¡± one of the defenders shouted, pulling my attention away from the inventory of consumables. ¡°Gnolls,¡± I said under my breath, recognizing the creatures from the time I had been summoned by them as prey for a hunt. Unlike the kobolds, this wave of attackers wore leather armor with metal studs reinforcing it, as well as round wooden shields to deflect the arrows and crossbow bolts our troops were ready to fire. ¡°Stand ready to throw,¡± Saul ordered. I was about five yards back from the main barricade line, but I had managed to grab a pair of javelins to use. The archers fired their first volley and began to unleash a steady stream of missiles at the attackers. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say there were around a hundred gnolls in the attacking force. There had been triple the number of kobolds, but these gnolls were a far greater threat. ¡°Make ready¡­throw!¡± Saul shouted and the first wave of javelins flew out from our lines. Only a few of the enemy had been taken out by the archery, but the javelins had a much better result, impaling or critically injuring at least ten of the enemy with the first volley alone. I threw my javelin a few seconds after the main group, needing the enemy to get a bit closer before I had a chance to hit anything. I was a bit embarrassed that my shot had missed hitting any of the charging gnolls, and I shifted from javelins to magic missiles where I knew I would hit anything I targeted. A second volley of javelins landed, and the gnolls absorbed the fresh casualties without a hint of breaking like the kobolds had. Their long strides meant that they would reach the barricade before another volley could be thrown and the defenders shifted from throwing to readying their melee weapons for the coming clash. When the lead gnolls hit the trench in front of the barricade, several of them fell as hidden stakes and tripwires did their thing. The ones that did reach the barricade had some trouble making it past the sharp wooden spikes that were liberally sprinkled around the wall. The following gnolls avoided the traps and ignored their injured comrades as they pressed their assault. Our defenders had no trouble hacking down the first few to make it past all the obstacles, though I could see one of the gnolls hammer his axe through the helm of a defender, dropping him in one hit. I almost cast Health Bloom, but it would have been a waste of mana as the poor man was already dead. Instead, I fired off a magic missile at the killer gnoll and was satisfied to see the ball of energy slam into the side of the gnolls head, knocking him from the barricade. More and more gnolls were making it to the barricade and the fighting turned frantic. Grulnok in the center of the line was going to town on the gnolls. His axe and spiked mace dropped any gnoll in that area long before they could get close enough to take a swing at him. We were holding them, but while the others were distracted by the melee battle, I noticed that the kobolds had reformed and were making a second run at the barricade. ¡°Archers, ignore the gnolls, start thinning out those kobolds,¡± I shouted out. I wasn¡¯t in charge, but the archers seemed to realize the new threat and shifted their fire. They had been trying to pick off any gnoll they could, but it was hard to get a clear shot with the barricade working against them, as well as the need to not shoot a friend by accident. The kobolds would be easy prey, and maybe they would break again if they took too many losses. The retired soldiers were giving a good account of themselves, but no matter how much military skill they had hardwired into them at this point, most of them were far too old for the front lines of battle. Already, I could see a few tiring, but each was stubbornly staying in the fight, trying their best not to fail their friends. It was just a matter of time before we were worn down, but would Saul¡¯s troops have any chance of outrunning the gnolls and kobolds when the time came to disengage? Chapter 151. Back to the Forest. A villager stumbled back from the barricade, creating a gap in our line. The villager collapsed to his knees holding a rent in his chainmail armor where blood poured free. I cast Health Bloom in that area before sending the hound to help plug the gap in the line. The healing spell activated and the flow of blood from the villager¡¯s wound slowed but didn¡¯t stop when the five second duration of the spell was complete. Elsewhere along the barricade, I could see the elderly defenders were starting to succumb to exhaustion. ¡°Saul, have your people fall back, I¡¯ll cover the retreat!¡± I shouted as I reached into the linked belt to pull out the pair of dire rat figurines. They were my weakest creatures, but I didn¡¯t need quality to hold back the enemy here, I needed quantity. One after the other the rats appeared even as calls to retreat sounded down the line. With practiced efficiency, the retired legionnaires began to withdraw. First, every other defender backed away, including any that were wounded. Several gnolls and a few ambitious kobolds tried to take advantage and began to climb over the barricade. The hound, and my new pair of rats leaped up and latched onto the offenders, causing more chaos on the line. At another command from Saul, the rest of the defenders pulled back, leaving three more of their fallen behind. It was just my summoned creatures and the archers holding things now. Enemies swarmed over the barricade and with a final volley, the archers turned and retreated. I grabbed onto the rope at my feet and heaved. I expected a difficult time, like we¡¯d had with the barrels of oil earlier, but this time, the rope just met slight resistance before it stopped moving and a rumble at the peak of the rightmost hill was heard. Wasting no time, I ordered my surviving minions to fight as long as I could while I ran hot on the heels of the archers. After every ten or so steps, the archers turned and fired another volley, slowing down the flood of enemies that were even now swarming over my defenders. The rumbling grew louder as several huge boulders began to bounce down the mountain, finally drawing the attention of the bloodthirsty enemy. The avalanche began closest to the barricade, Saul having designed it to push the enemy back into the valley where they wouldn¡¯t be able to pursue the retreating defenders. A boulder smashed into the barricade, shattering it and pulping Rupert and one of the dire rats. Along with my minions, a pair of gnolls and a kobold were also crushed. A second hit took out Grulnok and the trio of gnolls he was facing off against. With half the hillside coming down on them, the gnolls finally broke and retreated back into the valley, their kobold allies hot on their heels. It was the worst thing they could have done. Several of the stones had been positioned to bounce into the valley, crushing handfuls of enemies at a time as they packed themselves tightly into the narrow confines of the valley. A few enemies tried to fight their way past the barricade, but most, along with my summoned minions, were quickly buried under the falling rocks. About a dozen made it over and past the danger zone, but they were confused, usure if they wanted to continue the pursuit or try to retreat. The archers stopped and began to pepper the remaining kobolds and gnolls with arrows. One after another the confused enemy fell, but a few tried to make a half-hearted attempt to close into melee distance. Most had dropped their shields and weapons as they made their frantic escape over the barricade, and they fell quickly to the accurate fire of the archers. With no further enemies in view, the archers turned and followed me toward the forest. ¡°Syl, are you hurt?¡± Saul asked as one of the women stopped and turned back to face the barricade that was still visible in the flickering light of the remaining watchfires.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°No, take this, I¡¯m going to make my stand here,¡± she said, passing over all but a handful of her arrows to another of the archers. ¡°We need you back at the village wall,¡± Saul argued. ¡°My husband is back there, and I¡¯d rather make my stand where I can still see him,¡± Syl said, tears cutting trails through the dirt and soot on her face as she stared at the tangled mass of bodies and boulders strewn about the wreckage of the barricade. ¡°I understand, may we meet in better times and walk the eternal fields as warriors once more,¡± Saul said, placing his hand on her shoulder for a moment before waving the rest of us on. I expected Saul to argue with her, try and get her to follow, but he and the others seemed content to let the woman named Syl sacrifice her life in a last stand out here by herself. He didn¡¯t offer any further explanation and I didn¡¯t feel it was appropriate to ask. As we neared the tree line, I could see that Hamish was there to greet us. ¡°Well done, everyone, we¡¯ve bought our people some time,¡± Hamish said, looking over the survivors. I could sense him doing the math in his head, counting how many we¡¯d lost in the fight for the barricade. ¡°Where do you need me now?¡± I asked. ¡°Are all your summoned creatures gone?¡± Saul asked. ¡°Yes, but they¡¯ll be ready to summon again in an hour or so,¡± I explained. ¡°Good, but I don¡¯t know if the enemy will give us that long to wait. Saul, leave me a few of your troops to help in the forest. Pull the rest back to help defend the town wall. Rico, go with Saul and assist in any way you can,¡± Hamish ordered. Saul gave Hamish a salute, a fist clasped to his chest, and then picked out a few of the most able bodied of our surviving force to join Hamish. I went with Saul and six others as we made our way along the safe path through the forest. A villager from Hamish¡¯s team was there to make sure we didn¡¯t stray into any of the traps they¡¯d liberally sprinkled through the area. ¡°How long do you think Hamish will hold for?¡± I asked Saul as we walked. The villagers that had fought at the barricade were exhausted and there was no need to hurry them along. ¡°There¡¯s no way to tell for sure, it depends on how the reavers in charge will react. The mercenaries have done their bit, forcing us to trigger our traps and defenses, maybe they¡¯ll push out with some of the reaver tribes to try and catch us as we retreat. I¡¯m not sure if they even suspect there¡¯s a second defensive line inside the forest,¡± Saul explained. ¡°With the troops we gave him, does Hamish have a large enough force to hold back the enemy for a while?¡± I asked. ¡°He had over a score of troops to start with, and by adding our reinforcements, he¡¯s got more than we started with at the barricade. His plan is to sting them and keep the enemy off balance. They¡¯re going to defend themselves from up in the treetops and there¡¯s plenty of hidden lines strung up between the trees to help them escape,¡± Saul explained. I had my doubts about how many would escape if the enemy flooded the small forest with troops. Despite my doubts, Saul and Hamish had predicted the enemy response perfectly so far. Saul also explained there were still just over thirty defenders back at the village, but even with our force added to the total, it seemed a paltry number to hold back an army. Our pace was slowed further as many of the survivors were sporting wounds of various types. None were severe, but even a minor slash or sprain was amplified by the age of the people enduring them. If they were going to have a chance to make it back to the wall and rest up for the enemy¡¯s next appearance, they needed some help. ¡°Hold up, Saul, let¡¯s gather together everyone so I can cast a healing spell,¡± I ordered. Saul agreed, he had lost part of his left ear and was walking with a limp after exchanging blows with kobolds and gnolls. My Health Bloom covered the group and as its magic worked, I could see the strain of pain ease in many of the faces. ¡°I can do a second cast, but after that, my mana will need to recharge for a while,¡± I explained. Casting the second spell almost bottomed out my remaining mana, and I could feel the pain of an empty mana pool start to take hold. It would regenerate before long, but I could endure a bit of pain if it helped these people. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Saul said as I finished, and we kept up a slow but steady pace toward the village. We were a rather pitiful sight, and I couldn¡¯t help thinking of how many we were up against. ¡°Do we have a chance to stop them, our numbers are so few,¡± I said, voicing my fears. Saul stopped me and looked me in the eye as he responded. ¡°There never was a chance of survival, Rico, we all knew that when we decided to stay behind. Our goal isn¡¯t to think about survival, it¡¯s to buy every moment we can for our loved ones to make their escape,¡± Saul explained. I looked at those around me. They were weary, many of them battered and hurt, but there was steel in their spines. None would turn and run, and every one of them would stand and fight to the last breath to give their fellow villagers a chance at life. Chapter 152. Challenge Issued. We made it safely back to the village and were assigned positions on the wall. It was too large a space to defend with the numbers we had, but Saul had a plan to bait the enemy into attacking the main gate. It would be the first thing the enemy would see when they emerged from the forest. The gate had been left open, and a wagon overturned in the gateway to block it. Just behind the wagon-filled gateway, and out of sight of the attackers until they reached the wagon, a second defensive line had been created. The second defensive line was composed of another barricade about the same size as the one we had defended earlier. The enemy would have trouble pushing enough forces into the gate to overcome the defenders at the barricade. All the while, our troops on top of the walls would be peppering them with javelins, which the village seemed to have an enormous supply of. To hold the barricade, ten of the village defenders would be stationed there with long spears designed specifically for this task. Saul and the others from our group would also join the barricade, though I would stay on the wall and use the vantage point to cast spells and order my minions around. So far, they were all still on cooldown, but I had a decent supply of consumables to work with if I needed them. There was some discussion on where to place the ballista, and their final choice wasn¡¯t too surprising. The villagers quickly built a small platform behind the barricade with leftover lumber from its construction. They worked fast and the task only took about thirty minutes. While they worked on the platform, I kept my eyes on the forest. Hamish and his troops must have been engaged with the enemy, as we could see some torchlight in the distance and once, a huge ball of flame rose up. Saul was busy with the platform, so I couldn¡¯t ask him, but I suspected that the defenders had more of the flaming oil traps hidden in the forest. The other villagers guarding the wall let me in on the fact that the forest defenses had gotten almost as much attention as the village itself. When the platform was finally completed, I summoned the weapon on top of it. The siege engine looked primitive, but was stoutly constructed. Next to the engine was a score of the heavy bolts the weapon fired. Each was about four feet long and had a cruel, barbed iron tip. A couple of the defenders who had used similar weapons in the legion took charge of the ballista. They seemed like kids in a candy store, and I could see that the weapon was going to be rather effective when fired into the narrow confines of the gateway. With that task completed, I had recharged enough mana to give anyone that was still wounded from our first battle, a bit more healing. After that, all we could do now was wait. Saul said that they had done all they could on the defenses inside the village, and there was a marked out a safe path for us to take when were forced back from the wall. Many of the side streets and homes had been trapped as well. In the center of town was the great hall, a huge, stone structure that looked like it was a small fortress. That was where we would make our final stand when the time came. For now, Saul and the others rested. I wasn¡¯t as bone weary as the elderly defenders were, but I didn¡¯t pass up the wooden crate one of them offered for me to sit on. There was no reason to stand when I could keep watch atop the wall just as well while seated. Time continued to pass as I monitored the progress of the battle by the light of the flickering torches the enemy carried. My mana eventually recharged, and I began to push it into the magic missile wand, topping it off as I watched the battle draw ever nearer to the edge of the forest. ¡°Runners leaving the tree line,¡± one of the other scouts atop the wall shouted. The shout had woken me up, I hadn¡¯t even realized I¡¯d slipped off into sleep. I had no way to tell how long had passed, but it must not have been too long as it was still night. Turning toward where the scout was pointing, I could barely make out a couple of indistinct figures in the moonlight. From the way they deftly avoided any of our traps, I was pretty sure they were villagers. I headed down the ladder to join Saul and some of the others in the gateway as we waited for the pair to arrive. ¡°Hamish sent us. He wants to make sure you¡¯re ready when he makes a break for it in a few minutes,¡± the runners reported as they tried to catch their breath. ¡°Thanks for the heads up, we¡¯ll be ready. Why don¡¯t you two get into the great hall and rest for a bit,¡± Saul ordered. The pair looked like they were going to protest for a moment, but I could see the weariness in their faces. ¡°Will they join us on the wall when they¡¯re rested?¡± I asked Saul once the others left.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No, Hamish wanted most of the forest team survivors to fall back to the great hall. That way, they can rest and then cover us when we finally withdraw from the wall. A few are even assigned to some of the homes we¡¯ve fortified as strongpoints. The reavers¡¯ numbers might overwhelm us, but they¡¯ll be bled white by the time they¡¯re done with this place,¡± Saul said. Back at my position on the wall I waited. Everyone was now at their posts, our chance to join the battle was going to happen soon enough. In addition to myself and Saul, there were twenty villagers manning the wall, and ten more at the barricade. Joining the barricade force were the other six survivors of the first battle. It wasn¡¯t a large force, but everyone was armed and ready to fight. To my relief, the summoning figurines started to regenerate as well. As soon as one was ready, I called them forth and cast Empower Minion on them. The orc veteran also got duplicated when he arrived, giving us some extra muscle. My minions would remain on the wall for now, bolstering our forces, but I suspected they would be called to help defend the barricade before too long. Melvin was out there somewhere, lurking in one of the pits, waiting for an enemy warrior to fall in. I kind of wished he was here at my side, but the cube would do better out where the enemy wouldn¡¯t suspect his presence. I had plenty of other creatures to summon once the time was right. ¡°Here they come, that¡¯s the signal,¡± Saul said as several of the trees at the edge of the forest erupted in flames. Backlit by the fires, figures started to appear, Hamish¡¯s surviving troops running for the safety of the wall. It was hard to get a count, and several seemed wounded and needed to be helped along by their comrades. War cries and bloodthirsty shouts erupted from inside the forest. Before the defenders could make it even halfway to the wall, the enemy appeared. At first, a trickle of figures charged out from the forest, but then the trickle became a flood. They quickly spotted their fleeing prey which seemed to prod them to increase their pace. ¡°Light the watchfires,¡± Saul ordered, and just like at the barricade, torches were touched to several oil-soaked ropes. The flames crawled out from the gate where they eventually met several bonfires that were pre-positioned to give our archers enough light to fire. About half the defenders on the wall carried some form of ranged weapon, and we all had plenty of javelins to use when the distance closed. Reavers began to fall to the traps liberally sprinkled out in the fields. A few at first, then more and more became victims of all our hard work earlier. Sadly, it didn¡¯t look like it was going to be enough and the ten or so villagers retreating from the forest were going to be overtaken by the enemy before they could reach the wall. I tried to think of what to do, and finally decided it was time to use the Whistle of the Houndmaster. The hyenas would have no trouble reaching the enemy before they caught up to our people. I put the whistle to my lips and blew. A shrill noise sounded out and several defenders turned to look at me strangely. I could feel the mana in the item respond, and I was able to summon the pack just outside the wall where they wouldn¡¯t have to navigate their way past the wagon that blocked the gateway. One after another, the five hyenas appeared. Once the last one was called, the whistle crumbled to dust, it¡¯s magic spent. I ordered the pack to head out and attack the nearest enemy reavers. Our link made them understand the fleeing villagers weren¡¯t targets and were instead to be protected. With the odd yipping noise they made, the hyenas charged forward. Spotting the threat, the lead reavers slowed up, and while it was too dark to make out the details, I could see the hyenas leap and attack. I would have been terrified to be assaulted by a pack of hyenas, but the reavers just laughed and shouted in pleasure at the chance to face an unexpected foe. Our people made it to the wall, and we dropped down a pair of ladders for them to use to climb up. Once everyone was on the wall, I had any who were injured gather where I dropped a Health Bloom on them. I couldn¡¯t afford to burn the mana for a second cast, but at least it would stabilize anyone with serious wounds. The surviving forest defenders were bloody and weary, and I was glad to see that Hamish was among the living. His arm had been broken, and there was a nasty wound on his leg where a reaver¡¯s sword had hit, but he was still in the fight. He directed the other survivors to head back to the great hall and join the other pair where they waited to make their stand. ¡°That was a close-run thing. These reavers are even more aggressive than usual. I wasn¡¯t sure that any of us were going to make it out of there,¡± Hamish said. ¡°How did you do against them?¡± Saul asked. Hamish grinned before replying. ¡°We left their dead scattered all over the forest. They initially taunted us for being weak and elderly villagers, but when they kept dying to our traps and ranged attacks, they changed their tune. It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve learned their lesson here either,¡± Hamish said, watching as the reavers overcame the hyenas and continued their advance, losing even more troops to the maze of traps we¡¯d created out in the fields surrounding the village. Before long, they halted their advance, and a smaller team began to poke and prod the ground with long poles, looking for traps. They stopped their advance just outside the range of our bows, and the largest reaver we¡¯d seen strode forward, holding a wounded villager in one of his massive hands. With a booming voice he issued a challenge. ¡°Is there any man or woman among you who will face me in single combat? I¡¯ll grant an hour reprieve if one of you can beat me. If I win, you¡¯ll retreat from the walls and unblock the gate. What say you, is there anyone among you brave enough to stand against Bhartak the Bloodfeaster!¡± he called out, holding a still squirming villager by the neck. The reavers massive hand squeezed and we could hear the sickening crack of the man¡¯s neck snapping even from this far out. I looked around at the elderly warriors manning the wall. Any of them would gladly take up the challenge, but I doubted that even the best of us would last ten seconds against that monster. None of the villagers could stand against him, but maybe one of my minions could. Chapter 153. A Challenge Accepted. ¡°Saul, do we want to respond to that?¡± I asked as the reaver shouted out his challenge once more. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have anyone that can go toe to toe with that thing. I¡¯m happy to let him waste as much time as he wants issuing challenges,¡± Saul replied. We were focused on buying as much time for those trying to escape as possible, and every second the enemy spent focused on the village brought our people a bit closer to safety. ¡°Grulnok might have a chance against him,¡± I offered, pointing toward the veteran orc warrior. ¡°He did well enough at the barricade, but do you think he can beat that?¡± Saul said. The reaver was still too far away to make out any details, but he seemed larger than any person I¡¯d ever met. He held an axe in one hand and there was a large, round wooden shield slung over his back that I assumed he¡¯d use as well. As far as armor is concerned, he didn¡¯t wear any, just a leather harness that was used to hold gear and supplies. ¡°How about magic, is that forbidden in this kind of challenge?¡± I asked. ¡°No, not if the person participating has access to it,¡± Saul replied. ¡°What happens if they don¡¯t? I¡¯m thinking of using some of my items on Grulnok to beef him up,¡± I asked. ¡°Gear, protective spells, and consumable items are fine, but you can¡¯t cast anything once the fight begins, otherwise, the system will punish you for breaking a challenge,¡± Saul explained. ¡°The system gets involved in something like a challenge?¡± I asked. The system seemed like a force controlling things, but not directly interfering in something as minor as a duel between two people on one of many worlds it oversaw. ¡°I¡¯m making an assumption, but the leader of a group like the reavers will likely have a class that allows them to bring binding challenges, which is most likely what we¡¯re facing. Tell me, do you really think Grulnok has a chance?¡± Saul asked, warming up to the idea. I considered my options, Grulnok was a tier one, rank five veteran minion. According to Hoen, the advisor to the dungeon I had helped defend, a veteran minion was considered five ranks higher for gauging their power. That would put Grulnok at tier two, rank two when my class ability and Empower Minion was included in the calculation. In addition to that, I had a few things that might help him. ¡°He has a good chance to win,¡± I said with confidence. ¡°I¡¯m willing to risk it if you are. Since you¡¯re his summoner, answer the challenge with my blessing,¡± Saul said, looking a bit nervous. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted, ¡°The warrior Grulnok will meet your challenge if you are still offering,¡± ¡°I accept,¡± the reaver shouted. My offer and his acceptance triggered a system prompt. You have agreed to face Bhartak the Bloodfeaster in a single combat challenge to the death. You may choose to face him personally or assign one of your minions to do so. The parameters of the duel are as follows.
  1. Should Bhartak the Bloodfeaster emerge victorious, your allies must remove the blockage from the gate and retire from the walls of the village.
  2. Should you or your chosen champion win, all hostile activity will be halted for one hour.
You have five minutes to prepare for battle, or you will be considered to have forfeited the challenge. I had to move quickly, and first ordered Grulnok to join me on the wall. He was an impressive warrior, and one I wouldn¡¯t want to face, but his opponent wasn¡¯t some former insurance adjuster, it was the leader of a band of barbaric warriors. Even Grulnok was going to need every advantage we could give him. First off, I summoned the Gelatinous armor figurine, targeting it to equip the orc. Grulnok didn¡¯t even flinch when the armor appeared on his body. It created a slimy layer over the top of his existing armor. I had no idea what it would do in battle, but it was powerful enough to warrant a summoning figurine to be created for it, so it must be good.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. After that, I gave him one of the healing potions I carried. I wasn¡¯t sure if he would have a chance to use it in the heat of battle, but if he could, it might keep him going long enough to pull off a victory. Grulnok also had an ability called Second Wind which boosted his attack and damage when below 25% health and my Riposte skill. Combined, I figured that he had a better than average chance to deal with the reaver leader. I wish I had my magic warhammer to give to Grulnok, but it had been left behind to make room for other items on this summoning. There were also the trio of buffing potions that I didn¡¯t have enough gear points to equip for this go around. I¡¯d done everything I could to give the already powerful orc a boost, now it was up to him to bring us a win for this challenge. ¡°He certainly looks the part,¡± Saul said as I finished with Grulnok. ¡°Even better, he¡¯s not alone,¡± I said as I activated the Ring of Duplicate. I¡¯d had the ring on me for a while, but now seemed like the right time to use it. The item only held two charges and after I activated it twice, the ring dropped from my finger and crumbled to dust. Standing before us were two more identical versions of Grulnok, the duplicate spell even granting them the same slime armor that I¡¯d equipped him with. Strangely enough, it didn¡¯t duplicate the healing potion, but I¡¯d give up a healing potion for the armor any day. We placed a ladder over the side of the wall for Grulnok to climb down, and then he strode confidently toward his opponent. While we waited for the fight to start, Saul made sure that not everyone¡¯s attention was on the duel. There was a small chance that the reavers were using the fight as a distraction, but since the system had intervened, I doubted it. ¡°You send me an orc, why not another of your old warriors? I hope this one is a bit more fight in him,¡± Bhartak taunted. Grulnok ignored him and just stalked toward his foe, weapons ready. There was no more talk, Bhartak just pulled the shield off his back, readied his axe, and charged at Grulnok. Both opponents seemed evenly matched, and for several moments, nobody landed a blow. Each hit was deflected, and the pair tested each other¡¯s defenses, looking for an opening. We weren¡¯t close to the action, but I thought I saw something move from behind the reavers¡¯ back, and then a second later, a dagger slammed into Grulnok¡¯s chest. The orc staggered back, fumbling at his belt for the healing potion I¡¯d given him. He quaffed the potion before leaping forward, both weapons slamming into the reaver¡¯s shield. The wooden shield shattered and the arm holding it hung limply at the reaver¡¯s side. ¡°Saul, where did that dagger come from?¡± If the enemy was cheating, I was ready to fire off a few spells of my own. ¡°From the reaver, the most powerful of them are twisted by the blighted lands they reside in. This one must have another appendage on his back, one that he used to surprise your orc with an attack. You may not see it from where we¡¯re standing, but when they are closer, you¡¯ll get a better picture,¡± Saul explained. Now that I knew what to look for, I spotted the second time it happened. From behind Bhartak, another limb snapped forward, a limb that looked like a skinny, twisted arm at this distance. Twisted or not, the extra appendage seemed to have no trouble holding another dagger in its grasp, one that it hurled at Grulnok. This time, Grulnok swatted aside the dagger with his axe, and the follow up blow with his spiked mace slammed into the chest of the reaver leader. Gore fountained from the wound as Grulnok ripped the weapon free from the reaver¡¯s body. Roaring in pain, the reaver attacked again, hacking with his axe while the arm that had held the shield flopped around uselessly. Grulnok wasn¡¯t doing much better, there was a dagger still dug into his chest, and despite the minor healing potion, I could see him running out of steam as the wound took its toll. A second mace blow landed on the good shoulder of the reaver, causing him to drop the axe as that arm was crushed. Following the spiked mace attack, Grulnok¡¯s axe hacked away the reaver¡¯s recently broken arm, the stump of the now severed limb began to spray blood everywhere. Snapping forward, the limb behind the reaver leader punched out over his shoulder and slammed into the dagger piercing Grulnok¡¯s chest. The blade was pushed all the way to the hilt, and the reaver continued to shove at it, trying to drive the blade into Grulnok¡¯s heart. The gelatinous armor chose that time to activate and began to quickly flow up the odd appendage the reaver attacked with. Felsh dissolved and the reaver shrieked in pain as the gelatinous armor went to work. Between the bleeding from his severed limb and the armor dissolving his body, the reaver leader gave a final roar of defiance before stumbling and falling over dead. As the enemy leader fell, Grulnok dissolved away into mana vapor, the dagger finally doing enough damage to end him. I waited, unsure of what the results of the fight were, both opponents were out of commission, but who had won? The fight has ended in a draw, neither side may claim the benefits of victory. That answered my question, it must have been close enough for the system to just call it a draw. The reavers must have heard the same message that we had, and as one, they charged forward, calling for our blood. ¡°This is it lads, kill as many as you can and then fall back to your final defensive positions. Don¡¯t let them catch you out here, we¡¯re not done bleeding them just yet,¡± Saul ordered. It looked like the flow of enemies pouring from the tree line would never stop, but that didn¡¯t discourage the villagers in the least. All I could do was stand by their side and slay as many enemies as I could manage. Chapter 154. Bleeding the Foe. As the enemy charged in, they continued to fall in droves to all the traps we¡¯d laid out in the fields surrounding the village. Despite their losses, the horde of reavers kept coming. Interspersed among the almost human-looking reavers were other creatures, more gnolls, a couple of large ogres, and a few packs of kobolds. The enemy was bringing everything they had to the fight, ignoring the losses. As the distance closed, our archers began to fire, scoring hit after hit among the tightly packed enemy forces. I also added to the mix, firing a magic missile every time the wand was off cooldown. Our efforts seemed to have no effect, and for every foe we killed, two more appeared from the forest to take their place. ¡°Ready on the javelins,¡± Saul shouted. I only had a few charges left on the wand, so I joined the others in picking up a javelin. My skills were definitely not up to par on throwing these things, but with the mass of attackers, it would be hard for me to miss. ¡°Throw!¡± Saul shouted. Our first wave of javelins hit the approaching horde dropping the lead attackers and causing even more to trip over the bodies. It was a domino effect that slowed the enemy attack for a moment. A second, then a third volley went out before the enemy got their act together and continued their push toward the wall. Saul had half the defenders on the wall continue to hurl javelins while the rest of us waited for the enemy to try and scale the walls. Down below, in the gateway I could hear a commotion as the enemy began to hack and pry at the wagon blocking the entrance to the village. They would have to hold on their own for now, we hand more than enough troubles here atop the walls. A ladder dropped into place near me, and I joined another villager to try and push it over when the head of a climbing reaver appeared. I hammered the reaver with my mace, and while it might be a poor substitute for the magic gnomish warhammer that I normally carried, it was more than capable of dealing with the unarmored skull of a reaver. The reaver fell, and the villager began to push the ladder to the side. I helped to give it a shove, sending the ladder crashing into the reavers gathered at the base of the wall. Looking for where I was needed the most, I could see other ladders land atop the wall. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t close to any defenders. The reavers may have been bloodthirsty barbarians, but they knew that there was no way we could defend the entire length of the wall with the limited numbers we had. I looked over to Saul, and he had just finished running his blade through the throat of a reaver climbing his way up onto the wall. Catching his eye, I pointed toward the ladders further down the wall, reavers and even a few gnolls were already climbing up. ¡°Fall back to the barricade, everyone move back now!¡± Saul shouted. I commanded my minions to follow and climbed down to join the others at the barricade. ¡°What now?¡± I asked as Saul joined me. The enemy was pouring over the walls and the barricade was constructed to defend the gate, not defend against enemies coming from all directions. ¡°Wall detail, fall back to your final defensive positions. Barricade defenders, hold them back and buy us some time to get ready,¡± Saul ordered. I could see pain in his eye as he realized that he was giving the defenders at the barricade a fatal order. They were all going to be doomed in the end, but they needed to buy time and bleed the enemy, not be overrun in minutes. ¡°Saul, send everyone back, my minions and I will hold the line,¡± I said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Saul asked. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no time to discuss it, get everyone moving,¡± I replied, already pulling new figurines from my pouch. ¡°You heard Rico, everyone, fall back!¡± Saul shouted before joining the others as they retreated to their final positions. Just before he moved out of sight, Saul stopped and gave me a salute. I didn¡¯t get a chance to return his salute before Saul was gone, and I had more pressing matters to attend to.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The enemy was coming at us from three directions, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before we were completely surrounded. I had Lillia, Rupert, my hound, and a total of three Grulnok¡¯s with me. All three Grulnok¡¯s were duplicates, but two had gelatinous armor equipped. The final Grulnok was one I had used my Duplicate spell on earlier, and he just had the standard, but quite good, orcish veteran gear. To bolster our numbers, I pulled out consumables and pushed mana into them as quickly as I could. First out was the zombie pair. The stench was a horrible and familiar one by this time, but zombies were tough and would stay in the fight for a while. On the tails of the zombie, I summoned the gnome technician. It looked like a skinnier version of Fitzfazzle, complete with an with oversized wrench he used as a weapon. Not wasting any time, the gnome moved to man the ballista, which had been cranked back and only needed a bolt loaded before it was ready to fire. Next up were the three orc commoner figurines I had. Each arrived without any weapons or armor, but there was still a pile of javelins near the barricade, which made for decent spears. Last out was the razor boar. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from the beast and was pleasantly surprised to see a rather large boar with steel-tipped tusks appear. His coarse fur was as sharp as needles, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to charge the nearest foes. I only had one figurine left, the deadspore fungal patch. The figurine didn¡¯t appear to be a mobile creature, and I figured anything named deadspore fungus had to be more like a trap and something I didn¡¯t want anywhere near me. I summoned it in the path of the nearest reaver. A sickly-looking brown growth quickly covered the ground. It created a large rectangular patch of the stuff, and the reaver didn¡¯t seem to notice it. When the reaver hit the fungus a small cloud of spores erupted and filled the air around it. The reaver began to choke and tried to brush something off his skin. In only a few moments, the reaver fell dead to the ground, his body already growing more of the deadly fungus. More of the enemy blundered into the deadly patch before someone in command ordered them to avoid it. A dozen spore-covered enemies lay around the fungal patch, blocking the any approach from that side. As my minions formed up around me, the enemy pressed the attack. The three Grulnok¡¯s were tearing up the nearest attackers, but my other minions were somewhat less successful. I dropped a Health Bloom over most of us and readied my weapons for the fight. Rupert went down in front of me, and I stepped up to take his place, swinging my mace for all it was worth. My blow was slightly off the mark, crushing the reaver¡¯s jaw rather than his skull, but the results were the same, and he went down hard. Next up was a reaver with small spikes growing out of the flesh on his face. It was just like Saul had explained, these guys were like mutants of some sort from the exposure to the blighted lands. He blocked my blow and swung a cleaver-like blade at me. I almost dodged it, and my armor absorbed some of the blow, but the weapon still dug deep into my side, and I thought I could feel a rib crack. The hit also knocked me back, the hound lunging forward to protect me as I fumbled for a healing potion. I found the potion right at the same time the pain hit, almost causing me to drop it. The potion tasted horrible, but I could feel it take the edge off the pain of my wounds. It left behind a bad menthol medicine taste, but that was the least of my worries. Our small knot of defenders was being picked apart by the enemy. Already, most of our foes were pushing past our defense and charging deeper into the village. I didn¡¯t know if we had won Saul enough time yet, so I stumbled to my feet. The mace was gone, lost somewhere in the mass of people and monsters fighting each other. I pulled the magic missile wand, and blasted a kobold that was about to stab the hound with a wooden spear. The kobold went down, but a reaver took his place, chopping with his axe and turning the poor canine into mana vapor. I could see half of my forces were already gone, and my wand was still on cooldown. Grabbing a javelin in one hand, I thrust it forward into the nearest enemy. The reaver took the javelin in his shoulder, ignoring my blow as he raised his axe to strike. My wand was off cooldown now, so I triggered a blast into my opponent¡¯s face. More enemies pushed in to replace the fallen reaver. Before I could launch another attack or trigger a blast from my wand, I felt something hit me from behind. An axe has crushed your skull. The terms of your summoning contract have been completed. Your performance rating is calculated as Exceptional. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 5, and your performance rating of Exceptional. Additional rewards are granted due to the duration and performance rating of this extended summoning contract. You have earned 44 experience points. You have earned 97 summoning points. Congratulations on reaching Tier 1, Rank 6. You have gained 1 point in Mind. Your updated status is as follows: Rico Kline, Summoned Being. Tier 1, Rank 6. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 19/30. Summoning points: 97. Prepare to return to your personal space. Chapter 155. Regalia. I returned to my personal space concerned and still wondering how the villagers had fared in the battle. There were no illusions that my performance had magically allowed Saul and the others to survive, but I hoped that I had done enough to help delay the enemy. With the time I gained them, Saul and the others had hopefully prepared their final stand to be a costly one for the reavers. It was one of the things that was frustrating about my life as a summoned being, I didn¡¯t have the luxury of knowing what happened once I was gone. The only thing I had to go on was my performance rating, which indicated that I¡¯d done at least some good for the village. Not only had I probably done some good, but I should also have been well rewarded for it. ¡°Melvin, how did things go for you in the battle?¡± I asked as my companion appeared next to me. He had been placed in one of the pit traps to slow down the enemy¡¯s advance. Melvin sent me some images through our link. I could see him in the trap, feeling bored and tired of waiting. After a while, the sounds of the attack were heard and several reavers fell into the pit. Most were impaled on the spikes, and Melvin made short work of any that survived the fall. After dispatching the initial victims, the reavers avoided the large open pit, causing Melvin to climb his way out and look for other victims. Even though he had grown since I¡¯d first met him, Melvin was still small enough to hide among the remaining plants in the field as he stalked new targets. His first was a reaver that happened to step right on top of him. Melvin spread out over the enemy and began to dissolve him. The reaver called his allies for help, but they appeared to be trained to ignore the wounded and try to close with the enemy. Melvin used this method to deal with five other reavers before the entire force stopped while the duel was proceeding. It was then that someone spotted him and recognized the threat. Not long after, he was assaulted with several torch bearing enemies, and fell to their attacks, but not before seriously wounding several of his attackers. ¡°You did well, Melvin. Thank you for all the help,¡± I told him. Beaming with pride, Melvin moved into the training center to begin practicing. He could have his fun for now, but I may want to kick him out at some point as I needed to tweak my lineup. I had gained another point in Mind, which gave me another five mana to work with, and hitting rank six would also add five points to my gear score. Before I delved into tweaking my lineup and gear loadout, I wanted to see what I¡¯d gained from the summoning contract. Sorting for new loot only, I opened the reward chest. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 1,271.
  2. Silver coins, 311.
  3. Gold coins, 12.
  4. Small gems, 6.
  5. High-quality gems, 2.
  6. Gladius.
  7. Lorica Hamata.
  8. Pilum.
  9. Summoning Figurine (5).
  10. Foe Summoner template.
  11. Skill scroll.
  12. Arena upgrade certificate, 3.
  13. Ring.
It was a nice haul, plenty of coins and gems to help out back home, while still having a nice chunk to prepare for my next trip to Somhagen. In addition, I¡¯d gotten a lot of gear and other goodies. Some of the items were oddly named and I had no idea what they were, so I started with the strange stuff. I was vaguely aware that a Gladius was a sword of some type, So I pulled it from the chest first.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. A shortsword with a bronze hilt and a matching scabbard appeared in my hands. Pulling the blade, it slid from the sheath with a hiss, and I could tell that not only was the blade incredibly sharp, but it seemed to give off the faint glow of mana. A system prompt confirmed my suspicions. The Commander¡¯s Gladius. Part of the Commander¡¯s Regalia set, this shortsword is infused with minor enchantments to aid in the command of troops in battle. When equipped, this weapon adds 1 point to the strength and constitution of all troops under your command. Troops must be within line of sight of the wielder for the effect to activate. The gear cost for this weapon is 50. For each additional piece of the Commander¡¯s Regalia that is equipped, the gear cost for this weapon is reduced by 10. It was a great item, and even though I wasn¡¯t skilled in wielding a sword, it might be worth it to equip it over the warhammer just for the buff to my minions. After giving it a few practice stabs and swings, I returned the sword to the chest and pulled the next item, the Lorica Hamata. I had no idea what a Lorica Hamata was, but apparently, it was a chainmail shirt. Just as with the sword, the armor gave off a slight glow of mana, and after holding it for a moment, I was given more details by the system. The Commander¡¯s Armor. Part of the Commander¡¯s Regalia set, this light chain shirt adds a minor defensive bonus to all troops under your command. Troops must be within line of sight of the wearer for this effect to activate. The gear cost for this armor is 25. For each additional piece of the Commander¡¯s Regalia set that is equipped, the gear cost for this armor is reduced by 5. It was the first gear set I¡¯d seen. The database back at Refuge had mentioned them, but they typically weren¡¯t found until at least tier two. Looking like something from a Roman legion, or a gladiator movie, the gear matched pretty closely to what the Saul and the other retired soldiers had worn. Next up was the Pilum, which also proved to be part of the set. The Commander¡¯s Pilum. Part of the Commander¡¯s Regalia set, this javelin is enhanced with lightning magic. When thrown, it will home in on its target with unerring accuracy and unleash lightning damage in addition to its normal damage types. Once used, the pilum will return to the wielder¡¯s hand, but the magical effects will be spent until an hour has passed. When equipped, any ranged troops under your command will receive a minor bonus to their accuracy. The gear cost for this weapon is 25. For each additional piece of the Commander¡¯s Regalia that is equipped, the gear cost for this weapon is reduced by 5. It was a great set that synergized well with my class. Even better, with three pieces of the set, the gear cost for each item was reduced. The sword¡¯s gear cost would be down to 30 and the javelin thing would drop down to 15. Since the chain shirt was light armor, my normal cost reduction of 5 would kick in as well, making the armor¡¯s gear cost only 10 if I had the other two items equipped. The only downside to the set was my lack of skill with the sword, but I had a feeling that the skill scroll might take care of that, so I grabbed it next. Scroll of the swordsman. Using this scroll unlocks the basic swordsman skill. Just as I suspected, the scroll would unlock sword skills. There wasn¡¯t anything to help me with throwing weapons like my new pilum but given it would automatically hit when I triggered its magic, I wasn¡¯t as concerned over it. The set was amazing, and I was sorry to say that my trusty warhammer might be taking a back seat for a while. The arena upgrade certificates were a nice addition, and combined with the ones I already had, my total was now up to six. There were also five consumable figurines in the chest, each of them identical tier one, rank 5 legionnaires, though one was a veteran. They were essentially younger versions of Saul and his troops. Next up was my new Foe Summoner template. New Template. Blighted Reaver. Tier 1, Rank 5. Mana reserve required, 75. I¡¯d have to test drive the reaver inside the training center to get more details on him, but I doubted that he would outperform Grulnok, who was a veteran. There was only one last item to check out, the ring. I had kind of hoped it would be part of the Commander¡¯s Regalia set, but even though it wasn¡¯t, it was certainly helpful. Minor Ring of Mana. Equipping this ring grants the wearer an additional 10 mana. The gear cost for this item is 10. All told, the contracted summoning had given me several powerful upgrades. The only thing to do now was to try out some various loadouts to see how I might maximize my newfound power. Chapter 156. Back to it. ¡°Melvin, I¡¯m going to need the training center in a minute,¡± I warned my friend. With the new template and more mana to work with, it was time to make some tweaks to the lineup. While I waited for Melvin to finish up his current fight, I went into the armory and adjusted my loadout. First off, I activated the Scroll of the Swordsman. Knowledge and muscle memory of how to fight with various types of swords began to seep into me. The feeling was like what I experienced when I had chosen the bludgeoning weapons skill a while back. I wouldn¡¯t be able to go toe to toe against a highly skilled opponent, but I could at least defend myself with a blade now. With the sword skill added, the Commander¡¯s Regalia armor set was looking like the best bet for my weapons and armor. The new weapons and armor were a large upgrade, and having burned through so many consumables, I could now add more to my total loadout before hitting the gear cap of 180. As far as other new equipment, I had the Minor Ring of Mana to add, boosting my mana by another 10 points. For spells, I added Psionic Jolt and Fail Weapons, leaving out only Redirect for now. With the veteran orc warrior as my main summoned creature, the Redirect spell might eventually see some use since he was a minion that could last more than a few seconds if anything attacking me was redirected to him. My consumables were the last category I had to look at. First off, I added the Notice of Cessation back into the loadout. There were no more contracted summonings until I visited Somhagen again, and I¡¯d need to be careful about what I might encounter. With most of the consumables gone, I had enough gear points to add the three utility potions I¡¯d acquired a while back. The last thing on my loadout to consider were the consumable figurines. The only thing I still had on hand to replace the ones that I¡¯d used was the troll veteran. Being a powerful veteran, I needed to take the troll back home with me. To the going home pile I also added the veteran legionnaire figurine and two of the regular. The other two normal legionnaire figurines went into the loadout, giving me something to work with. I had maxed out my gear score and felt good about my picks. Giving the options a final review, I finalized the loadout. Current Loadout: Gear cost 180/180 Spells:
  1. Fail Weapons, gear cost 10.
  2. Psionic Jolt, gear cost 5.
  3. Empower Minion, gear cost 10.
  4. Duplicate, gear cost 20.
  5. Health Bloom, gear cost 20.
Weapons and Armor:
  1. The Commander¡¯s Armor, gear cost 25 (10).
  2. The Commander¡¯s Gladius, gear cost 50 (30).
  3. The Commander¡¯s Pilum, gear cost 25 (15).
  4. Magic missile wand, gear cost 10.
Miscellaneous equipment:
  1. Apprentice Ring of the Mind, gear cost 10.
  2. Headband of the Apprentice Summoner, gear cost 10.
  3. Minor ring of Mana, gear cost 10.
Consumables: Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
  1. Notice of Cessation, gear cost 5.
  2. Potion of Mirror Image, gear cost 1.
  3. Elixir of Life, gear cost 4.
  4. Salve of the Flame Mage, gear cost 2.
Consumable Figurines.
  1. Legionnaire (2), gear cost 8.
With the gear squared away, I needed to make a decision on which Foe Summoner figurines to equip. I was pleased with Grulnok, and he had performed well in the previous battle. Having a veteran to use Duplicate on was a powerful boost to my overall power. He would more than likely stay, but I still needed to get a look at my new figurine, the blighted reaver. Melvin had finished in the training center, but he remained inside to watch whatever I had planned to do. Summoning the blighted reaver, I was greeted by a warrior dressed in tattered bits of armor and holding a chipped and worn battleaxe in one hand. In his other hand, the reaver held a battered wooden shield, and an oversized knife that could do double duty as a shortsword was also belted at his waist. Like the other reaver¡¯s I¡¯d fought. This one wasn¡¯t quite human looking when viewed from up close. Several spikes of bone protruded from his kneecaps and at the ends of his elbows. From the way the reaver moved, the extra spiky bits wouldn¡¯t hamper his ability to fight. Giving him a test run, I pitted the reaver against a pair of goblins. The goblins appeared a few feet away from my reaver and charged at him with their crude spears leading the way. My reaver blocked one spear with his shield and finished off that goblin with a chop of his axe that nearly split the creature in half before it disappeared into mana vapor. The other goblin got one good shot in, but the sharpened wood tip of his spear seemed to barely break the skin. A backhand swipe of the axe left the reaver victorious. I tried out a few more combos of different creatures, and the reaver performed well. Having the reaver fight Grulnok would have been a great test of the pair, but I didn¡¯t have enough mana to summon both. It also felt kind of bad having my minions fight amongst themselves. Despite not having a head-to-head faceoff, I was more than confident that the veteran, Grulnok, was the correct choice. Having activated the new figurine for the first time, the system populated more information on what he was, and what his abilities were. Vaylon the Twisted, Tier 1, Rank 5. Mana reserve required, 75. Gear:
  1. Tattered armor.
  2. Cursed axe.
  3. Worn shield.
Skills and Abilities.
  1. Random mutation. Each time this minion is summoned, it will acquire a random beneficial mutation that will aid it in combat.
  2. Blight Hardened. The flesh of the reaver has been hardened by the harsh conditions of the blight, making it the equivalent of leather armor.
  3. Novice weapon training for all equipped weapons as well as unarmed combat proficiency.
Vaylon was good, but at the same mana reserve cost as the orc, I was going to stick with veteran Grulnok. With the new ring equipped, my total mana was up to 115. If I had Lillia and Rupert stay on the roster with Grulnok, the total mana cost of my minions would be 105. After the discount for presence, it dropped to 97. It only left me 18 points to cast spells with, and I couldn¡¯t bring my hound along. Having that extra 25 points from the mana stone had been nice during the contract, but it was a one-shot item. I would have loved for a few more mana points, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen until I gained a few more ranks or got lucky on my next trip to Somhagen. From the Refuge database, I¡¯d learned that classes often evolve at tier two, which would further differentiate even similar classes from each other. It was four ranks away at this point, so it would be a while before tier two showed up for me. Not long after finalizing my minion lineup the familiar prompt appeared. You are Summoned! Chapter 157. A Friendly Wager. After stepping into the portal, system information on my summoning appeared. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by use of a magic device.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 6.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is support related. The chance of combat for this summoning is considered low. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
As I left the portal, I found myself standing on a cobblestone path in front of a mansion that looked like a cross between the Palace of Versailles and Hogwarts. Just past me was a carriage drawn by a team of half-bird, half-horse things with wings. In the back of my mind, I vaguely remembered that the creatures were called hippogriffs. ¡°Simon, give the new servant the standard orders. I must be off,¡± a middle-aged man who was my summoner commanded before walking back into the mansion. Your summoning link has been transferred to the being known as Simon. You will obey his commands as if they were coming directly from the summoner. ¡°Very well sir, I bid you good day,¡± the man, Simon, said. He had an air of competence about him. A man who worked for someone else but was master of the small domain he had been granted authority over. ¡°Miss Elsbeth, Miss Emma, this gentleman shall be your escort this fine day,¡± Simon said as a pair of young teen girls wearing expensive-looking dresses exited the mansion and approached the coach. ¡°He¡¯s an odd one, where¡¯d you summon him from?¡± One of the girls asked, poking me in the gut and giving the Commander¡¯s Regalia armor I was wearing a disdainful glare. ¡°Miss Elsbeth, your father summoned him from the usual device. As you know, these things are just mana given random form. He will see to it that you¡¯re protected during your excursion,¡± Simon replied. ¡°Does it have a name, or should I call it thing, like the last one father summoned,¡± Elsbeth said. ¡°We¡¯ll find out momentarily, just allow me to set the parameters of his summoning,¡± Simon said to the girl before turning to address me. ¡°I think we should call him thing. Maybe peasant thing is a good name for him, he does look like some peasant from some weird place,¡± the other girl, Emma, said. I was getting a bad vibe from this one. She reminded me of the typical mean girl you¡¯d find in every high school. Mean and cruel, but either pretty or rich enough to never get in trouble for her actions. Ignoring the comments from Emma, Simon continued with his instructions. ¡°You will tell us your name if you have one. Your orders are to escort this pair as they go about their business. Help them in any endeavor, but make sure to keep them from any harm. They are not to go to the lower city, or into the adventurer¡¯s guild. If it proves necessary, you may physically restrain them if they attempt to go where they are not permitted, but do not, under any circumstances, allow them to come to harm,¡± Simon ordered. ¡°Great, another prison guard doubling as a servant,¡± Elsbeth bemoaned as the two girls boarded the carriage before I could tell them my name. Simon went back into the mansion, and I wasn¡¯t quite sure where to go. I supposed that if I was to protect them, I had to be nearby, so I tried to follow the girls into the carriage. One of the servants shut and latched the carriage door before I could enter. The coachman caught my eye and nodded to a small platform at the back of the coach. Standing on the narrow platform, I had barely found the hand grip bolted the back of the carriage when the coachman gave the hippogriffs the command to move. Holding on for dear life, the coach began to roll down the bumpy cobblestones. Once I had my balance and wasn¡¯t in any danger of falling off the carriage, I tried to enjoy the ride. The mansion had a beautiful garden covering much of the grounds, and a line of mature trees created a barrier around the place. A pair of guards in polished breastplates stood aside for the carriage to pass as we left the mansion and rolled onto a dirt road that led toward a large city in the distance. Spaced out at regular intervals were additional mansions, with each having a similar layout to the mansion I had just left. It all sort of reminded me of the McMansions you¡¯d see in the more upscale neighborhoods. Expensive homes that were very nice, but all sort of looked the same. They were places for the modestly wealthy who wanted to show off that they had made it. I guess people were the same whether they were in a fantasy world that was full of magic, or back on mundane Earth. ¡°Woah!¡± the coachman shouted to the team of hippogriffs as another carriage entered the road and cut us off. Unhappy at being cut off, I could hear the driver cursing under his breath and the pair of hippogriffs also screeched their displeasure at the creatures pulling the other carriage. Instead of hippogriffs, a pair of lizards the size of horses strained at their traces as their driver also tried to avoid a wreck.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°What is going on out there driver! My father will hear of this,¡± Elsbeth complained from inside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss, a bit of traffic on the road today, another carriage has bolted out in front of us. I had to be a bit harsh on the team to avoid a collision,¡± the driver replied. ¡°Another carriage? Who¡¯s is it?¡± Emma said as she opened the carriage door to look over the situation. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Ophelia again,¡± Emma said as she caught sight of the other carriage. ¡°She¡¯s probably been waiting there for us all morning just so she can join us in the city,¡± Elsbeth said as the pair of girls exited the coach and made their way toward the other one. Compulsion kicked in and I dropped from my perch and followed, ready to assist in any way I could. Another girl, dressed similarly to the pair I was escorting exited her coach and the trio began to act like they were the best of friends. Listening to a trio of spoiled teens chattering among themselves was not my idea of a great day, but I¡¯d take it over getting attacked by monsters. If all I had to do was stand around until the summoning expired, I was more than fine with that. Sadly, it appeared that whatever device had been used to summon me was a powerful and long acting one. ¡°Look at him, I sincerely doubt that whatever peasant your father summoned to carry your bags today can stand up to my guardian,¡± the girl, Ophelia claimed. Her comment caught my attention, and I had mostly filtered out their inane banter while I had stood there waiting for any orders. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure, papa doesn¡¯t skimp on his magic items. He might not look like much, but I¡¯m certain he is more than capable,¡± Elsbeth replied. ¡°Oh, do we have a challenge?¡± Emma asked, egging the two on. ¡°What terms should we set for our little bet?¡± Ophelia asked. ¡°How about the loser has to give up the identity of the shop they have their handbags made at,¡± Elsbeth suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll do you one better, the loser has to give up their handbag maker, and pay to commission a new bag for the winner,¡± Ophelia added. ¡°Done, Emma here can bear witness to the agreement. It doesn¡¯t appear there is much traffic today, shall we expedite this and have our champions duel in the street?¡± Elsbeth asked. ¡°That is acceptable, now, give me a moment to summon my guardian,¡± Ophelia said. The smug look on her face made me a bit worried. Going to town on a shopping trip and carrying boxes and bags looked like it was out. I was going to be forced to participate in some kind of summoned creature duel. ¡°I hope that daddy chose correctly with you. Are you any good in a fight? You don¡¯t look all that imposing,¡± Elsbeth asked as Ophelia pulled a summoning figurine from her bag and began to walk further down the road where the pending duel wouldn¡¯t accidentally damage a carriage. ¡°It¡¯s a little late to ask, isn¡¯t it? Next time, figure out if your summoned assistant is a warrior before you go around challenging your little friends. To answer your question, I¡¯m mediocre at personal combat, but I have more than a few other tricks up my sleeve,¡± I replied a bit sharply. I¡¯d never had much patience for annoying teens, and it was starting to show. I had to cool it if I didn¡¯t want my attitude to affect my rating. Elsbeth¡¯s face grew red as the young woman tried, and only partially succeeded in controlling her anger at my harsh reply. ¡°I¡¯ll have none of that sass, servant. You will address me with respect. Get out there and destroy Ophelia¡¯s little guardian so I can get on with my day,¡± Elsbeth said, shooing me away with the wave of her hand. Ophelia was pushing mana into the figurine she held and a moment later, a two-headed version of the horse-sized lizards that pulled her carriage appeared. I wasted no time in summoning my crew, starting with Grulnok. As each of my minions appeared, Elsbeth squealed in happy surprise, and Ophelia began to argue. ¡°Not fair, you gave him summoning figures to use. That¡¯s cheating Elsbeth,¡± Ophelia complained. ¡°I did no such thing, and I had no idea he could even do that,¡± Elsbeth argued. ¡°Sorry, Ophelia, I was there when Elsbeth¡¯s father summoned this one, and I can assure you she has given her servant nothing to assist him in the duel,¡± Emma pipped in. ¡°It won¡¯t matter, cuddles will deal with your servant and his filthy pets. Shall we begin?¡± Ophelia replied. Just before the fight started, I cast Empower Minion on Grulnok and Lillia, and then Duplicated Grulnok. My mana was pretty much gone now, but I was as prepared as I could hope to be. All at once, the lizard lunged forward, one head aiming at Rupert and the other at Grulnok. Poor Rupert was too slow, and the tooth-lined maw of the lizard clamped shut, turning the dwarf commoner back into mana vapor. Grulnok performed much better, dodging the attack, and retaliating with a pair of strikes from his weapons. The spiked mace cracked into the jaw of the reptile, crunching bone, and the axe hammered into the scales on its neck, cracking through and leaving blood gushing from the wound. Hissing in pain, the lizard tried to retreat, its good head snapping at the duplicate Grulnok who was closing in. Lillia joined the fight, sidestepping the lizard¡¯s tail as it tried to sweep her off her feet. Lacking the power of Grulnok, Lillia still did an admirable job, driving her spear deep into the side of the lizard. Beset on all sides, the lizard went into a frenzy, biting, clawing, and tail whipping with abandon. My team handled it well, the two Grulnok pushing in and landing hits where they could, but Lillia missed a dodge and was finished off by another bite from the lizard. More wounds were opened on the giant reptile, and after a few moments, the monster began to slow, allowing the pair of Grulnok¡¯s more openings to strike. ¡°Don¡¯t fight those orcs, kill him!¡± Ophelia shouted to the lizard as she pointed at me. I had been staying back, keeping out of the fight, and allowing my minions to do the heavy lifting. Now, the lizard ignored both Grulnok¡¯s and charged toward me. The veteran warriors slammed their axes and spiked maces into the monster as it passed. In the background I could hear Elsbeth argue that Ophelia was cheating by directing her summoned monster. I even made a final effort to swipe with my sword as I tried to dodge, but the bulk of the lizard crashed into me. The monster landed atop me, and I could feel bones breaking from its weight. All at once, the weight lifted as the lizard disappeared into mana vapor. It removed the pressure, but the damage was done. Fractured ribs had punctured my lungs, and both my arms were broken, leaving me unable to grab a healing potion. ¡°I still think this was a setup, but a deal¡¯s a deal,¡± Ophelia relented, agreeing to pay her debt to Elsbeth as darkness closed in and my vision faded. You have died to internal injuries caused by a crushing impact with a large reptile. Your performance rating is calculated as Good. Your rewards will reflect you being summoned at Tier 1, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Good. You have earned 8 experience points. You have earned 7 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 158. Bags and the Unknown. ¡°I hope that stupid kid enjoys the handbag I won for her,¡± I complained as I returned to my personal space. The summoning hadn¡¯t been a bad one, and with a good rating, the rewards would be decent. As I headed to the reward chest, I checked on the return gauge. It was almost there, pegged at 98%. It looked like I¡¯d have one more summoning before I went home. Going home had much more appeal for me now that I had somewhere I belonged. It was a good feeling, and one that I hadn¡¯t experienced much in my life before. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 921.
  2. Silver coins, 199.
  3. Gold coins, 4.
  4. Small gems, 3.
  5. Handbag.
My coin rewards were about what I had expected, but the handbag was something new. It also further confirmed that the system tended to match rewards to the tasks completed during the summoning. Pulling the bag from the reward chest, I was relieved to see it was a normal looking leather pouch, not some extravagant handbag that the girls from the previous summoning would wear. It may not have been garish, but the bag was odd looking with an exterior that had crude drawings of animals etched into it. As I examined the bag, a system prompt appeared, giving me more information. Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. The trickster mage, Rodney the Unobtrusive, fashioned a collection of these bags to aid him in combat. When the command word is spoken, the bonded owner of the bag may reach inside and pull out a random beast. The beasts will aid the owner to the best of their ability and will disappear after 1 hour has passed. After each use, the bag will remain inert for 24 hours before it can be used once again. It was an interesting find, and I wondered if the beasts I pulled out of it counted as summoned creatures. If so, they would benefit from my class abilities, making them more formidable. As I pondered what types of beasts I might summon from the bag, I could feel a mana connection form with the item. Once the connection solidified, images of various animals flooded through my mind. It seemed like every animal I¡¯d seen in person or on TV was represented, and I could feel the bag informing me that those beasts would form the pool of animals that I could randomly summon. The command word to activate the bag was Zoo, which seemed to fit. The bag was one of those items that could turn the tide of a battle or cause more harm than good depending on what I summoned. Another positive was that it didn¡¯t seem to have any type of gear cost associated with it, so I could equip it without worry. It wasn¡¯t exactly my style, and it looked a bit like a bag some hippy from the 60s would have sported, but it was a free bag of animal friends, so I wasn¡¯t going to complain. With my rewards squared away, and the new bag added to my armory loadout, I checked in on Melvin. He was hard at work in the training center, and since I didn¡¯t need to use it at the moment, I let him continue his training. Melvin had done a great job during the contracted summoning, and I was looking forward to seeing what he would accomplish as he grew in power. I watched Melvin for a bit, he was trying to deal with a small earth elemental. It was a strange match, and it appeared neither foe could harm the other. The elemental didn¡¯t have any biomass for Melvin to dissolve, and he was highly resistant to the blows the elemental dished out. After a time, I began to see Melvin¡¯s reason for taking on this training challenge. He began to anticipate the elemental¡¯s attacks, learning to read and avoid the different types of strikes that an opponent could make. Being a gelatinous cube, Melvin wasn¡¯t exactly agile, but he was able to avoid the worst of most blows. When he faced an enemy that could damage him, Melvin would be ready. Eventually, Melvin cancelled the match, and chose another foe, the lesser fire elemental that he liked to square off against. He was doing better against it this time, but before I could see the end of the match, another system prompt appeared. You are Summoned! The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After a quick check of my loadout, I stepped into the portal. Once inside, the system provided some information on what I was facing. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by an unknown entity.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 6.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is support related. The chance of combat for this summoning is unknown. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
That was weird. The system couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t tell who was summoning me this time. I also caught the unknown chance of combat, which was odd. It might be wrong, but the system usually had no problem giving me some kind of indication of how likely I was to find myself in a fight. I exited the portal and found myself in complete darkness. The air smelled strange, but it was a smell I had never experienced before. It wasn¡¯t a bad odor, it was just something that wasn¡¯t quite right, like it was unnatural but not dangerous. My mind raced, and I was a bit concerned over what might happen next. Looking for the summoner link, I could see it stretch up into the dark, but I lost sight of it after only a few feet. I should have been able to feel the connection to my summoner, but there was nothing. All I could do was wait for a command, or at least some explanation of what was going on. ¡°Can you hear us?¡± a voice called out from the dark. ¡°Yes, what¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked. ¡°We wish to observe your kind, is that acceptable?¡± the voice asked. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re the one who summoned me, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help,¡± I offered. ¡°Very well, your compliance has been noted. Please wait while a suitable environment is created for you,¡± the voice said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right here, it¡¯s not like I can go anywhere,¡± I replied. The voice was silent, though I could hear noises in the darkness. I tried to identify the sounds, but it was like someone was rustling around in another room where the walls muffled what I was hearing. All at once, the lights turned on and I had to cover my eyes with my hands to protect them from the brightness. ¡°Apologies, we forget the bodies you inhabit are rather fragile things. We should have gradually applied luminescence to give your ocular receptors time to acclimate. The error will not be replicated, and the experiment is unaffected,¡± the voice proclaimed. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust, and I was a little shocked by what I saw. I was standing inside my apartment back home, or at least that¡¯s what it looked like. All my stuff, including the pile of dirty clothes I meant to wash, was right where I¡¯d left it. The blinds were partially closed, but the bright Southern California sunshine lit up the room. ¡°Where is this? I take it I¡¯m not home right now,¡± I asked. ¡°You are correct, we wished to observe you in your normal habitat. A recreation has been fashioned from your memories. Please go about your normal day, the experiment continues,¡± the voice said. ¡°What should I call you, and what exactly do you want me to do?¡± I asked, more confused than ever. ¡°We are here to observe and have no need of names. As for what we expect you to do, we expect you to act normally in your recreated habitat,¡± the voice said. ¡°So, just act normal?¡± I asked. ¡°Correct, that is what the experiment requires,¡± the voice said. This was weird, but if my summoner wanted to observe me in my daily routine, it beat being eaten by monsters. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see,¡± I said, walking over to the blinds and opening them. I could see as far as the parking lot, but past that, where the street would normally be, only a grey wall of hazy vapor waited. ¡°Uh, am I supposed to stay in here? I mean, if you want to see my normal activities, I typically have work to do during the day. I¡¯ll run errands, escort others from Refuge that need protection, that sort of thing. Is there anything past that grey haze?¡± I asked. ¡°Please wait as we consider your latest input,¡± the voice said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right here, checking for an internet connection,¡± I said as I picked up my phone, which was sitting in the charger where I¡¯d left it when I was summoned. The lock screen was on, and nothing I could do would unlock the phone. It showed nearly a full charge, and I wasn¡¯t missing any connection bars. ¡°Hey, is this just a prop or something?¡± I asked. ¡°It is a simulacrum of what you possess in your dwelling. We do not know what you expect of that item,¡± the voice replied. ¡°Great, I guess whatever you used to create this place didn¡¯t recreate electronics,¡± I said. ¡°You are correct, it is merely a representation of what you last remember from when you left your abode. Complex mechanisms are unable to be replicated exactly,¡± the voice confirmed. There went any plans for spending this summoning watching videos or playing games. ¡°You mentioned that you typically escort others to offer them protection. Is combat a normal part of your daily routine. Please think about some of the common foes you face, and we¡¯ll have some created to challenge you. As for what you call the grey haze, it represents the limits of this experiment. Please remain inside the designated area. If you choose to cross the limits of this experiment, your safety cannot be guaranteed,¡± the voice said ominously. Chapter 159. Mental Fortitude. ¡°Okay, so don¡¯t step into the creepy grey haze, got it. As for creating a foe to face, I¡¯m good, don¡¯t trouble yourselves. When I¡¯m home, it¡¯s a rare occurrence that I have to fight anyone,¡± I told the voice. If I could avoid a painful battle during this summoning, I was all for it. ¡°Very well, we will not introduce any hostile forces to challenge you. Please, go about your normal, daily routine. If we have questions for you, we will ask,¡± the voice said. If they wanted normal, I¡¯d give it to them. I puttered around the apartment, straightening up the dirty clothes and putting the fake phone in my pocket. After that I made the bed and used the restroom. Using the restroom was a bit of an unsettling experience when you knew some disembodied, unknown entity was watching you. I figured if the entity was powerful enough to summon me to this fake apartment, it wasn¡¯t because it wanted to see me with my pants down. I would have avoided the bathroom completely, but outside of my personal space, normal bodily functions happened. In addition to that I, was getting kind of hungry. I didn¡¯t have much in the refrigerator, and when the entity created the apartment, they included the food. Just like the phone, all the food was fake. Maybe the observers could do something about that. ¡°Uh, I have a question. How realistic do you want this to be? I¡¯d normally eat around now, but all this stuff isn¡¯t real,¡± I said, gesturing toward the refrigerator and pantry items I¡¯d examined. Instead of a response I began to feel a tingle inside my head. The feeling grew into a sharp headache, which intensified until I could no longer stand it. I dropped to my knees in pain and then collapsed onto the carpeted floor. Unable to keep from screaming, I could barely catch my breath between shrieks. In my head, I could feel that whoever had summoned me was sifting through my thoughts and memories. I¡¯d had a lot of horrifying experiences as a summoned being, but having an entity pull apart my mind while I sat there helpless might be one of the worst. With no signs of the pain letting up, and no idea how long I¡¯d be trapped here, I tried to use a Notice of Cessation. I could feel the magic on the scroll activate, but for some reason, nothing happened. ¡°Such items are of no use here. We must keep the integrity of experiment and allowing you to leave at such a critical juncture would negate all our efforts. If this experience is unpleasant for you, we can remedy that,¡± the voice said. All at once, the pain ended, but the feeling of violation continued as the entity resumed sifting through my memories. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± I whimpered. There was no response for several long seconds. ¡°We needed more information to craft the perfect experiment. While your discomfort was unwanted, it was temporary, and there will be no lasting harm to you. Now, you will continue to go about your daily activities. Things should be much more accurate for you now. Please proceed,¡± the voice said. I had no choice but to comply and I continued where I had left off. This time, the food in the refrigerator and the pantry were no longer props. I fixed a bowl of cereal, Captain Crunch without those gross berry things that tore up your mouth. Though I had been hungry, my body seemed to work on autopilot and my thoughts seemed to be sluggish after the mental tampering I had just endured. After breakfast, I tried to recreate a normal day at home. The only thing the entity hadn¡¯t been able to recreate was anything electronic, so spending time gaming or watching videos was out of the question. I walked around the apartment grounds, and the place seemed eerie without the people that were normally out and about. It struck me that everything was too quiet, and the background hum of city traffic was missing. Time passed at a glacial pace, and I wondered how long I would be stuck inside this strange experiment. Afternoon turned to evening and after fixing a frozen Salisbury Steak for dinner, I began to wind down. The entity hadn¡¯t said a thing all afternoon, and I figured that was a good sign. If they wanted to watch the Rico show in silence, and without inflicting more pain, so be it.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I found it curious that the entity had sifted through all my memories and had gotten one thing completely wrong. My gear loadout was equipped, and that was something that didn¡¯t happen when I returned to Earth. There was also mana here, which meant all my gear was enchanted and even my potions would be viable if needed them for some reason. Despite having all my gear, no threats appeared. It had been a long day of pretending to act normally, and the yawns could no longer be ignored. I turned off the lights and got into bed. My mind refused to let me sleep, and all the fears and worries began to manifest themselves in the dark. I don¡¯t know how long I lay there, but I must have eventually drifted off, sleeping until a system prompt woke me. The unknown entity that summoned you has marked this summoning as complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Good. Your rewards will reflect you being summoned at Tier 1, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Good. You have earned 9 experience points. You have earned 8 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 1, Rank 7. You have gained 1 point in Presence. You will now be returned to your personal space. I just stood there in a stupor when I appeared in my personal space. My mind felt odd, like it had been stretched beyond what it could handle. From what I could tell, I was still the same me that I had been before the strange entity summoned me. Had they changed anything when they poked and prodded through my mind? Would I even know or recognize if they had? I couldn¡¯t answer those questions, so the only thing I could do was move forward. I¡¯d gained a new rank, which brought me one step closer to tier two where my class evolution waited. Next stop was the rewards chest to see what I¡¯d gained from my most recent ordeal. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 933.
  2. Silver coins, 201.
  3. Gold coins, 3.
  4. Unknown Scroll.
The scroll was an odd reward, and it was unlike the system to categorize something as unknown. With some trepidation, I pulled out the scroll and once it was out of the chest, it turned to dust in my hands. A new prompt appeared in front of me, but I could tell this wasn¡¯t from the system, it came from someone else. You have performed your task and completed the experiment as requested. We wish to reward you for your efforts. You have earned what is now given to you. Time seemed to stop for a moment, but then the system kicked in and granted me its own prompt. Through unknown means, a new resistance has been acquired. Resist Mental Intrusion, minor. This resistance allows you some defense against all forms of attack that target your mind. As soon as I read the prompt a new one appeared. Through unknown means, your Resist Mental Intrusion has upgraded from minor to moderate. Your protections against all forms of attack that target your mind are enhanced, and you can not only resist any intrusion, but also attempt to counterattack your assailant. Whatever it had done to me, the entity had repaid me with a new resistance. In addition, it was immediately bumped to a moderate level of defense. I couldn¡¯t decide if it was a fair recompense for what I¡¯d just endured. This was going to make for quite the database entry back at Refuge. A quick check of the return gauge confirmed I was ready to return. All I had to do now was sort out what I wanted to bring back with me. There were three more ranks to go before I hit tier two and unlocked Somhagen again. I should have plenty of time to replenish whatever cash I took home. Still, I didn¡¯t want to pull too much out, Somhagen got more and more expensive as each new tier unlocked. As usual, I¡¯d bring all the gems back with me, as well as the mana tabs I¡¯d stockpiled. I also added the figurines that I intended to return home with. I had the veteran troll, two regular legionnaires, and the veteran one as well. Melvin was also recharged and ready to go, and it would be nice to see how he reacted to my home. Seeing that Melvin¡¯s figurine was recharged made me think of Fitzfazzle. It had been quite a while since I¡¯d used it, and to my delight, Fitzfazzle was ready to be summoned again. Just like Melvin, I was tempted to summon him at home to show him how our technology worked. Excited to return, I confirmed my choices and let the system know I was ready to go home. Chapter 160. Home Visit. After confirming I was ready to return home, the portal opened, and I stepped through it and back into my apartment. For a moment, I was worried that I was still in the strange experiment that I had just endured. A quick check of my phone and a peek out the window confirmed that I was truly back on Earth. Things here at home seemed normal enough. It was nice to finally let myself take a few moments and relax. It looked like it was the middle of the afternoon outside, and the normal morning haze had burned off and the sun was shining down to make a perfect Southern California day. Everything I wanted to bring back with me had been stored in one of the large leather sacks that the system was kind enough to provide. I sorted through it, taking out the figurines and the mana tabs that I wanted to keep. The coins, gems, and the bulk of the mana tabs would go to Jeanette. She would be my next stop, and then I¡¯d try to find Marie to see what was on the agenda. Leaving the apartment, I said hi to a few people that were out, including the young summoned being Elliot, who didn¡¯t bother to reply when I greeted him. The kid was smack in the middle of that ¡°I¡¯m too cool for everything¡± phase. He¡¯d have to break out of that quickly. Having a bad attitude as a summoned being was going to get him into trouble. Jeanette¡¯s apartment was the de facto headquarters for our little branch of Refuge, and I found her in the front living room, talking to our newest member, Tran Nguyen. I still didn¡¯t know what class he had, and I¡¯d have to make a point to spend more time with him when I got a chance. Once they finished up their conversation and Jeanette handed him an overfilled leftover container of food, she turned toward me. ¡°I know those bags, get anything good?¡± She asked. ¡°Not a bad haul, and I was able to visit Somhagen again. I¡¯ve got more mana tabs for you and loot for you to convert to cash after you deduct whatever Refuge needs,¡± I said, handing over the sack. ¡°You look a little stressed, was there anything bad that happened? Usually, the system blocks out most of the trauma, and I hope you were smart enough to equip a Notice of Cessation for emergencies,¡± Jeanette asked. ¡°Yeah, but I did have a rather odd summoning, and I found out something important. The Notice of Cessation doesn¡¯t always work,¡± I warned. Jeanette pulled me into her office and called Marie and Julio to join us. The three of them seemed to run things here, with Jeanette holding down the fort and running the day-to-day things here at home. Marie dealt with finding new summoned beings and integrating them into Refuge. Julio was the only non-summoned being in a leadership role, and he oversaw security, which fit his prior military experience. Everyone else helped where they could, and I was still trying to find my role in the whole organization. I had a combat class, so I was currently protecting the others when they went out, but I didn¡¯t know if that was going to be a permanent thing or not. I was just glad to have a place I belonged, and if escorting people and protecting them with my minions was what they wanted me to do, so be it. ¡°That¡¯s a new one, Rico, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s documented something that could block a Notice of Cessation yet,¡± Marie said after I had given them the rundown of my last summoning. ¡°Not only that, this entity that you dealt with didn¡¯t seem to be bound by the normal rules of the system. Based on the system prompts you mentioned, the system couldn¡¯t even identify a name or what the entity was,¡± Julio added. ¡°It was disturbing, and I¡¯m a bit worried it did something to my mind while it rooted around in there,¡± I said, voicing my fears. ¡°You seem normal enough, and your new mental resistance is nothing to sneeze at,¡± Marie said, trying to comfort me.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about why it wanted to observe your life here. Did you get the impression it was planning something? Does it intend to come to Earth?¡± Julio asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t get any hostile vibes, or the feeling that it meant to conquer the planet or anything. Now that I think back on it, the entity seemed more like it was a scientist conducting an experiment it wasn¡¯t particularly invested in. I don¡¯t think we have to worry about it invading us anytime soon,¡± I offered. ¡°Make sure you document everything you can remember in the database. Maybe somebody at one of the other Refuge locations can help decipher what you experienced. Now that you¡¯re back, I¡¯ll let you get settled again. I¡¯m sure Julio has some work for you once you¡¯re rested up,¡± Jeanette said. ¡°We need to get back to the range when you¡¯re ready, Rico, we also need to start on some combatives training. You can¡¯t always count on having a minion to summon, and your Basic Unarmed Combat skills will only get you so far,¡± Julio added. He was a really nice guy, and I enjoyed the time we spent at the gun range. Despite that, I didn¡¯t like the evil gleam in his eye when he mentioned sparring. I expected that I¡¯d have more than a few bruises and bumps after a session with him. After that, Jeanette gave me the obligatory leftover container full of food that was not only delicious, but would also give me a bonus to some random stat. She also gave me the account information and logins for my personal bank account. So far, I¡¯d been using a generic Refuge account, but now, I had my very own to work with. I wasn¡¯t needed for anything else today, so I headed back to my apartment to check out my bank balance and take care of a few things. Mostly, I was embarrassed at how messy the place was. When the entity recreated it, I realized that a pile of dirty clothes on the floor wasn¡¯t the way to do things. Also, scattered belongings were a bit hard to keep track of. I tried to get everything organized, keeping my figurines and other system related items in a separate pouch that went in one of my dresser drawers. My pistol, the real one, not the magic missile one, was kept in an end table drawer near the front door. The magic missile pistol was kept in a drawer near my nightstand. If I needed either of those, I¡¯d need them to be somewhere I could get to quickly. Julio promised to get me a couple of locking pistol cases to keep them safe. I could hit a combination of buttons and open them almost instantly, but it would keep kids or whatnot from stumbling across the loaded, and deadly weapons. They were good for now, there weren¡¯t too many children on the property, and none of them had a key to my apartment. If I left the place, the weapons would be on me, so no risk there. I made a list of stuff I¡¯d need to buy on my next trip to the store. The apartment was well furnished, but a lot of stuff like laundry baskets, hangars, and other organizational stuff was on me to provide. A quick check of my bank account showed that I wouldn¡¯t have any problems affording a Target trip. Jeanette hadn¡¯t even sold off my latest loot, and I already had several thousand dollars in my bank account. With my summonings happening as often as they did, this was going to be the highest paying job I¡¯d ever had. Of course, being an insurance adjuster may have paid a lot less, but it didn¡¯t include being killed by monsters, maimed by traps, or desperately trying to save lives. Despite the danger, and the frequent pain, I would choose my current life as a summoned being over my previous one any day. If I was still running around the streets on my own, it would be a different story, but now, I had a place to call my own. As night fell, I enjoyed Jeanette¡¯s leftovers for dinner, it was beef stroganoff, which I usually despised, but this was delicious. The system wasn¡¯t working the same way here on Earth as it did on mana rich worlds, so there was no prompt telling me what stat had been improved by the meal. Trying out a few things, I finally decided that it was probably agility this time since I was able to balance my plates, phone, cup, and utensils as I brought them back to the kitchen. A knock on the door almost caused me to drop everything, but I managed to put it all away quickly and without breaking anything. Checking the peephole showed that Marie, Julio, and some guy I¡¯d never seen before were waiting impatiently outside. Following Julio¡¯s advice to always be armed if I was entering an unknown situation, I made them wait a few more seconds while I collected the 1911 and used the sticky holster to conceal it behind my back. ¡°Hey Marie, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I opened the door, giving the new guy a once over. He was dressed in a grey suit and didn¡¯t look like he belonged in Refuge. ¡°Rico, can we come in? There¡¯s something important that we need your help with,¡± Marie asked. I invited them in, even more pleased with myself that I¡¯d cleaned up the place today. Everyone crammed uncomfortably into the kitchen and the small table I had there. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Hi, I¡¯m Rico,¡± I said, holding out my hand for the new guy to shake. ¡°Good to meet you Rico, I¡¯m Calvin from the Grimslade Group,¡± the man said giving my hand a firm shake. Uh, oh, I was getting a bad feeling about this. Chapter 161. A Shaky Alliance. ¡°And why exactly are you here?¡± I said with suspicion as I glared at Calvin. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rico, there is a problem that involves all of us,¡± Marie said. ¡°I understand your reluctance to work with us Rico, and I apologize for the way you were treated during our first meeting. A lot of things have been changing at our organization, and I think you¡¯d have found your experience a much different one if things were done back then, the way they are now,¡± Calvin offered. I was not going to put any kind of trust in this guy, but for Marie and Refuge, I¡¯d listen to him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say why you¡¯re here and what¡¯s going on?¡± I offered, trying to dial down the anger I was feeling. ¡°You want me to start?¡± Calvin asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll jump in when I need to. Marie added. ¡°Great, thanks. Rico, a few days ago, we started getting strange mana reading in the area just north of LA. Just like with your organization, we have ways to track these things, but the energy of this event was much different from what we normally detect from a summoned being portal. We sent people to investigate, and instead of a summoned being, they found a strange portal that led to what we believe is a dungeon. ¡°As we assembled a team to delve inside the dungeon, our contacts in the government were calling frantically for assistance. It appears that this dungeon we found in LA wasn¡¯t the only one. Dozens have popped up, and unfortunately, many were discovered by local authorities who tried to investigate a few of them. Nobody who went in one that isn¡¯t a summoned being has come out. ¡°The government even sent a special operations team into the one they found in Washington DC, but they also never emerged. For now, they are sealing up the areas wherever these appeared, but more than one has spewed creatures into our world. So far, casualties have been light as the creatures lose their power soon after leaving the dungeon as our world siphons the mana powering them,¡± Calvin said. I sat there a bit stunned, dungeons, or any system created things, weren¡¯t supposed to show up in our world anytime soon. The mana levels here weren¡¯t supposed to be able to support them. If Calvin was telling the truth, and it sure seemed like he believed what he was telling us, this could be a disaster if left unchecked. ¡°Has anyone tried to communicate with the dungeon cores? In my experience, they are intelligent and able to interact if they choose to,¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, our first recon teams did that exact thing. We even have people with classes specifically tied to dungeons. They¡¯ve gone in with the first teams, but nobody has cleared their dungeon yet. It¡¯s all hands on deck at my organization, and every summoned being with a combat or relevant support class is out there trying to put a stop to these things. A new dungeon has just opened here in Orange County, and we don¡¯t have the manpower to deal with it. Our hope was that your people at Refuge could handle this one or at least supplement our forces,¡± Calvin asked. ¡°What are your thoughts, Marie,¡± I asked. My immediate response was to head out and help stop anyone from getting hurt by the dungeons, but my distrust of the Grimslade Group kept me from immediately volunteering. ¡°I think we need to help. There¡¯s no hiding what has been happening from the government now, and if we pitch in, we can have a say in how summoned beings are treated after this immediate danger is over,¡± Marie said. ¡°What about you, Julio?¡± I asked. He was the only other member of Refuge in this little meeting. ¡°I know it¡¯ll put my cousin at risk, but I think we need to help and find out what is happening. Is this an isolated incident, or is our whole world about to change?¡± Julio asked.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ll help, but I¡¯m not signing up to join Grimslade or become some government test subject afterword,¡± I decided. ¡°Great. I can assure you that we have no designs on you other than seeking your help to deal with this dungeon. We¡¯ve already worked out an agreement with our government contacts, which will cover your people as well, where we will offer consultation and support in return for them not interfering with our lives. How many summoned beings with combat or relevant support related classes can you quickly field?¡± Calvin explained. I looked to Marie for that answer. ¡°We can have three for certain, and perhaps another if he returns soon from his latest summoning,¡± Marie answered. I figured the three she was talking about were me, Julio¡¯s cousin, Quinn, and herself. The fourth must have either been the new guy Tran who I didn¡¯t know much about, or maybe even the moody teen Elliot, but I didn¡¯t think he had a class yet. ¡°So far, none of the dungeons have been particularly high tier, but I would suggest at least a party of four. We¡¯re out of summoned beings who can help, but we can supplement your people with some of our security teams, if need be,¡± Calvin offered. ¡°We have our own security forces who can make up the difference if needed,¡± Julio said, jumping in. I knew at least him, and Samantha had military training. While they weren¡¯t summoned beings, they were more than deadly enough in their own right. ¡°Excellent, I think we have a plan, Here¡¯s the address where you¡¯re needed, can I count on you being there in the next hour, or will you need more time to prepare?¡± Calivn said. ¡°An hour should be fine; traffic won¡¯t be bad at this time of day. Wait, the dungeon is here? I hope there weren¡¯t any civilian casualties when it appeared,¡± Marie asked. I craned my head to see where the location was, but I couldn¡¯t quite make it out. ¡°No casualties yet, thank goodness, but the dungeon couldn¡¯t have appeared in a worse place. Knotts Berry Farm has closed down the park at the police¡¯s request, but it¡¯ll bring more attention than anyone wants if we try to keep the place closed indefinitely,¡± Calvin answered. I¡¯d been to Knotts Berry Farm more than once, it was a fun enough amusement park, and though it was a local, one location place, it had been around since the 1940s. If a dungeon had appeared there and the denizens ran amuck among the crowds, it would have been a disaster. The park was huge and knowing exactly where we were going would be important. ¡°Where in the park is the dungeon located?¡± I asked. ¡°Under the Calico Mine Ride, which seems kind of appropriate in a strange way,¡± Calvin answered. I knew the ride; it was a good one to take when it was hot outside since it was mostly indoors and air conditioned. It was a slow train that traveled through a fake mine and had the perfect, dark atmosphere for a dungeon to grow. ¡°We¡¯ll get our team together and meet you at the park,¡± Marie said, ending our meeting with Calvin. ¡°Excellent, thanks for your help, I¡¯ll see that everyone involved is fairly compensated. I¡¯ll also make sure that the police will send a car over to escort you to the park. That should help cut down on any traffic delays. I¡¯ll meet you at the park and will function as your liaison between Grimslade, local law enforcement, and our government contacts,¡± Calvin said as he made his way from my apartment. ¡°Besides me, who are we bringing?¡± I asked once Calvin was gone. ¡°I¡¯ll join you along with Quinn. He¡¯s hit tier one, rank two and his class is starting to become powerful. Tran has a class that will eventually make him an information broker like those in Somhagen. For now, he¡¯s working to dig into what Calvin has told us and should be able to confirm if we¡¯re being slung a line of bull or not. The question is, do we bring Elliot or not?¡± Marie said. ¡°Has he hit tier one yet?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, he just hit tier one after his last summoning, and returned a day ago from Somhagen. He¡¯s become an Elemental Mage specializing in fire, which could be handy in a dungeon, but he¡¯s¡­well, he¡¯s Elliot if you know what I mean,¡± Marie explained. ¡°He doesn¡¯t strike me as a team player, but do you think he¡¯d be a risk to our group?¡± I asked. The other two were quiet for a moment before Julio replied. ¡°No, I think he¡¯ll play well with others for something like this. We¡¯ve got to put him to the test at some point, and with you and Rico there to reign him in, I think he¡¯ll be fine. Someone who can become a human flame thrower might be necessary inside a dungeon. Marie, you¡¯ll be leading the team, so it¡¯s your call. If you don¡¯t want him, I can gear up and help,¡± Julio offered. ¡°We¡¯ll give him a shot, as long as he¡¯s willing. You¡¯re probably better prepared for what might be waiting for us inside a dungeon than even the special forces team the government sent in, but none of them made it out, and from what Calivn said, it seems like summoned beings are the only ones to have a chance,¡± Marie decided. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give him the good news if you can round up everyone else,¡± Julio said, leaving the apartment. ¡°So, Marie, I hope that since we¡¯re going to an amusement park for this, you¡¯re not going to take it out of my vacation time,¡± I joked to cover up the anxiety I was starting to feel. This was the real deal, a dungeon here on Earth where there would be no respawns and no returns to my personal space if things went badly. Chapter 162. Calico Mine Ride. It took about fifteen minutes to gather everyone together along with any gear we wanted to take. I felt a bit naked without the new armor and weapons I had equipped in my loadout, but I had a nice collection of figurines, as well as the 1911 and my magic missile pistol. After gathering everything up, I took stock of my figurines and other consumables. Figurines:
  1. Verdigrim (veteran).
  2. Legionnaire (2).
  3. Legionnaire (veteran).
  4. Troll warrior (veteran).
  5. Fitzfazzle.
  6. Melvin.
  7. Mana tabs (8).
It was a solid mix, and many were the tougher veteran figurines. With Fitzfazzle and Melvin both off cooldown, I was confident that we could deal with most situations. I also still had the final MESS key if needed. It was a good get out of jail free card if things turned south. The mana tabs were there for us if mana started to run dry. Despite us going to what seemed like a dungeon, there were no guarantees that any mana would regenerate while inside. At least my normal minions would stick around until destroyed. The ones from the figurines were here for an extended period as well, but I¡¯d never had one around long enough to test their duration here at home. There were a lot of unknowns, not the least of which was what everyone was bringing to the table in terms of skills and abilities. We had just gathered inside my apartment when a police van and cruiser pulled into the apartment parking lot. A frazzled pair of police officers walked onto the property and Julio met them. ¡°Well, I had hoped we¡¯d have some time to get organized, but we¡¯ll have to try and talk on the way to the amusement park,¡± Marie said as we left the apartment and went to meet the police. ¡°Are you Marie? I¡¯m Sergeant Goodman and will be escorting your team. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, or what kind of experts your group is supposed to be, but I¡¯ve been told to allow you access to any equipment inside the van. Please let me know if you have any questions on how the gear operates before touching anything. Understood?¡± the officer said in a no-nonsense voice. ¡°Roger that, Sergeant, I¡¯m retired military and I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble,¡± Julio confirmed. He¡¯d be riding with us but wasn¡¯t planning to enter the dungeon. It was good to have someone on the outside to look after our interests. Inside the van, I could see it was set up with benches along each side of the vehicle, and racks of gear that looked like it came from the SWAT team. Everyone remained quiet until the doors were closed and the van was underway. We had a lot to discuss and plan during the ride over, but it wasn¡¯t stuff for the ears of strangers. ¡°I¡¯ll get some gear sorted for you guys while you talk,¡± Julio said, pulling down what looked like bullet proof vests and trying to figure out our sizes. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, why don¡¯t we have everyone give a rundown of their abilities. Rico, you start,¡± Marie said, looking at each of us. ¡°I have a class called Foe Summoner that lets me summon minions to help fight. There are three currently ready to summon, and I have a few consumable figurines if we need more. I can also bolster my minions with magic, and have a healing spell. The downside is that the summoned creatures reserve most of my mana, so the pool for other spells is rather shallow right now,¡± I offered. ¡°What kind of creatures do you summon?¡± Elliot asked, perking up for the first time. ¡°Put a hold on that for now, we¡¯ll get into details if we have time, you¡¯re up next, Elliot,¡± Marie said. ¡°I¡¯m an elemental mage that can burn stuff,¡± he mumbled, giving Marie attitude. ¡°Hey kid,¡± I snapped at him. ¡°We¡¯re going into a life and death situation here. We don¡¯t have time for your attitude. If you can¡¯t put on your big boy pants and participate with the group, you¡¯re staying behind.¡± ¡°I agree with Rico, what¡¯s it going to be Elliot?¡± Marie said, giving the eighteen-year-old a harsh glare. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give some more details. I can cast your typical fireball, that¡¯s my most powerful spell. I can also hurl smaller blasts of flame and ignite a small area. My mana pool is pretty good and if there¡¯s mana around, I recharge quickly,¡± Elliot said. ¡°Thank you, Quinn, tell us what you can do?¡± Marie asked Julio¡¯s cousin. Quinn looked about the same age as Elliot, but with a much more muscular build. I assumed he was at least eighteen or they wouldn¡¯t have let him join up for the dungeon delve. He looked nervous but gained confidence as he spoke about his class.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m a Quest Knight, and I can fight with most kinds of melee and ranged weapons. I¡¯ll be granted gear based on the quest, and even here on Earth, something will appear for me once we begin. My current quest is to aid the party inside the dungeon, and once we enter, I¡¯ll be given a buff to my Strength and Constitution. I don¡¯t know what weapons I¡¯ll have yet, that¡¯ll have to wait until we¡¯re inside the dungeon. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll finish up. I¡¯m an Illusionist Mage and can detect traps and mana concentrations. In addition, I can summon illusions to fight, but their damage and durability is based on what the target believes them to be. I can also create barriers to protect us if need be. Like Elliot, my mana regenerates quickly, but I have a few mana tabs stashed away if we need them. Does everyone have some?¡± Marie asked. Everyone was stocked up, even Elliot. He might be a moody troublemaker, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. The drive to the amusement park wasn¡¯t too long, and it gave Julio time to get us fitted with body armor, helmets and some backup weapons. Only me and Marie had firearms, Julio didn¡¯t feel the younger members of the team had enough practice yet to safely use them in combat. I was offered different weapons, but I was comfortable with my 1911 and would use that. Marie had a shotgun strapped over her shoulder, and a Glock 9mm in a holster on her waist. Elliot and Quinn both had tasers and a police baton. I also grabbed a baton to use since it fit my crushing weapons skill. While I was at it, I grabbed an extra one for Rupert to use, and a vest for both him and Lillia that I thought would fit. The orc was well equipped already, and we were getting pretty loaded down with stuff. Everyone had a small assault backpack with some water, food, and various other bits of gear like flashlights, knives, and first aid kits that might be useful. Marie stowed a few flash-bang grenades, as well as a couple of tear gas ones. That led us to each grab a mask, with me carrying extras for my minions. Quinn also grabbed one of the huge police ballistic shields. It looked heavy, but he seemed to manage it well enough. I figured his class probably stacked Strength and Constitution like mine did Mind and Presence. We arrived at the amusement park, and were led through the back gate, eventually pulling up behind a set of police barricades that were placed around the fake mountain that housed the Callico Mine Ride where the dungeon had appeared. Getting out of the van, I was hit by the smell of funnel cakes that caused my mouth to water. I had forgotten there was a funnel cake near the ride. The park was evacuated, but the lingering smell told me the people hadn¡¯t been gone all that long. Either that, or they left the deep fryer on, and the park might burn down. Given the pair of firetrucks supplementing the huge police presence, I figured we were safe from that threat. ¡°Over here, folks, Joseph, help them with their gear,¡± Calvin said, spotting our team leaving the van. We were hustled past the normal queue and onto one of the train cars the ride used. ¡°We get to use the ride?¡± Elliot asked before I could. ¡°I know, it¡¯s weird, but it¡¯s actually the fastest way to get to the dungeon entrance,¡± he said as one of his people began to operate the train. I was pretty sure that running a train ride wasn¡¯t common training at the Grimslade Group, so it must not have been that difficult. ¡°We have my people watching the entrance to the dungeon itself, and the police are holding a perimeter outside the ride. You¡¯re fine to talk about summoned being related things around my people, but please refrain from saying anything around the others outside. This is already causing quite stir among the emergency services, and our contacts in the government don¡¯t need any additional attention if we can help it,¡± Calvin advised. ¡°Do we know what type of dungeon we¡¯re dealing with yet?¡± I asked. ¡°Not a lot of details, but we did have one of our security teams poke their heads in and come right out. The small bit of dungeon they could see almost matched the look of the mine ride. It¡¯s a dark, stone tunnel with lots of places for things to hide. They didn¡¯t spot any dungeon creatures, but we did confirm that no technology will work inside. None of their electronics, or modern weapons were working when they left,¡± Calvin told us. ¡°Like a permanent Fail Weapons spell?¡± I asked as the train car clacked along the track. At least they had managed to have someone turn on the lights inside the ride, so it wasn¡¯t the normal dark and gloomy look place. ¡°We¡¯re not sure, when they exited, all the electronics were fried, and the weapons all had bent firing pins, and magazines that refused to feed rounds. There are similar reports at the other dungeon sites, and we think that might be the problem the teams without summoned beings ran into. ¡°So far, only non-summoned beings that have gone in and left quickly have come back. Tough as they are, special forces operatives are at a disadvantage when their firearms and comms suddenly don¡¯t work and monsters from a fantasy movie attack them. Keep in mind that things are changing rapidly as more information comes in from the other teams,¡± Calvin said. ¡°Thanks for the heads up,¡± Marie said, pausing to think before continuing. ¡°I plan to take it slow, and we¡¯ll try to leave and check in after an hour or so inside the dungeon. Are there any reports of time distortions?¡± Marie asked. ¡°No, if there are, they¡¯re minimal enough to escape detection. Hold on,¡± Calvin said, looking down at his phone. ¡°Problem?¡± I asked. ¡°No, just the opposite. We¡¯ve confirmed that so far, all the dungeons possess enough mana for your mana pools to regenerate. The flow is somewhat restricted, and it¡¯ll take at least twice as long to regenerate what you¡¯d normally be able to, but at least there¡¯s something,¡± Calvin told us. ¡°Good, we¡¯ll still need to conserve where we can, but having at least some mana regen will let us stay in the fight longer. Everyone get ready, it looks like we¡¯re here,¡± Marie said as the train stopped. We were near the lowest part of the ride, where a door that would normally lead to a supply room had been replaced with a cave entrance. A dozen heavily armed Grimslade security personnel were behind portable barricades watching the entrance, and a couple helped us haul our gear out of the trains. I could almost feel the mana leaking from the dark dungeon entrance and polluting our world. I began to worry about what our makeshift team would find inside, and what effect all these dungeons would have on the planet. Chapter 163. In You Go. ¡°Hold on for a moment,¡± Calvin said as we gathered our gear and started to cross over the barricade. ¡°What is it?¡± Marie asked with concern. ¡°Nothing bad, I¡¯m just getting some updates on the other teams, the first few teams have emerged from the dungeons and they¡¯re saying to hold until they give their report, it shouldn¡¯t be long,¡± Calvin said. I hated waiting, especially when there was danger involved. If the other teams had valuable information that could save lives, I¡¯d stick around for as long as Calvin wanted. Elliot gave a sigh of annoyance and rolled his eyes, but Marie and Quinn were waiting patiently. ¡°While we wait, Marie and Rico, hand me your firearms. I¡¯ll take care of them until you return. If you bring them in there, they¡¯ll just be ruined,¡± Julio said. I¡¯d forgotten what Calvin had warned us about, and it must have slipped Marie¡¯s mind as well in the rush to get everyone ready for the dungeon. One of the Grimslade people gave Julio a gun case for the pistols and were looking for one to fit the shotgun when Julio suddenly raised the weapon and fired. The boom of the 12-gauge hit me like a hammer, and normal hearing was replaced with an unpleasant ringing sound. He wasn¡¯t aiming at me, but that didn¡¯t stop me from checking to see if there were any new holes in my body. To my surprise he racked the slide and fired again, this time joined by the entire Grimslade security team covering the dungeon entrance. Looking back at the dungeon entrance, I could see that several creatures had emerged. The creatures looked like someone had bred a spider with a scorpion, chopped off the tail, and grew them to the size of a cat. Even from a good twenty yards away I could see the huge fangs of the creatures, fangs that looked like they could shred human flesh in seconds. Thankfully, firearms worked just fine outside the dungeon, and the little monsters were quickly blasted apart. Only a few seconds after dying, the insects dissipated into mana vapor. We all stood there staring at the dungeon entrance waiting for more of the things, or something worse, to come pouring out. ¡°You want me to go in the dungeon with those things swarming around inside!¡± Elliot shouted loud enough for me to hear him over the ringing in my ears. ¡°Any idea what they were?¡± Marie said, ignoring the freaked-out Elliot. ¡°They looked like the camel spiders I saw when I was deployed in Afghanistan, but those things never got bigger than five or so inches across,¡± one of the security guys offered. ¡°I think you nailed it; they¡¯re a kind of scaled up camel spider, or something like them. I¡¯ve seen them when deployed as well,¡± Julio confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of for dungeons to spice up local fauna for nearby dungeons. Can anyone give us a rundown on how these things operate in the real world. I¡¯m sure the dungeon versions will be different somehow, but knowing how they normally hunt could help us out,¡± Marie asked. ¡°I¡¯m no expert, but I was told they normally hunt other bugs and small prey like that. They aren¡¯t venomous, but their bites were supposed to be nasty. They used to freak out new soldiers because they try to avoid the sun and would follow your shadow around. They¡¯re fast, but usually not dangerous to humans, but with a dungeon, I guess anything goes,¡± the security guy who spoke earlier said. ¡°Elliot, instead of freaking out, get on the phone I know you probably have hidden in your pack, and research these things. When you¡¯re done, drop the phone off with Julio so it isn¡¯t destroyed. Everything electronic will be wrecked in the dungeon, and Refuge isn¡¯t going to cover the cost of a new phone for you if lose it to being stupid,¡± Marie ordered. She¡¯d called it right; the kid did have a phone squirreled away in a pocket of his tactical vest. He began to calm down and tap away on his phone, distracted by the task. Belatedly, one of the Grimslade security team handed out those cheap, orange foam ear plugs for us just in case another swarm of bugs emerged, and gunfire became necessary again. Thankfully, I was starting to get my hearing back, but there was a background ringing that wasn¡¯t going to go away anytime soon.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Now that all our heart rates have calmed down, I¡¯ve got more information from the other teams,¡± Calvin said, gathering us together by the train car. Once we were all there, he began reading from his phone. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what we got. So far, five teams have returned from their respective dungeons. Each one has reported a different dungeon type, so we can¡¯t count on your experience being the same. Once inside, anyone that was a summoned being was prevented from leaving by the system. Anyone who wasn¡¯t a summoned being could come and go, but everyone was ejected when the boss was eliminated. The dungeons seem to be small, only two or three levels at the most, and five or six chambers on each level. ¡°Oddly enough, none of them found a dungeon core. Once the final boss was slain, the dungeon disappeared. There was a combination of traps and creatures each team had to deal with. So far, none of the threats were anything they couldn¡¯t handle, and there have been no casualties, though a few were injured. ¡°In addition to the mana regen, healing is accelerated while inside the mini dungeons, but that ends shortly after you leave. When the boss was killed, the team appeared right where they had entered the dungeon, and the dungeon and energy field they are giving off, were gone,¡± Calvin said. ¡°What tier and rank were most of the teams?¡± I asked. We had a couple people that had just received their class and were lower ranked. Marie and I were close to tier two, and from what the database said, my summoning power was on the higher end of the class power scales. ¡°Most are mixed, but every one of them had at least someone near, or at tier two. We also had someone on each team who barely had their class,¡± Calvin said. ¡°That¡¯s good, they aren¡¯t too far off from our power level, we should be able to handle this. Elliot, did you find anything interesting about those critters?¡± Marie asked. ¡°No, they¡¯re freaky looking, and not really spiders, they¡¯re arthropods, like a scorpion. They¡¯re fast, so watch out for that, and my flames should cook them up nicely,¡± Elliot said, trying to show a bit of bravado after his earlier freakout. ¡°Anything else before we go in?¡± Marie asked. ¡°That¡¯s all we have for now, but it¡¯s thought that the dungeon will become more dangerous the longer we let them sit,¡± Calvin warned. ¡°Quinn, you¡¯ll lead the way, you¡¯re the tankiest of our group. Elliot and I will follow, and I¡¯m counting on Rico to bring up the rear. Once inside we deal with anything in the immediate area, then prepare before we head further in. Nobody moves forward without me or Rico telling you to,¡± Marie ordered. With that Quinn stepped into the dungeon¡¯s cave mouth, quickly followed by the rest of us. I felt a strange tingle as I passed through the entrance and into the dungeon. Once inside I immediately summoned Grulnok as I looked around. We were in a cave that looked almost exactly like the fake mine we had just ridden through. Maybe the dungeons changed to match the area they appeared in? At least the cave around us was empty and we weren¡¯t immediately swarmed over with camel spiders. The entrance was now covered by stone, and the only path from the small chamber we were in was a narrow trail that wound deeper into the dungeon. Everyone was focused on their individual preparations, and I joined them by bringing out the rest of my minions. ¡°The orc, elf, dwarf, and gelatinous cube are mine, don¡¯t freak out and attack them,¡± I warned as I continued summoning. Last out was Melvin, who sent me feelings of excitement to be on an actual adventure in my world. ¡°Sorry Melvin, this is some kind of dungeon that we have to deal with. Hopefully, you can see my apartment after we finish off the boss here. Do you want to ride with me, or go solo?¡± I asked. Before, when we needed to move fast, Melvin had sort of draped himself over me. Now, we¡¯d be proceeding slow and steady to clear the dungeon and he seemed to want to stay on his own. Casting Duplicate on Grulnok, the small area we were in was starting to feel cramped. I handed off the set of body armor for Lillia and Rupert to wear, as well as one of the police batons for Rupert to use. It was funny seeing them in modern body armor, and I suspected it was far better than anything non-magical that we could scrounge up during a regular summoning. Quinn had also changed as the system generated an appropriate quest. The police body armor remained, but in his hand was a glowing mace. It looked like it was ethereal, but Quinn was confident it would damage whatever he hit. Surprisingly, the ballistic shield also had a slight glow to it. The system upgraded it to be lighter and easier for him to wield. Marie said she was prepared and was channeling a spell that should alert us to any traps. The spell also had a small chance to detect anyone or anything trying to ambush us. Elliot had a small ball of flames in one hand, but that was about the extent of his preparations. He¡¯d only recently received the class, and it would be a while before he unlocked the bulk of his class abilities. The trail leading from the space we were in was lit by torches every thirty or so yards, and I had my minions take the lead as we started. Grulnok and his duplicate should be able to deal with a few of the camel spiders with no trouble, but what else was waiting for us in the dungeon, and what boss would we have to face to end all this? Chapter 164. Dungeon Denizens. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Rico, have your orcs take the lead,¡± Marie ordered. ¡°Grulnok¡¯s, take point, but be sure to stop and let us know if you see anything,¡± I told my minions who grunted in reply. We began to slowly move down the passageway, our steps making far more noise than I was comfortable with. The ground was rough cut stone with bits of rock and dust covering it, like a team had dug this mine shaft and did the bare minimum to clear it out afterword. With constant curves, the passageway didn¡¯t allow us to see more than a dozen yards or so ahead of us. The lit torches every thirty or so feet continued, giving us just enough light to see and maneuver with. At the front of our group, Grulnok stopped, and I pushed forward to see what had caught his attention. On the right side of the passageway was a door. It looked to have been cobbled together from scraps of wood, and we could hear the sounds of voices inside. ¡°I can¡¯t make out what they¡¯re saying, can you?¡± Marie whispered after squeezing in to see what was going on. ¡°No, maybe our Linguistic Adaptation Interface is taking a bit longer than normal to kick in. Maybe it¡¯s the limited mana, or the weird nature of these dungeons. How do you want to play this?¡± I asked. ¡°Send in your orcs and we¡¯ll follow behind,¡± Marie suggested. We arranged ourselves with Quinn right behind the orcs, then me, Marie, and with Elliot bringing up the rear. Melvin slid up to the ceiling and would make his own way in without impeding anyone else¡¯s progress. Rupert and Lillia would stay in the passageway and make sure nothing charged in behind us. ¡°Go,¡± I whispered to Grulnok who dispensed with trying to open the door and instead just barreled right through it. Shrieks of panic and alarm were shouted at their entrance, and I waited for the duplicate Grulnok and then Quinn to enter before I could get inside and see what we were facing. My magic missile pistol was out, and I started to scan for targets. The chamber was a large one, and filled with a half dozen small figures, half of which were stumbling out of crude bunks along the far wall. About the size of a gnome, the things we were facing looked vaguely reptilian, with a long, tooth-filled snout and a leathery tail. Even as I sighted the weapon on one of them, my brain processed what I was looking at. It was a kobold. Both Grulnok¡¯s charged, roaring their war cries at the startled occupants. The nearest pair had been sitting over a small fire, roasting what looked like one of the camel spiders on a spit. They grabbed short spears and stood to meet the orcs while their four companions crawled out of bed and grabbed anything they could use as a weapon. My first magic missile hit one of the kobolds near the bunks. He was stooped over to grab a mining pick, and my missile hit him in the lower back before punching through his unarmored body. Back at the fire, the Grulnok¡¯s had already cut down the first pair of kobolds and were now blocking my view of the others. Quinn was right on their heels, his mace held at the ready. Other than my one shot with the pistol, the rest of us proved not to be needed as the veteran Grulnok¡¯s hacked and smashed the last of the kobolds in a matter of seconds. Things got quiet as the rest of the team filed in. Marie had us start to look around the place for anything important. ¡°These guys don¡¯t even have any decent loot,¡± Elliot complained as he searched the rather smelly bunks. ¡°What do you expect, they¡¯re regular kobolds,¡± Quinn countered. ¡°Each of them has a coin pouch, grab those,¡± I said, spotting an identical pouch on each kobold. ¡°You want me to touch dead bodies, no way,¡± Elliot complained. ¡°Either you help out, or you don¡¯t get a cut of anything we find in here,¡± Marie threatened. I had to admit, the orcs had made quite a nasty mess of the kobolds, but Elliot reluctantly joined Quinn as they pulled the coin pouches off the fallen. Inside each was just a few copper coins, though one had a set of dice carved from bone. Quinn rolled them a few times, laughing when it was painfully obvious that the dice had been weighted. It made sense that the kobold with the dice had the most copper in his purse. ¡°They¡¯re not dissipating into mana vapor,¡± Marie noted. She was right, in a typical dungeon, the minions would disappear like my figurines did when they were killed, leaving behind any loot the dungeon deemed acceptable for the effort of defeating them. Here, it was obvious that these bodies weren¡¯t going to disappear save for the normal decaying process that I wasn¡¯t going to stand around and watch,Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Calvin did say that none of the other teams found a dungeon core. It¡¯s like parts of a dungeon had been cut off and dropped in various places,¡± Elliot offered. Despite his attitude, the kid was smart and had brought up a good point. ¡°You may be right, but let¡¯s push on, there¡¯s more to this dungeon and we can¡¯t leave until we face the final boss, whatever that is,¡± Marie ordered. We moved back into the passageway, keeping our same marching order as we moved deeper into the not quite a dungeon. Twice more, we found rooms like the one we had already cleared. Inside each was just one pair of kobolds, but the rooms held enough bunks to each house somewhere between eight and twelve kobolds. Between the orcs and Quinn, who proved to be surprisingly skilled with his mace, none of the kobolds managed to injure our team. ¡°Each of the three bunk rooms look like they were set up to hold more kobolds, so, where¡¯s the rest of them?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I expect we¡¯ll run into them at some point. It doesn¡¯t look like this dungeon is big on branching passageways, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve missed anything yet. The other dungeons were supposed to be small, with only a few rooms on each level. We should be reaching the end of this level before long,¡± I offered. We found one more kobold barracks as we had been calling them. This one was empty of any kobolds, but from the amount of blood on the ground, I figured the prior occupants weren¡¯t going to be an issue for us. Only a hundred yards of so further down the passageway, we could hear kobolds shouting in the distance. Turning a final corner, the small passageway opened into a huge cavern strewn about with mining equipment and kobolds. ¡°Hold up, they haven¡¯t spotted us yet, but they¡¯re getting ready for a fight,¡± Marie said. Both Grulnok¡¯s moved back into the passageway where they couldn¡¯t be seen, and I joined Marie at the mouth of the cavern. I could spot at least a half dozen kobolds from my vantage point, and each was armed with either one of their short spears, or a mining implement like a shovel or pick. Another passageway on the opposite side of the cavern had their attention, and from passageway, kobold battle cries and shrieks of pain were heard. A kobold, larger than the others and obviously in charge, strode from the far passageway, shouting orders to the kobolds inside the cavern. ¡°Hungries are coming, get ready to smash stab. Someone gets go and wake the sleepers to come helps!¡± the kobold leader shouted. Our linguistic adaptation interface was finally catching on and translating, if a bit crudely, the kobold speech. ¡°Everyone back,¡± Marie whispered. We shuffled back around the bend in the passageway, out of sight of kobolds in the cavern. ¡°Why are we moving back,¡± Elliot whined from further back. ¡°Shut up, Elliot, the kobolds just sent someone to wake up the kobolds back in the barracks. I¡¯d rather not give away our presence just yet. Rico, have your orcs take out the messenger they send,¡± Marie said. We waited as the kobold inside the cavern shouted more orders, trying to get the kobolds to build some kind of barricade across the passageway entrance. The kobold sent to wake the others in the barracks sprinted around the corner, only having time to let out a small yelp before the pair of Grulnok¡¯s smashed him into paste. Marie and I crept back around the corner to see if the kobolds had noticed the demise of their messenger. His yelp hadn¡¯t been heard and now the kobolds had other problems to worry about. A slew of kobolds came streaming out of the far passageway, screaming, and looking over their shoulders at something pursing them. The leader shouted at them to get out of the way as the kobolds already in the chamber pushed several mining carts across the opening and stepped back from their impromptu defenses. The fleeing kobolds halted near their leader, and I could count a total of around twenty of them inside the chamber now. Their leader pulled a gleaming shortsword from a sheath at his belt, pushing most of the other kobolds into position behind the mine carts. A couple of kobolds tried to sneak off, but the leader spotted their efforts and slapped them with the flat of his blade. Keeping a few of the newcomers nearby, the leader sent the bulk of his force to defend the mine cart barricade. ¡°We¡¯s stays here, sleepy friends be here to fights too after messenger wakey wakeses them,¡± the leader said with confidence. The thought of additional allies coming to reinforce them seemed to put a bit more steel in their backbones. Little did they know, all the kobolds between here and the dungeon entrance had already been slain by our team. There was a commotion over near the mine carts, and at first, I couldn¡¯t see what was going on. Kobolds were frantically stabbing with spears and swinging mining picks. The scrum of kobolds blocked my view of whoever they were fighting. Their efforts took on a more frantic pitch when one of the kobolds screamed in pain and fell back from the carts. I finally caught a glimpse of what was attacking the kobolds. It was more of the camel spiders. One, about the same size as the ones that had charged out of the dungeon, had grasped onto the kobold¡¯s face with its eight legs and was chewing away at him. Another kobold stepped back and helpfully swung his mining pick into the monster, killing both the spider and his hapless ally. More of the spiders charged through the gap in the line, swarming up the legs of nearby kobolds or charging toward the leader and the trio of kobolds he¡¯d kept at his side. It looked like the kobolds were being overrun, but I was more than happy to let the two hostile forces kill each other off. We¡¯d swoop in and deal with the weakened victor. ¡°Elliot, I think you need to get one of your fireballs ready,¡± I said as Marie moved aside to let him take her place and view the commotion. Chapter 165. Fireball. Elliot stayed with me at the cavern mouth as the battle between the camel spiders and kobolds continued. More and more spiders poured out of the tunnel and the kobold defensive line at the mine carts started to break up. A few fled the mine carts and sought to make their stand near the kobold leader. The leader was a good head taller than the other kobolds, and seemed not only larger, but better skilled than his smaller brethren. Each swipe of his shortsword slew a spider and he managed to keep any of them from getting ahold of him. Around him, the defenders were having less luck. Most kobolds were able to deal with one spider, but while they were fighting it, another would sneak in for a bite. It didn¡¯t seem like the camel spiders had any venom, but their bites did leave a nasty and bleeding wound behind. The kobolds that fell took a long time to die. It was the death of a thousand bites, and a fate I was determined to avoid at all costs. Eventually, the flow of spiders into the cavern slowed, but by then, most of the kobolds were down. Only a small knot of defenders was making a stand near the kobold leader. For now, they were holding back the tide of spiders, but the spiders were wearing them down with the occasional bite. Their defense crumbled when the last of the defenders near the mine carts went down, and the spiders there joined in the assault against the kobold leader. ¡°Elliot, you ready? I think it¡¯s time to hit them,¡± I said. The kobolds were going down fast, and the spiders were bunched up as they tried to feast on their last few opponents. ¡°No problem, just give me a few seconds to build up a more powerful fireball,¡± Elliot said. A ball of flames started to grow in his hand as Marie ordered everyone out of the passageway and into the cavern. The ongoing battle covered the noise we were making, and I had my minions, along with Quinn, form a defensive line in front of us. ¡°Here it goes,¡± Elliot said as he threw the fireball toward the battling kobolds and spiders. His technique looked a bit strange, almost like he was mimicking a baseball pitcher, but it was his class, and it wasn¡¯t my place to critique how it looked when he cast spells. I couldn¡¯t complain about the results. The basketball sized spell hit right on top of the kobold leader. With a whooshing sound, the blast of searing hot flames engulfed the entire group of kobolds and almost all the spiders. To my surprise, the kobold leader weathered the blast, and stumbled free of the carnage, his scales blackened, and his eyes blinded from the flames. The few spiders outside the blast radius of the fireball took advantage of the situation and jumped onto the kobold leader, fangs digging out chunks of medium rare kobold meat from their screaming victim. I counted around eight or nine spiders that had been outside the blast, with a few more that were heavily injured but still alive. ¡°Move in, finish off the spiders,¡± I ordered to my minions who strode forward to engage whatever had survived Elliot¡¯s fireball. ¡°I¡¯ll help as well,¡± Quinn said, moving to assist my minions. ¡°No, stay back here in case something is lurking in the cavern that we didn¡¯t spot,¡± Marie said. After all the commotion in the cavern, I doubted that there was anything else in here with us, but I agreed with keeping Quinn out of the mop up efforts. There was no reason for one of us to take any unnecessary risks when my minions were up to the task. ¡°Elliot, are you okay?¡± Marie asked, moving over to check on the kid who was clutching his head in pain. ¡°Used too much mana, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he replied. He must have tried to impress us with his fireball, pouring every bit of mana into it. Now, he¡¯d have to suffer the effects of the mana deprivation headache. They weren¡¯t fun, and hopefully, it¡¯d remind him to be a bit more frugal with his mana. It didn¡¯t take long for the minions to kill off the spiders, they were mostly distracted by their meal, and didn¡¯t react until my summoned creatures were right on top of them. Even Rupert had little trouble, despite his lower tier. The police baton he wielded did just fine at crunching though the spider carapaces. When the last spider was dispatched, the cavern shifted to an ominous quiet.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Rico, can you have your team cover the other entrance to the cavern while we look around?¡± Marie asked. I sent the minions out to man the mine cart barricade, though I doubted any more spiders would come flowing from the tunnel. Anything that was inclined to attack would have already made their move. ¡°Garbage loot here, too,¡± Elliot complained, cranky from the pain of the lingering headache. While there was mana regeneration here in the dungeon, it was slower than normal. Mine was just now back to full after summoning my figurines and duplicating Grulnok. I had held off on casting Empower Minion since I wanted something in reserve to use for heals, but now that I was full, I went ahead and buffed the pair of Grulnok¡¯s. I¡¯d hit Lillia and Rupert once I had regenerated back to full again. ¡°This sword¡¯s not bad,¡± Quinn said, retrieving the blade that the kobold leader had wielded. ¡°What were they mining?¡± I asked, looking over the pile of rocks inside one of the mining carts. ¡°I have no idea, is it copper or something?¡± Elliot said, picking up a few of the rocks. ¡°Whatever it is, we don¡¯t have the skill or time to smelt it down and find out,¡± Marie added. Calvin¡¯s last report hadn¡¯t mentioned it specifically, but it was likely that the teams clearing each dungeon only left with what they were carrying. I was pretty sure they would have let us know if a dungeon full of loot had appeared alongside the returning teams. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving, this kobold wasn¡¯t the boss. Whoever, or whatever it is will likely be lurking deeper in the dungeon. Same formation as before, everyone,¡± Marie ordered. Quinn had kept the kobold leader¡¯s shortsword, but other than a few coppers on each kobold, there wasn¡¯t much of value here in the mine cavern. The passageway we followed was almost identical to the one we had just left. It wound through several twists and turns, and the signs of battle were present in several places. It was mostly bloodstains and bits of clothing or tools. Like before, there were no bodies, not even a skeleton. I doubted the spiders had eaten the bones of their victims, but I guess nothing could be counted out. After about a hundred yards, the passageway ended in a small chamber where a rickety ladder had been placed in a hole in the floor. Peeking down at the next level of this dungeon, I could see same dim, flickering torchlight we had on this level, but no signs of any dungeon mobs. Melvin slid forward, gliding over the edge of the hole, and sticking himself on the ceiling of the floor below. I got a feeling of cautious safety from him. ¡°It¡¯s clear, let me start by sending down the minions, then we¡¯ll follow,¡± I said. Marie nodded her agreement, and the team began to descend the ladder one at a time. It was far too rickety looking for me to risk putting too much weight on it. Down here on the second level of the dungeon, it was more of the same, another narrow, winding passageway that disappeared off into the dark. We started to move out slowly, unsure if we were going to see more kobolds and spiders, or if this place had some fresh horror waiting for us. ¡°Stop! I sense something,¡± Marie said, halting the party. She was supposed to be able to detect traps, so I made sure my minions listened to her. ¡°Here, there¡¯s a tripwire, everyone be careful not to hit it,¡± Marie said, pointing out the tripwire that the lead Grulnok had almost walked through. ¡°Can¡¯t you just disarm it?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Not unless you have some skill at that I don¡¯t know about,¡± she said. ¡°I have a basic Disarm Device skill, let me take a look,¡± I said. ¡°Sure, just be careful. We should be able to avoid it without any problems, so if it looks too difficult, just leave it be,¡± Marie warned. Looking over the tripwire, I could feel my attention drawn to a couple of areas as the skill took effect. Moving the wire would trigger a mining pick to swing down from the ceiling. It was probably something left by the kobolds, but it was a trap that the camel spiders would walk past without any problem as the pick swung harmlessly overhead. To me, it would have been a painful experience, hitting me right in the chest. It turned out to be a rather simple trap. I just had to stay out of the way and trigger it, rendering it harmless. After moving everyone back, I cut the wire and the pick swung down, hitting nothing. I waited a moment, just in case I had missed something. ¡°That¡¯s it, just trigger the trap? What kind of lame skill is that?¡± Elliot complained. ¡°It worked, and it was quick. There¡¯s no need to be fancy when it¡¯s simple enough to trigger and avoid the trap,¡± I replied, more than a bit annoyed that he had mocked my Disarm Device skill. ¡°Still kind of lame. Can we get going. Let¡¯s kill the boss and get out of here already,¡± Elliot groaned like a bored kid on a long car trip. We pushed further down the corridor on the second level. Unlike the first, there weren¡¯t any doors and the passageway looked more rough-hewn. What was like the other floor was the sounds of battle in the distance. Another fight was brewing and from the number of shouting voices, it sounded like this one was larger than the last. Chapter 166. Whos the Boss. ¡°Everyone hold up, let me check out what¡¯s going on,¡± Marie told us. ¡°Wait, unless you¡¯re detecting a trap nearby, I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll take one of the Grulnok¡¯s with me just in case,¡± I volunteered. Marie looked like she was going to argue for a moment, but then waved me forward. I figured she was still dealing with losing a friend on the day that I had escaped the cultists. She wanted to keep anyone else in Refuge from meeting that same fate. Despite wanting to protect us, she had the wrong class for it. Marie was smart enough to let logic override her concerns, as both me with my summons were good picks to check out whatever was going on. Creeping down the passageway, I wasn¡¯t happy with the amount of noise that me and Grulnok were making, but I figured the sounds of battle were covering us well enough. The narrow passageway we were on emptied into a huge cavern. To my right, the cavern was well lit with both the usual torches, and a several large lanterns that revealed the large smelting operation the kobolds had going. The other side of the cavern disappeared into darkness, and I didn¡¯t know if that side of the cavern continued for a hundred feet or a hundred miles. The fight playing out in front of us was similar to the one we¡¯d just dealt with. There was one difference with this fight, the kobolds were winning. A line of kobold miners held off the trickle of camel spiders that were rushing out of the dark cavern. Behind the kobold miners were three of the larger kobold leaders who were barking orders at their underlings. With shouted orders and a few hits from the flats of their blades, the leaders moved the defensive line back about five or six steps. In front of where they had been previously defending was a mound of bodies, mostly of the spiders, but more than a few kobold bodies were mixed in. The leaders were fighting smart, if they hadn¡¯t moved back, the camel spiders could just run over the top of the bodies and leap onto the kobolds with little risk. A few of the kobolds proved to be a bit too slow in their retreat, and the spiders took advantage of their delay, leaping onto and swarming the hapless victims. Despite that small victory, the number of attacking spiders was dropping rapidly, and the kobolds should have this wrapped up shortly. Taking a closer look at the three kobold leaders, I didn¡¯t think any of them were the dungeon boss, so the battle wouldn¡¯t end here once we eliminated the trio. I couldn¡¯t see any exits around the section of cavern that was lit by the kobold mining operation. Wherever the boss was, or at least access to the next level, must have been hidden in the dark side of the cavern. Grulnok caught my attention and pointed to the ground about twenty feet in front of us. The brightly lit kobold defenders battling the spiders across the cavern had grabbed my attention, and I had missed the signs of battle right in front of me. A small group of five kobolds had been torn apart not far from the passageway exit. Surrounding them was a half dozen of the camel spider corpses. The spiders must have overrun this group in their initial attack, then continued to swarm their way through the passageway and up to the next level where we ended up killing them. With the sounds of battle dying down, I moved back into the passageway to inform the others. A high-pitched squeal right above my head had me scrambling back. There, on the ceiling, was a camel spider that had been about to jump onto my head. Melvin, who had been following me by sliding across the ceiling, had seen the threat and was well on the way to engulfing and digesting the foiled ambusher. ¡°Thanks Melvin, you saved me from a nasty bite,¡± I said, sending feelings of gratitude to the cube through our link. Melvin sent back smug satisfaction at having done his part to defend our team. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Marie said as I rejoined the group, looking back at where Melvin was finishing his meal in the dark. ¡°Yeah, a spider tried to drop onto me from above, but Melvin took him out,¡± I said. ¡°Gross, but cool,¡± Elliot said, and Quinn agreed. ¡°What¡¯s happening out there, it¡¯s gone quiet?¡± Marie asked. I explained what I¡¯d seen and that the kobolds on this level of the dungeon seemed to be victorious. The only problem was that there were at least of score of the kobold miners left, and three of the bigger leader kobolds.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ll just fireball them again, that¡¯s easy enough,¡± Elliot said with a confidence the rest of us didn¡¯t share. ¡°Last time, the leaders survived a fireball that was juiced up with all your mana. I also don¡¯t think that they¡¯re going to do us the favor of bunching up into a tight formation again. Maybe you¡¯ll catch a good chunk of them, which will make our job easier, but I think we¡¯re going to have more of a fight on our hands here,¡± I replied. ¡°What do you suggest, Rico? You¡¯re the one with the most experience fighting with a group of people,¡± Marie said, gesturing toward my minions. ¡°We go in, similar to our previous formation, with my team up front, Quinn right behind, and the rest of us supporting them with ranged spells and abilities. Elliot can start the fight with a fireball that doesn¡¯t drain all his mana,¡± I said. It was the best I could come up with without a lot of time to plan. For all I knew, one of the kobolds was already heading toward the passageway we were in. These weren¡¯t normal dungeon mobs and at least one of the kobold leaders would eventually want to check on the fate of their comrades on the upper level. ¡°What about Melvin? Can he go in and soften them up?¡± Quinn asked. ¡°I can ask him, it¡¯s risky, the kobolds are smart enough to try and use fire on him, which is about the only way I think they can hurt him,¡± I said, sending a request to Melvin. He sent back an image of him on the roof of the cavern getting ready to drop on a kobold leader. ¡°He¡¯ll help, but his attack will be better if we coordinate it with ours. In the confusion they may not realize how to deal with him. If he attacks on his own, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll find some way to shove him in the smelter,¡± I offered. ¡°It sounds like we have a plan, does anyone need to regenerate mana still?¡± Marie asked. I was back to almost full and wanted to fire off an Empower Minion, but figured it was safer to hold my mana for emergency healing. ¡°I¡¯m good, almost full,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m about 80%, enough for a regular sized fireball and a couple small fire blasts,¡± Elliot said. ¡°Good, don¡¯t forget about your mana tabs if you need them. I¡¯d like to save them for the boss fight, but if it looks like we¡¯re losing and you¡¯re out of mana, don¡¯t hesitate to take one,¡± Marie advised. Elliot¡¯s class was a bit of a glass cannon, and until he reached the higher tiers, his spells would burn through all his mana in no time. ¡°Let¡¯s go, keep it as quiet as you can until we¡¯re in position,¡± I said, monitoring Melvin¡¯s progress as he climbed to the roof of the main cavern, which was a good fifty feet above us. My minions were the first out of the passageway, and they formed a defensive line as the rest of us emerged and got ready. ¡°I¡¯ll need to get about thirty or forty yards closer, they¡¯re just out of range of my fireball,¡± Elliot said. The kobolds were going about the business of cleaning up the fallen. With their smelter doing double duty as a crematorium for the bodies of their kin, the kobolds used the smaller cookfires to begin roasting several of the spider corpses. No matter which side won, the victors were planning to use the fallen as food. From the darkness of the cavern, the sounds of rocks clacking across the stone floor of the cavern could be heard. Our group went still, and Marie motioned for all of us to drop as the noise caught the kobold¡¯s attention. One of the leaders started barking orders and the kobolds stopped their cleanup tasks to gather their weapons and prepare for battle. ¡°I¡¯m counting twenty-three of the kobold miners,¡± Quinn whispered. While we had been getting ready, he had been trying to get an accurate count of our foes. ¡°Well, I¡¯m more worried about what¡¯s making that noise,¡± Elliot said as the sounds of rocks being knocked around grew louder. At least we¡¯d lucked out a little bit, and whatever was coming was on the opposite side of the cavern and not right behind us. One of the kobold leaders hissed out some orders, sending a pair of diminutive miners to check out the noise. You could tell pair they selected didn¡¯t want to go, but all three leaders gestured with their shortswords, threatening them with death if they refused. The sure death was preferable to whatever was in the dark, so they reluctantly jogged forward, each carrying a torch. A loud sound that was somewhere between a cricket rubbing its legs together and a snake hiss filled the cavern. In the distant torchlight of the kobold scouts, I saw what looked like a giant camel spider leg slam into one. The blow caused the kobold to be cut in half at the waist. The other kobold dropped his torch and ran, screaming for help. I only caught a glimpse of the new attacker as it sprinted past the dim torch the kobold left on the ground. It was another camel spider, but one that was the size of a semi-truck. Catching up to the kobold, the spider¡¯s head snapped forward, impaling its prey on a set of fangs that were at least a yard long. ¡°Rico, I think we should hold off on our attack for a bit,¡± Marie said, stunned at the monstrosity that was just now walking into the lighted half of the cavern. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the dungeon boss, and it¡¯ll probably be in our best interest to let it fight the kobolds before we try to take it on,¡± I replied. We remained there, crouched down in the dark near the passageway. I had no faith in the kobolds taking down that monster, and I would have seriously considered running away if killing it wasn¡¯t our only way out of here. Chapter 167. Boss Battle. We crouched there in the dark just outside the passageway, hoping the giant camel spider that was tearing apart the kobolds wouldn¡¯t notice us. The monster was having little trouble with its kobold opponents, its legs were sharp as spears and anything the jaws got ahold of was crushed and impaled. I also noticed that the fangs seemed to secrete some kind of acid, the monster partially digesting its prey as it feasted. Half the kobold warriors were down and only a few had managed to land a blow. Despite being improvised weapons, the mining picks proved surprisingly useful when they did land a hit. The picks were able to crunch through the leathery carapace of the monster, but so far, all they¡¯d managed to do was injure one of the front legs. The kobold leaders continued to stay back, directing their dwindling number of troops. I had hoped that the kobolds would soften the monster up, leaving it vulnerable to our follow up attack, but they were dying too quickly. We¡¯d need some extra help with this one. ¡°I¡¯m going to summon some backup, that thing is more powerful than I thought,¡± I told the group as I reached in my pocket for the correct figurines. First off, I summoned the two normal legionnaires and their elite leader. The normal legionnaires had chainmail armor, a short sword, and a javelin. Their veteran leader had the same armor, but his sword gleamed with some minor enchantment. Instead of a normal javelin, the sharp tip of his weapon crackled with electrical energy. It was the first time I¡¯d seen a veteran minion with two magic items. I supposed it was a good way for the system to bump up the rating without just making the creature more powerful. Too bad all their gear disappeared when they were unsummoned. Three additional minions might not be enough for this fight, so I also called out the elite troll. Just like his figurine depicted, the troll was equipped with a trident and net, and wore a leather harness that completed the gladiator look. With the extra minions combined with my normal summons, we should be good. Several of them were veterans which really bumped their power. If things really went south, I still had Verdigrim and my final resort, the MESS key. The great thing about the MESS was that it continued to scale up with my tier and rank. Verdigrim was stuck at tier one, rank two, but he was a veteran, which should let him stand against something like the camel spider boss for a bit. ¡°Just the kobold leaders left, we should get started,¡± Marie said. ¡°Let¡¯s move up, Elliot, you start us off with your fireball, then I¡¯ll send my minions in,¡± I offered. Marie was in charge, but she seemed fine with me handling the fight when this many moving pieces were involved. ¡°You may see other creatures appear next to the boss, don¡¯t attack them, it¡¯s me using my illusion powers. As long as the monster thinks they¡¯re real, the creature images will do some damage,¡± Marie advised. I hadn¡¯t seen her use that ability yet and was curious how it worked. We moved forward, Elliot telling us we were in range right about the time the last kobold fell. The leaders hadn¡¯t done much better than their swarm of minions, but the spider was favoring one of its front legs that was leaking a nasty looking yellow goop that must have been what passed for its blood. Melvin sent me a mental prompt that he was ready to attack the boss once it stopped moving around so much. If he dropped and missed the creature, it¡¯d be hard for him to reach it with his rather slow movement speed. At my side, Elliot began to charge his fireball. This time, he was careful not to dump all his mana into it. ¡°As soon as Elliot fires, we go,¡± I told the summoned creatures. The camel spider boss chomped down on the last kobold leader who had given up on fighting the thing and was trying to run away. A final shriek and the camel spider busied itself with devouring all the fresh meat that was lying around. The fireball streaking toward it caught the monster¡¯s attention, and it moved fast enough to dodge a direct hit. Flames exploded on the ground right next to the boss, burning the legs and body on its left side. Spotting the summoned creatures charging toward it, the spider reacted with aggression, hissing and charging forward. I aimed my magic missile pistol and squeezed off a round just as a new pair of kobold leaders appeared in front of our foe. The monster put on the brakes, sliding to a stop and lashing out with its legs. One leg smashed through the first kobold, causing it to disappear in a puff of mana vapor.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. It was Marie¡¯s spell, and with one kobold proven to be an illusion, the monster must have passed his disbelief check on the second. The second kobold image disappeared without being hit by the spider at all. The spider¡¯s small delay to deal with Marie¡¯s spell was all that Melvin needed to make his move. My little gelatinous cube friend dropped from the ceiling, but his aim was thrown a bit off as the spider resumed its charge toward my summoned minions. Melvin landed on the back left leg of the boss, latching on, and beginning to devour the limb as he scrunched his way up the leg, moving ever closer to the juicy abdomen of the creature. Stumbling in pain, the boss turned to see Melvin firmly attached. I don¡¯t know if it was instinct, or maybe the creature was more intelligent than I gave it credit for, but it dealt with Melvin quickly. The monster turned and bit the leg Melvin was feasting on. With a sickening snap, the limb was severed, and Melvin collapsed with it to the ground. Grasping its severed limb in its jaws, the spider tossed Melvin and the leg into one of the forges. The monster¡¯s delay in dealing with Melvin allowed my team to close in, and the first Grulnok began to hammer at one of the spider¡¯s legs with his axe and mace. Reacting quickly, the monster lashed out with the injured leg, hurling Grulnok back, but not doing enough damage to kill him. The Grulnok duplicate, along with Lillia and Rupert, reached it next, swinging and stabbing at the creature for all they were worth. My three legionnaires moved to the right, seeking to divide the monster¡¯s attention while the troll veteran headed to the left. My troops were of a much higher caliber than the kobolds, but the camel spider boss was proving that it might be too much for them. Rupert went down as a leg slashed through him, but Lillia was able to get a thrust of her spear into the deadly limb, her weapon barely sinking in before the spider pulled back. It bit the duplicate Grulnok and with the additional damage my duplicates took, one bite was enough to end it. On the monsters¡¯ left side, the legionnaires were having better luck. Their elite leader¡¯s sword sliced through one leg like it was made of butter, the enchantment on the weapon was really paying dividends in this fight. In response the monster backed away, allowing the troll to trip up one of its legs with his weighted net while leaping in to stab its abdomen with his trident. Lillia tried to get another hit in, but the monster bit her before the blow could land. Hissing in pain and frustration at prey that disappeared before it could feast, the monster began to shake. It was like it had suddenly been hit with a huge shot of adrenaline, and its speed increased to almost blinding levels. One after another, the two regular legionnaires fell prey to the monster¡¯s bite. A swipe of the front legs a second later forced back the other minions, opening up a path for the monster to attack us directly. Immediately, I summoned Verdigrim, positioning him just outside the reach of the monster¡¯s legs. Noticeably smaller than the dungeon boss version, my Verdigrim topped out at around ten feet tall. Despite its not quite as impressive size, the summoned version had the same repertoire of attacks that the dungeon creature had. Verdigrim thrust his root-like arms into the ground in front of him, and almost instantly, the limbs appeared underneath the camel spider boss. The sharp roots impaled the boss and pushed it up and off balance. Bloodied, battered, and in pain, the monster charged at Verdigrim, who was too slow to retract his arms from the ground. Biting the corrupted treant right in the chest, the boss¡¯ attack proved to be a poor choice as the Corrupted Sap ability activated. High pressure sap sprayed into the monster spider¡¯s face and began to immediately dissolve the boss¡¯ face. The sap attack only lasted for a couple of seconds, as the dungeon boss retaliated with a pair of leg swipes, cutting deep into my minion, and causing another spray of sap. The boss dodged the spray this time, and poor Verdigrim was done for. A second swipe of the legs left my corrupted treant a whisp of mana vapor. The spider was carving through my minions, but my team wasn¡¯t quite done with it yet. We¡¯d been helping out the whole time as well, and I fired off my last magic missile at the things head. As I¡¯d hoped, Verdigrim¡¯s sap had weakened the monster¡¯s head and my magic missile punched deep into it. Elliot hadn¡¯t been idle either, and he¡¯d hurled at least three small bursts of flame that seemed to stick to the monster¡¯s body for a second or two, burning deep before dissipating. While the monster finished off the troll veteran, my injured Grulnok returned to the fight, charging forward and slamming both his axe and mace into the monster¡¯s face as it bit down on the troll. My veteran legionnaire also sliced through another leg, causing the monster to collapse. The legionnaire and Grulnok went to town on the downed monster, and it finally succumbed to all the damage it had taken. Colors and lights flashed before my eyes and when they stopped, I was no longer in the cavern with a dead camel spider boss. I was back at the bottom of the Calico Mine Ride, and the rest of the party was with me. Calvin and the security team looked at us from the barricade, his eyes going wide as he shouted to his men. ¡°Open fire you fools, before it¡¯s too late!¡± Chapter 168. Debrief. Gunfire boomed in the closed confines of the mine ride, leaving my ears ringing as I waited for the pain of a gunshot wound to flare. Nothing seemed to hit me, but to either side of me, the legionnaire and Grulnok disappeared into mana vapor. As my two summoned creatures were destroyed, the gunfire ceased. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Calvin asked. I wasn¡¯t too sure and looked over my body again to check for any wounds. The others also seemed fine, and just as startled and confused as I was. ¡°Why were you shooting at us?¡± Marie demanded. ¡°At you? No, we were shooting at the dungeon creatures,¡± Calvin responded as he ordered everyone to put away their weapons. ¡°Those weren¡¯t dungeon creatures, those were Rico¡¯s summoned minions,¡± Marie snapped back. ¡°In that case, I apologize. We¡¯re a bit jumpy out here. While you were inside, we had more of those spider things attack, along with some other creatures we later identified as kobolds. With the flood of dungeon creatures emerging, we were beginning to wonder if your team had made it,¡± Calvin said. He looked genuinely remorseful, and it was obvious now that he wasn¡¯t trying to kill us. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can always resummon my minions if we need them,¡± I assured Calvin. I was lying a bit, it would be some time before I could resummon my minions, and I was out of consumable figurines, save for the MESS key. The Grimslade Group was still an unknown and if they thought I could resummon creatures at will, it might make them more reluctant to try something now that the dungeon had been dealt with. ¡°Again, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Why don¡¯t we get you out of here. We¡¯d like to debrief you on what¡¯s happening at the other dungeons and get an idea of what your experiences were like inside this one. I¡¯ll keep the security team here for a day or so, but so far, once any of these dungeons are cleared, they¡¯re gone for good,¡± Calvin told us. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, and I think we can agree to a debrief, as long as you¡¯re sharing as much information as we are,¡± Marie said. We were all a bit tired and worn down from the adrenaline rush that was slowly dissipating, but Marie was sharp enough not to offer more than we were going to receive in return. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll leave the ride, and head over to a conference room we¡¯ve rented in a nearby hotel,¡± Calvin said as we boarded the train ride to make our exit. It was strange to pass by the ride¡¯s animatronics as we left. The old west style mine ride might have become a place of terror with giant camel spiders and kobolds running amok if we hadn¡¯t just cleared the dungeon. Once outside the ride, we were escorted back to our vehicle and given directions to a nearby hotel just off the amusement park property. So far, other than killing my minions, the Grimslade people hadn¡¯t tried any shenanigans. Letting us drive to the meeting in our own vehicle was also a point in their favor. I would have been a little concerned if they tried to pile us into one of their ubiquitous black SUVs. At the hotel, things seemed like business as usual with regular customers coming and going, and the normal hotel staff on hand. I had figured Grimslade were the ones renting the conference room, but once we went inside, several people wearing suits identified themselves as Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ¡°Calvin, thanks for coordinating all this for us,¡± A man who introduced himself as Agent Lopez said as he led the meeting. He was middle-aged with a weathered looking face that made him look older. When I shook his hand, the grip was firm, and his hand had the callouses of someone who was used to heavy labor. I got a distinct military vibe from the man. ¡°The Grimslade Group is glad to help,¡± Calvin replied. He¡¯d arrived alone, without the usual entourage of security personnel. ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± Lopez said, having us all introduce ourselves as the government folks did the same. There were four others in the room besides the Refuge folks, Calvin, and Agent Lopez. Two of the others were the DHS security team making sure nobody bothered us, and the other two were nerdy types with laptops connected to a projection screen placed at the front of the small conference room. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware the government was up to speed on the summoned beings,¡± Marie asked before Lopez began, fishing for information. ¡°We¡¯re a small team so far, but with the recent events, I figure we¡¯re going to get a lot more attention,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Before we start on the debrief, can you tell me what the government plans are for the summoned beings?¡± I interjected. Being locked away in some government facility was probably less appealing than the one the Grimslade Group might have sent me to.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°The official position is that you are citizens with the same rights as any other. Unofficially, we¡¯re going to let you roam free, but we¡¯re also going to keep tabs on you. As long as you give us all the information you can, we¡¯ll leave you alone. Whatever this system had planned for our world, we want to be prepared, and you¡¯re our best source for intel on the changes that are coming. ¡°Helping us with your knowledge will save lives in the future whenever the system finally integrates here. You should know that your status can and will change if any of you are determined to be a threat to national security. We can¡¯t have you running around and showing off your powers. If the public finds out about what¡¯s happened, and what¡¯s coming, there will be chaos and many lives lost,¡± Lopez offered. ¡°We¡¯ll help in any way we can, as long as we¡¯re allowed to live our lives as normally as they can be lived. If our people start disappearing in the night as your agents snatch them up, then we¡¯ll have a problem,¡± Marie replied. ¡°I understand your concerns, and I can assure you we¡¯ll keep our end of the bargain,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We¡¯re with the government and we¡¯re here to help, right, like I¡¯d believe that,¡± Elliot mocked. He¡¯d been shocked and I thought a bit humbled by our experience in the dungeon, but now that things were feeling safe for him again, Elliot was slipping back into the annoying teen with a bad attitude mode. ¡°Elliot is still a work in progress, and he¡¯ll keep quiet if he knows what¡¯s good for him,¡± Marie explained giving Lopez a look of embarrassment, and Elliot a glare that seemed to shut him up. ¡°Ha, no worries, I have teenagers as well. Back to the task at hand, do we have an understanding with your Refuge group? I know you operate in cells, and we¡¯d like to open friendly interactions will all the groups that we can,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I can send the request out there, and I think most will be amenable to working together with the government as long as you can give us some hard copies of your assurances for our lawyers to keep on file. For now, consider us partners in dealing with any system related issues,¡± Marie negotiated. ¡°I¡¯m willing to put our agreement in writing and I¡¯ll have copies sent out,¡± Lopez agreed. ¡°Great, maybe you can tell us what¡¯s been going on with the other dungeons, and where things stand now,¡± Marie said. ¡°Certainly, we¡¯ll start with the numbers. We¡¯ve now pegged the total number of these dungeon occurrences to 33. No new ones have opened, and we¡¯ve closed, with your latest efforts included, a total of 22 of them. All of them have appeared in the United States, and most were concentrated in larger cities. There is the possibility one¡ªI think the term is spawned¡ªin an out of the way area that we haven¡¯t located. Our people are combing police activity and will track down any new dungeon related occurrences,¡± Lopez said, pausing to take a drink of ice water. ¡°What about the 11 dungeons that are still operating?¡± Marie asked. ¡°We¡¯re working on that, eight still have teams inside. We¡¯ve found that the dungeon locks down the entrance as soon as one of the summoned beings enters. There¡¯s a short window where other summoned beings can enter, but all the dungeons have limited the number of summoned beings inside to a maximum of six. ¡°As of my last update, eight of the dungeons are still locked down, and three have had their entrances unlocked. I don¡¯t need to tell you that it likely means the teams inside the unlocked dungeons are probably no longer with us. We¡¯re trying to organize a more powerful team to clear the troublesome dungeons, and we hoped that you, or some of your people might assist with that. Are any of you willing to deal with another dungeon?¡± Lopez asked. Marie looked over at me and I gave a slight nod. Somebody was going to have to close these dungeons, or they would become an endless threat that spewed deadly, and ever more powerful, creatures out nonstop. Our team was decent, but I wasn¡¯t sure that we were the optimal build for a group facing a more difficult dungeon. ¡°Has anyone entered the unlocked dungeons to do a recon on them? Normal people are supposed to be able to enter and exit at will if the entrance isn¡¯t locked, right?¡± I asked. ¡°We have, and only two of the recon people have made it back out. What they told us is that these dungeons now have higher populations of more dangerous creatures. That matches up with what we¡¯ve seen of the monsters that are leaving the dungeons to attack our security teams. One of our experts think these dungeons have been empowered by killing the summoned beings inside them,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help, but I think we¡¯d be better off if we had a complete party of six before we try to tackle the more dangerous dungeons,¡± I offered. ¡°I agree with Rico, but I want Elliot and Quinn to make their own decisions. They¡¯re both young and this sounds far more dangerous than our first delve,¡± Marie added. ¡°We¡¯re not going to force anyone that doesn¡¯t want to go, and we may not take everyone. The teams going into the final dungeons are going to have to be the best of the best,¡± Lopez said. ¡°You guys would be lost without my fireballs, I¡¯m in,¡± Elliot offered. ¡°Me too, I just got a quest for it, my first elite quest,¡± Quinn said. ¡°Great, thank you for your willingness to help. Once we¡¯re done here, our analysts will look at your class, tier, and rank to determine if any of you are a fit for the new teams,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Just out of curiosity, what happens if someone on one of the team is summoned while we¡¯re inside the dungeon? With so many people in them, there was bound to be at least one summoning that triggered during that time,¡± Quinn asked. ¡°That¡¯s the odd part, hold on and let me check for any updates,¡± Calvin interjected, scrolling through the messages on his phone. ¡°It looks like it still holds true. Once the last dungeon formed, not one summoned being has been called for a summoning. Whatever these mini dungeons are, they seem to be blocking anyone from being summoned normally,¡± Calvin advised. Chapter 169. Teaming Up. ¡°So, nobody¡¯s been summoned since this began?¡± I asked. ¡°Correct. We¡¯ve documented that a few people were summoned at the start of this, but after the number of these mini dungeons was over ten, it was like the switch was flipped and the summonings were all cut off. ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave one dungeon in place, guard it against creatures coming out, then all of us could go back to normal lives,¡± I asked. ¡°We can¡¯t, there¡¯s more than a few of you who would love for this to whole summoned being thing to end, but the rest do not. On top of that, these dungeons continuously grow in strength. What happens when a year from now, the dungeon is spitting out monsters that our weapons can¡¯t handle?¡± Agent Lopez said. He was right, the risk was too high to leave a dungeon open. I¡¯d just have to work myself out of my current status in another manner. It was possible, the information broker on the first tier of city proved that., but it was going to take time and hard work. For now, I needed to help eliminate the threat to everyone that the dungeons represented. ¡°Is there anything else about these remaining dungeons that you can tell us?¡± Marie asked. ¡°About the only other thing is something that¡¯s a bit odd. It probably doesn¡¯t apply to these dungeons, but I wanted to share everything we¡¯ve found about the others. Three of the dungeons that were cleared had multiple factions inside,¡± Lopez said. ¡°That¡¯s not too weird, inside ours, the kobolds and camel spiders were battling each other. If they¡¯d worked together, I don¡¯t think things would have gone as well for us,¡± I said. ¡°True, but in each of three dungeons I mentioned, one of the factions was friendly. In one, the boss was the head of the friendly faction, and with our help, they cleared out all the hostiles. Once the hostiles were cleared out, the dungeon vanished like the others, despite the boss still being alive,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I suppose that since we¡¯ve lost people in the remaining dungeons, we can¡¯t expect a friendly greeting,¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up on that. For now, you¡¯d best plan on going in with guns blazing. I suppose with you guys, its spells and abilities blazing, not guns,¡± Lopez said. ¡°How soon until we go to clear the dungeons?¡± I asked. ¡°Any time now, the analysts are working on optimizing the team structures. Everyone that¡¯s been involved in clearing the other dungeons has volunteered so we should have a good mix to work with,¡± Lopez added. We waited inside the hotel, Marie sent Julio back to Refuge to gather up fresh clothing and personal items for us, and Lopez arranged for us to have rooms in the hotel to rest in. The analysts said they needed a couple of hours, but things stretched on. At some point, the hotel staff set up a buffet in the conference room, and after eating and taking a shower, I crashed out in my room. I was woken by a call on the room phone, it was Lopez telling me to head down to the conference room. The nap had been one of those that was just long enough to make you feel even more tired than you had felt before you slept. Everyone else looked about like I felt. Fighting for your life can wear you out like nothing else. I had much more respect for soldiers who were stuck in combat for extended periods of time. ¡°The results are in, and from your Refuge group, we¡¯ll be taking Marie and Rico. You¡¯ll be joining the team heading to the Georgia dungeon. We have an aircraft waiting for you, and we need to leave as soon as you¡¯re ready. Every minute we wait gives the dungeon time to get stronger,¡± Lopez said. ¡°If time was so critical, why did you analysts waste so much of it? They¡¯ve obviously made more than a few errors on who they¡¯re taking along,¡± Elliot complained in a mocking tone. Not being chosen must have been a blow to his ego, and he was back to his old tricks.Stolen story; please report. ¡°The teams needed to be fine-tuned if they were going to have a chance to survive, and by your attitude, they made the right choice by not picking you,¡± Lopez said harshly, a bit of his old military demeanor coming through. ¡°Who are we teaming up with? I asked. ¡°There¡¯re two summoned beings with warrior and tank type classes. James Hallen from another Refuge location, and Melissa Davies from one of the Grimslade teams. Marie, you¡¯ll provide trap detection and illusion support, while Rico¡¯s summons will give us extra numbers and flexibility. Another two from Grimslade, a healer named Nicholas James, and a force mage named Eliza Lynn will round out your group,¡± Lopez advised. ¡°What tier and rank are they?¡± I asked. ¡°Everyone is at least tier one, rank six, and most are close to two. One of the tanks, James, just hit tier two, rank one and is a monster. You¡¯ll have time to go over everyone¡¯s dossier on the flight. Now, if there isn¡¯t any other pressing business, we need to get moving,¡± Lopez said. The ride to the airport was quick, and we didn¡¯t have to go through the normal screening process. I guess if you¡¯re guests of the government and are helping to take on a threat to the nation, you didn¡¯t have to take off your shoes and walk through the metal detector. The plane was one of those fancy private jets, which I¡¯d always wanted to ride on. It would have been a much better experience if I was heading to a vacation, but I was possibly heading to a violent death, so that took some of the shine off of it. While on the four-hour flight to Macon Georgia, Marie and I read up on who our new team was, and what they could do. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of detail offered, just the basics on each team member. Marie and I knew how to work together, and I hoped we wouldn¡¯t have any problems with the others. When I voiced my concerns, Marie tried to reassure me in that mom-like manner that she had perfected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rico, their analysts wouldn¡¯t have grouped us if there were going to be personality conflicts. We¡¯re all on the same team, trying to accomplish the same goal. We kill the dungeon boss, and we¡¯re done. Take some time to read up on the others and we can discuss before we land,¡± Marie offered. I took her advice, going through each dossier, surprised to see both our dossiers were included in the packet. James Hallen, Wall Warrior, tier 2, rank 1. James¡¯ class focuses on creating walls of magical force around him and his allies. These walls deal damage to any foe that strikes them, and the magic forming them also makes enemies more likely to focus their attacks on James. A former bodybuilder, James can wear extremely heavy armor, a suit which he is able to bring back and forth to Earth. His main weapon is a spiked shield he wields in one hand, and a long spear in the other. Despite having a limited number of melee skills, his main damage output comes from enemies hitting his barriers and damaging themselves. Melissa Davies, Blood Reaper, tier 1, rank 8. Melissa¡¯s class focuses on health regeneration and stealing life from her opponents. As she takes damage in combat, her strength, agility, and constitution grow. With each blow she strikes, some of the enemy¡¯s lifeforce is siphoned off. Wearing light armor, Melissa prefers to wield two weapons that she can bring back and forth from Earth. In one hand she uses a punch dagger, and in the other, a clawed glove. Nicholas James, Aura Mage, tier 1, rank 7. Nicholas activates and maintains auras that protect and heal his allies or damage his enemies. While the auras continuously drain a small amount of mana while active, Nicholas can force additional mana into them to boost the healing and damage rates. Eliza Lynn, Force Mage, tier 1, rank 6. Eliza can manipulate raw mana to use as a weapon or a shield. Certain force-based spells, such as magic missile are enhanced by her class and their mana cost is reduced. This force magic can be shaped by the mage to take on various forms to deal with a variety of threats. Marie Dumont, Illusion Mage, tier 1, rank 7. Marie can create illusions that are able to attack any foe that believes in their existence. She can also detect hidden traps and dangers within a small radius around her. If any traps are based on illusion magic, she can disarm them and absorb a portion of the mana used to create them. Rico Kline, Foe Summoner, tier 1, rank 7. Rico¡¯s class allows him to summon a limited number of creatures taken from a pool of those he has fought against and defeated. In addition to summoning his minions, he also has spells and abilities that increase their power. ¡°They didn¡¯t give a lot of detail, but I suppose that¡¯s a good thing since our information is also in their system,¡± I said, still not quite sure I wanted every detail of my abilities out there for the government and others to see. ¡°Not a bad party overall, what do you think?¡± Marie asked. ¡°We should do fine, with the variety of classes and skills, I think we have most of the potential dangers covered. I would love to have some time with the others to work out our tactics, but I think we¡¯re going to be too pressed for time to do much of htat,¡± I said as the pilot announced we were on our final landing approach. Once on the ground, we would meet up with the rest of the team and do what we could to destroy the dungeon. Chapter 170. Putting A Team Together. Once we landed, the plane didn¡¯t taxi up to the main terminal, and instead we were moved off to the hangar area where a ladder was pushed up against the plane. There were a pair of government agents that met us on the ground. They hustled us into a van, and we were on our way. Someone had thought ahead and inside the vehicle they had a nice selection of sandwiches and drinks for us to enjoy, which was good, because I was starving after the flight. ¡°Thanks for volunteering to do this,¡± Agent Lopez said. I had almost forgotten that he¡¯d joined us on the plane, since he had sat up front with the pilots to give me and Marie time to review the dossiers and plan in privacy. ¡°We¡¯re glad to help, is there any new info on the dungeon you can give us?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I just received an update while we were landing. The rest of the team is onsite, and we have whatever gear you might need there for you to use. As far as the dungeon, there have been three waves of attacks coming out of it, and the creatures have been a few different types. They¡¯ve also been a bit odd,¡± Lopez said. ¡°What do you mean odd?¡± I asked as Lopez scrolled through his phone. Our dungeon had two types of mobs, and a couple variants of each. I assumed this dungeon would be the same, except for maybe having things a bit tougher than kobolds and spiders. ¡°On the first wave, it was oversized jungle creatures. Something resembling a giant anaconda, and monkeys that used spears as weapons. The second attack was only anacondas, but instead of the monkeys, a pair of dwarves showed up. ¡°Unfortunately, my team couldn¡¯t hold their fire fast enough and the dwarves shouted something before they were killed. After reviewing the recording, the dwarves had warned that something else was in there, taking everyone that was still alive and dragging them into the dark,¡± Lopez said, handing his phone over to show the pictures of the animals and dwarves that they had managed to take before they vanished into mana vapor. The anacondas were huge, and much wider in diameter than a normal anaconda, and could probably swallow me whole. It seemed like they, and the oversized monkeys, were dealt with easily enough from the firepower at the security team¡¯s disposal. As far as the monkey¡¯s they were wearing crude leather armor and had spears with sharpened bone tips on them. ¡°What about the third wave?¡± I asked. ¡°This is where it gets weird. The last wave was a single anaconda, and over two dozen of these guys,¡± Lopez said, tapping another picture to pull it up before handing the phone over for us to get a closer look. The first picture was the anaconda, which was the same size as the others we¡¯d seen from the first attacks, but this one had odd symbols painted on its body, and some kind of harness strapped over it. It was almost like it was a pet, or a trained attack snake. The symbols painted on it had a primitive vibe, and even though I was just looking at a picture, they made me feel uneasy. ¡°Here¡¯s the final creature type we¡¯ve encountered,¡± Lopez said, tapping over to the final picture. It had a small humanoid shape with an oversized head, and a mouth filled with needle-like teeth. The thing wore a grass skirt and held an oval shield in one hand and a spear that was about a foot long in the other. It was only a picture of the upper half of the monster, as the bottom had been blown off in the firefight. Something about the little monster triggered an old memory. I remembered watching an old horror movie with my sister when I was just a little kid. It was a cheesy thing from the 70s, and it featured a murderous tiki doll that resembled the monster I was seeing. The thing had given me nightmares for weeks, and my parents grounded my sister for letting me watch it. It seemed like I was going to have to confront my childhood fears in this dungeon. ¡°Like the tiki doll monster from that 70s movie,¡± I offered. ¡°Kind of, that was one of the matches we¡¯d gotten when we ran the image through the database. There¡¯s nothing like it recorded yet from any of the summonings, but that¡¯s not saying much. Who knows how many worlds are out there, and how many horrible things lurk in them,¡± Lopez said.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Any ideas about how they fight, and what we should look out for?¡± Marie asked, taking control of the conversation and steering it away from my childhood fears. ¡°The snakes are about what you¡¯d expect, they tend to not kill their victims, just swallow them whole. As for the monkey things, they were fast, strong, and knew how to use those spears. The tiki monsters, they¡¯re small and hard to hit, and those spears they use are dipped in some kind of paralytic toxin. I still have three guys over at the hospital that are being treated for the toxin. ¡°Where is the dungeon located? I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s not another amusement park,¡± I asked, trying to get my head back in the game. ¡°No, this one was in a personal residence. Thankfully, the home it¡¯s located under is out in the countryside, and the owner was an older man that had recently passed away. We found it late and were lucky to spot it when a satellite pinged on the energy signature now that we know what to look for. The first team on site had to clear away the first wave of dungeon creatures, and shortly after that, the summoned being team was sent in. ¡°The team was an ad hoc one, and not optimized. They were powerful enough and should have been able to handle anything like you faced in the first dungeon. When they didn¡¯t come out after over ten hours had passed, and more waves of creatures kept emerging, we figured the worst had happened,¡± Lopez said. ¡°But creatures attacked from the dungeon we were in while we were still alive,¡± I offered. ¡°Exactly, so there is some possibility that they¡¯re still in there. That¡¯s one of the things we want your team to do while inside, you need to look for the first team. Until your experience, and that of a few of the other teams, the creatures didn¡¯t emerge from a dungeon when a team of summoned beings was inside. I don¡¯t like surprises, and these dungeons seem to keep evolving new ones the longer they¡¯re allowed to stick around,¡± Lopez advised. ¡°Anything else you can tell us?¡± Marie asked. ¡°That¡¯s it for now, we¡¯ll be on site in less than an hour. The medical staff is trying to come up with something to deal with the toxin on the tiki weapons, but I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath. Even if they do come up with something, the odds are, the dungeon will nullify the cure since we used modern tech to come up with it,¡± Lopez said. We drove through the city of Macon and then turned off onto a smaller country road that led us several miles into the sticks. There were a few houses here and there, but they were really spread out compared to what I was used to in LA. We pulled off onto a gravel road that led us about a mile to the house where the dungeon had appeared. It was a typical house for the region, well-kept but older. What probably wasn¡¯t typical in this area were the dozens of vehicles, including a pair of armored personnel carriers with their turrets pointed toward the house. Just outside the front door were the other four summoned beings, I recognized them from the pictures in the dossier. As we approached, James, the Wall Warrior, greeted us. ¡°Marie and Rico, right?¡± James said, reaching out to shake our hands. He was as huge as his dossier picture had shown him to be. He must have been pushing six and a half feet tall and was a solid 250 pounds of muscle. His background as a bodybuilder was obvious. James¡¯ dark skin contrasted with the white shorts and Hawaiian shirt he wore. ¡°Hi, is that your typical dungeon gear?¡± I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Marie and I were in normal clothes, but besides James, and the other tank, Melissa, the others in our party were kitted out in full tactical gear. ¡°It sure is, at least until we get inside. The system will gear me up when I¡¯m in the dungeon. What about you two, do you need anything?¡± James asked as he introduced us to the others. Melissa, our other melee tank was around my age, slender, with hair dyed blue and silver. She wore a pair of tactical pants and combat boots she must have grabbed from the gear provided for us, but instead of any armor, she just had an old and faded Clash t-shirt. I thought she looked more like a barista than a deadly melee tank, but with a summoned being, looks could be deceiving. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Melissa, maybe we should get the introductions out of the way and then get you two equipped while we discuss how we¡¯re going to handle this place,¡± Melissa said, taking charge. ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Marie replied, and we followed them to one of the vans that held just about every piece of police and military gear you could hope for. We picked out what we wanted, and some of the soldiers nearby helped us get everything put on the correct way. While we did that, Marie and I gave a rundown of who we were and our abilities. Our healer, Nicolas, looked like someone¡¯s chubby dad, and seemed out of place in body armor and with several combat knives strapped on him. He seemed a bit meek but opened up when he let us know how his healing worked. We¡¯d need to stay within twenty feet of him to get the maximum effect, but we¡¯d still get some healing up to fifty feet away. He also had an aura that would help combat any of the paralyzing toxins the little tiki guys used, but he couldn¡¯t heal and deal with toxins at the same time. The last member of our group, the force mage Eliza, was in her late 20s and had a confident, but friendly demeanor. Average in build, she wore body armor and other gear like she was used to it. She confirmed that was the case when she told us about her background as an Army Reservist who was trained as a Combat Medic. I was a bit surprised that she didn¡¯t get some kind of healing class, but the system did what it wanted to do with each of us. It looked like we had a solid, competent group. There weren¡¯t any immediate personality clashes or immaturity issues like we had with Elliot. The only trouble was that we were facing a deadly dungeon and had never worked together before. Chapter 171. Tiki Trouble. ¡°I know time is of the essence, but I think it¡¯s foolish to go in without working together a bit,¡± James said. He seemed like the natural leader for the group, and being the tank, he¡¯d normally be the one to set the pace of our little adventure. ¡°There is a danger in waiting, the longer you take, the more powerful this dungeon will become,¡± Lopez warned. ¡°I think we can just spend a few minutes on some standard tactics before heading it, it won¡¯t take long and will give us a feel for working together,¡± James said. Lopez and the rest of the team had no problem with this, and we gathered in a cleared area behind the house. We practiced a few formations, and reactions to different situations. For initial attacks, James would lead the way, with the other tank, Melissa, either taking on any surprise attackers, or helping James with crowd control. I would add my minions as soon as we entered, and they¡¯d help keep James from getting flanked, since the barriers his class created could only face one direction. My minions would also cover those of us in the back ranks. The two Grulnoks would remain with James, while Lillia and Rupert would be positioned to cover our rear. My mana would be used to focus on buffing my minions, but I would also try to keep enough mana reserved for a healing spell if our healer, Nicolas, needed help. Marie would be on the lookout for traps and would summon illusions to engage particularly difficult foes. Nicolas would reserve all his mana for healing, and after a fight could shift his aura from healing to toxin removal if needed. Eliza was a magic missile spamming machine, and once we found out how tough those little tiki creatures were, she should be able to thin out any huge waves of them. After an hour of work, we were far from being a well-oiled machine, but I figured that we¡¯d have little trouble working together. With our brief practice completed, the team entered the house. Like the dungeon inside the mine ride, this was located underground. The entrance had spawned in a dark corner of the basement, and we had to walk through the house to reach it. We had to be cautious as there weren¡¯t any guards inside the house, only a few cameras to monitor any of the creatures leaving the dungeon. Their perimeter was set up outside the house and from what Lopez had told us, there were even more forces on the way. As of now, they had two squads from the National Guard, who had arrived in their armored personnel carriers. To supplement the military, at least a score of Lopez¡¯s agents was on site, all armed with long guns, not just their pistols. The vehicles were used as a makeshift barricade to surround the house, and there were actual building materials and an Army engineering company on the way to build more substantial defenses to contain the threat. Despite us going in to clear the dungeon, the government was hedging their bets in case we failed. For us, failure was not an option, because once we entered the dungeon, we would kill the boss, or be killed. I noticed that the house had that musty, old person¡¯s home smell. The pictures on the wall were of a couple that looked like they¡¯d had a long and happy life together. I felt a bit guilty that I hadn¡¯t asked Lopez about what happened to the old couple that lived here but given the stains on the carpet and the handful of empty shotgun shells scattered about, I feared they had met a bad end. Whatever had happened to them, they¡¯d gone out fighting, as the empty shotgun shells attested to. Resolved to get revenge for the old couple, I followed Nicolas and the others down the basement stairs. I was expecting something dark and creepy, but the owners of the house had turned the basement into a nice media room, with a big screen, couches, and even a popcorn maker. At the far end of the basement, the wall was torn down, revealing the dark opening of a dungeon. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± James asked us. My hand hovered near the small pouch where I held my figurines. Once inside, I¡¯d get to work on summoning them. After everyone confirmed they were good to go, James stepped into the dungeon. Melissa followed on his heels, then Marie. After Marie disappeared into the dungeon entrance, it was my turn.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I felt a slight tingle as I entered the dungeon, which I hadn¡¯t experienced when we entered the mine ride dungeon. The dungeon I stepped into was vastly different than the mine ride. Instead of a cavern or stone tunnel, it looked like we were outside, with sunlight streaming through thick jungle foliage. We landed in a clearing, near a pair of fallen trees. Nicolas appeared behind me, quickly followed by Eliza, which completed our small team. ¡°Let¡¯s get our bearings before we head out, this place is weird,¡± James said as we all looked around. While the rest of the party checked out the clearing, I began to summon, starting with Grulnok. Once he was out, I hit him with an Empower Minion, and then Duplicate. With both Grulnok¡¯s ready to go, I summoned Lillia and Rupert. Grulnok had good armor to work with, but I¡¯d brought body armor for Rupert and Lillia. This time, I had found a tactical tomahawk in the pile of supplies the government had for us, and I gave it to Rupert to use. He looked funny as a dwarf with modern tactical gear and a tomahawk in his hand, but he was much better armed and armored than he had been before. Lillia specialized in spears, and there wasn¡¯t anything similar in the supplies outside. She would make do with her normal weapon while sporting the better armor and a ballistic shield instead of the wooden one she normally used. Sadly, Melvin was on cooldown again. While we could really use him here, I didn¡¯t think that we would have made it out of the other dungeon without casualties without his help there. Melvin would have to wait before he could spend more time in our world. ¡°Even though it looks like we¡¯re outside, this place really isn¡¯t much different than a normal dungeon. The foliage around us blocks our movement anywhere except there,¡± James said, pointing toward a gap in the trees that led deeper into the jungle. As we sorted ourselves out into our order of march. Before we started moving, James held up his hand as a signal for us to stop and remain quiet. At first, I couldn¡¯t tell what had spooked him, but then I began to hear it. There was rustling in the plants around us. It was subtle, but it was definitely there. Everyone got ready for an attack, but nothing revealed itself and the noise continued until it surrounded us completely. A chorus of shrieking voices, chattering in a language my Linguistic Adaptation Interface hadn¡¯t deciphered yet, began to sound in the clearing. We readied our weapons, spells, and abilities, and waited to see what would happen. All at once, the chattering and vague hints of movement stopped, and the clearing returned to an ominous quiet. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Nicolas asked. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a minute, they sounded like they were all around us, but we have no idea if that was just some sort of magic at work to throw us off,¡± James replied. ¡°It¡¯s not a trap, or at least not one I can detect. There also isn¡¯t any illusion magic nearby,¡± Marie confirmed. The silence was broken a moment later as a chorus of tiny war cries were shouted, and the small tiki creatures flooded out of the foliage from all sides. Eliza ripped off a series of a half dozen magic missile bolts, and I fired one from my magic missile pistol, noting that it was the charge I had for the weapon. I¡¯d have to manually charge it after this fight if we survived it. James shouted for us to draw near, as he summoned his barriers. I could feel a small weight settle over the front of my body as the barrier appeared. It would protect all of us from attacks from the front, but the problem was that we were not only surrounded, but also hopelessly outnumbered as more and more of the tiki monsters charged into the clearing. In addition to their spears, about one in five of the little monsters had blow guns that they fired poisoned darts from. Most of the darts deflected off the barriers, but a few occasionally reached us. Some of those that hit were foiled by the armor, but enough were finding flesh to become a problem. One pricked me on the back of my neck, and as I pulled the small needle out, I could feel a numbness flow from the area. Marie slumped over next to me, a dart embedded in the back of her neck, and one had pierced through her ear. She and the others didn¡¯t have my Toxin resistance, and even my summoned creatures would eventually slow down if they kept getting hit. The Grulnoks were like a blender of axe and mace, pulverizing and slashing the tiki creatures around them. James stumbled as the blow dart firing tiki¡¯s focused on him. His barrier skill eliminated more than a few enemies, as each hit on a barrier reflected part of the damage back on the attacker, but he had fallen to his knees from the few lucky hits that the poisoned darts had scored. On the other side of me, Nicolas fell, still alive but paralyzed from the toxins. Without our healer, and with one of our tanks struggling, I needed to do something to turn this around. My consumables were all depleted, save for two that I had wanted to save for emergencies. Sliding my hand into the consumable pouch, I found the cool metal of the MESS key. Without hesitation, I activated it. One second, I was standing at the back of our formation, and the next, I was strapped into the cockpit of gnomish engineering¡¯s finest work. Several blow gun darts pinged off the metal exterior of the mech, but I was in no danger from them, or from the spears that the little tiki creatures wielded. These little monsters were about to become nothing but stains on the jungle floor. Chapter 172. Clobbering Time. The mech generated by the MESS key was a bit different than the first one I had used back when I was captured by the cultists. Instead of the first generation mech, I was strapped into the newer version. Better armored and protected, I doubted that anything these little tiki guys brought to the fight could even touch me. As far as weapons, I was making good use of everything at my disposal. In one of the mech¡¯s hands, I held a long metal spear that I was using to sweep away entire swaths of the enemy. My other hand was just a metal claw, but it worked just fine to crush any tiki I could get ahold of. I had a magic missile launcher over my right shoulder, but the one that would normally be on the left was missing. It probably required me to higher tier or rank for it to appear. Inside the launcher there were five magic missile wands, and I was already reaching out with my mana to connect with them, even as I engaged in melee. I moved in a circle around our party, keeping the tikis at bay, and buying time for those of our group that were still on their feet to organize. Marie, Nicolas, and James were all down, paralyzed from the tiki¡¯s poisoned weapons. Eliza was still on her feet and engaging the enemy, firing off magic missiles every few seconds. Our other tank, Melissa, was having a hard time. Her build required her to be in melee combat, taking and dealing damage to maximize her potential. The little opponents we faced didn¡¯t give her a clean fight and either would stab and run or shoot darts from a distance. When she caught up to them, their small health pools left little life for her to steal, and the poison from multiple wounds was starting to slow her down. ¡°Lillia, make sure everyone that¡¯s down doesn¡¯t have a dart sticking out of them,¡± I ordered. Lillia was having the same trouble closing with the targets as Melissa, so her time would be better spent making sure that those who were down didn¡¯t have poison darts still infecting them. With a decent supply of mana in the dungeon, our recovery times would be amplified, and I was sure that everyone would shake off the poison if they weren¡¯t being continually infected with it. My mana connection to the magic missile wands was complete and I started to add their damage to the mix. Every second or so, a new missile flew out of the launcher, each hitting and killing their target. This proved to be too much for the enemy, who had taken over a hundred casualties already and in the distance someone, or something, shrieked out the order to fall back. I didn¡¯t stop killing them until the last tiki creature was out of the clearing. A few of them made their escape into the thick jungle foliage, but they had left the bulk of their force dead in the clearing. I kept on alert while the others did what they could for our fallen. Both Grulnok¡¯s and Rupert were down, but not killed. After a few minutes, my minions rose to their feet, no worse for wear. It wasn¡¯t long before the others groggily came to, each of us only sporting superficial wounds from the tiny assailants. As soon as he was able to concentrate, Nicolas activated his aura to help everyone shake off any lingering effects of the poison. ¡°Rico, you didn¡¯t tell us you had a Gundam,¡± Nicolas said with a grin as he shifted his aura from cleaning out the poison, to healing our wounds. ¡°I think the question we should be asking is if he has one for each of us,¡± Eliza added. ¡°Sorry, this was a reward for a long quest. It¡¯s a one-time deal, but I thought it was needed,¡± I replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you had that, I don¡¯t know if we would have fought them off without it, Marie offered. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a few minutes to recover before we head deeper into this place. I¡¯m sure the little tiki guys are watching us, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll try a mass assault again, at least not here,¡± James said. ¡°I¡¯m just glad the mana level in here is higher than the first dungeon I was in,¡± Eliza said. She had been pumping out magic missiles like crazy and though her Force Mage class probably made that more efficient, it had to have been a big drain on her mana pool. She was right, I noticed that my own mana pool was recharging at a much faster rate than it had done inside the kobold and camel spider dungeon.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As everyone rested, I popped open the cockpit and climbed up to the magic missile launcher. Each of the wands equipped on the mech held a dozen shots, so I had a total of sixty to work with when they were fully charged. I¡¯d fired off fifteen during the fight, and while we had some downtime, I needed to reload what I could. My mana pool pretty small after most of it was reserved for my summoned minions, but I¡¯d done this before when helping Fitzfazzle, and I was able to recharge three shots by the time the others were ready to go. ¡°We should probably adjust our marching order. I vote that Rico and his giant mech take the lead,¡± James suggested. ¡°I¡¯m good with that, though visibility isn¡¯t the greatest in here, I may not be able to spot those little guys if they¡¯re well hidden in the foliage. I also might miss any traps that are laid out. Maybe Marie could follow me, with my summoned minions covering her,¡± I offered. ¡°Lead on robo-summoner,¡± Nicolas said. He might have looked like someone¡¯s middle-aged dad, but Nicolas was turning out to be a pretty cool guy, and someone I¡¯d have fun hanging out with. The trail through the jungle dungeon was just barely wide enough for the mech to stomp through. Twisting and turning, we couldn¡¯t see very far ahead, and after only a few minutes of traveling, Marie called us to a stop. She detected a trap of some kind, higher up in the vines stretching over our heads. ¡°I know it¡¯s there, but I can¡¯t see it,¡± Marie said, pointing in the general area. ¡°No luck for me either, can anyone tell what the trap is?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°Let me take a crack at it, I doubt whatever the dungeon had placed here was designed to go up against a mech,¡± I said, waving the others back. Once they were at what I thought should be a safe distance, I stretched out my arm and swung the spear through the area the trap was supposed to be in. As soon as the spear hit the vines overhead, they grasped onto the weapon and pulled. If they had dropped onto someone¡¯s head and neck, the surprise attack would have been deadly. To me, it was merely an inconvenience. I pulled back, the mech easily overpowering the strength of the vines, tearing them from where they had anchored themselves to the jungle. They dropped to the ground, squirming, and leaking a foul-looking green slime from their torn ends. After a few seconds, the vines curled up and began to dry out. A few more swipes of my spear and a final confirmation from Marie told us the danger was over. I resumed my slow march deeper into the jungle dungeon. My mech was by no means a quiet vehicle, but the soft jungle floor absorbed a good portion of the noise my stomping made. Unlike a normal dungeon, this one didn¡¯t have rooms, instead, it had small clearings off the main path through the dungeon. The first few clearings were empty, save for the remains of a campfire along with shredded tents and scattered equipment. We looked for anything that could tell us what had happened, or anything of value, but there was nothing but broken junk. A bit further down the path, one of the clearings was filled with tiki monsters rooting through the wreckage of another camp. There were dozens of tiki monsters, but they were easily overpowered by our team. We ended up destroying the entire group without taking any damage or needing to expend much in the way of mana. This place seemed larger than the other dungeons, and after a bit of travel, we found a final clearing, and the entrance to the next level. The sounds of fighting greeted us as we approached. Someone was shouting orders that were heard over the sounds of battle and the shrieks of the tiki monsters. ¡°Rico, hold up. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s happening before we go charging in,¡± James said. ¡°If it¡¯s like the dungeon we cleared earlier, there were two factions inside the place that were battling each other for control,¡± Marie explained. ¡°Yes, that was common for most of us, but some of the factions weren¡¯t hostile, and we may want to pick a side in the fight. Is anyone stealthy enough to look without being seen?¡± James asked. ¡°I¡¯m not a rogue or anything, but I move pretty quietly, and if a couple of tiki freaks jump me, I can handle them on my own,¡± Melissa offered. She crept down the trail, quickly turning a corner and disappearing from sight. The sounds of combat continued, but they didn¡¯t move closer, or toward where Melissa had disappeared. After less than a minute, she returned. ¡°What are we dealing with?¡± I asked. ¡°Another big swarm of tikis, along with a pair of giant anacondas they have fighting with them. A large camp of dwarves was trying to fight them off. The dwarves seemed to be holding their own for now, but they¡¯re being whittled down. I didn¡¯t see much in the way of weapons, and the dwarves were just using knives, shovels, and other tools to fight back with,¡± Melissa reported. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m thinking we help the dwarves against the known enemy. If the dwarves turn out to be hostile after we deal with the tiki monsters, we can have Rico stomp on them,¡± James offered. ¡°Sounds like a plan to me, let¡¯s go,¡± I said. If we were going to try and help the dwarves, we needed to do it while at least some of them were still alive. Chapter 173. Grumbellow. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way, but maybe someone else should try to make contact with the dwarves,¡± I said. How the dwarves reacted to the giant mech stomping around remained to be seen, but hopefully, the fact I was only engaging the tiki monsters would help in dealing with our potential allies. ¡°I¡¯ll try to contact them, once we¡¯ve dealt with the main threat,¡± Marie offered. She seemed like a good choice for negotiations if they were needed. I walked my mech down the trail, turning a hard right to enter the large clearing where the battle was taking place. The dwarves had set up a camp and had built a makeshift barricade out of whatever they could. Their barricade had already been breached and a score of dwarves were huddled together trying to fight off a swarm of tiki monsters. Most of the tikis were surrounding the dwarves, but a few following one of the giant anacondas had broken off and were heading right at me. I didn¡¯t hesitate before firing out magic missiles at the enemy. One missile cracked against the snout of the anaconda and other took out a tiki before I was in melee range. Melee range for me was a lot further for me than the enemy, and my first sweep of the bladed spear sliced off the head of the anaconda and one of the tiki creatures. Only six or so of the little monsters were escorting the snake, and crushed another with a stomp before the rest of our group joined in and finished off the few remaining creatures that had started to climb atop my armor. With the immediate threat taken care of, I moved toward the attackers surrounding the dwarven defenders. A few noticed me and the rest of party, choosing to peel off from attacking the dwarves and attack us directly. The little creatures were fearless and targeted the largest threat they could find, which was my mech. I began stomping, swinging my spear, and crushing any of the monsters I could grab in my claw. The enemy fell by the dozen, and when the rest of the party joined in the fight, the tiki monster attack was broken. Several shrill calls sounded the command for our foes to retreat. That didn¡¯t stop us from killing them, this was a dungeon, and we¡¯d eventually have to face everything that escaped. Taking care of them now, when we had the advantage, was better than letting them dictate the terms of a later fight. ¡°Who are you people?¡± One of the dwarves asked sharply as the last of the monsters scurried out of reach. ¡°We¡¯re here to deal with those monsters, and your welcome for saving your hides,¡± Marie said a bit more sharply than I expected. She must have been on to something, since the dwarf didn¡¯t even flinch at her sharp retort. ¡°Aye, you¡¯ve earned our respect for that bit of fighting, but how do we know that your intentions are honorable?¡± the same dwarf asked. All of them were around the same short and stocky size, but the one that spoke for the group had a longer beard with several charms and runes woven into it. ¡°If we wanted to harm you,¡± I¡¯d just let him loose on your camp,¡± Marie said, gesturing toward my mech. ¡°That¡¯s a biggen, but I believe we¡¯d fare better against it than against those little kidnapping beasties,¡± the dwarf said, tapping the mining pick he held. I kind of believed him, the mech was heavily armored, but if anyone could find a way through the armor, it was a bunch of dwarves with tools. ¡°We¡¯re not here to fight or argue with you, we¡¯re here to end these things,¡± Marie said, tapping a dead tiki with her toe. Before the dwarf leader could respond, there was a commotion behind us, the headless snake began to twitch, and I noticed a bulge in its stomach appear. Lillia and Rupert, who were watching our rear, began to approach with their weapons ready to strike.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Stay your hand, that snake is dead, but my people inside the beast might not be,¡± the dwarf leader shouted before charging toward the snake with a few of his people in tow. ¡°Hold off for now,¡± I ordered my minions. The dwarves began to cut through the thick scales of the snake with their knives. It was a gory process, but a few seconds later, the blood covered hand of a dwarf pushed through the snake¡¯s corpse. A few careful slashes of their blades opened the snake enough for the trapped dwarf¡¯s head and shoulder to emerge. The others pulled their comrade from the corpse of the snake, cheering that they had managed to save one of the victims of the fight. ¡°I¡¯m surprised he was still alive in there,¡± Marie said, joining the dwarves near the snake. ¡°Aye, these beasties don¡¯t want to kill us, they¡¯ve been dragging us away to their master,¡± the dwarf leader said as he pulled a towel from his pack to wipe off the gore covering him. ¡°What is this master of theirs and where is it located?¡± Marie asked. ¡°It¡¯s down, there on the next level. I¡¯d stay up here if I was you, though. Going down there is a death sentence,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°If we don¡¯t stop what¡¯s down there, those little creatures will just keep coming,¡± Marie argued. ¡°Bah, that¡¯s what them other humans claimed. They ignored my warnings and went down into the hole, nothing came back out except for the swarm of beasties you helped us fight off,¡± the dwarf told us. ¡°The other party made it past here?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Aye, I tried to talk sense into them, but humans are stubborn, as you likely know,¡± the dwarf said. His people began to move among the fallen, dispatching any wounded tiki creatures, and checking on the dwarf casualties. The bodies of about a dozen dwarves had been scattered around the battlefield. To my surprise, several of the fallen dwarves began to revive, and only three of the fallen were truly dead. ¡°I might be able to help your people,¡± Nicolas offered. ¡°I¡¯m not too proud to turn down help,¡± the dwarf leader reluctantly said. Nicolas had them gather the wounded in a group so his aura would cover them all, then he started with healing. It took several minutes until most of the wounds were handled. After that, he switched to the aura that helped combat toxins. After a bit of time working on the toxins, the wounded started to perk up. They¡¯d still have some minor lingering effects, but nothing that would slow them down too much. ¡°Is there anything about their master that you can tell us?¡± Marie asked once the wounded were taken care of. ¡°I can¡¯t say exactly what it is, the team that breached the temple where these things came from were all killed. All I know is that our people were working to breach a doorway, and then the next thing I knew, these creatures were pouring out of the temple and attacking us,¡± the dwarf stared into the jungle, lost in the recent memories for a while before he continued. ¡°We climbed up here, but the exit was gone, only a wall of jungle remained. It wasn¡¯t long before these things climbed up here and started attacking us. There¡¯re several other camps up here and we were all trying to find a way through the jungle. I doubt any of us will make it out of here alive,¡± he bemoaned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the other camps all appeared empty. When we head to the level below here, what will we find,¡± Marie asked, trying to get a feel for what we¡¯d be facing. ¡°More of the same, the dammed jungle closing in on you everywhere you look. If you follow the path, you¡¯ll eventually reach the temple we were trying to plunder. Somewhere in there is the thing that¡¯s controlling all this, take it out, and you save us all,¡± the dwarf said, pointing toward the corner of the clearing where a hole dropped down to the next level. ¡°My mech will make short work of the tiki monsters, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m fitting it through that,¡± I said, motioning with the mech¡¯s claw toward the opening. It was several feet too short in diameter to fit the mech. I was going to have to go on foot, which would rob us of our most powerful weapon. ¡°Ha, we may be explorers, but we¡¯re still dwarves. If there¡¯s one thing every dwarf knows, it¡¯s how to dig a hole. Keep those monsters off us, and we¡¯ll have that entrance widened enough to fit your machine,¡± the dwarf leader said, much to my delight. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I forgot to ask. I¡¯m Marie¡± Marie said. ¡°Pleased to meet you Marie, Grumbellow is what they call me. Well boys, we got a job to do, gather up your tools and let¡¯s get this done. If we get that machine down there, we might have a chance at surviving this,¡± Grumbellow ordered to his group. ¡°We might have an even better chance if you join us in the fight,¡± James added. ¡°That be true, but my boys aren¡¯t fighters by trade,¡± Grumbellow argued. ¡°You were losing the fight up here before we arrived. If we fail, you¡¯ll be forced to fight again, and we won¡¯t be there to help you,¡± James warned. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think on that,¡± Grumbellow said thoughtfully. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long, as soon as we can get Rico¡¯s mech down there, we¡¯re leaving,¡± James said. Chapter 174. An Old Friend. Once given a task they could handle, and with our party watching out for any monsters, the dwarves go to work. They started by creating a scaffold over the hole leading to the second level. Once secured to the scaffolding, they dangled down and began to cut the roots and vines that were growing in their way. Once those were trimmed back, the opening had grown, but it was still not wide enough to fit the mech. Out came the picks and shovels as they chipped away at the sides of the opening, widening it bit by bit. Our team kept a watch on the level below, but the tiki monsters and their giant anaconda allies were keeping out of sight. Just once we had a tiki walk into view, and it was ended quickly by a magic missile from Eliza. With the rest of the team watching the opening, I took time to recharge the mech¡¯s magic missile wands. It took most of my mana pool to recharge one shot, but my mana was recharging fairly quickly in this dungeon. By the time the dwarves were done with expanding the opening to fit my mech, I¡¯d topped off each wand up to nine charges. ¡°The opening should be big enough to fit that contraption, but we¡¯ll need to do a bit more work on the scaffolding if we¡¯re going to lower it down there. That¡¯s going to be our biggest challenge, and I can¡¯t guarantee you¡¯ll have an easy trip down,¡± Grumbellow said as the dwarven work crews climbed out of the hole and began to reinforce the scaffolding. When they were done, the dwarves tied several thick ropes around the mech, but it looked like a bit too flimsy a solution. ¡°Is that going to hold all this weight?¡± I asked, looking doubtfully at the wooden scaffold and ropes tied to my mech. ¡°How tough is that thing? If it drops a bit, will it be damaged?¡± Grumbellow said, looking back and forth between the scaffolding and the mech. ¡°It¡¯s a solid machine, but it¡¯s not designed to be dropped that far,¡± I said. The drop was a good twenty or twenty-five feet. ¡°The way we have this rigged, it should slow your mech, and the ground down there is soft enough to help absorb the impact. It¡¯s up to you if you want to risk it,¡± Grumbellow offered. ¡°It¡¯s your choice Rico, we could really use that mech down there, and it¡¯s not like the dwarves have a lot to work with when it comes to building materials,¡± James said. He was right, we only had the stuff they pulled from the jungle, and the ropes and tools they had brought with them. Even if the scaffolding did nothing to slow my fall, the impact wouldn¡¯t kill me. The worst-case scenario was the mech being too damaged to function, and the party proceeding as normal. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ll be joining us,¡± I said to Grumbellow. ¡°Aye, we¡¯ll go. I don¡¯t see that we have much of a choice,¡± Grumbellow responded. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get the mech down there and finish this,¡± I said as I maneuvered the mech to the edge of the opening and the dwarves made some last-minute adjustments. A few of the dwarves tried to use some vines tied to the trees nearby to help secure the mech, but I doubted it would help much. I held my breath as I stepped into the opening, trying to keep the mech positioned so it would land on both feet at the same time. Everything happened quickly after that. The mech fell and brought the scaffolding down with it. I didn¡¯t fall quite as fast as it would have without the dwarves¡¯ work, but it was still faster than I had hoped. With a heavy jolt and the sound of something metallic snapping, I was down. My back had a sharp pain from the impact, and I knew I¡¯d hardly be able to move tomorrow. At least the dwarven ropes and vines had apparently done enough to keep me from having any permanent damage. The mech was another story as it slumped over with its right leg folded out to the side. ¡°Are you okay Rico!¡± Marie shouted down. ¡°I¡¯m good, but I don¡¯t think the mech is going anywhere. We best get everyone down here before the monsters show up,¡± I said as I popped the cockpit hatch. One by one, the other members of my party slid down the ropes. Thankfully, my summoned creatures had little trouble following them down. I had landed in a large, open chamber with a single exit, just like on the first level of the dungeon. A dim sunlight filtered through the tops of the foliage, but it seemed more artificial down here on the second level. My mind knew that we were underground despite what the dungeon aesthetic showed us. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look too bad; can you fix it?¡± Grumbellow asked as he and a few of the dwarves poked around the bent leg.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Stay back, let me test things out,¡± I said. The mech¡¯s upper torso was fully functional, as were both arms and the magic missile launcher. My cockpit hatch was bent a bit, but it still fit and sealed well enough. The left leg looked intact, but something internal was broken and I had limited range of motion with the limb. If the right leg hadn¡¯t been bent to the side, I could have probably limped the mech forward at a slow pace, but as it stood, I was going nowhere. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can fix it, but I might be able to summon someone who can,¡± I said, remembering the Fitzfazzle figurine I had in my pouch. This damage might be more than a single gnome could handle, but if anyone could fix it, it was Fitzfazzle. Even if the mech was a write off, my gnomish friend would have other tricks up his sleeve to help us against the dungeon boss. Pushing a point of mana into his figurine, I waited for Fitzfazzle to appear. There was some delay, but I sort of expected that. He was probably given some heads up about the summoning and even though he didn¡¯t have a personal space, he would probably be given time to organize his gear before being sent over. At least, I hope the system gave him time to prepare and wouldn¡¯t send him unarmed and unequipped. A few minutes passed and everyone was getting antsy when the summoning portal finally appeared. Several duffel bags were tossed through, then Fitzfazzle walked out, bent over from weight of the overstuffed backpack he wore. It took the gnome only a few seconds to get his bearings, and then follow the summoner link to where I was standing near the damaged mech leg. ¡°Rico! How are you,¡± Fitzfazzle said, dropping his pack and rushing over to shake my hand. ¡°Good to see you Fitzfazzle. I¡¯m sorry for summoning you here, but we¡¯re in a bit of trouble,¡± I told him. The gnome looked around, giving the dwarves a suspicious look and then sniffing the air, like a dog following a scent. ¡°Hmm, another dungeon, I see. Are we offense or defense this time? I admit, I was sort of hoping that you¡¯d summon me to your world, it sounds rather fascinating,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°You¡¯re right, we¡¯re in another dungeon, but this time we¡¯re on offense. If it¡¯s any consolation, the dungeon is located on my world, and the team with me are all summoned beings from Earth,¡± I said introducing the gnome to everyone. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a linked summon before. Can we get some information on this when we¡¯re done here Rico?¡± Nicolas asked. ¡°I¡¯ll share what I can, as long as Grimslade is willing to reciprocate with some of their info,¡± I replied. We were all getting along right now, but I didn¡¯t want to give away any of the information that I¡¯d shared with Refuge if I wasn¡¯t getting something for us in return. ¡°I can see you managed to break your MESS already,¡± Fitzfazzle said. Once the introductions were over, he immediately dug into the mech. ¡°It didn¡¯t handle the drop very well. Is there anything you can do for it?¡± I asked. Fitzfazzle didn¡¯t respond, instead he began to dig into the damage, pulling various tools from the bags he¡¯d brought with him and removing access panels on the mech. Last time, Fitzfazzle had arrived at the summoning loaded for bear, and his traps really helped turn the tide of the battle in our favor. Given all the bags he¡¯d brought with him, I had high hopes that there were more than tools stashed away in them. ¡°Good news and bad news on this one,¡± Fitzfazzle said. Before he could deliver the news, a small horde of tiki monsters began to pour into the clearing. It took a second for everyone to respond, but we immediately got into formation and began to fight back. ¡°Watch out, Fitzfazzle, those darts and spears are dipped in some kind of poison,¡± I warned. Instead of just our party and my summons to contend with, the enemy now had almost thirty angry dwarves that were fighting at our side. There was also Fitzfazzle who was already digging into one of his packs for some sort of weapon. I jumped back into the cockpit of the mech and swiveled the torso to face the oncoming enemy, before ordering everyone back. The legs of my mech were shot, but everything else worked just fine. A stream of magic missiles from my launchers and from Eliza¡¯s spells peppered the leading tiki monsters. Just like before, they seemed to home in on the largest threat, which was still my mech. As they closed in, I began to swipe with my spear, cutting down several with each hit. Once they were swarming the mech, the rest of our team went to work, easily cutting down the foe while they were distracted with trying to breach the cockpit to get at me. Like before, once they had taken a sizeable number of casualties, the shrieks began to sound among the horde, ordering them to retreat. ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been fighting against?¡± Fitzfazzle said, a gore encrusted wrench held in each hand as he looked over the battlefield. ¡°Yeah, that and a few huge snakes that can swallow someone whole,¡± I replied. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ll have to make some adjustments to my gear, these guys are a bit smaller than I expected. That can wait though, it appears our biggest asset is the MESS. Getting it up and fighting is the key to winning this,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Before we were so rudely interrupted by those tiki monsters, you said you had good news and bad news for us,¡± Grumbellow said. ¡°Aye, the main actuator in the left leg is shot, but the others still work. The right leg is a mess, but I think we can cut away some of the damage and at least get it so you can stand up. Moving is going to be at a snail¡¯s pace, but I¡¯m sure we can get this moving if I can borrow some muscle,¡± Fitzfazzle explained. ¡°Muscle we¡¯ve got plenty of, gnome, just tell us what you need,¡± the dwarves said, and I think I caught a few of them trying to subtly flex as they stood there. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started. Rico, get out of the cockpit and let me in there,¡± Fitzfazzle said, taking charge of the dwarves and using them as his work crew. The rest of us moved to cover the entrance to the chamber in case another attack wave appeared. While we waited, I used the time to recharge the magic missile pistol I held. Other than the javelin from the commander¡¯s set, which I couldn¡¯t bring home, it was my only ranged weapon. The last thing I wanted to do was let a bunch of those tiki monsters get within stabbing distance of me. Chapter 175. Idol Assault. We were attacked twice more while Fitzfazzle and the dwarves worked on the mech. It did seem like the tiki attacks were starting to lose some steam as the number of enemies in each wave was fewer than the one before. I hoped it was a sign that the dungeon core was running out of resources. From my brief time helping a friendly core, I knew that it usually took a dungeon some time to replace its losses. ¡°I think this is about as good as we¡¯re going to get,¡± Fitzfazzle finally said. He had done some good work, the bent leg was still bent, but he¡¯d pulled some of the damaged parts off and used them to reinforce the weakened limb. I climbed into the cockpit and fired up the mech. It ran on mana, and assuming it was fully charged when summoned, it should have several more hours of use before it began to run low. I¡¯d suggested a fuel gauge on these mechs, but this summoned one didn¡¯t have one. Giving it a small bit of throttle, the mech took a stuttering step, dragging the damaged leg behind it. Another step caused me to almost topple over as the leg dragging behind me snagged on some of the jungle foliage. Step by step I moved across the chamber and onto the trail leading deeper into the dungeon. According to Grumbellow, the trail led directly to the ruins where the boss should be found. He wasn¡¯t with the team that breached the temple so he couldn¡¯t tell me if I was going to be able to fit the mech in there or not. As we slowly progressed down the trail, I spotted the tiki monsters a few times. It was only one or two, and once they spotted us, they quickly faded back into the jungle before I could get a clear shot at them. Magic missile wand launchers were great, but they couldn¡¯t track a target you couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m detecting a trap up ahead,¡± Marie said. ¡°How far, and where is it?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s about twenty feet ahead of you, and it¡¯s on the ground,¡± Marie warned. ¡°Everyone stay back, I¡¯ll check it out,¡± I said, waiting for the others to pull back before I began prodding the ground in front of me with the spear. Right where Marie said the trap was, my spear pierced through the jungle floor. Tearing up the roots and vines that covered the ground, I could see that the path was blocked by a huge sinkhole. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to this trap other than the pit. Let me clear more away so we can see what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± I told the group as I began to hack and slash with the spear. I cleared a good eight feet in front of me and I was only halfway done. A small path to either side of the pit would allow human-sized people to pass by safely, but I didn¡¯t see any way to get the mech across there. ¡°Any ideas? That looks too deep for us to just fill in quickly,¡± I said. The dwarves and Fitzfazzle moved up to inspect. ¡°Other than spending a week filling it in, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to get the mech over,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Aye, and if we waste time trying to build a bridge, the dungeon will have time to just create another one further down the trail. Giving the master of this place more time to grow in power seems like a bad idea,¡± Grumbellow added. ¡°Sorry, Rico, I think you¡¯ll have to hoof it with the rest of us from here,¡± James said. ¡°No problem, we can still do this. If all else fails and we have to fall back, we have the mech back here to cover our retreat,¡± I offered. Too bad if we had to retreat, it probably meant we had failed. ¡°I¡¯ve still got a few tricks for when we meet whoever¡¯s in charge, don¡¯t worry,¡± Fitzfazzle said as he patted the oversized backpack he wore. Somehow, he had roped several of the dwarves into carrying the other duffel bags full of gear he had brought along. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± James said, waving us forward. I joined the others as we pushed forward. Our team of summoned beings and my minions led the way, and the dwarves would reinforce us if we ran into something we couldn¡¯t handle. We were all on edge, but nothing attacked us as we headed toward the temple, and there was only one more trap that Marie detected. It was a simple tripwire that was attached to several blowguns. My disarm skills were more than enough to render it safe, and if there was something I couldn¡¯t handle, Fitzfazzle probably could. The trail finally ended in another large clearing. At the far end were ruins that looked like they came straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. They looked ancient, but the wall of the temple closest to us had recently collapsed, and Grumbellow confirmed that was where his people had breached the temple. ¡°We head in first, then Grumbellow will send his people in. Fight our way to the boss and take him down quick. Use everything you have, any consumables, weapons, or abilities. If you held something back for a rainy day, well, this is it,¡± James ordered, charging up his barriers to cover the party before leading us in. We couldn¡¯t see very far into the temple, the darkness inside seemed to be of a magical type that the artificial sun leaking through the foliage refused to penetrate. As soon as we stepped inside, things changed, and the opening I had just passed through was now a solid wall again. I watched as the rest of our group seemed to pass through the now-solid wall of the temple. It was a one-way entrance, you could come in, but you couldn¡¯t get out. Now, more than ever, I realized that there was no through this other than killing the boss of the dungeon. The chamber we were in was lit by flames emerging from wall sconces that looked like tiki heads. It gave enough light for us to see but created a gloomy atmosphere. The gloomy atmosphere was the least of our worries, it was the horror at the other end of the huge chamber that caught and kept my attention. Hundreds of the little tiki monsters and a score of their anaconda pets were crowded around a large altar. On the stone altar were several mutilated humans, the previous party of summoned beings that had tried to stop the dungeon, as well as several dwarves. At the far end of the altar, a ten-foot-tall, stone tiki idol loomed. From the statue, I could feel waves of magic flow, concentrating on the victims in front of it and then washing over the assembled dungeon forces. In the back of my mind, I knew something was wrong, the tiki monsters weren¡¯t attacking, and I couldn¡¯t seem to do anything other than watch what was unfolding in front of me. After a few minutes, the magic took on the form of a dark apparition that hovered over the altar. I pointed toward one of the humans lying there, a young woman with no arms and both legs severed at the knees. The dark energy coalesced around one of the woman¡¯s legs, leaving her screaming in pain as the flesh of her thigh bubbled and shifted.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I watched the flesh transform into a trio of tiki monsters, which scampered off the altar and began to join in with the others groveling before the evil tiki idol. My mind pushed back against whatever was forcing me to watch. It felt like pressure lifted off me and suddenly, I was in control of myself once more. Looking around me, I could see the others, except for Fitzfazzle, were still held in place, their gaze locked on the altar. It was the statue, that was what was controlling all of this. There was no monster, no giant tiki creature as the dungeon boss, it was simply this statue and the horrible ability it possessed to mesmerize and transform its victims into new minions. Looking over to me, Fitzfazzle motioned for me to stay quiet. He was digging into his backpack, pulling out items and setting them up in front of our team. Moving slowly and as quietly as he could, the gnome didn¡¯t draw any reaction from the monsters in the room, or from the stone master that ruled over them. He passed me by whispering as he worked. ¡°Keep quiet and still, don¡¯t wake the others yet until I have everything ready,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Can I help?¡± I whispered back. ¡°No, I¡¯m almost done, you were zoned out for almost an hour,¡± Fitzfazzle said. Had I really been held that long by the powers of the stone dungeon boss? From the amount of work that Fitzfazzle¡¯s had done, it seemed like I really had been out of it for an hour. While I had been out, he had constructed several short tripods across the floor in front of our group. Atop each tripod was a small crossbow with a hopper full of bolts to fire. A dozen of the tripods were set up in an arc, each one moving slightly whenever the target it had selected moved. Fitzfazzle was almost done with his preparation, he had retrieved the duffel bags from the dwarves, and they were now empty and scattered on the temple floor. From his backpack, my gnomish friend was gathering the last of his toe poppers that he placed in front of the crossbow tripods. I remembered both the crossbows and the toe poppers from the last time he had helped me in a dungeon. The combo was an effective one and would really put the hurt on a swarm of tiki monsters. A small field of explosive devices were scattered for a good twenty feet in front of the crossbows, they would mess up anyone¡¯s day that tried to charge through them. ¡°We¡¯re about ready, start waking up your team, just cause them any kind of pain and it should break their trance. Save the dwarves for last, your people will handle themselves okay, but I¡¯ve seen dwarves react to anyone harming their kin, and that is worse than just about anything I¡¯ve seen,¡± Fitzfazzle said, pointing to the dwarves laid out alongside the humans on the altar. Even now, their bodies were being slowly transformed into more of the tiki monsters. I don¡¯t know how many monsters a single body could create, but if three came out of the upper half of a human leg, each captive would create at least a dozen of those things. I started with Marie, pinching her neck where the body armor didn¡¯t cover. She shook her head and looked at me in horror, her mind recalling everything she¡¯d seen, and now knowing she had been trapped. One by one, we woke the rest of the team, all the while, I expected the stone idol dungeon boss to sound the alarm. As long as we stayed over here and didn¡¯t make any noise, it seemed caught up in its work. My minions were easy enough to wake, all I had to do was send the command over my summoner link with them. Both Grulnok¡¯s seemed especially eager to come to grips with the foe that had held them in a mental prison. ¡°What devils work is this! Have at them boys!¡± Grumbellow shouted as he was woken up. His shouts woke the remaining dwarves, but also alerted the enemy that we were no longer under the idol¡¯s thrall. ¡°Hold, I¡¯ve got traps scattered out there, let them come to us!¡± Fitzfazzle shouted over the grumbling dwarves. Angry or not, they were smart enough not to go charging into the minefield that Fitzfazzle had created. The dwarves might have been smart enough, but the tiki monsters and their anaconda minions weren¡¯t, and the whole horde of them began to charge. Fitzfazzle shouted a command, and his crossbows opened fire, their bolts killing the monsters they had each targeted. Now, the weapons began the slow reload process, but they would continue to aim and fire as long as they were intact and had ammo. The rest of us with ranged weapons joined in the fight. I fired off magic missiles from my pistol, and Eliza used her most powerful spells, sending tiki monsters tumbling and showering them with bolts of force. A few of the dwarves threw small hammers to great effect, smashing into the ranks of enemies. Fitzfazzle¡¯s crossbows got off a second volley right as the tiki¡¯s started hitting the minefield. True to their name, the toe poppers didn¡¯t pack that big a punch, more intended to injure larger opponents than kill them outright. For something the size of a tiki monster, each blast was devastating, blowing the little terrors to pieces. My pistol ran dry as the enemy finally made it through the minefield. Half our foes were down before we engaged in melee, but there were still over a hundred monsters. Not worried about the minefield any longer, the dwarves charged forward, roaring battle cries of vengeance for what the dungeon boss had done to their people. Our people held the line, keeping well inside Nicolas¡¯ healing radius, and making sure we were protected by James¡¯ barriers. The dwarves tore into the front ranks of tikis, but soon bogged down and were starting to get swarmed. I threw a healing spell over Grumbellow and the knot of dwarves fighting near him, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much it helped, and I soon lost sight of them as the horde of enemies hit our line. The ones attacking us were mostly armed with spears, negating the need to worry about poison darts showering us. Most of the dart shooters were back near the dwarves, slowly picking them apart. Even as the dwarves fell, our front-line fighters carved through the enemy force. The Grulnok¡¯s, James, Melissa, and the other summons were scoring kill after kill on the tikis. One of the anacondas reared up and tried to strike James, but it collided with his barrier which reflected a portion of the damage back into the monster. While it was reeling from the damage it had inflicted on itself, James dispatched a giant snake and then cut through a pair of tikis. Another volley from the crossbows further thinned the enemy as James ordered us to push forward, trying to rescue the people trapped on the altar. Looking at the dungeon boss, I noticed something happening. A small chunk of it crumbled away and there were cracks showing on its exterior that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. It had always looked ancient, but now it looked more worn down. In addition, the mana flowing off it was diminishing, but I wasn¡¯t sure why. ¡°The boss is getting weaker, keep pushing,¡± I shouted. Marie conjured a trio of illusions that looked like giant anacondas and sent them crashing into the tikis between us and the altar. A pulse of power was sent from the idol, and all the tiki¡¯s shifted their focus to our party, ignoring the remaining dwarves. With their enemy ignoring them, the surviving dwarves cut down more of the foes as they turned their backs on the dwarves and charged toward us. ¡°I think it¡¯s the tiki monsters, the more we kill, the weaker the dungeon boss gets,¡± Nicolas offered. If he was right, and I was pretty sure he was, all we had to do was keep fighting. Another volley of crossbow bolts cut down another dozen tikis and then something hit me and knocked me over. A slimy, crushing darkness closed over my head as one of the anacondas began to swallow me whole. It had knocked me down and was now trying to turn me into lunch. I couldn¡¯t breathe as it forced me deeper into its gullet. Struggling was useless as the monster snake was far stronger than I was. It convulsed a few times, adding to my agony, then it went still. My vision began to fade as my body used up the last of its oxygen, but then I could feel the pressure on me start to relent and I felt air on my face. I took a breath, choking when I inhaled some gore along with the life-giving oxygen. Someone pulled at me, and I could feel myself sliding from the snake¡¯s body even as I struggled to remain conscious. ¡°Get medical in here, we have wounded!¡± A familiar voice shouted as I tried to open my eyes. The vision that greeted me wasn¡¯t the ruined temple, I was back in the basement of the house where the dungeon had been located. Around me were my battered and wounded team, along with one visitor. I wanted to ask if it was over, but I couldn¡¯t stop coughing, and was having trouble getting enough air. Darkness descended over me as I lost consciousness again. Chapter 176. Recovery. I woke up in a hospital bed, hooked up to all kinds of beeping machines which were doing who knew what to me. The haze of sedatives caused my mind to work like it was in a fog, and I had to fight to stay awake. Slowly, the sleepiness faded, and my mind started to clear. It was probably my toxin resistance kicking in again, helping to flush the drugs from my body. I suppose that could be a good or a bad thing depending on what medications my condition needed. A quick check revealed that all my limbs were present and accounted for. My ribs were wrapped up like a mummy and it hurt to breathe. My right arm also had a cast though there was no pain there. All I could see of my room was a curtain that had been pulled around my bed. Normal background hospital noise was there, which comforted me a bit. It meant I probably wasn¡¯t in some secret government facility being experimented on. Near my hand was the bed control, with a big red ¡°Call Nurse¡± button on it. I pressed the button a couple of times and laid back to wait. My entire body was now feeling sore, and whatever they had stuck up my nose was irritating and made me want to sneeze. I could hear someone approaching, and the curtain was pulled back, revealing a middle-aged woman in scrubs. ¡°Mr. Kline, welcome back to the land of the living,¡± she said. A nametag told me her name was Valerie. She began to check on all the machines I was hooked up to, writing down the readings and measurements on a tablet. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m a bit confused, where exactly am I?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re in a special ward of the UCI Medical Center. Just give me a moment to get your vitals and I¡¯ll send for someone come in and debrief you,¡± Valerie said. ¡°Am I okay?¡± I asked, a bit concerned about my injuries and what was going to happen to me now. ¡°I can tell you that you¡¯re going to be fine, and probably can be discharged today if we can get someone in here to sign for you. As far as your injuries are concerned, you have several cracked ribs, and a fractured right wrist. We thought you might have had some internal injuries, but everything checked out fine. There is one problem that might be best to show you rather than tell you,¡± Valerie explained before excusing herself to head back to the nurse¡¯s station. She returned to my room carrying a hand mirror that she gave to me. I looked into the mirror and almost didn¡¯t recognize my face. It took me a moment to realize what was off. I¡¯d always had short, brown hair, and now I was completely bald, not only that, my eyebrows and eyelashes were also gone. ¡°What¡¯s going on with the hair?¡± I asked in a panic. ¡°I¡¯m told that you were exposed to an acidic solution that burned away all your surface hair. When you came in, your skin was beet red as well, but it¡¯s recovered just fine. The doctor says everything should grow back, and none of the follicles were permanently damaged, and it¡¯ll just take some time for you to return to normal,¡± she assured me. ¡°Thanks for the explanation. I might look like a weirdo, but at least it¡¯ll only be temporary,¡± I said as much to myself as to the nurse. ¡°Now that you have the rundown on your condition, do you need anything? Are you in any pain?¡± Valerie asked. ¡°I¡¯m not too bad, just the sore ribs and some overall aches, like I¡¯ve gone ten rounds with a pro boxer,¡± I said. ¡°You were banged up pretty badly, let me get you some Ibuprofen, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need anything stronger,¡± Valerie said before leaving. She came back a few minutes later with an over-the-counter Advil that I¡¯m sure the hospital charged $50 for, and to my delight, a cold can of Coke. It was just one of those little kids sized cans, but the sweet and bubbly soda cut through the bad taste in my mouth and felt heavenly as the cold beverage soothed my sore throat. Valerie mentioned that I¡¯d been intubated when I arrived, and my throat might feel sore for another day or so. Valeri had also apparently called someone to come fetch me but didn¡¯t tell me who. I had been brought in without any of my personal possessions which meant I didn¡¯t have my phone to call Marie with. It was a bit embarrassing, but I had no idea what anyone at Refuge¡¯s phone numbers were. Everything was programmed into the phone, and all I ever did was look up their names in my contacts.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. About an hour after I¡¯d woken up, none other than Maire and Julio walked into the room, with Agent Lopez in tow. Lopez closed the door after asking the nurse to see to it that we weren¡¯t disturbed. He also mentioned that I¡¯d be discharged now, and to get any of my personal effects and care instructions ready. I thought only doctors could discharge you from a hospital, but I guess government secret agents in a special wing of the hospital had more than a little bit of pull. ¡°Glad to have you back with us, Rico. How are you feeling?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Not too bad, a little sore, and it¡¯ll probably take a while for my ribs and wrist to heal. The main thing is that I¡¯m not exactly sure what happened. The last thing I remember is being swallowed by that anaconda, then someone cutting me free,¡± I replied. ¡°That was Eliza,¡± Marie replied. ¡°She was able to cut you out before you suffocated. As you can see, since we¡¯re both still alive, the dungeon core was defeated. By killing off the last of the tiki monsters, we destroyed the stone idol which was the dungeon boss. Once that happened, we were all booted from the dungeon and dropped back at the entrance. You were out cold, and covered in anaconda digestive juices, so we got you to the hospital as quickly as we could.¡± ¡°Is everyone else okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, everyone made it out fine, due in no small part to your efforts. Between the mech, and your friend Fitzfazzle, things went as smoothly as we could have hoped for,¡± Marie said. ¡°What about the other dungeons?¡± I asked. ¡°Let me answer that,¡± Lopez started. ¡°The final total was 33 dungeons, and all have been dealt with. We have assets watching for any additional signs of the energy signature that the dungeons give off, but it appears clear for now. The immediate threat is over, but we must work on ways to better deal with such situations in the future.¡± ¡°What exactly does that mean for us in Refuge?¡± I asked. ¡°Things will proceed as normal, though you will be safe from any interference from other groups. The government will provide support for anything weird like the cultists you and the Grimslade Group dealt with. In return, your people agree to help us in situations like we just had. Marie can give you the details later. For now, you¡¯re free to go, and I wish you a quick recovery,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more when we get home,¡± Marie added. I got the hint she wanted our next discussion to be in private. The government might be playing nice now, but I got the feeling that she wasn¡¯t completely trusting them either. Julio excused himself to go pull the car round for us. ¡°Thank you for your help, Rico. You saved many lives today and the government will see that you¡¯re rewarded appropriately,¡± Lopez said, shaking my hand before making his exit. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some of your things, so get dressed and we¡¯ll get out of here,¡± Marie said, handing me a grocery bag full of some of my clothes. Valerie returned and unhooked me from all the monitors. I think the sticky pads for the EKG wires hurt more being peeled away than the pair of IV lines. Once I was free from all the machines and dressed, I found Marie outside the room. This wing of the hospital didn¡¯t look any different from the rest of the place, but there was a large, locked door with a keypad to get in and out of it. A pair of armed guards scrutinized everyone¡¯s ID that passed through. We left without any trouble and made our way through the non-secret section of the hospital to the front door. Julio had his old Buick pulled up and ready for us. Marie waited to say anything until we were back on the road. ¡°So, I should probably let you know the deal the government gave us. It¡¯s one they are apparently offering to all summoned beings and the organizations they belong to. It¡¯s pretty much as Agent Lopez said, we agree to help them, and they keep a hands-off policy on us. We¡¯ve given them access to most of our database, and in return, we have access to theirs. I suggest you poke around in their database when you get a chance. ¡°Now for the bad news. The government team were working with is a small one that coordinates for the various intel agencies. Other than this one small group, and their support team, very few people in the government know about us. We must do everything we can to keep our existence a secret from the general public, or there will be consequences,¡± Marie warned. ¡°Let me guess, they¡¯re afraid of widespread panic if people find out our world is eventually going to change into some kind of game system,¡± I said. ¡°Bingo, they¡¯re afraid of society breaking down if this comes out, and I don¡¯t blame them. Agent Lopez claims they¡¯re working on a plan to slowly acclimate the public to what is going to happen, but I have my doubts on how effective they¡¯ll be. For now, we¡¯ll look after our own, and offer to help where we can,¡± Marie said. ¡°What about the dungeons, has anyone figured that out? Our world¡¯s mana shouldn¡¯t have been able to support that,¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re not sure how or why it happened, and the system has been silent on the subject. There were some rather disturbing dungeon encounters as well,¡± Marie said. ¡°Worse than a giant stone idol turning people¡¯s bodies into tiki monsters?¡± I asked, giving Marie a skeptical look. ¡°Yes, it was possibly worse than that. We found a similar thread in 4 of the 33 dungeons. Each of those four had intelligent dungeon mobs that all swore allegiance to someone called Bhalkur,¡± Marie said. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s who the cultists were worshipping,¡± I said, my mind jolted with the memories of my desperate escape from their warehouse, and the loss of Celeste. ¡°Exactly, and I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve seen the last of them, or the trouble they¡¯re going to cause us,¡± Marie warned. Chapter 177. Security Guard. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spend a couple days resting. You need to heal up, and with the dungeons closed for good, there¡¯s nothing urgent that you need to do at Refuge,¡± Marie said as we drove back toward the apartment buildings that were Refuge¡¯s headquarters. ¡°I won¡¯t argue with that, I still feel beat up. I know it¡¯s probably being a bit prideful, but I¡¯d rather not go out in public with all my hair melted off,¡± I replied. Being inside a giant anaconda¡¯s gullet wasn¡¯t the most pleasant experience, but I was far less injured than I should have been. I chalked it up to being in a mana rich dungeon environment. It must have boosted my healing a bit, and that must have continued for a while after the dungeon was shut down. There was the temptation to cast Health Bloom on myself, but the effects would be negligible. Anything other than an instant cast spell would have its mana sucked dry by our world before it could do much. ¡°Are you hungry, Rico? I could go for a burger. It¡¯s got to be better than hospital food,¡± Julio offered. ¡°Sure, wherever you want to stop is fine,¡± I replied. He pulled into the parking lot of a local burger place that wasn¡¯t a franchise. These types of places were all over Orange County and LA, most were pretty good as well as inexpensive. Julio seemed to have scoped out all the best ones around town. I didn¡¯t realize how hungry I¡¯d become, but as I waited in the parking lot with the window cracked open, I could smell the char-broiled burgers cooking. Julio came back shortly with a chili burger for me, and a triple cheeseburger for himself. I hardly tasted it as I scarfed down the food, almost choking myself. ¡°Hungry much?¡± Julio teased. ¡°It¡¯s probably from the injuries. I¡¯ve noticed that we tend to heal more quickly as summoned beings, but it does burn calories like crazy,¡± Marie said. ¡°Lucky,¡± Julio complained as he patted his growing dad belly. He¡¯d been prior military and still worked out every chance he got, but the guy had a horrible diet and ate like a teenager. After eating, I drifted off to sleep in the car. I was jolted awake when we finally pulled into the apartment parking lot. The little nap hadn¡¯t done me much good, and I was ready for bed despite it being early afternoon. Quinn and Elliot were waiting for us when we pulled in. It was nice to have the rest of the team that I¡¯d cleared the first dungeon with showing up to welcome me home. ¡°Dude, you look like a freak of nature,¡± Elliot said, laughing as soon as I stepped out of the car. Quinn joined in, unable to keep from laughing as well at my strange appearance. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s see how you look after getting eaten by a giant anaconda. It¡¯s just hair, it¡¯ll grow back,¡± I whined. ¡°Leave Rico alone, he needs to rest,¡± Marie said, she tried and failed to keep a smile off her face. ¡°Nice, you¡¯re going to laugh at me too Marie?¡± I asked, joining in the laughing myself. It felt good to laugh, even if the joke was at my expense. ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you back, Rico,¡± Quinn said between giggles. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back. Maybe once I¡¯ve rested up, I¡¯ll summon my minions and have them shave the two of you so you can match my new style,¡± I joked. ¡°Leave him alone everyone, let Rico get some sleep. Don¡¯t worry about fixing any dinner, Rico, I¡¯ll bring something by for you later,¡± Julio offered. ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it,¡± I replied. ¡°Now, get to bed, it¡¯s obvious you need your beauty sleep,¡± Julio said, cracking a huge grin. ¡°Et tu, Julio?¡± I said before addressing everyone. ¡°Thank you all for coming to see me, we¡¯ll get together later, and Marie and I can tell you about the dungeon.¡± Walking in the door to my apartment, I felt at home. My old apartment, not to mention the hotels and motels I¡¯d stayed at while on the run, had always felt like a temporary stop. Now, I felt like I belonged here, and I was surrounded by people who I could count on, and who needed my help.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I took a quick shower, wanting to get any residual dungeon and hospital grime off me before I got into bed. Unwrapping my ribs took some time, and I¡¯d have to get someone to help me wrap them back up after I woke up. For now, I was going sleep like a stone, and doubted I would roll around enough to hurt myself. Dropping into bed with a grunt of pain, I tried to decide if heading to the kitchen to take some ibuprofen was worth the effort. Before I knew it, I was flat on the bed and slowly drifting off to sleep. My rest was interrupted as words flashed in front of my eyes. You are Summoned! One moment I was asleep and the next I was inside my personal space. I wasn¡¯t sure why I found it a bit disorienting this time, maybe it was because I had been almost asleep when summoned. It could also be that the appearance of the dungeons had altered the connection between worlds in some way. The mystery wasn¡¯t something I could figure out on my own, and I had summonings to attend to. ¡°Melvin, how are you doing?¡± I asked my friend as he slid from the training center. He sent me feelings of contentedness. ¡°Great, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay after our last adventure. Thank you again for all your help, Melvin. You¡¯ve been a good friend.¡± Melvin sent me the gelatinous cube equivalent of no worries, bro, and slid back into the training center after I told him I was about to be summoned and couldn¡¯t use it right now. There really wasn¡¯t much else for me to do here in the personal space. I¡¯d already locked in the gear loadout I wanted, and I didn¡¯t have time to dig into training. I also noticed that I was no longer in pain. Giving my body a few stretches, jumping up and down, and even poking at my ribs where they had been sore revealed that I was completely healed. That was right, being summoned rebuilt my body from scratch, fixing any damage that I had experienced. Even better, my hair had all grown back! The glowing portal beckoned. Feeling like a million bucks with my newly repaired body, I stepped in to find my next adventure. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by use of a magical artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 7.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of providing security services. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
As I stepped from the portal, I found myself inside what looked like a merchant¡¯s shop. It was a simple affair, with wooden floors and walls, but it was spacious and had a surprising amount of goods for sale. There was everything from clothing and household goods, to food, weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. Many of the items practically glowed with mana, telling me they were enchanted to various degrees. ¡°Ah, there you are. I¡¯m leaving the shop for the day, and my normal night watchman is ill. Here are your orders, I know you¡¯ll follow them to the best of your ability. The device I summoned you with should keep you active here in this world until tomorrow afternoon, but I should return in the morning. Good luck, follow your list, and I¡¯ll see you in the morning,¡± A short and chubby middle-aged man said, handing me a scroll before walking out the front door of the shop. My mana link flowed from him to a small orb that was placed beneath a counter at the center of the shop. A single magical lantern hung high on the wall gave me little light to work with, but it was enough to make out the instructions my summoner had left me. He seemed well versed in how all this worked, and I had the feeling that the artifact he had summoned me with was something that he had used many times. The shop had a freshly cleaned smell, and not the usual dusty and musty smell I had come to expect from these medieval type places. It was quiet and calm as I unrolled the scroll to see what orders my summoner had given me. Nightly Security Instructions.
  1. Make sure nobody breaks into the shop while it is closed. Use less than lethal means to subdue them, if possible, but you can defend yourself and my shop with lethal force if necessary.
  2. Make a complete patrol of the interior of the shop every hour.
  3. Monitor the automatons that organize and clean at night. If any are stuck, or having trouble, return them to their crates in the basement. They will automatically repair, regenerate, and continue their duties, no other efforts are required with them.
  4. The city is under curfew, so please remain inside the shop, do not patrol the exterior of the building or the city guard may stop and question you. I will not be pleased if I must go to the guardhouse to sign for your release.
  5. Keep an eye on the windows, I noticed several scratches on them over the last few days. If there are vandals outside, as I suspect, open letter number 99 behind the sales counter. The magic in the letter will alert the city guard that there is an issue.
  6. Monitor the drains in the basement, they¡¯re making noise again and I don¡¯t want to return to a flooded basement. If there is a problem, activate crate number 17, it is the automaton trained in plumbing repair and water removal.
  7. Should you encounter anything that is a threat to the shop that you cannot handle on your own, activate crates 7, 9, and 14.
Chapter 178. Breaking and Entering. This summoning didn¡¯t seem too bad, I just had to play security guard for a night. First off, I summoned my minions. After everyone was out, I buffed Grulnok and then duplicated him. For now, I ordered them to follow me as I got a feel for the layout of the store. The front door was across the store from the main sales counter where I had been summoned to. It was a double door affair that was made from solid oak with some iron bands reinforcing it. My summoner had just locked it with a key when he had left the store, but the door was also equipped with brackets that allowed a beam to be placed across to help secure it further. On the floor near the door the sturdy beam had been placed out of the way where no customers might trip on it, yet it was close enough to where it was needed in an emergency. Windows were placed liberally around the walls, and iron security bars had been installed on the exterior to protect the store from thieves. Peeking out the nearest windows near the front door, I heard something behind me that caused my team to turn and draw our weapons. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was seeing at first, but it appeared to be whatever automatons that the summoner had working in the store at night. The automaton was like a human-sized wooden puppet that slightly shuffled its feet when moving. I had heard the shuffling of the thing¡¯s feet on the wood plank flooring, which had grabbed our attention. The automaton had a pair of leather shoes and gloves on, and a green tunic with what I assumed was the store¡¯s symbol on it, a white horse with a young lady rider. With arms and legs that were little more than broom handles, and small three-fingered hands, the automaton looked almost skeletal as it went about its task. This one had an armful of clothing, and I watched as it slowly began to hang the clothes on the appropriate racks. A clanging sound was heard deeper in the store, and I waved the team forward to investigate. This place was huge, about the size of a normal grocery store. The further into the store I went, the more expensive the items appeared. It was maybe a good idea to keep the cheap stuff near the door if you were worried about theft. We soon located the source of the clanging. There was an automaton walking through the store, opening the cover on hanging lanterns, then lighting them. The store was rather dim, but as the automaton made its way around the store lighting the lantern, things became easier to make out. Another automaton was also working at stocking the shelves, and I ordered my team to stay out of their way as they worked, I didn¡¯t want to have my rating dinged because Rupert stumbled into an automaton and damaged it. Near the back of the store was a stairway leading down to what I assumed was the basement. I¡¯d scoped out the upper level, and while it had a large footprint, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard for the team to keep tabs on everything. I left Rupert and Lillia on the main floor with instructions to detain any intruders, and only use lethal force if they had trouble subduing the target. The pair of Grulnok¡¯s accompanied me down into the basement. A fourth automaton was down here, lighting the lanterns on this level. The bottom floor was taken up with racks stuffed with various boxes of goods. A few crates had been opened, which was where the automatons upstairs must have gathered the items they were restocking. Along the wall near the stairs, was a row of oversized crates with numbers printed on them. There was a total of 17 crates, and four of them were open and empty. Those must have been for the four automatons that were already working around the shop. On the side of each crate was a painted handprint. When I placed my hand over one of the crates, I got a system message. Do you wish to activate automaton number 14? Y/N. I mentally selected no, and the prompt went away. From my instructions, crate 14, along with 7, and 9, were the ones holding automatons that would help me if I came up against anything I couldn¡¯t handle. The magic that animated these things, and allowed them to handle complex tasks, was interesting, and I¡¯d have to dig into the database back at Refuge to see if anyone had received a class that did something like that. A soft light in the back of an empty crate caught my attention. There, mounted on the roof of the empty crate, was a slightly glowing green gem. I could feel the mana coming off the gem, and if I had to guess, it was probably the means used to power the automatons. At some point they would run low on mana and need to recharge. While they did, another crate could open, and a fresh replacement would take over for the recharging unit.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was a slick system, and it probably cost a lot up front, but would save the shopkeeper expense in the long run due to not having to hire maintenance personnel. The sound of water gurgling in a drain caught my ear, drawing my attention away from the automaton crates. In the far corner, I could see a large iron grate on the floor. A shallow pool of water was starting to form around the grate. I hated plumbing of any sort, and thankfully, my summoner had assigned an automaton to deal with this because I sure didn¡¯t want to. Checking my instructions again, I located crate 17, placing my hand over it and willing it to activate. The front of the crate slowly opened and an automaton that seemed identical to the other workers emerged. The automaton walked around the room, checking first on two other drains that were clear and not making any noise, before walking to the problem one. I watched as the automaton lifted the iron grate and thrust his arm inside for a few seconds. It stood there, motionless, almost like it was calculating the next steps it needed to take. I had to step aside as the automaton walked back to crate 1, which it opened to reveal several sets of various tools. Grabbing an empty toolbox from the floor of the crate, the automaton began to load up whatever it thought it might need for the job at hand. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your plumbing. Let me know if you need me,¡± I said to the automaton, but it didn¡¯t react in any way, and I figured they weren¡¯t exactly programmed to interact with the security guard. Returning to the first floor, I walked around a bit more to get a better feel for the place. Once I had the layout of the store down, I ordered my team to begin patrolling. With four of my minions, they could keep a pretty good eye on the entire store and basement area. While the team started their patrols, I watched the automatons work. They were slow, but diligent in their efforts. Things that had been sold during the day were replaced with fresh merchandise. Once, all four of the automatons walked down to the basement and into their crates to recharge. Four new ones emerged and took up right where the others had left off. That implied some kind of shared intelligence where they knew what had already been done, and what tasks remained. I did spend time looking out the windows at the city around us. Much of this area was built up, which restricted my view. Despite that, I could see several other, much smaller shops nearby, each of which seemed to specialize in a particular type of item or service. It made me wonder why they didn¡¯t copy this large, and seemingly successful shop. Offering a wide range of goods seemed to be a winning strategy for my summoner. There were lampposts spaced at regular intervals outside, and the streets were ominously quiet. As I watched, a patrol of five city watch walked by. They were humans, all armored in chainmail and armed with spears, shields, and swords. I was no expert, but to me, they looked on edge. They weren¡¯t a casual patrol just making sure that everything was as it should be. These guards were expecting conflict. My thoughts over the patrol were interrupted when I felt the connection to Rupert end. He was gone, something had killed him. Instantly alert, I looked around for my other minions. The original Grulnok was over by the front door, and I got his attention and waved him over. I did the same with Lillia who was at the far end of the shop. ¡°Follow me, something took out Rupert,¡± I warned my team. Nothing appeared out of place up here, so Rupert must have been in the basement when he met his fate. The roar of an orc warrior, my duplicate Grulnok, and the clash of weapons echoing up into the shop confirmed that the problem was somewhere down in the basement. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I ordered, leading my remaining two minions to reinforce the duplicate Grulnok. Whatever was down there, we were ready. I almost smashed into one of the automatons as I charged down the shopping aisles but was barely able to avoid hitting it. They looked frail with their broom handle-sized limbs, and I wanted to make sure I ended up with a strong rating on this one. Keeping the damage to the shop at a minimum was probably key to a high rating. The other piece of the puzzle was defending this place from whoever had broken in. Slowing to let Lillia lead the way with her shield and spear, I charged down the basement stairs behind her, with the other Grulnok bringing up the rear. At the bottom of the stairs, in the dim light of the lanterns, I took in the sight before me. Near the clogged drain hole, the remains of the plumber automaton were strewn about. Next to him, two dead creatures lay. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was Rupert or the automaton that did them in, and I didn¡¯t have time to investigate as another creature pulled itself from the sewer. The humanoid shaped invaders were about my shoulder height and covered in patchy, dirty hair. They looked like oversized rats that walked upright, and there was already a half dozen of them in the basement, and more were following behind the one that had just pulled itself from the drain. Each wore ragged leather armor and held shortsword-sized blades, that despite looking rust covered, were jagged and sharp. A pair of rat creatures seemed to appear from thin air as they stabbed the duplicate Grulnok in the back. My minion used his axe to cleave through an enemy in front him, but the rats behind struck a second time, their blades piercing through the armor Grulnok wore. My minion dissipated into mana vapor and the beady red eyes of the rat people all turned toward me and my remaining team. I didn¡¯t like the look they were giving me. They looked hungry and I was the only living thing on the menu tonight. Chapter 179. Rat Catcher. ¡°Kill the rat people,¡± I ordered the original Grulnok and Lillia. They charged forward to engage the foe as I hustled over to the crates holding the automatons. My summoner had said that if I needed help, there were three of the crates that I should activate. I pulled the instruction paper from my storage pouch to remember which were the correct crates. Once sure I was hitting the right ones, I began to activate the three crates it indicated, number 7, 9, and 14. I ran by, hitting my hand on each crate to activate them. The doors seemed to open painfully slowly, and I didn¡¯t have time to wait for whatever was inside to do its job. Readying my javelin, I scanned for targets. The rats were swarming over my remaining team, and more than one appeared out of nowhere to try and backstab my minions. Targeting a rat thing that appeared behind Lillia, I fed mana to activate the javelin and threw. Typically, my aim with thrown weapons was abysmal, but the weapon¡¯s ability caused the javelin to fly true. Bolts of electricity coursed up and down the weapon and when it hit the rat creature I had targeted, the charge of electricity slammed into the monster causing it to stiffen and shake as the energy tore into it. It was overkill, the javelin alone, having pierced deep into the monster¡¯s side, would have likely been enough to kill it, but without the magic of the weapon, I¡¯d have probably missed the target. ¡°Fight back-to-back if you can!¡± I shouted over to my minions. They moved as I had ordered, their new position denying the stealthy rats any chance to sneak up on them. They were also doing a good job at thinning out the number of enemies. Lillia was focused more on defense, but as I watched, she thrust her spear forward and skewered a rat creature in the throat. Grulnok already had a half dozen corpses around him, and he was taking the lead to push my pair of minions closer to the open drain that the rats were emerging from. The first of the automaton defenders was walking from its crate now. Each was similar to the workers, but where the workers had a single, broomstick-sized piece of wood for arms and legs, the warrior automatons had two. It wasn¡¯t much of an improvement at first glance, but when the first warrior walked to a closed crate and opened it, I could see how they might prove to be a help. Inside the newly opened crate was a rack with three sets of armor, and various weapons that the automatons began to equip. It was going to take them a minute or two to get fully equipped, but it looked like my minions were holding off the attackers for the time being. Grulnok and Lillia finished off the last rat creatures in the basement and then stood guard over the opening as the automatons finished equipping themselves. I tried to issue them orders and as long as it was something simple like ¡°stay here and guard against the rats¡±, they seemed fine. If I tried to order them with anything more complex, they just stood there. Once fully equipped, I had to admit that the automatons did look a bit more formidable. Each now wore a steel breastplate and greaves, and wielded a curved sword in one hand, and a small, round steel shield in the other. They were slow, but when I ordered one to cover the sewer opening, it easily hacked a rat man that was trying to climb out. For the most part, the rat creatures were done trying to pour out of the sewer, but I could still hear them moving around down below, which meant there were more of them. The sound of breaking glass from upstairs caught my attention. I ordered two of the automaton guards to cover the entrance while I took the third, and my two surviving minions back up to the first floor so I could check things out. I made it to the top of the stairs when another window was broken. The shop was huge, and it took me a minute to find which ones had been broken. It was the two windows near the front door. While the glass had been shattered, the iron grates were still in place. Before I could reach the windows to check on what had broken them, I heard fighting outside. Just in front of the shop, another city watch patrol of five was engaged with a swarm of the rat men. The rats were armed and equipped just like the ones from the basement, and it looked like they were losing the fight against the better equipped and trained guards. One guard was down and given the stealth attacks the rats had dropped on my Grulnok duplicate, I could see how they brought down one of the tougher guards.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I spotted several more rat men pouring from the alleyway next to the shop, these disappeared from my sight as soon as they neared the street. They were too fast for me to get an accurate count, but it looked like there were more than a few. There were alarm bells starting to ring out throughout the city and I could see the glow from more than one fire in the distance. A hairy hand grasped the grate in front of me, forcing me to step back. The rat man was holding a slim piece of metal in his other hand which he was trying to slip into the grate¡¯s lock. The automaton guard didn¡¯t hesitate, stepping forward and thrusting his blade through the broken window to skewer the rat man. ¡°Look out, more of the rats are stealthed and heading toward you!¡± I shouted to the guards. One looked my way and nodded before ordering the others in his group to form a circle to prevent anyone from sneaking up behind them. ¡°If we fight our way over there, can you let us in?¡± One of the guards, the oldest of the bunch, a weathered man with greying hair, shouted in reply. ¡°Yes, push your way toward the front door. Call out when you¡¯re ready for me to open it,¡± I instructed before positioning myself in front of the door, ready to unlock and throw it open as soon as the town guards made their way over. ¡°Lillia, patrol the store and make sure none of the rats are picking the locks on the windows,¡± I ordered. With the automaton and Grulnok to back me up, I figured we could hold the door against the rat men until the guards got here, but it would be for naught if the rats were already pouring in through some other window. The sounds of combat grew closer and less than a minute later, the guards knocked on the door and shouted that they were ready. I unlocked and threw one of the double doors open, allowing three of the surviving guards to make their way in. Grulnok slammed the door closed in the face of a half dozen rat men, who scampered off once the door was locked. For good measure, I had my orc minion heave the locking beam up from the floor and slide it into place. The door was heavy and solid, but the rats had already shown they could be sneaky and pick locks. With the bar in place, they couldn¡¯t open the door, even if they managed to pick the lock on it. ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d have made it much longer out there on the streets,¡± one of the guards, a young woman with blood and sweat streaking her face said. I noted that the older man who had spoken earlier was not with them. He must have fallen while I was waiting at the door. ¡°Glad to help, what¡¯s going on out there? I took a job as security for this place, expecting to chase off vandals or maybe someone trying to break in. I didn¡¯t expect rat monsters to come pouring out of the sewers,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s the Verminfolk. Normally, the sewer teams keep their numbers down, but somehow, their population exploded without us detecting them. I suspect they¡¯re assaulting the whole city given the alarm bells,¡± the woman said, gazing out the open window near the door. ¡°Will any help be coming?¡± I asked. ¡°The alarm is being raised, so the army, palace guard, and any off-duty town watch should respond. It¡¯ll take them time to get armed and organized though,¡± the woman said. ¡°Sergeant Haynes,¡± one of the younger guards said to the woman I was speaking with. ¡°It looks like the palace is on fire.¡± The guard had been looking out of one of the side windows and while I couldn¡¯t make out any palace, they seemed convinced the glow of flames in the distance was positioned where the palace was located. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can count on the palace guard, or any of the army units stationed near there coming to help us anytime soon. It¡¯s best if we just hunker down and hold this shop for the time being. Going outside would be suicide,¡± the woman, who was apparently Sergeant Haynes, said. It was then that I felt my connection to Lillia cut off abruptly. I looked around the shop for her, but she had been deeper in the store looking for anything trying to slip into the store. Before I could shout a warning to the guards, my minion, and the automaton. I felt a pair of blows slam into my back. The pain hit a moment later and I found myself falling to the floor unable to stop as I smacked face first into the polished wood. You have been stabbed in the back and killed by a Verminfolk Stalker. This summoning session is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 7, and your performance rating of Good. You have earned 9 experience points. You have earned 7 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 180. Slime Armor. ¡°Backstabs are no joke,¡± I mumbled to myself as I reappeared in my personal space. I¡¯d never been a big rogue player in games, the play style of lurking about and waiting for an opening had just never appealed to me. I may not have liked playing that class, but I knew enough about it to realize that backstabs were usually a key piece of the build. I guess even my new armor wasn¡¯t proof against the bonuses generated by someone coming from out of nowhere to stab me. It had been a strange summoning, and I worried about what was going to happen in the city that seemed to be on verge of being overrun by these Verminfolk. There was no linked summoning here, so I suppose I¡¯ll never know what happened to that place, or even if my summoner survived. Was he in some well-guarded estate? It was possible since his shop seemed very successful. Were the rat creatures as numerous as I feared? I hoped nothing like this popped up on Earth, we¡¯d not know how to deal with verminkin suddenly pouring out of the sewers. Focusing back on my immediate situation, I noticed that Melvin wasn¡¯t in sight. Using our link, I could sense that he was in the training center, too distracted by his efforts to stop by and say hi. He could stay there for now; I had loot to examine. The last summoning had also brought me halfway to rank 8. I should hit it and possibly rank 9 before this summoning series ended. There was the outside chance of reaching tier 2, but that would probably not happen for a bit. Setting the reward chest to reveal new items only, I opened it to see what I¡¯d been awarded for my latest adventure. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 918.
  2. Silver coins, 198.
  3. Gold coins, 4.
  4. Foe Summoner template.
  5. Class Scroll.
The monetary rewards were in line with my good rating, but having two class specific items was more than I expected. First, I dug into the Foe Summoner template. It was a blank figurine, and once I pulled it from the chest, I received a system prompt. You have received a Foe Summoner Template with a variable power ranking. This template may be activated for any tier or rank, though if you select a tier and rank higher than your current one, you will have to wait until you reach that tier and rank before you can use the template. Okay, so it was a template where I could choose where I wanted it in my lineup. Right now, I had decent options at all tiers and ranks. It was also a normal template, not veteran or elite, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to replace anything in my existing slots. With tier 2 not that far away, it was probably best for me to add something to the roster for that milestone. So far, I¡¯d received a minion template when I hit a new tier, but there was no guarantee that I would this time. You have selected to activate this template at Tier 2, Rank 0. Once you have attained that tier and rank, this item will become available for you to activate in your loadout, as well as inside the training center. Until that point, only basic information on the new template will be revealed. The figurine changed in my hand. Where before it had been a shapeless lump, it now changed into the image of one of the rat creatures that had just killed me. The creature looked better equipped and armored than the ones I had fought, and I had high hopes for him once I could take him out for a test drive. Verminfolk Assassin, Tier 2, Rank 0. Mana reserve required, 100. An assassin to team up with a warrior like Grulnok, and maybe the halfling healer would be ideal. Sadly, the mana reserve was going to be rough unless some skill or ability was given at tier 2 to help with that. Placing the assassin back inside the reward chest, I pulled out the last bit of loot, the class scroll. A system prompt appeared once I held it.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Class Scroll, Tier 2, Rank 0. This scroll is currently inactive until you reach Tier 2, Rank 0. At that time, class evolutions will unlock, and this scroll will adjust to match your new class evolution. It was yet another item I¡¯d have to wait to see the details on. While it was annoying to not get anything I could use right this minute, it was nice to have some items in the bank for when I reached tier 2. The scroll went back into the reward chest alongside the assassin figurine. The rocking chair next to the rewards chest almost drew me in, but I decided to head into the training center and check on Melvin. When I walked in, he sent me a distracted greeting, which I returned. Melvin was embroiled in a battle against a dire boar that was charging about the training center in a frenzy. It would normally be an easy matchup for Melvin, he just needed to get ahold of the boar and start digesting it. While a dire beast was far more powerful than the natural version, it had no way of harming a gelatinous cube. Instead of fighting alone, Melvin had opted to join forces with a rather basic looking orc commoner. The orc commoner was equipped with a pitchfork as his sole weapon, and it wore no armor, only a simple tunic. While it may have been summoned from the training figurine with no armor, Melvin was attempting to take care of that problem. My gelatinous friend was draped over the shoulders of the orc, creating a slimy chest piece for it. As the boar charged toward the hapless orc, Melvin flung a batch of slime at the monster. Several patches of fur had already been burned off, leaving nasty wounds in the boar¡¯s hide that showed Melvin had landed this attack more than once already in the fight. Catching on, the boar shifted its charge to avoid Melvin¡¯s ranged attack. Now off target and off balance, the boar stumbled by the orc commoner, who skewered it in the side with his pitchfork. A sharpened wood pitchfork isn¡¯t exactly the weapon of choice to use against the reinforced hide of a dire boar, but even though he was a commoner, the orc was strong, and the thrust punched through the boar¡¯s hide and pierced deep into its side. The boar charged past, dragging the pitchfork out of the hands of the orc. Seeing his minion was now unarmed, Melvin adjusted the shape of the armor he was creating. The armor thinned as Melvin slid down to encompass the right arm of the orc. Melvin must have been communicating with his minion as the orc wasted no time in pursuing the boar, arm cocked and ready to unleash a slime encrusted punch once he was in range. Enraged over the injuries it had sustained, the boar gladly met the orc''s attack, slashing at him with oversized tusks. The tusk dug through Melvin¡¯s thinner protective layer, ripping open the orc who dissipated into mana vapor. His minion gone, Melvin used the boar¡¯s tusk as a pathway to flow over its head, dissolving as he went. The boar soon followed the orc in a puff of mana vapor. ¡°The armor¡¯s pretty neat, but it didn¡¯t work out too well for the orc,¡± I said to my friend. He sent me the image of myself in the current commander¡¯s regalia armor, but with a thin layer of slime coating the exterior of it. ¡°I¡¯d gladly have you at my side, but maybe work out how we can avoid dire boars ripping me open first,¡± I replied, joking with my friend. Melvin sent back another image, this time, with the slime covering my armor becoming thicker just as an axe hit me. The armor absorbed much of the impact, and flecks of slime splashed out from the strike, landing on the attacker who roared in pain. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. How soon until you can manage that?¡± I asked. My attention diverted as I felt a new summoning portal open in the main room. You are Summoned! ¡°Gotta go, I¡¯m off to another summons.¡± I said as I left the training center. Melvin sent an emotion over that he wished me luck and that he would keep working hard on his armor project. It would be a great upgrade to have Melvin armor along with my current set. Hopefully, he¡¯ll get the bugs worked out before too long. Who knew, maybe the system would allow him to accompany me more often if he was equipped in my loadout as armor and not as a figurine. Back in the main room of my personal space, I saw the glowing portal waiting for me. There were no last-minute tweaks I wanted to make to my loadout, so I jumped right in. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Xuqor.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 7.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of providing support services. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
Chapter 181. Shopping List. I stepped from the summoning portal into water up to my knees. The foul stench of rotting fish and sewage clung to the air around me. If the system didn¡¯t completely rebuild me after each summoning, I was sure the smell would have completely permeated my clothing. Fighting back a fit of gagging and retching, I looked at where I¡¯d wound up this time. I was in some kind of underground chamber, or maybe sewer given the stench. Old stone walls lined the place, and the floor sloped down toward the center of the room where the water was deeper. Around the edge of the chamber was a walkway that was thankfully above the water level. My link to the summoner led into the deeper water of the chamber, but my investigation was interrupted by a human voice behind me. ¡°Well done, Master Xuqor. With this one, we should have enough for the task at hand,¡± an older man that was standing on the walkway at the far end of the chamber said. Your summoner has transferred control over this summoning session to the mage Liam. Unless you receive new orders from your original summoner, you will follow Liam¡¯s commands. ¡°You there, young man, get out of that cold water and meet me up here,¡± the elderly Liam said, waving me toward him. As I walked, I tried to investigate the deep pool at the center of the chamber and catch a glimpse of my true summoner, but whoever, or whatever this Xuqor was, he wasn¡¯t revealing himself to me. ¡°Follow me, the scent of this place is a rather pungent one if you¡¯re not prepared, we can continue our conversation somewhere that is dryer and less odiferous,¡± Liam said. I slogged through the knee-deep water and climbed up onto the walkway next to Liam, who greeted me with a nod and a big smile. There were several doors lining the walkway, most of them dimly lit by torches placed around the chamber. Liam led me to the nearest door, and I followed behind him as we climbed a winding stone staircase. A bit chubby, elderly, and very out of shape, Liam had to stop several times and catch his breath as we ascended. After what I guessed was about three stories up, the stairway ended at a locked, iron gate. Bright daylight poured through the gate, and I had to cover my eyes as they slowly adjusted. Producing a key, Liam grumbled to himself about needing to bring oil for the lock next time. After some fiddling, the large padlock clicked open, and I walked onto a well-manicured lawn. A small, stone building housed the stairway we had just climbed out of, and Liam took a moment to relock the door. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll have one of the servants get you some towels,¡± Liam said, looking down at my squelching shoes. My new armor didn¡¯t include boots, so my Vans slip-ons were going to my footwear for this summoning. I made a mental note to see about getting ahold of some of the cool combat boots the government had loaned us during our dungeon delve. Liam led me across the lawn and toward the back of a large estate. The main house was huge and looked like one of those Victorian mansions that people liked to turn into a bed and breakfast with nightly rates far higher than I could afford. It wasn¡¯t exactly the destination I had expected when first stepping into this summoning. A few guards patrolled the grounds, human men in breastplates that carried large halberds like they knew how to use them. There was no wall around the estate, but well-manicured hedgerows and trees blocked my view of what lay beyond the property. ¡°Here we go, thank you dear,¡± Liam said as a young woman emerged from the house with a stack of fluffy white towels. I slipped off my shoes, dried my feet and wrung out my socks as best I could before sliding my nearly dry feet back into the damp shoes. ¡°Now, sorry to keep you waiting, let¡¯s go over what is expected of you. Tell me, young man, what is your name, and what type of class do you have? Liam asked as another servant, this time a halfling man in a suit, brought over a rolled parchment. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, and I have a class called Foe Summoner,¡± I replied. ¡°Excellent, any type of summoner class should be a solid fit for what we need you to do today. Here is a list of things that Xuqor wishes us to accomplish,¡± Liam said, passing me the scroll which I read over while he waited patiently.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Instructions: Please note that payments for any items ordered, or services rendered have already been made. If any of those you come in contact with demand additional recompense or refuse your requests, violence is authorized until compliance has been gained. Make a written note of your experience and the results of each visit. Use your finger to write with, the enchantments on this scroll will make your markings legible to me.
  1. At the apothecary¡¯s shop on the main road of the city, see Lucinda, who will hand you a package of goods. The shop can be identified by a large sign with a potion vial painted on it.
  2. At the docks, look for a fishmonger¡¯s shop with the sign that is cracked in half. Ask for Old Man Iskander and tell him that Liam¡¯s boss requires another shipment. That is all, make sure he repeats and confirms your instructions and then leave.
  3. Visit the adventurers guild and inquire with the clerk on duty if there are any updates regarding quest A232. Note any updates or challenges with the quest.
  4. Three blocks east of the adventurer¡¯s guild, find the inn named The Grey Balloon. Do not interact with any of the staff on the first floor. Walk to the back of the inn and descend into their wine cellar. One of the wine casks, the third from the stairwell, hides a door that leads to a lower level. On that lower level, you will find a rather well-dressed band of gentlemen adventurers. Kill them all and return to the streets outside the inn.
  5. A woman in a coach outside the inn will open her window. Drop this scroll and the package you recovered from the apothecary inside the coach and then begin to wander through the city until your summoning has expired or you are killed. Do not attempt to return to the estate unless ordered to by Liam.
¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Liam asked. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense. Why did you summon me to do this, you have plenty of servants and guards to handle something this, don¡¯t you? Also, I¡¯m just to walk in and straight up murder these gentlemen adventurers in step 4?¡± I asked. ¡°Master Xuqor wishes to use outside support for these tasks, it¡¯s a way to separate him from the activity. Besides, all our people, both guards and servants are well known to those that oppose Master Xuqor. Those men you are to kill have eliminated several of our staff, and the Master wishes you to return the favor. Now, it¡¯s time that you began your task. Head to the northeast corner of the property, you will find a guard standing by a gap in the hedges. Wait for his signal then proceed through the gap and make your way to the city,¡± Liam ordered. This was strange set of instructions, and I wasn¡¯t keen on killing the adventurers under the inn. Maybe they deserved it, or maybe I was the one serving some evil entity. For now, I¡¯d comply with the early demands and see what I found. There was always the Notice of Cessation if things took a turn for the worse, or if it appeared that I was going to be required to hurt innocent people. I also wondered what exactly this Master Xuqor was. It appeared that I was working for some creepy sea monster that lived in a sewer under an estate. Of course, being a strange sea monster didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was the bad guy here. As strange as that would have sounded to me a few months ago, it was far from the oddest thing I¡¯d seen since becoming a summoned being. The guard near the northeast corner of the estate waved me through right when I arrived and advised me to head to my right once I hit the road. There was a narrow gap in the hedgerow that allowed me to slip through it and onto a small dirt road. I turned right and followed the road like I was instructed. The first task was to find the apothecary on the main road of the city. There was nobody on the dirt road I walked along, but up ahead, I could see where it met a larger, cobblestone paved road. Not wanting to summon my minions in a crowded city, I took a moment on the deserted dirt road to summon my team, using Empower Minion on everyone, and Duplicate on Grulnok once I had enough mana for it. Mana was plentiful in this world, so my limited pool regenerated quickly enough as I walked. I wasn¡¯t sure which way to turn once I hit the cobblestone road, but one direction seemed to lead out into the country, and the other headed toward the main gates of the city. Turning toward the city, I continued my journey. At the city gates, a small squad of bored guards waved my team inside. I had been a bit worried that Grulnok would be an issue, but there were several different humanoid species traveling in and out of the city, so a pair of identical orcs weren¡¯t going to cause too much of a stir. Traffic was surprisingly heavy once I was inside the city gates. There were crowds of people walking alongside heavy cargo wagons and elegant coaches. It was going to be an easy place to get lost in, but I knew my first stop was somewhere on this road. This section of the main thoroughfare seemed to house mainly shops with an occasional inn or tavern joining them. Business was brisk, with lots of traffic in and out of many of the places. On the streets, the larger carriages and wagons often blocked my view. I hadn¡¯t gone far when I spotted a large wooden sign with a red potion vial painted on it. My path was suddenly blocked as two men stepped from the crowd and stood in front of me. Neither wore armor, but both had shortswords and daggers belted at their waists. A young woman, probably in her late teens, joined them, pointing at me as mana glowed near her nose and mouth. ¡°This one, he has the stench of that thing about him,¡± she said, and the two men accompanying her dropped their hands to the blades at their side. Chapter 182. Running Errands. Chapter 182. Running Errands. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but I suggest that you don¡¯t pull those blades,¡± I warned as I slowly shifted to my right, trying to get to the nearby shop and use it to block at least one approach from the potential enemies. ¡°We know what you¡¯re doing to our town, and today it ends,¡± the young woman said as the two men pulled their swords and started to walk toward me, the crowd parting at the sight of a potential fight. ¡°Before you do something that gets all three of you killed, why don¡¯t you tell me what you think I¡¯m doing that¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, noting that they had missed the fact that the two Grulnok¡¯s were with me. Both orcs had circled behind the pair of sword wielding men. Lillia, along with Rupert, were moving to cover the young woman. ¡°Do not listen to his corrupting words, end him now,¡± the young woman shrieked, causing both men to raise their swords and step towards me. In an instant, axe and mace blows slammed into the pair as my Grulnok team went to work. Both attackers fell under the blows and Lillia skewered the young woman on her spear when she drew a dagger that had begun to glow with mana. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have time to wait around for the guard to arrive, everyone here can see we were attacked without provocation,¡± I said, raising my voice for the last part, hoping the crowd would corroborate my version of events if the town guard were even inclined to investigate. I led my team toward the apothecary¡¯s shop, noting that the crowd seemed to stop gawking and go about their business rather quickly for the most part. It was anyone¡¯s guess how much violence a place like this saw. From their reactions, the brief fight, and the death of three people didn¡¯t cause the same type of reaction that it would have back home. The apothecary shop was only a few doors down from where I was, and we reached it without further incident. I left one Grulnok along with Rupert outside, taking the other two minions with me. As I opened the door, a happy-sounding bell tinged to announce our entrance. I was greeted with a small, tidy shop with only a couple of other customers inside. Wooden shelves lined the walls, and smaller display bins were placed on the floor. All of them were stocked with various things from soap to medicines that I couldn¡¯t identify. The shop had a pleasant scent to it, almost like one of those places in the mall where they sold scented candles. Two clerks, a middle-aged man, and a young woman were behind a long counter at the back of the shop. Both were currently working with other customers, but the man nodded in my direction to acknowledge that he had seen me and knew I was waiting to be helped. I tried to wait patiently, my body still shaking a bit as the adrenaline from the fight began to bleed off. It wasn¡¯t long before one of the customers left and the man behind the counter waved me over. ¡°What can I help you with today?¡± he asked with a bright smile. ¡°I need to see Lucinda,¡± I replied, following the instructions I was given on the scroll. The man¡¯s smile disappeared, and he walked through the curtain to the back of the shop without saying a word. I began to wonder what was going on when an older woman stepped from the back of the shop and passed a small bundle over to me. As she handed it over, the old woman stared intently into my eyes, making me more than a bit uncomfortable. The bundle was wrapped in thick, brown paper and tied up tightly with twine. It wasn¡¯t in my instructions to be nosy, so I simply put the package in my pack and headed out the door to find my next stop. I could feel that the creepy old woman¡¯s eyes were still riveted on me as I left the store. The bell above the door no longer sounding quite as happy and pleasant as it had when I had entered. ¡°Weird people here,¡± I grumbled as I joined the rest of my team outside the shop. Following the instructions I¡¯d been given, I jotted down a quick update on my successful first stop. Our next task was to find the fishmonger¡¯s shop that had a sign cracked in half. I didn¡¯t have to ask anyone for directions to the docks, I just let the cool breeze that blew in from the ocean guide me toward my destination. As I moved off the main thoroughfare and into the side streets, the crowds of people diminished. The foot traffic might have been lighter, but their absence was replaced by more of the heavy wagons hauling crates of cargo from what I assumed were the ships in the harbor.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. When I reached the waterfront, I became lost in the press of passengers and workers coming and going, as well as teams of stevedores moving cargo on and off the vessels. Breaking through the crowd, I found myself walking on a large, wooden pier with thick stone pilings. The pier ran across most of the city coastline. Beyond the pier, the city surrounded a calm bay with an open ocean in the distance. Both large and small vessels were docked here, and ships were constantly coming and going. It took more time than I had anticipated to make my way to where the fishing vessels docked and were being unloaded. The city was busy and prosperous, with the docks seeming to contribute the lion¡¯s share of that prosperity. Where the alchemist I was looking for had been easily found on the main street into the city, the fishmonger was a bit tougher to locate. I ended up asking a few of the workers nearby, greasing their palms with some coins to point me toward the shop with the broken sign. The workers did steer me in the right direction, and I hoped that when the summoning was over, the coins I gave them didn¡¯t disappear. It was a question I hadn¡¯t found an answer to in Refuge¡¯s database. Maybe now that we were playing nicely with other groups and the government, more data would be added. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Old Man Iskander,¡± I said to one of the workers at the fishmonger. Unlike the apothecary shop, this place was an open-air affair, with crates of freshly, and some not so freshly, caught fish placed out for people and businesses to purchase. There were tarps overhead to keep the sun from beating down on the fish, but they did nothing for the flies that seemed to be having a field day. ¡°He ain¡¯t here, probably at the Leaky Gullet, the man replied, pointing at a rather ramshackle looking tavern across the street. ¡°What does he look like?¡± I asked, unsure how to identify the man inside a tavern full of drunk fishermen. ¡°Old, that¡¯s why we call him Old Man Iskander,¡± the worker replied. With a sigh, I dropped a handful of copper in his hand. ¡°Now I remember a bit more about him. Look for a clean-shaven old man that¡¯s missing his left hand. If you¡¯re going into the Gullet, make sure you keep your hand on your purse,¡± the worker advised. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ve got plenty of people to watch my back,¡± I said, pointing to the two Grulnok summons. The worker just nodded and gave me an approving grunt before returning to his task of stacking the heavy crates of fish. The fish market wasn¡¯t a pleasant-smelling place, but somehow, the Leaky Gullet managed to surpass its stench. Without a front door, the pervasive fish smell from the market wafted into the place. Mixed in with the fish market smell was a lovely blend of unwashed workers, sour spilled ale, and vomit from those that had too much to drink. As for staff, an old man was behind the bar and two haggard-looking older women who could have come straight from the overnight shift at a Waffle House were serving drinks. I scanned the crowd, glad that the two servers were too busy to notice that I had come in and hadn¡¯t ordered a drink yet. Sure, my body would be rebuilt when I left here, but I could only imagine the diseases crawling on the dirty wooden mugs they used to serve their customers with. About the only saving grace was that the tavern at least didn¡¯t seem to offer any food. Surprisingly, several people could have almost matched my contact¡¯s appearance. I guess that losing one of your hands wasn¡¯t all that uncommon in their business. The man I was looking for was seated at the bar, one of the few people without a beard, and with a metal hook where his left hand should have been. ¡°Old Man Iskander?¡± I asked as I sat down next to him. ¡°Who wants to know?¡± he slurred back at me. It was only early in the afternoon and the man was already sauced. ¡°I do, just answer the question,¡± I barked, not wanting to waste time bantering with an old drunk fishmonger. Picking up on my annoyance, the duplicate Grulnok sat on the other side of the man and growled in his direction. ¡°Fine, tough guys, eh. Well, I don¡¯t owe anyone money that I can think of so ye probably ain¡¯t here to rough me up for my coin. I admit that I¡¯m Iskander, what do you want with me?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you that Liam¡¯s boss requires another shipment,¡± I said, following the scroll¡¯s instructions. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll get around to it when I can,¡± he said waiving me off. ¡°Repeat it back to me,¡± I demanded. ¡°Don¡¯t get all feisty with me young man. Fine, you told me that Liam¡¯s boss needs another shipment. Are you satisfied now?¡± he asked. ¡°Yep, now I¡¯m out of here,¡± I said. I¡¯d done exactly as the scroll had instructed and I waited until leaving the nasty tavern before jotting down my notes. ¡°Next stop, the adventurer¡¯s guild,¡± I said putting the scroll away. There was only one stop after the guild, and that was to kill the people below the Grey Balloon inn. That was a task I wasn¡¯t sure I was going to complete. It all depended on what I found inside there. I would either finish this summoning strong or be forced to burn another Notice of Cessation and bail out early. Chapter 183. Completing Tasks. Chapter 183. Completing Tasks. I headed deeper into the city after asking a few of the dock workers about the location of the adventurer¡¯s guild. They gave limited information, just pointing toward the city center, or just grunted in annoyance and ignored me. As I left the docks area, I entered a residential district where people were a bit friendlier, and I had better luck at getting directions. Past the residential district I entered a much nicer part of the city. The buildings were mostly stone, not wood, and had a look of permanence about them. Just past a library, I found the adventurers guild. It wasn¡¯t the largest building on the street, but the constant flow of armed and armored people coming and going kind of gave it away. A pair of guards, one in robes, and one in plate armor, greeted me as I tried to enter. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of your visit today?¡± the armored guard asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking for an update to a quest,¡± I replied, not sure how the whole process worked. ¡°Very well, proceed inside and ask for assistance at the counter to your left. Since you¡¯re not a guild member, only one of you can enter at a time,¡± the robed guard said, waiving me through after I ordered my minions to wait for me outside. The interior of the building had three counters that were separated by stone pillars. On the right, a queue of adventurers waited in line. It moved slowly, and several of the people were grumbling and complaining. At the center counter, poorly armed and equipped adventurers waited. I figured it was probably where the new adventurers signed up to join the guild. Heading to the leftmost counter, I waited in a short line behind others who were mostly dressed normally, and only a few were armed. If anything, I stood out in this line decked out in my Commander¡¯s Regalia. Thankfully, the wait wasn¡¯t too long, and soon one of the clerks waved me over to her window. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m looking for an update on quest A232,¡± I said, following the instructions on the scroll. ¡°Just a moment, let me check for you,¡± the woman replied as mana began to glow on her fingers. Pulling a blank sheet of parchment from a stack near the counter, she began to write. After a few moments, she passed me the paper and asked me to step aside so she could help the next person in line. I left the counter and found a small bench to sit on where I could inspect the update and transfer the information to my scroll. Quest A232. One party has accepted this quest and has been active on it for a period of 3 days. They have not checked in since accepting the quest, and given the quest¡¯s danger ranking of 7, the party will be deemed lost if no report from them has been received in the next 48 hours. At that time, the quest will reopen for another party to attempt. It didn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I was just tasked with copying over the information, which I did. With my latest errand complete, I had only had one final task. This was the one that could become rather problematic. For now, I¡¯d scope out who these adventurers were and if I felt it was right to kill them. The location was close, only two blocks over from the adventurer¡¯s guild. I was looking for an inn called The Grey Balloon, which turned out to be exactly where the directions had said. The place was a world of difference from the Leaky Gullet down by the docks. A well painted wooden sign depicting the inn¡¯s name hung over the front door. There was even a doorman who opened the door for me and wished me a good time. My orders were clear on this one, and they hadn¡¯t led me astray so far. Walking toward the back of the inn, I saw that there were several occupied tables, but nobody seemed to give me and my team more than a casual glance. The bartender, who was well dressed in a crisp white shirt, black pants, and sporting a handlebar mustache, looked like he was going to say something. When I reached the back of the inn, and the stairs leading to the cellar, he turned his attention back to his work. Heading down the stairs, I found the wine cellar was clear of any employees. Racks of wine bottles lined the place, and several huge casks were also stored down here. Counting the wine casks, I found the third from the stairwell and tried to look for a latch or opening of some sort. I found it quickly enough, a lever under the stand the cask was sitting on. Pulling the lever opened one end of the cask, revealing the opening to another set of stairs. As soon as we started walking down the stairs, the cask closed behind us with a dull thunk. Hands went to our weapons as I waited for something horrible to happen. After it was clear this wasn¡¯t some elaborate trap, I had Rupert try the cask, and found that he could easily push it open. Our escape route was still in place.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Get ready, this will either be a bloody fight, or I¡¯m going to call off the attack quickly,¡± I told the team as we descended the stairs. Our path was lit by several lanterns and at the bottom of the stairwell, a stout oak door waited. It proved to be unlocked and led into a small stone room that barely had enough room to fit the entire team. Another thick oak door waited on the far wall. Grulnok tried to open it, but it remained locked until the first door closed. It was a strange setup and reminded me of going to the gun range with Julio. To get into the shooting range, you had to go through two soundproofed doors. You weren¡¯t supposed to open one unless the first had been closed so the sounds of gunfire wouldn¡¯t wreck the eardrums of the employees and customers outside. With the first door closed, Grulnok opened the second. We were met with what sounded like a woman¡¯s cries of pain, and the taunting words of a man. ¡°Ah, see boys, I thought it looked like she could still feel pain. Good, you deserve this for what you¡¯ve done. Wait, who are you people?¡± the man said as my team entered a larger and very much occupied space. The man held a bloody knife and stood over a young woman that was tied to a wood table. Surrounding the table were a half dozen other young men, all well-dressed like my instructions suggested. ¡°What kind of sick party did we just interrupt?¡± I asked as I pushed mana into my javelin and prepared to throw. ¡°You must be one of them, kill the foul things,¡± the man with the knife shouted to the others. The men all had blades in their hands in seconds and wasted no time charging my team. These guys appeared to be torturing some woman and had attacked me without asking questions, so as far as I was concerned, the fight was on. Targeting the man with the knife so he couldn¡¯t do any further harm the young lady, I threw my javelin. The weapon flew true as its magic guided it into the chest of the man. As it hit, a burst of electricity discharged, and sparks appeared all around the wound as he fell. The other six men were on us, and one charged directly at me as I fumbled to draw my sword. With the rest of my team engaged, I had to deal with this myself. Thinking on my recent training, I waited for the man to close in. He was only armed with a dagger, which had limited reach. As soon as he was in range, I lunged forward with a front thrust kick into his gut. The man grunted as the air left his body and he was knocked off his feet. I stumbled a bit after the blow landed, almost falling next to the man I was fighting. Keeping on my feet, I finished drawing my sword and stabbed down at my foe who was scrambling for the dagger that he had dropped when he fell. My blade pierced his lower back, driving deep into where I thought his kidney¡¯s might be. Screaming in pain, the man gave up on the knife and tried to curl up in a ball, allowing me a second strike that finished him off. Looking back at the rest of the fight, things were well in hand. My team, save for Rupert, were all well-armed and armored, and the guys we were fighting were in street clothes and only had daggers for weapons. The last went down to Lillia¡¯s spear, and I looked around for more threats. It was calm save for the whimpering of the girl. She had a deep cut just below her ear that was pouring blood and several long slashes along her forearms. Lillia handed me one of the men¡¯s jackets that I tore the arm off to use as a makeshift bandage while Grulnok cut her free. As soon as her hand was free, the young woman grabbed my arm and looked up at me before speaking. ¡°The master sent you, didn¡¯t he?¡± she asked. I couldn¡¯t stop the bleeding with normal means, so I cast Health Bloom on her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get you out of here,¡± I tried to assure her. ¡°No, I¡¯m supposed to be here, just set me free and help to heal my wounds. Just as you have a task to accomplish, so do I,¡± she muttered, her eyes blank and trancelike. The wound stopped bleeding and I cast the spell a second time just to be sure. Instead of thanks, the woman began to berate me. ¡°You have been given a task, stop wasting time. I have no further need of your aid,¡± the young woman demanded. ¡°Fine, I think your wound is going to be fine now. We¡¯re leaving, you can come with us if you like,¡± I offered. ¡°Go, stop delaying,¡± she demanded. Despite her assertions, I felt bad leaving her behind, but she refused to go, but I didn¡¯t want to order Grulnok to carry her kicking and screaming out of the inn. ¡°The way out should be clear if you want to follow, but we¡¯re going now,¡± I advised before having the team backtrack the way we had come. As the door to the room closed behind me, I could see the woman begin to drag the bodies of the fallen men into a pile near the table she had been bound to. I expected a fight when we entered the inn, but just like before, everyone seemed determined not to pay us any attention. Exiting the inn, a carriage with the curtains drawn waited out front. This was my last task, I quickly jotted down what had happened in the chamber below and retrieved the package from the apothecary before dropping it, and the scroll into the open window of the carriage. The curtains blocked my view inside, but a breeze blew them open a bit as I made my deposit. A very human arm, with tentacle-like fingers where the hand should have been reached over and gathered the items. Before I could investigate further, the coachman lashed the horses and moved off in a hurry. ¡°Weird, I hope I was actually on the side of the good guys this time,¡± I mumbled to myself as I began to follow my final instructions, wandering the city. Nobody attacked or accosted us, and I just kept up a slow stroll as I took in the sights. Hours passed and it began to grow dark when the summoning finally ended. Your summoning session has expired and is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 7, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 11 experience points. You have earned 9 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 184. Crafty Friends. Chapter 184. Crafty Friends. Returning to my personal space, I headed right over to the reward chest to see how profitable the last summoning session had been. I was still a little freaked out of the creepy tentacle hand thing inside the carriage, and I wasn¡¯t confident that I had been working for the good guys. The only consolation was that the people I had fought and killed under the inn were torturing a young woman. There was no way that people resorting to that kind of torture were innocent victims, especially when they seemed to be enjoying themselves. At worst, I figured I was helping the bad guy against other bad guys. Putting aside thoughts of my last summoning, I opened the reward chest, sorting it to show only new rewards. It was time to see what I¡¯d gained from my morally ambiguous work. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 1122.
  2. Silver coins, 201.
  3. Gold coins, 5.
  4. Armor Marker.
  5. Figurine (2).
The coin rewards were in line with what I expected, but the armor marker was new. It was also good to see some new consumable figurines. I¡¯d burned through my existing stock and would have to work with just the ones I received as rewards until I could visit Somhagen again. Frist off, I pulled up the armor marker, which was a parchment scroll, and the system gave me an idea of what the item was. Armor Marker. This marker entitles you to an armor piece of your choice from the Summoned Market on the second tier of Somhagen. Just hand this marker over to any clerk and they can advise you on the current offerings that are available to you. If you wish, this marker can also be redeemed for additional Summoning Points. The number of summoning points this marker is worth varies, and you will be offered its current value at the time you present it. So, I¡¯d get a free piece of armor when I hit tier two, and if there wasn¡¯t anything I wanted, I could exchange it for summoning points. With the class scroll I received from my last summoning; it appeared that the system was trying to stock me up for the next tier. While I hated having to wait to find out the details, it was nice to have a few things in the bag for when I visited Somhagen again. Next up were the two new figurines. The first one appeared to be another figurine with several creatures on a single base. More system information populated as I held it. Tier 1, Rank 5. Angry Mob. Gear cost 4. This figurine summons an angry mob of armed belligerents that seek out the nearest foe. Unlike many of your summoned minions, the mob will not listen to your orders and will simply swarm over the closest threat. Each member of the mob is unarmored, but some do wield simple weapons and occasionally a shield. The number of minions that this figurine will summon is random. The mob was a bit odd. I¡¯d have to be careful where I summoned them since I couldn¡¯t give them any commands. There was also a random element to the summoning, and I had no idea how many of them would appear when I used the figurine. The base held four figures, so maybe that was the average number I¡¯d see when I used it. My theory seemed logical, and something the system might do, but I had no way to know for sure. My second figurine was a jackpot elite minion. It appeared to be a simple human warrior armed with a mace in one hand, and a round shield in the other. It looked like it was wearing a metal or hard leather chest piece, and I could see armored gloves and boots on its feet. The system description told me that this figurine was going to surprise whoever I used it against.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Tier 1, Rank 5 (elite). The Undying Minion. Gear cost 4. This figurine summons a standard human warrior of the indicated tier and rank. The warrior will follow your commands and has modest skill with its weapons and armor. When the warrior is destroyed, his undying nature comes to bear. Within five seconds of being destroyed, the warrior will transform into a series of undead creatures, each more powerful than the last. Each iteration of the warrior will benefit from any class bonuses that affect summoned creatures. A total of 5 iterations of the warrior will appear, they are depicted as follows.
  1. Human Warrior. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  2. Zombie Revenant. Tier 1, Rank 6.
  3. Advanced Ghoul. Tier 1, Rank 7.
  4. Skeletal Berserker. Tier 1, Rank 8.
  5. Wraith. Tier 2, Rank 0.
I couldn¡¯t wait to put the new Undying Minion into action. It was definitely going to come home with me. I didn¡¯t think that the mana drain from Earth would affect it much, and the creature would be a big shock to anyone who thought they had dealt with it, only to have it rise again and again. Not to mention, each new iteration was more powerful than the last. While I was at the reward chest, I checked on the return gauge. So far, I¡¯d completed two summonings and it was about 40% complete. At this pace, I¡¯d need three more summonings with the same results before I was sent home. I was also really close to my next rank and the summoning points were starting to build up to a nice balance again. Rico Kline, Foe Summoner. Tier 1, Rank 7. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 26/30. Summoning points: 99. With all my housekeeping taken care of, I checked in on Melvin in the training center. To my surprise, he wasn¡¯t inside and the mana level in there was nearly full. Tracking down my buddy, I found him sliding around inside the armory. He was crawling over the armor displays, and seemed totally preoccupied with whatever it was he was doing. ¡°Melvin, are you okay buddy?¡± I asked. He sent me feelings of concentration and frustration. ¡°Anything I can do to help?¡± I asked, a bit concerned for him. He replied no, and it was something he needed to figure out on his own. I also received a brief glimpse of something that he had left for me on the figurine shelf inside the training center. Heading back into the armor, I scanned the racks of figurines. One caught my attention that seemed out of place. The system typically ordered them from the weakest tier 0, rank 0 figurines at the top, and the bottom shelf was for the more powerful minions I could practice against. There, on the bottom right of the shelf, right next to the powerful dragon, was a new figurine. When I picked it up, the system granted me more information. Your companion, the entity known as Melvin, has crafted a consumable figurine for your use. This figurine has no gear cost, though it still requires mana to activate. Tier 1, Rank 5. Gelatinous Launcher. This figurine will summon a small gelatinous cube that will appear over the shoulders of your armor. Every 10 seconds, the cube will launch a small blob of acidic slime at the nearest enemy in sight. The range of his attack is 100 feet, though accuracy diminishes with distance. This figurine is able to hold enough slime to launch 5 attacks. Once the current supply of slime is expended, the launcher will require 1 minute before another shot can be generated. ¡°Nice one Melvin, thanks!¡± I shouted back to my friend. He sent me a feeling of pride at his work, and happiness that I¡¯d praised his efforts. With no gear cost, I went ahead and equipped it. The two figurines that I¡¯d received from my most recent summoning rewards were going to go home with me, but I didn¡¯t mind adding Melvin¡¯s creation to my loadout. Maybe it would help me get a higher ranking and better rewards on my next summoning. Just thinking about the summoning seemed to have activated it. You are Summoned! The familiar blue portal opened next to my reward chest and with nothing else that needed my immediate attention, I stepped inside to see what my next adventure would be. After a moment, the system gave me a rundown of what I could expect this time. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned using an artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 7.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for combat related purposes. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
Chapter 185. Panic Summon. Chapter 185. Panic Summon. ¡°Defend us, stop those things!¡± A voice shouted in panic as I stepped through the portal. Before I could even get my bearings, something hit me in the chest, sending me flying back and from the pain I felt, likely crushed a few of my ribs. Stars danced before my eyes as I almost lost consciousness. The sounds of battle rang out all around, but whatever had hit me must have thought me dead and moved on to a different target. The air had been knocked out of me by the impact and I just couldn¡¯t seem to be able to catch my breath. I could feel the jagged ends of my ribs tearing deeper into my insides. I tried to cast Health Bloom but was in too much pain to concentrate on the magic. Rain pelted down on me as I lay there on the muddy, moss-covered ground. I struggled to pull a healing potion from my belt. After a few tries, my hand closed on the small glass vial, and I silently thanked whoever had invented the magic belt and pouches that allowed me to easily pull whatever I wanted out of them. Lifting my arm to bring the potion to my mouth caused a fresh round of agony and likely did more damage as the pieces of my broken ribs shifted around. Sucking down the potion, I didn¡¯t even care about the horrible flavor, I just wanted it to work quickly and let me move again. These weren¡¯t the most powerful healing potions, but it was enough to dull the pain a bit. Now, I was able to get off a Health Bloom, and I lay there as the magic did its work. The blessed relief from the healing magic ended all too soon, but as it worked, I could feel the ribs in my chest begin to shift back into place. I was able to take a few shallow breaths, but each one elicited a fresh wave of pain. My mana was down to only eight points, and I had to lay there and wait for it to regenerate up to ten before I could cast another healing spell. I was flat on my back, and unable to move without doing myself more damage. Looking to my left and right, I could see I was in a small clearing in a forest. It was daytime, but the rainclouds made it seem like late evening. The trees smelled and looked like pine trees, which always seemed to remind me of camping as a kid. All at once, my body forced itself up to a sitting position, ribs grinding out of place again as the summoning compulsion kicked in. My summoner had demanded that I defend him, and I was forced to do so, even if it meant my own death. Pulling one of my figurines, I summoned Grulnok to assist me, followed by Lillia and Rupert. I finally got my first real look at the fight going on around me. A dozen men and women in matching chainmail armor hacked at a pair of giant figures with longswords. Their targets were humanoid and around nine feet tall. Each of the foes wore only a loincloth and wielded huge wooden clubs. Rough, knotty hides protected the giants at least as well as leather armor would have, and from the waist down, they were covered in coarse fur. A single, oversized eye gleamed with hatred out of the center of their foreheads as they swung their clubs at the humans. ¡°Cyclops,¡± I muttered to myself as I waited for my mana to regenerate. I had used three points of it up to summon my minions, and while there was a decent concentration of mana in the area, it was taking too long to regenerate. Pulling a mana potion from my belt, I drank it down, waiting while it began to restore my mana back up to my current cap of 18. Another Health Bloom was cast, and I could feel my body start to knit itself back together. When the spell ran out, I quaffed a second healing potion, which seemed to help a bit, despite the diminishing returns. A second mana potion followed it down, also with diminishing returns, but it brought me enough mana to cast a third Health Bloom. With the disturbing sound of bones popping into place, the worst of the damage was finally repaired, and I was able to carefully climb to my feet. My minions and the human warriors were engaging the pair of cyclops¡¯, which had already taken down several of the humans attacking them. Going toe to toe with one of those things wasn¡¯t going to be the best use of my time. Instead, I drew my javelin and aimed at the nearest cyclops, waiting for the right opening.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Grulnok was doing some solid work, dodging the rather slow swings of the cyclops¡¯ club, and then jumping in to attack with his two weapons before leaping back out of range. The cyclops that was enraged by Grulnok and began to focus all his attention on him. This allowed Lillia, Rupert, and the trio of other warriors still fighting a chance to get in some damage. My javelin flew toward the foe, slamming into the cyclops¡¯ chest and releasing its deadly charge of lightning. To my surprise, the cyclops seemed to shrug off the strike which barely penetrated its thick hide. I checked on the link with my summoner. The thread led off into the distance, as if the summoner had fled deeper into the forest. While the link didn¡¯t exactly pinpoint the summoner¡¯s location, I could tell that he wasn¡¯t anywhere near me or the ongoing fight. My attention was shifted to the second cyclops when a shield careened past, almost smacking into my side. The second cyclops had smashed his club into two of the warriors fighting him, smashing both, and sending them, and the errant shield, in my direction. My team, along with the few warriors supporting them, were barely holding their own, but the second cyclops had the upper hand in his fight. Only three warriors remained to engage it, and as I watched, one was smashed to pulp by the cyclops¡¯ club. I fired a magic missile to help them, but it completely failed to penetrate its hide. The final two warriors charged in, slashing, and stabbing with their swords. Another club strike eliminated one, and the second was caught up in the cyclops¡¯ grasp. The man had only a moment to scream as the cyclops squeezed. Pausing to toss away the body and lick the bloody remains on his hands, the cyclops turned toward me and grinned. I turned to run away. Fighting by myself in melee against a giant cyclops wasn¡¯t going to work out too well for me. Only a few steps into my retreat, I felt the compulsion kick in and I turned to face the monster who was now stomping his way toward me. Each of the cyclops¡¯ steps shook the ground and sent splashes of mud flying. Drawing my sword in one hand, I kept the wand in the other, firing a final magic missile before the creature entered into melee range. I wasn¡¯t completely helpless, but my basic combat skill could only do so much. Thankfully, the cyclops was rather slow, and I managed to sidestep the huge overhead swing of his club. The weapon dug itself deep into the muck and allowed me to dart forward and stab with my shortsword. Unlike the magic missile, my enchanted blade sunk right through the monster¡¯s hide, causing the cyclops to roar at me and release his hold of the club. I stepped in closer, landing a stab into his thigh. Blood spurted from the wound I had just caused, and I began to feel a little better about my chances. Stepping back, I just barely avoided getting grabbed by the monster. Readying myself for another attack, I waited for the monster to make his move. He grinned at me and then, with some effort, managed to pull his club from the thick mud that made up the forest clearing. The monster chuckled and pointed to the side. I didn¡¯t want him to pull some kind of fake out on me, so I just gave a quick glance in that direction. What I saw wasn¡¯t good. The other cyclops had killed both Grulnok and Lillia. Only Rupert along with one warrior was still in the fight. Rupert had grabbed the longsword from one of the fallen warriors and was swinging away at the cyclops arm that was reaching toward him. I had my own fight to survive first before I could help the others. Triggering a magic missile at the cyclops in front of me, I used the attack as a distraction to get into range with my sword. A shortsword wasn¡¯t exactly the right weapon to go against a giant foe with, but the enchanted steel seemed to cut through the monster¡¯s hide like it was paper. The cyclops didn¡¯t even try to dodge my blow, and the sword sunk deep into its knee, and the monster growled in pain. My attack caused the cyclops to stumble, and I had a moment of trouble pulling the blade back out. That one moment was all the cyclops needed and I could feel one of his hands slam into me. I was lifted in the air, and for a second, I stared into my foe¡¯s huge single eye. The hand squeezed and before I could feel any pain, everything went dark, and a system prompt appeared. You have been crushed in the grasp of a cyclops. This summoning session is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Below Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 7, and your performance rating of Below Average. You have earned 5 experience points. You have earned 3 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 1, Rank 8. With the new rank, you have gained 1 Point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 186. Knock Knock. Chapter 186. Knock Knock. Returning to my personal space, I was a bit annoyed at my rating for the summoning. I hadn¡¯t received a below average rating in a long time, and I felt that I had done as well as I could have given the situation I was dropped into. Being whacked in the chest by a cyclops within seconds of arriving doesn¡¯t leave you a lot of options for the coming fight. I couldn¡¯t control what the system did, and there wasn¡¯t exactly an appeals process for their decisions. Stuck with the results, I checked the rewards chest to see what I¡¯d gotten. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 715.
  2. Silver coins, 91.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
It was only coins this time, and a lot fewer of them than I¡¯d received from the previous summonings. I¡¯d just have to make up some ground on my next attempt. The return gauge had also barely moved, it was just under 50%. That meant another two or three summonings before I could go home. Melvin was back in the training center fighting against his usual nemesis, the flame elementals. I stopped and watched him for a bit, and I could feel he was having fun with the fight. He seemed to enjoy testing himself against the most difficult foes he could find. I was all for that; it would make him a better companion when I had to bring him out to fight. The match was interrupted by a knocking sound from the main room. I rushed out to see what was happening. Melvin ended his training and followed on my heels. A system prompt appeared, along with a new door at the far end of my personal space, right where the door to Somhagen would normally go. Several requests have been made to either purchase outright or lease the existing expansion for your personal space. You may make an agreement with one of these interested parties, or you may deny them all. Any terms negotiated between yourself, and the interested parties will be documented and enforced by the system. Each party will make their presentations to you in person. A temporary portal has been installed in your personal space to facilitate these presentations. There are a total of three interested parties. Please note that all summoning activities will be placed on hold while you make your decision on who will be allowed to utilize the expansion space. ¡°Melvin, I don¡¯t know if you got all that, but it seems like we have visitors,¡± I said. Another knock on the door was heard and I walked toward it, only to turn back and rush to the armory. There was no promise from the system that these folks that were coming to visit would be friendly, so it was best if I grabbed my gear before opening the door to them. It didn¡¯t take long to equip everything, but the knocking on the door became more frequent, and a system warning appeared. Please be advised that you must resolve these requests in a timely manner. To ignore them will be seen as a grave insult to the interested party and may result in future hostilities. ¡°Got it, I¡¯m answering the door now,¡± I said to the system. Not sure what to expect, I opened the door, and stepped back. As soon as my hand touched the wooden door, it disappeared, and in its place, a swirling portal appeared. With the Grulnok figurine ready to summon I waited to see who would step from the portal. ¡°Hello sir, my name is Gimblewalt and I¡¯m here to offer my services during the pending negotiations,¡± A gnome in a bright green business suit said as he exited the portal. He wore a top hat and had a monocle over one eye. Impressive mutton chops that were dyed the same shade of green as his suit gave the gnome a comical appearance. If it wasn¡¯t for his completely stoic expression, I would have figured him to be a comedian or a crazy person. Carrying a large attach¨¦ case in his left hand, the gnome offered his right for me to shake. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Rico. Sorry, but I¡¯m not quite sure what¡¯s going on here, or even how you found me. What¡¯s this about offering services, I thought I was going to hear some people that wanted to rent or buy part of my personal space,¡± I said, more than a little confused.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Don¡¯t worry lad, there¡¯s no way I would be here if the system hadn¡¯t approved my presence. I¡¯m here to offer my services in the coming negotiations. Of course, I demand adequate compensation for my time, but I¡¯ll represent you to the best of my substantial ability,¡± Gimblewalt said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can answer this for me, Gimblewalt, but I was under the impression that my personal space wasn¡¯t so easy for people to find, and visit,¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, Rico, I can answer that for you, but I won¡¯t unless you hire me as your personal counsel,¡± Gimblewalt said, making a show of adjusting his monocle and brushing some imaginary lint off his brightly colored suit. ¡°What kind of compensation are you looking for?¡± I asked. I was still confused, but if this gnome really could become a personal attorney or something like it for these negotiations, I¡¯d take all the help he could get. The only problems were how much this was going to cost me, and if this guy was as good as he claimed. ¡°I can assist you for the nominal charge of 1,000 gold coins. That fee will also allow me to be on retainer for one year whenever you need my assistance,¡± Gimblewalt said with confidence as my jaw dropped open in shock over the fee that the gnome was trying to charge. ¡°Way too rich for my blood, how do I find some other attorney or whatever you are. There must be one that doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m made of gold,¡± Rico asked. Gimblewalt¡¯s eye twitched at my statement, and I thought I could see some beads of sweat begin to appear on his forehead. ¡°There¡¯s nobody else out there that¡­Ahh!¡± Gimblewalt started to say before holding his head and flopping to the ground in obvious pain. I hit him with a Health Bloom, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much for the gnome lawyer. ¡°Are you okay? Can I do anything to help, or call someone for you?¡± I asked, not quite sure what to do in this situation. Gimblewalt waved me back, holding up his index finger to indicate I needed to give him a minute to recover. ¡°That¡¯s as nasty as they told me at the university. I¡¯m sorry, Rico, I just tried to lie to you. Since you¡¯re a prospective client, the system enforces certain obligations on me. I can¡¯t directly lie to a potential client about other options that may be available. In truth, there is a barrister outside that will make you a similar offer if mine is rejected,¡± Gimblewalt admitted. ¡°Well, since I can¡¯t afford 1,000 gold, maybe I need to talk to this other guy,¡± I offered. ¡°No, I¡¯ll serve as your counsel for one gold, and the right to use a small section of your personal space as an office,¡± Gimblewalt blurted out in panic, covering his mouth in shock at what he¡¯d just said. ¡°That¡¯s a big drop from 1,000, still, let¡¯s bring the other guy in so we can compare you two. I¡¯m assuming I need to get a move on with negotiations at some point or the system will drop the hammer on me,¡± I said. ¡°You have some time still; the system is making the interested parties wait while you have an opportunity to seek counsel. I will advise that once you¡¯ve selected one of us, you should get a move on with hearing the offers to use your personal space,¡± Gimblewalt said. Another knock on the door was heard, and I opened it for the second attorney that was here to offer their services. ¡°Good day, sir, I¡¯m Evangeline, and I will be your new legal counselor,¡± A woman said as she entered. She was human, and probably the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, the woman smiled at me and offered her hand. I was unable to reply to her, my voice catching in my throat as I tried to take in her beauty. That was the strange part, I knew she was incredibly beautiful, but I couldn¡¯t tell you exactly what she looked like. It was like my mind went fuzzy whenever I looked at her. I shook her hand, it felt dry, and I wished that I had some moisturizer to offer her. Nobody this beautiful should have to suffer with dry skin. ¡°Simply inexcusable behavior! You cannot deceive a potential client like this, why isn¡¯t the system striking you down instantly?¡± Gimblewalt said, drawing my attention away from the vision of beauty in front of me. ¡°Huh?¡± was all I could manage to utter. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool Rico, that isn¡¯t whatever you think it is, that¡¯s a damned kobold with some kind of magic device,¡± Gimblewalt explained. ¡°Kobold?¡± I said, confused at what was going on, I turned back to my love, she was just as beautiful as before even if she was really a kobold. No, that wasn¡¯t right, I could feel my mind start to clear a bit as Gimblewalt continued to harangue the young woman, accusing her of horrible things. As he spoke, my mind cleared more and my defense against mental intrusion started to kick in. The woman before me transformed into a short, skinny, and scaled creature that I recognized as a kobold from my previous battles with them. It held a glowing green gem in its hand that gave off waves of mana. The kobold jumped back in panic when it realized I could see its true form. ¡°Is there anyone else I can pick to be my lawyer other than a gnome trying to overcharge me or a kobold that¡¯s trying to catfish me with a magic gem?¡± I said to nobody in particular. Not expecting anyone to answer, I was a bit surprised when the system decided to jump in. These two potential representatives are your only choices. Should you refuse both, you may represent yourself in the coming negotiations. Please advise the system of your choice. Will you select one of these counselors, or will you represent yourself in the negotiations over the use of the expansion for your personal space? Chapter 187. New Hire. Chapter 187. New Hire. ¡°I remember my father saying that anyone who represents themselves in court has a moron for his attorney. This isn¡¯t a courtroom deal, just a negotiation, but I figure the same applies. The real question is which one of you is the lesser of two evils. Let¡¯s start with you,¡± I said, pointing toward the kobold. ¡°Tell me what you bring to the table other than trying to fool people with that gem thing.¡± ¡°I am the great Derta Greenscale. With my magic glow rock, I makes your foes do whats you wants. Best pick for helper, I am,¡± the kobold said with confidence. He may have been confident with his magic gem, but I sure wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t even at tier two and I was able to resist his magic, who knows what ranks and tiers the ones trying to negotiate with me were. For all I knew, one of them would see through Derta¡¯s ruse and attack. ¡°Less than convincing, I¡¯m sorry to say, Derta. How about you Gimblewalt, what exactly do you bring to the table, how many of these types of negotiations have you handled in the past?¡± I asked. As I waited for Gimblewalt¡¯s answer, Derta began to hold his gem up, pushing mana into it that began to expand out toward the gnome. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re done. Get out Derta, I can see what you¡¯re trying to do,¡± I said, placing my hand on the hilt of my sword. Melvin also started to slither up the wall. He¡¯d eventually make it to the ceiling where he could drop down on the kobold if he tried to cause more trouble. ¡°You will regret not hiring the great Derta Greenscale your ignorant soft skin,¡± the kobold hissed before pocketing his gem and stomping his way to the portal. He paused at the portal for a moment, waiting for the system to attune it to his destination before stepping in. ¡°That just leaves you, Gimblewalt, but that doesn¡¯t automatically mean that I¡¯m going to hire you. Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± I asked. ¡°I do, and I apologize for my prior efforts to inflate my retainer. Let me lay everything out on the line here. First, I am rather skilled at negotiations of most sorts. My initial approach to secure your favor was miscalculated, but I am as good as I claim,¡± Gimblewalt said. He went silent for a moment, and I could see the stress in his eyes as he struggled with something internally. ¡°My situation is a desperate one, I must admit. It goes against everything I know of negotiations to admit weakness and give you this information as leverage, but I need this job more than you can believe. ¡°In fact, my very existence hinges on it. Either I transfer here and work for you, or I return through that portal to face my utter destruction. Pay me what you believe is fair, and allow me to reside here, and I¡¯ll serve you to the best of my ability,¡± Gimblewalt said. He was very open now and seemed as desperate as he claimed. I had my suspicions that this could all be some kind of advanced negotiation tactic aimed at plucking my heart strings and making me more willing to accept him into my service. Even if my suspicions were true, I suppose that was just more evidence that Gimblewalt was as good a negotiator as he claimed. I would need help in the coming negotiations, and I really didn¡¯t have a choice other than Gimblewalt unless I wanted to represent myself. ¡°Is there some way we can do this on a trial basis? I¡¯ll see how you do with the coming negotiations, and then I can decide if I want to keep you on full time?¡± I asked. ¡°I could agree to that, but only if you allow me to stay here until I can find some other safe place to reside,¡± Gimblewalt said. ¡°Fair enough, and if I don¡¯t decide to retain your services long term, you agree to aggressively pursue finding another place to live,¡± I countered, not wanting him to turn into some gnomish squatter on my property. ¡°Agreed, and as for my fee, perhaps a single gold coin for my services in the coming negotiations? I¡¯ll even agree to allow you to pay me less if you don¡¯t feel I¡¯ve offered at least a gold coin¡¯s worth of value in the negotiations. As for any potential long-term employment, we can discuss renumeration for that position when and if we get to that point,¡± Gimblewalt offered. ¡°That seems fair to me, just remember, this is my personal space and I set the rules in here. If you do anything to hamper, harm, or disrupt myself or my friend Melvin, you will leave immediately without argument,¡± I said. It seemed a fair compromise, and I¡¯d have someone to steer me in the right direction during our negotiations, while not being saddled with Gimblewalt long term if I didn¡¯t want to keep him around. ¡°I think we¡¯ve reached a deal. There is only one last thing I must reveal to you. I¡¯m actually not a gnome, I find that wearing such a ridiculous guise can often grant me an advantage in negotiations when my adversary thinks me a clown. This is my true form, and my real name is not Gimblewalt, it is Tzes¡¯zod¡±, he said as his gnomish form melted away. Where the brightly dressed gnome had stood, there was now a walking skeletal figure wearing a dark grey robe that covered most of his body. A dim, green glow shone inside the skull of this creature as he stood there motionless Involuntarily, I sent a point of mana into the Grulnok figurine and summoned him while reaching for my sword and taking a step back.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°What exactly are you?¡± I asked as Grulnok moved to place himself between me and the potential threat in front of me. Melvin sent a quick burst of emotion, warning me that his attacks would do little against a creature made of bone. ¡°Stay your hand, I mean you no harm. Let me explain before you commit to any rash actions,¡± Tzes¡¯zod implored. ¡°In the past, when I wore a living body as you do now, I was a servant to a powerful mage. He valued my service a bit too much and made me into this undead monstrosity so I could serve him eternally. I was eventually able to leave his service and will now serve you willingly if you still wish to keep our deal,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He didn¡¯t seem hostile, and after all the crazy things I¡¯d seen since becoming a summoned being, I couldn¡¯t hold being undead against him. It sounded like he was transformed against his will, and if there was anything I understood, it was having a life-changing event forced upon you without your consent. At least he was skeletal and not zombie with the associated horrible stench. ¡°As long as you abide by the terms of our agreement, I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re undead. Sorry for my response, it¡¯s not often that I¡¯ve encountered an undead creature that wasn¡¯t trying to kill me, well, other than an undead that I summoned,¡± I replied. The system has recognized a potential agreement between the being known as Rico Kline, and the being known as Tzes¡¯zod. The following terms, if accepted, must be adhered to by both parties and any being in violation will face considerable penalties.
  1. Tzes¡¯zod agrees to serve Rico during the period of time required to complete negotiations over his personal space expansion.
  2. A fee of 1 gold coin will be charged for this service as well as residential rights inside Rico Kline¡¯s personal space for as long as he remains employed. If employment is terminated, Tzes¡¯zod will endeavor to find new lodging as quickly as possible. While he searches for new lodging, Tzes¡¯zod will be allowed to remain inside Rico Kline¡¯s personal space.
  3. Further extension of employment beyond the pending negotiations will be decided at a later date and is not covered by this agreement.
  4. The being known as Tzes¡¯zod will seek to prevent harm, both financial and physical, to his employer during the term of his employment, or during any extended stay inside the personal space. In return, Rico Kline will provide a safe space for Tzes¡¯zod to reside according to the other terms of this agreement.
Do you accept these terms? Y/N. It looked like the system hadn¡¯t missed anything, so I hit accept. Both parties have agreed, this contract is now bound by the system. ¡°Welcome aboard, I guess. What happens now?¡± I asked my new advisor. ¡°Please give me a moment, the system is informing me of the process for this negotiation,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. I wondered why the system didn¡¯t share the information with me as well. Since he was my advisor in this process, maybe the system figured that I would learn what was necessary from Tzes¡¯zod. ¡°Okay, I have the parameters of this negotiation. The first applicant should arrive shortly. May I make a suggestion before they arrive?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s why I hired you, isn¡¯t it? Oh, before I forget, here¡¯s your pay for all this,¡± I said, opening the reward chest and pulling out a single gold coin that I handed to Tzes¡¯zod. The cold bones of his hand closed over the coin, and it disappeared, probably into whatever storage device the undead advisor had on him. ¡°Thank you, as for my first suggestion, your home is rather spartan. We want to project a more affluent image during our negotiations. Perhaps we should rent some furnishings that would be more appropriate for our immediate purposes?¡± ¡°That would be fine, but I don¡¯t have access to anything like that in my personal space. I¡¯d have to wait until I get to Somhagen again,¡± I told Tzes¡¯zod. ¡°I¡¯m your advisor, and I have my own connections to make things like this happen. I¡¯m not sure of your current financial status, though I do recommend you share that with me for reference during our negotiations. On the low end, I think we can rent suitable furnishings for the time we need for 50 silver.¡± Your representative, Tzes¡¯zod has requested viewing access to your rewards chest and armory, do you wish to grant access? Y/N. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to let him see what I had, especially if it helped Tzes¡¯zod negotiate better on my behalf. If he really could rent furnishings while inside the personal space, he might also have a lot more use than I had imagined. Permission to view the rewards chest and armory have been granted. ¡°Buy whatever you think we need, I can handle paying out 50 silver for it if you think it¡¯s necessary,¡± I replied. ¡°You may not be exceptionally affluent, but at least you¡¯re not impoverished. Also, remember that these items are temporary, not permanent purchases,¡± Tzes¡¯zod reminded me after looking at my funds. Inside the personal space a large, rectangular conference table emerged, along with a pair of chairs for me and Tzes¡¯zod, and a half dozen on the other side for whoever was coming to negotiate. The table was solid wood, and looked like it was well made with some decorative inlays, exactly what I¡¯d have expected a successful attorney¡¯s office to have. The chairs had a high backrest and wooden arms with lots of padding. Around the rest of the personal space, some pictures appeared, as well as various plants and knickknacks. A small side table appeared over the rewards chest, hiding it from casual view of any of our pending visitors. Melvin remained on the ceiling, hiding behind a large fan that had appeared to create a pleasant breeze inside the room. ¡°You mentioned you are a summoner. I would suggest you add a few more of those if you can. We want to appear in a position of strength,¡± Tzes¡¯zod suggested, pointing at Grulnok. I cast Empower Minion on Grulnok and then Duplicate before summoning Lillia and Rupert. Since I was in my personal space, I grabbed the warhammer from the armory for Rupert to use, as well as my dagger. I had just completed the preparations when the portal over the doorway flared with bright red light, and a pair of beings stepped forth. ¡°Oh dear, it does appear that some of these applicants might be a bit problematic,¡± Tzes¡¯zod whispered to me as the first applicants stepped toward the desk. Chapter 188. First Offer. Chapter 188. First Offer. I immediately recognized one of the applicants. He was a short, gangly, potbellied creature with red skin. A pair of glowing eyes were positioned over a bulbous nose and his pointed ears were at least a foot long. His overly long arms ended in hands tipped with sharp, black claws that were the only hint at the danger this creature represented. When I had first met him, this creature had worn only a simple loincloth, now, he sported a finely tailored suit with arms a bit too short for his long appendages. ¡°Gary? What are you doing here?¡± I asked, remembering the name I had given to the evil demon creature that had struck a deal with the foolish king a while back. Seeing the king dragged screaming into the abyss to satisfy his debt had been a thing of nightmares. ¡°You dare address a Lord of the Pit directly and in such a manner,¡± the other applicant growled out. Where Gary was diminutive and unthreatening, this one was the complete opposite. Easily seven feet tall, with knotty red skin, the other applicant glared at me, flames beginning to emerge from his eyes and hands. The creature wore blackened plate armor, but without a helm on a head that sported two-foot-long horns. A two-handed sword was slung over his shoulder, and one hand was already reaching up to it. Leathery wings unfurled behind the creature, making him look even more intimidating. ¡°Hold back, I think I know this human. Hmm, let¡¯s see, ah yes, it was when I came to collect from that fool King Hamlin. To be honest, I¡¯m glad he tried to weasel out of the agreement, he¡¯s providing us with so much entertainment during his stay in the abyss,¡± Gary said. At his order, the other creature moved his hand away from his sword and bowed before Gary in obeisance. ¡°What brings you here? Don¡¯t tell me that you want to rent my expansion area,¡± I said. ¡°Exactly, Rico Kline, see, I knew I would remember you. Yes, I wish to acquire the expansion space you have unlocked for your personal space. I can make you an offer that will exceed your expectations,¡± Gary said. ¡°Gimblewalt here is representing me in the negotiations. We¡¯ll hear from all three applicants and select who I feel is the best fit,¡± I said. ¡°Understandable. Now Gimblewalt, since you will be handling the negotiations, shall I make my offer now, or do you have a price in mind that will negate the need to hear out the other applicants?¡± Gary asked. It seemed that Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s gnome disguise worked even against a being as powerful as Gary. That boded well for him being able to negotiate a good deal, though I was pretty sure that letting Gary set up shop anywhere near my personal space was a bad idea. Who knew, the other applicants might even be worse. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot offer a non-compete price, we will be entertaining all three offers. My suggestion is that you open with your best offer. Once you leave, the offer you give us now will be all we have to make a decision upon. Do you understand these requirement?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°Of course, that is not a problem. I have little time for haggling over coppers,¡± Gary said. ¡°Before we get started, may I offer you two any refreshments? Also, please understand why I haven¡¯t asked you two for your names. For the health of myself and my employer, I must insist you do not speak or write them on anything other than the final documented offer you make,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. It seemed like my representative was better informed than I had expected. He knew that speaking the true name of a Pit Lord like Gary would result in madness and death. Maybe not for Tzes¡¯zod since he was undead, but I wouldn¡¯t have a fun time of it. ¡°There is no offense taken, I believe Mr. Kline had a demonstration of the effects of my name during our last visit together. I also thank you for your offer of refreshment, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re unwilling to provide what we require for sustenance. Shall we get down to business. Here is my offer,¡± Gary said, pulling a flaming scroll from thin air and sliding it across the table. It left a bit of a scorch mark on the tabletop and I hoped we didn¡¯t have to pay for damages to the furniture that Tzes¡¯zod had rented. Tzes¡¯zod opened the scroll, holding it up so we could both read it. Instead of reading the scroll, the system decided to interpret it instead, which I was glad for, given that Gary could write things like his name, and have it drive you mad. The being known to you as Gary has offered the following in return for the exclusive use of your personal space expansion. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
  1. Immediate payment of the sum of 500 gold pieces.
  2. Ongoing rental charge of 50 gold per standard month.
  3. There will be 5 pieces of gear added to your armory.
  4. There will be 4 class scrolls offered.
  5. Sharing of any beneficial effects generated from the expansion¡¯s use.
  6. The option for a separate mutual defense pact.
  7. A question and answer session for the summoned being known as Rico Kline.
In return for this offer, the being known as Gary requires the following.
  1. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space unless directly granted limited access by the being known as Gary.
  2. The agreement, and presence of Gary in this personal space expansion must remain secret, even in the home world of the summoned being.
  3. Occasional access to the summoned being¡¯s training center. This access will be at the summoned being¡¯s discretion, but it must be made available for at least one session per week. While in use by Gary or his associates, the training center will be off limits to Rico Kline and any of his minions or employees.
  4. Surrender of a portion of Rico Kline¡¯s soul, not to exceed 10% of said soul.
You may review this offer until you decide on who will occupy the expansion space. Once you have decided on the new resident, this offer will expire and will vanish from your memory. ¡°As you can see, it is a fine offer, and one I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll accept immediately,¡± Gary said as we finished reading it, giving me a sly smile, and staring at me with his glowing red eyes as he awaited an answer. It was disturbing, especially after reading his requirement that I give up a portion of my soul. I tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but it was hard not to tell Gary he was an idiot and throw him out of my personal space. There was no way I was going to sign part of my soul over to him, especially after what I¡¯d witnessed with King Hamlin. ¡°This offer is unacceptable. I should warn you that the system fully interpreted the offer for us. We will grant you the chance to amend this offer once before we take it into consideration. I remind you that once you leave, the offer cannot be modified,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said in a calm and professional manner. ¡°I should have known the system would cut through all the legalese I so love to include. May I?¡± Gary said, motioning with his clawed hand for the scroll to be returned. Once in hand, he scratched at it with the claw on his right index finger. After a few moments, he passed it back over to Tzes¡¯zod, burning another furrow into the conference table, much to my annoyance. Opening the updated offer, the system translated it for us once again. Counteroffer from the being known as Gary.
  1. Immediate payment of the sum of 600 gold pieces.
  2. Ongoing rental charge of 60 gold per standard month.
  3. There will be 6 pieces of gear added to your armory.
  4. There will be 4 class scrolls offered.
  5. Sharing of any beneficial effects generated from the expansion¡¯s use.
  6. The option for a separate mutual defense pact.
  7. A question and answer session with the summoned being known as Rico Kline.
In return for this offer, the being known as Gary requires the following.
  1. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space unless directly granted limited access by the being known as Gary.
  2. The agreement, and presence of Gary in this personal space expansion must remain secret, even in the home world of the summoned being.
  3. Occasional access to the summoned being¡¯s training center. This access will be at the summoned being¡¯s discretion, but it must be made available for at least one session per week. While in use by Gary or his associates, the training center will be off limits to Rico Kline and any of his minions or employees.
  4. The option to accompany Rico Kline as his guest on his next visit to Somhagen. Details of this visit will be worked out to Rico Kline¡¯s satisfaction prior to the visit. If an agreement on the parameters of the visit cannot be reached, this demand will be considered void.
¡°Thank you for this offer. I must say that this is much more attractive than your first attempt. You are the first to make an offer, and once we¡¯ve received them all, a decision will be made. I¡¯m sure the system will inform you of our choice,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained before standing to indicate the meeting was over. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re done for the time being, though I think this wall will make a good entrance for the expansion. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Don¡¯t worry Rico, we¡¯ll meet again, no matter what you decide,¡± Gary said, pointing toward a stretch of wall between the armory and where the portal he had arrived from was located. Stepping into the portal, the two disappeared from my personal space. ¡°Woah, so he did throw out a threat there at the end. Can he really track me down and do something if we decline his offer?¡± I asked, starting to freak out a bit that a demon thing would be haunting me because I didn¡¯t rent the space to him. ¡°It was a rather muted threat for one of his kind, but yes, he more than has the power to track you down. Maybe not here in your personal space, but surely during a longer summoning, or even to your home. I wouldn¡¯t worry too much; I doubt you¡¯re very high on his list of people that he feels the need to get even with. A point in his favor is the fact his offer was exceedingly generous for the use of a personal space expansion. It may end up being the best option we¡¯re presented with,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. I suppose I had to root for one of the other two applicants to come through with something better than Gary¡¯s offer. Chapter 189. Multiple Offers. Chapter 189. Multiple Offers. ¡°Those are very dangerous beings, but they will be bound by the confines of our agreement. I do have to say, their offer seemed a very generous one,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What do you know about them? I watched that Gary slice his way through an entire kings guard, and then he killed me and my summoned minions with a swipe of his hand,¡± I asked. ¡°Their species goes by many names, the most used term for them, and one they don¡¯t seem to mind, is Infernals. As you already know, they live on the lifeforce of others, sometimes even able to drain their very essence, what you would call a soul. Outside of the type of negotiation we¡¯re engaged in, I recommend you never agree to a deal with them if you can at all help it. If you can¡¯t help it, make sure you have someone like me at your side to assist you,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°How many of these types of negotiations have you dealt with in the past?¡± I asked him. ¡°Exactly like this, for a summoned being¡¯s personal space? None, but this is like any other property negotiation. You have a piece of property that is valuable due to its location, and those that wish to use it will have to pay a substantial price to acquire it. It¡¯s best to break these kinds of negotiations down into their base form,¡± Tzes¡¯zod advised. ¡°I must admit, 600 gold and all the other compensation sounds rather nice. How long do you think until the next applicant arrives?¡± I asked. ¡°Right now, it appears,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said as the doorway shifted into a portal once more. This time, green and blue energy swirled in the portal and five new figures emerged. First out of the portal were a pair of tall, thin men in intricately carved plate armor. Their slender build, otherworldly perfect features, and pointed ears told me these were elves. They lowered their spears toward us, scrutinizing whatever threat we might present as the final three emerged from the portal. Unlike the first pair, who were obviously warriors or guards, two of the newcomers were elvish women dressed in flowing gowns that shifted color as they moved. Both wore elaborate rings and necklaces with gems that changed shape and color to always perfectly accent their outfits. The final member of the group was a human woman dressed in a simple gown that had strange symbols and runes embroidered onto it. The human wore no jewelry or fancy shoes, but she looked down upon me and Tzes¡¯zod with the same distaste that the elves did. Their glare made me feel like I was a foul-smelling stray dog that had somehow wandered into a lady¡¯s tea party. None of them spoke, they just stood there staring. ¡°Hello, I am Gimblewalt, an employee of Mr. Kline who owns this property. Who might you be?¡± Tzes¡¯zod inquired, trying to break the ice. ¡°You have not treated House Yarnaes with the proper form and respect. My masters have deigned to deal with lowborn such as yourselves, but our offer will reflect the insult you have given this day,¡± the woman said. ¡°I think you misunderstand the situation you find yourselves in. You are in our abode and have not shown proper respect to Mr. Kline. Make your offer so we can compare it to the others we have received,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said stiffly. He was throwing their rude behavior back into their faces, which I approved of. I didn¡¯t think he was genuinely angry or annoyed, Tzes¡¯zod was probably just using it as a negotiation tool. The woman looked to the pair of elvish women, one of which whispered to her. While they whispered to each other, the elvish guards moved to place themselves in front of the chatting pair, to prevent us from watching them converse. My minions saw this move as a threat, especially since the warriors still had their spears lowered in our direction. ¡°Rico, hold back your team, this is not a fight we¡¯ll win with swords and spells,¡± Tzes¡¯zod whispered to me. I ordered my minions back, though Melvin was still up on the ceiling, ready to drop onto an unsuspecting elf if things went sideways. ¡°Despite your crude behavior, we shall still make an offer. We expect your reply and acceptance of our proposal to be received promptly,¡± the human woman said after finishing her conversation with elves, one of whom passed her a scroll.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Unlike Gary¡¯s scroll, this one wasn¡¯t flaming and instead, it gave off golden sparks of light. She tossed the scroll onto the table and the whole group left without any further communication. The two warriors were the last to leave, still holding their spears ready, as if we were worried that I might attack them unexpectedly. Tzes¡¯zod waited until the last elf warrior had backed into the portal before retrieving the scroll. House Yarnaes has made the following offer in return for exclusive use of your personal space expansion.
  1. Immediate payment of the sum of 10 gold pieces.
  2. House Yarnaes will allow the entity known as Rico Kline the opportunity to become a servant of the house for a brief period once per week. While enjoying the honor of serving House Yarnaes, Rico will be sent to perform various tasks with appropriate rewards given based on his performance.
  3. A magical item will be added to the armory.
  4. The entity known as Rico Kline will be able to call upon 1 guard of a skill level not to exceed Tier 3, Rank 5 when his personal space is in danger.
In return for this offer, House Yarnaes requires the following.
  1. The entity known as Rico Kline, and all his minions and servants will not attempt to interact with any member of House Yarnaes other than through the officially designated representative.
  2. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space unless otherwise commanded.
  3. The entity known as Rico Kline will not reveal that he is in an agreement or has had any association with House Yarnaes.
  4. The servants of House Yarnaes may use the main personal space to await summoning by the house. Up to a maximum of 50 servants will be allowed inside the main personal space at any given time.
You may review this offer until you decide on who will occupy the expansion space. Once you have decided on the new resident, this offer will expire and will vanish from your memory. ¡°Not quite what I had hoped for,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, dropping the scroll to the table. ¡°It¡¯s not even close to what the evil demon people offered,¡± I sadly admitted. ¡°Exactly, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse, the condescension from the elves and their paltry offer, or the fact that Gary might try to steal your soul.¡± ¡°Well, Tzes¡¯zod, I¡¯m pretty sure this option is a no-go for me, let¡¯s wait and see who our last applicant turns out to be.¡± It was only a few minutes after the elves had left before the doorway portal fired up again. The portal swirled with dark power this time, but nothing seemed to emerge from it. A few seconds later, a man in blackened leather armor, with a cloaked hood pulled up to conceal his face appeared in the chair across from me. ¡°Sorry for the dramatic entrance, I¡¯m here to negotiate for the use of the expansion space,¡± the man said in a gruff voice that sounded like he was a five pack a day smoker. ¡°Very well, I am Gimblewalt, and I shall be handling the negotiations for Mr. Kline. You are the final applicant, and as I have recommended to all the other applicants, please make your best offer up front. After it is presented, a decision will be promptly forthcoming,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°Here¡¯s our offer, I look forward to your response,¡± the man said, passing over a stained scroll before disappearing from view once more. A moment later, the portal winked out of existence, telling us that he, and whoever else might have been lurking around, had left. ¡°That was all very covert, let¡¯s see what the shifty fellow is offering. How quaint, the scroll is stained with blood,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, opening the scroll for us to read. An organization that wishes to remain anonymous has made the following offer in exchange for exclusive use of your personal space expansion.
  1. Immediate payment of the sum of 250 gold pieces.
  2. Ongoing rental charge of 5 gold per standard month.
  3. A collection of 10 weapon and armor selections for your armory.
  4. A one-time chance to call upon this organization for the assassination of the target of your choice. The target¡¯s power cannot exceed Tier 3, Rank 5, and there can only be a single target.
In return for this offer, the organization will require the following.
  1. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space.
  2. The entity known as Rico Kline, his minions, and associates will not attempt to find out any information on the organization.
You may review this offer until you decide on who will occupy the expansion space. Once you have decided on the new resident, this offer will expire and will vanish from your memory. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a horrible offer, and there wasn¡¯t much in the way of downside to this one,¡± I said. ¡°True, but their offer is considerably lower than Gary¡¯s. I believe the infernals really want access to this expansion,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. I had a tough decision to make. The elves were out, but did I go with a worse offer from some unknown group of assassins, or did I take the huge payout offered by Gary? Chapter 190. We Got A Deal. Chapter 190. We Got A Deal. ¡°I¡¯m leaning toward the last offer. Gary would have paid us more, but I¡¯m afraid of what might happen afterward. Do you have any thoughts?¡± I asked. ¡°Actually, I believe that Gary¡¯s offer is the superior option. While his kind is loathsome and a blight upon all living things, they follow their agreements to the letter. He will also have a vested interest in keeping you safe from harm. Should you perish, this personal space will no longer exist and whatever he plans to do in here would be disrupted,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. My new advisor had dropped his gnomish guise now that we weren¡¯t expecting any visitors. It threw me off a bit to see an ancient skeleton talking with me, but so far, Tzes¡¯zod had done exactly what he had claimed. As far as who would become my new tenant, I still wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°What about the whole, trying to steal my soul thing?¡± I asked. That was the main negative of the whole deal, and after seeing Gary in action, he terrified me. ¡°He will make further attempts at a deal for your soul, that is his nature, but you now know what his game is. Do not enter into any agreements with him unless I have had a chance to review them. I need not remind you that the pay he is offering is substantial. That kind of coin could leave you set for life. Don¡¯t discount the other items that he¡¯s offering either.¡± ¡°Class items are a big plus, though I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll try to twist any mutual defense pact to favor him. There was also that question and answer session. Is that something I should be afraid of?¡± I asked. ¡°The mutual defense pact can wait. It is in the offer as something to be negotiated at a later date. For now, I could see Gary or one of his minions coming to our aid if the personal space was threatened, but he may use your distress to trap you. Avoid it for now or have me help you in negotiating the terms. ¡°The question-and-answer session is intriguing. His kind can live almost indefinitely and have access to great knowledge of several worlds and of the system itself. Gary could answer many questions that trouble you and that you haven¡¯t found an answer for on your own. Be wary, though, this question-and-answer session will be a two-way street. I have no idea what kinds of things Gary might ask of you,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. I didn¡¯t realize that a chat session with Gary might be that productive. Maybe he could tell me how to break out of the life of a summoned being, or what happens at the higher tiers of my class. He might even have a better estimate of when Earth will be integrated into the system. Of course, it might not be a good idea to get him thinking too much about my world. ¡°Will the system actually enforce the terms of our agreement with a being as powerful as Gary?¡± I asked. I¡¯d already found out in one of my summonings that there were things out there powerful enough to ignore the system¡¯s rules. Maybe these devil guys like Gary held that same power. ¡°Gary is powerful enough to be a threat to most mortals, but his power is nothing when compared to that of the system. He will abide by the agreement, not just because of the system enforcing it, but also because that is the nature of his kind. They attempt to twist and corrupt any agreement during the negotiation phase, but once set, they will always abide by the terms.¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What about choosing none of the above? If I decide to have a tenant, won¡¯t that hamper me if I find a personal use for the expansion in the future?¡± I asked. ¡°While I cannot claim to be an expert on summoned beings, I did learn some things about the expansion spaces in my attempts to find a refuge. At your current tier and rank, your options for personally utilizing the expansion space are limited, and for most uses, you would need to spend vast sums of coin for renovations. ¡°In the future, you can expect to have more of these expansions offered, and at that time, you can keep one for your own use. At the present time, it is my opinion that you will make the best use of your first personal space as an income generating tool. The amount of gold you receive now, especially from an offer like Gary¡¯s, can see to it that you have the resources needed to survive and thrive in the near future,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°How often am I going to receive an expansion space?¡± I asked. ¡°There are no set guidelines, and they are often given as rewards. If I were to make an educated guess, you will receive one every two to three tiers. Should you use this expansion to bolster your income, you¡¯ll be better able to afford the renovation needed on the next one you receive. The decision, of course, is yours to make, and I¡¯ll support whatever that decision is to the best of my ability,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to make a decision, what¡¯s the process from here?¡± I asked. ¡°Just tell me of your decision, and if you choose a tenant, let me know of any final fine-tuning to the agreement you wish to request.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not going to regret this later, but let¡¯s go with Gary¡¯s offer. The only other concern I have is what kind of time frame are we looking for? Is this like renting an apartment where we renew the lease after a certain time?¡± I asked. ¡°There is no time limit on the use of the personal space. If Gary were to be killed, the agreement would be nullified, and the space returned to its original state. If you wish, we can attempt to include a time limit, but I fear it would be rejected. That is one reason the ongoing rental charge that Gary is offering is a big point in his favor. Shall I make the offer official?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s hash out the details of this mutual defense agreement option before we finalize. I can just see him popping in right when I, or someone I care about is about to die a horrible death, and take advantage of my distress,¡± I added. ¡°A wise move, I shall send our acceptance over, along with details of a defense pact and question and answer session that are favorable to you,¡± Tzes¡¯zod looked to me for confirmation. I nodded in agreement, and he pulled out the burning scroll that was Gary¡¯s offer and began to inscribe our conditional approval. Tzes¡¯zod said that Gary would have received the counteroffer instantaneously, and we would probably hear from him soon. I discussed what I wanted in the mutual defense pact. Basically, if anything came into our personal space to inflict harm on me or any of my minions, Gary would agree to help defend us. In return, we would do the same if anyone came to attack the expansion he was building. Tzes¡¯zod suggested we put the caveat that I would only assist Gary if the attack originated through my personal space. A being like Gary was sure to have many enemies, and I wasn¡¯t going to want to tangle with them if they somehow teleported directly into the expansion. If they came through my personal space to get to him, there was likely going to be trouble for me already. My other concern was the one-on-one conversation. I wanted more detail about what he was offering. Tzes¡¯zod suggested we demand that the information gained couldn¡¯t be used for harm to either party. There wasn¡¯t much else, except to find out when the promised items would be delivered. The money upfront was due upon acceptance, and Gary couldn¡¯t weasel out of handing me 600 gold when the deal was struck. One last item that Gary had wanted, to accompany me on my next trip to Somhagen. I wanted Tzes¡¯zod to put some assurances in there that Gary wouldn¡¯t muck things up for me or cause trouble with his presence. He also had to be physically there, not hiding inside me or something else creepy like that. It was only a few minutes after sending the counteroffer when we received a reply in the form of the portal doorway activating once again. Tzes¡¯zod shifted into his Gimblewalt disguise as soon as the portal started to activate. It was odd that each group had a different color associated with their arrival, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise that Gary¡¯s resembled swirling flames given his kind¡¯s reputation. ¡°I knew you were a sharp one, Rico. Not for a minute did I believe what my companion said about you. See, it¡¯s just like I told you, Rico here is a stand-up guy. He wasn¡¯t, as you put it, hiding under the table, and quaking in fear of our return,¡± Gary said as he and his bigger, winged, and two-handed sword wielding companion entered. ¡°Thank you for your prompt reply. Are you willing to accept our counteroffer?¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, acting to divert Gary from addressing me directly. He was my negotiator, and I didn¡¯t want to get tripped up and say something I shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°We got a deal Rico, put her there,¡± Gary said, leaning across the table to shake hands. I looked toward Tzes¡¯zod, who nodded that I could proceed. As I shook his hand, Gary¡¯s long claws scratched along my forearm, but didn¡¯t quite break the skin. A small burst of energy left his hand, and it felt like I had placed a finger in an electric socket for a moment. Immediately after the painful handshake was ended, the system confirmed our agreement. The following contract has been agreed to between the being known as Gary, and the being known as Rico Kline for the use of Rico Kline¡¯s personal space expansion. Gary is offering the following.
  1. Immediate payment of the sum of 600 gold pieces.
  2. Ongoing rental charge of 60 gold per standard month.
  3. There will be 6 pieces of gear added to the armory within the next hour.
  4. There will be 4 class scrolls offered within the next hour.
  5. Sharing of any beneficial effects generated from the expansion¡¯s use.
  6. A mutual defense pact where Gary or one of his subordinates will assist in the defense of Rico Kline¡¯s personal space should it become threatened. If Gary¡¯s extension to the personal space is threatened, and if that threat originates from inside Rico Kline¡¯s personal space, Rico Kline and his minions will come to the aid of Gary.
  7. A question and answer session with the summoned being known as Rico Kline will be held at Rico Kline¡¯s convenience. Both parties will be forthcoming and truthful in all their answers. None of the information gathered during the session will be used to harm the other party.
In return for this offer, the being known as Gary requires the following from Rico Kline.
  1. Sole use of the personal space expansion. There will be complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space unless directly granted limited access by the being known as Gary.
  2. The agreement, and presence of Gary in this personal space expansion must remain secret, even in the home world of the summoned being.
  3. Occasional access to the summoned being¡¯s training center. This access will be at the summoned being¡¯s discretion, but it must be made available for at least one session per week. While in use by Gary or his associates, the training center will be off limits to Rico Kline and any of his minions or employees.
  4. The option to accompany Rico Kline as his guest on his next visit to Somhagen. Gary will endeavor to not cause harm, either physical or reputational by his presence. Should a dispute arise due to Gary¡¯s presence, Rico Kline may request that Gary leave immediately.
This agreement is now bound by the System and if it is violated by either party, severe repercussions will be levied against the guilty party. Great, I¡¯d actually made a deal with a devil, and it didn¡¯t even include giving up my soul. Chapter 191. Moving Day. Chapter 191. Moving Day. ¡°So, what exactly are you going to do in here? Aren¡¯t you going to get bored?¡± I asked Tzes¡¯zod. While I waited for his response, the furnishings that we¡¯d rented dissipated into mana vapor. It was nice while it had lasted and reminded me that I¡¯d eventually need to spruce the place up. A single rocking chair, and a rewards chest looked kind of pitiful now that I knew people could visit here. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on being here all the time, well, at least not all of me. You see, my previous master, who made me into this, was loathe to let me out of his sight. To keep me tethered to him, he housed my lifeforce inside this phylactery,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He lifted the bottom of his robe to reveal the skeletal foot beneath. The foot had a ring on what would have been his left big toe. A slightly glowing blue-green gem was set into the ring, and it made me feel nauseous just looking at it. Seeing my discomfort, Tzes¡¯zod lowered his robe, and the sickly feeling went away. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to explain that toe ring thing to me. I come from a world without magic, and can¡¯t always identify creepy, nausea inducing jewelry on sight.¡± ¡°Sorry Rico, let me explain. Should my undead body be destroyed, the power of the phylactery would eventually rebuild my physical form again. An undead such as I would normally place a phylactery in an out of the way, safe place. That way, they could go about their business without worrying about losing their life. ¡°When I was created, my master put me under a compulsion that I cannot break. That compulsion forces me to keep the phylactery on my person unless my master gives me express permission to leave it elsewhere,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. I thought I was starting to see where he was going with this story. ¡°Let me guess, you want to keep the ring here and then galivant off to who knows where. Is that why you wanted this position so badly?¡± I asked. ¡°Correct. My master has long since passed, and I, more than anyone else, am glad for his passing. But the compulsion remains. I suspect that since we have an agreement, and I am bound to your employ, the system may consider you my ¡°master¡± of sorts. At least, you would be considered my master while here in your personal space. With your permission, I¡¯d like to leave a bit of myself here, and continue from this place to deal with other obligations I have,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°Having a ring that makes me sick sitting around isn¡¯t something I¡¯m excited about. How do you think this will work?¡± I asked. ¡°Simple, you will sever the bone the ring is attached to and place it inside your reward chest for safe keeping. Once safely ensconced there, you will receive a notice if I have need of its regenerative abilities. Should you receive that notice, simply place the appendage and the ring anywhere in your personal space, and I will be eventually reconstructed.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s gross, but why here, why would you trust me to keep it safe?¡± I asked. ¡°Our agreement has been system enforced, and we¡¯re required to keep each other safe while inside your personal space. My toe, and the phylactery attached to it are part of me, and you would face the system¡¯s wrath should you fail to at least attempt to keep them safe from a foe,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I think you¡¯re forgetting something about our contract. It¡¯s only a temporary one, and I¡¯m only required to give you this,¡± I said, reaching into the reward chest and pulling out ten gold coins that I handed to Tzes¡¯zod. As soon as he touched the coins, they disappeared, likely into some kind of magical storage device. It was his pay for negotiations on the expansion. He¡¯d gone above and beyond to keep me safe and get the best deal I could in negotiations, so I didn¡¯t mind paying extra. ¡°You are correct, but the contract also says I can reside here for a time after the negotiations are complete. Do you really wish to end our arrangement? With my phylactery here, we can amend our agreement, allowing you to summon me whenever you have need of my services,¡± Tzes¡¯zod offered. This would be a great compromise, I¡¯d get a skilled negotiator on call, and he¡¯d get what was essentially a respawn point inside my personal space. ¡°How much would you charge when I call you to help?¡± ¡°We can do it for a nominal fee, say ten silver per request. Should you require my services more than once a week, or if the negotiations are drawn out, the fee can increase at a reasonable rate. Fair enough?¡± Tzes¡¯zod offered, causing the system to intervene. An amendment to your current agreement has been proposed. Do you accept this amendment? Y/N. I couldn¡¯t see much of a downside for either of us. About the only thing I could think of was if Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s enemies somehow could find their way here. If that were the case, I was supposed to have not only Tzes¡¯zod there to assist me, but also help from Gary whenever he got here. The undead negotiator was a good addition, and I was glad to accept his offer.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. You have accepted the amended contract. The being known as Tzes¡¯zod will keep his phylactery inside your personal space, and in return, he will remain on call for you to utilize his services as previously negotiated. ¡°Thank you, Rico, I appreciate your trust. I will not let you down. There remains one final task,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, lifting his robe to reveal the toe with the nausea inducing jewelry attached to it. ¡°Will this work? I hope it doesn¡¯t hurt you too badly,¡± I asked, drawing my Commander¡¯s Blade. I figured a magic sword was probably the best thing to sever the appendage of an undead negotiator. ¡°I am beyond physical pain in my new form. Your blade should be more than sufficient. Try to sever it at the joint, it will make things easier for me,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, pointing toward where he wanted me to slice. Holding the hilt of the blade in both hands, with the blade pointing down, I stabbed as hard as I could into Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s toe. With a sickening crack, the blade crunched through the joint and the toe rolled away from us. It started to roll back toward Tzes¡¯zod, like it was going to reattach itself, but he had me snatch it up quickly. Using the edge of my shirt to grip it with, I quickly tossed the ring adorned toe into my personal space, glad to have it out of my sight. ¡°Thank you, Rico. I¡¯ll stick around until your new tenant gets settled, then I have some personal obligations to attend to. Don¡¯t forget to check inside your reward chest, I suspect the system will use the most recent deposit to assign a way for you to contact me,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°No problem, Tzes¡¯zod. You¡¯re welcome to visit whenever you need to, and by having you visit, I mean the rest of you, not just your toe. Do you have any idea when my summonings will resume? Do I have to wait until Gary gets here?¡± I asked. ¡°Sorry, I have no idea how your summonings work. That¡¯s a bit beyond the scope of my knowledge. We can only wait and see. Gary did seem rather eager, so I suspect he¡¯ll arrive shortly. If you are called away before then, I¡¯ll do what I can to keep things organized.¡± He was a great negotiator, and had a good knowledge of the system, but it seemed that Tzes¡¯zod wasn¡¯t some all-knowing being. I¡¯d have to look elsewhere for answers to many of the questions I had. There was always my question-and-answer session with Gary. He seemed like the kind of being that would know about summoned people, and how I could break free from it. That did bring up another question that I¡¯d have to answer at some point. Did I really want this to stop? Sure, the pain and fear I often experienced as a summoned being were horrible, but I¡¯d also had the opportunity to help people, and even save lives. Was there some way I could keep this power, and even grow it if I wasn¡¯t being summoned on the system¡¯s whim? ¡°Rico, I think that indicates that your new tenant is arriving,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said as the door to my personal space swirled with the angry red energy that indicated Gary was about to show up. The diminutive looking creature appeared a moment later, with the big demon-looking guy at his side once more. Looks were deceiving and I had no doubt that Gary was far more powerful than his assistant, despite their appearances. With his body giving off a few final spurts of flame as he left the portal, Gary looked over to me and Tzes¡¯zod, who had resumed his Gimblewalt disguise. ¡°Hey there landlord, and my good gnome Goopy Fault or whatever your name is. I¡¯m back! Look at that, you cleared out the place to make it easier for me to move in, I appreciate that,¡± Gary said, making me even more self-conscious about our lack of furnishings. ¡°So, are you cool with me setting up where I indicated before? That¡¯s what people are your world say, right, you guys say cool a lot?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Uh, if you mean locating your entrance between the front door and the armory, that¡¯s fine, and no, not everyone says cool on my world,¡± I replied, more than a little worried that Gary seemed to have taken an interest in Earth. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll get right to it, though moving everything in might take a bit. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll try not to disrupt you all that much. Once we¡¯re settled, I can create a summoning portal inside the expansion, so we won¡¯t need to barge in every time I bring in a fresh victim, oh wait, scratch that victim thing, I meant when I need to move in some supplies,¡± Gary said, talking a mile a minute as he brushed the palm of his hand over the wall apparently looking for just the right spot for his expansion. ¡°Before you settle in, there is the matter of remuneration,¡± Tzes¡¯zod interjected. Gary¡¯s smile disappeared, and his face scrunched up like he was trying to contain a growl. For a moment, I was worried that Gary was going to attack Tzes¡¯zod, but since he was in my employ, the system must have warned Gary about breaking his contract. Like a light switched on, Gary dropped his scrunched up angry face and resumed his pleasant and happy demeanor. ¡°Gnomes are naturally annoying, it¡¯s not his fault he interrupted and insinuated I was trying to stiff you on the payment. Here you go, Rico, that¡¯s the coin, and the other things I promised will be transferred by the system into your reward chest there. Say, when do you think we¡¯ll get to go to Somhagen? I¡¯m looking forward to our buddy trip,¡± Gary said, reminding me about one of the things I owed him in the agreement. A large bag of coins appeared from thin air and dropped onto the lid of the reward chest with a satisfying clinking sound. I could only assume the other things he¡¯d promised would appear just as he said. ¡°As far as Somhagen, it should be soon, I have to hit the next tier first,¡± I replied. ¡°Where are you at now?¡± Gary asked. He couldn¡¯t use the information to harm me, at least, that¡¯s what our deal with the system said. I glanced at Tzes¡¯zod, who gave me a slight nod. ¡°I¡¯m Tier 1, Rank 8 now.¡± ¡°Close, hmm, let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve got to spend some time getting this place squared away, so I suppose I can wait a bit longer. Rico, make sure you take a look at your reward chest, there¡¯s something in there that might help speed things up,¡± Gary said. According to the agreement, I was due six pieces of gear and four class scrolls. While I loved loot, I was a bit concerned about what it might be lurking in the chest since it was coming from a being like Gary. Chapter 192. Rent and Rewards. Chapter 192. Rent and Rewards. ¡°And¡­this is just right,¡± Gary announced as he found the perfect spot on the wall for the door to the expansion. He began to scratch on the wall, his nails leaving behind glowing lines as he carved a series of intricate symbols. A burst of red light flashed and when I looked back on the spot Gary had been working on, a door had appeared. The door was constructed from thick, aged boards, and had a series of iron bands reinforcing it. To my surprise, a faint red glow could be seen leaking out from between the boards, telling me this was no ordinary doorway. Our agreement prohibited me from going inside, but even if it didn¡¯t there was no way I was opening that door and strolling through. Gary had no qualms and threw the door open, walking inside and muttering to himself for a while. He emerged after a time, giving me a thumbs up before walking back to the portal that was still going strong at the entrance to my personal space. Figures began to emerge from the portal, more of the big, winged, demon-looking guys as well as various types of humanoids hauling large crates from the portal and into the expansion. I tried not to look too closely at what was going on, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice that several of Gary¡¯s workers were chained to the crates they were hauling. ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± I said, nodding toward the latest batch of chained workers strolling through my personal space. ¡°About what you can expect from a being like Gary, in fact, this is probably tame compared to most. He must like you enough to spare you the worst of what he¡¯ll probably do,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. ¡°Did we make a bad decision?¡± I asked, beginning to second guess choosing Gary as my tenant. ¡°No, you made the best decision you could with the information available. If anything, these poor creatures are probably glad to be out here hauling cargo rather than be stuck back where Gary normally keeps them.¡± I had to believe Tzes¡¯zod, but the sight of Gary¡¯s moving team left me feeling a bit sick. To make matters worse, it appeared that summonings would be suspended until the move was complete. I had no idea how big the expansion was, but they were sure bringing in a lot of stuff. ¡°Perhaps your time would be better spent reviewing the compensation that Gary has paid,¡± Tzes¡¯zod suggested. He was right, I had new items in the armory, as well as in the rewards chest. First off, I cracked open the rewards chest to see what was new. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Glowing Scroll.
  2. Class Scroll (2).
  3. Burning Scroll.
  4. Phylactery of Tzes¡¯zod.
¡°I see your phylactery is safe and sound, I think I¡¯ll just leave it in there. Uh, Tzes¡¯zod, I have two of the class scrolls like I was supposed to get, but there¡¯s also something called a glowing scroll and a burning scroll. Do you think they¡¯re safe?¡± I asked, worried about taking either out without checking since they did come from Gary. ¡°The entire collection must be the four promised class scrolls. For some reason the system deemed it appropriate to label two of them differently, but the system restrictions on harming you remain in effect. Gary cannot bring you harm in any way. Other than that, I can¡¯t really advise you further, it¡¯s not my area of expertise. I suppose you could ask Gary directly, but he seems rather busy,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the class scrolls just to be safe, if I burst into flames or anything, make sure the system does something horrible to Gary in return,¡± I half-heartedly joked as I pulled the two class scrolls out of the reward chest. While they didn¡¯t cause me to burst into flames, they did activate a system description.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Class Scrolls (2). These scrolls will reveal or upgrade one of your class abilities. You must reach Tier 2 and select a class evolution before you can activate these scrolls. More stuff to dig into once I hit tier two. I was looking forward to it, but I also was hoping for something that would be useful to me now. Next up was the glowing scroll, and this one didn¡¯t disappoint. As soon as I touched it, I could feel a surge of energy as the system explained what was happening. You have activated a scroll of knowledge and gained 35 experience points. This is the first scroll of knowledge you have activated. Please be advised that only one scroll of this type can be activated per year. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 1, Rank 9. You have gained 1 point in Presence. Your current status is as follows: Rico Kline, Foe Summoner. Tier 1, Rank 9. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 6/30. ¡°Wow, I guess Gary was serious about helping me reach tier two more quickly. He must really want to get to Somhagen,¡± I said. ¡°That is a rare and expensive item, but I do believe that the system restricts their use in some way,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. ¡°The system said I could only use one per year,¡± I confirmed. Maybe it was the system¡¯s way of evening out the playing field so the uber wealthy couldn¡¯t just buy stacks of these and become insanely powerful. Last up was the scroll I was the most concerned with, who wouldn¡¯t be about something called a burning scroll given to you by someone like Gary. Pulling the scroll from the reward chest revealed it was exactly what it said it was, a rolled-up scroll that was on fire. The flames didn¡¯t burn my hands, but the paper was being rapidly consumed. As the scroll burned down to ash, flames erupted from my hands, quickly covering my entire body. Despite the shock of bursting into flames, the magical fire didn¡¯t harm me or my gear, it just gave off a soothing warmth as the system explained what was happening. Your association with an infernal being has been rewarded. A portion of their natural resistance to heat and flames has been granted to you. You have gained resist flame, minor. Your resist flame, minor, has been upgraded to include magical flames of all types. Your resist flame, minor has been upgraded to resist flame, moderate. ¡°Nice, having an evil infernal creature as a house guest has some benefits it seems,¡± I said. ¡°Any resistance you can gain without excessive painful practice is an excellent find,¡± Tzes¡¯zod confirmed. With the scrolls completed, it was time to check out the armory. It wasn¡¯t quite as easy as the reward chest, there was no option to sort for only new items. Given the limited amount of gear I possessed, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find what had been added. To my surprise, it wasn¡¯t a collection of actual gear, it was mostly scrolls save for a single dagger. You have gained equipment upgrade marker x11. These can be exchanged inside the Summoned Market for new gear, or to upgrade existing items. Gary was hedging his bets, giving me a batch of scrolls that could only be redeemed for gear inside Somhagen, which would incentivize me to reach tier two more quickly. While I might have preferred an armory full of magical items, being able to shop and potentially upgrade items in the summoned market was probably a better option rather than getting random items that may or may not be useful to me. Mind Render. Gear cost, 5. Forged by a master smith in the infernal realm, this dagger deals not only physical damage, but also cuts into the psyche of the victim, dealing mental intrusion damage. I knew from my own experience that mental intrusion damage was nasty, and with a gear cost of five, I should be able to find some way to fit it into my loadout. Since I was in the armory, I went ahead and added it. Not having any consumable figurines equipped left enough room in the loadout for the dagger. Even if I didn¡¯t end up wielding it, giving it to Rupert would give a huge boost to his effectiveness. ¡°Hey, Rico, we¡¯re wrapping things up here. I¡¯m going to be busy organizing everything inside for quite a while, but whenever it¡¯s time for you to head to Somhagen, just give my door a knock and I¡¯ll be ready to roll,¡± Gary said as he followed the last few workers carrying crates into the expansion. When he entered the expansion, the door squealed as it closed. The sound was too close to a human screaming for my taste, and I gave an involuntary shiver as I realized the door very well may have been infused with someone¡¯s scream of pain, or something equally nasty. Despite his happy-go-lucky way of speaking, Gary was most assuredly a powerful and evil being, not someone I¡¯d want to become buddies with. With all my loot sorted and my gear loadout updated, all I could do was wait for my next summoning, which wasn¡¯t long in coming. You are Summoned! The familiar blue portal opened next to my reward chest, a welcome change from the angry red portal that Gary had kept active while moving in. Stepping into the portal, I was ready for my next adventure. Chapter 193. Summon up your Character. Chapter 193. Summon up your Character. The system advised me about my latest summoning just before the portal dropped me at my destination. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by a magical artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 1.
  3. Summoning rank, 9.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of exploration and combat. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped out into a brightly lit glade that faced some old ruins that resembled something from ancient Greece. Following my summoner link, I was surprised to see a young man, probably no older than ten or eleven. Three other kids, two more boys, and a girl of about the same age were gathered around. ¡°Tell us what your tier, rank, and class are,¡± my summoner demanded with a poor attempt and deepening his voice. He also puffed his chest out, like a bodybuilder trying to show off his muscles. Unfortunately for this kid, he was rather puny. ¡°I¡¯m tier one, rank nine, and my class is called Foe Summoner,¡± I replied. As I tried to figure out what was going on with this summoning. ¡°Lakra, you have to keep this one, you cancelled the last two, and the artifact will run out of mana if you keep this up,¡± the young girl complained. ¡°Fine, Elniss, I¡¯ll keep him, but he¡¯s not going to take point, even if he can summon stuff,¡± my summoner, Lakra, replied. ¡°Young master, if this one is your choice, may I enhance him now?¡± a voice asked behind me. Turning, I could see an older man in grey robes that were marked with glowing sigils. ¡°Yeah, this one, but the rest of you don¡¯t get more than one reroll either,¡± Lakra whined. What was with me being summoned by whiny, and/or spoiled kids so much? I felt a slight tingle as the old man in the robes cast a spell upon me. Your link to the summoner has been enhanced, and the length of time that you can remain in this summoning session has tripled. I still had no idea what I was supposed to do, or even how long a normal summoning from the artifact they were using would last. The artifact itself seemed average looking. It was a small stone statue that was vaguely humanoid in shape, and while it gave off mana, it didn¡¯t seem exceptionally powerful. I couldn¡¯t get that good a look at it as my summoner handed it off to another kid who immediately used it. ¡°Ha, this is what I¡¯m talking about, what¡¯s your tier, rank, and class,¡± one of the other boys, a chubby fellow with his hair buzzed down short enough to make a Drill Sergeant happy said as he summoned a massive orc holding an oversized axe. ¡°I am tier 2, rank 2, and I am a Blood Berserker of Gub,¡± the orc said. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what a Blood Berserker of Gub did, but it sure sounded like the kind of class the orc should have given his huge muscles and scarred skin. The orc wore no armor, or even a shirt. His only clothing was a kilt of thick leather studded with iron rivets. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky Ilkas, your summoned being is way better than mine,¡± my summoner admitted, looking more than a bit dissatisfied that I was the summoned being he was stuck with. ¡°Me, me,¡± the last young boy said while using his hands to signal the gimme motion, which seemed like it was a pretty widely used gesture. Instead of handing it over, the chubby kid, Ilkas, passed it over to the young girl.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Ladies first, Yonto, let¡¯s see what I get,¡± the young girl in pigtails said as she activated the artifact. A portal opened and I was surprised to see an emaciated ghoul step out from it. Having used a ghoul in my summoning rotation for quite a while, I knew they could be formidable, especially if their claws managed to trigger paralysis. ¡°Ick, not a chance, I want a do over,¡± the girl said. With a sigh of annoyance, the old mage waved his hand, and a blast of white-hot flames engulfed the ghoul, burning it to cinders in under a second. ¡°Whatever you get now, you gotta keep it, the last boy, who was skinny, but quite a bit taller than all his friends, reminded the girl. ¡°I know, I know, just let me do this,¡± she said as she activated the artifact a second time. A fresh portal opened, and instead of another ghoul, something I considered even worse emerged. Hard chitinous legs were attached to a bulbous body the size of a large dog. Oversized fangs clacked together as the girl¡¯s summoned being walked over to her. ¡°Oh no, not that,¡± she whined, but accepted her fate and passed the artifact over to the taller kid, Yonto. ¡°Tell us what it is, and the tier and rank,¡± my summoner demanded. The girl couldn¡¯t ask the spider directly, but she must have been given some system notice of what her summoned creature was. ¡°It¡¯s tier one, rank eight, and it¡¯s called a Spigon Warrior, whatever that is. ¡°Yeah, whatever, it¡¯s a creepy spider. Come on, artifact, get me something good,¡± Yonto chanted as he activated the artifact. The portal opened, and a young elf woman emerged. She was wearing purple robes and held a gnarled wooden staff with a glowing white crystal on the end of it. ¡°What¡¯s your tier, rank, and class,¡± Yonto asked, scrunching his eyes and giving the elf woman a look that told me that he was less than pleased with what he summoned. ¡°I am tier one, rank seven, and I¡¯m an illusion mage,¡± the summoned elf explained. ¡°Nope, boring,¡± Yonto complained, using up his one free reroll. Once again, the mage waved his hand, and flames consumed the young woman. ¡°You need to expedite this process, it¡¯s already past noon, and you families have only engaged my services until an hour before sunset,¡± the mage explained as the ashes of the elf blew across the glade. ¡°It¡¯s my last chance anyway, it better be a good one,¡± Yonto muttered as he activated the artifact one last time. From the portal stepped another human, this time, an older warrior dressed in chainmail and holding a teardrop shaped shield in one hand, and a spear with a wide-bladed tip in the other. A belt holding a scabbarded longsword and dagger completed his arsenal. ¡°All right, give me your tier, rank, and class,¡± Yonto demanded, looking a bit happier with his second summoned being. Despite that, he still cast jealous glances at the orc berserker. ¡°I am a tier two, rank zero, and my class is Armsman,¡± the older man explained. ¡°You have to take him, but it¡¯s not that bad, at least you didn¡¯t get stuck with a creepy spider, Elniss complained. I agreed with her assessment and noted that she wisely kept a safe distance from the creepy crawly that she¡¯d summoned. ¡°Now that your summonings are complete, please bring your party to the dungeon entrance, and you may begin your game,¡± the old man ordered. I was getting a distinct teacher on a field trip vibe from him. The four kids, with all of us summoned beings in tow, headed deeper into the ruins. In between two partially collapsed pillars, a small patch of darkness waited. The sun was directly on it, but the darkness did not abate in the least. This must be the entrance to whatever dungeon they were talking about. ¡°Are the game rules the same as before honored game master?¡± Elniss asked the old man. ¡°It¡¯s your game, do you wish them to remain the same as last time, or shall I implement some changes?¡± the old mage asked. ¡°Same,¡± Ilkas blurted. ¡°No, let¡¯s do something different. It¡¯s getting boring with the same scenario each time,¡± my summoner complained. ¡°I agree with Lakra, let¡¯s do something different,¡± Elniss said. ¡°I want to see something different too,¡± Yonto offered. ¡°The majority rules. Remember, I¡¯m only here to facilitate things, the game, as always, is what you as players make it. Now, since the vote was not unanimous, we¡¯ll just change things up a little bit. For this run, you cannot directly control your summoned beings and can only give them general instructions through your links. Clear the dungeon to the first boss, defeat it, and then I¡¯ll reveal what the final stage of this day¡¯s game is going to be,¡± the old man explained. ¡°Fine, but since Ilkas had the best summoned creature, he has to send his into the dungeon first,¡± my summoner said. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to send in the stupid spider first?¡± Ilkas asked, but the others overruled him. ¡°In you go, orc,¡± the chubby kid ordered. As soon as he touched the dark patch between the pillars, the orc disappeared. The rest of us followed behind, unsure of what we were about to face. Chapter 194. Party Dispute. Chapter 194. Party Dispute. Entering the dungeon felt familiar. I¡¯d done so several times already, both to help defend, and to destroy. This dungeon was an unknown, and being harnessed to a summoner, I wasn¡¯t at liberty to try and communicate with the dungeon or the rest of the summoned beings. From what I could tell, these kids were playing some kind of game, like a real-life Dungeons and Dragons using us for their characters. The other members of my party, the orc berserker, the human armsman, and even the creepy spider were standing ready. We were underground, in an extension of the ruins above. The dungeon had dropped us at the dead end of a wide, curving tunnel that was carved from the stone around. A series of stone pillars placed every twenty yards or so helped support the tunnel. Each pillar also held a lantern that gave a soft glow that was more than enough for us to see by. Everything looked sturdy and well-constructed. Since the kids hadn¡¯t given us any direct orders, we were left to our own devices for now. While I wanted for a command, I began to summon my team. Out first was Grulnok who I hit with Empower Minion before duplicating him. Lillia and Rupert followed, who would also get Empower Minion cast on them when I had the mana available. What I could do was hand Mind Render, my new magical dagger, to Rupert. Behind us, the portal activated and the children, followed by the elderly mage, emerged. The kids looked around in wonder, taking in the dungeon and the beings they had summoned to play their game. ¡°Ha, look at that everyone, my character has some minions to command,¡± my summoner, Lakra boasted. ¡°Nice, but it¡¯s still not as powerful as my orc,¡± the chubby kid, Ilkas, said, though from the frown now plastered on his face, I was pretty sure he didn¡¯t believe his own claim. ¡°Settle down, everyone. This is as far as I can allow you to go, but the enhanced link I¡¯ve created with your summoned beings should allow you to issue them any commands you wish, as well as see and experience what they do. This dungeon is rated between tier 1, rank 5, and tier 2, rank 5. You may begin when you¡¯re ready, and I hope you have a fun time with your adventure,¡± the elderly mage told the group. Your enhanced summoner link has been activated and your summoner may now issue you direct commands and use your voice to speak with the others in his party. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go already,¡± I blurted out as my summoner said the same. It was a disturbing feeling, in this situation I really was like a game character, with the player using my voice to speak to the others. ¡°Send those summoned creatures first, that way our characters won¡¯t get killed too fast,¡± Ilkas said through his orc berserker. The Spigon warrior merely clacked its mandibles, but I also heard the young girl, Elniss¡¯ voice in my mind, agreeing with Ilkas¡¯ suggestion. ¡°Fine, get out there and hunt down monsters, I was forced to command my minions. It was a wasteful and inefficient use of them, but I couldn¡¯t contradict my summoner, or even offer him any tactical suggestions. ¡°I¡¯m an Armsman, but I only got two of them, your spider should be called an Armsman because it has eight,¡± Yonto said, making his summoned creature shake his arms as he tried, and failed, to be funny. ¡°Shut up, Yonto, you¡¯re wasting our game time,¡± my summoner whined. They had us proceed down the tunnel in a clump, not a tactical formation at all. I could see it in the eyes of the orc and human armsman, they also knew we were being poorly led. In the spider¡¯s myriad of eyes, I saw only hunger, and a desire to attack. The sounds of combat were heard in the distance as my minions tangled with something. We were ordered to sprint forward, heedless of the danger as each of the kids wanted to get their character into the action as quickly as possible. Rounding the corner, I could see my minions were engaged with, and handily defeating a small group of goblins. The orc blood berserker shouted in rage as muscles in his body swelled and he began to froth at the mouth.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Leaping forward, the orc tried to hack the last goblin in half, but Lillia was already spearing it through the side of the head. When his axe crashed down into the pool of mana vapor where the goblin had been, the orc shouted out in an impossibly loud voice. You have been affected by Intimidating Shout and are stunned for the next 6 seconds. ¡°Ilkas, you¡¯re an idiot. You can¡¯t activate a berserk effect when the enemy is almost dead, now your orc is going to go after our characters,¡± Elniss complained. Her complaint was mirrored by the other players. ¡°I can¡¯t control it now, sorry,¡± was all that Ilkas said as his orc shifted the focus of his attack to Lillia. I wanted to command her to step back or at least defend herself, but the enhanced link didn¡¯t let me have much control over my own minions without my summoner¡¯s permission. Lillia disappeared into mana vapor, quickly followed by the duplicate Grulnok. ¡°Stop killing my stuff!¡± my summoner demanded. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, the berserk thing has to go for at least sixty seconds,¡± Ilkas advised. ¡°Forget it, then, I¡¯m ordering my character to attack the berserker,¡± Yonto said. His armsman raised his shield, leveled his spear, and charged the orc berserker. ¡°Your weak character has no chance,¡± Ilkas boasted as the berserker began to rain blows down on the armsman. The orc berserker was two ranks higher than the armsman, and his blows were powerful enough to shatter the man¡¯s shield in only a few hits. Despite the advantage, the armsman was skilled with his weapon and managed a trio of quick thrusts that pierced into the gut of the orc. Ignoring the injury, the orc pressed the attack, his axe glowing orange as an ability was activated. His axe became a blur, and a second later, the head of the armsman dropped to the ground just before he returned to mana vapor. Now the orc turned on the spider, his entire body still glowing as he charged forward faster than a top Olympic sprinter. ¡°Get away from him,¡± the girl ordered her spider, which tried to scurry up the wall. Unfortunately for the creepy arachnid, the orc was a bit faster, and another swipe of his axe cleaved through two of the spider¡¯s legs, causing it to stumble. ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s what you want, eat him up my Spigon Warrior. Lakra, are you just going to stand there?¡± Elniss said. ¡°Sure I¡¯ll help, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to clear this dungeon anyway after Ilkas¡¯ dumb move,¡± my summoner said, commanding me to attack the orc. Thankfully, his orders weren¡¯t too specific, so I could handle the fight how I wanted. First, I ordered my two remaining minions, Grulnok and Rupert to assist the spider, while I drew my sword and looked for an opening. The spider took another axe hit, this time, the blow crunched through part of the carapace over its abdomen. While the orc was distracted with the spider, Grulnok unleashed a flurry of blows with his axe and mace. Rupert also stepped up and stabbed deep into the orc¡¯s side with the magic dagger. Ignoring the spider, the orc berserker shifted to target my minions. He easily overpowered Rupert, but Grulnok was putting up more of a fight. Using the distraction, the spider crawled over to where I was standing, and I prepared to cast a Health Bloom on it. My summoner must have somehow seen what I was doing and spoke up. ¡°Elniss, my character is casting a healing spell, stay still.¡± Instead of staying still, the spider moved right next to me. The next thing I knew, it had buried its fangs into my side. Pain shot through my body as the fangs punched through my magic armor, and I felt some kind of venom pour into me. I had minor toxin resistance, but the huge spider had probably dropped at least a pint of venom into me, far too much for my resistance to deal with. ¡°What are you doing, Elniss?¡± my summoner shouted. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve already wiped, might as well have some fun,¡± Elniss said, and all the other players started chuckling. They might have been enjoying themselves, but I sure wasn¡¯t having fun. ¡°Kill the spider too,¡± my summoner ordered. While my strength was fading fast from the bite, and my Health Bloom spell had fizzled, I still had a magic sword that I put to good use. With the spider still attached to me, alternating between feeding, and pushing in more venom, its head was in the perfect position. A quick stab with the blade cracked through the thin chitin that encased the head, and I pushed the sword all the way to the hilt. The blade broke though the other side of the spider¡¯s head and the monster went limp. As it fell, the still-attached fangs dragged me along with it. I tried to fumble for a healing potion, but the orc berserker had finished off Grulnok and was already stomping toward me. Things hadn¡¯t gone all his way, though, and the orc bled from multiple wounds. ¡°I win!¡± Ilkas shouted as the orc¡¯s axe descended to decapitate me. ¡°If you are all done with the game, I believe it¡¯s time for you to return home,¡± the old mage said as my vision faded. You have been decapitated by a Blood Berserker of Gub. This summoning session is now complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 1, rank 9, and your performance rating of Average. You have earned 8 experience points. You have earned 5 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 195. A Token for your Trouble. Chapter 195. A Token for your Trouble. Back in my personal space, I almost reached for my weapons when Tzes¡¯zod stepped out of the training center. It was the first time that I had returned after hiring him and I wasn¡¯t expecting a skeleton in a robe to be walking toward me. Hot on his heels was Melvin, who I was expecting. ¡°Welcome back, Rico, I take it your summoning was successful?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. I was rated average by the system, which seems a bit light for what I did. It was one of those summonings that I had little control over, which can make things frustrating¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯ll take me some time to acclimatize to how the system ranks summonings. It¡¯s not my area of expertise, but I do enjoy learning new things. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be here, I was telling Melvin that I was heading out for a while. If you need me, just focus on your mana and speak my name. Alternatively, you may retrieve my phylactery from your reward chest and speak my name, either way, I¡¯ll hear it and return to you as quickly as possible,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Well, we¡¯re glad to have you here, and be sure to check in now and again. Also, do you have any preference for furnishings? I should hit Somhagen soon and was thinking of buying some if they¡¯re not too expensive,¡± I said. ¡°Hm, Somhagen, I think you mentioned tier two of the city. You may want to visit Chaladoom¡¯s goods while you¡¯re there. They offer a myriad of things that a summoner can use to customize their abode. As for myself, I have no need for rest, but would enjoy a desk to work on, as well as an ample supply of paper, quill, and ink. You can take the funds from my pay if you wish, to offset anything you spend,¡± Tzes¡¯zod offered. ¡°Great, I appreciate the recommendation. Anything I should be aware of at this Chaladoom place?¡± I asked. ¡°No, just don¡¯t let their appearance distract you. This is an establishment that requires some negotiation to get the best price. While you can summon me to negotiate on your behalf, I think it would behoove you to make the attempt on your own. Chaladoom¡¯s is a reputable establishment, and as such, will not attempt to charge more than 30% over the normal rates, no matter how bad your negotiation skills are,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°Can I get a system skill for negotiation?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course, and most shopkeepers and those that offer services tend to be very skilled in various negotiation strategies. Just remember, the system can only do so much to assist someone with negotiation skills. So be vigilant during any business transaction and use logic when shopping in Somhagen. I think you¡¯ll do well enough. And with that, I must be on my way,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. The door leading out of my personal space appeared again, and a dark grey swirling portal appeared. ¡°Safe journeys, Tzes¡¯zod,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, though I now have a bit of an insurance policy should things go wrong on my journey,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, pointing toward my reward chest where his phylactery, and toe, now resided. My skeletal negotiator stepped into the portal and disappeared. As soon as he was gone, the portal vanished, and the doorway was replaced with a smooth wall once more. Unless I was allowed into Somhagen, or someone visited me, the only doors in my personal space were the ones to the armor, my training center, and now, to Gary¡¯s expansion. ¡°Everything good, Melvin?¡± I asked. He sent back images of his continuing work on his slime armor project. He seemed to feel that he was getting close to perfecting it, which I was looking forward to seeing, and using. Melvin also sent images of Tzes¡¯zod, who, to my surprise, went rooting around inside my reward chest. He didn¡¯t take anything, and just pulled his phylactery out to look at it. I remembered that I had given him permission through the system for viewing rights, which should have been enough to prevent Tzes¡¯zod from doing anything more than taking a look at things. After all, he probably needed to know my financial situation in order to represent me properly. He did pick up the toe with his phylactery attached to it, but that was his personal possession, and part of his body, so it seemed natural that he would be able to access it at will.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Thanks for looking out for me, Melvin. I think Tzes¡¯zod is okay, just make sure he, or anyone else, doesn¡¯t try to swipe something that isn¡¯t theirs without my permission,¡± I said. Just saying that gave me an image of Gary going through my rewards chest. While I didn¡¯t think Melvin could physically stop him, at least he could keep tabs if anything like that happened. I was probably being paranoid, I also had a system enforced contract with Gary, and I was pretty sure that stealing would come under the clause of not harming the other party. It might be financial harm, but it was harm, nonetheless. ¡°Nobody stole anything from me but let¡¯s see what the system might have added for my last adventure,¡± I said, pulling up the new loot tab in my rewards chest and trying not to be disappointed with the average rating reward. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Copper coins, 615.
  2. Silver coins, 48.
  3. Gold coins, 1.
  4. Dungeon token, 1.
Well, that was something new. I had never seen or heard of a dungeon token yet. The copper, silver, and gold coins I¡¯d gained were all well and good, but I was always most interested in the items the system sometimes dropped into my rewards. Selecting the dungeon token, I pulled it from the reward chest, surprised to see it looked like a softly glowing stone. As I examined it, the system helped me out a bit by explaining what its purpose was. You have acquired a dungeon token. These are rare, random rewards that can be found when a previous summoning caused you to enter a dungeon under the direction of your summoner. Being summoned directly to a dungeon, either to join your summoner inside, or to aid a dungeon core, will not cause these tokens to appear as rewards. This token is keyed to the dungeon from your last summoning. When activated, the token will take you to the entrance of the dungeon and you will be allowed time to explore the challenges inside. The token can be used in place of a summoning, but only during a summoning session, and cannot be activated directly from your world. In addition, you cannot place it in your loadout or use it when on another summoning. All experience, rewards, and items that you gain in the dungeon will follow you back to your personal space, and physical items will be deposited inside your reward chest. A number of summoning points and progress on your return gauge will be assigned based on your performance inside the dungeon. Should you perish inside the dungeon, you will be returned, unharmed, to your personal space, just as you would on a normal summoning. Once inside, you may activate the dungeon token a second time to end your delve early and return to your personal space. Returning early will not have an adverse effect on the experience received or the summoning points assigned for the delve, though they may be pro-rated based on how much of the dungeon you¡¯ve completed. This token is a single use item. ¡°That¡¯s kind of neat, you want to help me clear a dungeon Melvin, or do you want me to wait and summon you when I¡¯m back on Earth again?¡± I asked. His summoning figurine had regenerated, which I was happy to see, and he could join me whenever he wanted. Melvin seemed to think for a moment, and I was glad to let him take his time. The system also seemed to be allowing me some time to decide on whether I wanted to activate the stone now, since another summoning portal hadn¡¯t opened yet. Melvin sent me a feeling of pause; he wanted to wait and not join me just yet. He was still working to perfect his armor and wanted to complete that for me and visit Earth rather than do a dungeon delve right now. ¡°I got you; I¡¯ll hold off on summoning you until I¡¯m back on Earth,¡± I explained, sending him images of the places I wanted to visit with him. He seemed particularly interested in fast food and kept sending me back images of tacos and wouldn¡¯t stop until I confirmed that I¡¯d take him out for tacos back home. ¡°I¡¯ll let you keep working on your armor, I¡¯m going to check out the dungeon,¡± I said. Peeking at the return gauge, I could see it was nearly full and the dungeon run would probably push me past the return point and send me back to Earth. I wasn¡¯t sure if I would hit tier two, though, I still had 16 experience points to go before I reached it. As soon as I confirmed that I wanted to go, the system gave me a prompt and opened a summoning portal near my reward chest. You have activated the dungeon token for the Ruins of Forbidden Glade. This dungeon¡¯s threat rating varies between Tier 1, Rank 5, and Tier 2, Rank 5. Prepare accordingly. Stepping through the portal, I found myself back at the entrance to the dungeon. This time, there was no group of kids and their wizard dungeon master here to boss me around. Nope, I had the dungeon to myself, and could do things exactly how I wanted to. Knowing what was on the other side already, I stepped through the dungeon entrance. Unlike the dungeons we¡¯d cleared back on Earth, there was no chance of me dying this time, and I intended to enjoy the experience and find as much loot as I possibly could. Chapter 196. Goblin Gathering. Chapter 196. Goblin Gathering. From my previous visit to the dungeon, I knew there weren¡¯t any threats until we went further down to the spot where my minions had defeated the goblins. I didn¡¯t have much information after that. Things fell apart quickly after the first encounter as the kids using the summoned beings as characters in their game fought amongst themselves. I was killed and sent back to my personal space before we went any further in the dungeon. What I did know was that my minions had no trouble handling that first encounter, so it was time to summon them. Grulnok, Lillia, and Rupert were all summoned, and I passed my magic dagger to Rupert to use. After using Empower Minion on Grulnok, I cast Duplicate, giving me two of my most powerful minions. Mana was prevalent in the area, and my pool regenerated quickly. Before continuing, I took time to build up mana and cast Empower Minion on both Rupert and Lillia. With the team as powerful as they were going to get, it was time to begin clearing this dungeon. The duplicate Grulnok led the way, followed by Rupert, me, the real Grulnok, and Lillia bringing up the rear. The dungeon looked like the underground basement of the ruins above, with stone blocks making up the floors and walls. For the twelve-foot-high ceilings, it looked like it was constructed of smooth stone, or maybe some type of primitive concrete. Every twenty or so yards, a series of pillars were placed against the wall to help support the ceiling. Dim lighting was generated by lanterns placed on every stone pillar. There were plenty of shadows for things to lurk and hide, but I doubted my team would miss any threats that close to us. In my right hand, I drew the Commander¡¯s Blade, and in my left, I held the magic missile wand, choosing to keep my javelin in storage for now. Up ahead, the duplicate Grulnok held up his hand as a signal for us to stop before he waved me forward. The tunnel we were in curved slightly, and as I stepped next to the duplicate, I could see what he was looking at. It was the same room where our party had wiped itself out due to infighting before. Inside, were a half dozen goblins who loitered about arguing with each other. It seemed like the dungeon had regenerated quickly, but then again, you never knew how much time passed between the different worlds. I could have been gone an hour, or a decade. However long it was, it had been enough time for the dungeon to reset and rebuild its minions. I wasn¡¯t too concerned about this fight; my team had easily dealt with the goblins without any help from me or the other party earlier. ¡°Go get em,¡± I ordered the team as I fired a magic missile at the closest enemy. My target looked up at me just in time to take the magic missile to the face. I¡¯d been running into more powerful foes, and it was oddly satisfying to have an opponent I could down with a single shot of the wand. The rest of my team charged into the room, and the goblins scrambled for their weapons. Half were down before they could draw steel, and the others didn¡¯t last much longer. I did notice that Rupert got a kill this time, the Mind Render dagger seeming to slay its target with mental intrusion damage before the blood from the cut had even hit the ground. ¡°Look for anything valuable, we¡¯ll get to keep whatever we can find in here,¡± I ordered, and the team began to scour the area for loot. Other than the way we had come in, there was only one other exit to the room. I had Lillia cover that exit while the rest of us worked. I hadn¡¯t expected a fortune, these were just a half dozen goblins after all, so I wasn¡¯t disappointed when all we found was a dozen copper coins. Their crude weapons were not worth taking with us, I doubted we¡¯d even get scrap value out of the poorly forged, and rather rusted steel of the weapons. With the first obstacle handled, it was time to head out into the unknown parts of the dungeon. Keeping the same formation as before we pressed further down the tunnel. Before long, the tunnel began to widen, and we could hear the guttural sounds of goblins talking with each other. I crept ahead with the duplicate Grulnok until we were able to see where the sounds were coming from. The slight bend in the corridor allowed us to get within twenty feet of the next room before we spotted the goblins.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This wasn¡¯t a simple patrol of six goblins lounging about this time. The passageway emptied into a huge room filled with goblins. Cookfires and ratty-looking tents were strewn about haphazardly, and the goblins seemed to be just going about their daily business. Weapons were haphazardly scattered about, and I had no doubt that once the alarm was raised, they¡¯d fill their hands with one deadly implement or another in just seconds. I tried to get a count, but with them all milling about, it was hard to nail down an exact total. If I had to guess, there were probably close to a hundred of the things in there. It was far more than I thought our little band could handle at once if we charged into the room. There was no other way forward, so we had to deal with the goblins one way or another. The passageway we were in was wider than it had been near the entrance, but it was still only enough for two people to fight beside each other at a time. Maybe that was how we dealt with this, plug up the hallway and we¡¯d only be fighting two or three goblins at a time. With the two Grulnoks holding the line, we could tear through the goblins with little trouble. ¡°Are you seeing any ranged weapons?¡± I asked the duplicate Grulnok. He grunted and pointed to a couple different places in the goblin camp. Looking where he was pointing, I spotted a few goblins with quivers of crude arrows strapped to their backs. They didn¡¯t have any bows on them, but the weapons were undoubtedly scattered around somewhere nearby. My fear was that even if we held back the horde of goblins, the archers would stay back and turn us into pincushions. We did have one thing going our way, the ceiling in the passageway wasn¡¯t all that tall, maybe ten or twelve feet. That didn¡¯t leave much room for the arrows to arc over the heads of the goblins in front of them, and still hit my team. If the ranged goblins got close enough for a clear shot, I had a good chance at picking them off with magic missiles. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do,¡± I said waving the rest of the team forward. ¡°I¡¯ll draw their attention with a magic missile, then fall back into the corridor, The two Grulnoks will hold the line with Rupert and Lillia as backup. I¡¯ll take the rear of the formation, ready to deal with any ranged attackers, or to cast healing magic as needed. Get formed up, we¡¯ll start as soon as you¡¯re ready,¡± I explained. I had fired one missile out of the wand, and wanted to make sure it was topped off before we began. It took most of my mana pool to regenerate the missing shot, and I waited for it to refill before I began my attack. I still had my javelin to use, but wanted to save it for a deadlier target, it would do better against the dungeon boss instead of being wasted on a single goblin. ¡°Get ready,¡± I said to the team as I stepped around the corner. ¡°Hey, I got something for you guys!¡± I shouted at the goblins as I triggered a magic missile. My target was one of the goblins with a quiver strapped over his shoulder. Taking a ranged fighter out with my opening shot was better than just dealing with one of their melee goons. Magic missiles didn¡¯t need much in the way of aiming, and the bolt of bright mana shot forth, piercing completely through the hapless goblin archer that I¡¯d targeted. Things in their camp got quiet for a moment, and then the place exploded with high pitched goblin war cries as they charged toward me. I used another missile to hit the lead goblin, its fall causing several other goblins to tumble over. I turned and ran back down the corridor to where my team waited. It was only about twenty yards from where I had attacked from, but curve of the passageway meant that it was far enough back for my team to be hidden from the goblins inside the room. They were hot on my heels as I squeezed past the Grulnoks and then Lillia and Rupert, taking up position behind everyone. The lead pair of goblins were easily cut down, and the rest of the mob seemed to falter as they saw not just the one annoying human they expected, but also a pair of orc warriors and my other minions ready for a fight. Pressure from the horde behind them pushed the goblins forward, the two in the lead turning their backs on us and trying to flee through their allies. Without mercy, the Grulnoks killed the panicking goblins, tearing through the cowardly pair before engaging the ones behind them. The process continued for a few minutes. The lead goblins would see what they were up against and try to flee, with their fellows refusing to let them through. Eventually, they must have figured there was no other option for them, and the goblins began to try and fight back instead of fleeing. My orc minions had reach and strength on their side, but there were so many goblins, and after a few minutes of fighting, the goblins began to sneak small hits in here and there. I dropped a Health Bloom on top of us, and the magic seemed to be keeping pace with the occasional damage that goblins were dishing out. Eventually, the pile of dead goblins began to become a problem, so I ordered the team to take five steps back. I didn¡¯t want some enterprising goblin to take a chance at climbing up the bodies and leaping down onto my minions. We had carved our way through a good thirty or forty of the brutes, when I heard a booming voice call from down the passageway. ¡°Move over runts, let Ebbiq deal with these troublemakers.¡± Chapter 197. Clearing the Floor. Chapter 197. Clearing the Floor. ¡°Step back five paces,¡± I ordered again, noticing the pile of dead goblins had grown. While not a well-oiled machine, the team executed the maneuver well enough. Whoever this Ebbiq was, he hadn¡¯t stopped bellowing from further down the passageway. I still couldn¡¯t spot him, but I had a magic missile with his name on it whenever he made his appearance. With some space to work with, the Grulnoks continued to cut down the goblins. I began to wonder exactly how many goblins there were, so far, we had seen more than I had originally spotted inside their chamber. The passageway allowed us to see about twenty yards ahead, and it was still packed with goblins. As I watched, a goblin came flying from out of sight, and slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch. His body landed atop the other goblins, causing a pileup. From around the corner, I got my first peek at what I assumed was Ebbiq as he tossed another goblin out of his way and shouldered aside others. Ebbiq looked like the other goblins, except he was probably twelve feet tall and was ripped with muscle. Walking sort of hunched over, the giant goblin barely cleared the ceiling. He looked over to us and grinned. ¡°Ebbiq sees you. Time to kill and fill my belly.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s an appetizer for you,¡± I replied, trying to shout over the din of battle as I triggered a magic missile. The bolt flew from the wand and hammered into Ebbiq¡¯s face, knocking his head back. He shook his head, sprinkling dark blood onto the goblins below him. My shot had sheared off part of his ear, and dug into his scalp, but the thick skull of the oversized goblin had protected his brain. Roaring at us, Ebbiq grabbed the nearest goblin and hurled him in our direction. Despite being huge and powerful, the giant goblin wasn¡¯t any better at throwing things than I was. The hapless goblin, shrieking in terror as he flew, careened into the goblins near my minions, adding to the carnage, and allowing my minions a bit of breathing room as the goblin attack stalled. Half of the little goblins were still trying to attack, but the other half were trying to get out of Ebbiq¡¯s way or flee from the battle entirely. My wand came off cooldown, so I hit the giant goblin with another shot, trying to aim for the same spot on his face. Maybe multiple hits might crack through his thick skull before he reached our line. The magic missile landed true, as they always did. As it slammed into the side of Ebbiq¡¯s head. He was stunned by the blow, and stumbled, landing on his butt atop a pair of unfortunate goblins who probably didn¡¯t survive the humiliating encounter. Ebbiq wasn¡¯t out of the fight, but he was having trouble getting to his feet and looked confused. Behind the giant goblin, I could finally see the end to his lesser kin. Many of the horde began to stream away from the fight, some risking the climb over the fallen Ebbiq to retreat into the room they had come from. My two orcs hacked down the last few goblins still focused on attacking our lines, as Ebbiq finally stumbled to his feet. Off cooldown, I added a third magic missile into the same spot as the other two. This time, Ebbiq was ready, and at the last minute, picked up a screaming goblin as a shield to block the missile. Ebbiq tried to stand once again but toppled over and landed on all fours this time. While I hadn¡¯t been able to crack through his skull yet, the two hits had obviously scrambled his brain to the point where he could only crawl toward us. ¡°Grulnok, head out there and try to kill him, watch out for his reach and for him throwing a dead goblin at you,¡± I ordered to the duplicate Grulnok. ¡°Hey, why you try to give Ebbiq orders?¡± the giant goblin muttered, his speech slurred and confused. ¡°What? I wasn¡¯t talking to you; I was talking to Grulnok. I think my magic missiles did more damage than I thought,¡± I said.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Staring at the duplicate seemed to trigger something in the giant goblin¡¯s addled brain. He growled and began to paw at my minion. As I¡¯d hoped, his attention was now completely on the Grulnok duplicate, allowing me to hit him again with a magic missile. The wand activated, and the missile slammed into his exposed skull near where the other two shots had hit. Pieces of bone flew from where the shot landed, and with a pitiful wail, Ebbiq grabbed his skull and rolled on the ground in pain. My orc duplicate wasted no time, charging in and raining a series of blows from his axe and mace onto the fallen monster¡¯s head. A few strikes later, the giant goblin lay still. ¡°Let¡¯s head back into their lair, the numbers should be thinned out enough for us to deal with now,¡± I ordered. It took some time to climb over the fallen goblins, we¡¯d done quite a number on them, but I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how many had survived and fled. I held up our advance at the entrance to the goblin¡¯s lair, only to spot a couple of the creatures retreating down a staircase in the far corner of the room. Giving the swirling energy at the top of the stairs, it must have been the portal to the second level of the dungeon. I suspected most of the goblins had fled to the floor below, but just to be safe, we scoured the camp, looking for any holdouts. A trio of goblins sprang from one of the tents when Lillia peeked inside. She skewered one on her spear, but the other two were on her before she could recover her weapon. I picked one off with a magic missile, and Rupert came to the rescue and dealt with the last. As soon as the final goblin fell, we resumed our search. Minutes passed before I was convinced there weren¡¯t any other threats waiting for us. With this level of the dungeon dealt with, all that remained was to gather loot. Having minions sure made this task a lot easier than it would have been if I was forced to do it on my own. I did help the team, starting with the largest tent that I assumed must have been Ebbiq¡¯s home. As I suspected, the boss creature of this floor had a bit more in the way of rewards than the few coppers in a normal goblin¡¯s pouch. I found a small chest in the back of the tent. It didn¡¯t appear to be locked and I used a piece of firewood to flip open the lid, not wanting to fall prey to some trap after making it this far. There weren¡¯t any traps, and inside the chest, was what looked like a pile of dirty laundry. Using my trusty sword, I pulled out the stinking garments, trying not to gag as I did so. Nothing on Earth could come close enough to describe how badly unwashed giant goblin clothes smelled. Once the stench ridden garments were out of the box, the real treasure was revealed, a pile of coins, and a golden goblet with a row of small green gems set around the rim. The coins in the box were mostly copper, but there were more than a few silver in the mix, as well as some smaller gemstones that I would have the folks at Refuge sell for me. The goblet might be something more important, though, as it was the only item to not have any signs of dirt or corrosion on it. That told me it was magical, but as it wasn¡¯t a direct system reward, I had no idea what it was or how it worked. All I could do was throw it in my pack and hope that once I made it back to my personal space, the system might give me a heads up on it. If all else failed, it might be something that Tzes¡¯zod could help with. He didn¡¯t know much about my role as a summoned being, but identifying magic items seemed like it would be more in his wheelhouse as a negotiator. After all, how could he negotiate if he didn¡¯t know the value of things? The others were still rummaging through the fallen, gathering the coin pouches of the goblins. I sort of felt bad for the team, it was a gruesome task. It hit me then; I was going about this the wrong way. ¡°Ah, man, I¡¯m sorry guys, hold up. I should have been the one to do the looting,¡± I said apologetically. I had forgotten the lessons I¡¯d learned from Glenda and Hoen back when I¡¯d helped defend their dungeon. All I needed to do to loot the fallen enemies was approach their corpse and the dungeon would transform them into loot. After all, the dungeon creatures inside here were all supposed to be just mana constructs. ¡°Sorry dungeon, I wasn¡¯t thinking about it, and the last dungeon I was in wasn¡¯t working properly. I can assure you I wasn¡¯t trying to game the system, and if you want, you can dissolve the rest of the fallen without me pulling any loot from them. Is that fair?¡± I called out to the dungeon, suddenly worried that it would think I was trying to double dip on the loot, having my minions pilfer the corpses and then using my status as an adventurer to loot them a second time. The dungeon core Glenda and her assistant Hoen had been kind enough to me, but I was there to assist them. Here, I was worried that if I¡¯d offended the dungeon core, it would crank up the difficulty to end my delve, or maybe alter the loot tables to make sure I didn¡¯t get anything good. A few moments later, the fallen enemies began to dissipate into mana vapor. ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can leave now, just let me know. Otherwise, I¡¯d like to see how your second floor is laid out. This one was a great challenge,¡± I said to the dungeon core that I hoped was cool with me now. ¡°You have been here before, with the thieves. Now, you return and wish to address me directly?¡± A voice thundered from the portal at the stairwell. Chapter 198. An Unexpected Turn. Chapter 198. An Unexpected Turn. ¡°You are correct, I¡¯ve been here before, but not of my own volition. I was summoned here by another person, as were the others with me. For that summoning, the system offered me a reward, a chance to explore your dungeon on my own. You mentioned thieves, but I tried to contact you to make sure I wasn¡¯t dealing unfairly with you,¡± I said. ¡°You helped the thieves, those that cut off my dungeon from others and use it for their own purposes. I will see if your previous visit was as you claimed,¡± the dungeon told me before going silent. Dungeons had many ways to view what was taking place inside them, and I had to believe they had something in place to review previous dungeon runs. What it would find should confirm that I was just a summoned being, but what it would do with that information was a mystery. I really wanted to get a good run in and gain enough experience to finally reach tier two. ¡°It was as you say. You were not allies with the tormentors, only their unwitting pawns,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°Tormentors? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand. Were the kids threatening your core or doing something to harm you? How do they torment you? I¡¯ve worked with a dungeon before, but there was little time to understand how she functioned,¡± I asked, confused over what the dungeon¡¯s beef with the kids had been. ¡°The system restricts what I can tell an outsider, but I can explain this. For a dungeon to survive, it must have mana brought in from other beings. Much of it is gained by their presence inside, as well as when they engage directly in defeating the challenges inside. When a summoned creature is inside, the amount of mana gained is negligible. The tormentors rarely enter my home themselves, and when they do, it is briefly, and they never engage directly in combat with my challenges, they only send their summoning minions to do their work for them. ¡°For whatever reason, these tormentors, and several groups like them, are the only ones who enter inside my home. They prevent normal adventurers from testing themselves against my challenges and prevent me from growing and evolving. They often take more mana from me in the form of rewards, than they return with the presence of their summoned creatures,¡± the dungeon explained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had no idea, and I expect that they might not know either. Have you tried to contact them directly as you¡¯re doing with me now?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, once I did, the older one, the powerful mage, dismissed my concerns and said I was here to provide entertainment for his charges. He threatened my core if I did anything to harm them,¡± the dungeon said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, and I¡¯m afraid that my visit here is limited, or I would gladly help you. Tell me, have you considered offering your own summoning contract? The dungeon I assisted before had offered one in the city of Somhagen. If you do, adventurers might come and help to defend you against this wizard, or maybe make sure your dungeon is open to all who wish to visit,¡± I offered. ¡°The city of Somhagen is known to my kind, but I lack the power to visit it,¡± the dungeon said with surprising sadness in his voice. ¡°You can¡¯t visit Somhagen, but I will soon. If you¡¯d like, I could take your offer to one of the brokers I trust. They¡¯ll find you an appropriate summoned being that can be called on to help you against this wizard if he tries to harm your core. Maybe they can exit the dungeon and negotiate with the wizard so you aren¡¯t starved of resources,¡± I offered. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how it would work with me as a messenger, but maybe Lavelle, or the new broker on tier two, that Rhett guy, could help me with the details. ¡°That would be appreciated,¡± the dungeon said. Before he could continue, a system prompt cut him off. You have offered to facilitate a contract between the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon core, and a summoning broker in the city of Somhagen. As you currently have employed the services of a negotiator, do you wish to attempt to summon the being known as Tzes¡¯zod to assist you in these negotiations? Y/N. ¡°I think I can summon someone who can help us work this out. Before that, do you have a name for yourself. I feel bad just calling you dungeon, or Ruins of the Forbidden Glade,¡± I asked. ¡°I am the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade, but perhaps my assistant, Capria, can assist us. It taxes me to speak directly, and she can work through any details with you. Thank you for offering to help, summoned being, you have my gratitude and I¡¯m now happy that I didn¡¯t immediately kill you when you entered my home,¡± the dungeon said. A portal opened behind me, and out stepped Tzes¡¯zod. At the same time, from the stairwell portal, a young woman appeared. She looked almost human but had a greenish tint to her skin. It wasn¡¯t like an orc or goblin¡¯s hue; it was a more natural and healthy shade. Instead of clothing, living plants grew around her body, clothing her in nature¡¯s embrace.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Rico, I heard you might have need of my services, what have you gotten yourself into this time?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. He was wearing the guise of Gimblewalt again, which was probably a good thing when we started negotiations. Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s normal undead visage was a bit more threatening than I wanted this negotiation to be. ¡°I believe you are Capria? Hello, I¡¯m Rico, and this is Gimblewalt who will be facilitating our deal,¡± I said, ignoring Tzes¡¯zod for the moment. ¡°Greetings, and just so you know, there is no need for subterfuge. Your negotiator¡¯s true form is not something that frightens or intimidates us. It is very hard to fool a dungeon assistant while inside the very dungeon we serve,¡± Capria said. ¡°My apologies, Capria, I am Tzes¡¯zod, and I find my form often troubles others and leads to misunderstandings in the process of negotiation. Perhaps we can start with a recap of what you two have discussed so far,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, dropping the illusion of Gimblewalt and revealing his true form. I spent a few minutes bringing Tzes¡¯zod up to speed on what I¡¯d learned from the dungeon. Capria added anything I¡¯d missed and went into their desires in more detail. Tzes¡¯zod quietly absorbed everything, asking a few questions to clarify important points. ¡°I believe I have a thorough understanding of the situation. It is within the scope of my ability to bind an agreement between both parties, as well as facilitate the interaction with the city of Somhagen. Rico is willing to assist you in bringing an offer to a broker in the city, but what can you offer in compensation for his services?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. I almost interrupted him, I wasn¡¯t looking for anything back from the dungeon, I just wanted to help it. ¡°Before I can make an offer, Tzes¡¯zod, perhaps Rico can explain a bit more about his visit here,¡± Capria asked. I tried to explain how the dungeon key was given as a reward for my previous summoning, and I was here to gather loot, and more importantly, experience. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the loot I can offer is minimal, as you know the impoverished situation that we find ourselves in,¡± Capria started, she began to pace as she spoke, and I was surprised to see flowers grow in her footsteps. ¡°We cannot offer much in the way of financial compensation directly, but my dungeon can inform the system that you completed all the objectives inside with exceptional skill. This should grant you a higher rating than normal and allow you more of the experience that you desire.¡± ¡°Can a dungeon do that; you can influence my summoning ranking at the end of a session?¡± I asked. ¡°We have some influence on such things, but, as always, the system is the final arbiter,¡± Capria explained. ¡°You should know, Rico, that not all dungeon cores are as sapient and understanding as the one I serve. I would warn against attempting to contact most, as the more simple-minded types will often take that as a direct challenge and throw everything that they have at you,¡± Capria warned. ¡°I know a bit about dungeons as well and can confirm that Capria is correct. Most are guided by instincts and, other than with their direct assistants, they view all communications as a threat to their core,¡± Tzes¡¯zod confirmed. ¡°Got it, no trying to make small talk with most dungeons,¡± I said. ¡°If you both would allow me, I think I have what I need to form a binding contract between both parties,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Both Capria and I nodded our agreement, and a few moments later the system presented us with Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s offer. The being known as Rico Kline has offered the following to the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon core.
  1. Rico Kline will create a summoning contract with a broker of his choice inside the city of Somhagen. Monetary rewards for this contract will be provided by Rico and will be sufficient to recruit a skilled summoned being of an appropriate Tier and Rank.
In return for this, the dungeon will offer the following.
  1. A confirmation that they consider Rico¡¯s efforts inside the dungeon to be of the highest quality, which will influence his overall ranking at the end of this summoning.
¡°It looks fine to me,¡± I said. Thinking back on how much silver I had received for taking a contract, it shouldn¡¯t cost me too much to set up a contract with the broker. I was more than happy to do so if it helped the dungeon survive. After all, I had just received 600 gold from Gary renting out my personal space expansion. A handful of silver or even a gold or two wasn¡¯t going to hurt me. I¡¯d gladly pay that much to hit tier two as soon as possible. ¡°There is one addition to the contract that I wish to make,¡± Capria said, and the updated contract appeared. The Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon has modified their offer.
  1. Rico Kline will create a summoning contract with a broker of his choice inside the city of Somhagen. Monetary rewards for this contract will be provided by Rico and will be sufficient to recruit a skilled summoned being of an appropriate Tier and Rank.
In return for this, the dungeon will offer the following.
  1. A confirmation that they consider Rico¡¯s efforts inside the dungeon to be of the highest quality, which will have an effect on his overall ranking at the end of this summoning.
  2. The dungeon will offer a token to allow Rico to return and explore once the threat to it has been resolved.
¡°It¡¯s just something I wanted to offer you, I would like you to see our home when it is in its glory, not in its current, deprived state. Both parties have agreed to the new terms, and the contract is now binding and enforceable by the system. Almost as soon as the agreement was confirmed, I was pulled from the dungeon. Your summoning is now considered complete. Your performance rating has been deemed Exceptional. You have earned 48 experience points. You have earned 117 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 0. You have unlocked a class evolution. A visit to the city of Somhagen has been unlocked and a portal to the city has been added to your personal space. Current Status. Rico Kline, class pending. Tier 2, Rank 0. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 32/35. Summoning points: 224. Chapter 199. Evolution Options. Chapter 199. Evolution Options. I returned to my personal space, more excited than I¡¯d been in a while. A class evolution sounded great, but I had no idea what it actually meant. On top of that, there was the trip to Somhagen which was always an interesting and rewarding time. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t going to be much in the way of physical rewards from the dungeon visit, I¡¯d only gathered a limited number of coins during the trip and the system was only going to reward me with the experience and summoning points. I had picked up that strange goblet, but before I could head to the loot chest to examine it, the system began to bombard me with notices. Congratulations, you have achieved your first class evolution. Three options have been selected for you, choose one of the following, or you may opt for your class to remain as it currently is. Please note that the evolved classes tend to be much more powerful than a standard class. Please note that class evolutions can dramatically change the way your class, and your interaction with the system, functions.
  1. Foe Splicer. Use the best traits of those you have defeated to transform yourself into a powerful being. Combine traits, spells, and stats to form unique builds tailored specifically for any situation you might find yourself in.
The Foe Splicer class eschews the ability to summon versions of your fallen foes and instead, seeks to enhance the summoned being directly. A pool of positive traits and abilities gleaned from encounters with your enemies will become available for you to choose from on each summoning. Different loadouts can be pre-selected, as well as a version for when you return to your home. Please note that the effects of a mana deprived world may affect the power and efficacy of some of your loadout options. Your choice of abilities, magic spells, and even your physical stats will vary and may change as you encounter new enemies. One choice is given at Tier 0, Rank 0, and another may be selected for every five ranks you¡¯ve acquired. At Teir 2, Rank 0, you will have 5 choices for each summoning. The choices made at each rank will be selected from a small pool of options that mirror the power of that particular Tier and Rank. For example, you may be offered a simple weapon proficiency or a minor stat increase for your Tier 0, Rank 0 choice, but at Tier 2, Rank 0, your options would reflect powers from foes of that tier, granting you more substantial stat increases, or allowing you access to powerful magic and abilities. An additional benefit of this class is that you can alter many of the magic items you possess to fit your different loadouts. These changes are modest but can make a difference in the choices you select for a particular loadout. For example, you cannot change a wand of magic missiles into a greatsword, but you could alter the wand to cast a different spell which would better enhance the specific loadout. Similar things can be done for magical weapons and armor. A magic longsword could be shifted into a warhammer, dagger, or spear, while chainmail armor may be shifted into plate, leather, or a protective mage¡¯s robe depending on your desires. These changes can only be made with simple magic items, more powerful items cannot be shifted from their original purpose. An additional feature of this class is that at each Tier, you may opt to select a negative trait from one of your foes, and in return, select an additional positive trait. Use caution when selecting a negative trait, and carefully weigh if what you are gaining outweighs the negative trait you will be saddled with for the remainder of your summoning. Choices can only be altered inside your armory, and you will be granted 5 different loadout options at your current Tier and Rank, with the option to add another loadout choice for every five additional Ranks you acquire. A separate loadout for your return home is allowed in addition to the others. This class evolution will enact permanent and extensive changes to your existing stats, spells, abilities, and how the system interacts with you. Wow, the Foe Splicer seemed intense, and the system granted me some time to review it before it revealed the next option. I could see myself mixing up some abilities and becoming powerful. What if I had the stealth ability of the verminkin, combined with the toxic clouds of the guy I¡¯d fought at the restaurant? Who didn¡¯t want to buff the stats of their choice. I could boost intelligence if I was going into a negotiation, or constitution and strength for a brawl. While the system did give a better rundown of the class than it usually did, it still didn¡¯t give me all the details. If I knew exactly what abilities and spells that I could choose from, it might help sway me toward this class. As it stood, I wasn¡¯t sure if the boost to personal power was the right fit for the way I liked to fight.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I¡¯d had reasonably good luck working with my minions to deal with the foe, and I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to give that up. Going toe to toe with everything I encountered could lead to a painful existence as a summoned being. Still, being more physically powerful and durable, could save my life on Earth. Who knew what new and powerful foes I¡¯d encounter as I climbed in tier, and how the abilities I took from them might mix with the others I had to create something unstoppable. The Foe Splicer was a mixed bag, but I had other options to consider before deciding.
  1. Foe Mirror. No matter what an enemy throws at you, you¡¯ll throw it right back at them. Never again worry about not having a counter to a particular foe.
The Foe Mirror grants you the ability to mimic and counter whatever your current foe is doing. For example, if a foe is using fire magic, you will be granted a boost to your fire resistance, as well as access to the same school of magic. A swordsman will grant you sword skills that improve every few seconds. When facing a summoner, you will begin to summon your own version of their minions. Finding yourself in a tough negotiation may grant you insight into your opponents¡¯ motivations and desires. At higher Tiers, you may even be granted a direct counter to the threat you are facing. Your version of your foe¡¯s power will start off weak, and slowly build over the duration of the encounter. To allow you the time to safely grow in power, the Foe Mirror boosts all your baseline resistances, as well as allows you to create barriers of different types. These barriers will gain power and new ones will unlock as you increase in Tier and Rank. Basic weapons and armor skills for the most common items are included with this class evolution. Some simple spells and abilities can be learned, but more advanced versions are restricted. Your true power is in what you acquire from your opponent, not what you initially bring to the summoning. Please note that the Foe Mirror has the power to overcome just about any situation, but the main factor you must take into account is that your power will build slowly. Surviving the early stages of an encounter is crucial, and at least some tools to help you do so are key features of this class evolution. This class evolution will enact permanent and extensive changes to your existing stats, spells, abilities, and how the system interacts with you. The Foe Mirror was an odd take on a class evolution. From the system description, there was little out there that I wouldn¡¯t be able to eventually overcome. I also loved never having to worry about having the right loadout, my class would give me the tools I needed, no matter the type of encounter. It seemed that, given enough time, I could solo a dragon. The downside, and it was a big downside, is that my power would take time to ramp up. If the barriers I was granted didn¡¯t hold up to the early stages of an encounter, I was toast. That also brought the question of how this would function on Earth. If someone shot at me, would it grant me the ability to use firearms and grant me bulletproof skin? Would my barriers even work there with Earth sucking all the mana from them? During a summoning, the Foe Mirror could be unstoppable much of the time, but back home, I was worried. There was one final option for me to peruse.
  1. Foe Commander. Select a permanent team of minions and grow them in power as you gain experience. Even the most basic Tier 0, Rank 0 minion can become something more with this class. As the Commander, you are heavily protected from harm until your minions have been defeated.
The Foe Commander is geared toward growing and empowering their team. Starting at Tier 0, Rank 0, you will select one minion of this Tier and Rank from a limited pool of your previous opponents. Once selected, this decision will be permanent, and that minion is the only one you may summon from that Tier and Rank. Every 5 Ranks, you are granted an additional minion to summon. While these minions are in your service, they will gain experience and level up to new Tiers and Ranks. The cap for each minion is an additional 5 Ranks from where they started. Once they reach that cap, new evolutions, and the chance to enhance them to Veteran status and beyond will be unlocked. Each minion will have a separate spot inside your armory. From the armory, you can inspect their weapons, gear, skills, and magical abilities. These can also be improved with upgrade tokens that you may purchase with your Summoning Points when in Somhagen. These upgrade tokens can also be occasionally found as rewards during your summoning sessions. This class evolution will enact permanent and extensive changes to your existing stats, spells, abilities, and how the system interacts with you. This was more in line with what I was already doing. I would be locked into a single minion for every five ranks, but that would end up with me having more minions that I could currently summon given my current mana reserve requirements. I liked the idea of making my minions more powerful. I hated that poor Rupert wasn¡¯t always effective since he was such a low tier and rank. With the way the system described the class, I could tailor a balanced party depending on who, or what, I selected for my team. With the ability to upgrade their gear and abilities, I could also create new synergies between them. The icing on the cake was the little snippet that the system threw in about me being heavily protected from harm until the minions were defeated. It was the opposite of the Foe Mirror, where I would gain power, but start out weak. With the Foe Commander, I would start strong until my minions were killed. Foe Mirror might be more powerful over time, but I enjoyed having minions and not using my face as the punching bag for every encounter. There was also the Foe Splicer that gave me the option to craft myself into something incredibly formidable. I had a difficult choice to make, and I hoped the system would give me enough time to mull it over. Chapter 200. Chapter 200. Class Decision. Tzes¡¯zod wasn¡¯t in the personal space, which was too bad. While he was no expert on my class, and the potential evolutions, he was smart, and it would be good to bounce my thoughts off him. There was always Gary, and I had a question-and-answer session with him still available to me. That brought up the question of how much I trusted Gary, and I¡¯d have to say, not very much. He was bound by the system not to harm me, but he wasn¡¯t bound to offer the best advice. I could see a being like Gary getting his kicks on steering me toward a class and build that would seem great now but hamper me in the future. He¡¯d probably just see it as an opportunity to get me to sell my soul for a better build. The only person here now was Melvin. He had limited communication skills, but of all the strange creatures and people I¡¯d met, he was the one I trusted the most to do what was best for me. A quick check of my personal space showed that he was inside the training center where he liked to spend most of his time. ¡°Hey, Melvin, do you have a minute?¡± I asked. He sent me an affirmative, and ended the training session he was in, his cubic form sliding into the main room a moment later. He sent me an image of a question mark to tell me he was ready to hear what I wanted to ask. ¡°I have a class evolution available, and there¡¯s three for me to choose from. Can I get you opinion on them?¡± I asked. His cube quivered back and forth in what I took to be a yes. I gave him a rundown of the three classes as well as what I liked and disliked about each one. When I was done, I waited to see how Melvin would respond. He replied in a series of images. The first was a combination of the Foe Splicer, and Foe Mirror class. I was alone, fighting against the various monsters in the training center. While I won each bout, I could see that Melvin was off to the side watching and waiting. The final series of images was of the Foe Commander. Once again, I was in the training center fighting against the various challenges. This time, the team of minions was doing all the heavy lifting, and to my surprise, Melvin was there, draped over my armor in the final version of the slime armor he was trying to invent. Along with the images he sent feelings of belonging, of camaraderie, and contentment. It was clear that he liked the summoner class and saw himself fitting into that class and build at some point. He had a strong desire to fight and explore at my side and for whatever reason, he didn¡¯t see himself fitting in as well with the other two classes I was offered. ¡°I know you want to help me during my summonings, and when we¡¯re back home. But be honest with me, putting your feelings aside, do you really think the Foe Commander is the best of the three?¡± I asked. Melvin was silent for a moment before he replied. ¡°Alone is danger, together is strong. Alone is sad, together is happy,¡± he whispered in my mind, adding the image of me alone in a dark dungeon, and then in the same dungeon with a team at my side. ¡°Thanks, I need a bit to think about all this, but whatever class I decide to pick, know that you¡¯ll always be an important part of the team,¡± I told Melvin. I mulled the choices over again, realizing that I agreed with Melvin. I wanted a team at my side, I didn¡¯t want to face the horrors of these system-controlled worlds alone. I¡¯d started my life with a class that summoned minions, and now I was being offered a chance to improve upon that class and become even more powerful. You have chosen the Foe Commander class. Please wait as changes are made to your physical being, your personal space, and your inventory. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but I began to feel sick as if my body started shifting and moving. My mana also began to change, and the process was far from painless. Barely making it to my rocking chair, all I could do was sit there and endure the unpleasantness, knowing that it would have to end soon. Minutes passed, and the pain began to fade. When it was gone, I felt better than I had before the system had begun its work. I could hear things moving around in the training center and also in the armory, but I didn¡¯t think it wise to go charging in either of those places until the system gave me the go ahead.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The transition to your new Foe Commander class is complete. First, we¡¯ll review the changes to your physical form. All your stats have improved, and here are your new baseline totals. Strength, 14. Agility, 13. Constitution, 16. Mind, 22. Presence, 12. Current Mana, 44. Damage Resistance, 10%. Going forward, your stats will improve as you gain new Tiers and Ranks. You will gain 1 point in mind for each new rank. Each point in Mind now adds 2 points to your mana pool. While your mana pool is now substantially smaller than when you were a Foe Summoner, your minions no longer need to reserve a portion of your mana. Constitution and Presence are considered secondary stats for your class and will increase by 1 point every 5 ranks. Strength and Agility are tertiary stats and will increase by 1 point at every new Tier. Damage Resistance is a new feature of your class. All types of damage are reduced by 10% after all other factors are taken into consideration. At each Tier, you will be granted an additional 5% damage resistance. The maximum Damage Resistance for your class is 50%. Please note that some classes, items, and abilities may have ways to negate damage resistance. The next class feature is your minions. Do you wish to begin that review, or do you wish for some time to examine the current information? I requested a pause while I looked over the new stats, and how they worked for my class. At first, I felt a bit ripped off that I only got two points of mana for each point of mind, but not having to reserve mana for my minions more than made up for it. The reality was that despite my old class having a much larger mana pool, I usually only had somewhere between 20 and 30 points to work with after choosing all my minions. Damage resistance was new, and while 10% might not seem like much, I¡¯d been on the brink of death too many times during a summoning, and in the real world, where the extra resistance would have made a huge difference. It would also grow as I attained higher tiers. It was capped at a max of 50%, but that was huge when I already had minions to act as meat shields for me. I had a handle on the first round of changes, now it was time to dig into my minions. As stated before, you may select one minion for every 5 ranks you possess. Once selected, you will be locked into that minion for some time. Choose carefully and look for possible synergies among the minions of your various Tiers and Ranks. At each new tier, you will have the option to replace 1 of your minions. When you gain experience, your minions will also gain experience, though at a reduced rate. Each minion may increase its rank by a maximum of 5. Once a minion is at the maximum, its experience will be funneled into unlocking veteran status. To learn more about veteran status for the Foe Commander¡¯s minions, you must reach the maximum rank with one of your minions. Your minions no longer require mana to summon. To summon them, you merely need to concentrate on which one you wish to summon and choose a location for them to appear. The maximum range you can summon a minion at is equal to 10 feet per Tier. You must have line of sight on the location you wish to summon your minion at. A cooldown of five seconds must pass between each minion being summoned. You may now select one minion from each Tier and Rank group. Tier 0, Rank 0.
  1. Rupert Stonehewer, Dwarf Commoner.
  2. Mangy hound.
  3. Dire rat.
  4. Angry housecat.
  5. Goblin spearman.
Tier 0, Rank 5.
  1. Lillia Fairwind, elvish militia recruit.
  2. Juvenile cave spider.
  3. Humanoid zombie.
  4. Human thug.
  5. Gnoll scout.
Tier 1, Rank 0.
  1. Ghoul.
  2. Advanced skeleton.
  3. Marvin Glum, human warrior.
  4. Cave spinner spider.
  5. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer.
Tier 1, Rank 5.
  1. Grulnok, orcish weapon master.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders.
  3. Vaylon the Twisted.
  4. Gnoll tracker.
  5. Halfling rogue.
Tier 2, Rank 0.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone.
  2. Verminfolk assassin.
  3. Kobold work gang.
  4. Tiki warband.
  5. Plague warrior.
It was quite a list. I was thankful that most of my old minions were still in the lineup. I knew them and how they fought. Several of my options were things I had fought, but never had the chance to choose as my own minion. The real challenge now was to craft a team from the five minions. If I made a bad call, I wouldn¡¯t be able to change anyone out until I hit tier three. Chapter 201. Recruiting the Team. Chapter 201. Recruiting the Team. Time to build a team. Maybe the best choice was to start from the highest tier first and work my way down. The tier two minions would be my most powerful, and I¡¯d prefer to build a team around that choice. One thing I noticed was that there were several picks that sounded like multiple minions. It was kind of like some of the consumable figurines I¡¯d used before. Another issue was that all my choices were now common minions, and even my old standby Grulnok was no longer a veteran. It must have to do with them now able to gain ranks and abilities. Of the five tier two choices, one stuck out. It was the Mana Slayer Drone. These were the things I had fought onboard the starship. They were like some kind of terminator bots, that sought out mana users and tried to destroy them. I also liked the Verminfolk assassin. One of those had ended me quickly, but I was reluctant to have a rogue type character as my top tier minion. Maybe it was short sighted, but I kind of wanted someone tankier at that tier. The plague warrior was powerful, and it was odd that a human summoned being from back home was chosen as one of my minions. I kind of figured that the lack of mana on Earth would make the system have a harder time pulling options from there. Maybe a swarm tactic was good for the top tier, but my options were a bunch of kobolds or the tiki monsters, neither of which I was overly impressed with. It came down to the drone, the assassin, and the plague warrior. At least I already had a good idea of what each minion did, after all, I had fought them all at some point. Another approach when deciding was to think about which one would remain effective even when I was higher tier and had more powerful minions. I feared the assassin would lose effectiveness over time as I faced more powerful enemies. A tier four or five opponent would have a strong chance of seeing through the stealth of a tier two minion, even when he eventually reached veteran status. The plague warrior had the same concern. His whole schtick was the toxic fumes he exuded, and like the assassin, I feared that higher tier foes would be able to easily resist them. After that, I¡¯d be left with just a mediocre fighter in the case of the plague warrior, or a decent, but fragile, damage dealer in the assassin¡¯s case. For my first choice, I was going to go with the mana slayer drone. They were powerful at their tier, and even at higher tiers, it could still function in several roles. The ones I fought aboard the ship had a stealth field that mimicked the assassin¡¯s ability, as well as powerful bladed limbs that made short work of any of the defenders up close. Its armor had been strong enough to absorb multiple hits, and the icing on the cake was that they also had grenades that shot out death rays. Sure, my newly minted minion might not have disruptor beam grenades from the start, but I¡¯d expect him to add some by the time I was done ranking him up. Making my selection, the system responded with more details. You have selected Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0. Experience, 0/35. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion¡¯s equipment.
  1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, the minions armor consists of overlapping steel plates that are strong against most physical attacks.
  2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands with long reach. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons.
  3. Stealth Field Generator, Rank 0. At this rank, the stealth field generator may operate for up to one minute per Tier. The field leaves behind a slight distortion which may be used by more observant foes to track and target your minion. Higher ranks will improve the generators¡¯ ability to conceal the minion, as well as block other forms of vision and scrying.
Open: This equipment slot is open. Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
  1. Nullify magic. This passive ability grants the mana slayer a damage reduction of 10% for all mana-based spells and abilities.
  2. Open.
Spells: None, this minion cannot use magic of any type. Okay, that wasn¡¯t bad, but I could see that even at tier two, my mana slayer had a way to go before it would unlock more of its signature skills. Sadly, it looked like I¡¯d have to wait for the grenades. Its strong armor and ability to resist magic damage could be used in a pinch to shield me from powerful attacks. Next up was my tier one, rank five minion. Grulnok had always been a solid pick, but I feared his effectiveness would be blunted now that he was no longer a veteran minion. I didn¡¯t know how long it would take to get him back to that status. It was also offset by the fact any of my minions could now become veterans. The gnoll and the halfling rogue were new to the list, and a rogue wasn¡¯t ever a bad choice. Having the gnoll with some tracking abilities might come in handy on a few of my summonings, but there were just as many times that the ability would be useless. Vaylon was the weird, mutated warrior that had his body randomly mutate each time I summoned him. The more random nature of his mutations made him a bit more inconsistent than Grulnok, who seemed to fill the same tanky dps role. My last option were the goblins. I¡¯d liked their synergy before, but the veteran Grulnok had outperformed them. Now, they were a much more attractive choice with two melee warriors, and a ranged attacker all in the same minion slot. To further sway me in their favor, I liked the idea of having a three for one summon where all three members would eventually become veterans. You have selected Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5. Experience: 0/30. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion¡¯s equipment.
  1. Armor, Rank 0. At this Rank all three goblins wear patchwork armor consisting of bits of leather, with steel scraps tied or sewn into their clothing.
  2. Weapons, Rank 0. Each goblin has a different weapon loadout and at this Rank, they consist of a simple short spear for Glem, a simple chopping blade for Glamb, and a crude shortbow for Glurk.
  3. Open.
Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
  1. Horde Tactics, Rank 0. As long as at least one other goblin with this ability is alive, each goblin with the ability receives a 10% bonus to attack and defense.
  2. Open.
Spells: At this Rank, none of the three goblins possess the ability to cast spells. The three goblins weren¡¯t missing anything, and I had hopes that when I upgraded their gear, they would be much more powerful. Their Horde Tactics ability also looked like would improve as they gained new ranks. As far as magic was concerned, it was left open as a possibility, unlike with the mana slayer drone. I had my stealthy tank in the mana slayer drone, a horde of goblins to distract and wear down my enemies, and now it was time for my tier one, rank zero choice. This one was going to be the easiest choice of all for me. While I now had the spell Health Bloom, having a dedicated healer for the team was a must-have. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 0. Experience: 0/25. Spell Slots: 4. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 spell slot per hour. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion¡¯s equipment.
  1. Armor, Rank 0. Elida wears a healer¡¯s robe which provides minimal protection.
  2. Weapons, Rank 0. Elida wields a simple wooden staff.
  3. Open.
Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
  1. Channel Mana, Rank 0. 1/day, Elida can stop for ten seconds and quickly gather any ambient mana, refreshing one of her spell slots. This ability can be disrupted if Elida is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
Spells:
  1. Minor Healing Burst, Rank 0. This spell heals any ally that Elida can touch. The amount of healing is currently minimal but will improve at higher Ranks.
  2. Burst of Light, Rank 0. This spell emits a bright light at a targeted point. Elida can choose any location within her line of sight as the target for this spell. Anyone close to where the burst hits may receive a penalty to their sight for the next 5 seconds.
  3. Personal Shield, Rank 0. This spell grants Elida a magical barrier that is the equivalent of leather armor. The duration is one hour, plus an additional hour per Rank.
I was happy with this pick, and a bit surprised that the system granted her spell slots as opposed to a mana pool. Resting for an hour wasn¡¯t always an option, but she could recover at least one slot quickly with her Channel Mana ability. For now, I¡¯d have her reserve most of her spell slots for healing, but casting the shield before a fight was probably a good option as well. Next up was my tier zero, rank five minion. Here, Lillia had always been my choice. She was a good all-rounder, but it was more a case of her being the best choice out of a few not-so-great ones. The spider and zombie were old pics, and I had no desire to replace her with either one. As for the human thug, he seemed to fill the same role as Lillia, and she was more of a known quantity which gave her the edge over the thug. My other option was the gnoll scout. I¡¯d passed on the gnoll tracker at tier one, rank five, but here, having a minion that could scout might prove a better fit. I wouldn¡¯t be giving up much in the way of combat power, and gnolls could usually hold their own in a fight. I think having a scout outweighed having another mediocre fighter at this tier. Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 5. Experience 0/20. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion¡¯s equipment.
  1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, Khurr wears only a sturdy tunic that offers no defensive bonus.
  2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, Khurr wields a crude hand crossbow and has a simple dagger as a backup weapon.
Abilities:
  1. Scout, Rank 0. At this rank, Scout allows Khurr to notice nearby danger, traps, and potential defensive positions that others might miss.
  2. Open.
Spells: At this Rank, Khurr has no access to magic. The gnolls scout was about what I¡¯d expected at this tier and rank. He might prove useful, and I was interested to see how all of them would improve as their rank increased. Having another ranged fighter was a nice bonus as well. With the drone, and two of the goblins, we had a solid front line of melee, and now a bit more punch to hit attackers at range. It was also curious how the amount of experience needed for the next rank was less for the lower tier and rank minions. Maybe the system was trying to compensate for their weaknesses by letting them rank up quicker. I still didn¡¯t know how they gained experience and I¡¯d likely have to wait for my next summoning to see how it all panned out. Last up for my minion selection was the bottom barrel tier zero, rank zero minion. I kind of missed my hound, but Rupert had always proven a bit more versatile. Thinking about back home, the hound might be the better choice. A dog suddenly appearing to help me in a fight would draw less attention than a dwarf. My other options weren¡¯t exciting, though I did wonder about the goblin spearman. Would the Horde Tactics of Glem, Glamb, and Glurk work with another goblin? It might if the spearman had the same ability. Was that something common to all goblins? I really wished that Tzes¡¯zod was here, he would probably know the answer. If the ability was a species feature, even my lowest rank goblin might boost the three more powerful goblins. It was my lowest rank, and least powerful minion, so I didn¡¯t mind taking a chance on the goblin. Blieek, goblin spearman. Tier 0, Rank 0. Experience 0/15. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion¡¯s equipment.
  1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, Blieek is equipped with a torn and stained tunic that offers no protection.
  2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, Blieek is equipped with a sharpened stick that he uses as a makeshift spear.
  3. Open.
Abilities:
  1. Open
Spells: Blieek does not have access to magic at this rank. My new minion Blieek was about as exciting as I had expected. Sadly, it looked like he wasn¡¯t going to be a participant in the Horde Tactics either. At least I now knew that the ability wasn¡¯t a universal goblin trait. I had my first regret over my choices, there would be no unstoppable goblin horde for me to command. Your minion lineup is as follows:
  1. Blieek, goblin spearman. Tier 0, Rank 0.
  2. Khuur, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 5.
  3. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 0.
  4. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  5. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0.
The die was cast, and I couldn¡¯t make any changes until tier three. It was time to find out what else had changed with my class. Hopefully, I¡¯d get to spend some time in the training center before my trip to Somhagen began. It would be good to put the new team through their paces and see how they worked together. Chapter 202. More Changes and Upgrades. Chapter 202. More Changes and Upgrades. Do you wish to continue the review of your class changes? I was done with minions for now, at least until I got a chance to take them out for a test drive in the training center. It was time to move on. The next feature of your class that we need to review is the changes to your spells and abilities. Some changes are substantial, but others remain similar to your previous class. Class features, skills, core upgrades, and spell book. Mana core upgrades:
  1. Rift travel containment field.
  2. Shielding, Stage 2. (10 mana).
Resistances:
  1. Curse of Undeath, minor.
  2. Toxins, minor.
  3. Mental Intrusion, moderate.
  4. Flame, moderate.
Skills:
  1. Basic bludgeoning weapons skill.
  2. Basic Unarmed Combat.
  3. Light armor proficiency.
  4. Basic Lockpick/Disarm Device.
  5. Basic swordsmanship skill.
Abilities:
  1. Linguistic adaptation interface.
  2. Riposte.
  3. Consumable planner. This ability is no longer compatible with your class and will now be an open ability slot. As compensation for its loss, you have been granted a class ability marker.
  4. Lend Skills. This skill is not compatible with your new class and will now be an open ability slot. As compensation for the loss of this skill, 2 minion experience tokens have been added to your inventory.
  5. Open.
Spell Book: Cantrips.
  1. Psionic Jolt. Mana cost 2.
  2. Redirect. Mana cost 2.
Tier 0 spells:
  1. Fail Weapons. Mana cost 4.
  2. Empower Minion. This spell is no longer compatible with your class and as compensation for its loss, a minion experience token and a tier 1 spell scroll has been added to your inventory.
Tier 1 spells:
  1. Duplicate. Mana cost 5. This spell has changed and now has a duration of 1-minute. There is also a 1-minute cooldown between uses of this spell and only 1 duplicate may be present at a time. As compensation for the reduced efficacy of this spell, you have been granted a Tier 2 spell scroll.
  2. Health Bloom, mana cost 10.
Other class changes:
  1. Gear cost. You are no longer bound by a gear cost but will have a limit to the number of consumable items you may equip to your loadout. The limit is equal to 1 per rank. You may currently equip 20 consumable items.
There were quite a few tweaks to my class. First off, my mana core shielding had automatically upgraded to stage two. I now had ten mana points that would be protected back on Earth and wouldn¡¯t just bleed off when I pulled on my mana. My abilities had also been ravaged. Both Consumable Planner and Lend Skills were no longer compatible, and I had something called minion experience tokens and a class ability marker added to my inventory. I wasn¡¯t sure what the minion experience token would do. If it just gave a few points of experience, it wasn¡¯t great, but if it was enough to bump a minion up a rank, that would go some way toward losing the Lend Skills ability. My spells were also tweaked, with Empower Minion going away and Duplicate becoming much less effective. Again, I was given compensation, this time in the form of a couple of spell scrolls as well as another minion experience token. The final big change was the fact that I was no longer bound by a gear cost. I was capped at one consumable per rank, but having a total of 20 wasn¡¯t that bad, and was quite a bit more than I usually would equip anyway. After reviewing the changes, the system hit me with one final thing. Many of your possessions are no longer as effective as they were for your old class. Some items have been altered directly, and for others, additional items have been added as compensation. The following changes have been made.
  1. Apprentice Headband of the Summoner. With the number of your minions capped by one for every five Ranks, this item has lost much of its efficacy. An additional minion experience token has been added to your inventory.
  2. Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. Your class no longer grants a +1 Rank to any summoned minions, so this item has lost efficacy. A minion ability token and a minion equipment token has been added to your inventory.
  3. Consumable Figurines. Your class no longer grants +1 Rank to consumable figurines. Given the limited number of figurines currently in your possession, you have been granted 1 veteran consumable figurine.
  4. You had previously been granted some equipment markers to exchange for gear in Somhagen. As much of that gear would have been used to enhance your prior minions, a new distribution of personal gear markers and minion equipment markers has been created.
  5. A minion veterancy token has been added to your inventory to compensate for any additional inconvenience.
I wasn¡¯t expecting the system to reimburse me for items that changed in effectiveness, so that was a pleasant surprise. To double check what had changed, I pulled up my entire inventory. Gear and equipment: Weapons and armor.
  1. Simple dagger.
  2. Simple mace.
  3. Gnomish Warhammer of undead slaying.
  4. Magic missile wand (12).
  5. The Commander¡¯s Armor.
  6. The Commander¡¯s Gladius.
  7. The Commander¡¯s Pilum.
  8. Padded leather armor.
  9. Dagger, Mind Render.
Misc equipment.
  1. Fitzfazzle figurine.
  2. Apprentice ring of the mind (+1 Mind).
  3. Headband of the apprentice summoner.
  4. Everburn torch.
  5. Pack of holding.
  6. Linked belt.
  7. Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts.
Consumables:
  1. Notice of Cessation (3).
  2. Potion of mirror image.
  3. Elixir of life.
  4. Salve of the flame mage.
  5. Minor mana potions (1).
  6. Minor healing potions (1).
  7. Spell scroll, Tier 1 (1).
  8. Spell scroll, Tier 2 (1).
  9. Class ability scroll marker (3).
  10. Personal equipment marker (2).
  11. Minion experience token (4).
  12. Minion ability token (1).
  13. Minion equipment token (8).
  14. Minion veterancy token (1).
Consumable Figurines: The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
  1. Angry Mob, Tier 1, Rank 5.
  2. Undying Minion (elite), Tier 1, Rank 5.
  3. Unknown (veteran), Tier 2, Rank 0.
I had accumulated more than I thought once it was all listed together. Before I moved on, I had a few items I needed to use. First off were my spell scrolls. I had one for tier one and another for tier two. Starting with the tier one scroll I activated it, surprised to find that it was a bit different than normal. Upgrade Spell. You may upgrade one of your cantrips or Tier 0 spells to a Tier 1 version of the spell. A random, class specific spell will take the place of the spell you have chosen to upgrade. Which one should I pick? As it stood, my other tier zero spell, Empower Minion had been eliminated so I was left with only Fail Weapons at tier zero. I also had Psionic Jolt and Redirect for my cantrips. Redirect had never impressed me, but I¡¯d gotten good use out of Psionic Jolt at the lower tiers, and Fail Weapons had great functionality back home. In the end, I had to go with Fail Weapons, as keeping someone from shooting me back home was a lifesaver. Fail Weapons has been upgraded to Tier 1. At this tier, the effects of the spell manifest much more quickly, and it can overcome additional resistances. Mana cost is now 5 for this spell. You have gained a new Tier 0 spell, Minor Barrier. This spell instantly creates a magical barrier around you or one of your minions. It will absorb 25% of the damage from the next successful attack or spell. Only 1 barrier may be active at a time, and the mana cost for this spell is 4. The Fail Weapons upgrade was what I had expected, and its replacement, Minor Barrier, wasn¡¯t a bad one either. Anything that improved my survivability was a welcome addition to my spell book. Next, I activated the tier two spell scroll to see what my first spell of that tier was going to be. Choose 1 of the following spells to be added to your spell book.
  1. Traitorous Impulse. This spell will temporarily change the allegiance of one enemy forcing it to fight for you. The duration of this spell is 20 seconds, and foes of higher intelligence may resist the spell entirely or have its duration reduced. The mana cost for this spell is 15 mana, and there is a 2-minute cooldown between uses.
  2. Entangle. This spell causes magical tendrils to burst around you in a 15-foot radius, grasping foes and holding them in place. The duration of this spell is 5 seconds, and there is a 2-minute cooldown between casts. The mana cost for Entangle is 15 mana.
  3. Vampiric Weapon. This spell allows your weapon strikes to steal health from your foe equal to half the damage dealt by your blow. This effect lasts for 10 seconds, and there is a 2-minute cooldown between casts. The mana cost for Vampiric Weapon is 15 mana.
All three were good, but thinking about my current strengths and weaknesses, I felt that having Entangle was the best option. It would serve a two-fold purpose, giving me some crowd control as well as an emergency escape button if I got into trouble. Standing and slugging it out in melee wasn¡¯t my thing, reducing the importance of Vampiric Weapon. Traitorous impulse looked interesting, but I felt the crowd control of Entangle was a better fit. You have gained the spell, Entangle. There were still three class ability and two personal equipment markers, but I received a notice that I¡¯d have to head to the Summoned Market to turn those in. I didn¡¯t need to visit Somhagen to use my minion tokens. Starting with the veteran token, I received a system notice telling me I¡¯d have to wait a bit before using it. Minion Veterancy Token. Activate this token to promote a minion to veteran status. Your chosen minion must have hit the Rank increase cap before this item can be activated. While I¡¯d love to have a veteran now, I was fine with waiting for my minions to rank up. It might even be beneficial to hold onto it and use it on a higher tier minion in the future. It all depended on how rare these were and if I could find them in Somhagen or get them as rewards for a high summoning rating. I couldn¡¯t use the veterancy token now, but I had others I could use. Activating the experience token, the system started going crazy with prompts. You have activated Minion Experience Tokens x4. Each token will grant 15 experience points to the selected minion. Selections are at random. The following minions have gained experience.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders.
  3. Khurr, gnoll scout.
  4. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer.
Sadly, nobody gained a rank from that, but several had gotten a good chunk of XP and Khurr was only five points away from rank one. I activated the Minion Ability Token next, and the system also randomized its results, but I was happy to see it was my most powerful minion that grabbed the prize. Mana Slayer Drone has unlocked the ability, Spell Reflect. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect one harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only trigger 1/hour, and more powerful spells can often resist the effects of Spell Reflect. If this ability is resisted, the Mana Slayer Drone will still reap some benefit, temporarily increasing its Nullify Magic ability. It was a good match for the minion and the drone was well on its way to being a nightmare for any caster to face. Last up were the minion equipment tokens, and the system again randomized not only which minions received the gear, but also whether it was an armor or weapon upgrade. You have activated Minion Equipment Tokens x8. Each token will increase the either the armor or weapon equipment Rank of the selected minion by 1.
  1. Blieek, goblin spearman, weapon rank upgrade.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, armor rank upgrade.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, armor rank upgrade.
  4. Mana Slayer Drone, armor rank upgrade.
  5. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, weapon rank upgrade.
  6. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer, armor rank upgrade.
  7. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, weapon rank upgrade.
  8. Mana Slayer Drone, armor rank upgrade.
It looked like the goblin raiders were the big winners of the random gear contest. Their weapons and armor were now rank two. The drone was up to rank two armor, and Elida¡¯s was rank one. Last and least was my goblin spearman with a single rank upgrade to his weapons. Khurr blanked and was right where he started from. I pulled up each minion¡¯s information, filtering to display just the changes. Mana Slayer Drone. Armor, Rank 2. At this rank, the Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor consists of overlapping composite plates that are effective against all types of physical attacks and resistant to any elemental damage. In addition, the armor now has a simple self-repair feature that will activate when not in combat. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Weapons, Rank 2. At this Rank, Glem is armed with a steel-tipped long spear with a minor magical enchantment to improve his chance to hit. Glamb has a heavy chopper blade in each hand and gains the ability to dual wield without penalty. Glurk¡¯s bow is upgraded to a longbow, and he has an extra quiver of steel-tipped arrows. Armor, Rank 2. Armor for all goblins is upgraded to well-made studded leather with matching boots, gloves, and helms. Blieek, goblin spearman. Weapons, Rank 1. At this Rank, Blieek¡¯s spear has been upgraded to a straight, wooden shaft with a flint tip. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Armor, Rank 1. At this Rank, Elida¡¯s healer¡¯s robes feature sturdy leather reinforcements sewn into critical areas. My minions had been given upgrades, and now the last thing on my list before it was time to test them out in the training center was the veteran consumable figurine. Like with my previous consumable figurines, this one changed as I held it for the first time. I had gotten a veteran version of my new tier two minion, the mana slayer. Nice, it would be a powerful addition to my consumables, and a good candidate to take back home with me. Now, with all my housekeeping squared away, it was time to see how my new minions would perform. Chapter 203. Working Together. Chapter 203. Working Together. ¡°Sorry, Melvin, I¡¯m going to be burning up the mana in the training center today,¡± I told my friend. Melvin sent feelings through our connection telling me that he was almost as excited as I was to see how the new team would perform. A quick check showed that the training center had around 70% of its mana remaining, plenty for a quick run with each new minion. It was odd that I didn¡¯t have a figurine for each of my summons now. Instead, I just had to concentrate on which minion I wanted, select a location for them, and boom, they appeared. Having fewer figurines to manage was a nice bonus. I wanted to start by summoning each minion individually and seeing how they operated. First out was the mana slayer drone, which I also used to test the extent of my summoning range by selecting a spot twenty feet away from where I was standing at the entrance to the training center. One moment the training center floor was empty, and the next, my mana slayer drone was standing there, no puff of mana or anything else to give away what had happened. The drone was almost an exact copy of the ones that I had fought aboard the starship. It stood about seven feet tall and was roughly humanoid in appearance. Its legs had knees that bent the opposite way a human would, and the feet were equipped with a set of vicious claws. Two sets of arms extended from its armored torso, the top set were longer, and ended in deadly, bladed claws. The other, smaller set was more like a human¡¯s hand. Each had four fingers and a thumb, along with an almost rubber-like substance on the metal appendages to help it grip things. Testing out its maneuverability I had the drone perform some basic activities and was surprised to see how agile it was for something so heavy. It could sprint at double my best speed, and using its arms and clawed feet, had little trouble climbing up the ceiling. This minion would have no problems keeping up with the rest of the team and could hunt down anything trying to escape us. My class change hadn¡¯t altered the training center that much, there was still the row of shelves holding summoning figurines to use as opponents. I was surprised to see a few additions to the shelves. The system had placed copies of all the minions I¡¯d declined into the training roster. I¡¯d get a chance to see my choice in action against the ones I¡¯d passed on. In addition to the new opponents, the training center had expanded by several yards on each side, giving me a larger battlefield to work with. For the first fight against my drone, I summoned the Verminfolk assassin. I knew the creature had been summoned, but I couldn¡¯t see it. The drone must have sensed something as it began to prowl around the training center, its clawed limbs occasionally lashing out to check for its foe. Almost too fast for me to see, the assassin appeared behind my drone, both blades stabbing into its armored torso. The verminfolk¡¯s blades glowed briefly as they struck, and I could see that, despite its rather sturdy appearance, the armor on my drone didn¡¯t do all that much to stop the strike. If my drone had been a living being, I don¡¯t think it would have survived, but my drone was still functional, despite some sparks shooting out from where it had been stabbed. The assassin disappeared again, but my drone was already counterattacking. Its torso swiveled to face the opponent, and the clawed arms lashed out. The left claw hit the invisible Verminfolk, and blood splattered as the blades easily sliced through the leather armor the assassin wore. The two began to go after each other, daggers, and bladed arms swung and stabbed in a flurry of blows almost too quickly for me to see. Now that its opponent wasn¡¯t backstabbing my drone, the dagger strikes were much less effective. Armored plates deflected about half the hits, and none of the others managed to penetrate more than an inch or so past the armor. With the assassin fending off the bladed arms of the drone, the other, shorter arms reached in, grabbing ahold of the verminkin, and lifting the squirming and squealing creature aloft. A swift swipe of the clawed hands decapitated the verminkin before it disappeared back into mana vapor.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. My drone was a bit worse for wear, but it was all illusion inside the training center. As soon as the fight ended, it was back to normal. If I had to guess, the drone could have stayed in the fight longer if needed. I tested out a few other opponents, and both the tiki creatures and the plague warrior fell easily. Those opponents counted on their poisoned weapons or toxic auras to damage their foes and my minion was mostly mechanical in nature. A bit worried, I had the drone purposely damage itself, cracking through one of the armored plates. Casting Health Bloom, I was glad to see the magic seemed to affect my minion as it would with living flesh. Maybe it was because it was my minion, or perhaps because it was a mana construct, but my spell worked normally. I also summoned Elida to heal him, and her healing spell worked also, but it didn¡¯t seem to pack as much punch as it should have. I¡¯d take a slightly reduced healing rate to prevent any toxins from affecting my most powerful minion. Elida Silverbarrow was as effective as I hoped, and combined with the drone, I had the pair face several opponents. The pair held their own against most foes, only losing to much more powerful enemies, or when swarmed by greater numbers. If the enemy could get past the drone, Elida fell quickly. I brought out the goblin trio to support them. The three looked much more imposing than when I had first seen them. New armor and better weapons served the team well. When combined with the drone and Elida, they punched far above their tier. Adding the gnoll scout, Khurr, and the goblin Blieek didn¡¯t seem to do as much for the team. They were my two lowest tier minions, so their limited effectiveness wasn¡¯t surprising. Adding them allowed the team to deal with swarms of lower-tiered opponents a bit more effectively. With everyone summoned, I had seven minions on the battlefield, a new record for me without using any consumables. As they gained higher ranks and added new gear, my team would only become more powerful. Every five ranks, I¡¯d also be adding a new member to the lineup. After testing them out, I felt confident in my new class. Just for fun, I placed the team up against a team made of the best of the other options I¡¯d had. The Verminfolk assassin, Grulnok, the ghoul, Lillia Fairwind, and Rupert went toe to toe against my dream team. It wasn¡¯t even close. The drone tied up Grulnok and Lillia, allowing the goblin Glurk and my gnoll scout to pepper the ghoul with ranged fire. The assassin dealt with Elida early on, appearing behind the healer and dropping her with his dual backstab strike. The goblins shifted their focus to the assassin, while the drone finished off Grulnok before moving to help. The surprise MVP was my lowly goblin spearman who managed to sneak up on Rupert before running him through with his newly improved spear. Poor Rupert, he always seemed to get the short end of the stick in fights. With the Verminfolk assassin unable to return to stealth as the goblins worked him over, the drone moved in and dispatched him the same way he had done before. Mopping up the last of the foes, my team was victorious, but not without losses. The two melee goblins, Glem and Glamb, along with Elida, were killed by the assassin. All the others, save for the lowly goblin spearman, had some level of damage. I purposefully kept out of the fight, letting the minions take the lead, but if I had been helping with my magic, the team would have ended up in much better shape. ¡°Hey, this place is nice, when do my boys get a crack at this training center?¡± Gary asked, startling me with his sudden appearance at the door to the training center. ¡°Wait, how did you get in here? I thought you had to stay in your expansion,¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I do, except that your portal to Somhagen appeared and I received notification from the system that it was time for our road trip. What do you say, buddy, are you ready to go? I¡¯d hate to miss my opportunity because you spent so long in here that the portal disappeared,¡± Gary said. ¡°That can happen? How long do I have?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, this is only the second, no, it¡¯s the third time I¡¯ve been in a summoned being¡¯s personal space. I¡¯m sure the system will give you a nudge when it gets impatient, I just didn¡¯t want to miss the bus,¡± Gary explained. ¡°Well, just give me a minute to grab a few things, and I¡¯ll be ready to go,¡± I said, dismissing my team and heading to the reward chest to withdraw everything I wanted to take with me. ¡°This is going to be fun, don¡¯t you think, Rico?¡± Gary said as we stepped through the portal. ¡°I just hope we don¡¯t get into any trouble,¡± I mumbled back. ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun, Rico, you need to live a little. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve got me here this time, what could go wrong?¡± Gary asked. I really didn¡¯t want to know the answer to that question. Chapter 204. Heading out in Style. Chapter 204. Heading out in Style. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s dusk, I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t get here during the middle of the day. All the fun stuff happens at night,¡± Gary said as we stood on the hillside overlooking Somhagen. As always, the doorway portals of the various summoned beings lined the hillside, and traffic was busy both coming and going from the city. ¡°What exactly are you planning to do in the city?¡± I asked. ¡°Hey, buddy, I don¡¯t pry into your business, don¡¯t pry into mine,¡± Gary warned. ¡°Got it, for now, I need to check out the second tier of the city. Are you planning to tag along the whole time, or are you going to go off on your own?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with you at least until the first gate, after all, you¡¯ll need to declare me as your guest to the guards. After that, I¡¯ll meet up again with you before you leave. Don¡¯t worry, I have ways of knowing when you¡¯re leaving and I¡¯ll find you easily enough,¡± Gary replied. Just about everything he said, even causal conversations like this had a creepy vibe. He was going to somehow know when I was ready to leave the city, and he could also track me. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± I said, walking down the hillside toward the road. ¡°Boring. Hold up, Rico. There¡¯s no walking for us, you¡¯re rolling with Gary now,¡± Gary said. I could see mana building around him, and a moment later, what looked like a carriage car appeared. Instead of wheels, long wooden poles were fastened to the bottom, and a pair of those big demon guys were holding onto them, ready to hoist the contraption up once we were aboard. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°A palanquin, duh, don¡¯t you have those in your world?¡± he asked. ¡°Uh, you know, I think we did, it¡¯s kind of outdated now, though,¡± I replied. It was something I now recognized from old movies and maybe a history class back in the day. ¡°Outdated, huh, we¡¯ll have to chat about that later. For now, hop in,¡± Gary replied. I was a bit concerned about him seeming to take an interest in my world, and I kicked myself for even mentioning that something was outdated. With no good reason to decline his offer, I opened the door to the cabin and stepped in. Gary followed behind me and we sat opposite each other on soft, velvet covered cushions. The pair of demons hoisted the palanquin up smoothly and began to walk toward the road. Their pace was quick, but the ride was surprisingly smooth. I had sort of expected to be jostled and bounced with every step, but it was no worse than a car driving slowly on a gravel road. Before long, we were approaching the gates to the city, having passed through the tents and temporary buildings that constituted the tier zero section of the city outside the walls. Thankfully, Gary remained silent during our journey. I felt like every conversation with him was a dice roll where it was only a matter of time before a number I didn¡¯t want to see came up. ¡°Halt and state your business,¡± one of the guards said as we approached the gate. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline, a summoned being heading to tier two of the city. This is Gary, my guest,¡± I said as the guards looked inside the palanquin. He stared at us both for a moment, likely getting some sort of system confirmation on our identity. Who knew what kind of skills and abilities that the city guards in Somhagen possessed. You two are authorized up to the second tier. Please be advised that you are responsible for any actions and harm caused by your guest. Also, these two may not enter and are required to leave the area immediately,¡± the guard said, gesturing toward our two bearers as he spoke.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not going to cause any problems for you. Now, hop out Rico, so I can send my boys on their way,¡± Gary said, exiting the palanquin and motioning for me to follow. Once outside, Gary snapped his fingers and a portal opened that the demons walked through with the palanquin, disappearing a second later. ¡°I think I¡¯ll hang out here for a bit Rico, you can just smell the desperation on some of these suckers. I¡¯ll catch up with you when you¡¯re ready to leave,¡± Gary said before walking off toward the tents and crowds of the outer section of the city. Glad to be rid of the creature, I continued through the gates and into the first tier of the city. I was still a bit nervous over what trouble Gary might get into, despite the system enforced agreement. With him on the prowl, I pitied any poor soul in the outer ring of the city who was desperate enough to sign a deal. He wasn¡¯t my problem, and I had a lot to do, so I put Gary out of my mind and started hoofing it toward the gateway leading to the second tier. I had been in the first tier of the city multiple times, both for regular visits, and once to just visit the arena. That was another thing I had to decide on. Did I pay for an entry into whatever arena challenge was at the second tier of the city? From what I learned in the database back home, it was generally a good idea to participate in the second-tier arena contest. After that, unless you had a class build that you felt was dominant, it would often cost you more in entry fees than what you could reasonably hope to earn. I was confident in my new class to deal with the tier two arena, especially after I got a chance to visit the Summoned Market and shop around for new gear. About the only concern I had was my limited time working with the new lineup. If the arena challenge was something combat related, I stood a good chance of placing high in the rankings. Before I could deal with the arena, I had to find it. After a brief stop by the guards at the gates to check my eligibility, I was sent through. It was fully dark now, and the second tier was brightly lit with magical lanterns, and several shops had even more elaborate lighting displays. I felt like I was in a European Christmas market, despite the weather being nice and warm, even at night. One peculiar feature of this tier was that the arena was almost right inside the gate. A large courtyard with temporary booths selling food and other items of interest to the arena viewers covered a large open area. Just beyond the booths, the arena structure rose up several stories. I wasn¡¯t going to stop in the arena just yet, but the smell of the food did make me look for a bite to eat. The choices were myriad, and I settled on a stall that had a large, flat grill with slices of meat and fresh vegetables cooking on it. The food was served in a thin bread that was somewhere between naan and a flour tortilla. I ordered one, and a mug of fruit juice to wash it down. The makeshift sandwich was well seasoned and a bit spicy, which I enjoyed. In no time, I¡¯d scarfed it down. ¡°Thanks, that was great,¡± I told the older man working the stall. ¡°Always glad to have a happy customer. Anything else I can get for you tonight?¡± he asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m looking for the Summoned Market. Can you point me in the right direction?¡± I asked. ¡°Not a problem, just follow the road that skirts around the arena. Turn onto Via Sangre and follow it for a few blocks. You can¡¯t miss the bright orange building,¡± he offered. ¡°Thanks again,¡± I replied before walking onto the road in front of the arena. It was strange that the system translation for the street names on this tier made them sound Latin. I suppose it fit with the whole arena thing, and I wonder if someone from ancient Rome had been a summoned being and brought back the concept of the arena to our world. The streets seemed safe enough. A few guards patrolled and there was brisk traffic everywhere I went. As I made it further into the city, each ring was going to get a bit smaller than the previous one, and it was only a short walk before I located the iconic orange Summoned Market for this tier. The building was quite a bit bigger than the shop on the first tier, and I hoped that meant I¡¯d have an even better selection than before. ¡°Welcome, Summoned Being. I am Cambre, how may I assist you this evening?¡± A slender, older woman in the orange robes of the market asked as I approached. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for several items, spells, abilities, and gear for my class. Can you point me in the right direction?¡± I asked. An employee of the Summoned Market, the being known as Cambre, has asked to inspect your class information. Will you permit this? Y/N. I accepted, knowing that the employees were supposed to be bound by the system to not reveal our information. You have granted limited access to the being known as Cambre. Once your shopping has ended, all access will be revoked. ¡°Thank you, now let me see what we have to offer the class of Foe Commander,¡± Cambre said, going still and silent as she stared off into space, likely going through some system data. ¡°I think we have just the thing for you. Please, follow me,¡± Cambre said, leading me deeper in the well-stocked store. I had a good feeling about this visit, it was time to spend some summoning points. Chapter 205. Summoned Shopping. Chapter 205. Summoned Shopping. ¡°I should mention that I have some class ability scroll markers, as well as a couple of personal equipment ones,¡± I told the clerk as she guided me through the labyrinthine store. ¡°Excellent, let me take a look at those if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Cambre said. I dug the scrolls out of my pack and passed them to the clerk. She looked them over, nodded, then waved for me to follow her. Eventually we wound up at a large display counter full of odds and ends. I did get a little excited when I saw that there was a small collection of summoning figurines. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with your gear. Is there anything in particular that you were hoping to find, if not, I can try to make some suggestions,¡± Cambre offered. ¡°I¡¯m open to any suggestions you might have. I was wondering if you had any other pieces for my current set,¡± I told her. Cambre examined my Commander¡¯s Regalia set, asking me details about how it functioned. ¡°Does your current gear work well for you, or would you be open to something new?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°I¡¯d be open to something new, I suppose the set bonus for the Commander¡¯s Regalia isn¡¯t as valuable for me anymore,¡± I replied, telling Cambre about my class change and not having a gear score cap. Reducing the gear cap was the main reason for adding pieces to the set. Cambre pulled a scroll from behind the counter and perused the glowing symbols on it. My system language translation didn¡¯t kick in, so it must have been written in some kind of proprietary language for the Summoned Market. ¡°I think we have something that will be a better fit for your new class. The chest piece is in stock, and I can have two other pieces transferred over from the other store tiers the day after tomorrow if you¡¯re going to be staying in the city for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t mind sticking around if the gear is a solid upgrade, can I see the chest piece?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, one moment, I¡¯ll be right back. While I¡¯m gone, here are a selection of class scrolls for you to consider. If you cannot find three that you want to keep, we can always look at some of the more standard skills and abilities,¡± Cambre said, pulling five scrolls from behind the counter. While I waited for her to fetch the armor, I looked at my class options.
  1. Template Hunter. This ability allows the Foe Summoner to mark an opponent to improve the chances for a version of it to become a permanent minion selection in the future. In addition, a consumable figurine of the marked foe will be added to your reward chest each time you rank up. If the marked foe is not offered as a permanent minion option during your next selection opportunity, a final consumable figurine of veteran status or better will be added to your rewards chest.
Only 1 foe may be marked at a time, though you can change your target at any time. Not bad, I could steer the system toward offering me minions that I wanted, not just what it randomly threw at me. There was a chance that the system would veto my choice, but if that happened, I¡¯d get a consolation prize of a veteran consumable or better. To sweeten the pot, it looked like I¡¯d get a normal version of the marked foe as a consumable each time I ranked up. It was a good class skill, but it was hampered somewhat by how long it would take to unlock a new minion. I¡¯d only get a new choice every five ranks, and I wasn¡¯t sure that the consolation prize and the bonus consumable were enough of a benefit to counteract the wait.
  1. Shared Burden. This ability allows you to link with the life force of your minions. When you take damage, 10% of that damage is transferred equally among any active minion. Another feature of this ability is that you can reverse its effects at will, opting to take upon yourself 10% of the damage your minions are receiving. If you choose to absorb part of your minion¡¯s damage, the ability will automatically deactivate if you¡¯re in danger of serious injury or death.
Another good option. Anything that mitigated the damage I took was a solid pick. It was just 10%, but when combined with my other resistances, I would become quite a bit tankier. There was also the chance to take some of the damage that my minions were receiving, but that seemed counterproductive unless I was in a position where I could heal myself, but not them.
  1. Beneath Notice. This ability makes you a less attractive target to most foes, making it more likely for them to focus on your minions rather than you. The intelligence of the foe plays a part in this ability, and the more intelligent the opponent, the more likely they are to ignore the ability¡¯s effects.
It seemed like a decent survival option. Sure, it wouldn¡¯t make a human assassin suddenly shift away from me as a target, but against most monsters, I¡¯d be quite a bit safer. It was too bad the system didn¡¯t give me a better idea of how intelligent a foe had to be to ignore me. Did the ability cut out if the opponent was your average humanoid, or would some dumb goon also be fooled by it?
  1. Switch. The Switch ability allows you to instantly change positions with any of your active minions. This ability can only be used 1/minute and requires 10 mana to activate.
Switch was going to be a keeper. I could use it to escape certain death, and I could even see me using it as a movement boost. All I needed was a fast minion, or one like my drone that could climb walls and get into hard-to-reach places. Just cast this spell, and boom, I was right where I wanted to be. It could also be used offensively, luring a bad guy to face me, then Switch with my most powerful minion to deal with him.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
  1. Command Lesser Foe. This ability allows you to temporarily take command of a hostile enemy up to Tier 1, Rank 0 in power. The ability lasts for 1 minute and the affected target will become your bound minion for the duration of the spell. Please note that once the ability has expired, the target will no longer be susceptible to it for some time and may experience hyper aggression toward the summoner.
The spell has a 1-minute cooldown, and only one foe may be commanded at a time. A mana cost of 10 mana is required to activate Command Lesser Foe. This spell may be upgraded further to affect more powerful foes. Foes with exceptional intelligence may resist some or all of this ability¡¯s effects. It was named after my class; how could I not take Command Lesser Foe? All the options were good, and it wouldn¡¯t be a case of trying to find one I wanted, I wanted them all. I had lost two of my previous class abilities, which, along with the open slot I already had, should give me three open slots to match up with the class ability markers. Taking a look at my information in the system, I could see that there were actually four open class ability spots. I must have gained one upon reaching tier two, and with all that had been going on, I hadn¡¯t realized it until now. I could always use my summoning points to purchase a fourth ability. That brought up another question I had for Cambre, who I could see was walking back toward me. In her hands she held a studded leather breastplate that looked far less impressive than the current chain shirt of my Commander¡¯s Regalia. ¡°Cambre, I had a question. If I have a class skill that I no longer want, is there some way to remove it and free up space for something else?¡± I asked. ¡°The system can have restrictions on such things, but we do have an item that will remove a current skill. It¡¯s called an Ability Nullification Stone, and removal is a longer process, not an instant one. The stone is offered for 100 summoning points. Just let me know if you wish to purchase one. While you consider it, here is the piece of the armor set I mentioned. One of your equipment markers will be enough to cover its cost,¡± Cambre said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll hold off on the Ability Nullification Stone for now, let me take a look at the armor before I decide on the other ability scrolls,¡± I said.
  1. Summoner¡¯s Breastplate of Resistance. Part of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set. This breastplate is magically reinforced, and the leather is as strong as a steel breastplate. A 5% fire resistance is granted by this armor. This resistance stacks with all other forms of resistance. Part of a 5-piece set, you will gain an additional 5% fire resistance for each additional piece you have equipped. Each piece of the set will unlock an additional resistance type.
If the bearer has 3 or more pieces of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance equipped, their summoned minions will be granted a lesser version of the resistances that the bearer enjoys from this set. Nice, it was going to be as strong as a steel breastplate and the fire resistance, while minor, was always a welcome addition. It also stacked with my other resistances, so combined with the moderate fire resistance I gained from Gary, I wouldn¡¯t be burning myself anytime soon. It was a straight upgrade over my other armor, and if I could acquire the other two pieces that they had in Somhagen, it would become even better. ¡°I only have two equipment markers, how much would the third piece cost me?¡± I asked. ¡°It is priced at 50 summoning points. Do you wish me to acquire the other two pieces for you?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°Yes, do you know what they are and what resistance they offer?¡± I asked. ¡°I know only that one is a pair of bracers, and the other is a pair of boots. We won¡¯t know what resistance they offer until they arrive. As I mentioned before, I need at least a day before I can get them delivered,¡± Cambre replied. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to wait, if you don¡¯t mind, I need a moment to decide on my ability scroll choices. If I wish to purchase one of them, how many summoning points would it cost me?¡± I asked. ¡°These are specific for summoner classes, and the cost would be forty summoning points.¡± I had some decisions to make. Of the five options, I wanted to keep Switch. Command Lesser Foe was also a keeper. It was limited to tier one or lower, but it also mentioned that it could be upgraded somehow. Maybe Cambre would know. ¡°Cambre, this scroll is supposed to be upgradable. Is there something I can purchase here to upgrade it?¡± I asked. She looked over the scroll before replying. ¡°There is, I have an item here that can upgrade it to a certain extent. To upgrade it further, you would need to go to the third tier of the city. The system restricts certain items we can offer by the tier of the city that the store is located in.¡± ¡°How much would the upgrade you have here cost?¡± I asked. ¡°This one can be upgraded for forty summoning points, but be advised that the cost will increase as you go up in tier,¡± Cambre explained. She excused herself again, and rooted through the shelves until she found another scroll that she passed over. Enhanced Command Lesser Foe. This scroll upgrades the Spell, Command Lesser Foe, to affect enemies up to Tier 1, Rank 5. It may be cast on foes of up to Tier 2, Rank 0, but the chances of a foe resisting the spell increase based on their Tier and Rank. I¡¯d take the upgrade, it was something I could continually improve as I made my way through the city tiers. The spell could be a great help when facing large numbers of lower tiered foes. Someone turning traitor in the middle of the fight could swing things to my advantage. Out of the remaining scrolls, I wanted Template Hunter and Shared Burden. The Beneath Notice could be helpful, but the straight damage reduction of Shared Burden, and the chance to influence my next minion pick were hard to pass up. I could have purchased Beneath Notice and held it for when I got a free ability slot, but I would probably find other things here to spend my limited funds on. By purchasing one scroll, one piece of gear, and the upgrade for Command Lesser Foe, I was down to 94 summoning points. I hoped they had some selections of the less costly type here. ¡°What else can you show me Cambre?¡± I asked as I activated the scrolls I¡¯d purchased. You have acquired the ability Template Hunter. You have acquired the ability Shared Burden. You have acquired the ability Switch. You have acquired the ability Command Lesser Foe. You have upgraded the ability Command Lesser Foe to Enhanced Command Lesser Foe. Chapter 206. A Place for the Night. Chapter 206. A Place for the Night. ¡°There are a variety of options, is there anything in particular that you¡¯re looking for?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to see what you have in my price range that¡¯s a good match for my class. Any consumable summoning figurines would also be great. My class has some specific items called minion experience, ability, equipment, and veterancy tokens which would be a priority for me if you have any. Other than that, some of the new notices of cessation things for tier two. As for anything else you might suggest, I¡¯d like to focus on items that I can¡¯t buy for coins out in the city itself,¡± I said. ¡°I have the notice of cessation scrolls in stock. For this tier they are 20 summoning points each. I can give you credit for your old ones, reducing the price of the new to 15 summoning points. In addition, I must point out that other than some consumables, I can only offer items that are appropriate for your tier and rank. We typically don¡¯t carry items for higher or lower tiers, as those are sold in the appropriate summoned market locations,¡± Cambre offered. With the credit, the cost for the notice of cessation was the same as the previous ones. I wanted to have at least three on hand, it might be some time before I make it to rank five of this tier and have a chance to purchase more. I cashed in 45 summoning points and Cambre located three of the scrolls in a nearby kiosk. It would have been nice to see some items of higher rank, and hopefully plan and save up for them, but the summoned market operated under strange system rules. She stared off into space a bit, which I now recognized as Cambre searching through the stores inventory in her interface. After a few moments she excused herself to gather up what she¡¯d found. I didn¡¯t know how the inventory was arranged in the shop, and I could make out the top of Cambre¡¯s head as she flitted between different parts of the store, gathering up her finds. ¡°I think these items may be of interest to you. I¡¯m sorry there weren¡¯t any of the class specific items you requested, but we do have a small collection of summoning figurines available. All the figurines in this shop are tier two and above. While I included some figurines that you cannot use yet, I¡¯ll let you decide if you want to stock up on them for the future. Please take a look,¡± Cambre said. In response, the system organized the figurines, and the three other items she¡¯d found for me.
  1. Wand of Finality, Tier 2, Rank 0. Unlike most wands, the Wand of Finality holds only a single charge. When activated, the wand will explode with the destructive force of a fireball spell of same tier and rank as the wand.
Centered on the caster, the fireball will engulf an area 15-feet in diameter, damaging everything in the radius of the blast, including the caster and any allies. The cost for this item is 5 summoning points.
  1. Ring of Spell Storage, Tier 2, Rank 0. This ring allows you to cast and store a single spell up to the Tier and Rank of the item. The spell stored inside the ring can be cast at will, and without mana. The cost for this item is 35 summoning points.
  2. Minor Ring of Presence. This ring grants you a +1 bonus to your Presence stat. The cost for this item is 25 summoning points.
Consumable Figurines. Tier 2, Rank 0. Cost for each figurine of this Tier and Rank is 5 summoning points unless otherwise noted.
  1. Wolf pack.
  2. Angry maw.
Tier 2, Rank 1. The cost for each figurine of this Tier and Rank is 6 summoning points unless otherwise noted.
  1. Rot grub swarm.
Teir 2, Rank 2. The cost for each figurine of this Tier and Rank is 7 summoning points unless otherwise noted.
  1. Ghast, Veteran. Summoning point cost, 10.
It was a nice collection of items, but my funds were way too low to afford everything. Of the items offered, I really wanted the Ring of Spell Storage. It was like free mana in a fight, where I could store my most powerful spell, Entangle, and leave my entire mana pool open for other things. At 35 summoning points it was also the most expensive.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The ring of Presence wasn¡¯t that much of a boost, so I could safely pass on it, and the wand seemed a little suicidal to use. It would probably be good for a last ditch effort on a summoning, but I¡¯d rather have the spell storage ring, which I pushed over to the keep pile. Only 14 points left, and while it would be good to have both tier two rank zero consumables, I couldn¡¯t pass up a veteran figurine. They were much more powerful and perfect for protecting me back home. I¡¯d have to wait a couple ranks before I could use it, but I considered it an investment for the future. There was no promise that I¡¯d run across another veteran figurine in town, so I didn¡¯t want to miss out. The figurines weren¡¯t exclusive to the summoned market, but I was fine with Cambre including them in her selections. When spending coins, I had found the selection of figurines limited in the last tier of the city. Maybe I¡¯d have better luck here in the shops, but there was also the chance that other summoned beings had snatched up everything available. ¡°I¡¯ll take these, and thank you for all of your help,¡± I said to Cambre as I indicated the items I wanted to purchase. ¡°It was a pleasure to work with you today. When you visit us again at tier two, rank five, I think you¡¯ll find that we have much more to offer. The day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll have your other gear ready for you to pick up,¡± Cambre said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in couple days then,¡± I said as I left the shop. It was dark as I stepped out of the market, but the night was early still, with the taverns and restaurants doing a booming business. I still needed to track down the information broker on this tier, some guy named Rhett. His shop was probably closed, and I had no idea where to find it. For now, I¡¯d look for a place to stay. After my last encounter with the leech creature, I wanted to make sure I was in a nicer inn, and that I didn¡¯t leave my windows open. Walking around the city, I made notes of the various stores as I went. Most that offered something other than food and libations were closed for the night, but I did manage to find the apothecary, which I wanted to hit up for new and, hopefully, more powerful potions. Like on the previous tier of the city, the majority of stores weren¡¯t ones I was interested in, catering mainly to the permanent residents. Despite that, more than a few looked like they might offer something I could use based on the stuff displayed in the front windows. I passed by a few inns and taverns, avoiding the rowdier ones. The last thing I needed was to be goaded into drinking too much or run into a violent drunk that was looking for a fight. I felt more than confident in my skills, but I needed to save them for the arena, which I decided I wanted to try if the entry cost wasn¡¯t too steep. The perfect inn was finally spotted. Its lower floor had a restaurant that my mom would have called cute, and the patrons seemed to be a bit older and less boisterous than the other places I¡¯d passed. Flower boxes hung from each window, adding a splash of color to the otherwise drab white plaster and wooden beam construction of the building. The firelight and lamps inside gave the place a warm glow. ¡°Sir, may I find you a table, or were you interested in a room? We still have a few available,¡± the young lady, who looked to be around my age, asked as I stepped inside. She wore a simple tunic and long skirt, with an apron over the outfit. Her auburn hair was cut short, and she had a slight scar on her right cheek that reminded me the city of Somhagen could be a dangerous place to live. ¡°Thank you, I was hoping for both, actually. I could use a good meal, and a room for two nights,¡± I replied. ¡°A standard room will cost you 25 silver per night, and if you¡¯re staying for two nights, dinner will be on us,¡± she said, leading me toward a small, two-person table set against the far wall. She didn¡¯t take my order for dinner, so I figured the complementary meal was going to be whatever they wanted to serve. Spying on a few other patrons, the food looked, and smelled pretty good. ¡°Here you are, sir, your room is number four at the top of the stairs and to the right. There¡¯s a washroom in the back if you wish to bathe or relieve yourself. If you need any clothing mended or washed, just let one of us know and we¡¯ll take care of it for a reasonable charge,¡± the young woman said as she brought me my dinner and dropped off a room key. My dinner didn¡¯t disappoint, and I was happy to see that chicken pot pie was a thing here in Somhagen. The crust on the pie was flakey and the thick, rich sauce inside the pie was the perfect completement to the large chunks of chicken, carrots, and other random vegetables. A mug of pale ale was included and tasted better than anything I¡¯d had back home. After finishing dinner, I left a small tip on the table, not quite sure if that was a thing or not here and found my room. Opening the door, I was greeted by a cozy little space with a full bed, a dresser, a small writing table, and even a nightstand with a bunch of fresh flowers in a vase. The window was secure, and I tried to decide between exploring this tier of the city a bit more or turning in for the night. Unlike my personal space, I¡¯d get tired, hungry, and have other bodily functions here like normal. I had almost convinced myself to head out to explore a bit more when the door suddenly opened. My hand went to my blade, as I spun around and prepared to summon one of my minions. ¡°Heya, Rico, is this where we¡¯re staying? It¡¯s not exactly my style, but the bed looks comfortable,¡± Gary said as he stormed into the room and jumped on the bed a couple of times to test it out. Chapter 207. Exploring the Tier. Chapter 207. Exploring the Tier. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you were going to do your own thing,¡± I asked, shocked and more than a bit concerned that Gary wanted to be roomies. ¡°Just pulling your chain Rico, you need to relax a bit more. I was just checking in on you to see how long you were planning to stay in Somhagen. You rented this joint for two nights are you going to be here longer or leave early?¡± Gary asked. ¡°How did you know where I was staying, or even how long?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°I¡¯m a being that makes deals all around the various worlds. Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t have some way to track you down? Tracking one person down in a single world, in a single city was easy as goblin pie. So, big guy, what¡¯s the verdict? Are you sticking around for two days or longer?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Two days is what I¡¯m planning on, I¡¯m waiting for something I¡¯d ordered to arrive. I also have a few other errands to run. What have you been up to? Wait, scratch that, I don¡¯t want to know,¡± I replied. ¡°Two days, eh, I can wrap things up before then. Oh, and yeah, you¡¯re smart for not wanting to know what I do,¡± Gary said. His whole demeanor changed at the end. Gone was jovial, happy go lucky guy. In his place was the being of pure evil that I knew him to be. He jumped off the bed and headed toward the door, his fake smile returning as he waved goodbye. ¡°Hey, you burned the bedding. I¡¯m going to have to pay for that you know,¡± I blurted out when I saw the foot shaped burn marks on the comforter. ¡°I bet you are real fun to have at parties, Rico, here, this should cover it. Like I mentioned earlier, try to lighten up. See you around, buddy,¡± Gary said, tossing me gold coin as he left the room. I shut the door behind him, and made sure it was locked this time, not that a locked door was going to stop Gary. I didn¡¯t know if he was just messing with me, or if he was concerned that the length of my stay might cause some kind of problem with his plans. After his little visit, I was a bit too amped up to sleep, so I grabbed my things and headed back out for a walk. The restaurant was still going strong, so I figured it wasn¡¯t too late to explore the second tier of Somhagen a bit more. Once outside, the air had a nice, crisp chill to it. Not enough to make you want to bundle up, but just enough to make you not feel too hot and sweaty when walking around in all the gear that I was wearing. I examined the shops as I made my way through this ring of the city. It was only the second tier, and while smaller than the first, it was still a rather huge place to explore. Two main roads circled the tier and the outer circle was where most of the shops and businesses were located. I kept walking, jotting down anything of interest for tomorrow. By the time I made it all the way around, and back to the arena, I had found four shops that might have items I was interested in. Even better, I¡¯d located the Contracted Summonings office on this tier. I was still owed one gold for the last contract I¡¯d completed, and they had treated me fair enough. The guy I worked with on the first tier of the city, Pakrinas, wasn¡¯t here, and he hadn¡¯t recommended anyone specific for me to see. I¡¯d just have to take my chances with whoever was working tomorrow. Passing several groups of people as I walked, I found myself feeling a bit lonely. Back home, I had the people at Refuge, but here, in a strange city, I was by myself. It would have been great if the summoned beings could somehow coordinate visits, but that didn¡¯t look like it was an option. Maybe next time I¡¯d try to bring Melvin with me, he might enjoy a trip through the city, though I was trying to save him for another chance to visit Earth. Hopefully our next visit home could be made without me spending the whole time in a dungeon. When the main road finally led back to the inn I was staying at, I was ready to call it a night. Exhausted, sleep came easily and before I knew it, the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in window blinds woke me. I took advantage of the washroom inside the inn, finding it rather unpleasant to wash without hot water. Maybe at the higher end, and much more expensive places, would have magical water heating of some type. Chilled a bit, but still alive, I paid a silver for a plate of breakfast. The food was once again very good, with a savory sausage that I thought was made from pork, grilled peppers and onions mixed with eggs, and fried potatoes. On the side I had a small pastry with fruit inside, kind of like a pop tart if they were actually good and didn¡¯t taste processed to death. The young woman who had served me last night wasn¡¯t there, and I figured that she wouldn¡¯t be working from sunup to sundown. For the morning shift, it was just the bartender who took the orders and called you over when your food was ready. Only a few people were seated when I arrived, leading me to believe that they did most of their business in the evening. With a full belly and a full schedule, I began my day. My first stop was at the closest shop I¡¯d scoped out. It was a simple, smaller shop that seemed to specialize in clothing, but when I had passed by last night, I had spotted some adventuring gear in the back. As I entered, the door creaked, alerting the pudgy, middle-aged human man behind the counter.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Hello there, you¡¯re an early riser. What can I do for you?¡± he asked. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m looking for any magical gear and summoning figurines you might have,¡± I told him. ¡°Summoned being¡± he asked with a blank expression. ¡°Yes, the name¡¯s Rico,¡± I replied. ¡°Go look in the back, prices are marked,¡± he said, brushing me off. His demeanor changed drastically when he found out I was a summoned being. It surprised me since the city basically existed because of us. Sure, the majority of the shops were geared toward the full-time residents, but there probably wouldn¡¯t be any residents if we didn¡¯t show up and participate in the economy. ¡°Did I do something to offend you?¡± I asked, the annoyance I was feeling seeping into my voice. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, buy something or get out,¡± he barked. ¡°Wow, is that how you treat all your customers?¡± I replied, walking toward the adventuring gear in the back. ¡°No, just you good for nothing summoned beings¡­¡± he muttered under his breath as walked past. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you? That¡¯s a pretty dumb attitude for someone who makes their living from summoned beings,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve just had my fill of your kind, that¡¯s all,¡± he grumbled. ¡°What happened? I¡¯m pretty sure you weren¡¯t always this pleasant,¡± I said. ¡°What happened? I¡¯ll tell you what happened. A summoned being is the reason my son¡¯s dead, that¡¯s why I¡¯m such a pleasant person toward you and your kind,¡± the man snapped back sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss, but I had nothing to do with it. If I¡¯d been there, I¡¯d have done everything in my power to protect him,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s what the summoned being was supposed to do, but as soon as things went south, he cut and ran, using something to end his summoning session before he¡¯d done what he was supposed to do. What good is a contract if your kind can just break them whenever they feel like it,¡± he said. ¡°What was he supposed to do? We do have an item we can purchase that lets us leave a summoning early, but it¡¯s something I don¡¯t use unless my summoner is forcing me to do something I don¡¯t want to, or if I¡¯m about to get tortured,¡± I said. ¡°The summoned being was supposed to escort my son and his friends while they took a shipment to Lampac. There was an attack, and before the first blow was struck, the summoned being disappeared. My son, and half the others were killed, and my shipment stolen. Now I¡¯ve got to run this place all on my own, and without Jonik, my boy, I don¡¯t even know why I keep trying,¡± the man said, his story pouring out of him along with tears as he recounted the events. ¡°How do you know what happened, were there survivors?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, two of his friends lived through it, though both were badly wounded. It was a contracted summoning, and the contractor gave me a refund, so that¡¯s how I know for sure the summoned being ran away,¡± he said. The man¡¯s gaze was on me, but I could tell he was somewhere else, reliving that horrible day. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± I asked, feeling compassion for this man who had lost his son and was struggling to keep it together enough to run his shop. ¡°Not sure what you can do, what¡¯s done is done,¡± he replied. ¡°If you ever need to contract for a summoned being again, I¡¯ll take the job and promise that I¡¯ll see it through to the end,¡± I offered. ¡°I appreciate it, sorry for my behavior. My wife would give me a stern lecture if she knew I was acting this way,¡± he said looking at, and seeing me, and not just another summoned being, for the first time. ¡°You know, I believe you would do what you¡¯ve claimed. If I ever have need of a summoned being again,¡± the man¡¯s face scrunched up as he said summoned being. ¡°I think you¡¯d be perfect,¡± he said. A summoning contract between the being known as Clayton Yon, and the summoned being known as Rico Kline has been proposed. The duration of this contract would be for 1 summoning of indeterminate time. Price can be negotiated should you desire to accept this contract. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could do that,¡± the shopkeeper, who was apparently named Clayton, said. ¡°I didn¡¯t either, but I stand by my word, I¡¯d be glad to help you if you ever need it. Just give me a minute to consult someone,¡± I replied. I wasn¡¯t sure how to summon Tzes¡¯zod in these sorts of situations, but it appeared that just having the need, and expressing my desire to have his help did the trick. A moment later, a glowing blue portal appeared, and Tzes¡¯zod exited. Thankfully, he was in his Gimblewalt guise and didn¡¯t terrify the poor shopkeeper by appearing in his true, undead form. Straightening his obnoxiously green jacket, Tzes¡¯zod cleared his throat dramatically before beginning. ¡°Hello Rico, how can I assist you today?¡± ¡°Hey Gimblewalt, the system has offered a contract between me and Clayton Yon here. Can you advise me if there¡¯s anything I should be wary of?¡± I asked. Tzes¡¯zod took a moment to examine the potential agreement. He was on retainer and had system access to any potential deals I was working on. ¡°Everything seems in order, it¡¯s a simple summoning contract with no hidden strings attached. If you aren¡¯t averse to working with this gentleman, I see no reason to avoid it. Any fee you negotiate between you is just icing on the cake as this would take the place of a regular summoning and grant you normal rewards. I doubt the sums of coin we¡¯re talking about here are enough to warrant my services further,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said before tipping his hat at both me and shopkeeper and stepping back through the portal. Tzes¡¯zod had left kind of abruptly, but I didn¡¯t mind, my concern wasn¡¯t about negotiating the fee, it was about any hidden dangers. After hanging out with Gary, I was a bit paranoid of suddenly offered deals. The system felt the need to confirm what Tzes¡¯zod had said about the fee I could charge, giving me a prompt as soon as my negotiator left. Please select the fee you wish to request for this future summoning. You will also be entitled to all the normal system rewards. I selected one copper for the reward, and only because the system wouldn¡¯t accept zero. This guy had been through the ringer and lost his son, I wasn¡¯t going to squeeze him for more coins when a few silver or even gold, wouldn¡¯t change my life much. The being known as Clayton Yon has accepted your proposed fee. In the future, Clayton Yon may summon you once when needed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever need you, but if I do, thank you for offering to help, and for not charging me an arm and a leg,¡± Clayton said. ¡°I¡¯ll be there if you need me, Clayton, now, what does your shop have to offer that you think I might be interested in?¡± Chapter 208. On the Town. Chapter 208. On the Town. ¡°As you can see, my selection of things that might be useful for a summoned being is limited. I have some of the usual armor, weapons, and gear, but most are normal equipment without even minor enchantments. What is your class? Maybe I can point you in the right direction?¡± Clayton said. ¡°I have a summoner type of class, and I open to anything that might help my summons or that would help protect me directly,¡± I replied. ¡°Most of the regular gear is probably worse than what you¡¯re currently wearing, I see you have some items that are set pieces, and I don¡¯t have anything that matches. Here, this might interest you,¡± Clayton said, handing me a necklace that was a simple iron chain. It was a bit surprising that he could identify my gear, but after thinking for a moment, I figured that identifying items was probably a key piece of being a shopkeeper in this type of place. Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk. This necklace can be hurled at a target, immediately wrapping them up in a long iron chain. While the chains do not harm the target, they do restrict them temporarily. The chains will last for a maximum of 10 seconds, though stronger foes may break them sooner. As long as you are within 10 feet of the target, the chains will automatically hit. Once used, the item will be returned to your inventory in 24 hours. The Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk require 5 mana to activate. ¡°How much would you want for this?¡± I asked, very interested in anything that might save my life. The fact it was reuseable was also a big plus, though I feared it not being a consumable would greatly increase its price. ¡°I¡¯d normally ask 50 gold for such an item. It¡¯s something that will remain useful to you forever. Even when you run into more powerful foes, it will still stop them for a few moments. Those few moments may be the difference between life and death. ¡°Since you¡¯ve dealt with me fairly on the summoning contract, I¡¯ll drop the price to 42 gold. After all, you may end up using it one day to save my life when I summon you,¡± Clayton offered. It was a lot of money for the item, but like he had said, it could very well save my life, and would remain useful throughout my time as a summoned being. ¡°Can we do 40 gold? I have a lot of other shopping to do today,¡± I countered, trying to save a bit where I could, but even at 42, I was going to buy it. ¡°We have a deal, Rico, and to be honest, it¡¯s one of the more expensive items in the shop and the money can be used to restock a bunch of other, less costly things that I need for my usual customers,¡± Clayton said, gladly handing me the necklace as I passed him the gold. I immediately wore the necklace and made a note to add it to my loadout once I got back to my personal space. My next stop was going to be the information broker, and Clayton was able to point me in the right direction. It sure helped to have a local that you were friendly with when navigating a new tier of the city. The broker¡¯s office was located past two of the other shops that I was interested in. Each place had a much better selection of things for summoned beings and adventurers, but only a few items were useful enough for me to spend coins on. It was mostly consumables, including some scrolls that carried a one-time cast of a single spell. They were much more budget friendly than wands, and I even found a magic case to store them. I took stock of my new finds and was happy to see the scroll case would attach itself automatically to my linked belt. The case was a short, leather tube with a cap over the top. When I opened the cap, the case would reveal whatever scroll I wanted to grab. All I had to do was push some mana into the scroll, read the command word, and the spell would activate. Mana costs varied based on the spell. The system organized all my new items for me, so I could easily remember what I had in my pack. Consumable Figurines: Tier 1, Rank 5.
  1. Scarecrow.
  2. Flying venomous serpent.
Tier 2, Rank 0.
  1. Rat swarm.
  2. Mephit, fire (2).
  3. Animated armor.
  4. Bear traps.
Scroll Case of Sorting.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Scrolls: Acid splash, mana cost 2. Shield (2), mana cost 4. Freezing ray, mana cost 10. Fireball (2), mana cost 10. Dagger storm, mana cost 15. Blight, mana cost 15. My figurines were a good mix, but I didn¡¯t luck out and find any veteran or elite ones. The bear traps were the oddest of the bunch. When activated, I could place a set of four bear traps on the ground. It would be good for crowd control, and a nasty surprise if I could set them before a fight and hide them under some leaves or something. The scrolls were also a good mix, mostly ranged damage, including a couple of fireballs because, who doesn¡¯t like a fireball? The blight spell and dagger storm were both the most powerful scrolls, and the costliest in both coins and mana. Big, dangerous, aoe spells were lacking in my spell book, so these should fill the void nicely. Sadly, the clerks at the stores confirmed that scrolls didn¡¯t typically survive the journey to a mana starved world like Earth. While they required me to push mana into them to activate, the method of inscribing them used a mana infused ink what would turn inert back home. They would give me some serious firepower on a summoning, or in the arena, which was also on the agenda for today. My next stop was the information broker. I had several things I wanted answers to, if it wasn¡¯t too expensive. There were also a few things from Refuge they wanted answered, which I would try to help with. Mainly, we were trying to figure out what the deal was with the dungeons that had appeared, and if that meant we were heading toward system integration faster than had been expected. With the directions from Clayton, Rhett¡¯s shop was easy enough to find. It was in a row of several smaller offices, much like one of those business park complexes back home. The area was upscale, and the buildings were well cared for. Their wood and plaster construction gave them the feel of mini medieval manor houses. Like many of the shops I¡¯d come across, this one had a bell on the door to signal that a customer was entering. I was greeted by a small waiting room, and a young, gnomish woman sitting behind a desk writing furiously on a scroll. A door on the far wall led deeper into the building. ¡°Hi, I wanted to see if¡­¡± I started to say before the gnome interrupted me. ¡°No! Wait until I¡¯m done, can¡¯t you see I¡¯m working,¡± she said, waving me away as I approached her desk. It wasn¡¯t exactly the type of greeting I was expecting, and I quickly began to lose my patience as she finished the scroll she was working on and just grabbed another, never even glancing up at me. ¡°Look, I just wanted to see if Rhett was in, I don¡¯t mean to interrupt your work, but I can¡¯t wait here all day while you write your life story either,¡± I replied sharply. I was never one to be patient in a waiting room, and I felt bad for snapping at the gnome. ¡°Fine, got some gumption, do you? Well, since you¡¯ve already interrupted me, head through that door, and take the first door on the right,¡± the gnome said before returning to her work. I followed her directions, and past the door in the waiting room, I could see a short hallway with three other doors. The one she had mentioned as Rhett¡¯s office, the first door on the right, was open. I knocked on the door and stepped inside. The office was well appointed with a large wooden desk and bookshelves that lined the walls. The office was large enough for several reading chairs and side tables. Whoever this Rhett guy was, he sure seemed to like books. It reminded me that I needed to read more back home and spend less time on my phone. Bright light from the window behind the desk supplemented several lanterns. Curious, I looked at the books, finding a strange symbol that looked like wings or something on each book¡¯s spine. The place was unoccupied, and when I turned to leave when I suddenly felt a presence behind me. Not only did I sense a presence, but I also felt a blade against my neck. The blade pricked my skin, and I could feel it slowly draining at my lifeforce. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re not here to burgle the place,¡± the man behind me asked as the knife was removed from my neck, and I turned to face him. With a flash of dark energy, the man suddenly appeared in the chair behind the desk. Confused, I looked around to confirm that there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the room. ¡°What gave you the idea I was a burglar? I was looking for an information broker named Rhett. Is that you, or did the rude gnome in the front office send me here as a joke?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m Rhett, and yes, Felicity was trying to get back at both of us. She¡¯s supposed to tell people that today is my day off. When I returned from lunch to find someone lurking around my office and pawing at my books, I figured the worst. I¡¯m sorry for the scare, you can¡¯t be too careful, even in Somhagen. In my line of work, we tend to have more than a few looking to pilfer our information,¡± Rhett said. My adrenaline was burning off, and I could see where he was coming from. With how valuable information was, I wasn¡¯t surprised there were people looking to steal it. What did surprise me was the way that Rhett could move around instantly, I was guessing he had some kind of shadow assassin class. ¡°So, you¡¯re closed today? I can come back tomorrow, or maybe you can recommend another information broker that doesn¡¯t have a receptionist that wants to send me to my doom,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Felicity, she¡¯s just upset that I found out she wasn¡¯t keeping up with the correspondence she¡¯s supposed to send out. As compensation for her antics, I can take a few minutes and answer some questions for you. I might even give you a discount if you have anything interesting to share in return,¡± Rhett said, offering me a seat. I gathered my thoughts, trying to decide where to begin. Chapter 209. Timing the Integration. Chapter 209. Timing the Integration. ¡°First off, I was curious if you help me with something about my home planet. I live on a mana starved world, but recently, we had over thirty dungeons suddenly open. There was no core in any of them, and they disappeared once the final boss was slain. How can something like that happen on a mana starved world?¡± I asked, leading off with the question that Refuge, Grimslade Group, and the government were all concerned about. ¡°I can¡¯t answer specifically to your world, but I can give you some general information on how and why an event like that might occur. For that answer, given its general nature, I would just change 50 silver,¡± Rhett said. I gladly paid him the fee and waited for him to speak. ¡°There are a few reasons for the dungeon outbreak that you experienced. One reason could be that a powerful being summoned them into existence. I don¡¯t know why they would do that, as it would be a tremendous expenditure of resources for little result. Sure, it might have expedited your planets integration into the system with all that mana being released, but is a new system integration happening a few decades earlier worth what it would cost them? ¡°Another explanation is that a powerful artifact has found its way to your world. The rising mana levels might have started to activate this artifact, which could be the cause of these dungeons. If this is the case, you can expect further disruptions as the artifact grows in power. This is about all I can offer based on past events from other worlds,¡± Rhett explained. ¡°You mentioned someone wanting to expedite our world¡¯s integration, can that be done? And if it can be done, how do we estimate when the integration will happen?¡± I asked. ¡°That will be another fifty silver. No questions are free, as you know,¡± Rhett said. I passed him the money and Rhett looked at me for a moment, then got that glazed eye expression of someone looking at a system prompt before he replied. ¡°The reasons for a powerful being or organization being on the cutting edge of a newly integrated world are myriad and I couldn¡¯t hope to give you an exhaustive list. What I can advise you of is that there is a way to monitor your world¡¯s ambient mana. ¡°It¡¯s a complicated device that works on mana but is heavily shielded against mana drain from a world such as yours. Here, this shop should have one in stock, they call them simply, a mana gauge. I warn you the cost of one may be prohibitive for someone freshly arrived at tier two of the city,¡± Rhett explained, passing me the name of a shop on this tier. The shop happened to be the same as one of the stores that I had planned to visit. I would have never thought to ask for such a device, and without spending the coins with Rhett, I would have walked through the store with no idea such an item even existed. ¡°Thank you. Do you have any idea, for free, about how much something like this costs?¡± I asked, not willing to part with any additional money for something I was going to figure out on my own before too long. ¡°I can do that for free, but I also have a simple question in return. I¡¯d expect Zamly, who runs the place, to charge anywhere from 75-150 gold for a mana gauge, the amount will vary based on her mood and if she decides she likes you or not. As for my question, what is the name of your world?¡± Rhett asked. ¡°Thanks, you weren¡¯t lying about the mana gauge being expensive. As for my world, it¡¯s called Earth. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re from there?¡± I asked, curious if he was a fellow earthling like the information broker Lavelle on the first tier of the city. ¡°Earth, that¡¯s one I haven¡¯t heard of much, and no, I¡¯m not from there. I should warn you I don¡¯t answer much about my past, and if I was to, it would be at an exorbitant rate. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious how I end my status as a summoned being, and if I do, what options are there for me to continue to grow?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s one that¡¯s somewhat system restricted. I can dance around the edges, but it will cost you five gold for my efforts. Please understand that I¡¯m not trying to overcharge you, I¡¯m just engaging in potentially dangerous areas when the system restricts certain information. For the risk I will put myself in, I expect to be compensated well,¡± Rhett explained.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I really wanted to know, and the information would be valuable to every summoned being back home. Maybe they could at least reimburse me in dollars for what I was spending here. Sighing in frustration at how quickly my newfound riches were bleeding off, I passed Rhett five gold. ¡°Great, let¡¯s see. I can confirm that your status as a summoned being will change at a certain tier. You will be offered the option to end your contract or continue it with more favorable terms. As to what tier and rank this change will occur at, I cannot answer. It¡¯s something that some people end up guessing on their own if they know the tiers and ranks of people in their world, and how long summoned beings have been around,¡± Rhett answered. ¡°Just to clarify, there is an exit ramp for summoned beings at a certain tier. I¡¯m thinking that if you choose to end your career at that point, or even if you decide to go another route, you can¡¯t return home to your mana starved world,¡± I said, basing my guess on the fact we didn¡¯t have any truly high tiered people on Earth, despite having summoned beings for some time. ¡°You seem to have gotten it,¡± Rhett replied. I¡¯d have to check the newly upgraded database back home. Now that we shared with Grimslade and the government, it should give a good idea of the tier people seem to disappear at. That would pinpoint when people could cease their summoned being career and move on to something else. ¡°Is there a reason nobody returns to the mana starved world after they reach that unknown tier?¡± I asked. ¡°I won¡¯t charge you for that, because I¡¯m not allowed to answer that question. Everyone figures it out eventually, but the system doesn¡¯t want any spoilers out there. That¡¯s all I can help you with today, I really do need to get on with my day once we¡¯re done here. It may not look like it, but answering questions is rather mana intensive for me and I was planning on this to be my day off,¡± Rhett said. ¡°Thanks for your time, can I visit again when I hit rank five? Any kind of frequent customer discounts?¡± I asked. ¡°Ha, nice try, no discounts, but yes, feel free to visit again. I promise Felicity won¡¯t pull any shenanigans next time,¡± Rhett said. Leaving his office, I stopped by the front desk where Felicity was still busy working on the pile of scrolls. ¡°It was a pleasure, Felicity, thanks for the friendly service and for trying to get your boss to stab me,¡± I said as I left. She merely grumbled under her breath before ignoring me once more. It had been a productive meeting, and I knew that I needed to buy a mana gauge to take back with me. With a means of tracking our system integration, we could plan better and maybe avoid some of the chaos that I knew was coming. The price was staggering, but I had the funds, and didn¡¯t know if any of the other summoned beings were in as good a financial position as I was. The shop wasn¡¯t too far from the information broker, and Rhett had given me a name to work with as well. I passed the apothecary on the way, making a quick stop to stock up on mana tabs, and a new supply of potions. Unlike the potions I¡¯d been using up to this point, I went with ones a bit more powerful, but still not too hard on the budget. The new healing potions would give an initial burst of healing, then continue to work on any damage at a much slower pace for the next ten seconds. The mana potions did a similar thing, giving me an initial burst of 10-15 mana, and then 1 point every second for ten seconds. I also picked up a couple of other potions, though I hadn¡¯t had much use for anything other than the healing and mana ones so far. The new items organized easily in my linked belt. Potions:
  1. Enhanced minor healing potion (10).
  2. Enhanced minor mana potion (10).
  3. Oil of steel (2).
The oil of steel was my other purchase, and the only potion I could use over a distance. All I had to do was select a target and throw the potion as close to it as I could. The glass vial would shatter, and a small cloud of metallic flakes would drift over to the target and encase them in an extra layer of armor that would last for up to a minute. It would be a good way to keep my more powerful minions in the fight during a difficult encounter. After finishing up at the apothecary, I made my way to the shop with the mana gauge. This place was a larger establishment than the others and offered the best selection of items geared toward adventurers and summoned beings. Once inside, I asked the clerk for Zamly, and mentioned that Rhett had sent me. That seemed to pull some weight, and after a few minutes, the owner, Zamly slithered her way over to me. I¡¯d seen a lot of things in my time as a summoned being, but the appearance of Zamly I had to admit, did shock me. She was about seven feet tall and had a humanoid upper body and serpent-like lower body. Her head was covered with a veil, but I could see glowing eyes though it as well as hair that was comprised of small snakes. The word Medusae popped into my head as I observed her. ¡°Who is it that thinks he can summon me in my own shop like I was a simple clerk,¡± Zamly said, the glow of her eyes growing brighter. I really hoped I wasn¡¯t about to be turned to stone and used as the shop¡¯s newest display mannequin. Chapter 210. Mana Gauge. Chapter 210. Mana Gauge. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I meant no offense. The information broker, Rhett, said you might have a rare item that I was looking for. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you, and I¡¯m more than happy to let one of your employees handle the transaction,¡± I said apologetically. The glow in her eyes seemed to dim a bit beneath the veil. ¡°Perhaps I was a bit harsh in my response. As you can see, this is a rather large establishment, and I cannot personally attend to every customer that wanders in. What is it you¡¯re looking for?¡± Zamly asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a mana gauge, which is the main thing. I¡¯d also like to find out if you have anything that might be compatible with my class, and any summoning figurines you might have in stock,¡± I said. ¡°A mana gauge is not something we sell a lot of, but I have one in stock. The price is reflective of its difficulty to obtain. I would need 100 gold upfront to part with it. The other items you requested can be found by Leena here,¡± Zamly said, indicating one of the shop clerks standing beside her. ¡°Ouch, 100 gold is going to hurt. Can we do 90?¡± I offered, deciding to try out my negotiation skills like Tzes¡¯zod had suggested. ¡°No, the price is firm, but if you purchase the mana gauge, Leena can give you a small discount on any other purchases you might make today,¡± Zamly countered. ¡°It looks like we have a deal,¡± I replied, pulling out the requested gold and muttering to myself that the government better reimburse me for this. ¡°What is your name?¡± Zamly asked. ¡°Rico, thank you for asking,¡± I replied. ¡°Leena, see to Rico¡¯s other purchases while I retrieve the mana gauge,¡± Zamly said before slithering off toward the back of the store. ¡°Sir, what types of items are you looking for,¡± the clerk, Leena, asked. She appeared to be a human, young, perhaps late teens, and seemed a bit nervous about helping me. I got distinct ¡°I¡¯m new at the job¡± vibes. Maybe that was why Zamly had the clerk following her, it must be her first day of training or something along those lines. ¡°First off, do you have any gear set pieces? I¡¯m specifically looking for anything from the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set. Like I mentioned before, I¡¯m also looking for any summoning figurines you might have in stock and any magic items that would enhance a summoner class,¡± I explained. ¡°One moment sir, let me check our inventory,¡± she said, pulling a glowing scroll from a pouch at her waist. The magic in the scroll must have been as good as an inventory database back home, as even the new hire seemed to have little trouble sorting through things. ¡°I see we have one piece of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set, a shield. There are also a few items available that are compatible with the summoner class category, as well as a selection of summoning figurines for you to examine. Here, let me show you,¡± the girl said excitedly, tapping her finger on the scroll several times and then pulling at the top. The top of the scroll tore free, and she handed it to me. Gear Set Pieces:
  1. Summoner¡¯s Barrier. The Summoner¡¯s Barrier shield can be infused with mana to improve its defensive capabilities. Once per day, it can also be thrown to intercept a single attack that would otherwise strike one of your summoned minions. Once thrown, the shield will automatically return to you.
Up to 5 mana may be infused into the shield, increasing the diameter of the area it protects by 1 foot. The enhanced area is only as strong as the original shield and can be breached by sufficient force. As part of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set, the Summoner¡¯s Barrier imparts a 5% resistance to piercing damage. Part of a 5-piece set, an additional 5% piercing damage resistance is granted for each additional piece you have equipped. If the bearer has 3 or more pieces of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance equipped, their summoned minions will be granted a lesser version of the resistances that the bearer enjoys from this set. The cost for this item is 50 gold. Magic Items. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
  1. Ring of Final Sacrifice. This ring can infuse a minion with destructive energy, causing them to violently explode when killed, damaging everything within 10 feet of the minion. Only one minion can be targeted by this ring, and the target must be within sight of the bearer. Once used, the ring takes 24 hours to recharge before it can be used again. Use caution, the damage inflicted by the explosion does not discern between friend or foe. This item is offered at 25 gold.
  2. Armsman¡¯s gloves, minor dagger. When activated, these gloves allow the wearer to wield the indicated weapon type remotely. The weapon will hover within five feet of the wearer and will attack any designated enemy. The skill of the weapon¡¯s attacks is designated as minor, regardless of the wearer¡¯s current skill level with the weapon. This item is offered at 29 gold.
  3. Troll¡¯s belt, minor. This belt grants minor health regeneration to the wearer, allowing them to recover more quickly from any injury. This item is offered for 18 gold.
  4. Beads of the Feast (5). Each bead may be infused with 1 point of mana to create a small feast that will provide hearty portions of food and drink for up to 5 people. Consuming the feast will increase the constitution stat by 1 for a period of 24-hours. The beads are consumed upon use. These items are offered at 1 gold each.
Summoning Figurines: Tier 2, Rank 0.
  1. Sea Horse.
  2. Giant Crab.
  3. Panther.
  4. Skeletal Hounds.
  5. Ogre Zombie (Veteran).
I wanted everything, and after a bit of negotiation with Leena, and the small discount offered by Zamly, I ended up paying 125 gold and 55 silver for the lot. That price was in addition to the 100 gold for the mana gauge. It was a big dent in my available funds, but I could only shop here every five ranks and everything I passed on would probably not be found again. Most of the big cost items would remain effective for some time, and though there were a few less desirable items, like the sea horse figurine and the food beads, I could see them being useful in some situations. You have unlocked the skill, Negotiation, minor. I was happy to see that I¡¯d unlocked the minor negotiation skill. Maybe it would help me save some coin in the future. As an added bonus, since it was a simple skill, and not mana related, it should follow me back to Earth. It took Leena some time to track everything down, and by the time she was done, Zamly returned with the mana gauge. Her attitude seemed a lot more positive than when we first met and I suppose that spending as much gold as I just had, I was no longer on her turn to stone list. ¡°Here is the mana gauge, shall I show you how to use it?¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before,¡± I said looking over the item. It appeared to be a long thermometer mounted on a wooden plaque. There were markings on the glass that indicated the mana level. Currently, the gauge was about ? full, and I knew that Somhagen had an ample supply of mana, so it gave me a point of reference. ¡°You can see where we are now on the mana gauge. Am I safe to assume you intend to use this on a mana starved world?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m trying to anticipate when the system integration will occur,¡± I replied. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll want to make note of these markings,¡± Zamly indicated some hash marks near the bottom ? of the gauge. ¡°Once the ambient mana reaches the first mark, you¡¯ll begin to see a lessening of the mana drain on yourself and the items you bring to the mana starved world. When it reaches the second hash mark, your world will be mana neutral, neither recharging, nor draining mana from you. ¡°It is in that mana neutral state when system integration normally occurs, though there can be delays. Occasionally it happens a bit before you reach this mark. The system does things in its own time, but the gauge will give you an idea of how quickly the world is progressing,¡± Zamly explained. ¡°Thank you, do you have any information on what exactly will happen when the integration occurs?¡± I asked. ¡°Just from some secondhand accounts. Reading about new world integration is of interest to some customers. I can suggest a few books, but keep in mind that there is no way to verify if their accounts are accurate, and I suspect much of what happens in the books happened only in the mind of the writer. It seems, based on the information I do believe to be accurate, each world experiences things a bit differently. Here, I¡¯ll offer you a few of these books for a silver each,¡± Zamly said, pointing out the texts on her scroll that she wanted Leena to gather. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll take them. You seem to be rather knowledgeable on the subject, I take it you¡¯re an avid reader of these types of accounts?¡± I asked, making conversation while Leena gathered my books from around the shop. ¡°They are interesting, though my personal preference is fiction. I¡¯m especially interested in stories of worlds where mana is suddenly removed and they must learn to survive in a world without magic,¡± Zamly said. ¡°Welcome to my life, I come from a place that uses technology to pretty much copy a lot of what mana can do,¡± I replied. ¡°Intriguing, perhaps we can speak more on the subject at a later time?¡± she offered. ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I do have some other things I have to take care of today. Perhaps when I¡¯m back in Somhagen again we can set aside some time to chat,¡± I replied. It would be intriguing to spend time talking with a mythical creature like Zamly, but I had to focus on the tasks at hand for this trip. ¡°I look forward to it, until we meet again, Rico, stay safe,¡± Zamly said as Leena passed me the books she¡¯d found and collected my payment. Who knows, maybe my first real friend in Somhagen was going to be a Medusa, though I should figure out what they actually call themselves so I don¡¯t offend a being that can probably turn me into stone. Chapter 211. Contract Offered and Accepted. Chapter 211. Contract Offered and Accepted. I was happy with my haul from Zamly¡¯s shop, but I had a couple of more stops to make today. Next up on the agenda was a visit to the local Contracted Summonings office. I¡¯d spotted the office during my trip through the tier last night, and it was only a brief walk from Zamly¡¯s shop to my destination. My journey was slightly delayed when I passed a food cart offering the second tier of Somhagen¡¯s version of a funnel cake. It was essentially a huge fried donut covered in a sticky glaze that took me a few minutes to get off my hands after finding a handy fountain to wash them off. That was one thing Somhagen could use, a public washroom, as well as some well stocked drink vending machines. I¡¯d kill for a carbonated beverage about now. ¡°Welcome to Contracted Summonings, how may I assist you today?¡± A middle-aged halfling woman asked as I entered the small, storefront office. The business was in a nice part of town, close enough to the arena, but not too close where it would get caught in the chaos of the crowds on an arena day. ¡°Hi, I have a voucher for a previous contract on the first tier that I need to turn in. I¡¯d like to talk to someone about any new contracts you may have,¡± I said. ¡°One moment,¡± the woman said, excusing herself to head back into one of the offices. The place was laid out like many of the other businesses I¡¯d seen in Somhagen, with a small front reception area, and a hallway leading to individual offices in the back. ¡°Wrygur can see you now, it¡¯s the second office on the right. Please go on in. While you two are talking, I can take your voucher for the previous summoning, confirm it, and have your bonus for you shortly,¡± the receptionist offered. Handing her the voucher, I walked to the office indicated and let myself in. I normally wasn¡¯t shocked by what I saw in Somhagen, but just like with meeting Zamly, Wrygur¡¯s species threw me a bit. When you think contract salesman working in an office environment, you typically don¡¯t picture a minotaur, which was exactly what Wrygur was. His huge frame had a large chair specially designed for it, and the size of his office desk made me feel like a little kid walking up to ask the teacher a question. ¡°How may I help you today, Mr.¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m Rico Kline. I worked with your organization on the first tier, and Pakrinas did right by me, so I thought I¡¯d see if I could work with Contracted Summonings again,¡± I informed him. ¡°Pleased to meet you Mr. Kline, I¡¯m Wrygur. I¡¯m always happy to help a previous client. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to get a little more information before we dig into the current offerings,¡± Wrygur said, offering to shake my hand. He was careful not to crush my hand, but I could feel there was power enough in the minotaur to pull my arm from its socket if he wished to. ¡°Sure, and it¡¯s just Rico, no need for formality. I know you need some system information to make a good match. While we¡¯re at it, I also ran into a rather unusual situation I hoped you could help with,¡± I said, remembering my deal with the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon. The being known as Wrygur has requested to review your summoning history and results. Only the most limited information on the types of summons¡¯ and your associated performance rankings will be available to him. He will also be able to view, in greater detail, your previous work with the organization known as Contracted Summonings. Do you wish to allow this? I agreed to the system promptly and gave Wrygur a moment or two to review things. He grunted a few times and gave a very bull-like snort once as he read my history. After reading, he dug through his desk, pulling a few contracts out. ¡°Interesting history, and you¡¯ve done well with every contract we¡¯ve offered you. As for the other issue you wished to discuss, I think the system just revealed it to me. I have a few normal summoning contracts I can offer you, including one longer term offering, but you may want to review this one first,¡± Wrygur said, pushing one of the scrolls over to me. As soon as I grabbed the scroll, a system prompt appeared. You have offered to broker a summoning contract between the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade and the business known as Contracted Summonings. This summoning is also compatible with your class, Rank, and Tier. Should you accept the summoning contract personally, you will not need to post a reward. In addition, your final performance ranking for the summon will be improved by one rank for fulfilling the contract personally. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Should you wish to merely offer this as a contract for another summoned being, the typical fee for the summoning would be 2 gold, though you may enhance the fee if you wish to attract more capable applicants. Do you wish to accept the contract yourself, or offer a fee for another summoned being to complete it? ¡°Interesting, I admit, I kind of wondered if I¡¯d be able to take on the summoning. I¡¯m going to accept it, but it says that there is no fee since I¡¯m taking the contract myself. I don¡¯t want to make you work for free,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the fee. When the system does something like this, it usually works out a way to compensate everyone involved. If you want to accept the contract, don¡¯t worry about our fee,¡± Wrygur advised. You have accepted the summoning contract for the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon core. During your next summoning session, this contract will be activated. ¡°Since you brought your own summoning with you, and you¡¯ve done well for us in the past, I can offer you a second contract if you wish,¡± Wrygur said, pushing two more scrolls over for me to peruse. You have been offered a choice of single use summoning contracts.
  1. General labor contract for a summoner class to help staff a business. Duration, long. Bonus, 3 gold.
  2. Provide protective services for a team seeking to explore ruins in a hostile environment. Duration, moderate. Bonus, 2 gold.
Both sounded interesting, despite the descriptions being a bit vague. Having a second contract for my next summoning session was great, and these were typically not going to go badly to the point that I¡¯d ever need to use a Notice of Cessation. I¡¯d get enough combat in the rest of my summonings, so staffing a business sounded different. The fact that it was a longer duration helped as well, it should mean greater rewards. You have accepted the general labor contract of long duration. This contract will be activated during your next summoning. ¡°Thanks, Wrygur, you¡¯ve been a big help,¡± I said. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you Rico, here¡¯s Lisa with your bonus for the last summoning. Will you be seeing us again when you hit tier two, rank five?¡± ¡°Yeah, I should be back to cash in the contracts from today, and see what else you might have to offer,¡± I told him as I took the gold coin from the halfling receptionist, Lisa. ¡°Good, always glad to see happy, repeat contractors. Safe journey¡¯s Rico,¡± Wrygur said. ¡°You too, see you at rank five,¡± I replied as I left. It had been a productive stop, and with two contracted summonings in the bag for next time, I wouldn¡¯t have as many odd, random ones to worry about. While my bonus from the previous contract had only been one gold, it was nice to add to my funds instead of just taking from them. My last, scheduled stop was the arena. ¡°Hey, bud, you want to place a wager on the games?¡± A shady looking human asked as I walked across the plaza toward the arena entrance. ¡°No thanks,¡± I replied, brushing him off and ignoring other requests for gambling, or selling my personal information to the odds makers if I was participating. I¡¯d already been warned about these kinds of things, and I wasn¡¯t going to jeopardize my time in Somhagen to potentially make a few extra coins. Once past the entrance, which was guarded by heavily armed and armored city watchmen, the hawkers backed off. I joined a sizeable crowd heading into the place, but as before, the line for summoned beings to sign up for the arena was short. Waiting behind a hairy humanoid that looked like a blend of a man and gnoll wasn¡¯t pleasant. The guy had a wet dog smell wafting off him, but I sure wasn¡¯t going to make a fuss about it. ¡°Are you a summoned being, and do you wish to inquire about the next arena contest?¡± The clerk, another one of the odd lizard-like people, said in the robotic manner of any employee that¡¯s been forced to say the same line over and over again. ¡°Yes, and yes,¡± I replied. ¡°The entry fee for this tier is ten gold, payable in advance,¡± the clerk said, taking my money when I passed it over. Ten gold was a sizeable cost, but the potential rewards could more than make up for it. Depending on my performance and rewards on this tier, I could decide on the next arena option at tier three, where the costs were supposed to increase substantially. ¡°You are now officially entered for the next arena contest. The system will inform you when it¡¯s time for the contest to begin,¡± she offered. ¡°Any idea how long that usually takes?¡± I asked, remembering my experience with the dwarf on the first-tier gift shop, I passed over a silver for her trouble. ¡°Thanks, the crowds today are for the latest contest, you missed it by a day. I¡¯d guess anywhere between one to two weeks for the next one. Oh, and since you¡¯ve offered a gratuity, I¡¯ll give you some advice. Don¡¯t bother shopping the gift shop here,¡± she said. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll avoid the gift shop, and I appreciate the arena info,¡± I said, taking my leave. I¡¯d accomplished just about everything I wanted to in Somhagen, and other than a trip to buy some furniture on the way out, I felt I was done. With the mana gauge in my inventory, I figured that getting home to Earth was probably something I should expedite. Chapter 212. More than Furnishings. Chapter 212. More than Furnishings. I stopped at the inn I¡¯d stayed at on my way out of Somhagen, enjoying a meal there as I checked to see if Gary was lurking nearby. He wasn¡¯t in the restaurant and, thankfully, wasn¡¯t burning the bedding of the room I¡¯d rented. After paying for my meal, and for the room, I made one last stop on my way out of town. Tzes¡¯zod mentioned that a place called Chaladoom¡¯s goods could offer furnishing for my personal space. The innkeeper knew of the store and gave me directions. It was a bit off the beaten path and located in a more residential area of the city. I was a bit surprised that it seemed smaller than I¡¯d expected. Most furniture stores back home were large affairs where they could display all their different offerings. Here, they¡¯d be lucky to fit a couple of couches and a bed or two inside. ¡°Welcome to Chaladoom¡¯s! How may I assist you today?¡± A rather enthusiastic gnome said as I entered the shop. He stood behind a long counter and other than a few tables and chairs scattered about for guests to sit on, I didn¡¯t see a single stick of furniture on display. ¡°Hi, your shop was recommended to me by a friend. He said you offered furnishings that summoned beings could use for their personal spaces,¡± I said, a bit unsure if this was the right place. ¡°Absolutely, please, have a seat and we can go over our offerings. Tell me, sir, what shall I call you?¡± the gnome asked. He was dressed like he was related to Gimblewalt, Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s disguised persona. The gnome wore multi-colored pants and a coat that looked like someone had purposely tried to make the ugliest garment they could come up with. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, pleased to meet you,¡± I replied, sitting at one of the tables as the clerk brought over a large tome he dropped on the table, motioning for me to open it. ¡°And I, am Chaladoom himself. Please peruse the perfect and plentiful offerings. Each tab is divided by price, so you can shop the way you want, with your budget in mind. Tell me, Rico, is your personal space of the standard size, and do you have any existing furnishings?¡± Chaladoom asked. ¡°Everything is standard as far as I know, but I do have a rocking chair that I bought a while ago,¡± I said. ¡°Excellent, a blank slate is the best an artist can hope for,¡± Chaladoom said as he pulled the book back from my grasp. He muttered something and mana poured from his hands and into the book which he passed back to me, pointing toward the pricing tabs on the side, and motioning for me to open it. The prices weren¡¯t exactly cheap, and I was reluctant to spend all that much on my personal space. Given that Tzes¡¯zod seemed to place some importance on it, maybe it would be a good thing to present myself in a bit better light if we had to host more guests. The prices started at 10 gold and went up, rapidly, from there. With the next tab stating it was 500 gold, I¡¯d have to stick with the bargain basement section of the book, though 10 gold was hard for me to spend on such things. Opening the first tab, the cheapest one, I was shocked at what I found. Instead of a furniture catalogue with pictures, this book seemed to draw me in, and it felt like I was back inside my personal space looking around at its newly furnished glory. Chaladoom appeared at my side, assuring me this was all just an illusion to showcase his wares. The furniture was a tasteful, medieval style, with a long table like I¡¯d used in my negotiations, and ornate padded chairs placed around it. Tapestries featuring forests and castles lined the walls, and lanterns in sconces lit up the room, giving it a homey feel. In the far corner, a tall, four poster bed was placed. It looked comfy enough to me. I also had a reading nook, complete with an overstuffed chair and a side table surrounded by bookcases. A rocking chair, not my exact one, but a stand-in for Chaladoom¡¯s illusion, was placed near the reward chest. The armory and training center had also been redone in the same motif, with carved shelves holding my gear, and racks for weapons and armor storage. The floor had transformed into rustic slate tiles, with several rugs placed about to keep any bare feet from getting too cold. The training center flooring was solid stone, but there were several quilted training mats stacked in a corner like you¡¯d see in a martial arts dojo.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°This is nice, but not exactly my style, how do I change it to look at the other options?¡± I asked. ¡°Just swipe your hand like you¡¯re turning the page of a book. Each tab is arranged with the least expensive option first, then they go up from there based on the features and quality of the build. This option is the 10-gold special. It¡¯s simple, but functional. When you¡¯re done looking at the other offerings, just pretend to close the book and the illusion will end,¡± Chaladoom explained. I swiped my hand and the room instantly changed. Gone was the medieval motif and in its place, my personal space had transformed into a Victorian mansion. I was inside what I¡¯d expect a wealthy man¡¯s study to look like. A fireplace was centered on one wall, complete with spaces for hunting trophies. Bookshelves and built-in cabinets lined the walls, and a weapons locker with a glass door was prominently placed near my rewards chest. Instead of a long table, I had an oversized office desk with enough room for both me and Tzes¡¯zod on one side, and several chairs for any guests we might need to negotiate with. Wood floors and rugs that would make a home improvement show host green with jealousy finished out the place. A chandelier and lanterns on the wall gave the place more enough light and created an ambience than I enjoyed. A price tag showed that this room was considerably more expensive at 50 gold. ¡°There¡¯s just one more offering at this price range, though I should warn you that it¡¯s not to everyone¡¯s taste,¡± Chaladoom warned. After hearing that, I had to see what he meant and turned the page. My personal space was transformed into a medieval torture chamber, its price was 100 gold. ¡°Nope, let¡¯s go back,¡± I said immediately and flipped back to the other two offerings. ¡°Both are popular, and you can¡¯t go wrong with anything at my shop,¡± Chaladoom added. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of gold for me to spend at this point, and I was doing just fine with the personal space the way it was. Maybe I¡¯ll just rent furniture again if I need to entertain a visitor. I¡¯m sorry, but I think I need to focus on gear that improves my chances at survival,¡± I muttered, wanting my place to look nice, but not willing to waste gold I might need for something important down the road. ¡°Oh my, I believe there has been a misunderstanding Rico. This, as amazing and lovely as it is, offers more than luxurious accommodation. Perhaps your friend did not inform you of the additional features of my goods? They were kind enough to refer you but didn¡¯t bother to tell you why so many seek out my services? A shame, really. ¡°Please, Rico, tell the room that you have honored guests visiting,¡± Chaladoom offered. ¡°Okay, hey room, we¡¯re having honored guests over,¡± I said. Instantly, a half dozen humans appeared, dressed as maids and butlers. Several of the staff held trays with food and drink, ready to entertain, while others were placed around the room to watch over the gathering. ¡°In this mode, the summoned servants will offer refreshments and stand ready to assist in any way possible. The magic powering the room can create whatever your guests might need for nourishment, though some, more exotic nutritional requirements cannot be met. At this price point we are limited I¡¯m sure you know,¡± Chaladoom said as I stood there shocked. I hadn¡¯t expected this at all. ¡°Tell me, Rico, if you don¡¯t mind. What type of class are you? I ask this not to pry, but instead to help tailor the room to your personal specifications,¡± Chaladoom asked. ¡°I¡¯m a summoner of sorts,¡± I replied, not wanting to get into too much detail with a stranger. He may have been recommended by Tzes¡¯zod, but that didn¡¯t mean I could be careless. ¡°Excellent, with this offering, you get the option of installing one upgrade module. In your case, I¡¯d suggest the summoned minion recreational upgrade. It allows your minions to freely utilize the room, adding to their contentment and generating a chance for them to improve by one rank on their next summoning. The chance of improvement happening at this price point is minimal, but it¡¯s a free upgrade with this d¨¦cor choice,¡± Chaladoom said. ¡°What about the place that¡¯s ten gold, are there upgrades and servants there?¡± I asked. Chaladoom flipped the illusion back to the first page, and instead of my team of butlers and maids, I had a pair of servants in simple peasant garb. ¡°This is the standard model, and as such there are no upgrades. You¡¯re also limited to two assistants with this one. Before you decide, you should also see the second setting the room has. Tell the room that you¡¯re under threat,¡± Chaladoom said. ¡°I¡¯m under threat,¡± I said, and the room changed again. The two servants were replaced with guards in leather breastplates with shortswords in hand. I then shifted to the second, 50 gold offering to see the changes there. My six servants were now also dressed as guards, the butler¡¯s fancy garb replaced with steel breastplates and longswords, while the maids wore full leather armor and held crossbows. This was great, I had servants and guards included with my room furnishings. ¡°How strong are they?¡± I asked. ¡°For the first offering, they will range between tier one, rank zero, and tier one rank five. For the second, they will range between tier two, rank zero, and tier two, rank five. It¡¯s a random assortment, but you¡¯re always going to get at least one at the highest tier in the mix. They are simple automatons made from mana and possess only basic combat skills. They¡¯re not meant to handle a threat on their own at this price point, but they can buy you time to prepare. ¡°Tell me, Rico, do you see the value in my furnishings now?¡± Chaladoom asked. Chapter 213. Home Improvement. Chapter 213. Home Improvement. So, these furnishings were a whole lot more than I had first thought. Having staff on hand, and extra defenders just in case, would be a nice bonus. To top things off, the space would be much more comfortable, and I was sure that Melvin would have a grand old time checking out all the changes. Of the two offerings, I wasn¡¯t even going to consider the torture dungeon as an option, I was leaning toward the Victorian looking one. Having more staff and defenders would be nice, and frankly, I just liked the whole setup a lot more. My cash reserves were going to take another hit, but I¡¯d already scoured the city and bought everything else I was interested in. ¡°I have to say, the whole furniture thing is looking more promising with what you just showed me. Why don¡¯t we do the 50-gold option, and how do we make all this happen?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s easy enough, once the price is paid in full, my team will arrive and complete the installation. It takes only an hour or so once you pay and give us permission,¡± Chaladoom explained. I was sure there was some system hocus pocus going on with the installation, which was par for the course. ¡°Here¡¯s your payment, so I can expect the install completed in an hour or so?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, give us two hours just to be safe, and the system will send you a notice soon to grant us limited permission to visit your personal space. I¡¯m glad I could help you today, is there anything else you needed?¡± Chaladoom asked. ¡°No, but I do have a question. If, in the future, I want to upgrade the furnishings, how do I go about it?¡± I asked. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, just come see me. After all, it doesn¡¯t matter what tier of the city you have access to, there¡¯s no law saying you can¡¯t return to the lower tiers to do business,¡± Chaladoom said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming we¡¯d be looking at the next tab, the 500 gold one?¡± I asked. ¡°Precisely, and before you ask, no, you cannot have a peek yet. I don¡¯t want to spoil the surprise. I look forward to working with you again,¡± Chaladoom said. ¡°One last thing, I see that the design I purchased has a desk included. Does it also come with writing materials? If not, do you know where I can find some?¡± I asked, remembering Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s request back when he mentioned the furniture. ¡°It¡¯s normally not included, but I¡¯ll see to it that an ample supply is stocked inside your desk. I¡¯m always happy to help a new client,¡± Chaladoom said. Great, finally something I didn¡¯t have to shell out more coins for. Thanking Chaladoom once more, I made my way out of this small shop. I must admit, I was excited over what the 500-gold furniture option would get me after seeing how much 50 bought. After taking a few steps from the shop, a system prompt appeared. The business known as Chaladoom¡¯s Furnishings wishes to install mana-based furnishings inside your personal space. Do you wish to grant them limited permission to do so? If you decide to grant them permission, they will be restricted to simply installing your purchase and cannot change or interfere with anything else inside. I granted them permission, wishing I had some way to warn Melvin and Tzes¡¯zod about what was going on. Ducking back into the shop, Chaladoom assured me it would be fine, any residents of the personal space would receive a system announcement about what was happening, and why they were there. With a couple of hours to kill, I checked back at the Summoned Market, hoping that my gear had arrived early, and I wouldn¡¯t be forced to stay another night here. Getting the mana gauge back home was something I wanted to accomplish as soon as possible. Thankfully, both other pieces were there, and it appeared that the clerk had been hedging her bets on how long the whole transfer process was going to take. You had to appreciate a business that subscribed to the under promise and over deliver mindset. I took a moment to check out the two newest additions to my set. Having four pieces in total gave me some solid resistance upgrades. Summoner¡¯s Leggings of Resistance. Part of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set, these leggings are magically reinforced, making the cloth and leather material as strong as chainmail. A 5% frost resistance is granted by this piece. This resistance stacks with all other forms of resistance. Part of a 5-piece set, an additional 5% frost resistance is granted for each additional piece of the set that you have equipped. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Summoner¡¯s Bracers of Resistance. Part of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set, these bracers are magically reinforced, granting them the same strength as steel plate armor. A 5% acid damage resistance is granted by this piece. This resistance stacks with all other forms of resistance. Part of a 5-piece set, an additional 5% acid resistance is granted for each additional piece of the set that you have equipped. You have equipped 4 of the 5 pieces from the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set. Your total bonus is as follows:
  1. Fire resistance: 20%.
  2. Frost resistance: 20%.
  3. Acid resistance: 20%.
  4. Piercing resistance: 20%.
Since you have equipped more than 3 pieces of the set your summoned minions will enjoy the following protections.
  1. Fire resistance: 8%.
  2. Frost resistance: 8%.
  3. Acid resistance: 8%.
  4. Piercing resistance: 8%.
It was a nice upgrade, and the armor wasn¡¯t too bad to look at either. The pieces I had gave me a less ragged, piecemeal look to my gear. The fact that it granted a bit of resistance to my minions was great as well. It looked like they were going to get 2% resistance for each piece I had equipped. Flagging down one of the clerks, I asked about the last piece of the set. ¡°Excuse me, do you know which item completes this set? Is there some way to reserve it if one becomes available?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the system doesn¡¯t allow us to disclose detailed set information, but I can check if there is anything else currently in stock,¡± the young man offered. ¡°Thanks, oh, one more thing. I have a piece from another set I have no use for, can I trade it in here for some summoning points?¡± I asked, realizing that the commander¡¯s armor was going to just be clutter in my inventory. The clerk looked up the item and confirmed that the commander¡¯s set was one they would take into inventory. Just like when trading in a car to a dealership, you got a whole lot less in trade than you paid for it initially. At least it was enough to purchase a minor skill scroll for shields. Now that I had one from the new set, I needed to know how to use it. I was done in Somhagen, all that was left to do was make the trip back to my personal space and return home. My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar and unwelcome voice. ¡°Hey Rico, what gives? I just got word that you were leaving. Are you sure we can¡¯t stay an extra day? I¡¯m just about to close a deal for this guy¡¯s soul, er, I mean I¡¯m about to buy some important supplies to take back to the place I¡¯m renting from you,¡± Gary said. He was leaning up against the wall outside the entrance of the Summoned Market. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see a trio of very agitated-looking market workers a few yards away keeping an eye on him. ¡°Sorry, Gary, but I have things to do back home and need to leave. I do have another hour or so to kill, though. I¡¯m having some updated furniture delivered,¡± I explained. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re the boss, at least for this trip. Still, I appreciate you letting me tag along, and despite you cutting out early, it was a profitable time for me,¡± Gary said. Sadly, it didn¡¯t look like he was going to head out on his own for the last hour, so I was saddled with him following me around. To kill time, I stopped for a bite to eat, doing my best to not engage Gary too much in conversation. It would be far too easy to slip up and say something to him that I¡¯d regret. Much to my concern, he seemed to have taken an interest about Earth. I tried to downplay anything I thought might encourage his interest. Unfortunately, Gary was going to do what Gary wanted to do and there was little I could do to stop him if he decided that my home world would make a great vacation spot. The only good news I had was that he seemed to not want to visit until the mana levels were a bit higher. Maybe his powers would drain back home, which would keep the planet safe from his machinations for a while. After an hour had passed, he summoned the palanquin again and we rode back to the personal space entrance. ¡°Melvin, I¡¯m home. It¡¯s time to head back to Earth, do you want to tag along?¡± I asked my gelatinous friend as soon as Gary left for his expansion space. Melvin sent back that going with me was an affirmative. Looking around, I was impressed with how my personal space looked. It was a huge change from the big empty space it had once been. Now, I wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed at having visitors, though it was a bit strange to have the six attendants standing around, waiting for orders. I spent some time sorting out what I wanted to take back with me. I included most of the mana tabs, most of my coins, and the mana gauge. As far as the consumable figurines I wanted to take home, I added both veterans, the undying minion and the ogre zombie. For the other choices I wanted the skeletal hounds, the angry mob, the panther, and the giant crab. Of course, I added Melvin to the mix, he and I had an appointment for some tacos and beer. Everything else would remain for future summonings. With everything sorted that I wanted to bring back, I let the system know that I was ready to leave. A portal home opened and I stepped through it and into my apartment. It was evening here, and after a quick check to make sure there were no surprises waiting in the apartment, I began to relax. Picking up my phone, I dialed Marie, who answered right away. ¡°Rico, what¡¯s up?¡± she asked casually. ¡°Marie, I think we need to contact Agent Lopez. I just got back from Somhagen, and I have something that might tell us when Earth will be inducted into the system,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll give him a call and then meet you at your apartment,¡± Marie said, ending the call. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to tell her that Agent Lopez better bring his checkbook with him after all the gold I spent on the mana gauge. Chapter 214. Waiting for Integration Chapter 214. Waiting for Integration. About five minutes after I¡¯d hung up with Marie, she was knocking on the door of my apartment, with Julio in tow. ¡°You look a lot better than when I last saw you,¡± Julio said as I invited them in. ¡°Being taken apart and reassembled seems to do the trick with any lingering injuries,¡± I replied. It was hard to for me to fathom that all the time I¡¯d just spent on my summonings, the negotiation for my personal space expansion, and the visit to Somhagen equated to just about an hour or so here at home. The last time Julio and Maria had seen me, I was still pretty banged up from my experience clearing the tiki dungeon. That was one advantage of being summoned, the ability to repair any damage you might have. Minerva had mentioned that I would have an extended life expectancy, which was an even better bonus. ¡°I just got off the phone with Agent Lopez. He¡¯s in LA and is taking a chopper here with some tech expert that he¡¯s rounded up. They¡¯ll meet us at the Huntington Beach Police Station. There¡¯s a secure room there where we can talk. Julio will drive us over,¡± Marie explained. We piled into Julio¡¯s old Buick Century and left for the police station. It wasn¡¯t that far of a ride, but the evening rush hour traffic made it take a lot longer than I would have liked. While we drove, I explained to Marie all the changes and things I¡¯d learned during my last summoning session and subsequent visit to Somhagen. ¡°Interesting, we¡¯ve seen in the shared database that most people are offered either a new class, or an evolution at tier two, like the system did with you. Some people are reporting no changes offered at all, and others that they had to wait until tier two, rank five. The system is odd in the way it is doling out upgrades. I think you did well with yours,¡± Marie said as we pulled into the station parking lot. A uniformed officer was there to greet us and led us directly inside, past the security measures. I was pretty sure the local police department wasn¡¯t read into the top-secret information about summoned beings, but apparently Agent Lopez had some pull to get things moving quickly for us. ¡°Rico, thanks for meeting with us, and thank you for what you¡¯ve picked up in Somhagen. We¡¯ve been requesting that summoned beings bring back a variety of items so we can test them out, but this is the first we¡¯ve heard of something that can predict our world¡¯s integration. Can we see it now?¡± Agent Lopez asked as soon as the door to the office we were using was closed. A pair of government agents were posted outside to make sure that any curious police officers didn¡¯t stick their noses in or overhear anything they weren¡¯t supposed to. It was a large enough office but felt a bit cramped around the table with all of us, Lopez, his technician, and piles of various scientific equipment that I couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°Here, it doesn¡¯t look like much, and the person who sold it to me said we¡¯d be integrated when the gauge reaches about a quarter of the way up,¡± I explained as I placed the gauge on the table. ¡°Incredible, let us get some initial readings,¡± the tech said as he began to poke and prod at the mana gauge. ¡°How did you find this?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°One of the information brokers on the second tier of the city, a human named Rhett, told me about it when I asked about predicting our integrations. I can give details about where the shop is located where I bought it, and the owner won¡¯t be hard to spot. Her name is Zamly and she¡¯s a Medusa looking creature with a bit of a temper,¡± I explained. ¡°Medusa, like from the Greek legends?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Sir, that species is rare but has been documented by other summoned beings. They call themselves the gorgoth which is eerily close to the gorgons of the legend. It further confirms my theory that there was past interaction between our world and others governed by the system,¡± the tech interjected. He looked like he was going to go on, but Lopez stopped him.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thanks Jeff, you have a great knowledge base about this stuff, but we need to continue with the debrief,¡± Lopez asked. ¡°I do hate to bring this up, Lopez, but I have to ask if the government is going to reimburse me for buying this thing. It cost me a hundred gold, which isn¡¯t chump change,¡± I asked. ¡°I agree, that¡¯s a hefty sum, but don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be happy when you see the compensation check to not only reimburse you for the mana gauge, but also the bonus for bringing back new tech. The bonus only counts if this thing works as advertised,¡± Lopez said. ¡°You do realize that the coins are around an ounce each, and gold is hovering just over $2000 per ounce now,¡± Julio offered. I¡¯d paid over $200k for that stupid gauge when you put it in dollars. I hadn¡¯t really thought of it that way, but Gary had paid me the equivalent of over a million dollars for renting my personal space expansion. ¡°Congrats, Rico, you¡¯re probably rich now,¡± Lopez said with a smile. I suppose he could be happy for me since it was the taxpayers¡¯ money he was spending, and it wasn¡¯t coming out of his pocket. ¡°Maybe I can get you an upgrade to your crappy Buick, Julio,¡± I offered. ¡°Hey, old Lulubelle is a great ride, don¡¯t insult her,¡± Julio joked. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll be paying that bonus, Agent Lopez. From the initial readings it looks like this mana gauge is the real deal. It¡¯s much more than it first appears as well. Here, take a look at this under magnification,¡± the tech, Jeff, said, pulling up something on his laptop. It was a short video with extreme magnification. Zoomed in, we could see even more hashmarks on the gauge, and as we watched, the gauge moved up slightly every few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s moving pretty consistently, how much time do we have?¡± Lopez asked, concerned as we watched the gauge continue to slowly move us toward integration. ¡°Like I said, this is at extreme magnification, but if it continues at the same rate its going now, we¡¯ve got about two to three years. That precludes any massive mana generating events like the dungeons that appeared recently,¡± Jeff explained. ¡°That¡¯s far sooner than we had hoped,¡± Lopez said, looking a bit sick. ¡°With this in our possession, we can keep track of it. Maybe we¡¯re missing something, and this is just some residual mana absorption from the destruction of the dungeons. I¡¯ll monitor it constantly and keep everyone in the loop of where we stand,¡± Jeff explained. ¡°We¡¯re looking at a quicker integration, what does that mean for us?¡± Marie asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure just yet, we had hoped for more time. The world may have need of your services sooner rather than later. We were counting on the cooperative summoned beings to assist us in dealing with the early problems. In addition to the summoned beings, we wanted to have other teams that are trained for system related issues and ready to go when the integration hits,¡± Lopez said. ¡°What kind of chaos can we expect?¡± Julio asked. ¡°All kinds, and it¡¯s very possible that most of our technology will be wiped out by the initial surge of mana from integration. Between the monsters, dungeons, and who knows what, our traditional military, police, and other emergency services will be stretched to the limit,¡± Lopez said. He looked overwhelmed, and I had nothing to tell him that would make things better. ¡°We¡¯ll help however we can, but we must expect some problems as everyone gets a class. Half the world will think it¡¯s all some kind of hoax, and the other half will be split between thinking they¡¯ve become a superhero, or, unfortunately, a super villain,¡± Marie added. She¡¯d obviously thought a lot more about this than I had. I¡¯d been too worried about my immediate issues to think too much about what the integration would mean. ¡°We¡¯ll keep working hard at this, and with at least a general idea of an integration date, we can accelerate our plans. Thanks again Rico. I didn¡¯t want to depress anyone, we¡¯ve still got some time and we¡¯ll get everything sorted,¡± Lopez said, regaining his professional composure. ¡°Is there anything else you learned on your last summoning?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°A lot, but some of it I can¡¯t speak about due to some system shenanigans. I just got back, but as soon as I can, I¡¯ll update the database with everything I¡¯ve learned,¡± I said, thinking on my deal with Gary. He wanted privacy and as much as I wanted to warn everyone about him, I feared what would happen if I inadvertently broke our deal. That was something that was sure to attract Gary¡¯s attention, and his ire. ¡°Whatever information you can give will help,¡± Lopez said. ¡°One thing I did have a question on, and hopefully you can answer. Where are all the higher-level summoned beings? It seems that around tier three they all disappear. I mean, I¡¯m at tier two already, and I¡¯m pretty new to this. Surely, we have people that are tier four, five, or higher,¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s yet another mystery we haven¡¯t been able to figure out. The highest tier summoned being we¡¯re in contact with is tier three, rank eight,¡± Lopez said. ¡°The only thing I could get out of the information broker was that something big changes at tier three, which seems to be the case. Not only that, but he also mentioned some kind of offramp for a summoned being at that tier. Do you think we¡¯re forced to leave our home world at that point?¡± I speculated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but whatever we do find out will be shared. The only way we get through this is to all work together and make our summoned beings as knowledgeable and powerful as we can so you can help deal with the integration,¡± Lopez said. Before I could respond, and ask for some high-speed soldier training, the system intervened. Summoner link has been activated. Prepare for immediate summoning. Chapter 215. Farewell to the First. Chapter 215. Farewell to the First. I was pulled from the police conference room, and left wondering what those in the room might notice. Supposedly, when summoned, those around the point of summoning don¡¯t even know it was happening, but Marie was there, and she was also a summoned being with mana. Maybe she¡¯d sense or see something. Just when I began to wonder what kind of summoning, and which of my linked summoners I was going to, the system kicked in with information. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Sharnlynn.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 0.
  4. Rewards level, generous.
  5. This summons is support related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Full autonomy is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
The portal opened in front of me, and stepped out, eager to see Sharnlynn again. She had been my first summoner and the last time I¡¯d seen her; we had recovered an artifact from some ruins to save her people from some hostile orcs. From the system description, I was going to be pretty much on my own. I¡¯d never had full autonomy without any restrictions before. Warm sunlight hit me as I exited the portal. I was standing in a small courtyard garden in the middle of some large, impressive stone structure. The well-tended garden was surrounded by a walkway held up by ornate stone pillars. Several doors led from the courtyard, and I had the feeling that I¡¯d stepped from the police station in Huntington Beach and into ancient Athens. ¡°Welcome, summoned being, may I inquire as to your name,¡± a young man in robes asked as he stepped from the walkway and headed toward me. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Rico Kline,¡± I replied trying to follow my summoner link. It led through one of the doors and deeper into the structure. ¡°You are one of the honored, I¡¯ve heard the stories about you,¡± the young man said, bowing deeply before me. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch your name, and I¡¯m not quite sure why I¡¯m here,¡± I said a bit confused. ¡°I am but a humble servant of the household and my name is Berinas. It was our queen who summoned you. I¡¯m afraid this summoning is a bittersweet one,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not following, Berinas, how about some details,¡± I said, getting annoyed at the vague answers. ¡°My queen, Sharnlynn, summoned you. Please, allow me to escort you to the family, and they can explain. It is not my place to say,¡± Berinas said, leading me through the door that followed my summoners link. Inside, the estate was just as impressive as the small garden courtyard. As we walked, the right side of the walkway opened to a bright, sunlit sky with the sea in the distance. A fresh, ocean breeze blew down the hallway, and the whole setting had me feeling like I was on a rather expensive beach vacation. We stopped near a door where several other people turned to look at us. There was another servant in robes similar to Berinas¡¯ and two guards in plate armor and halberds on either side of the door. A middle-aged woman in fine traveling clothes stood against the railing. She was the only person not looking at me, and instead, her gaze was fixed on the water. ¡°Your majesty, I present to you the summoned being Rico Kline,¡± Berinas said before turning and walking back the way we¡¯d come. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you Sir Kline, my family, and our people owe you a great debt,¡± the middle-aged woman said, bowing before me. The guards and servants did also. ¡°I¡¯m not sure anyone owes me a debt, but I could do with an explanation. I¡¯ve never been on a summoning like this before,¡± I replied, still more than a bit confused over the situation. ¡°You¡¯re so young, tell me Sir Kline, how long ago was it that my mother summoned you?¡± the woman asked. ¡°It¡¯s not Sir Kline, just Rico, if you please. I¡¯m not some knight or anything. Your mother? I thought the summoner was Sharnlynn, she was about my age, and I guess the last summoning was a couple months ago,¡± I replied, picturing the young woman who was my first summoner. This older woman had claimed that she was her daughter, and I could see a resemblance, they both had the same, long brown hair and determined look in their eyes. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Here, Rico, nearly sixty years have passed since that fateful summoning. The artifacts you helped mother secure saved out people and helped us to grow our small town into this,¡± the woman said, waving me over to her. Standing at the railing, I could see a beautiful city spread out below me. Ships pulled in and out of the port, and the population seemed to go about their day in peace.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ve been remiss, I should introduce myself. I am Princess Estrid of Ushadlia, and please, allow me to explain why you are here. My mother, the honored leader of our people, is dying. While her mind fades in and out, her powers remain as strong as ever. She¡¯s been occasionally summoning random things and people into the palace. ¡°Most of these are random summonings, but you are one I was hoping to meet. You are one of the few she summoned more than once and remembered fondly. Both times she called you forth, you saved her life, and the second time, you saved her people as well,¡± Estrid paused, choking up as she spoke of her mother, and I could see tears welling up in her eyes as she gathered herself to continue. ¡°Thank you for saving her, I would not be here without your efforts. I love my mother dearly and I would ask if you would be willing to visit her. Maybe your presence will grant her some peace, her passing is not a quick or easy one,¡± Estrid asked. ¡°I¡¯d be glad to help in any way I can,¡± I replied. Time didn¡¯t pass the same between worlds, and it was always changing, even for someone with a linked summoning it appeared. I was humbled that what I considered a simple summons had changed so many lives for the better and saddened that my first summoner now lay upon her death bed. Estrid motioned for the guard to open the door and I walked in. There upon a large and ornate bed, lay Sharnlynn, who I would have never recognized if it weren¡¯t for the summoner link binding us together. She looked thin, almost skeletal, and her skin had a waxy, unhealthy sheen to it. Two people in gold-colored robes stood at the head of her bed, channeling healing mana into Sharnlynn. Even with the constant healing, it was obvious that this poor woman wasn¡¯t long for this world. Despite her drained and dying form, I caught a gleam in her eye, a small flicker of that determination I¡¯d seen during our last summoning. ¡°Rico, you¡¯re still so young after all this time. Did you come to save me again?¡± her frail voice whispered. ¡°Tell me how to save you and I¡¯ll do everything in my power to help,¡± I promised. My eyes began to burn, and I felt a tear drop from my cheek. I¡¯d only met this woman twice, but here I was, standing amid the nation she had built and the people she had guided. I was proud to have played some small part, and honored that she would even remember me. ¡°You can do nothing for me at this point, my old body is worn out, and it¡¯s my time to go. Thank you for coming, and I¡¯m sorry if this old woman accidentally summoned you from something more important. I still have my mana, but I no longer can control it like I used to. I¡¯m probably giving the staff all kinds of fits with what I¡¯ve been summoning up,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to see you once again,¡± I told her, reaching down to pat her hand. She grasped my hand, holding on with surprising strength. ¡°We sure gave those orcs a sound drubbing that day, didn¡¯t we Rico,¡± she muttered, her voice going weak. ¡°That we did, though I also recall a bit of hiding and praying that the Ettin stomping about didn¡¯t spot us,¡± I replied, recalling the two headed giant that we barely escaped from. ¡°Estrid, show him before he goes.¡± Sharnlynn said, dropping my hand and grasping onto her daughters as Estrid moved to her side. Your summoner link has been transferred to the being known as Estrid. Please note that this summoning link will be shorter in duration than your original. I waved away the system notification, focusing my attention on Sharnlynn and her daughter. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad my beautiful little girl. You¡¯re strong, and you¡¯ll lead them well, I know¡­¡± Sharnlynn said, her voice drifting off. ¡°Your majesty, the queen has passed,¡± one of the gold-robed healers softly said. ¡°Thank you for your ministrations. Please, make the arrangements for her. There will be a full state funeral for my mother, let the people have an opportunity to say goodbye to their queen,¡± Estrid said, wiping the tears from her face, as she tried to put on a brave face and be seen as the queen she was. ¡°Rico, if you don¡¯t mind, I have one more thing to show you before your summoning ends,¡± Estrid said. ¡°Estrid, I¡¯m sorry for¡­¡± I began to say. ¡°Don¡¯t, please, I¡¯m barely holding it together now, let us walk in silence for a bit,¡± Estrid said, leading me from the room and further down the hallway. It ended in another small courtyard. This one was covered in neatly trimmed grass with stone benches set around the perimeter. In the center of the courtyard was a statue. ¡°Guards, leave us please, I¡¯ll summon you shortly,¡± Estrid said ordered. I didn¡¯t need Estrid to tell me who the statue was, it was easy enough to guess as I doubted that too many statues in the nation of Ushadlia featured a guy wearing khakis and a polo shirt. The statue held a longsword in one hand, and his other grasped a bag that he was thrusting behind him. A plaque on the statue gave a bit of information. The hero from another world, Rico Kline, holds off an orcish horde and hands Queen Sharnlynn the artifacts that saved our nation. ¡°I hope the depiction is a good one,¡± Estrid said. ¡°It¡¯s better than I deserve, though I do remember the blade in my hand was a crude dagger that I¡¯d taken from an orc, not a longsword,¡± I said. ¡°Artist¡¯s interpretation, I suppose. Thank you for everything, back then, and today with mother,¡± Estrid said, beginning to sob, finally breaking down now that none of her subjects were nearby. Not knowing what to do I put my arm around her and let the poor woman weep. We were alone in the courtyard, and here, she could just be a daughter mourning the loss of her mother. Once she left this place, Estrid would be forced to be queen once more, and put on a brave face for her people. I don¡¯t know how long I stood there, comforting the new queen, but eventually, the system determined that my time here was over. Your summoning time has expired. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect that you were summoned at tier 2, rank 0, and earned a performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 14 experience points. You have earned 11 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 1. You have earned 1 point in Mind. Your link to this summoner has ended. Chapter 216. Test Results and Tacos. Chapter 216. Test Results and Tacos. I suddenly found myself back in the same chair I had been sitting in at the police station. The others were looking over at me and the technician, Jeff, was looking back and forth from his laptop to the mana gauge. ¡°Rico, what just happened?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°What, oh, sorry, I just got back from a summoning,¡± I explained. ¡°What, that was fast. I suppose I knew they could be quick, but I didn¡¯t even see you leave,¡± Lopez said as he looked at me with shock etched on his face. For the first time, the agent seemed to have lost his professional demeanor as he sat there confused. ¡°It¡¯s probably a bit weird actually being there when it happens. I doubt that¡¯s a normal occurrence. Could you see or feel anything when I was pulled away?¡± I asked. ¡°Strange, I don¡¯t recall seeing anything, but my mind is a bit fuzzy when I think about it. I did get an odd, almost sick feeling for a moment. It was like I was seasick,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the system does, but it seems to attempt to mask the summonings when they happen, especially if¡­¡± Marie started to say before the technician interrupted her. ¡°I think we got it! Look, here, I¡¯ll turn up the magnification. Right about the time Rico was summoned, we got a small bump in mana levels. For the next three seconds it levelled out, then, boom, another spike when you returned,¡± Jeff said. ¡°Would my summoning make that much of a jump? Why do you think the mana levels dropped again right after?¡± I asked, looking with the others at the graph showing the two small jumps in mana levels, and noticing they went almost back to where they were before right after. ¡°My preliminary theory is that the device picked up the local spike in mana, but as that dissipated into the atmosphere, things went back to normal. That tells me this mana gauge is pulling the readings from the area immediately around it, and it isn¡¯t just some system voodoo giving us a worldwide average,¡± Jeff said, tuning us out as he continued to dig into the data. ¡°Rico, what kind of summoning did you complete? I don¡¯t think you were gone long enough for it to have been an entire series. After all, you just got back from one, and there¡¯s usually some down time in between,¡± Marie asked. ¡°It was a linked summoning, and a bittersweet one at that,¡± I said, explaining to Marie and the others what I had just experienced. ¡°You¡¯ve got a chance to see what a summoned being can accomplish. We rarely get to see the long-term effects our actions will cause,¡± Marie said. ¡°I suppose it puts a bit more pressure on you,¡± Agent Lopez began. ¡°You can have a positive or negative impact on an entire world. I guess those consumable notice things you can use to end a summoning early are more important than we thought.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one thing I stocked up on in Somhagen. The Notice of Cessation has saved me from some horrible things in the past,¡± I added. ¡°Rico, what¡¯s in your hand?¡± Julio asked. I hadn¡¯t noticed until now, my left hand was clasped around a summoning figurine. Prying my sore fingers from the figurine, I could see it was another one with multiple figures on the same base. This time, it was a young, armored woman wearing a crown and raising her sword as she led a small contingent of knights forward. ¡°I think it¡¯s a summoning figurine, but the system didn¡¯t send me a notification about it since I was dumped back to Earth without visiting my personal space first,¡± I explained. ¡°Hey, do you think you could activate it? I¡¯d love to get a reading on the mana expenditure when you access your mana to activate it. Not only could we measure the small amount of mana you activate it with, but we could also see how much of your mana pool bleeds off before you¡¯re done. As an added bonus, I could measure if the figurines give off more mana than they took in when the summoning is done,¡± Jeff requested. ¡°While I think the data would be good to have, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll give this one up. A figurine like this could save a life in the right circumstances,¡± I replied. This was more than likely a tier two figurine, and possibly a veteran or elite one. If I was going to sacrifice one for an experiment, I¡¯d want to give up something a bit more mundane.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are you sure, Rico, we¡¯ll see you compensated if you give up a consumable item for our tests,¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°Until the system explains this one to me, or I¡¯m in a life-or-death situation, I don¡¯t want to waste it. I do have one that¡¯s a bit of a unique situation I can summon,¡± I countered, remembering that I had Melvin¡¯s figurine with me, and I¡¯d promised to take him out on the town. ¡°What is it?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°This, it¡¯s a friend of mine that I can summon from time to time,¡± showing the others Melvin¡¯s figurine. ¡°May I get some readings on it before you summon whatever that is,¡± Jeff said excitedly. ¡°Do whatever you need to do. As for what it is, Melvin is a gelatinous cube. He¡¯s a good guy, so don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t hurt anyone,¡± I explained. ¡°This is great, hang on just a second,¡± Jeff said, pulling some additional gear out of the cases stacked behind him. I had no idea what any of the devices he pulled out did, and I had a strong feeling that asking him about them would end with me being forced to listen to a long and boring technical explanation. ¡°Just let me know when you¡¯re ready. If you¡¯re looking for a baseline, it takes me one mana to activate a figurine. My class also allows me to summon my minions without any mana. I don¡¯t know if you want a reading on that,¡± I offered. Summoning my lowest rank and tier minion, Blieek, wouldn¡¯t be too much of a waste if it helped the scientists figure out what was happening. ¡°Please, but summon the jelly guy that needs mana first. It¡¯s a known quantity that you need to expend, and even though we get atmospheric bleed on your mana pool, it will give me solid measurements. After that, we¡¯ll check if the zero-mana summoning is truly zero mana. There might be some other system forces at work,¡± Jeff said. As soon as Jeff gave me the thumbs up, I pushed a point of mana into Melvin¡¯s figurine. Earth tugged greedily at my mana pool, but I managed to complete the process with only losing a single additional point. I had placed Melvin¡¯s figurine on the round table we were sitting at, and suddenly he appeared in front of us, causing everyone but me to push back in their chairs. ¡°Hey Melvin, we¡¯re back on Earth. These are some friends and people I work with. They need to take some measurements and use their machines for a moment. Do you mind if they touch you?¡± I asked my friend. He sent me back images of cautious approval, but only if I remained with him. ¡°Melvin says it¡¯s okay to touch, just don¡¯t go overboard, and Jeff, don¡¯t do any kind of possibly painful tests on him,¡± I explained. The others were understandably cautious, but Julio proved the bravest of the bunch, giving Melvin a pat atop his cube. The others soon followed, and though he didn¡¯t say anything or send me any of his feelings, I figured my friend was eating up all the attention. ¡°Melvin and I have already met,¡± Marie said. She¡¯d worked with him when we were fighting the dungeons here on Earth. Recognizing her, Melvin jiggled a corner of his cube in greeting. ¡°He¡¯s warm, and not slimy like I expected,¡± Julio said. ¡°Yeah, just don¡¯t get on his bad side. He can dissolve you into a liquid snack in under a minute if he wants to. I found him in Somhagen, and he lives in my personal space now. He¡¯s been a great friend and ally. I trust him with my life,¡± I explained. ¡°Fascinating, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m meeting someone from another world. So, Rico, does he need anything, you know, like food or a treat or something?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose he¡¯d turn down any food you have on hand,¡± I said. Agent Lopez pulled a pack of mints from his pocket, offering one to Melvin. I had Lopez drop it on his back, and they watched as Melvin absorbed the small candy. ¡°Can we borrow Melvin for a while sometime? Who knows what knowledge we could glean from him,¡± Jeff asked. ¡°It¡¯d be up to Melvin. He¡¯s an intelligent being and I won¡¯t force him to do something he doesn¡¯t want to,¡± I advised. Melvin sent me annoyed feelings, he wanted to see things and have fun on this trip, not be poked and prodded by others. I couldn¡¯t blame him, and instead, I summoned Blieek for Jeff to examine. I targeted one corner of the room where we had just enough space for the diminutive goblin. Unlike Melvin, Blieek didn¡¯t seem all that excited to be summoned. He just stood there holding his newly upgraded tier one spear. Unlike the sharpened stick he had been using originally. This spear shaft was straight and featured a sharpened stone point. ¡°That¡¯s exactly how I expected a goblin to look,¡± Jeff said as he collected the next set of readings. ¡°This one is just a mana construct if you¡¯re need to know for the readings and whatnot,¡± I offered. Jeff went to work, and as time passed, we continued with a debrief of my summoning series and visit to Somhagen. After a while, I became bored with the whole situation. When Melvin finally sent me the same feelings, I figured it was time to call it an afternoon. ¡°Folks, I think Melvin is getting bored. You don¡¯t want a bored gelatinous cube crawling around the police station,¡± I advised. ¡°Good point, Jeff, do you have what you need?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Not everything I want, but there¡¯s plenty for my team to work on for now. Maybe we can get another session before you¡¯re summoned again,¡± Jeff asked. ¡°Sure, but I have no control over when I¡¯m summoned. Is anyone else hungry, we¡¯ve been cooped up here for hours,¡± I whined. To prevent causing an uproar in the station, we¡¯d kept the door closed and the creatures I¡¯d summoned out of sight. We were all getting tired of sitting there while Jeff worked on collecting data. ¡°Want to stop somewhere on the way back?¡¯ Julio asked. ¡°Sure, what do you want?¡± I asked. Melvin suddenly pushed an image into my mind, along with a single word. ¡°Tacos.¡± ¡°Uh, guys, I kind of promised Melvin that I¡¯d get him tacos, is everyone cool with that?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, even if it¡¯s not Tuesday, I know the perfect place,¡± Julio said. I didn¡¯t doubt him. The guy had an uncanny ability to locate the best hole in the wall restaurants in town. ¡°And you¡¯re paying, Rico, you¡¯re the guy that¡¯s rich now,¡± Marie insisted. Chapter 217. Called to Action Chapter 217. Called to Action. ¡°Melvin, are you ever going to stop?¡± I asked as I placed another taco on top of his body. Like with the previous six, the current taco was slowly absorbed into Melvin. The first few I had nicely unwrapped and doused with taco sauce for my gelatinous friend, but by the fifth one, he was fine going for them wrapper and all. ¡°Leave him alone, he¡¯s enjoying them. Marie said, leaning back from the front seat to sprinkle a few tortilla chips onto Melvin who gobbled them up as fast as the tacos. ¡°Rico, be a pal and order us some more. I could do with another carne asada burrito, and a refill on my horchata,¡± Julio said. ¡°I¡¯m done, way too full now,¡± Marie said, handing me her trash as I sighed and opened the back door of Julio¡¯s Buick to head back into the taco shop. Before I got five steps from the car, Melvin sent me an image. He wanted a burrito like Julio¡¯s and a horchata, and some nachos, and another two tacos, one beef, one chicken. I had to admit, the restaurant that Julio had picked was good. It was a little, local joint called Tacos Frida. They had great prices, and the food was solid, just the type of restaurant that Julio seemed to be a wizard at finding. For Melvin¡¯s first foray into Earth¡¯s Mexican food, it was perfect. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m rich now. Bringing Melvin to Earth for a week and feeding him would bankrupt most families,¡± I whined to myself. I really wasn¡¯t annoyed and was happy to see Melvin enjoying himself. It was even better to see the others dealing with him like it was totally normal to have a gelatinous cube in the back seat of your car. Blieek didn¡¯t go with us, he¡¯d be a bit harder to hide than Melvin, and I knew when we got far enough away from the station that he¡¯d be unsummoned. Jeff wanted to measure what happened with the mana gauge when he was unsummoned. Oddly enough, summoning the goblin hardly left a blip on the gauge, when my summoning and subsequent return had spiked it hard. With another $30 of Mexican food in hand, I returned to the car. Julio and Melvin continued to eat, with Julio feeding our friend by tossing various things back toward him. Melvin would just stretch his body out if Julio was off the mark., never missing a morsel While they ate, Marie and I discussed our latest visit with Agent Lopez. ¡°Do you think we can request some support from the government? I¡¯d like to get some more combat training. Something with small unit tactics would be great as well given the team I can summon,¡± I asked. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, Rico. I¡¯ve already arranged a meeting so we can discuss our needs. Your comment on small unit tactics is a good one. I¡¯ll check with the others, some general training is great, but if we can fine tune and find experts that mesh with everyone¡¯s classes, all the better,¡± Marie replied. ¡°You guys ready to head back?¡± Julio asked as he bundled up the empty burrito wrapper and tossed it back to Melvin who seemed to eat anything that was vaguely organic, and from the way the bags and boxes were dissolving, I suppose cardboard and paper fit the requirements for Melvin¡¯s diet. ¡°As long as Melvin¡¯s done,¡± I asked, more than a little worried that he¡¯d want to keep eating indefinitely. He sent me feelings of satisfaction and happiness over his meal. ¡°Tacos good,¡± he whispered in my mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Melvin, we got a lot more for you to try while you¡¯re here,¡± Julio said. ¡°Wait! Did you just understand what Melvin said,¡± I asked excitedly. ¡°Wow, yeah, I mean, I didn¡¯t hear it, the words just sort of appeared in my mind,¡± Julio said, a bit shocked.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything, but that¡¯s amazing if Melvin can communicate with someone he¡¯s not bonded with,¡± Marie said, leaning over the passenger seat to get another look at Melvin. ¡°What do you mean not bonded? We¡¯ve had a ton of burritos and tacos together, that¡¯s some solid team building right there,¡± Julio said. ¡°Hey, I gave him some chips. Now I see where I stand with you, Melvin,¡± Marie joked, pretending to be upset with Melvin, who seemed unperturbed by her efforts. ¡°When we get back, I need to drop some things off with Jeanette. I was able to stock up on mana tabs and have some loot to sell off. We left so quickly for our meeting with Lopez that I forgot about it,¡± I said as we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex that was Refuge¡¯s Huntington Beach headquarters. The others left to go about their day, though I suspected that Julio needed to sleep off the massive meal I had bought for him. Melvin was also dragging a bit, sliding slower than usual beside me as I headed to Jeanette¡¯s apartment. I had been a bit worried about having him out in public, but Marie and Julio assured me that he would be fine, and they¡¯d warn me if anyone not affiliated with Refuge was on the property. ¡°I take it you¡¯re back from a summoning series, and a visit to Somhagen,¡± Jeanette said as she opened the door for me and spotted the typical leather bag the system sent our loot back in. ¡°Yeah, and I come bearing gifts,¡± I said, handing her the bag of loot and mana tabs. ¡°Woah, who¡¯s that? I¡¯m assuming he¡¯s not dangerous or you wouldn¡¯t be dragging him around the place, but if that messes up the floor, you¡¯re responsible Rico,¡± Jeanette said as she spotted Melvin. ¡°This is Melvin, he¡¯s a friend. Don¡¯t worry, Melvin won¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± I told Jeanette before looking directly at my friend. ¡°And Melvin, you should know that Jeanette is the best cook in Refuge, so you¡¯ll want to stay on her good side,¡± I explained. ¡°Well, he¡¯s welcome for breakfast tomorrow if he behaves himself. Thank you for the mana tabs and I¡¯ll get everything else sorted for you,¡± Jeanette said. On the way back to my apartment, Melvin stirred up a bit of excitement as several of the kids in the complex spotted and were very interested in him. One of them had a small puppy that kept barking at Melvin, but he sent me confirmation that he wouldn¡¯t hurt the animal or the excited children. ¡°Can we play with him?¡± one of the younger kids, a girl of about eight who was named Lani, asked. ¡°If your parents and Melvin are okay with it. Do you want to play with the kids now?¡± I asked him. ¡°Play?¡± Melvin asked. ¡°It¡¯s just having fun, participating in some games, and just being goofy,¡± I explained through our connection. ¡°Melvin play.¡± ¡°Sounds like he wants to play, just stay where I can see you guys, and don¡¯t leave the property,¡± I advised after one of the kids¡¯ moms approved them playing with the creature. ¡°Rico, over here!¡± Julio shouted from across the lawn. Marie was hot on his heels, and I could see Elliot and Calvin also heading over from their apartments. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as the mom shooed several upset kids away, realizing that something more important than playing with a gelatinous cube was happening. ¡°Agent Lopez just called in. There¡¯s an incident in LA and they want our help. No details yet, other than wanting us to get rolling in that direction as soon as humanly possible,¡± Julio explained. ¡°Let¡¯s go, should I bring Melvin?¡± I asked. ¡°Sadly, that¡¯s a no, Lopez mentioned this was a sensitive issue and the risk of someone spotting him was too great. Also, no summoning your minions or using magic unless we¡¯re cleared to do so,¡± Julio said. Jeanette volunteered to keep an eye on Melvin while we were gone. Since he wasn¡¯t a directly summoned minion, he shouldn¡¯t disappear when I left the area. He should stick around until I was called back for another summoning. We piled into the Buick, with Elliot and Calvin cramming in the back seat with me while Julio drove, and Marie took shotgun. Marie jumped on the phone as soon as we were rolling, speaking with Agent Lopez who was also enroute to whatever was going on. A few minutes later, we were on the 405-freeway heading toward LA when Marie finished the call. ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°A bank robbery of all things, and not just any bank robbery, one with hostages. At least one of the perpetrators has exhibited unusual powers, which caught the attention of Agent Lopez¡¯s people. They want us to help, posing as a special hostage negotiation team. We¡¯ll get geared up off site and then head in to deal with the summoned being,¡± Marie explained. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Lopez have his own people for these kinds of things? We¡¯re good for dealing with a rogue dungeon, but a tactical assault on bank robbers with hostages is a bit out of our wheelhouse,¡± I said, expressing my concern. ¡°He¡¯ll have a tactical team on site to take lead on this. We¡¯ll be along to deal with any summoner nonsense. Apparently, the summoned being causing all the chaos thinks he¡¯s a supervillain and seems to have the powers to back up his claims,¡± Marie said. Chapter 218. The Bank Job. Chapter 218. The Bank Job. Our trip to LA went faster than expected. While we drove, Lopez was able to call in with more details about what we were facing. Apparently, the bank branch that was hit was in the corner of a larger office building. The upper floors were evacuated by the police, but inside the bank were at least a score of hostages. From what they could tell, there were six perpetrators. Five of the six appeared to be normal humans, equipped with long guns and pistols. The leader of the group claimed to be a wizard and had apparently killed the guard inside the bank with a blast of energy. For now, the perimeter was secure, and the press had been kept away due to the danger. We met Lopez¡¯s tactical team a block away from the bank, in an empty level of a parking garage. Lopez was there along with five men in black tactical gear who were armed with rifles sporting all kinds of attachments. We must have looked a bit underwhelming in our civilian gear, but the team didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Thank you all for arriving so soon. I¡¯m pretty sure my team could handle this, but I wanted you to be on hand in case we need help dealing with the summoned being,¡± Lopez said, directing us to a van where gear awaited us. We were supposedly getting all kinds of equipment from the government to keep at Refuge, but it hadn¡¯t arrived yet. ¡°Do you need Elliot and Calvin? They¡¯re both damage dealers and with all this firepower, you should have more than enough to deal with a group of bank robbers. I don¡¯t want to risk them for no reason,¡± Marie asked to the obvious disappointment of the two younger members of our team. To his credit, Elliot kept his mouth shut, and didn¡¯t start immediately arguing with Marie. Maybe our experience in the dungeon had knocked some sense into the kid. ¡°You and Rico should be sufficient. We¡¯ll keep Calvin and Elliot with the follow up team in case you need more support. They can also advise us of what¡¯s going on with all your powers and maybe identify what the other summoned being is doing,¡± Lopez said, wisely not just dismissing the pair out of hand, and giving them a job to do where they could still contribute. ¡°How would you like us to help?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to go in there soon, the robbers have already killed one hostage and are threatening to kill another every hour if we don¡¯t agree to their demands. I was hoping that Marie could cover our approach with an illusion, and that your team of minions could distract the enemy while my guys mop up,¡± Lopez suggested. ¡°I should be able to mask our approach, but it¡¯s not perfect. If the other summoned being is powerful, he may have some way of seeing through illusions,¡± Marie said. Lopez looked down at his phone, reading the latest updates before answering. ¡°From what we know so far, the one we suspect is a summoned being has generated beams of energy that burned through their target. He cut a hole in the vault and burned completely through the chest of the poor security guard. ¡°Other than that, he can also fire small bolts of energy that we¡¯ve so far categorized as magic missiles,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°He sounds powerful. Showing off all those powers should have left his mana pool empty,¡± I offered. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, he probably has access to mana tabs as well, not to mention his class may have some way to mitigate the mana loss,¡± Marie said. ¡°Here¡¯s what I think we should do,¡± the leader of the tactical team, who had Simmons on his nametag, started. ¡°We enter through the back of the building, and before we enter line of sight of the bank, we have Marie activate her illusion. If we¡¯re not detected, my team will engage, and I¡¯ll ask Rico to use his minions to block any return fire. If we¡¯re spotted before we¡¯re ready, Rico¡¯s forces will attack while we move to cover.¡± ¡°It seems this guy is a mage class, and I have a new minion that should be pretty effective in this instance. It can also move stealthily to the target, hopefully getting close without needing to stay behind Marie¡¯s illusion. It¡¯s called a mana slayer drone, and it¡¯s specifically designed to deal with mages. Let my minion focus on the summoned being and you guys deal with the rest,¡± I offered. ¡°I think we stick with my original plan; I don¡¯t want to tip off he summoned being that something¡¯s happening before we¡¯re ready to strike,¡± Simmons argued, shutting my idea down. ¡°Maybe a quick demonstration, as long as you don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have trouble transporting my minion with us,¡± I suggested. ¡°How big is it?¡± Simmons asked.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Around seven feet tall, humanoid, metal, with long bladed arms,¡± I explained. ¡°It should fit in the van, let¡¯s see your stealthy minion,¡± Simmons said, sounding dubious about my claims. I had the drone pop into existence just a few feet in front of Simmons, causing the man to stumble and fall back. Only a shouted order from Lopez kept the man from firing his rifle at my minion. The others on the tactical team didn¡¯t point their weapons, but they kept their hands on them, ready to rock and roll if my drone went all terminator on them. ¡°Go stealthy,¡± I ordered the minion. His form began to shimmer and fade, leaving behind only a slightly blurry distortion behind. As he moved, only about half the team were able to track his position accurately. ¡°Go visible,¡± I ordered and the stealth field deactivated. ¡°I take it I don¡¯t have to demonstrate that the drone¡¯s good with those blades?¡± I asked, feeling a bit cocky at this point. ¡°Should have worn my brown pants today, okay, we¡¯ll go with your plan Rico,¡± Simmons agreed. I had to hand it to him, the man was professional and didn¡¯t let his hurt pride sway him from the right decision. ¡°Let¡¯s move, we¡¯ve got ten minutes before they¡¯re supposed to kill the next hostage,¡± Lopez said, ordering us into the large cargo van we were using for transport. It was a tight fit with the drone going with us, but it was only a block away from our target. We entered through a back door to the building, and listened as the team watching the bank gave us continuous updates on the positions of the robbers. Three of the bank robbers were in the lobby area, with guns on the prisoners who were all down on the lobby floor. Another pair were loading up all their loot into large gym bags. The guy who was supposed to be the summoned being stood atop the teller counter with his hands on his hips like he was posing for the cover of Super Villain Magazine. Our path led us through the building itself, but the door from the building directly into the bank was locked down. We¡¯d have to exit the building and enter through where the front windows had been shattered by the summoned being¡¯s attacks. ¡°Now, Marie,¡± Simmons whispered before we stepped out of the building. According to Marie, she could keep up the illusion for only about thirty seconds or so, forcing us to move quickly. I ordered my mana slayer forward, under stealth, to attack the summoned being. My other minions were summoned as we walked, and I kept them in a long line behind Marie, so they would be covered by her illusion. We had just reached the broken window we were going to enter through, when the drone, which was just inside the building now, stepped on a small bit of glass, causing a loud crunching noise. All eyes turned in his direction. ¡°What¡¯s that, I think there¡¯s something there, it¡¯s invisible, shoot!¡± the summoned being ordered. Chaos exploded around us as the tactical team rushed into the building, firing at the robbers. I managed to cast Duplicate on the drone just as the summoned being pointed his arm at my minion and unleashed a blast of white-hot energy into him. My minion took two more steps before faltering and turning to mana vapor as the beam burned through his torso and he was unsummoned. My other minions were already attacking, and the goblin Glurk was able to fire an arrow into the summoned being¡¯s chest, knocking him off the counter and into cover behind the teller line. ¡°Get him,¡± I ordered my team to focus on the now hidden summoned being, holding only Elida back so she could heal anyone that was injured. Three of the robbers were already down, Lopez¡¯s tactical team were no joke. The other two robbers were exchanging fire with them now, but a quick cast of Fail Weapons caused one of their weapons to jam, giving the tactical team all the advantage they needed to drop the rest. Further down the counter, the summoned being suddenly popped up, already firing a beam at Simmons who was moving up to clear the room of any other threats. Just as the beam connected, the air behind the summoned being began to shift and shimmer as my duplicate mana slayer drone appeared. With a meaty snip, one bladed hand swiped the head off the summoned being, causing the beam he was firing to shut off instantly. ¡°Elida, heal Simmons, use all your slots!¡± I shouted. The halfling healer ran forward, already spamming her Minor Healing Burst, as I added a Health Bloom over the area. When I reached Simmons, I could see the damage was bad. In just the second or so that the beam had connected, it had melted its way through Simmons¡¯ body armor and cooked off the rounds from the magazines stored nearby. The smell of burnt flesh assaulted me as I got close. Marie checked on him, letting us know Simmons was still breathing. After the five seconds on my Health Bloom spell expired, I cast it again, but now my mana was down to ten points, which wouldn¡¯t bleed off as they were within my core shielding. Elida finished her last spell, then I had her channel mana for ten seconds so she could recover her spell slot and cast Minor Healing Burst one final time. As I cast my last Health Bloom, the wound was visibly beginning to heal and Simmons had regained consciousness but was moaning in pain. A medical team arrived and began to work on him. Elida fired off her last healing spell, and I hoped that we had done enough to save him. Among the hostages, one hadn¡¯t been that lucky, and was killed instantly in the exchange of gunfire when the foolishly tried to stand up and run out of the building. Even now, more of Lopez¡¯s people were arriving to escort the rest of the hostages out. The man had his work cut out for him, and I wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to spin this display of our powers. ¡°You both did good, and despite losing a hostage, we managed to save the rest of them. Your magic will also give Simmons a fighting chance to live, thank you,¡± Lopez said. He had only a moment to spare on us before he was back on his phone and running around the bank, instructing his people on what he wanted them to do. I dismissed my summoned creatures, no reason to keep them visible. There would be a short cooldown before I could call them out again, but I had consumables if things went sideways. Thinking of that, I pulled out a mana tab and began to chew. I didn¡¯t need mana to summon my minions, but I did need a point to summon a figurine. ¡°What now?¡± I asked, usure of what I was supposed to do. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, it¡¯s been a long day,¡± Marie offered, and I heartily agreed. Chapter 219. Military Bearing. Chapter 219. Military Bearing. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡± I asked as we piled into Julio¡¯s Buick for the drive home. At least Lopez¡¯s people hadn¡¯t asked for any of the tactical gear back, and I was glad to have a full set to take home with me. ¡°I suppose we keep doing what we¡¯ve been doing. What I do know is that I¡¯m going to keep close tabs on the media reports of the bank robbery. I¡¯m not sure how Lopez is going to spin what just happened. Even though the media had been kept away and the cameras inside the bank were turned off, too many hostages watched it live,¡± Marie said. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait and see. It¡¯s the government¡¯s problem. I¡¯m happy to let them deal with it and that we don¡¯t have to slink around in hiding anymore,¡± Julio said. ¡°You¡¯re right, but what about that summoned being loon we just took out? How many more like him are running around out there?¡± I asked. ¡°Who knows, I suspect most of us are part of some group by now, given how hard everyone was looking for us,¡± Marie offered. It felt good to be a part of something, and to have a home, but I could see the appeal for some people to want to remain on their own. How long anyone could remain on their own with various groups, cults, and the like looking for them, I had no idea. I was just thankful that I fell in with Refuge, and not anyone with more sinister motives. When we arrived back home, I collected Melvin from Jeanette¡¯s apartment and headed back to my own. Hearing that Jeanette was a great cook, Melvin had decided that he wanted to stay near her after the kids were tired out from playing. From what Jeanette told me, Melvin was a big hit at playing catch. He¡¯d change his shape to reach the ball, and as long as he could touch it, the cube would pull the ball into his body and spit it out a respectable distance. ¡°You have a good day, Melvin?¡± I asked him. ¡°Playing fun.¡± Was all he tiredly sent back. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re having a good time. I¡¯m going fix something to eat and then probably watch a movie before turning in for the night. Are you hungry after all those tacos earlier?¡± I asked, though I shouldn¡¯t have, Melvin was always hungry. My dinner was nothing special, just a box of mac and cheese, along with a salad. I made enough to feed two people, but even after eating, Melvin was up for dessert. All I had were some off brand brownies that he seemed to like. After that, he slithered up onto the foot of the bed like a goopy and disgusting puppy. We watched Big Trouble in Little China together. He was new to my world, and I had to make sure my friend was exposed to the best that Earth media had to offer. The next morning, Jeanette had everyone over for breakfast. I got lucky and scored a one-point bonus to my constitution after eating. Jeanette¡¯s ability and class were amazing for a group like ours. After we finished eating, Marie pulled me, Julio, and Jeanette aside. ¡°I spoke with Agent Lopez earlier this morning. So far, they¡¯ve been able to contain the story. They¡¯re going with the police using a new drone hostage rescue system as well as some hologram technology to distract the shooters. As far as the summoned being, he wasn¡¯t on anyone¡¯s radar, and that¡¯s making the government nervous. The last thing we need is for them to put trackers on all of us in some misguided attempt at control. ¡°Apparently, more people in the government are being read in on the summoned beings and the eventual system takeover. I¡¯m not sure how that will affect us, but Lopez seems to think it¡¯s a good thing. It¡¯ll mean more resources allocated and some of that funding should make it way to us,¡± Marie explained.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°What about the guy we stopped? He fired mana beams from his hands and all the hostages saw it. How are they explaining that away?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re saying he was using some kind of homemade flamethrower. It¡¯s a weak explanation, but the hostages seem to be buying it, or at least not throwing up a fuss for now,¡± Marie said. ¡°Is there anything they discovered about the summoned being?¡± Julio asked. ¡°Just that he was twenty-seven years old, had prior mental health issues, but was living on his own. No connection to any cults, and they think that with the stress of becoming a summoned being, he succumbed to his mental issues and went on a rampage. As far as his minions are concerned, they were local gang members, and there¡¯s always the possibility the summoned being had some kind of mind control over them,¡± Marie told us. ¡°Weird, the dude had laser shooting hands, and mind control. Just what tier and rank was he?¡± I asked. All Marie did was shrug, there was no way to know. ¡°One last thing. Lopez¡¯s technician, Jeff, documented a short, but rather large spike in mana that coincided exactly with when Rico¡¯s drone killed the summoned being. Laser hands and mind control don¡¯t help when a big drone slices off your head, but the event sure dumps a bunch of mana into our world,¡± Marie said. ¡°Any new estimates on when Earth will be integrated into the system?¡± Jeanette asked. ¡°No, but they¡¯re leaning toward one to three years unless some catastrophic event happens to release vast quantities of mana here. It should be noted that summonings also seem to be increasing in pace. Now that we have a united database, we¡¯re tracking that the summoning frequency is accelerating, though the number of summoned beings isn¡¯t growing.¡± Marie advised. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for a new summoned being in the LA area, with that other guy¡¯s death, there will be a new opening for the system to fill,¡± I offered. ¡°Yes, the Grimslade Group has a stronger sensor network in that area, so they¡¯ll probably recruit whoever it is. We¡¯re better set up to cover Orange County,¡± Marie said. I wasn¡¯t sold on the Grimslade Group, but at least so far, they seemed to be playing nice with others. Whoever the new summoned being was, they wouldn¡¯t be alone for long, and at least they¡¯d have some support structure behind them. After our little meeting broke up, I received a call from Agent Lopez to schedule some training at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. It was a short drive from my apartment, and I¡¯d be training in personal combatives, firearms, and small unit tactics. Just my cup of tea, I missed my old martial arts dojo and loved shooting with Julio, so I¡¯d eat up any training they wanted to offer. While guns may be going the way of the dinosaur with the advent of the system, there was always the possibility that someone would find a loophole to get around a Fail Weapons spell. Given that I could summon my minions without using mana, I would help out by allowing a team of soldiers to practice fighting against my minions. My training started the next morning, there was no reason to delay. Finding a babysitter for Melvin wasn¡¯t difficult, the entire apartment complex seemed to have taken a liking to him. He was happy to just hang out, especially if they fed him. The drive over was short, but I was a bit nervous pulling up to the main gate of the base. ¡°Sir, how may I assist you today,¡± the guard in front said. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline and I¡¯m here to meet a Major Finley,¡± I replied, handing over my ID. The guard scrutinized it, shifting his gaze between the picture and myself several times. This wasn¡¯t some bored cashier going through the motions to verify if I was old enough to buy beer, these guards were no joke. ¡°Please pull over into the marked space. Stay in your vehicle. Someone will be by to collect you momentarily,¡± the guard ordered, pointing to the spot just outside the gate where a few parking places were kept. I followed his commands and waited. A few minutes later, a plain, white Ford Explorer pulled up to the gate and a man in camo walked over to my car. ¡°Rico Kline?¡± the man asked, I could see that his name tape said Finley, so I figured this was the guy I was supposed to see. ¡°That¡¯s me, I take it your Major Finley,¡± I said as I exited the car and shook the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Correct, I¡¯ll be your main point of contact for any training related events. I don¡¯t need to remind you that you aren¡¯t to talk about your special qualifications with anyone other than the appropriate personnel. If you don¡¯t know if someone is cleared to speak to you, assume they aren¡¯t. Are you ready to go?¡± Finley explained. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good,¡± I replied. Finley cringed at my reply. ¡°We need to work on your military bearing if you¡¯re going to fit in around here. Yeah, I¡¯m good is out, roger that, is in,¡± Finley said. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m just training here, I¡¯m not in the actual Army or something now, am I?¡± I asked, getting a bit concerned as I sat in the passenger seat next to the major. All I got in reply was a devilish grin from Finley that would have looked right at home on Gary¡¯s mug. Chapter 220. Training Session. Chapter 220. Training Session. ¡°You ready to get to work Rico?¡± Major Finley asked. From his tone, no was not an option for me. ¡°Roger that, what¡¯s on the agenda for today?¡± I replied, trying to remember that yeah was not an acceptable answer. ¡°I¡¯ll start off with some baseline evaluations to see where you are, then we¡¯ll do some PT. After that, we¡¯ll work on room clearing and finish off with some small unit tactics,¡± Finley said. ¡°Agent Lopez mentioned something about my minions helping your guys to train as well,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I want to get you squared away and see what you can do before we dive into that. Can I ask you something?¡± Finley asked. ¡°Sure, shoot.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it like, you know, traveling to other worlds? From what I learned in the briefing, the missions for you guys don¡¯t always end well,¡± Finley said as he parked the car in front of what looked like a combination warehouse and gym. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain without experiencing it, but it¡¯s a bit bizarre. I¡¯m never sure exactly what I¡¯m getting into with each summoning. Some are very interesting, but some you¡¯d rather not remember. If you¡¯re wondering, yes, I do end up dying a lot. Somehow, the system rebuilds us after a summoning ends. When I return here, I¡¯m good as new, better actually since all my minor physical problems are gone,¡± I explained. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine, but I¡¯d love to check it out. Tell you what, if you ever get the chance to take someone from home with you, give me a call,¡± Finley said as he opened the door to the building and waved me in. ¡°Sure, you never know what the system will throw at me, and if I get a chance, and it¡¯s under the same rules that I have, I¡¯ll call you. I don¡¯t want to bring you on a summoning when whoever I bring can die for good¡­¡± I started to say more, but noticed we weren¡¯t alone as we entered the gym. A small formation of maybe twenty or thirty soldiers was standing at ease in front of us. ¡°Gentlemen, this is Rico Kline. He¡¯ll be training with us and offering some insight into what we will be facing in the near future. Listen well, despite being a civilian, this young man has seen more combat than anyone on post.¡± Finley addressed the group before turning to me. ¡°Rico, this is going to be our QRF for any system related problems that crop up in the area. They¡¯ve all been read into the program and know about you and what¡¯s going to happen here with the system.¡± ¡°QRF? Sorry, I¡¯m not up to speed on all the military jargon,¡± I replied. ¡°Quick Reaction Force. If something bad happens, we¡¯ll load up and respond. That¡¯s why having your minions help train us is as important as the training you¡¯ll receive. Now, let¡¯s get to work,¡± Finley said. Get to work was right, Finley started off with some warmup exercises, which would have qualified as a full workout to most athletes. My class was one that focused on my mind stat, but my other stats weren¡¯t exactly hurting. From the latest database updates at Refuge, they figured out that an average human male had a strength of somewhere between five and seven. At fourteen, my strength was on par with a top bodybuilder. Thankfully, my body didn¡¯t bulk up like a bodybuilder¡¯s, it remained a lean and fit build. It took some time for Finley to wear me down, between my strength and even higher constitution. My agility was higher than most humans at thirteen, but for some reason, I still stunk at throwing things. I mentioned it to Finley, and he said we¡¯d get some practice at the grenade range. At the mention of grenades, I felt a little better about the training, throwing grenades sounded like fun. After an hour or so of exercises, Finley had me spar with a few of the soldiers. My strength was higher than theirs from what I could tell, and I had the basic unarmed fighting skill, but the soldiers still destroyed me. I tapped out more here than I ever had in the dojo. It turns out, skill trumps brute power most of the time. We broke for lunch, which turned out to be MREs. Finley mentioned they rarely ate them unless out in the field, but he wanted me to get the whole experience.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I could have done without the MRE experience. They supposedly gave me one of the ¡°good¡± ones, a pizza slice. It compared with the worst school cafeteria pizza I¡¯d ever eaten. The other side dish things weren¡¯t bad, and I actually liked the jalapeno cheese and crackers. Still, I¡¯d rather not experience another MRE if I could help it. ¡°Hey Rico, you¡¯re supposed to summon things, how about showing us what you can do?¡± one of the soldier¡¯s a young man named Cummings asked as we ate. The others had been relatively quiet around me, and I chalked it up to a combination of being a stranger on their home turf and having odd powers they¡¯ve only heard about. ¡°I can, as long as Major Finley is cool with it,¡± I replied, looking over to Finley. ¡°Go ahead, I was going to have the men spar against your minions at some point if that¡¯s okay with you. If not, at least they can get a peek at some of the things that they might eventually have to deal with,¡± Finley replied. ¡°Okay, I have five different things I can summon. What do you want Cummings, the weakest, the strongest, or something in between?¡± I asked. This led to a quick and heated discussion among the soldiers about what they wanted to see. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll say the biggest, meanest thing you got,¡± Cummings said. ¡°Nobody freak out, it won¡¯t attack or hurt anyone unless I order it to,¡± I said as I summoned the mana slayer drone, choosing to make it appear just a foot in front of Cummings. As the seven-foot-tall killer drone appeared right in his face, Cummings squawked and fell backwards, much to the delight of the other soldiers who were always willing to poke fun at one of their own. ¡°It looks impressive, what can it do?¡± Finley asked. ¡°It¡¯s called a mana slayer drone, and it¡¯s a melee fighter that has innate resistances to any kind of magic. Drone, show us how you fight,¡± I ordered. The drone brandished its longer set of arms, the bladed claws gleaming in the light as it stabbed and slashed at an imaginary foe. Its smaller arms also swung and attacked. To top things off, its clawed feet gouged into the concrete flooring as it moved. ¡°Impressive, but I doubt its armor would stand up to rifle rounds. We¡¯d shred it before it got close enough to use those blades,¡± Cummings said. ¡°You can¡¯t kill what you can¡¯t see,¡± I replied, ordering the drone into stealth mode. It disappeared, moved a few steps away, and appeared again. ¡°It¡¯s invisible too?¡± Finley asked, as engrossed in my minion as the rest of the soldiers. ¡°Sort of, if you look closely, you¡¯ll be able to tell where it¡¯s at. As it gains new ranks, its stealth will improve. Just remember, anything this big is going to leave some clue to its position whenever it moves. ¡°Still, if we sprayed the area with bullets, we¡¯d find it pretty quick. Once we see it, we can kill it,¡± Cummings said with confidence. ¡°Maybe, but what will you do when your weapons don¡¯t work? There¡¯s a simple spell that¡¯s available to most summoned beings called Fail Weapons. If I cast that on your rifle, it¡¯ll jam up, or the firing pin will break, or something along those lines,¡± I explained. ¡°Remember,¡± Finley started ¡°there¡¯s a strong chance that we¡¯re going to have to go old school on these things. Current analysis by the science geeks is telling us that we can expect most modern tech will fail when the system integrates here. That¡¯s why Rico¡¯s here to help us. Rico, for my own curiosity, how do you get your minions? Is it random or is there a minion store somewhere?¡± ¡°I was given a choice of a few options. My class dictates that all my minions come from things that I¡¯ve fought in the past. These mana slayer drones were attacking a starship I was summoned to help defend,¡± I answered. ¡°Wait, you were on a starship? And you fought one of these?¡± Finley asked, and from the murmur of the troops, they were impressed. The other soldiers were crowding around the mana slayer, knocking on its armor and testing the sharpness of its blades. ¡°Yes, it was a living starship powered by mana, and these drones are part of some huge army that is hunting down all magic users in the universe and killing them. Me and my minions fought and killed several of these, but we were overpowered in the end, and I was killed,¡± I tried to explain. That brought up a whole bunch of questions about my class, how summoning worked, and my past experiences. After a couple of hours, Finley called a halt to the question-and-answer session, pulling aside a few of the soldiers to show me the proper way of clearing rooms and some basic formations that might work for my team. I brought out the whole minion team, and even cut my own arm to demonstrate Elida¡¯s healing spells. With my crew on display, the soldiers helped me fine tune some formations, order of march, and how to use cover and concealment to our advantage. By the time 5pm rolled around, Finley called a halt. I left the base feeling like I¡¯d learned a lot in one day, and I was looking forward to continuing my training. Finley thanked me, and explained that his men had learned as much, if not more, from me today as I¡¯d learned from them. For now, we¡¯d be going at it every day for at least eight hours. From what Marie told me when I got home, these types of training groups were sprouting up all over. Each country was trying to form a cadre of soldiers who knew how to fight the things that the system might unleash on us. As far as I knew, my class was one of the few that could summon system created minions without mana. That meant I was going to eventually be on tour to help with all the other military and law enforcement teams that were forming. It was better they see things like killer drones, goblins, and gnolls before they had to fight against them. Chapter 221. Almost Human. Chapter 221. Almost Human. My life on Earth fell into a pattern. Each morning, I would head to the military base and train with Major Finley and his team. Half the day was spent with me learning to fight, and how to fight my team. The other half of the day was spent with the soldiers, allowing them to spar with my minions. The soldiers were very interested in my experiences on the different summonings, and surprised to find out that when I was summoned, very little time would pass here at home. A few of the platoon, which I learned was the size of the unit I was training with, were gamers and had an easier time digesting everything. On the third day of training, I brought Melvin with me. Hearing what he was and how dangerous his species could be, the soldiers tried not to get too close to the gelatinous cube. Just like with the group at Refuge, Melvin soon won them over, mooching food and happily joining in on our training. I felt like was learning at a breakneck pace, and Major Finley proved to be a great trainer. It took time, but he worked out how best to incorporate modern military tactics into a system of combat that resembled a fantasy game or movie. Some of the principles were the same, making smart use of cover and concealment, closing with, or keeping distance from an enemy, and the proper employment of my troops and weapons to create the most mayhem. The training also allowed me to gauge how long it took my minions to respawn after they were unsummoned or destroyed. Here on Earth, it seemed the average was an hour or so, with higher tier and rank minions taking longer. On a mana-rich world, I figured the time would be less. It was something I¡¯d have to test out during my next summoning. When I was back at Refuge at the end of the day, I typically would debrief with Julio and Marie. Julio was becoming more and more the guy who organized things at the apartment complex that served as our headquarters, and Marie was the liaison to other Refuge groups, the government, and people like the Grimslade Group. I was just glad that I wasn¡¯t the one who had to organize and keep track of all the moving pieces. On my fourth day of training, during our lunch break, I found out I was a millionaire. A check of my account when we went off post for lunch showed that the government had deposited $1.2 million into my account as reimbursement for the mana gauge and all the information that I¡¯d brought back from Somhagen. It was far more than I was expecting, and despite having more money than I ever imagined, there really wasn¡¯t much I wanted to spend it on. My life had expanded greatly with visiting new worlds and being part of something here at home. Despite that, it sometimes felt restrictive given that there were few people that I could share my crazy existence with. I was almost feeling a bit depressed before remembering that my life before becoming a summoned being wasn¡¯t all that great either. Before becoming a summoned being, I couldn¡¯t afford to travel, I wasn¡¯t very social, and generally kept to myself before my new life began. Now, I felt much more outgoing, and I¡¯d made friends here at home, and on other worlds. There was stress, and I feared letting someone down who really needed me on a summoning. Despite the stress, and the occasional horrible death, I found that I did enjoy this new life much more than I had thought I would after that first fateful summoning. It turned out that becoming a millionaire didn¡¯t exempt me from being summoned to another world. Just after starting an afternoon training class where I was playing the opposition force for the soldiers, the familiar prompt appeared. You are Summoned! I was back in my personal space, but I almost didn¡¯t recognize it at first. The place was now decorated, and I had servants waiting for me to give them instructions. Melvin had returned with me and sent me feelings of gratitude and images of all the fun he¡¯d had. He still seemed particularly happy about the tacos. Before I could begin to enjoy my newly upgraded personal space, the summoning portal opened. I stepped through and was off to my next adventure.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by a magical artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 1.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is support related. The chance of combat is considered low. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped through the portal and into a small room. Outside the single window, the sun was beginning to set, and the room was partially cloaked in shadow. The glow of a cigar in the corner of the room corresponded with the link to my summoner. He stood up and walked into the light. My summoner seemed almost human, but something was a bit off. His face looked like it was stretched out and the nose was much smaller than a regular human. He wore dress pants and black boots. A white, somewhat wrinkled shirt was worn under a red vest, and the whole outfit was covered by a long, dark duster coat. A watch on a gold chain was partially stuffed into his vest and the man wore a tricorn hat. To me he looked like an alien who went into the old west after headbutting a pirate and stealing his hat. My summoner took a long puff of his cigar as he looked me over, blowing out the smoke into a rather impressive ring. In the hand not holding the cigar, the man carried a small gold box. My link to him flowed through that box, which must have been the artifact that he had used to summon me. ¡°What do we have here? You look like a barnax, but your face is all squished up and your nose is massive,¡± my summoner said. ¡°I¡¯m a human, not a barnax. Trust me, your face looks as off to me as mine does to you,¡± I replied, assuming his earlier statement would count by the system as permission to speak with him. ¡°I figure that¡¯s true friend. Tell me, what¡¯s your name and what kind of class are you?¡± the summoner asked, apparently not offended by my comment. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline, and class is a type of summoning class,¡± I replied. ¡°Well there, Rico, I¡¯m Barrett Gold, pleasure to meet you. Tell me, kid, are you just something the magic in this here box whipped up, or are you real?¡± Barrett asked. ¡°Real, though the things I summon are just mana constructs,¡± I explained. ¡°It appears this magic box wasn¡¯t some flim-flam after all. I was almost certain the old shaman that sold it to me was trying to pull a fast one. You said you could summon other people, what kinds of people and how long will they stick around for? Just so you know, this box is supposed to keep you here for twelve hours, which is more than enough time for what I need,¡± Barrett asked. ¡°I can summon a few things that will stay around for as long as I will unless something happens to them. As far as what I can summon, I can call up some goblins, a gnoll, a halfling, and a mechanical drone,¡± I explained, keeping the descriptions of my minions simple unless he asked about their capabilities specifically. ¡°Well, them gobs are no use to us unless this night¡¯s venture turns into a scrap. Gnolls are common enough, can your minion sit still for a while and perform a simple task?¡± Barrett asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. What kind of task do you need him to perform?¡± I asked. ¡°Just like I said, Rico, he just needs to sit in a chair and occasionally hold up a book like he¡¯s focused on reading it,¡± Barrett explained. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, do you just need him? What about the halfling and drone?¡± I asked. ¡°Nah, the halfling would raise suspicion, they¡¯re seen as thieves and cheats round these parts. What¡¯s that drone look like,¡± He asked. ¡°It¡¯s a seven-foot-tall humanoid with two pairs of arms. Deadly claws on his longer arms and feet. He¡¯s heavily armored and can even stealth if we need him to,¡± I answered. ¡°While I¡¯d like to see that, why don¡¯t we keep that one under wraps unless we get into a scuffle. We bring him out and every gnome in the joint will be pawing at it and trying to buy it from you,¡± Barrett said, digging into his pack to pull out two worn paperback books of an odd shape. ¡°What exactly are we supposed to do for you, Barrett?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, Mr. Rico, tonight, we¡¯re playing some cards,¡± Barrett said, his face lighting up with a smile. ¡°Just for your information, I¡¯m not very good at cards, and I doubt I know whatever game it is they play here. If you just need someone to play with, I¡¯m willing to learn,¡± I replied. ¡°No, Rico, you don¡¯t need to actually play, you need to sit where I tell you to in the saloon and read. You can do that, can¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°Sure, but why, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± ¡°Rico, I¡¯ll be the one sitting there at the high-stakes table playing cards, you and gnoll will be sitting nearby, helping me to see what cards the other players are holding,¡± he explained. ¡°So, I¡¯m helping you to cheat at cards,¡± I said flatly, my disappointment obvious in my expression. ¡°You got it, Rico, now, let¡¯s get to work. Here¡¯s what I need you to do¡­¡± Chapter 222. The Gambler. Chapter 222. The Gambler. ¡°When we head downstairs, I need to watch where I¡¯m sitting. Position yourself at a table directly across from me. Give the game some time to get started, then, whenever a new hand is dealt, lift your book, like you¡¯re really trying hard to see something on the page. Make sure the top of the book is over your shoulder. Have your gnoll set at the table next to you and do the same,¡± Barrett explained. ¡°What happens, is there a mirror in the book or something?¡± I asked, flipping through the pages. The book was written in a language I didn¡¯t know, but even while flipping through, it started to translate a few words for me. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the details, just do what I¡¯m asking of you. Summon up your gnoll so I can get a look at him,¡± Barrett asked, brushing off my question about how the magic book was supposed to operate. I summoned Khurr who was dressed in his normal tunic. The system randomization for gear hadn¡¯t been kind to my gnoll scout and he had blanked on any upgrades. Barrett looked him over with a frown plastered on his face, somehow not approving of my minion. ¡°He¡¯s dressed all wrong, and he¡¯s not my size or I¡¯d just give him some of my clothes to wear. Hmm, I got a coat that might fit, have him wear this,¡± Barrett said, heading to a small wardrobe on the far wall where he took out a long duster coat that was a match for the one that he wore, except this one was a light tan where his was a dark grey color. ¡°What about my gear, will it pass inspection?¡± I asked. This place had an odd almost cowboy vibe, and I was dressed in leather armor, with a sword at my waist and a shield strapped on my back. ¡°You look like a visitor, should be no problem, but gnolls. They¡¯re always working for one outfit, and they always dress to match the others, or they¡¯re not allowed in town. As long as Gillman¡¯s boys don¡¯t show up tonight, we should be good. They¡¯re supposedly driving a herd of mukok out to Dairnland, and won¡¯t be back for a while,¡± Barrett explained. ¡°Are you sure you want to cheat? Can¡¯t you beat them on your own skill?¡± I asked. While it wasn¡¯t a life-or-death situation, I did feel bad for helping the man cheat others at cards. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing I¡¯d burn a Notice of Cessation for, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. ¡°Cheat? Why that¡¯s expected at this kind of game. I wouldn¡¯t be considered a top card player if I wasn¡¯t doing everything that I could think of to win. You can rest assured everyone else at that table will be running one scheme or another to give them an edge,¡± Barrett said, trying to assuage my conscience. ¡°And what happens if one of them spots us helping you?¡± I asked. It wasn¡¯t like I was James Bond or something. I¡¯m sure the other players would notice something suspicious about me or the gnoll if we kept raising our books up each time a hand of cards was played. ¡°The stakes for the game are high, but not so high that anyone would want to kill over them. Should you botch this up and get caught, the worst you can expect is a brawl with the other players¡¯ bodyguards. You¡¯ll get the snot kicked out of you, but you¡¯ll live,¡± Barrett said. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about me, I¡¯m worried about having to hurt someone else,¡± I explained. ¡°Bah, don¡¯t worry none, this is going to go smooth as silk. One last thing to remember, and this is the most important piece. No matter what happens, you cannot admit that I was the one that summoned you. If you get caught, I don¡¯t want to get implicated,¡± Barrett said. After our brief discussion, the sun had set, and Barrett lit a lantern on the table to give us a bit of light as he explained how we needed to hold the book. Apparently, you had to touch the bottom left corner of the cover to get it to do its thing. I couldn¡¯t see any changes, but I did feel it give off some mana when I activated it. It took me a bit longer to get Khurr squared away. My minion wasn¡¯t the type to understand complex commands, and in the end, I just told him to mirror what I did with my book. It might make it easier for us to be spotted when the gnoll and I raised our books at the same time, but Barrett seemed to want us both rather than just me out there.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Deciding it was time, Barrett led us downstairs. We had been in one of the rented rooms on the top floor of the saloon, and there were several others coming and going from their rooms. Barrett never told me the name of the place, but in whatever town we were in, this saloon was sure a popular spot. Down on the main floor, a band was starting to play, the music was odd, something that sounded to me like country and new wave were somehow mixed together. Several tables covered in felt were positioned around the room, many already filled with gamblers. Servers wandered the crowd, taking drink and food orders as they went. Luckily, I had been pulled for my summoning just after lunch, so I wasn¡¯t hungry or thirsty yet. Barrett made his way to one of the tables, giving a friendly greeting to the other three men seated around it. The table was at the edge of the gambling area, allowing me to find a spot at one of the dining tables nearby. Khurr parked himself at the table on my right, and I could see that each of us had a good angle on a different gambler. We would be able to get a peek at two people¡¯s cards, but Barrett would have to figure out the remaining gambler¡¯s hand on his own. Thinking about what Barrett had said earlier, I looked around the room, trying to spot others cheating in some way. Maybe he had another team working to spy on the last player. ¡°Can I get you a drink dear?¡± An older server asked as she approached my table. She gave a jolt as she got a closer look at my face. I must look rather disturbing to the locals with my human features just different enough from their own to cause a shock. ¡°Whatever you recommend,¡± I said, smiling as I passed over a couple of silver coins. I had no idea how much a drink would cost here, but the server seemed more than happy with what I paid, vowing to return soon with my drink. I tossed a single silver coin to Khurr, who handed it to the server that approached his table. Gnolls didn¡¯t need to speak to order here, and they must have been common enough that the server just took the coin and left, assuming that Khurr would want whatever the other gnolls typically ordered. While I waited for my drink, I began to take a look at the book Barrett had given me to spy with. Words began to form as the strange script was translated by the system. Before long, I was thumbing through a rather dull story about a farmer who spent his days digging for treasure on his land instead of planting his crops. The cards at Barrett¡¯s table were being shuffled now, and I waited for the players to pull up their cards and look at their hands before activating the book like Barrett had instructed me. Khurr watched me, doing the same with his book when the time required it. I felt silly, but it was my job for this summoning. About four or five hands into the game, Barrett shot up from his chair, raising his voice for the whole saloon to hear. ¡°Hey, those two are using scrying devices. Galavan, Gemwich, they can see your hands!¡± Barret said pointing toward me and Khurr. The place grew quiet as everyone looked at me and my minion. I sat there, unsure what to do. This wasn¡¯t what Barrett had explained would happen, but I had no choice but to follow my summoner¡¯s commands. Several burly bouncers with clubs tied to their belts moved through the crowd to surround the table I was at. A few more of these bouncers were also blocking Khurr. ¡°Is there a mage in the room? Someone who can detect a scrying device?¡± Barrett asked. At least two people offered their services, happy to join in the evening¡¯s excitement. One walked up to me and cast a spell, causing the book in my hand to glow with an orange light. ¡°He¡¯s right, this book is a scrying device, line of sight only, so he would have been,¡± the mage, an older man dressed in sturdy work clothes said, pausing as he stooped over to see who I had been spying on. ¡°There, that man¡¯s cards would be visible to him, and the gentleman to his left would have been the target of that mangy dog,¡± the mage concluded. ¡°Zed, you¡¯ve been cheating, and you¡¯re caught red handed,¡± Barrett accused the one player we hadn¡¯t been spying on. ¡°What in tarnation! You set this up, I didn¡¯t hire no cheaters,¡± the player, Zed, replied. ¡°If he was cheating, why would he expose himself. No, I think we know who the cheater was at this table,¡± the mage claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Zed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a cheat, and I¡¯ll not let you claim that I am one,¡± Zed said, his hand dropping to the blade at his side. The response from the crowd was a swift one. Several throwing daggers, a crossbow bolt, and a barrage of magic missiles from the mage next to me ended this Zed guy before his blade could clear its sheath. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn, cheater,¡± the mage said as mana began to build. A bright flash blinded me, and searing pain burned into my head before it cut off and I was floating in the void once more. A Searing Doom spell has melted your brain. Your summoning session is complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Average. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 1, and your performance rating of Average. You have earned 11 experience points. You have earned 7 summoning points. Chapter 223. A Final Gift. Chapter 223. A Final Gift. I returned to my personal space a bit confused about the last summoning. It felt bad to be used as a tool to falsely accuse someone else of cheating, but I had no idea that was what Barrett had planned. For some reason, he neglected to clue me in on the night¡¯s scheme, despite the fact that I was system bound to obey him. To make matters worse, I was only scored as average for the summoning. While I couldn¡¯t change the summoning, I could check out what I¡¯d earned as my reward. Setting my rewards chest to show only new items, I was surprised to find more than I expected in there. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 248.
  2. Gold coins, 5.
  3. Summoning figurine, elite.
  4. Summoning figurine.
  5. Token of Gratitude.
It seemed like far too much for an average summoning. I grabbed the token of gratitude first, having no idea what it was. Pulling a sealed scroll from the chest, a system prompt appeared as I broke the seal. Token of Gratitude. The kingdom of Ushadlia has granted you a title in recognition of your service to them over the course of several summonings. You have been knighted in the name of the late queen, Sharnlynn, and are now to be known throughout the realms as Sir Rico Kline. This title confers the following benefits.
  1. Minor weapon skill with all common melee and ranged weapons.
  2. Minor armor skill with all armor types.
  3. You have been granted 2 minion equipment tokens.
Wow, that was a nice surprise. I¡¯m now officially a knight. Too bad it¡¯s a knighthood from a kingdom on a world I may never visit again. Despite that, the bonuses were great. Before I checked out my new figurines, I activated the two equipment tokens. Like before, the selection of whether the token became armor or weapons, and which minion they were assigned to was randomized by the system. You have activated Minion Equipment Tokens x2. Each token will increase the either the armor or weapon equipment Rank of the selected minion by 1.
  1. Blieek, goblin spearman, weapon rank upgrade. Blieek is now at weapon rank 2. His spear has been upgraded from flint to a steel tip. He also now wields a crude steel dagger as a backup weapon.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, armor rank upgrade. The goblins are now armor rank 3. Their armor has been upgraded to chainmail with matching boots, gloves, and helms.
I¡¯d have rather upgraded my highest tier minion, but I¡¯d take anything I could get. Having the chance for equipment tokens as summoning rewards was a relief since I¡¯d blanked on finding any in Somhagen. On my next visit, I¡¯d check again, but I didn¡¯t have high hopes. Tier three of the city might offer a better selection at both the summoned market and the local shops, but I had a long way to go before I reached that tier. Heading to the training center, I had Melvin step aside for a moment so I could check out the minion¡¯s newly upgraded equipment. First off, I summoned Blieek. His spear was night and day compared to his original equipment. His first weapon had been a crooked, sharp stick, now, he finally looked the part of a spearman. The spear was a good six feet long, and the steel point seemed well made and sharp enough to punch through most armor. The dagger belted to his waist was just icing on the cake. Next up, I summoned my goblin trio. Their new chainmail was a bit different than I had expected. It was darkened steel, and consisted of a chain shirt, but the rest of their gear was still mostly leather with chain reinforcement where it could be easily added. The setup allowed them to move well and should offer a bit better protection than their previous armor. I was curious how any further armor upgrades would affect the goblins. If the armor kept getting heavier, the archer may struggle a bit, so I was inclined to believe the system would start to differentiate the gear of each goblin at the next armor rank. Either that, or maybe the armor would stay the same and begin to acquire enchantments to improve its usability. With my minions upgraded, I pulled the two figurines from the chest. I started with the regular figurine and was surprised to find that it wasn¡¯t a summoning reward, it was instead from my class ability, Template Hunter. I¡¯d almost forgotten that I was supposed to get a consumable figurine at each new rank, and since I hadn¡¯t locked in a template yet, the system gave me something familiar.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Mana Slayer Drone, Tier 2, Rank 1. This figurine has been granted by your Template Hunter ability. The other consumable was yet another reward from Sharnlyn¡¯s final summoning. It was also an elite, which was a welcome addition to my consumable figurine roster. Knights Errant (elite), Tier 2, Rank 1. This figurine summons a trio of well equipped, well trained, and deadly knights to assist you. Should one of the knights fall in battle, their squires will appear to continue the fight. Once summoned, the knights will remain at your side for one hour per tier. Who didn¡¯t want a deadly band of knights at their beck and call? This was another figurine that was going to head home with me. I was building up quite a collection at home, and now had yet another powerful option to add to my consumable pile there. The mana slayer drone I¡¯d probably keep in my loadout to help with summonings. ¡°Melvin, you can have the training center back,¡± I told him as I left the room to relax in my rocking chair. My newly upgraded personal space had great furniture, but there was something about that chair. It was the first thing I¡¯d purchased to bring to the personal space, and it seemed to fit me better than any chair I¡¯d ever owned. The servants offered me refreshments, but I passed, not feeling hungry or thirsty here in my personal space. After rocking for a minute or two, I headed to the armory to adjust my loadout a bit. I added the figurines I hadn¡¯t set aside for home into my inventory. I had at least one contracted summoning to deal with, and I never knew when the next arena match would start. Last time, the arena gave me a bit of time to prepare, but I didn¡¯t want to risk my final ranking in the event by assuming everything would remain the same. I had just finished up with the loadout when the summoning portal activated again. On my way to the portal, I checked on the progress gauge. My first summoning had only moved the needle about 15% of the way, telling me that I¡¯d have several more summonings to deal with before I could head back home. Stepping through the portal, I received the details of my newest task. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Zebkranazkil.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 1.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is support related. The chance of combat is considered high. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your loadout has been altered at the summoner¡¯s request.
I stepped out of the portal and into a smoke-filled room, the haze making me believe that the building I found myself in was on fire. Following my summoner link, I realized that I wasn¡¯t going to asphyxiate in a house fire, I was just in a poorly ventilated, but well decorated, small parlor with a dozen older men smoking cigars. ¡°This one looks a likely lad, what do you fellows think?¡± my summoner asked the others in the room. The men, including my summoner were all well dressed in suits and ties. Their style of dress reminded me of something you¡¯d find in a corporate boardroom a century ago. ¡°Who knows? Ask him his class, we should have at least that much information if you expect us to wager more than the bare minimum on him,¡± another of the men said with a hint of annoyance in his tone. ¡°Bah, Quillen, you know the rules. We all only get the tier and rank on each of them, nothing else. Since I summoned everyone for this night¡¯s festivities, can¡¯t join in the wagering, but I can tell you that your fellows will be very put out if you start pinching pennies,¡± my summoner, who was apparently a mage named Zebkranazkil. ¡°Don¡¯t give Quillen too hard a time Zeb, he¡¯s not content unless he¡¯s complaining, another of the men offered, chuckling at Quillen as he spoke. ¡°Very well, now, I should advise that tonight¡¯s contest is set at tier two, rank one. Take from that what you will. You, my dear, see that this one gets to his spot before we begin without him,¡± my summoner, who I was going to call Zeb like his friend had done, motioned to a maid standing near the only door leading out of the room. I was a bit confused, the summoner hadn¡¯t given me any instructions directly, but it was implied that I was obligated to follow the maid to wherever she was taking me. We left the smoke-filled parlor, and much to my delight, the air was considerably cleaner here. The walk to our destination seemed to take forever as we journeyed through the enormous mansion. Leaving through a side door, I was led across a small garden and into another wing of the building. Unlike the part the home where the old men were smoking themselves to death, this part of the mansion was run down and gloomy. A few more minutes passed as I was led deeper into the building, soon losing my way after all the twists and turns we made. Eventually, the maid stopped and opened a creaking door that revealed a small side room. The room was run down, with worn carpets, and torn wallpaper. Housekeeping in this wing of the mansion must have been on strike. ¡°The master bids you read this, but do not open it until the clock strikes the hour,¡± the maid said before leaving me in the gloomy room all by myself. I held a small scroll with a wax seal that exuded mana. Somewhere, deeper in the mansion, a clock tolled, signaling it was time for whatever was happening to begin. Chapter 224. Haunted Mansion. Chapter 224. Haunted Mansion. Breaking the seal on my instructions caused a system prompt to appear. You have been tasked by your summoner to compete in a contest along with other summoned beings. Your ranking for the summoning will be determined by your performance. Twelve other contestants are participating in this event. Your instructions are as follows.
  1. Place all your gear other than normal, unenchanted clothing into the marked container. It will be returned to your personal space and will await your completion of this summoning. Should you attempt to leave this room with any gear equipped, you will automatically be assigned a performance rating of Unacceptable.
  2. Explore the wing of the estate you are currently in. Attempt to find the marked exit. As you explore, be on the lookout for gear and equipment to help you survive.
  3. Engage and destroy any other creatures or participants you run across. At certain points, you may encounter one of your summoner¡¯s household staff. You must not, under any circumstances, harm an employee of the summoner. The employees are there to offer you special tasks that will result in appropriate rewards.
  4. Please be advised that just as there are rewards for exceptional performance, there are penalties for poor performance that may follow you past the current summoning.
  5. Beware, if you value your life, do not go into the basement. Whatever happens to you in the basement will be replicated back on your home world.
Wow, creepy. So, it looked like I had to escape this haunted mansion looking wing of the estate. Before I could do that, I had to dump any gear I had on me. An old wooden chest that I could have sworn wasn¡¯t there a moment ago sat with its lid open in the corner of the room. Since it was the only container in the room, I began to unload my gear into it. I was still a bit freaked out by the last two points of my instructions. Somehow, the system was going to allow poor performance to follow me back home. I also needed to make sure that whatever happened, I avoided going into the basement. There were twelve other summoned beings participating in whatever this was, and I made lucky number thirteen. I had no way of knowing what the other summoned beings had for their classes, but I had to think that my Foe Commander class would give me a leg up against most others. I began to summon my minions, starting with the drone. After everything but my clothes were dropped into the chest, it slammed shut on its own, nearly taking off one of my fingers and almost giving me a heart attack. There was a speed component to this summoning, but I wasn¡¯t going to exit the room until the whole team was assembled. Once the final member of the crew was summoned, I had Blieek take point. It was one of the formations for house clearing I¡¯d practiced with the soldiers. Blieek was my least valuable minion and served the role of mobile, meat-based trap detector. Beside him, Khurr walked, scanning the floor, walls, and ceiling for any traps or possible ambushes. Behind Khurr and Blieek, I walked with our healer, Elida. Directly behind us was the drone, using its stealth mode as much as it could. The stealth field generator couldn¡¯t run continuously, but the down time was only a minute, giving him concealment about two thirds of the time. The goblin trio were the tail end of our little warband. They would provide a solid defense if we were attacked from the rear but were also fast enough to respond anywhere in the formation that I needed them too. Right outside the door to my room, the mansion looked different than I remembered after having walked in just a few minutes ago. There must have been magic, and some other system shenanigans going on here. The hallway to the right of me ended at another old, battered door. To my left, the hallway stretched down and then turned right. First things first, we needed to clear the door to the right. Khurr gave the door a once over, nodding toward me to confirm he didn¡¯t detect any traps. He then moved to cover the other direction with his crossbow as the goblins stacked on the door. They were my breaching team, and at my command, Glurk with one of his heavy chopping blades in one hand, opened the door with the other.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Glamb led the way, his spear leveled toward any threat. A flash of light and the sound of electrical zap were my first indication that something was wrong. The other goblins piled in and shrieked their high-pitched war cries as they fought with something inside. Waving the drone in ahead of me, I peeked into the room to see what we were up against. An elf woman stood with her eyes closed inside a protective bubble of mana. Glem and Glamb were stabbing and slashing at the shield while Glurk fired arrow after arrow into it. With no weapon or shield, I wasn¡¯t all that useful in this situation, so I entered the room and kept my head down as the rest of the team attacked. The elf woman¡¯s shield flickered briefly, and she looked out at our group. Lightning played across her fingers, and she pointed at Glem, unleashing a crackling bolt of energy at him. The blast hit Glem, knocking him back, and causing his entire body to spasm. Elida fired off a heal, and I dropped a Health Bloom over the goblins who never relented in their attacks. Noticing me, the elf seemed confused for a moment before she smiled and began to build up electrical energy again. ¡°Blieek, run to the corner of the room!¡± I shouted, watching the diminutive goblin follow my orders exactly. As the elf woman raised her hand to fire off another bolt of lightning, I activated Switch. It was a bit disorienting, suddenly finding myself near the corner of the room where Blieek had been standing. Looking back, I could see the little guy eat the entire lightning bolt that should have been targeted at me. Elida looked over at him, shaking her head to indicate she couldn¡¯t help him before continuing to heal Glem. With the sound of breaking glass, the shield around the elf woman shattered into shards of mana as my killer drone got into the fight. His huge, clawed hands had smashed the defensive barrier, but now, the sharp, broken pieces began to swirl around the woman, making approaching her at melee range a deadly proposition. Arrows from Glurk also were blocked by the shards, but the drone didn¡¯t seem to care, and reached his clawed hands through the swirling maelstrom of mana shards, trusting his armor to protect him. With a shriek, the elf tried to back away as the long arms of the drone reached her. A quick snip of his claws turned the elf into a puff of mana vapor as her summoning ended early. She must have been one of the other participants and hadn¡¯t yet left her room. I was down to eleven competitors, and I had only lost my weakest minion. The elf woman and her room had nothing for me to pilfer, so I was still unarmed and unarmored. Forming back up in the hallway, I stopped us for a moment and commanded Elida to use her channel mana ability to regenerate a spell slot. She had used two to help keep Glem alive, and without her intervention and my Health Bloom, he probably wouldn¡¯t have made it. I had a feeling that I would need every minion before this thing was over. Up at the front of our formation, Khurr waved us forward, not spotting anything dangerous around the hallway corner. As soon as I made the turn, I could see Khurr peeking into an open doorway on the left side of the hall. He entered alongside Glem, and a moment later he came back out shaking his head to indicate there were no threats. I gave the room a quick look, but it was empty of anything useful. The hallway then doglegged to the left, and while there hadn¡¯t been any threats in the empty room, something was happening just out of sight. A roar of rage and the sounds of someone struggling were heard. Khurr crept forward, peeking his head around the corner to see what was going on, only to have a burst of flame drive him back. I could feel the heat even where I stood, and my gnoll scout dropped to the floor writhing in pain. Elida stepped forward, but I waved her back, casting Health Bloom instead. My mana was regenerating fairly quickly inside the mansion, while her spell slots were a limited, and valuable resource. The goblin trio moved forward to drag Khurr back, but when they reached him, an orc charged around the corner. His clothes were burning, and any exposed skin that I could see was blistered and burnt. The orc couldn¡¯t stop in time and crashed into the goblins, they fell into a big pile and the drone wasted no time moving forward to engage the fallen orc. Before the drone reached him, the orc grabbed Glem, snapping his neck like a twig and stealing his chopping blade. The orc then slashed down at poor Khurr, decapitating him even as the mana slayer drone went to work with his bladed hands. I was confused for a moment, as Glem disappeared into mana vapor, but his blade remained behind. Maybe it was because a summoned being had grabbed it, or maybe it was some quirk of the strange summoning we were on. Whatever the cause, the deadly orc was now armed. The orc may have been seriously injured, but he was also some kind of warrior class, using a skill to deflect the incoming drone attacks in a blur of steel. Focused on my drone, the orc barely managed to block Glamb¡¯s spear. He might have deflected the spear and my drone¡¯s attacks, but he could do nothing against Glurk who slid behind the orc and fired an arrow into the back of his head at point blank range. The orc, and my fallen minions had already disappeared into mana vapor as another bright burst of flames lit the hallway. Whoever had toasted the orc was still fighting someone else. I was a firm believer in letting my enemies kill themselves off, so we held back, waiting for a victor to emerge so we could take them out. Chapter 225. Where to Now? Chapter 225. Where to Now? The sounds of combat continued, eventually reaching a crescendo before a burst of flame licked around the end of the hallway. My surviving goblins were singed a bit by the flames, and I hit them with another cast of Health Bloom. After casting my spell, I noticed that things had quieted down and I risked a peek around the corner to see what had happened. The hallway was a charred disaster. Wool carpeting smoldered on the floor and a few small flames licked at the walls. Some type of magic must have protected the building from a catastrophic fire, but the effects of whatever had happened here were still easily seen. Humanoid-shaped unburnt sections of the walls and floor revealed where the bodies had been. Other than the clean patches, nothing else remained, the summoned beings having been turned into mana vapor by the explosion. I counted a total of three spots where someone had fallen. If that were true, the total number of foes would have dropped by five between the elf, the orc, and the three here in the hallway. A pair of open doors were further down the hall, and I had my team form up, this time with the drone in the lead, as we checked for anything lurking inside. The doors revealed empty rooms, probably the starting location of two other participants. With nothing else to do, we pressed on. The hallway ended at another, partially ajar door. The drone, in stealth mode, moved through the partially open door. Whoever, or whatever might have been inside the room would know something was up as the door squeaked all the way open from my minion¡¯s entrance. Nothing seemed to attack the drone, so the rest of us filed in. It was down to me, the drone, Elida, Glamb, and Glurk. We had lost three, but two of those three were our weakest members. ¡°Welcome participant, you may take a moment to recover. If you are low on mana, or need any healing, please let me know. Otherwise, you may select one item from the chest in front of me before choosing your next path,¡± a young woman said as I entered. She stood up from a chair she had been sitting in and indicated a large chest next to the chair. ¡°Thank you, is there anything you can tell me about this little competition?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t divulge any information to a participant, other than to tell you that this room is a sanctuary, and no combat may occur inside of it. Should you participate in combat here, you will forfeit and receive the worst possible rating. Do you require healing or mana?¡± She asked again. ¡°I¡¯m just down a bit of mana, but it should recharge shortly,¡± I said, checking that all my surviving minions were in tip top shape before declining any healing assistance. ¡°Please, drink this, it should bring your mana levels back to normal,¡± the young woman said, pulling a small vial holding the familiar blue liquid that I¡¯d come to associate with mana potions. Taking the potion, I quickly gulped it down, hating the terrible menthol flavor the potions seemed to have. Instead of an assault on my taste buds, I was greeted to a rather lovely, sweet tasting potion. It was similar to blue raspberry candy, and I was going to have to have a word with the alchemists in Somhagen. They were clearly slacking in their potion work. I didn¡¯t know how long I had to rest inside the sanctuary room, and I wanted to get whatever reward was hiding inside the chest. Inside, I found an odd collection of items, the system organized and explained them to me. Choose one of the following.
  1. Longsword.
  2. Tower shield.
  3. Mana potion, minor.
  4. Healing potion, minor.
  5. Summoning figurine, Tier 1, Rank 5.
  6. Scroll of Lightning Bolt.
There was little bit of everything inside, and I had a feeling all the participants were offered the same choices. Any type of class or build would find something useful, and there were several things I could use in here. I still had four minions, so the while the lower tier and rank figurine would be useful, it was filling a role I already had covered.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Going into melee wouldn¡¯t be the best use of my time, the same with lugging around a giant shield. A single potion wasn¡¯t going to be a game changer either, especially now that I had healing magic, and a healing minion. Being able to blast a foe with a lightning bolt seemed like a much better option. If I could end another summoned being in one shot, it might keep my minions alive and helpful for much longer. You have received a scroll of Lightning Bolt. ¡°Where to now?¡± I asked the woman, not quite sure what to do now that I¡¯d grabbed my loot. ¡°That is up to you. From where you entered the room, three doors await. Once one is chosen, the other two cannot be accessed. Depending on the door you choose, your experience can be a difficult, or an easy one,¡± she explained. This was more than frustrating, I was hoping to win or lose this based on my skill, or that of my opponents. If it all boiled down to which of us randomly chose the best door, how could that be entertaining for our summoner? ¡°Wait, so if I choose the wrong one, I¡¯ve already lost the whole competition or whatever you call what we¡¯re doing?¡± I asked, sounding more than a little annoyed. The woman shuffled back slightly, and looked worried that I was going to lose it. ¡°There is always an opportunity for success, it¡¯s just a question of how much struggle you¡¯ll be required to endure in order to achieve it,¡± she said. The line sounded almost rehearsed, like her boss expected at least one of us to ask questions along those lines and wanted his employee to give us this specific answer. ¡°Okay, I get it. Thank you for your help. Sorry if I sounded a little annoyed a moment ago. I know it¡¯s not you personally who makes the rules, and I really do appreciate you helping with all my questions,¡± I said, feeling bad that I may have frightened her. I may not like the answer she had given me, but this woman wasn¡¯t the one making the decisions. It was like getting angry at the checkout clerk at the grocery store because the price of bananas went up. ¡°Best of luck to you, sir,¡± the woman said with a smile, accepting my thanks and my apology. I could have been wrong, but I thought I caught her eyes shifting to the door on my left. Was she trying to give me a hint as to which way I should go, or was she doing the opposite and trying to torpedo my chances? ¡°I¡¯ll head out this way,¡± I said, choosing the door I thought she had indicated. The woman¡¯s smile got a bit bigger, and she sat back in the chair, presumably waiting for another contestant to arrive. Given that I had cleared everything all the way to this room, I doubted she was going to get any additional visitors unless the others would enter through some other means. I had the mana slayer drone open the door that I¡¯d chosen. It proved to be an old study of some sort, and appeared empty, save for a weathered desk that looked like it would crumble if anyone tried to use it. As the last of my party entered the room, the lanterns in the room suddenly went dark, and the door slammed shut behind us. A moment later, the light returned, and I could see the desk was no longer unoccupied. Clothed in tattered robes, a skeletal figure sat at the desk, his focus on the paper he was writing upon. The hood of his robe covered the man¡¯s face, and I held the lightning bolt scroll in my hand, ready to push mana into it and blast whoever this was if he proved hostile. ¡°Excuse me, sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if you knew the way out of this place?¡± I asked, not quite sure if I should just launch into an attack or not. The mana drone, now stealthed, moved to circle the desk and come at the seated figure from behind. The remaining goblin pair, with Elida behind them ready to heal, placed themselves between me and the potential threat. ¡°Why do you seek to leave? Many would find this place a perfect spot to spend their days,¡± the man said. His voice was odd, scratchy and fake like an old-time recording being played through a cheap speaker. The man looked up, and the hood fell away from his face, revealing a skull devoid of any flesh. This creature was an undead being of some sort, but after meeting Tzes¡¯zod, I knew that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was evil. ¡°I¡¯m involved in a contest with some others, I was called here and have no intention to stay once I¡¯ve completed my task,¡± I replied, trying not to act startled or frightened by his appearance. My minions picked up on this and kept their weapons down for the moment. ¡°To each their own, I shall not force you to stay. As for your question, no, I have no idea how to leave the mansion, as I¡¯ve never had any desire to do so,¡± the skeleton said. ¡°Can you at least tell me if there¡¯s any way out of this room?¡± I asked. There were no other doors leading from the room, and when I tried the handle of the door we had entered from, it was locked through some magical means and wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°There is always this way out,¡± the skeleton said, standing from his chair and pulling a sharp letter opener from the desk drawer as he spoke. Chapter 226. Teleport or Basement? Chapter 226. Teleport or Basement? ¡°Here, let me show you,¡± the skeleton said, using the letter opener not to try and stab me, but instead to pry at the corner of his desk. I had been about to order my minions to attack and had assumed that a skeleton grabbing a sharp object meant that it was going to try and do something horrible to me. Instead of attacking, the skeleton seemed to be trying to help. The corner of the desk on my side popped open, revealing a small, rolled piece of parchment. ¡°Wait, was that contraption about to attack me?¡± the skeleton asked pointing the letter opener at the mana slayer drone who had closed in on the skeleton when I had thought him hostile. The drone¡¯s invisibility was obviously not effective against this particular undead creature. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to protect me. After all, you just pulled a sharp object out of your desk and said it was the way out in an ominous voice¡± I argued. ¡°It was just a letter opener I use to help pry open that panel, is cursedly difficult to open. How did you perceive that as a threat?¡± the skeleton said, his voice raising in indignation. ¡°Well, you must admit, when you stand and mention ¡®there¡¯s always this way out¡¯, and grab a sharp object, it comes across as a bit sketchy. No offence intended, but my experience with the undead hasn¡¯t been all that great. Other than one that I have a contract with, every other undead has tried to kill or eat me,¡± I argued. ¡°Absolutely absurd, if I had wished you harm, I would have never engaged in this discussion,¡± the skeleton said, getting more worked up. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, I was just going off my past experiences. My name is Rico Kline, and I apologize if my actions, or the actions of my minions, have offended you in some way,¡± I said, trying to keep this conversation from escalating. The skeleton stood there for several long moments; with no facial features it was impossible to read what it was thinking. ¡°Very well, I shall accept your apology, I have no reason to question your veracity. My name is Civras, and I will try to help you leave this place if you can keep your minions back,¡± Civras said, his voice calming a bit. ¡°I would appreciate any help you can offer Civras,¡± I replied. ¡°Good, this here is a scroll of teleportation. It was assumed that several of you would come here attempting to retrieve it. It will transport only one party away, and any others would have to take a less desirable route to their next destination,¡± Civras said, motioning to the corner of the room where a portion of the floor lowered itself. A horrible smell emerged from the opening, and I was pretty sure that going the teleportation route would be preferred option. To make matters worse, I could hear growling coming from the opening in the corner. Yep, that was not going to be my choice for exit. I did remember the initial instructions from the system, and those instructions included a warning to not go into the basement, which is exactly where I bet that opening led to. ¡°Thank you Civras, I definitely want to go the teleportation route,¡± I said, moving forward to take the scroll. On the wall to our right, another door suddenly appeared. It slammed open and an elderly human woman wearing a tunic and wielding a mace in one hand emerged. She took in the situation and mana began to glow around her. ¡°Ah, a second competitor, you two must¡­¡± Civras started to say before the woman interrupted him. ¡°Be cleansed abomination!¡± she shouted as the mana that had gathering around her burst forth in a wave of light. The force of the magic hurled me and the nearby minions back, knocking us off our feet. I saw stars as the back of my head slammed into the hardwood floor. Shaking off the disorientation, I ordered my minions to attack the woman, who strode from the doorway and made a beeline for Civras. ¡°Foolish woman, your petty magics are no match for me,¡± Civras bellowed as a swarm of glowing Magic Missile bolts flew from his hand. The missiles flared against an invisible shield the woman had in place.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Return the grave!¡± the woman shouted, pointing her mace toward Civras and triggering a beam of yellow light that struck Civras in the shoulder. The beam cut through Civras¡¯ shoulder, severing his arm. Being undead, Civras didn¡¯t seem too perturbed by his lost appendage and instead hurled a small blast of flames at the woman. The flames were also deflected by her shield, but I could see the barrier flicker under the assault. I had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t stand up to too much more abuse. My drone then arrived on the scene, unlike the rest of my party, he hadn¡¯t been knocked off his feet by the woman¡¯s magic. Appearing behind the woman, the drone¡¯s two bladed arms crashed against the shield, and I could see cracks forming in it. Stepping closer, the two shorter arms began to pummel the barrier, causing it to shatter. The woman chanted and a green glow appeared over her skin as the drone began to hack into her. Almost as fast as the drone was damaging her, the wounds healed. Whatever class this woman had, it made her very hard to kill. The drone didn¡¯t give up, continuing to rain blows upon her. In response the woman hit back with her mace, the head of which glowed with power as it crunched into the drone¡¯s armor. With her shield down, Civras fired off another volley of magic missiles, and Glurk started launching arrows from his longbow. Glamb charged forward with his spear leveled and ready to skewer the woman. I recovered enough of my senses to drop a Health Bloom over the drone, where the edge of the spell would also cover Glamb once he arrived at the fight. After the Health Bloom, I pulled on my mana to cast Duplicate on the drone. It had a much shorter duration now, but doubling our melee damage output was worth the mana cost. Light began to glow around the woman¡¯s body once more, and I pulled Elida behind Civras¡¯ desk for cover. The expected explosion of magic never occurred, and a peek around the desk confirmed the woman was down, her body already turning into mana vapor. Sadly, my mana slayer drone had also been destroyed and the duplicate was only going to stick around for a short while. ¡°That was rather exciting. She seemed a bit less restrained than you have been since you entered my abode. At least you didn¡¯t just attack me outright, you merely had your minion sneak up on me. Thank you for your assistance in the fight. Here, Rico Kline, you may use the teleportation scroll with my blessing,¡± Civras said as I stood up from behind the desk. I took the scroll but paused a minute before using it. My mana had taken a dip from the spells I¡¯d cast, and I wanted to see how close my destroyed minions were to being resummoned. As I focused on my first casualty, Blieek, the system granted me an image of the goblin standing in front of me. I could see his body, all the up to his shoulders, but beyond that, he had no neck or head. A system prompt appeared, explaining what I was seeing. Your Foe Commander class may resummon fallen minions after some time has passed. The amount of time needed for a minion to respawn is based on several factors including their Tier, Rank, and available ambient mana. If a resummoned minion is quickly killed after returning, the delay before its next respawn will be increased. It was nice to now have a visual representation of how long I had to wait, but it would have been better if the system had provided a timer rather than just an image in my head. Khurr was a bit over halfway there, reforming to just above his waist. Glem was a bit behind him, reformed just to the upper thighs. The mana slayer drone only had the tiniest portion of his clawed feet appear. Given the tier and rank of the drone, he was going to take a while, but I should have Blieek and Khurr back before too long. A shorter return delay would help to keep the lower-tiered minions viable in a longer summoning. They might not be as strong, but I could keep bringing them back over and over. When they finally finished upgrading their gear, and reached veteran status, their value would increase even further. ¡°Thanks for the scroll, Civras, are you going to okay here?¡± I asked, feeling a bit sorry for the undead guy given that he had just lost an arm. ¡°I shall be fine. It will take some time, but I can regenerate any lost appendages. Safe travels, Rico,¡± Civras said. After confirming my surviving minions were at full health, and my mana pool had enough juice to cast a couple of spells, I pushed a point of mana into the teleportation scroll to activate it. A swirling grey portal opened and with some reservation, I stepped through. There was a momentary feeling of nothingness, then I stepped out of the portal and into a moonlit garden just outside the mansion. Another attendant, this time a young human man, stood there waiting patiently for me to gather my bearings. ¡°Congratulations, you have completed the challenge and I believe you are the only surviving competitor. My master thanks you for your participation and¡­¡± the man started to say when I was pulled into another portal and a system prompt appeared. You have successfully completed the requirements set forth by your summoner. Your summoning session is now considered complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 1, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 21 experience points. You have earned 19 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 2. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 227. Rewards Reflect Ranking. Chapter 227. Rewards Reflect Ranking. I returned to the newly appointed opulence of my personal space. One of the servants offered me a beverage that I automatically grabbed. Tasting the clear and bubbly liquid, it turned out to be sparkling water with a hint of citrus. Very refreshing, and I could get used to this kind of life. I thanked the servant who smiled and stepped back to her position against the wall. They were just mana constructs, but it was a good habit to remain polite since it would help me from slipping up when it really counted. ¡°Welcome back, Rico. I must say, you did well with the furniture purchase. Thank you for remembering the desk and writing materials,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He was sitting behind the desk with a feather quill in hand and a parchment stretched out in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m glad you approve, and I¡¯m glad that Chaladoom didn¡¯t forget the writing supplies he promised to include. What are you working on?¡± I asked. ¡°Not something I can disclose at this time, rest assured that my projects will not harm you in any way. In fact, they may even prove somewhat beneficial in the long run,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said mysteriously. ¡°No worries, your business is your business, sorry if I was a bit too intrusive. Are you going to be working here for long?¡± I asked. ¡°For a bit, as you know, I¡¯ll pop in and out occasionally. I take it from your new gear that the foray into Somhagen was successful?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°Yeah, it was a good trip. I signed up for the arena, and found some good buys, not that it helped me in my last summoning. That last summoning stripped all my gear right at the beginning. I was kind of worried that I wouldn¡¯t get it all back.,¡± I said, peeking into the armory to make sure nothing was missing. The system didn¡¯t scam me, at least pertaining to my gear. ¡°Very good, I remain ready to assist if you have any further need of my negotiation talents, otherwise, I should get back to work,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, his tone politely but firmly let me know he was too busy for chitchat at the moment. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± I replied, heading to my rewards chest to review the newest loot I¡¯d acquired. My rating had been excellent, so I had high hopes for a decent reward this time. Before I opened the chest another system prompt appeared, a very welcome one. Your minions have been gaining experience from the various summonings you participate in. This experience is gained at a reduced rate compared to your own, and 2 of your minions have now reached the next rank. Please be advised that any rank increase must be activated from inside the armory for them to take effect. Nice, I knew that my minions would be receiving experience at a fraction of what I earned, but I kind of figured it would take longer. Of course, a couple of them had gotten experience boosts from rewards, so that might be playing a part as well. Concentrating, I brought up the current minions and their experience.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0.
Experience, 25/35.
  1. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5.
Experience: 25/30.
  1. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 1.
Experience: 0/25. This minion has gained a Rank since your last review. Please visit your armory to activate any upgrades to this minion.
  1. Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 6.
Experience 5/20. This minion has gained a Rank since your last review. Please visit your armory to activate any upgrades to this minion.
  1. Blieek, goblin spearman. Tier 0, Rank 0.
Experience 10/15. So, it was Elida and Khurr that had leveled up. All the goblins were only five points away from the next rank, and the mana slayer drone wasn¡¯t too far off either. I¡¯d hit the armory in a second, first, I still wanted to check out the rest of my loot. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 817.
  2. Gold coins, 25.
  3. Minion ability/spell token (1).
  4. Minion equipment token (3).
  5. Minion veterancy token (1).
  6. Class ability upgrade scroll.
  7. Summoner¡¯s Boots of Resistance.
  8. Consumable figurine (1).
It was a good haul, and the system even gave me the final piece to the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set! First off, I grabbed the boots and equipped them, checking on the new total bonuses for my set. Summoner¡¯s Boots of Resistance. Part of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set. These boots are magically reinforced, and the leather is as strong as steel. A 5% slashing resistance is granted by this armor. This resistance stacks with all other forms of resistance. Part of a 5-piece set, you will gain an additional 5% slashing resistance for each additional piece you have equipped. Each piece of the set will unlock an additional resistance type.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. If the bearer has 3 or more pieces of the Summoner¡¯s Resistance equipped, their summoned minions will be granted a lesser version of the resistances that the bearer enjoys from this set. You have equipped 5 of the 5 pieces from the Summoner¡¯s Resistance set. As a set bonus, resistance to crushing damage has been added to your gear. Your total bonus is as follows:
  1. Fire resistance: 25%.
  2. Frost resistance: 25%.
  3. Acid resistance: 25%.
  4. Piercing resistance: 25%.
  5. Slashing resistance: 25%.
  6. Crushing resistance: 25%
Since you have equipped more than 3 pieces of the set your summoned minions will enjoy the following protections.
  1. Fire resistance: 10%.
  2. Frost resistance: 10%.
  3. Acid resistance: 10%.
  4. Piercing resistance: 10%.
  5. Slashing resistance: 10%.
  6. Crushing resistance: 10%.
It felt good to complete the entire armor set, and it gave a nice survivability bonus not only to myself, but also to my minions. I was already looking forward to reaching the higher tiers and finding what the more powerful sets might offer. Next up on the loot agenda was my class ability upgrade scroll. It activated on opening, the system informing me of my newest upgrade. Template Hunter has been upgraded. Template Hunter. This ability allows the Foe Summoner to mark an opponent to greatly improve the chances for a version of it to become a permanent minion selection in the future. In addition, a veteran consumable figurine of the marked foe will be added to your reward chest each time you rank up. If the marked foe is not offered as a permanent minion option during your next selection opportunity, a final consumable figurine of elite status or better will be added to your rewards chest. Only 1 foe may be marked at a time, though you can change your target at any time. It took me a moment to spot all the changes to the ability. First off, the chance of snagging a template was greatly improved. The figurine I was granted after gaining a new rank was now going to be upgraded to a veteran, and if I whiffed on getting the marked target as a minion, I¡¯d get a final elite figurine. The upgrade was a good one, and having a veteran consumable figurine at each rank was always welcome. I pulled the consumable figurine from the reward chest and confirmed it was a veteran version of mana slayer drone, also upgraded to reflect my current tier and rank. It went into the take home pile, along with the veteran ghast figurine that I could finally summon since I¡¯d hit tier two, rank two. I also had some minion upgrades to sort out. For now, the minion veterancy token would have to stay in the reward chest, nobody was close to maxing out their tier and rank anytime soon. The minion ability token, and the equipment tokens were fine to activate now, and I started with the ability one. Like before, these tokens were randomized by the system. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Personal Shield spell to Rank 1. Personal Shield, Rank 1. This spell grants Elida a magical barrier that is the equivalent of studded leather armor. The duration is one hour, plus an additional hour per Rank. Equipment upgrades.
  1. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have upgraded their weapons to Rank 3.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have upgraded their armor to Rank 4.
  3. Mana slayer drone has upgraded its weapons to Rank 1.
Nice, the goblins continued the lucky streak when it came to gear upgrades, and I pulled up both them and the mana slayer drone to see the changes. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders.
  1. Armor, Rank 4. The armor for all goblins has been upgraded to magic chainmail with matching boots, gloves, leggings, and helms. The enchantments on their armor make them as strong as steel plate.
  2. Weapons, Rank 3. At this rank Glem is armed with a steel-tipped long spear with a minor magical enchantment to improve his chance to hit and giving each strike a small chance to ignore armor. Glamb has upgraded his heavy choppers to masterwork quality. Each weapon now has a small chance to deliver a minor bleed effect. Glurk¡¯s bow is upgraded to a masterwork longbow, and he has a quiver of endless arrows.
Mana slayer drone.
  1. Weapons, Rank 1. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands with long reach. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons. When needed, the mana slayer drone can form simple weapons for its smaller arms to wield. The drone has a basic proficiency in all the weapons that its body can produce.
I was excited to see the changes, especially the weapons that the drone could now create. Before I did that, I hustled over to the armory to activate the rank upgrades for Elida and Khurr. I didn¡¯t want the system to slip in another summoning before I could do everything here that I needed to. Not sure how to go about upgrading them, I looked around the armory. It turned out to be pretty easy. Each minion now had armor and weapon stands with their names on it inside the armory. As soon as I touched the one for the newly ranked up minions, the system processed their upgrades. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 1. By gaining a new Rank, Elida has added a spell slot, bringing the total spell slots to 5. A random spell or ability will now be upgraded.
  1. Burst of Light, Rank 1. This spell emits a bright light at a targeted point. Elida can choose any location within her line of sight as the target for this spell. Anyone close to where the burst hits will take minor radiant damage and have the chance to receive a penalty to their sight for the next 5 seconds. Burst of Light will no longer affect any allies caught in its burst radius.
Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 6. By gaining a new Rank, Khurr has unlocked a new ability. New Ability: Trapper, Rank 0. This ability can be activated 1/day and allows Khurr to create a simple trap. The trap will deal minor damage and have a chance to impair the victim¡¯s movement. Both my ranked-up minions were upgraded just in time. As soon as I finished, a summoning portal opened in the main room of my personal space. You are Summoned! Chapter 228. They Call it A Mine. Chapter 228. They Call it A Mine. As I stepped into the summoning portal, the system gave me the details. It looked like one of my contracted summonings was about to start. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. This is a contracted summoning for the being known as Bolvan Aliev.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 2.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is general labor related. The chance of combat is considered low to moderate. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your current loadout has been equipped.
Exiting the portal, I found myself in what looked like a tunnel of some sort. A squat dwarf wearing overalls looked at me while stroking his beard and mumbling under his breath. The summoner link led to the dwarf, and I waited to hear what he wanted me to do. ¡°Yer a human, ain¡¯t ye?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°Yes, what can I help you with?¡± I asked. According to the scant details given to me at the Contracted Summonings office, this was supposed to be an extended duration summoning. I really hoped that the whole extended duration part wasn¡¯t just because the dwarf that summoned me took forever to tell me what he had summoned me for. ¡°You look kind of skinny, you ever swing a hammer or set timber to support a tunnel?¡± he asked. ¡°No, can¡¯t say that I have. It¡¯s not really my area of expertise,¡± I admitted. ¡°Humph, figures that them Somhagen contractors would pull something like this on me. I need labor for my mine, but you look like you¡¯d keel over after an hour of good, honest work. Tell me, human, what do you do that¡¯s worth the gold I fronted for your services?¡± the dwarf grumbled angrily. ¡°Let¡¯s see, you need labor, right? While mining isn¡¯t my forte, getting you laborers is. Watch this,¡± I said as I summoned the mana slayer drone. The dwarf looked a bit shocked at the appearance of the huge mechanical minion. He might have been shocked, but the dwarf was also curious and began to tap and poke at the drone¡¯s armor. I looked around my surroundings as the dwarf occupied himself with the drone. The passageway we were in was surprisingly roomy considering the summoner was a dwarf and had no need to create the 8-foot-tall ceilings that the passageway featured. Wooden support beams were placed every dozen or so yards, and lanterns that seemed to run on mana gave us enough light to work with. A narrow track ran down the middle of the tunnel, and I could only see a short distance in either direction, due to the slight curve in the tunnel. I had no idea how deep in the mine we were and how extensive this whole place was. ¡°Can you get him to dig?¡± the dwarf asked, pointing at a section of the tunnel about fifteen feet away from us. ¡°I can do that, is there anything we should be careful of? I don¡¯t want him to collapse a tunnel or something,¡± I replied. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d tell you to dig there if it was going to kill us all? Just do what yer told,¡± the dwarf commanded, and I could feel the system compulsion begin to kick in. ¡°No problem, I¡¯m on it,¡± I replied as I sent a command to my drone. He approached the wall and moved close enough to attack the dirt with both sets of arms. While the arms on the drone weren¡¯t exactly suited to digging, it soon figured out a way to improve its performance. Going still, a slight hum began to sound from my drone, and a moment later, its chest armor opened, and the drone pulled out a pair of hand picks from inside its body. Its progress became much faster with the proper tools to work with. ¡°Now this thing fits the bill, he¡¯s a good digger. I take it you¡¯re a summoner. How long can you keep that contraption here for?¡± the dwarf asked, getting a bit excited about my presence now that the drone had proved useful.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, and nothing damages my minion, it¡¯ll stick around. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you summon us?¡± I asked. ¡°Rented me a summoning stone in town. As long as I keep feeding this device mana, it¡¯ll keep you around,¡± the dwarf said, pulling a glowing crystal the size of a bowling ball from his pack. ¡°Great, we¡¯re glad to help. Just let me know where you want us and how far to dig,¡± I said. ¡°Your machine is right where I want him, keep digging perpendicular to the main shaft here, and you¡¯re heading in the right direction. I¡¯ll come check on you in a bit, but if the dirt gets too high, you¡¯ll need to start carting it out. Use the tools and cart over there,¡± the dwarf said, pointing to a small rail car and several shovels and picks that were leaning up against it. ¡°I have more help I can summon, several of them are goblins, and a gnoll, just to prepare you,¡± I said, summoning another member of the team each time the five second cooldown was up. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I call getting my money¡¯s worth. Can they follow simple commands?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°Yes, just let me know what you need. I¡¯m Rico, by the way,¡± I said, introducing myself. ¡°I¡¯m Bolvan, pleased to meet you Rico,¡± the dwarf said, shaking my hand with his oversized and calloused mitt. After our introductions, the dwarf showed me how to use the beams stacked nearby to make bracing for the ceiling. The goblins seemed to take to the task well enough, and I put Glem, Glamb, and Glurk on bracing duty. Blieek, Khurr, and Elida were put in charge of shoveling up the debris that the drone was digging out and loading into the mine cart. Once full, Blieek and Khurr would push the cart down the tunnel where Bolvan told us there was a bridge that spanned an open chasm. The cart was hinged on one side so they could tilt it over to dump everything out into the chasm and then come back to repeat the process. I, of course, would supervise our little mining venture, though I did pitch in with the shovels and helped to rig the support beams when the goblins needed a hand. Time seemed to pass quickly as we worked, and I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how long we were supposed to keep this up for. The summoning was supposed be long term, but did that mean something like my venture with Fitzfazzle, or was there some other time frame the system had in mind? I was determined to get a good rating for this summoning, so I kept the team working hard. They were mana constructs, so I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about fatigue. ¡°Rico, your team¡¯s making good progress. These supports could be a bit better positioned, but for amateurs, you aren¡¯t doing too bad,¡± Bolvan said as he returned to check on us, showing the goblins how to make small adjustments to the support beams. The drone had dug the tunnel nearly fifty yards by now, though I had lost track of time and had no idea how long it had taken us to make that much headway. ¡°We¡¯ll keep at it until you tell us to stop. How long do you need this tunnel to be?¡± I asked. ¡°Just keep going until I tell you to stop. If you run into anything other than dirt and stone as you dig, stop what you¡¯re doing and come find me. I¡¯ll be down the passage with the rest of my crew,¡± Bolvan ordered. He had come and gone the opposite way from the bridge where we dumped the dirt. I didn¡¯t hear anything from that end of the tunnel, so I wasn¡¯t sure how far away his other team was supposed to be. It was none of my business, all I had to do was keep digging. The work was monotonous, but I found I didn¡¯t mind. To have a summoning where I wasn¡¯t being chased by monsters, or forced into being a human sacrifice was kind of refreshing. Bolvan brough us some food and water after a while, which was great since I was getting thirsty and hungry enough to consider using one of the Beads of the Feast to keep going. Once, the goblins had an accident when trying to place a support beam, and the resulting minor cave-in nearly killed Glem, and Glamb. We dug them out quickly, and after a few casts of Health Bloom, they were good as new. I had to hold back Elida from healing them, she had five spell slots now, but I still didn¡¯t want her to burn those if my heals were sufficient. After we hit the 100-yard mark in the tunnel, Bolvan came in with a team of four other dwarves to lay track for the mine cart. I was grateful for that since we had no easy way to haul the dirt all the way back to the main tunnel where the cart was. Now, we had our own little track spur and instructions on how to lay the track ourselves. The dwarves would still need to stop by occasionally to adjust the track, drop off more supplies, and check on the support beams. Other than those visits, and one of the dwarves dropping off food and water occasionally, we were left to our own devices. I took that as a good sign that Bolvan was pleased with our work. Another good or better rating for this summoning was what I was shooting for. I wanted to stay on good terms with Contracted Summonings since it was an excellent way to earn a bit of extra coin with each summoning session. I was helping to keep the new track clear of debris from the drone¡¯s digging efforts when I felt the connection with Blieek end. A few moments later, the connection to Khurr was also cut. The pair were out by the bridge, dumping a loaded cart, and too far away for me to hear any sounds of combat. ¡°Hold up. Everyone get your weapons ready. I think we might either have a fight on our hands, or there¡¯s been an accident,¡± I ordered, forming up the remaining team members as I prepared to investigate the bridge and what had happened to my minions. Chapter 229. Dwarven Disaster. Chapter 229. Dwarven Disaster. With the mana slayer drone in the lead, we began to follow the tracks toward the bridge where my minions had disappeared. The regularly placed lanterns gave us enough light to see by, but our little group was far from silent. Despite the noise we were generating, louder sounds reached us from beyond the next bend in the tunnel. Voices shouted orders and I could hear the clanking of gear and the thump of things being loaded into mining carts. The voices were too far away to make out what they were saying, and while the voices were booming and deep, they didn¡¯t sound monstrous in nature. Waving the team forward, I gave orders for Glurk to run and warn the dwarves if something were to attack us that we couldn¡¯t handle. Rounding the sweeping curve in the tunnel, I was greeted with the sight of a score of dwarves in chainmail armor that held axes and shields. As I crouched down and watched, I spotted more dwarves hauling themselves up onto the bridge from below. I didn¡¯t know how far down the chasm was, but I sure wouldn¡¯t want to make that climb in heavy armor. Ordering the mana slayer drone to go invisible, I had the others form up out of view. The two goblins, Glem and Glamb, would hold the line while Glurk with his bow, and Elida with her magic would stand behind them. I stepped forward to address the dwarves. ¡°Hello there, I don¡¯t suppose you spotted a goblin and a gnoll pushing a mining cart in this direction,¡± I shouted. As one, the group of dwarves turned to face me, and I realized these weren¡¯t the ordinary dwarves I was expecting. Their skin was a sickly dark grey color, and their eyes glowed with a reddish light. Everyone¡¯s hair and beards were a bright white color. ¡°Look brothers, the weak surface kin have also enslaved humans to work for them,¡± One of the dwarves, the one with the longest beard who held himself like a leader, said. ¡°Shall I kill him like I did the others, master?¡± one of the dwarves behind their leader said. Despite his white hair, the dwarf looked far younger than the others. If these dwarves had been humans, I¡¯d say the one approaching me was in his late teens. ¡°Cut him down, we have work to do, and I won¡¯t waste time bantering with a lowly human,¡± the leader said. The young dwarf chuckled as he placed a full helm on his head and drew his axe from his belt. His thick chainmail armor and metal-rimmed, wooden shield seemed like more than adequate protection, but I was willing to be the hidden drone would make short work of him. ¡°Stand down, I have no desire to kill any dwarves today,¡± I warned, drawing my blade and shield. While I wasn¡¯t a melee-focused class by any means, I was more than competent with my weapons. ¡°You may not want to kill any dwarves, if you even could, but this dwarf wants to kill you,¡± the young dwarf said, breaking into a trot as if he expected me to turn and run. ¡°I warned you, drone, kill him,¡± I ordered. The drone waited for the dwarf to pass where he was standing before reaching out with his clawed hands. Blades cut through the chainmail protecting the dwarves¡¯ back and the smaller hands hammered a pair of mining picks into the foolhardy dwarf, dropping him to the ground where his armored but broken body clanged against the metal tracks. ¡°He¡¯s drawn the blood of the people, kill him!¡± the leader shouted, causing a dozen of the nearest dwarves to charge forward, chanting a war cry as they ran. Ordering my remaining minions forward, I realized that I needed to slow down the dwarves who were only fifty yards away. Pulling from my mana pool, I cast Entangle in front of the dwarves. It worked as I¡¯d hoped, and grasping roots burst from the hard-packed dirt floor of the tunnel, reaching, and grabbing onto the dwarves. While the spell didn¡¯t stop them in their tracks, it did slow their pace down to a crawl as the dwarves needed to rip their way through the roots. My spell had accomplished its goal of slowing them down and I used that time to reach into Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts to pull out a random animal to help us. This was the first time I¡¯d used the bag, and I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to expect. My hand grasped onto damp, rubbery skin and I threw it forward. Materializing from the bag was a huge animal that took me a moment to recognize. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had been expecting, maybe a tiger or a wolf or something. A huge walrus wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d pictured when I activated the bag, but it sure seemed perfect for the moment.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Attack,¡± I ordered the huge beast, sending it flopping its way toward the entangled dwarves on oversized flippers. The ground shook as it passed and if I had to guess, the walrus must have weighed close to a ton. Just before it crashed into the dwarves, I hit it with a duplicate spell. Now, two tons of blubbery walrus crashed into the hapless dwarves, easily crushing the stout, but short enemies. Shrieks of pain sounded out as the walrus team began to flop onto any dwarf still alive after the initial impact. They also began to stab at the wounded dwarves with their oversized tusks. My mana slayer drone had already been approaching the entangled dwarves, but wisely stepped back from the rampaging bags of blubber. Elida and Glurk arrived as the dwarves remained focused on the carnage wrought by the walrus team. I had them stand to either side of me, while the Glem and Glamb formed up in front. On my right, Glurk began to nock and fire arrows one after another, arcing them above and around the walruses to hit the dwarves still by the bridge. ¡°Bring the beasts down, and kill the caster,¡± the dwarf leader bellowed, his command sounding out over the horrible cacophony of walrus bellows and crunching dwarves. I could see the dwarves were forming a shield wall across the tunnel, with several of the dwarves holding long spears instead of axes. Behind them, a pair of dwarves with crossbows began to fire on the walrus team. Protected by thick hide and blubber, the crossbows bolts didn¡¯t penetrate far enough to hit anything vital on the walruses, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t let the wounds accumulate without doing anything. I cast Health Bloom over the beasts, but they quickly exited the spells area of effect as they charged toward the dwarves shooting at them. The beasts seemed to ignore the threat of bristling spears held by the dwarves in the shield wall. ¡°Glurk, try to pick off their crossbowmen,¡± I ordered. If we could stop their shooting, it would reduce the chance of one of them shifting fire away from the walruses and toward us. The walrus pair slammed into the dwarven defensive line. Several spears impaled the beasts, and the duplicate disappeared in a puff of mana vapor while the second burst through the line of defenders. Unable to stop its momentum, the final walrus slid over the edge of the canyon, dragging a pair of screaming dwarves with it. It was down to me and the survivors of my minion team now. I sheathed my sword so I could reach the scrolls on my belt. Unlike the figurines I was reluctant to use up, the scrolls were items that I couldn¡¯t take back home with me. They were to be used in situations just like this, as a way to help boost my rating for each summoning, and just maybe, help some people that deserved it. For the first time, I pushed mana into a scroll, and found that it was just like using any other consumable. The spell built up in power and I lifted my arm to point at the line of dwarves who were even now reforming and preparing to advance. I had chosen a fireball spell since I had two of the scrolls in my inventory. A small ball of flame flew from my hand to the point I¡¯d targeted. It didn¡¯t strike directly where I¡¯d aimed, but with fireballs, it turned out you didn¡¯t need to be all that accurate. Impacting on the right of the dwarven line, flames burst from the fireball, accompanied by a blast wave that knocked the entire line off their feet. From behind their lines, more dwarven screams were heard as reinforcement climbing up from below were knocked into the chasm. Three of the dwarves that had been closest to where the fireball had landed were obviously dead, their skin and armor blackened by the heat. Another two dwarves were lying on the ground moaning in pain. They were still alive but unless the dwarves had a healer with them, or a stock of potions, the wounded were now what Major Finley would call combat ineffective. All the others, around eight survivors in total, were battered and singed, but still in the fight. Instead of another scroll, I pulled my magic missile wand, firing off a missile at the dwarven leader, while activating my Ring of Final Sacrifice, targeting my mana slayer drone whose stealth field ran out right before he reached the surviving dwarves. Energy poured from the ring, enveloping my minion in roiling mana that waited for my minion to fall. The dwarves rallied around their leader, who had been hit in the head by my magic missile and also had one of Glurk¡¯s arrows sticking from his shin. Like a whirlwind of death, the mana slayer drone waded into the knot of dwarven defenders. All four arms on the drone, and the occasional bladed foot, lashing out at the nearest target. One dwarf fell almost immediately, his armor pierced through by one of my minions¡¯ blades. Unfortunately for my drone, one of its hands got stuck inside the dwarven armor, limiting my minion¡¯s attack options as he tried to free himself. A pick held in one of the drone¡¯s smaller hands penetrated the shoulder armor of the dwarf leader, but the others had surrounded my minion, hacking through his armored frame with powerful blows. One of the drone¡¯s legs gave way in a shower of sparks, even has he ripped the throat from another dwarf. Stumbling, the mana drone continued to lash out, landing a few damaging blows, but he was being easily taken apart by the skilled dwarven warriors. I watched as the drone was destroyed and turned into mana vapor. The power of the Ring of Final Sacrifice took hold, using the expelled mana of the drone¡¯s unsummoning to power the blast it unleashed. There weren¡¯t any flames like with the fireball, but the ring¡¯s explosion of energy was even more powerful than the fireball¡¯s had been. Limbs were blasted off several dwarves, and at least two of them were catapulted to their doom in the cavern below. None of the surviving dwarves remained on their feet, and their leader was armless and bleeding out on the tracks. ¡°Finish off the survivors,¡± I ordered my goblin trio who happily charged toward the remaining dwarves. Chapter 230. Tunnel to Nowhere. Chapter 230. Tunnel to Nowhere. With the dwarven attack thwarted, I left the others here to guard the bridge in case any other attackers climbed up. While they stood watch, I hurried down the tunnel toward where the dwarves were supposed to be working. I didn¡¯t know exactly how far from us they were, but it had to be a good distance from where we had been digging. I was saved from scouring the mine searching for them when I spotted one of the dwarves looking around confused at the lack of mining going on in our original location. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°We were attacked, I was coming back to let Bolvan know,¡± I said. ¡°Attacked by what, and where?¡± the dwarf asked, getting right to the point. I appreciated that about the dwarves. They could be gruff and come off as rude, but I think it was more because they saw no need to waste time on pleasantries. ¡°By the bridge where we¡¯ve been dumping the debris from the tunnel. It was a group of dwarves that attacked us,¡± I advised. The dwarf in front of me dropped his hand to his axe at my mention of fighting other dwarves. When I gave the description of our attackers, he looked even more upset, but did pull his hand away from the weapon. ¡°I¡¯ll get Bolvan, we¡¯ll meet you at the bridge,¡± the dwarf said before turning and running back down the tunnel toward his comrades. I made my way back to the bridge, and things there appeared quiet for the moment. I had left the fallen where they lay. It would be up to Bolvan to decide how they were disposed of. Before long, I could hear boots stomping and armor clanking as someone approached. A moment later, Bolvan and a score of armed and armored dwarves came charging down the tunnel. He stopped his troops in front of me, staring at the fallen dwarves scattered around the tunnel. The look on his face hardened into a scowl, and his eyes glared with both anger and loss. ¡°The fallen clan were here. Rico, tell me everything that happened,¡± Bolvan demanded. I gave him a rundown of the events, from the loss of Blieek and Khurr, to our desperate battle against the odd dwarves. While I spoke, the dwarves remained silent and still, and after finishing, several long moments passed before Bolvan finally spoke. ¡°This clan,¡± Bolvan started, gesturing toward the dwarven bodies around him. ¡°They were once part of my own people. While we prospered both in our mines and in the world above, they refused to see the surface, calling us traitors to our race. There was a split between us, a split that was neither happy, nor bloodless. They descended into the depths of the world, and we remained as we had been.¡± Looking at Bolvan¡¯s dwarves and the ones I had fought, I couldn¡¯t see the resemblance. The only thing similar between the two was the equipment they used. Bolvan¡¯s weapons and armor were almost exact copies. Whatever effects the split between these two factions had between their peoples, both sides retained the same smiths. ¡°Bolvan, there¡¯s over a dozen bodies here, how did this one man defeat them on his own?¡± one of the dwarves asked, glaring at me in disbelief. ¡°With my minions and my magic. If you must know, there were more than a dozen, we had several of them fall off the cliffs edge or get knocked off the bridge as they climbed up to attack,¡± I said, not feeling all that happy about the dwarf disparaging my ability to defend myself. ¡°My men will take things from here, Rico. Return your people to the mine and resume your work. Nossug, your squad will stay here and deal with the fallen. I want you to also build some defenses here, and on the other side of the bridge. We won¡¯t have the fallen clan take us unawares again,¡± Bolvan ordered to me and the dwarf who had doubted my abilities.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Leading my team back down the tunnel, I could see the dwarves start to heave the bodies over the cliff while others ran across the bridge to scout the other side. I had no idea where the tunnel on the other side of the bridge led, and Bolvan wasn¡¯t in the mood for questions. Wherever it led, it was important enough for Bolvan to send out some of his warriors to protect it. I led my team back down the tunnel and we resumed our mining. After a while, I was able to resummon both Blieek and Khurr who continued their duties pushing the mine cart to the bridge and dumping out our refuse. I accompanied them on one trip, noting that each end of the bridge had a small squad of six dwarven warriors protecting it. In addition to the warriors at the bridge, patrols began to move through the tunnels, and we¡¯d see a group of four dwarves march by every hour or so. We didn¡¯t experience any additional problems during our work, and my minions didn¡¯t seem to mind the hard labor. If I noticed them slowing down at all, I hit them with a Health Bloom which seemed to alleviate any minor injuries or muscle tears they might have been experiencing. It was a boring task, hour after hour I went about helping where I could, and our tunnel continued to grow longer. A small cot and barrel of clean water to wash in were provided for me. Thankfully, my minions didn¡¯t need to eat, sleep, or have other bodily functions. My fallen minions had long ago been respawned and I didn¡¯t have any further casualties. The contract had said this was a long-term assignment, and I was beginning to believe them as days passed. I had no accurate way to mark time, and simply was going by how many times I needed to sleep and eat as we worked. Bolvan, or one of his mining experts, a one-armed dwarf named Korbal, would come by and check our progress. They would take rock samples to test but didn¡¯t bother to tell me what they were looking for, or why we were even digging this tunnel. Our tunnel also took a few twists and turns based on Korbal¡¯s suggestions. For the most part, his changes of direction made sense, and allowed us to avoid some sections of solid rock. Other times, it seemed like his choice of direction was arbitrary. No matter which direction we were told to dig in, one thing remained constant. We were digging downward, deeper with each shovelful we hauled out of the tunnel. ¡°Hold up!¡± Korbal ordered during his latest visit. By my estimation we had been at this for over a week now, and I was more than ready to finish and see sunlight once more. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked the dwarf as he held up a small metal tube to the end of the tunnel and listened. He shushed me to silence, and I stood there waiting for something to happen. ¡°Human, listen here and tell me if you can hear anything with your weak ears,¡± Korbal demanded, handing me the strange metal tube. Mimicking his actions I held it to my ear, and up against the wall of the tunnel. At first, I couldn¡¯t hear anything, but after concentrating, I began to make out a dull hum in the distance. ¡°I hear a humming noise, what is that?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but we may need to alter our direction, or start a new tunnel spur. This deep, there¡¯s plenty of things nastier than the fallen clan that we might run into. Stop digging and keep quiet until I can get Bolvan down here,¡± Korbal ordered before taking off down the tunnel. Glad for a break, I had the team stand down as we waited for my summoner to arrive. For a while, nothing happened, but then I began to hear it, even without the benefit of the magical metal tube that Korbal had. The hum grew louder by the minute, and it was now accompanied by the sounds of digging. Soon, the tunnel walls began to vibrate, and I ordered my team further up the tunnel. In the distance, I could hear the dwarves returning, but the wall at the end of our tunnel began to bulge outward. Not having much time, I organized my minions into a defensive formation, melee in the front, with Glurk and Khurr behind with their ranged weapons. Behind the ranged fighters I stood with Elida, ready to support our forces with the magic at my disposal. ¡°Rico, what¡¯s going on?¡± Bolvan asked as he appeared with a half dozen other dwarven miners. ¡°Korbal heard something, and we stopped work, now, that sound keeps getting louder and whatever is on the other side of our tunnel is about to break through,¡± I said, pointing to the bulging wall. ¡°By the gods, is that what I think it is?¡± one of the dwarven workers said, his face etched with fear as he slowly backed away. ¡°Run, we need to evacuate these tunnels!¡± Bolvan ordered. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°A foe none of us can stand against, get out now, Rico. It might already be too late,¡± Bolvan said before turning to run. ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯ll buy you some time,¡± I replied, staying put where I was. After a week of digging, I¡¯d gladly face some burrowing monster if it meant not only ending this summoning, but also possibly bumping up my rating. Bolvan shouted something but I couldn¡¯t make out what he was saying as he ran further down the tunnel. He must have agreed to me staying behind since forced compliance didn''t seem to activate. For such a short guy, he could really move when he was motivated to. The wall bulged ominously once more, and I ordered my team further back as the dirt and stone began to fall. Whatever was digging toward us was about to make its entrance. Chapter 231. Collapse. Chapter 231. Collapse. ¡°Here it comes,¡± I said as the end of the tunnel finally collapsed. I wasn¡¯t sure what I expected, some giant monster of some sort. Instead of a tunneling monster, the collapsed tunnel opening roiled with large insects that poured into the tunnel. They looked like dark colored beetles, and each was the size of my fist. Hundreds of the things were in the tunnel and it didn¡¯t appear that the flow of insects was going to stop anytime soon. I cast Entangle in their path, and as the roots shot up from the ground, each tendril snatched a beetle. Where the roots would just hold a larger foe, the smaller beetles were crushed in the grasp of my spell. Despite my spell¡¯s success, there were far too many beetles and they flowed around the area of danger, climbing the wall and ceilings of the tunnel as they relentlessly crawled toward us. I cast Entangle twice more, finding that I could target any solid surface, even the sides and ceiling of the tunnel. Dozens of bugs were crushed by my spell, but the unrelenting horde of beetles continued to grow in number as they continued forward. ¡°Back up,¡± I ordered the team. My mana was almost drained after three castings of Entangle and I didn¡¯t think that even my consumables would make a dent in the horde of bugs that seemed unstoppable. There was one thing I could try that wouldn¡¯t cause me to burn all my consumable resources. ¡°Blieek, I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to charge the enemy,¡± I ordered my hapless goblin minion. As he bravely charged toward the insects, I hit him with the Ring of Final Sacrifice before casting Duplicate. Fingers crossed; I watched as a second Blieek joined the first in his suicidal charge toward the insects. As I had hoped, the duplicate matched the first Blieek exactly, including the Ring of Final Sacrifice¡¯s enchantment. The pair of goblins stopped when they reached the leading edge of the insect horde. Both began to stab furiously with their spears, but it was a hopeless venture as the bugs swarmed over their feet and up their legs, taking bites of goblin flesh as they went. In seconds, the pair of goblins were covered in beetles. A moment later, the bodies of the goblins were turned into mana vapor. That mana vapor was then used to power the twin explosions from the Ring of Final Sacrifice. A pair of bright flashes were accompanied by a powerful blast as the spell¡¯s energy was unleashed. Before, I¡¯d only seen one explosion from the ring. That was inside a much wider tunnel, and near a wide-open chasm that the bridge spanned. Here, the blast was confined in a much tighter area, and the rest of my party had only made it twenty or so yards from the explosions. I was hurled against the side of the tunnel, my back snapping against a support pillar. The other minions were gone, the concussion of the blast killing them almost instantly. I only survived because I was in the back of the formation. Alone, and unable to move, I was pretty sure I wasn¡¯t going to make it much longer. Dust and debris filled the tunnel, making it hard for me to breathe. A few beetles came into view crawling directly at me. Most of the monsters had been killed in the blast, but I could hear movement in the distance that must mean more of the monsters were on the way. All I could do was watch the few bugs in front of me approach, lacking the mana necessary to cast Health Bloom. I couldn¡¯t move my arms, so grabbing a healing potion was also out. It looked like my summoning was going to end soon. The end I faced was going to be a horrible one, and I was worried that I would be forced to use a Notice of Cessation and take the penalty to my rating it imposed. Being engulfed in beetles and eaten in a manner of seconds was one thing but being slowly eaten by a handful of the monsters, was a long-term torture I didn¡¯t think I could endure. The ground shifted under me, causing my body to fall onto its side. Where I lay, I could no longer see the beetles approaching, and I could only wait for them to arrive and start their meal. Maybe the other damage I¡¯d sustained would help to end my suffering more quickly. A low rumble was heard and all at once, the tunnel collapsed on top of me. The next moment, I was drifting in the void as a system prompt appeared. You have been crushed by a collapsing tunnel. Your summoning session is now considered complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 2, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 18 experience points. You have earned 22 summoning points. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Raiders, have reached Tier 1, Rank 6. Their combat prowess has improved. Agility for all three has improved. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Blieek, Goblin Spearman, has reached Tier 0, Rank 1. His combat prowess has improved. His constitution has improved. You will now be returned to your personal space. I stepped from the void and back into my personal space. One of my new servants was there as I returned, offering me a glass of what looked like orange juice as well as a warm washcloth for my face. I had been returned completely whole, and exactly the same as I had left, but for some reason, the juice just hit the spot and washed away the phantom feeling of dust in my throat. In the same way, the warm cloth helped me forget the dirt that had clung to me for days as we dug inside the tunnel. ¡°Thank you, I could get used to this kind of service,¡± I said to the servant as I handed her the empty cup and the towel. This type of greeting when I returned sure beat coming back to an empty personal space with only my rocking chair to sit in. ¡°Rough summoning?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked from where he sat at the desk. My undead advisor seemed to like his new office setup, though I wondered what exactly he was working on. ¡°A long one, and a bit iffy at the end, but overall, not the worst I¡¯ve experienced. Are you doing okay? Do you have enough supplies for whatever it is you¡¯re working on?¡± I asked as I walked over to my reward chest. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly content with our arrangement, and the initial supplies provided by Chaladoom have proven sufficient for now. Don¡¯t worry, any further items I might need will be procured at my own expense,¡± Tzes¡¯zod assured me. Paper and ink were cheap enough in Somhagen, so I didn¡¯t mind picking some up for him the next time I was there. I turned my focus to the reward chest, opening it to see the new items I¡¯d acquired. It would have been nice to have received another excellent rating, but I figured that very good was nothing to sneeze at. After all, I had collapsed at least part of the tunnel that I had been initially summoned to dig. Of course, I¡¯d also crushed the deadly flesh-eating beetles as well, so I would call that an overall win. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 611.
  2. Gold coins, 19.
  3. Minion ability/spell token (1).
  4. Minion equipment token (2).
  5. Minion experience token (1).
  6. Sheath of Flame.
Not a bad haul, and the system seemed to liberally dole out the various upgrades for my minions after each successful summoning. I was more than happy with that since the pickings had been slim in Somhagen for the various minion tokens I needed. At least it looked like I had one item for myself, the Sheath of Flame. Pulling the sheath from the chest, it looked like an ordinary leather sheath, that would easily fit my gladius. The leather did look blackened a bit, like it had been left a bit too close to a fire. As I held the sheath, the system granted me information on how it functioned. Sheath of Flame. This sheath will work with any blade up to a longsword in length. Once the weapon placed in the sheath is drawn, it will have its blade covered in magical flames. These flames will inflict minor fire damage to any target struck. The flames will not harm the blade in any way. The sheath may be activated 3/day, and the flames will last for 20 minutes. It was a minor bump to my melee damage, but I could see where having the flame would come in handy against several monster types. Next up, it was time to start doling out minion upgrades. As always, the upgrade targets were randomly selected by the system. Mana Slayer Drone has received a new ability. Mana Slayer Drone has received an armor upgrade. Elida Silverbarrow has received an armor upgrade. Elida Silverbarrow has received 15 experience. The system randomization shined on the drone and Elida this time. While the experience boost wasn¡¯t enough to bump Elida to the next rank, she was very close now. To check on their upgrades, I pulled up information on the changes to my two minions. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0. Experience, 30/35. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. New Equipment and Upgrades:
  1. Armor, Rank 3. At this rank, the Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor consists of overlapping composite plates that are effective against all types of physical attacks and resistant to any elemental damage. The plates will shift on the drone¡¯s body to reinforce areas that the drone deems critical. The armor includes a self-repair feature that works whenever the drone is out of combat and can also be activated 1/summoning to quickly repair damage even while in combat.
  2. Shoulder Mounted Launcher, Rank 0. At this rank, the Mana Slayer Drone may launch up to three projectiles from the launcher. It will be reloaded in between summoning. The projectiles are fragmentation grenades, capable of showering a 5-foot radius in deadly, steel fragments. Range is limited to 20-feet.
While my drone wasn¡¯t going to be firing off the disruptor beam grenades just yet, it did finally get the launcher installed. The ammo count was limited to three rounds for each summoning and the range wasn¡¯t all that great. Despite the limitations, it made my most powerful minion a bit deadlier. The drone¡¯s armor also got a nice boost, and being able to reinforce areas under attack would help greatly in a 1v1 situation. The upgraded automated repair, and the chance to use it in combat, gave the drone even more survivability. Overall, I was very pleased with the upgrade progress on my drone. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 1. Experience: 20/25. New Equipment and Upgrades:
  1. Armor, Rank 2. At this Rank, Elida¡¯s has changed out her robes for leather armor.
It wasn¡¯t quite as big a difference for my minion healer. Swapping out robes for leather armor was a good boost to defense, and I had high hopes that further improvements to her armor would allow Elida to survive long enough to use up all her healing spells. Before I forgot, I added the sheath to my loadout, finishing just in time as another summoning portal opened. You are Summoned! Chapter 232. Another Contract. Chapter 232. Another Contract. I looked toward the summoning portal, saying goodbye to Tzes¡¯zod and Melvin before I stepped in. Once inside the portal, the system came through with the typical basic information on the summoning. It looked like my contract with the dungeon core was about to activate. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. This is a contracted summoning for the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade dungeon core.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 2.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your current loadout has been equipped.
  8. A link to the dungeon core has been established and you have been granted limited control over the dungeon minions.
Stepping out of the portal, I found myself back in the familiar goblin village on the first level of the dungeon. It was where my team had fought against a horde of the creatures, including the giant elite goblin Ebbiq. Now, there were only a scattering of goblins about, probably less than a quarter of what I¡¯d faced in my delve of this place. Near the stairwell leading to the next floor, a portal appeared, and the dungeon assistant, Capria stepped out of it. I wasn¡¯t sure what species Capria was, but her green skin wasn¡¯t like that of an orc, and her clothing looked like it had grown directly onto her body like a plant. She smiled and nodded at me as the dungeon core spoke. ¡°I am weak now and must focus all my attentions on the dungeon. Please speak with Capria, she will assist you in what must be done,¡± the dungeon said. I could feel the fatigue in its voice and given the state of the room I was in, could see the effects of the dungeon¡¯s decline. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can for you,¡± I assured the dungeon. ¡°Thank you for keeping your end of the bargain, I was happy to see that the contract was created just as you had promised. Time is short, though, and I fear we must get to work immediately,¡± Capria said. ¡°Can you tell me what is happening and where you need me?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, after you left, the trespassers continued to venture into the dungeon, always taking more than they left. The wizard that sends the trespassers here was angry that we can no longer spawn as many minions as before, and that our rewards were limited. I¡¯m sorry to say that we no longer have the mana to both spawn minions and attach rewards to them. ¡°The wizard, after their last venture, said he was going to try one more time, and if the dungeon did not deliver what he expected, he would send in his forces to purge it and collect the core for his own research,¡± Capria said. I could feel the fear in her voice. If the dungeon core was destroyed, I doubted that the dungeon assistant would survive the experience given how closely they were linked. I tried to remember the wizard she was referring to. When I had been summoned by him, it was through a device, and I never got to see how powerful he was. The kids that used me and the other summoned beings as characters in their game didn¡¯t seem powerful on their own, especially if they needed an artifact from the wizard to summon us. I needed to know more about what I was up against. ¡°Do you know the wizard¡¯s power and what kind of forces he can bring to bear?¡¯ I¡¯ve seen the kids that use this place as a game, and I don¡¯t think they would pose a threat to my minions,¡± I asked. ¡°The children are trespassers, but they know not what they do. This wizard, a human named Avius, was powerful enough to defeat our defenders in his first run through our home. He was accompanied by several others at the time, warriors, and another spellcaster that acted as a healer. The final defender gave them trouble, and if our dungeon had gathered all its forces, I¡¯m sure we would have won the fight,¡± Capria advised. ¡°What type of spells did he use, and did the others with him have any special abilities or magic that you were able to see?¡± I asked.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°He used several different spells, most of which I would categorize as wind magic, as well as some of the more basic spells available to all wizards. As for his companions, they were competent warriors, with a few martial abilities, most of which I¡¯m not familiar with. Their healer also created some shields over the warriors, but he stuck mostly to using healing spells,¡± Capria advised. ¡°Thanks, that¡¯ll give me an idea of what I¡¯m up against if things go south. If it¡¯s at all possible, I¡¯d like to talk to the wizard first and see if we can work out some arrangement that is mutually beneficial and doesn¡¯t require bloodshed. If he¡¯s not amenable to reason, I¡¯ll do all I can to defend your core. If worst comes to worst, what do we have to work with? I doubt I can handle a kill team full of wizards, healers, and warriors with just my minions,¡± I asked. ¡°As you can see, our forces are severely depleted. We¡¯re in the process of deactivating the entire second floor to conserve mana. With the resources that the core has gains from recycling the second floor, we¡¯re trying to slowly replenish our numbers here. As of this moment, we have eleven standard goblins and two archers. The core is working on rebuilding the boss for this floor now, but it is a slow process,¡± Capria said. ¡°I remember the boss, Ebbiq, he was strong if not very smart. How much control will I have over your defenders?¡± I asked. A dozen or so goblins and a boss would significantly bolster my forces, but if they just did their normal stupid goblin trick of charging right at the foe, they were only good for slowing an enemy down. ¡°Our core will grant you complete control, though our core will resume control if you use them foolishly. Depending on how long it takes for the trespassers to return, we may have a few more defenders for you to work with,¡± Capria said. ¡°Good, for now, keep everyone in this room, I¡¯ll stay by the entrance and greet our trespassers when they enter. Can you create some obstacles and traps for us, or is that too much of a drain on mana?¡± I asked. After working with the military for a while, I had a good idea of what I needed to do to defend this place. One thing we would need was some cover against long range mage spells, and archers. The passageways were also great chokepoints for traps and to set ambushes, but that all depended on how much the dungeon could create for us. ¡°We can make some of what you wish, though my core cannot both respawn new minions and create these obstacles at the same time. You have control over our defense, so we will defer to your expertise in what you want us to do,¡± Capria said. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get Ebbiq back first, he¡¯s going to be our heavy hitter. After that, we¡¯ll mark out some areas for traps and some adjustments to the passageway where I want to set an ambush. This room will be our final battlefield, but I want the enemy tired, wounded, and out of tricks by the time they get here,¡± I advised. ¡°It shall be done as you have asked, Rico Kline,¡± Capria said. If things played out like I expected, my first encounter with the wizard would be when he brought another group of kids in with their summoned characters. They wouldn¡¯t prove much of a threat, especially after seeing how poorly the kids controlled their minions. Last time, we didn¡¯t make it halfway to the end of the first floor before they started fighting amongst themselves. I had lots of surprises planned, but I didn¡¯t want the wizard to get a peek at them on the first visit. I wanted him to come back with his kill team, expecting to face the same as always in the dungeon with only me as the unknown factor. For now, I¡¯d just use the basic melee goblin defenders. They would be what the wizard expected, and with me and a couple of my minions supporting them, we should be able to deal with the kids¡¯ summoned beings. While we waited for the trespassers to appear, I mapped out what I wanted with Capria. The dungeon, in its diminished state, had a fairly simple layout. There was the starting area which was typically undefended. After that, the passageway continued for a long stretch before reaching the first room. It was there that a half dozen goblins usually waited. After that first room, the passageway continued on a winding path until reaching the goblin village room that we were in now. This was meant to be the main challenge, and a chance for new parties to learn how to draw out the goblins in small groups, defeating them in the cramped confines of the passageway like I had done on my solo run through here. If an enemy made it past the hordes of goblins from the village, Capria said that the floor boss, Ebbiq, and four regular goblins would usually comprise the final encounter for the floor. When I had entered the dungeon, the core had gone almost all out on me, sending the entire force, including Ebbiq, into the passageway to fight my minions. I was going to change everything up and hold nothing back if the wizard, Avius, wouldn¡¯t see reason. Time passed as I marked out what defenses I wanted and where I wanted them placed. After Ebbiq respawned, I had the dungeon core shift to respawning any goblin archers that it could. They were a better fit for my plan than the regular melee goblins, though they would also play a part. After four of the archers were spawned, I shifted to having the core construct the traps and barricades I wanted. We had made good progress, and about half of the construction was done, when the core spoke to us. ¡°The trespassers have returned.¡± Chapter 233. Attempted Parley. Chapter 233. Attempted Parley. ¡°I¡¯ll take the melee goblins with me, as well as the goblins from my team. Hold everyone else back here in the village,¡± I ordered. For my first contact with wizard, I didn¡¯t want to show our total strength. For what I expected to face, I figured a dozen melee goblins, Blieek, and my trio of goblin minions would suffice. If needed, I had plenty of consumables to augment our forces. The best-case scenario was that we could work out some kind of compromise. As we hustled from the goblin village toward the entrance, Capria granted me a dungeon view of what was going on. At first, I became dizzy and stumbled a bit, but soon learned to limit and focus on what I was looking at. Normally, a dungeon saw everything within it all at once. The human mind wasn¡¯t set up to handle that kind of information overload, and once Capria blocked out the extraneous information, I was good. None of our defenses were in view of the enemy yet, and I wanted to keep it that way, so I pushed our team to reach the intruders before they organized and moved out to attack. If the kids exploring the dungeon were anything like the group I was summoned into, they would have a wide, but random, variety of creatures and summoned beings to work with. I caught a glimpse of them from my dungeon view. Like before, there was another orc berserker of some type, a huge green guy with no armor and a two-handed axe. There was also a gnoll in chainmail with a heavy crossbow, a halfling with daggers, an oversized wolf with spikes on its body, and rounding out the group was a human woman in plate armor holding an oversized, glowing book in her grasp. Pulling out one of my scrolls as we ran, I cast shield. A light glow flickered around my body as the magic took hold. It would give me an extra layer of armor, and additional protection against ranged attacks, both magical and physical, until the shield had reached its limit. Even with extra protection in place, and my new armor and shield equipped, I wasn¡¯t going to step into line of sight of the enemy just yet. Capria said she could project my voice a short distance down the passageway. I stopped where the passageway from the starting area curved slightly, blocking my group from the intruders¡¯ line of sight. The kids that were controlling the summoned beings, and the wizard, had just entered the dungeon, telling me that they planned to move out momentarily. Sending Capria a signal that I was ready, she prepared to amplify my voice. Having instant communication inside a dungeon was a nice little perk of working with a core and its assistant. ¡°Hey, you at the dungeon entrance, can we talk in peace for a moment?¡± I asked. I should have thought out my first contact attempt a bit better, but I was caught up in the excitement and urgency of the situation. ¡°Who addresses our party?¡± the wizard, Avius, said. I could see various protective barriers flare into existence around both him and the kids, noting that those magical protections didn¡¯t extend to the summoned beings they were controlling. There were indeed limits to this wizard¡¯s power. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline, an agent hired by this dungeon core to work out some misunderstandings,¡± I said. ¡°A dungeon core hired someone? That¡¯s doubtful. Dungeon, I gave you a command last time I was here. By this foolish display I assume that you¡¯ve not done what I demanded you to do,¡± the wizard bellowed. ¡°Avius, I can assure you I¡¯m real, not some dungeon construct, and I¡¯ve brought enough with me to stop your incursions. We don¡¯t want to fight, there is no reason we can¡¯t work something out that benefits both parties. Surely, you don¡¯t want to waste your resources fighting me and a dungeon at the same time, when you can continue to train and entertain your charges with just some small concessions on your part,¡± I offered. ¡°Oh, and what concessions would you expect me to offer, dungeon? Perhaps we¡¯ll sacrifice a random first born at each new moon, or maybe you¡¯d have me send the kingdom¡¯s prisoners inside to be consumed by your evil,¡± Avius, spat back, still believing me to be just part of the dungeon. ¡°Once again, I¡¯m not part of this dungeon, and I brought my own forces to help defend it if you can¡¯t see reason. The dungeon isn¡¯t evil, and it requires no sacrifice. All it wants is for you to follow the common courtesies that adventurers normally extend to dungeons. It wants you to stop starving it of resources,¡± I argued. ¡°Let me consider,¡± Avius said, making a show of stroking his long beard as he spoke. ¡°No, I think we¡¯ll just go ahead and harvest this dungeon¡¯s core. There¡¯s another dungeon that better suits our needs and is only a short teleportation away from this one. After all, I have wanted a fresh dungeon core to progress one of my experiments,¡± Avius said, rejecting my offer outright. ¡°It¡¯s your funeral but know that we won¡¯t target the kids you¡¯ve brought with you if they leave now and unsummon their minions,¡± I told them. The kids began to look a little nervous, they had never considered that they could be hurt in this venture, and the wizard cursed under his breath. ¡°Send your minions forward, tear apart this dungeon,¡± the wizard told the kids. They sent their minions out to attack; some had the glazed-eyed look that told me the kids were taking direct control of them. Two of the kids seemed more focused on the dungeon¡¯s exit portal, as if they expected it to close at any moment and trap them inside. I cast Entangle on the ground in front of us and ordered my team to get ready. The dozen goblins from the dungeon took the lead. Each held crude weapons and wore no armor. I had no illusions that they would hold back the summoned beings coming toward us, but if they could delay them, my minions would get some strong hits in.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. To further supplement my forces, I reached into Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts to pull out another animal. The walrus had been extremely effective back in the dwarf mine, and maybe I¡¯d get something equally effective here. Instead of a one-ton walrus, I pulled out a small, furry skunk of some kind. The system labeled it a Zorilla, whatever the heck that was. Less than two feet long, the skunk looked up at me for a command. ¡°Uh, just spray the enemy when they appear around that corner,¡± I ordered, much less impressed with the magic bag now. Well, at least it lived up to its claim, it really did supply a random animal, but not necessarily one that was useful in combat. First around the bend was the orc, who held his axe high and roared in rage at my forces. He hit the patch of grasping limbs created by Entangle and plowed almost all the way through before slowing down. The skunk bravely charged under the feet of the goblins before raising his tail and unleashing a horrible stream of stink at the orc. Being bathed in that horrible stench only seemed to enrage the orc further, allowing him to break free of the Entangle spell. I also unleashed the melee dungeon goblins to attack. They charged forward, shrieking their high-pitched war cries and stabbing with their crude weapons. Beside me, Glurk began to nock and fire arrow after arrow at the orc. I also cast a Health Bloom over the goblins, but it seemed less than effective as the orc pretty much killed one with every hit. Still, the dungeon goblins were getting some hits of their own in, and the damage from the arrows was piling up. The only problem was that the other summoned beings had turned the corner and were about to join the fight. Needing to end this quickly, I sheathed my sword and pulled my final fireball scroll from the case. Pushing mana into the scroll activated the spell, which I targeted amid the newly arriving summoned beings. A small ball of flame shot out from my hand, landing just a bit off from where I had targeted. Heat and flames erupted from the fireball, causing the summoned beings to shriek in pain as they were engulfed. The gnoll and the halfling facing us dropped to the ground in a heap, turning almost instantly into mana vapor as the fireball hit them. Sadly, the orc was just outside the blast radius, and the human woman in armor seemed to weather the blast with only minor damage. The final member of their group, the huge wolf, looked hurt, but pushed its way into the Entangle spell, its strength tearing through the grasping roots almost as easily as the orc had. Pulling another scroll, I cast Acid Splash. It was only a two-mana spell, which meant it was likely about as powerful as a cantrip, but I wanted to burn through the scrolls before I dug into my consumable figurines. I also wanted to save the rest of the higher-powered scrolls for the wizard when he returned with more powerful forces. A green blob shot from my hand and landed on the nose of the wolf, sizzling as it ate into its flesh. The next moment something slammed into me, lifting me off my feet and hurling me back into the stone wall of the passageway. Mana flickered around me as the shield spell failed, and despite the spell¡¯s protection, I could feel something in my back crack, and my knee snap as I landed. Pain almost kept me from moving, but I managed to grab a healing potion and quaff it down. I also cast Health Bloom over me, feeling my injuries slowly heal themselves. With the healing magic working, and the regeneration from my Troll¡¯s Belt, I would be good as new shortly. Looking over the battle, I could see that Blieek and Glem had flanked the orc and were using their spears to good effect. Glamb and the few remaining dungeon goblins kept the orc berserker¡¯s attention. A flash of white light hit the orc, and some of its wounds started to close. I tracked the mana from the spell back to the armored woman, who must have also been the source of the spell that had hammered into me. With renewed vigor, the orc cut through another dungeon minion as a red glow appeared around him. ¡°Get back from the orc!¡± I shouted. My minions reacted quickly, backing away as the orc activated an ability and whirled his axe around in a deadly arc, cutting down the last of the dungeon minions. My goblins continued their assault, but I sent a command to Blieek to charge the armored woman. As he ran toward her, I hit him with the Ring of Final Sacrifice and then with Duplicate. Just like before, the spell from the ring was duplicated along with Blieek. The two Blieeks didn¡¯t quite make it to the armored woman, though, and the wolf snatched one of the Blieek¡¯s up in its deadly maw as they passed by it. Crunching down, the wolf caused Blieek to disappear in a puff of mana vapor. The ring¡¯s spell activated at that moment, and the concussive blast was amplified once again by the confines of the passageway. Blasted apart, the wolf was destroyed, and the blast also took out the duplicate Blieek, causing a second explosion to erupt. Without the wolf to shield her, the armored woman took the full brunt of the second blast, hurling her into the side of the stone passageway, just as she had done to me. She was still alive but appeared to have been knocked unconscious by the blast. The orc had been a bit further away, and he was only stumbled by the blast, but the explosion also knocked Glamb over. Glem somehow retained his footing, and I ordered him to charge back to the woman and finish her off. I wasn¡¯t going to make the rookie mistake of not taking out the healer. Glurk fired off another arrow, which lodged deep into the orc¡¯s shoulder. Reaching out for Glamb, the orc squeezed, turning my minion into mana vapor. The only thing between me and the orc was Glurk who was already firing another arrow. From my pack, I pulled the Commander¡¯s Pilum, watching the electricity flow along the weapon¡¯s length as I stood and prepared to throw. The orc was easily in range of the weapon, and the enchantments on it would make sure my normally horrible aim at throwing things was not an issue. It sailed unerringly into the orc¡¯s chest, unleashing the power of a lightning bolt as it pierced the orc through. With a final roar of defiance, the orc glowed red all over, activating some ability that would keep him in the fight for a bit longer. Nope, I wasn¡¯t going to go toe to toe with the orc, so I bravely ran down the passageway toward the goblin village, leaving Glurk to slow down the orc. He hit it with another arrow, but the orc ignored the latest wound and hacked Glurk into a puff of mana vapor. As I ran, I used the dungeon vision to check on Glem, who was busy stabbing the woman through any weak points that he could find in her armor. She too disappeared into mana vapor and Glem turned to chase down the orc. With my elevated stats, I was running as fast as any normal human could hope to accomplish, but the juiced-up orc was still gaining on me. Glem was hopelessly falling behind us, and I pulled a figurine from my belt to summon another minion. Before I could push mana into the figurine, the orc stumbled and fell, turning instantly into red-tinged mana vapor. I was no expert on berserker classes, but I knew enough that I recognized the orc¡¯s class ability allowed him to stay in the fight for a few more seconds after death. There had been no way I could have outrun it for much longer, but I had done enough to buy time for his ability to expire and for death to claim him. Now, it was just me and Glem from the original force I¡¯d taken to confront the intruders. Back at the entrance, the wizard and the kids had already made their escape. I¡¯d burned more resources than I¡¯d wanted to, but that would hopefully fool Avius into thinking I was out of tricks. Unfortunately for him, I was just getting started. Chapter 234. Dungeon Prep. Chapter 234. Dungeon Prep. Blieek and two of my goblin trio were gone, but in the dungeon, I had hopes that they would be ready to summon before too long. Capria didn¡¯t know how far the mage had to travel to summon help, but I figured it would take a while for him to return the kids, gather his forces, and make his way back here. Even though our melee goblins were wiped out in the fight, the battle and killing of the summoned beings before they cleared the dungeon ended in a nice positive influx of mana for the core to use. With the resources from our fight, the dungeon first started by replacing the lost goblins. After that, it would get back to work on the defenses I had planned. While we waited for the inevitable attack, I went over my plan with Capria, who would help me organize and command the dungeon minions. She wasn¡¯t without power, and planned to jump into the fight when the time was right. It turned out that Capria was a type of dryad and had several magical abilities at her disposal. Most were geared around controlling a foe or enchanting them to do her bidding. She had one ranged damage spell where she could summon a sharpened root from the ground to impale a foe. It could only be used twice a day, but it was better than nothing. With Capria also having a single target, ranged heal, she would provide backup healing for Elida. Rounding out Capria¡¯s ability was a summoning spell to call forth plant creatures that resembled small, man shaped bundles of thorny twigs. She could summon six of them per day. It was too bad the second floor of the dungeon had been shut down due to mana starvation. From what Capria told me, the second-floor minions were much more powerful than the goblin horde we had to work with here. Knowing that time was limited, I scaled back my initial defense plan, trying to get the best bang for my buck. One of the tactics I contemplated was hitting the enemy with an ambush right when they entered through the dungeon portal. Capria warned that the initial energy release inside the portal room when someone entered would stun any dungeon creature nearby. My team could try for the ambush on our own, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if the portal energy would affect them with us being tied to the dungeon for this summoning. Instead of risking everything on a dubious all-or-nothing strategy at the dungeon entrance, I leaned on Major Finley¡¯s instructions on small unit tactics. After the enemy left the entrance, they would face a small barricade manned by a few melee goblins and a pair of archers. When the enemy charged forward to take out the weakly defended point, they¡¯d run into the first of the pit traps that I had the dungeon create. The pits weren¡¯t too deep, only five or so feet, just enough to drop a foe onto the sharpened wooden spikes I had placed inside. Hopefully, the pits would injure a few of the enemy, and slow their progress as they were forced to look for traps everywhere they walked. Far behind the barricade, and just in line of sight of the attacking enemy, I¡¯d stand and use a few more of the scrolls in my possession. Time passed and I laid out the rest of the defenses I thought were necessary. After replacing the losses we¡¯d sustained earlier, the dungeon alternated between producing more minions and working on my defenses. Eventually, Blieek and the other goblins came off cooldown and I was able to resummon them. I¡¯d at least fight with my whole team when the enemy arrived. ¡°Rico, what is the world you come from like?¡± Capria asked as we worked on positioning the goblins and giving them whatever limited orders that she thought they could follow. ¡°Very different from this one. For now, it¡¯s mana starved which means there¡¯s no magic. That¡¯s changing though, and we¡¯ll probably be integrated into the system in the next few years,¡± I replied. ¡°Are there no dungeons?¡± ¡°No, and we don¡¯t have most of the creatures and other species you run across in most worlds. There are no orcs, goblins, dragons, and the like. We have legends and tales of them, so some believe there was a system bleed over at some point in our history, which gave our ancestors a glimpse at what was out there. Until a few months ago, I thought dungeons were just something from a game. Now, I¡¯ve met two cores and love getting to know more about them,¡± I explained.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It was true, among all the odd fantasy creatures and magical things I¡¯d experienced, I found that dungeons were among the most intriguing. There was a whole ecology inside a dungeon, and after dealing with this situation, I could see how delicate the balance was between adventurer and dungeon. Both could benefit from the interaction, or they could just as easily destroy each other. ¡°If there is no mana on your world, how is you became a summoned being?¡± Capria asked. ¡°From what I know, it¡¯s the system¡¯s way of slowly seeding mana into a new world before integration. Normally, I go through several summonings at a time before I return home. In between summonings, I have a personal space the system created for me and a few others to hang out in,¡± I said. ¡°Who else lives in this personal space? Do you have a family there?¡± Capria asked. ¡°No, just my friend Melvin, he¡¯s a gelatinous cube, and sometimes there¡¯s an undead guy that I have a contract with to help me in any negotiations. There was an expansion space, but I rented it to someone that I can¡¯t talk about. My real home is back on my world, Earth, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll stay there once the chance to leave comes up,¡± I said. ¡°Why would you leave your home?¡± Capria asked. She seemed genuinely interested in hearing about my world, so I didn¡¯t mind chatting with her as we laid out my final surprise for the invaders. ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much in my adventures. Now, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d ever be happy just sitting in one place on Earth all the time. Maybe, once my world is integrated, I can find some way to keep traveling. I love exploring new places, but becoming a summoned being was forced on me and I didn¡¯t have a say in the matter,¡± I said. The way things stood now, my life as a summoned being wasn¡¯t all that bad. Sure, I had to experience a painful and terrible death now and again, but I¡¯d also gotten to help people. While I didn¡¯t want to return to my old life, I would like to have more say in when and where I was summoned. Tier three still loomed in the near future, and there were supposedly going to be some options for me when I hit it. ¡°My core will have a question to ask of you once we¡¯ve defeated the trespassers. Would you allow that,¡± Capria said. ¡°Sure, you and your core can ask me whatever you¡¯d like,¡± I replied, happy to answer any of their questions. ¡°Wait, my core says the trespassers are outside,¡± Capria said. ¡°Where, I asked, fumbling with my dungeon vision to locate the entrance. The dungeon couldn¡¯t see all that much outside the entry portal, but there was a small spot around the entrance that we had vision of. I could see the wizard, Avius, and several armed and armored men who he was speaking to. ¡°Can we hear what they¡¯re saying?¡± I asked. A moment later I began to hear the Avius and another man arguing. ¡°This is a simple dungeon, Avius, I¡¯m not calling out the king¡¯s guard to clear it. Just a few days ago, children playing with summoned creatures were able to defeat it, I don¡¯t see why you would even need any of my order¡¯s help,¡± a huge man in plate armor argued. ¡°Something is off in this dungeon, it¡¯s more powerful than just a few days ago. We need to go in with overwhelming force and deal with the threat. Who knows what might happen if the dungeon gets out of control,¡± Avius tried to argue. It did kind of feel good that the wizard believed my presence made the dungeon powerful enough to force him to seek help in clearing it. ¡°You¡¯ll take what forces I assign to you, and not a blade more. The kingdom has more to deal with than a single, rogue dungeon. His Majesty expects you to handle this problem using the generous means that will be provided. Clear the dungeon with what I give you, or don¡¯t bother returning to the keep,¡± the armored man ordered. ¡°This is preposterous!¡± Avius said, raising his voice to the armored man, who, with lightning-fast speed, reached out and grasped Avius¡¯ throat, hauling the wizard off the ground. ¡°I have no more time to banter with you, wizard. I am not some household servant that is forced to listen to your complaints,¡± the armored man said, tossing Avius to the ground like he weighed nothing. ¡°My apologies, Knight Commander, what forces would you like me to take?¡± Avius croaked out. ¡°You¡¯ll take Sir Medford and his retinue. In addition, I have a squad of militia from the town that need some experience. Sir Medford, make sure that any rewards gleaned from the dungeon make their way into the treasury. The only thing this wizard is to keep is the dungeon core, though I have no idea why His Majesty was so generous with him,¡± the armored man ordered before stomping off out of view of the dungeon. ¡°Let¡¯s go, wizard, I expect you to assist us with any magic you may possess. I¡¯ll not take losses because you wanted to conserve mana,¡± another armored man, who I guessed was Sir Medford, said as he plucked Avius from the ground and set him on his feet. Things were about to go down, and we watched and counted as the forces arrayed against us began to enter the dungeon. Chapter 235. Here They Come. Chapter 235. Here They Come. ¡°Here they come,¡± I muttered as the first of the enemy forces entered the dungeon. In addition to the wizard and the knight, I spotted a small army of armed and armored soldiers queued up and ready to go. The knight, Sir Medford, had brought his retinue, which consisted of two men in chainmail holding greatswords and four in padded armor. It seemed the four men in padded armor were squires or something of the sort. Two held crossbows, and two held shortswords, while everyone had at least a dagger on their belt. The others, the militia that the knight in charge had mentioned, were all uniformly equipped. Each held a spear and shield, while their armor consisted of a simple, hardened leather vest and a conical steel helmet on their heads. Given the way they held their weapons, and the nervousness etched on their faces, I suspected the militia were inexperienced. One of the militia members stood out, it was an older man who wore a chain shirt in place of the leather armor the others wore. His shield was a small, steel buckler strapped to his forearm, instead of the larger wooden shields of the others. For weapons, the older militiaman had a battle axe in one hand and a dagger in the other. From the way he barked orders at the twelve other militia, he must have been their sergeant or whatever this kingdom¡¯s equivalent was. I was about to order everyone into position, but I realized I¡¯d already placed all the goblins and my minions exactly where I wanted them. From where I stood, I could hear Sir Medford¡¯s voice echoing down the passageway as he barked orders after entering the dungeon. Pulling the first scroll from the case at my belt, I readied a Dagger Storm to drop on the unsuspecting invaders as soon as they closed in on us. ¡°Rico, I will return to the goblin village now unless you want me to stay at your side for this part of the fight,¡± Capria said. ¡°No, we¡¯ll stick with the plan for now, I want you to be our final surprise if they make it to the village,¡± I replied. Capria smiled and left to join the forces inside the village where our final stand would take place. If things went according to plan, and they never seemed to, we would only be facing the last dregs of the attacking force by the time they reached the village. ¡°Watch Captain, have a section of your troops form up in the lead. The crossbowmen from my retinue will back them up,¡± Ser Medford ordered. Being able to listen in on my opponents plans and conversations made fighting alongside a dungeon core that much easier. If we were lucky, Avius wouldn¡¯t consider the possibility we were listening in and adjusting our tactics to deal with their moves. About twenty yards in front of me was the small barricade, about four feet tall, where a trio of goblin warriors and a pair of goblin archers crouched as they waited for the enemy to arrive. I also crouched down, wanting to stay out of the enemy line of sight until I was ready to cast my spell. While we waited, Avius and Medford got their troops in order and sent them down the passageway. As the first of the militia came into view, the one in the lead spotted the barricade and pushed the others back before my goblins could get a shot. Sir Medford shoved his way through the formation, barking at the soldier for halting their progress before they had even gotten going. ¡°Why did you halt the formation? Who gave you that authority?¡± Medford barked. ¡°My apologies Sir, I¡¯ve trained the men to identify and assess a threat before taking action,¡± the sergeant said. ¡°I train my men to take action when they spot the foe, not stand by and watch. Now, what is causing this delay?¡± Medford demanded. ¡°Sir, my apologies, but I spotted a barricade further down the passage and what I think are goblins crouching behind it,¡± the militiaman who had stopped the column offered meekly. I could see he was far more afraid of the knight than the goblins at this point. ¡°Let this be your one and only warning, we don¡¯t stop and assess goblins, we charge in and kill them. Tell me soldier, are you afraid of facing goblins? Should I execute you for cowardice right here and set an example to your fellows? Maybe it will put some steel in their spines when I take your head,¡± Medford growled drawing his longsword which faintly glowed with some kind of enchantment.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll attack now, Sir Medford, let¡¯s go boys,¡± the terrified militiaman said as he charged forward, the three other militiamen in his section following closely. ¡°Fire,¡± I ordered to the goblin archers. The pair popped over the barricade and shot the first arrows from their crude shortbows at the oncoming militia. One shot went wide, shattering against the stone passageway, while the second slammed into the shield of the hapless militiaman who had been threatened by Medford. Right on the heels of the militia were the pair of crossbowmen from Medford¡¯s retinue. The two took aim at the barricade, holding their shots while they waited for the goblins to pop up and fire again. When the goblins finished nocking their next arrow, the attackers were almost to the pit trap. Standing up from the barricade, both goblins were hit by Sir Medford¡¯s crossbowmen. With a high-pitched shriek, both goblins were pitched back. One was dead by the time he hit the ground; the crossbow bolt having taken him in the throat. The other goblin archer was squawking with a crossbow bolt lodged in his shoulder. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t going to die, the goblin dropped his bow and drew his dagger as he waited for someone to stab. ¡°Look out!¡± The lead militiaman managed to get out as the ground opened under his feet and he fell onto the wooden stakes below. The two in the lead, and one in the second rank also fell into my trap. From the screams of pain coming from inside the pit, I figured that all three had likely been impaled on the spikes. Two more crossbow bolts thudded into the barricade, keeping the goblins¡¯ heads down. They shouldn¡¯t have bothered; the goblins archers were out of commission and the others were ordered to wait until the enemy was at the barricade before attacking. The final militiaman stood there, unsure of what to do. He eventually decided to climb down into the pit and try to rescue his fellows. ¡°Wizard, can you do anything about that pit?¡± Medford roared. ¡°Here, I keep these on hand for my charges to use when they encounter just such a thing,¡± Avius said, pulling two long boards from his pack. Given the boards were ten feet long, his pack must have been similar to the one I had, giving him a magical storage space. I wondered what else he might have squirreled away in there, surely it held plenty of toys to get the kids he led into the dungeon past any obstacle. This was something I hadn¡¯t counted on, and I had to put the wizard at the top of my kill list. Thinking about the wizard reminded me to use my new class ability. Since I¡¯d gotten it, I hadn¡¯t had a great target for Template Hunter. A mage was just thing I could use on my team, as it was the one thing I lacked in the roster. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could target from inside a dungeon, but a system prompt confirmed I was good. You have targeted a human Air mage with Template Hunter. This target will remain in effect until you choose to change it, or until you reach Tier 2, Rank 5, and receive your next minion. Please be advised that the longer your ability remains focused on the same target, the higher the chance of acquiring the template. That list bit was something new. It seemed like the longer I kept a potential minion as my Template Hunter target, the better my odds were of getting it as a permanent addition to the team. I¡¯d need to weigh the risk of switching targets too often in the future. While I waited for the enemy to get their act together, Capria sent me a message through our dungeon link. ¡°Rico, our dungeon is receiving a strong influx of mana from the enemies you have slain so far. Since this group is here to harm the core, we can spawn new defenders inside if you wish, or add additional defenses. It¡¯s an extremely inefficient process when intruders are in the dungeon, but we must do all we can to help ensure our survival. Which would you like the dungeon to create, minions or defenses?¡± ¡°Minions, if you can. Keep them back at the village,¡± I replied verbally, hoping that Capria would understand. She sent me a confirmation over the connection, and it felt very similar to how Melvin and I communicated. The defenses I wanted were already in place, so more bodies swinging weapons would be the best bang for our buck. Boots clomping on the passageway floor drew my attention back to the invaders. Another group of militia were charging forward, hauling the long boards with them. This time, the attack was led by Sir Medford. He held up his shield which glowed with mana. He was wasting his mana, given that I had no more archers. Thinking about archers, I had been waiting for a larger group of enemies to mass together before using Dagger Storm, but taking out their only two crossbowmen might be the better choice. Pushing mana into the scroll, I stood and targeted the spell right between the two crossbowmen. A system overlay told me the area of effect the spell would have, it was going to cover a fifteen-foot area, which was more than enough to hit both targets. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but the spell worked exactly as it was described. One moment, the passageway was clear, and the next, dozens of daggers flew about inside the area of the spell. The crossbowmen were taken by surprise as dagger after dagger slammed into their bodies. In under a second, both had been cut down. The spell quickly expired, but it had proved to be a good one. The militia now had planks across the pit trap and Sir Medford was charging across, his sword pointed directly at me. It was time for me to make my exit from this first part of the battle. Chapter 236. Knightly Pursuit. Chapter 236. Knight Pursuit. I ran down the passageway toward the first room in the dungeon. Behind me, I could hear Sir Medford giving chase as his heavily armored footsteps slowly gained on me. With the stat increases I received as a summoned being, I was no slouch when it came to running, but the knight must have had some kind of ability to give him a temporary sprint that was outpacing my Olympic level running. Reaching for a summoning figurine, I needed to find something to slow down the knight, even if it cost me a consumable to do it. I¡¯d taken most of my best figurines back home, which made sense given my life was at stake there, but I still had a few decent choices. Making my choice, I fed mana into the figurine, and targeted it to appear right behind me. Unable to turn around without losing more speed, I used the dungeon vision to watch what happened next. I¡¯d chosen a tier two, rank zero figurine, the rat swarm. Behind me, mana glowed on the floor, and just as the knight was about to reach the area, rats began to appear. These weren¡¯t dire rats or anything super powerful, they were just normal rats, but large ones, like the biggest and best fed rats that you¡¯d find from Earth. While a single rat might not be that powerful, a horde of them was deadly. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that a group of rats was called a mischief. The name mischief seemed inadequate for a swarm of rats that were climbing up the legs of the knight and gnawing anywhere they could. To his credit, the knight hardly missed a step, swatting at the rats with his sword as he ran. After a couple seconds, the flow of rats stopped coming, but by now, there had to be at least a hundred of the things running about. Only maybe forty or so had gotten ahold of the knight, the rest were left in the dust as their little legs couldn¡¯t keep up with Sir Medford¡¯s pace. Cursing, the knight redoubled his efforts at prying the rats off him with his sword. One must have found a weak point in the armor, or maybe under his helmet which covered his whole face. Maybe the rats could get at him under the chin, where only a strip of leather protected him. However they were hurting him, it was doing what I needed them to do, it was slowing him down and shifting his focus. Up ahead, I could see the room. It appeared empty, but I knew that I had prepared another surprise in here for the enemy. A half dozen dungeon melee goblins were hidden along the wall near the doorway, covered in what looked like rubble. Another pair of archers were positioned at the far wall where the exit to the room lay. In addition to the dungeon goblins, I also had my mana slayer drone standing near the entrance. Once I made it inside, he flickered out of view, activating his Stealth Field Generator. I handed him a vial containing the Salve of the Flame Mage, ordering him to apply it to his armor. I¡¯d almost forgotten about the salve, and I was betting it would work on an armored minion the same as it would a flesh and blood version. My initial plan was for the mana slayer drone to ignore the other threats and ambush the wizard when he walked past at the back of the formation. Now, it looked like I would need his assistance to deal with the knight. As I headed for the room¡¯s exit at the far wall, I also activated another of my figurines, the animated armor. Behind me a suit of plate armor came into being. The animated armor held a two handed warhammer and looked ready to take on even the powerful knight. The animated armor was also a tier two, rank zero minion, so it should stand up to the knight for at least a little while. Hot on my heels, the rat covered knight charged in. He skidded to a stop as he saw the armored figure in front of him. Rats still kept up their attack on him, but the knight ignored them and prepared himself for the greater threat.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Rats, leave the knight and head back down the passageway, attacking any other intruders you find,¡± I shouted. The rats jumped from Sir Medford, joining the ones that were now just catching up before the whole swarm turned, and charged back the way they came. Hopefully, they¡¯d buy us time and delay the other invaders until we could deal with the knight. Just in case Medford had some kind of gap closing ability, I used my last shield scroll to give me a bit more survivability. After the shield flickered into place, I also drank my Elixir of Life. If I somehow got insta-killed by any of the powerful foes I was facing, I would pop back to life and have a second chance at helping the dungeon. I was burning through consumables at a frantic pace, but many of these I had held onto for a long time, and now seemed a good time to clear out my pack. The dungeon was just trying to survive, and Avius just wanted to kill it for nothing more than greed, seeking the remnants of the core for his experiments. It seemed like a good enough cause to warrant spending some consumables on. ¡°Foul mockery of a knight, move aside so I can claim the life of your master,¡± Sir Medford said as he lunged at the animated armor. His sword struck the armor in the chest, the blades magical enchantments easily piercing through the steel of the armor. I could see mana leak from the hole in the armor, and once the mana animating it was gone, the armor would collapse. Undeterred by Medford¡¯s strike, the armor swung its hammer, which the knight deflected with his shield. Energy crackled on the shied as the hammer struck, but the heavy weapon seemed to do no damage other than push Medford back a step. The knight activated an ability and his sword blurred for a moment, the impossibly fast blade opening several more rents in the animated armor. The animated armor kept up the attack, but even though it was a tier two minion, it was obviously outclassed by the well trained and armed knight. Medford lunged forward for another attack when his back erupted in a shower of light as the magical barrier protecting him was shattered. The mana slayer drone appeared behind the knight, its first sneak attack had shattered the knight¡¯s magical protections and now the clawed hands were gouging deep into the steel plate armor that Sir Medford wore. Responding almost instantly, Medford twirled and activated an ability, slashing in a wide arc with this blade. Just before the strike hit my drone, I could see the drone¡¯s armor flow and reinforce the targeted area. Despite the reinforced armor, my drone had several of its armored plates knocked from its body. As the strike hit, the Salve of the Flame Mage activated, sending a burst of fire at the knight, who instinctively stepped back from the flames. The step back was a bad choice as it placed him right into range for the next hammer swing from the animated armor. The heavy hammer slammed into the helm of Sir Medford. Striking the knight in the head. Sir Medford¡¯s steel helmet was crushed like a tin can, and a sickening crunch was heard as the skull beneath shattered. The knight looked like he was out of the fight, but just before he fell, a golden light encased him, and Medford ripped off his damaged helmet to reveal a weathered, middle-aged face that seemed undamaged from the hammer¡¯s strike. ¡°No such foul blow will stop a knight of the realm!¡± Sir Medford shouted as he slashed the animated armor once more, this time, his blade glowed white with heat, and it melted right through the armor when it hit. The armor disappeared into mana vapor as my drone attacked again. Instead of attacking with its clawed hands, my drone instead used the small launcher that was now installed over its right shoulder after its latest weapons upgrade. The weapon coughed out three grenades in quick succession, each targeted at the knight¡¯s now unprotected face. Sir Medford tried to raise his shield, but it seemed he had no more abilities to activate and no more trick up his sleeve. One after another, the grenades struck, exploding directly in the face of the knight. It might not have been fully upgraded yet, but even the three lower-powered grenades were enough to blow the knight¡¯s head clean off his body. As the armored figure of my opponent clanged to the floor, my drone suddenly was staggered by several blows to his back as magical wind, sharp as axe blades, hacked into his armored form. ¡°Kill that mechanical nightmare, it has slain Sir Medford!¡± Avius shouted from the doorway as the militia and the late knight¡¯s retinue charged inside the room. Mana glowed in the mage¡¯s hand as he prepared another spell. It was time for me to make my exit from this room. I had eliminated one of the main threats facing us, but it had cost me my most powerful minion and a slew of consumables to do it. Was there enough left to fight off Avius and the remaining soldiers? Chapter 237. Blight. Chapter 237. Blight. Once again, I was on the run, checking on the fight inside the previous room as I hustled to our next line of defense. My mana slayer drone was gone, and the dungeon goblins had blown their cover early, lessening the impact of their surprise attack. Half of the goblins were down, but I could see that they had at least done some work, as there was a fallen militiaman next to a pair of goblins. Avius cast another spell, and more blades made from air cut down the last of the goblins. The rest of the militia began to search the room under the guidance of their sergeant. The dungeon minions appearing out of cover seemed to have bumped up their caution a bit. ¡°Avius, we need a healing spell!¡± one of Sir Medford¡¯s greatsword wielders shouted as he ran to the side of their fallen leader. ¡°I don¡¯t have infinite mana, and I¡¯ll not waste it on the dead. We can recover his body on the way out, for now, you¡¯ll follow my orders and continue our push to the dungeon core,¡± Avius snapped back. ¡°We are commanded by Sir Medford, not you, wizard. The swordsman snapped back. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you some leniency since you¡¯re mourning the loss of your knight, but keep an eye on your tone, squire. It¡¯s foolish to insult a wizard,¡± Avius warned, mana glowing on his hands as he spoke. While it may be foolish for a squire to insult a wizard, I also thought it was foolish to waste mana on a simple display of power like Avius was doing now. I was more than happy to have him burn mana to threaten the squire, it might mean one less spell aimed at me later. The standoff between the two was tense, but the swordsman gently lay the headless Sir Medford down and stood. ¡°I¡¯ll keep whatever tone I wish, Avius, I¡¯m not one of your minions and you hold no authority over my order. Despite my distaste of you, we have been given charge to assist you inside this dungeon. Don¡¯t mistake my attention to duty as an opportunity for you to give me or the others direct orders,¡± the squire warned as his men began to assist in searching the room. While they wasted time searching, I made it to the second, and final, barricade that I¡¯d had the dungeon erect. It was like the first one, a simple wooden palisade across the passageway, complete with another pit trap. It wasn¡¯t meant to stop the enemy, just delay them so the next part of the plan could take effect. Right where the enemy would mass to cross the pit trap, a short section of wall that had been hollowed out and the goblin trio, along with Blieek, now stood ready to break out of the wall and ambush the enemy from behind while they were busy overcoming the barricade and traps. To defend the barricade itself, I had another trio of dungeon goblin melee warriors, along with two more archers. I gave the archers orders to target the wizard first if he showed himself. To help reinforce this group, I had Khurr with his hand crossbow join them. Even though he was only sitting at tier zero, rank six, I bet Khurr and his dagger would do better in melee than the dungeon goblins standing next to him. My final minion, Elida, I kept back in the goblin village. Her task would be to stay out of sight behind the giant goblin Ebbiq. She was going to be his dedicated healer, helping to keep our most powerful dungeon defender on his feet. Capria had mentioned that Ebbiq was a veteran minion and as such, the dungeon core could upgrade his equipment to meet the coming threat. So far, the core was focusing on pumping out more goblins with the mana infusion it was getting from the enemies we defeated. Checking back on the village, I could see that the core must have paused goblin production for a bit, as Ebbiq was now sporting a breastplate crafted from several shields that had been lashed together. He also held a long, steel-tipped spear in his hands. With the weapon matching the enormous twelve-foot-tall giant goblin¡¯s size, Ebbiq would have quite the reach advantage over the enemy. That was to be our last stand, however, and for our last stand to succeed, I needed to thin out the enemy numbers a bit more. As an experiment, I had tried to target my minions inside the hidden compartment with spells while using only the dungeon vision. It seemed to work just fine and complied with any system requirements for line of sight.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. There still seemed to be a maximum range, and I couldn¡¯t, for example, cast Duplicate on a minion at the entrance while I was back at the far end of the dungeon in the goblin village. At least the range was long enough that I could keep further back from the fighting. The last thing I needed was to be taken out by a perfectly timed spell from Avius. Fighting while allied with a dungeon was proving better and better. Our enemies had finished their sweep of the room and were now on their way. In the lead was the militia sergeant with four of his men. Behind them were the last three surviving militia. Avius was next, trusting the two greatsword wielding squires and the two with shortswords to defend him from any surprises. ¡°Everyone get ready,¡± I said. It didn¡¯t really need to be said, I was dealing with dungeon minions and my own summoned creatures. They were always ready, and would obey my orders, even if I forced them to sacrifice themselves, which I was about to do. As they had done before, one of the militia spotted the barricade which was placed in a longer section of the passageway. I was much further from the barricade, just close enough to be in range for the spells I wanted to cast. While crouching down, I shouldn¡¯t be spotted by the enemy, but I would need to stand up and partially expose myself to use something like my wand. Without Sir Medford threatening them, the militia in the lead halted their advance so Avius could bring out the wooden planks that they had used to cross the pit traps earlier. As I figured, the second pit trap wasn¡¯t going to be a surprise, but it did put another delay on the foe. Every minute they spent getting boards ready was more time for the dungeon to respawn defenders. With this many live bodies inside, the dungeon was drinking in mana at a rate it probably hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. As a result, the minions already defeated were slowly being repopulated back at the goblin village. There were already a dozen ready to fight, and by the time the enemy pushed passed here, there would be even more for me to work with. The enemy were finally ready to make their move. As the team of four militia and their sergeant surged forward with the planks, Avius peeked around the corner to spot targets for his magic. I wasn¡¯t going to let my team fight unaided, and pulled my magic missile wand out, standing and firing it at one of the attackers. Unlike the weapons they were using, magic missiles guided themselves unerringly toward the target. Caught up in his charge, the man I¡¯d targeted didn¡¯t react in time, and the ball of energy slammed into his gut, punching though the padded armor he wore, and leaving the man on the ground, gasping in pain. The attack threw off the aim of Avius, and he abandoned the spell he had been casting to take cover behind the curve of the wall. The two dungeon goblins, and Khurr began to fire on the approaching militia. Khurr wasn¡¯t a bad shot, but his weapon was just a simple hand crossbow without much punch. Still, the militia didn¡¯t wear heavy armor, so his first hit sunk into the shoulder of a man, causing him to drop his grip on the plank he was carrying. In a repeat performance, the two goblin archers both missed their target, one arrow sticking into a shield, and the other shattering on the stone of the passageway wall. When my wand came off cooldown, I fired a second magic missile at the sergeant, who tried to dodge at the last minute. His quick maneuver allowed him to avoid the worst of the shot, but the missile still grazed his side, causing the man to wince in pain. The lead attackers hit the area of the pit trap. They were looking for it and were moving slow enough that they wouldn¡¯t all pile in like before. Feeling the ground under his feet start to give way, the militiaman in the lead stopped and dropped his beam across the floor. I hoped that his aim would be a bit off, but I could see he¡¯d judged it correctly and the beam was spanning the gap. ¡°The planks are down, move up!¡± the sergeant shouted. At his announcement, the rest of the invaders charged forward, even as the militiaman carrying the other plank was finally hit by the poorly skilled goblin archers. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop them. The enemy would only need one board to push enough troops across to overcome our small band of defenders. Launching another magic missile to take out a second militiaman, I pulled a scroll from my belt, pushing a whopping fifteen mana into the Blight spell it contained. I targeted the spell right in front of the militia crossing the board, unsure of what to expect, but knowing it was a powerful, area of effect spell. Instantly a dark cloud of smoke filled that section of the passageway and engulfed the militia who began to scream as soon as the spell activated. Wherever the blight touched, flesh began to rot, and with them breathing in the foulness to shout their cries of pain, the spell worked even quicker. One by one, the lead attackers dropped to the ground, frothing at the mouth as they died. Last to fall was the sergeant, who seemed to have been made of sterner stuff than the militia he led. Our defense of the passageway had taken out most of the attacking force. The invaders had their numbers whittled down greatly from what they had first entered with. Now, it was time to unleash my next surprise and possibly end the fight right here and now. Chatper 238. Mostly Dead. Chapter 238. Mostly Dead. We¡¯d hurt them, but Avius wasn¡¯t about to give up. A gust of wind dissipated the blight, clearing the path for the remaining enemy forces. As they charged forward, I prepared my final surprise at the barricade. ¡°Go!¡± I shouted to my goblin minions hidden behind the false wall. Just behind the charging enemy, my minions broke through the wall and attacked while the ones behind the barricade clambered over to hit the enemy from both sides. To support my minions, I pulled another summoning figurine from my belt. Pushing a point of mana into the figurine, I targeted it to appear behind the barricade defenders. In the air behind my minions, a four-foot-long serpent with wings appeared. It was a tier one, rank five creature and it wasted no time in using its unique attack method. After a few seconds of hissing and flapping, the serpent snapped his head forward and shot a stream of glowing green venom toward the enemy. The venom hit one of the militiamen who began screaming as the stream coated the exposed skin on his face. It might not do anything if its venom hit armor, but at least the summoned creature would give the enemy one more thing to worry about. Avius seemed confused, firing off another of his spells that turned wind into blades. The spell carved up poor Blieek, and Glurk responded with an arrow that skittered off some invisible field that protected Avius. Glem and Glamb charged into the fray, both trading blows with the greatsword wielding squires. The melee dungeon goblins climbed over the barricade to attack, leaving Khurr and the pair of archers to fire into the enemy whenever they got a clear shot. Khurr didn¡¯t seem to be doing too bad with his accuracy, but one of the dungeon goblins was taken down by friendly fire from a poorly aimed arrow from the goblin archers. The enemy divided up, the surviving militia, and the two squires with shortswords ran across the board covering the pit, all of them shouting a battle cry as they charged. Avius, and the two greatsword wielding squires faced off against the goblin trio attacking from the other direction. From my belt, I pulled another scroll, my last one. It was a spell called Freezing Ray, and Avius was just inside its range. The spell required ten mana to cast and given its cost, I had high hopes for its effectiveness. A beam of blue-white light shot from my hand, hitting Avius in the back as he faced toward my goblin trio. Just like with my minions¡¯ arrow strikes, the spell hit a shield protecting Avius. Unlike with the arrow strike, the shield didn¡¯t hold up under my magical onslaught. With the sound of shattering glass, the shield was destroyed, but as it shattered, the mana creating it pulsed, and my Freezing Ray reflected off it and headed right back toward me. I tried to duck down, but the spell was locked on and hit me right in the head. I felt a burst of cold before a system prompt appeared. You have been killed by a Freezing Ray. Elixir of Life has activated. My vision returned and I was disoriented as my connection to the dungeon was abruptly severed, then reconnected in an instant. In the distance, Avius was looking toward me and casting another spell. I shouted for my minions to shoot him, as I fumbled at my belt from a potion. My movements seemed sluggish as I shook off the aftereffects of the Freezing Ray. Quaffing the potion, three identical versions of me stood there, each moving slightly different than the others. The Potion of Mirror Image lived up to its name, and with the trio of images keeping Avius¡¯ attention, I dropped to the floor, breaking line of sight with the mage. A flurry of wind strikes landed where my images stood. As the razor-sharp gusts of wind hit, my duplicates winked out of existence. Standing back up and trading spells with Avius was going to end in a quick trip back to my personal space, and a much worse rating for this dungeon delve. Instead of a mage¡¯s duel, I remained on the ground and watched the action through my link with the dungeon.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. My minions, along with the dungeon defenders were doing a good job at holding back the enemy and inflicting more casualties on our foes. All the melee goblins were down, but only one militiaman and the pair of squires with shortswords were alive to charge the barricade. At the other end of the fight, Glem was gone, and Glamb had bested his greatsword wielding foe. Glurk was also down for the count. He had been taken out by Avius¡¯ spells. Glurk had gone down fighting though, and I could see an arrow sticking deep into the side of Avius. The mage was drinking down a vial, likely a healing potion, as he tried to stay out of harm¡¯s way. With the mage distracted, I took the opportunity to flee down the passageway toward the goblin village. Before I was out of range, I hit Glem with my Ring of Final Sacrifice. I didn¡¯t have time to cast Duplicate before a swing of the greatsword turned my minion into mana vapor. A powerful blast immediately shook the passageway as the ring unleashed its power. Thankfully, the dungeon created walls and ceiling held together under the magical force, and I didn¡¯t have to worry about a cave in. Having made it around the corner from the fight, the blast didn¡¯t affect me, but I paused to watch its effects on the other combatants. The greatsword wielder was down, he had been closest to the blast and had been torn to shreds by its force. A bit further back from the blast, Avius had been knocked off his feet and struggling to stand. His robes were torn and a few wounds, none of them all that serious, leaked blood. Some other protective magic must have saved the mage from destruction, but I had a feeling that he was out of defensive tricks for the moment. The blast had also blown the board spanning the pit trap aside and knocked the attackers at the barricade off balance. My summoned flying venom spitter was gone, pushed into the wall by the blast with enough force to destroy the rather fragile creature. Partially protected by the barricade, our ranged attackers quickly recovered and began to fire point blank into the militiaman and the pair of squires. Even goblin accuracy was decent when the target was only five feet in front of you. In the span of seconds, the attackers that had made it over the pit trap were dead, and Khurr with the pair of goblin archers then began firing on Avius. ¡°Capria, I think we¡¯ve won this. I just need a final push to overpower the mage. Send me all the goblins, as fast as they can get here. Also, have the dungeon cover the pit trap here, we¡¯ll need to counterattack over it,¡± I said through the dungeon link to Capria. ¡°It shall be done, the goblins are on their way,¡± Capria answered. I could see the goblins inside the village respond, shouting their shrill war cries as they charged into the passageway. I counted eleven of them, four archers and the rest melee fighters. If I could keep Avius from escaping, we would have a chance to end this now. The dungeon wasted no time, and in seconds, the pit trap was filled in like it had never been there. Avius had cast another shield spell and was using the brief respite from the barrage of poorly aimed arrows to drink down a second healing potion. Diminishing returns was a thing with potions, but I could see the arrow lodged in his side drop to the ground as the wound healed further. The mage then began to cast a spell, holding his hands over the still-bleeding wound. He must have some healing magic, and if I let him heal up, Avius might escape and return with an even stronger force. Changing direction, I charged back into the fight, pulling a summoning figurine as I ran. I had no idea what the figurine would do, it was the tier one, rank five scarecrow. The scarecrow appeared in the passageway between Avius and his only escape route. When it appeared, the summoned creature seemed like a normal scarecrow that you¡¯d find on a farm, but this one gave off waves of magic energy. For a moment, Avius looked terrified of the thing, backing slowly away. He seemed to master his fear and stood shakily to his feet. I hadn¡¯t needed the scarecrow to stop Avius, just delay him. My scarecrow wasn¡¯t moving or attacking, but I figured the waves of magical energy it was giving off were some kind of fear magic. With a high Mind stat, the mage was able to shake off the effects easily enough. My mana was running low, and I had to pause to drink a mana potion down if I wanted to have enough juice to do what I planned to. Briefly noting that this particular enhanced minor mana potion tasted pleasantly minty, I could feel my magic reserves recover a bit. I cast Switch, targeting the scarecrow. One moment I was running down the passageway toward the barricade, and the next I was standing in front of Avius, pulling the chain from around my neck. The Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk pulled mana from my dwindling pool as it activated. I hurled the chains at Avius, who was already starting to cast a spell in my direction. The chains hit, and began to snake their way around his body, holding the man tightly in its grasp and causing him to drop to the ground once more. The mage was all alone, his supporting troops destroyed. He was nearly out of mana, and finally out of tricks. It was time to save this dungeon core and make sure Avius never threatened it again. Chapter 239. Shaking Things Up. Chapter 239. Shaking Things Up. ¡°You should have accepted the dungeon¡¯s offer,¡± I said drawing my gladius as I prepared to finish off the source of the dungeon¡¯s problems. Despite being bound, Avius raised one finger that he pointed at me, unleashing the spell he had been working on. A beam of black energy slammed into my left leg, knocking me off my feet. I managed to keep ahold of my blade as I fell, but pain inside my leg began to grow as the spell took effect. The flesh on my leg corroded and rotted at a sickening pace from the spot where the spell had landed. Avius then tried to cast another spell, not aimed at me, but at the chains binding him. The high price of 42 gold I had paid for magic chain proved to be worth it as the item resisted the magic Avius was using. Cursing me, Avius pulled on his mana once more, and I could see him wince as the pain of a nearly empty mana pool hit him. He had enough left in the tank to cast the rotting spell at me once more, this time hitting my right arm. Before the pain could keep me from concentrating, I cast Health Bloom over myself and pulled a health potion from my belt, drinking most of it, but losing some of the precious liquid when the pain made me choke. A second healing potion followed the first, but its diminishing returns seemed to hardly make a dent in the pain. The magic that Avius used was too powerful for the simple healing spells and potions to deal with, but it seemed to slow the progress of the rotting spell. I just needed the healing to buy me enough time for one more spell. Forcing down a second mana potion, I was able to cast Entangle over the area. It was just in time as the ten second duration of the Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk ended and the item disappeared. Avius struggled to his feet, tearing a slow path through the grasping vines and roots of my spell. It was going to be too late for him, as the goblin archers managed to land another strike, and Khurr appeared behind the mage, stabbing Avius with his dagger while biting at him with the impressive teeth of a gnoll. I could hear the dungeon defenders in the distance charging toward us as darkness began to encroach and my life faded. Avius fell, with my minion crouched next to him stabbing the mage over and over. You have been killed by the spell, Beam of Rot and Corruption. This summoning contract is now considered complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 2, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 28 experience points. You have earned 35 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 3. You have gained 1 point in Mind. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Tier 2, Rank 1. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Tier 1, Rank 2. I floated in the void briefly before finding myself back in my personal space. One of the servants was immediately at my side, offering a warm washcloth and a variety of beverages. It was great having a staff ready for my return. A warm, clean washcloth felt wonderful after being rotted from the inside out by a spell. The towel reminded me of something you¡¯d get in an old-time barber shop, and it was great after a stressful situation. I declined the beverages. I had no need for nourishment, and I wasn¡¯t sure if drinking something here would kick start by biological functions. There was no restroom in my personal space. ¡°I see you¡¯ve returned from another adventure,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He was back and parked at his desk, writing furiously on a parchment. As curious as I was about what he was doing, I knew better than to ask. Tzes¡¯zod had been rather short with me last time I¡¯d inquired into his business. ¡°Thanks, a contracted summoning that I think went well. Oh, hey, before I forget. Do you know if I eat or drink something in my personal space, will it cause me to¡­you know?¡± I asked.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°No, anything you imbibe or consume here will be processed into mana by this space. I should warn you that any secondary effects of any food and drink you consume will continue as normal. That means, you can get drunk, poisoned, ingest a parasite, etc.¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, hardly looking up from whatever he was working on. ¡°Cool, thanks for the information,¡± I said, grabbing what looked like a glass of orange juice from the attendant next to me. The juice was delicious, and now that I knew what to look for, I could feel the juice inside my belly being transformed into mana and drifting into the atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t uncomfortable or anything, but the feeling that the mana conversion process left was an odd one. It took some of the joy out of enjoying a snack. That was fine, I had no idea how my staff would restock anyway, and I¡¯m sure it cost me more than a few coins to do so. ¡°Tzes¡¯zod, does all this stuff automatically appear, or do I pay for it?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll answer this one question, then I must finish up my work and leave for a time. Your room upgrade generates a small stock of refreshments and the like automatically. Should you draw too heavily upon this supply, funds will be deducted from your reward chest to compensate the manufacturer for the added demands on the room upgrade. There is a limit as well to what can be created,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said before completely ignoring me and returning to his writing. ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied before heading to my rewards chest. An excellent rating on the summoning should have some nice rewards associated with it. Sorting for new items only, I took a look at the spoils of my most recent dungeon adventure. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 922.
  2. Gold coins, 39.
  3. Minion ability/spell token (2).
  4. Minion equipment token (4).
  5. Minion experience token (1).
  6. Dungeon Gift.
The dungeon gift intrigued me, but first I wanted to get my minions upgraded, starting with the ability/spell tokens. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded its Nullify Magic ability. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded its Mana Drain ability. In addition to gaining a level, the drone was also doing well on the random allocation for ability upgrades. The Mana Drain was something new and must have been unlocked by my minion hitting Tier two, rank one. To verify, I pulled up any changes to the mana slayer drone. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 1. Experience, 0/35. Abilities: At this rank, the Mana Slayer Drone has unlocked Mana Drain.
  1. Nullify magic. This passive ability grants the mana slayer a minor damage reduction to all mana-based spells and abilities. The ability will also protect any ally within 5-feet of the drone.
  2. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect one harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only trigger 1/hour, and more powerful spells can often resist the effects of Spell Reflect. If this ability is resisted, the mana slayer drone will still reap some benefit, temporarily increasing its Nullify Magic.
  3. Mana Drain. Whenever the Mana Slayer drone lands a melee attack on a foe, it will drain 1 point of mana from its target. The blow must not be deflected, either partially or in full, by any armor, both magical and mundane, for this ability to trigger.
Mana Drain has been upgraded. Mana Drain: Whenever the Mana Slayer drone lands a melee attack on a foe, it will drain 1 point of mana from its target. This ability will function through any physical armor but will not be activated if the target is protected by magical means. Nice, the drone got a new ability from ranking up, and then had it immediately upgraded. With four arms and two clawed feet, the drone could deal out quite a few blows in quick succession. If those landed on an unprotected foe, their mana pool would take as much of a beating as their body would. Magic spells like Shield would counter the ability, but my drone could usually tear through simple magical defenses rather quickly. The new upgrade to Nullify Magic gave it an area of effect. To benefit from the ability, my other minions would have to be standing pretty close to the drone, but the area that the ability covered would probably expand as the ability was improved. I also pulled up Elida to see if gaining another rank had made any changes. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 2. Experience: 0/25. Spell Slots: 5. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 spell slot per hour. Elida didn¡¯t have any new abilities added, but she did get another spell slot. I was more than happy to have an extra healing spell. If she continued to gain spell slots, I might eventually feel more comfortable having her cast some offensive spells to support us in combat. For now, I¡¯d rather have her healing up the more capable fighters, not to mention, saving my skin both during a summoning and back home. Before I could start on the next minion upgrade, the equipment tokens, a dull booming sound was heard from Gary¡¯s door. The floor gave a small shake, and I began to get worried. ¡°That has ruined the last thirty minutes of my work. Rico, why don¡¯t you knock and see what¡¯s going on in there? Our agreement stipulates not harming ourselves or our minions, and something powerful enough to exert its force on your personal space surely has enough power to do us all harm,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. The last thing I wanted to do was knock on Gary¡¯s door, but I couldn¡¯t have the little creep destroying my personal space. Chapter 240. Noise Complaint. Chapter 240. Noise Complaint. ¡°We are under threat,¡± I told the butler nearest me, using the phrase that Chaladoom had taught me to say when I needed extra protection. Dealing with Gary was never a risk-free endeavor so I figured it would be wise to get every bit of help we could. As I began summoning my minions, the six staff members of the personal space transformed. Instead of waiting patiently with a beverage for me, the three butlers were suddenly equipped with steel breastplates and longswords. The three maids wore leather armor and had crossbows loaded and ready to fire. They also spread out around me, the butlers up front, and the maids taking cover behind some of the furniture. They looked to me for further orders, and I had them just stand ready in case something hostile came out of Gary¡¯s door. To back them up, I summoned my minions. The process of going from the contracted summoning and back to my personal space seemed to have reset the timers for the fallen minions. Before knocking on Gary¡¯s door, I took a moment to equip my gear. Returning to my personal space might reset the cooldown on my minions, but it also placed all my gear back into the armory. Once armed and armored, and with a small army of minions and household staff ready to defend me, I approached Gary¡¯s door. ¡°I¡¯ll assist in any way possible, Rico,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. The undead negotiator stood from behind the desk, and I felt him pulling mana into a spell. He then floated a foot over the floor and moved to position himself on my right, just past one of the armed butlers. A system prompt appeared a second later. The spell Bone Armor has been cast upon all friendly allies within the room. A swirl of bones appeared around my body for a moment before disappearing. While the bones faded from view, I could still feel that they were ready to appear instantly and absorb any damage headed my way. In addition to Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s spell, I got a mental note from Melvin that he was ready to fight if needed. My gelatinous minion was sliding along the roof from the training center and making his way toward Gary¡¯s door. I ordered him to stay back, not wanting to risk some fiery creature from Gary¡¯s realm burning him to a crisp. ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± I said giving the door a firm knock. The surface of the door looked like thick, worn wood that was reinforced with iron bands. An ominous red glow pulsed from the cracks in the door, and when my knuckles knocked on the door, it felt oddly warm. Even worse, the wood didn¡¯t feel quite like wood, it had a soft, fleshy give to it, that was more than disturbing. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but for a while nothing happened. The noise had also not reappeared, and the personal space wasn¡¯t shaking like an LA earthquake anymore. After a few long minutes, a scroll was pushed under the door. Hesitant, I looked toward Tzes¡¯zod who scrutinized the scroll for a moment before shrugging and motioning for me to grab it. The paper felt as odd as the door, and I tried really hard not to think about what, or who, it was made from. ¡°Let me examine that before you open it,¡± Tzes¡¯zod suggested. I gladly handed the note over. The undead negotiator stood there with his faintly glowing eye sockets focused on the object before he handed it back to me. ¡°Is it safe?¡± I asked. ¡°While I would never assume anything handed to you under a door to an evil demi-plane was safe, I sense no threats with this scroll,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. I broke the simple wax seal and began to read, expecting to be turned into a toad or set on fire at any moment. Rico, Hey there buddy, sorry about the noise. I was doing some renovations and part of the work team I¡¯d teleported in through our portal turned out to not be what they seemed. There was a little scuffle that you probably felt and heard, but trust me, no permanent damage was done to your personal space or the expansion. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. While I can¡¯t promise there will never be a disturbance again, I¡¯ve got some pretty persistent enemies lurking around out there, I will make sure there is no threat to you. Yeah, I know, I know, we have a mutual defense deal going on, but, um, you and your team really didn¡¯t want, or need to be present for the kerfuffle we just dealt with. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll still send help if you ever need us, but I won¡¯t force you to aid me if it serves no purpose. Now, with all that being said, I¡¯ve attached a little ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± gift to apologize for the disturbance. I hope it helps. Your best buddy, and the coolest neighbor ever, Gary. As I finished reading, the scroll rolled itself up again, and the texture shifted from the odd material to something more akin to the parchment that I associated with the other magic scrolls I¡¯d used before. After the scroll finished its little transformation, the system filled me in on what it was that Gary had gifted me with. Scroll of Eternal Suffering. This powerful scroll will inflict massive true damage on any target you designate. Depending on the Tier and Rank of your target, they may be able to resist some of the effects of this scroll. Despite its name, the scroll¡¯s duration is limited to 10 seconds. The duration of the damage over time inflicted by the scroll might be limited, but the scroll itself is not. Once used, the scroll will be consumed and then reappear in your inventory after a week has passed. ¡°That is a very powerful item, Rico. There are very few ways to mitigate true damage,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said as I placed the scroll into the armory and added it to my loadout. ¡°It¡¯s not going to like suck up my soul or form some kind of contract with Gary when I use it, is it?¡± I asked, loving that the scroll seemed powerful, but cautious of any obligations that using it might incur. ¡°No, it is like any other magical item you use, and is of no threat to you unless you foolishly target yourself with it,¡± Tzes¡¯zod confirmed. ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied, letting the workers know that the threat was over so they could revert into their non-combat uniforms. With that little bit of excitement over with, I continued with the minion upgrades that I¡¯d been granted. Upon activation, the system began to randomly assign the four minion equipment tokens I¡¯d been given.
  1. Khurr has received a weapon upgrade. His weapon rank is now 1.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow has received an armor upgrade. Her armor rank is now 3.
  3. Elida Silverbarrow has received an armor upgrade. Her armor rank is now 4.
  4. Elida Silverbarrow has received a weapon upgrade. Her weapon rank is now 1.
Elida was the big winner for gear this time, but I was glad to see Khurr finally get his first upgrade as well. I pulled up both minions to see what the upgrades had done for them. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 2. Equipment:
  1. Armor, Rank 4. At this Rank, Elida¡¯s wears a steel breastplate over a set of leather armor.
Since they were already summoned, I got to not only see the system description, but also the actual effect of the upgrade. Elida looked more heavily armored than my goblin trio now. The breastplate wasn¡¯t bulky and was sized perfectly for the small halfling frame of my minion. With leather armor underneath, the breastplate would provide better protection over the critical areas, and not hamper her movement in any way. I didn¡¯t get to see what the rank three upgrade was, the system skipped the description on it and had gone right to rank four. With Elida squared away, I checked on Khurr. Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 6. Equipment:
  1. Weapons, Rank 1. At this rank, Khurr wields a hand crossbow and has a steel shortsword as a backup weapon.
A look over at my minion confirmed the dagger had been replaced by a simple, steel shortsword in a crude leather sheath. His hand crossbow also looked less rickety, and the arms on the weapon were a bit longer, giving it more punch. Last up on the minion upgrades was the experience token. Khurr has received 15 experience. Khurr has reached Tier 0, Rank 7. Khurr has unlocked a new ability, Double Shot. Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 7. Experience 10/20.
  1. Double Shot. This ability can be activated 1/day and will allow Khurr to fire two shots at once, doubling his damage for one strike. Your minion will control when, and at which target, he will use this ability on.
Khurr was up to rank seven and with his new weapon upgrade, the Double Shot skill should give him a nice bump in damage. Too bad the minion was the one controlling when it was used, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to choose the target. All of my minion upgrades were done with, and it had been a nice haul. Now, my last, and most mysterious reward awaited, the Dungeon Gift. Chapter 241. Dungeon Gift. Chapter 241. Dungeon Gift. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect with something called a Dungeon Gift and was a bit surprised when I pulled a small box from the reward chest. The box looked like something you¡¯d get for a necklace from a jewelry store. Made of coarse wood, the box seemed like it had been grown rather than crafted by someone. When I tried to open it, the system gave me a description of what I held. Heart of the Forbidden Glade. The dungeon you have recently served has granted you access to some of its power in the form of a core shard. When activated, the core shard will create a chamber of the dungeon around you. The dungeon chamber will contain copies of minions from the dungeon who will do whatever they can to protect you. The wielder of the heart may command the dungeon creatures, though the dungeon creatures must remain within 100 yards of the recreated chamber. As it is always linked with the dungeon it came from, the Heart of the Forbidden Glade will grow in power as the dungeon does. The chamber created from the heart will be pulled from the dungeon floor with the highest Tier and Rank minions that the dungeon currently possesses. Randomly selected, the chamber may contain ordinary creatures, or possibly even dungeon bosses. The dungeon chamber will remain for up to 1 hour, and after that time, it, and all the minions it has summoned, will be reclaimed. This item will remain with the wielder and cannot be stolen or destroyed. Once used, the Heart of the Forbidden Glade will take 1 week to regenerate. Be advised that this link works in both directions, and the dungeon core may summon you, or your minions when threatened. Should you be summoned by the dungeon, it cannot summon you again until at least 1 week has passed. You will be notified and given a short time to prepare if you are summoned. As a physical part of the dungeon, the heart may be transported back and forth from your home, but it¡¯s duration on a mana-starved world will be significantly reduced. The time needed for the item to regenerate will also be significantly increased. Do you wish to accept this gift from the Ruins of the Forbidden glade dungeon? Y/N. This was definitely not an item I¡¯d heard of before in the database back home. From what the system was telling me, I could summon part of a dungeon with this thing, but in return, it could also call me back when needed. The big bonus to this item was the fact that it could safely travel between home and my various summonings. There didn¡¯t seem to be much downside to the Heart of the Forbidden Glade, and I wasn¡¯t really worried about being summoned by the dungeon. I had no qualms about helping the dungeon again if it was threatened, and I detected no evil motives from either the dungeon, or Capria. You have accepted the Heart of the Forbidden Glade. It will now be bonded to your body. ¡°Wait, bonded to my body?¡± I muttered to myself as the box in my hands opened, and the small, glowing stone shard inside shot forward and slammed into my forehead. Intense pain radiated from the wound, and my vision faded. I could see the staff of my personal space automatically shift into threat mode, instantly equipped with arms and armor as they sought out whatever was assaulting me. Things went dark and I collapsed to the ground. I seemed to float in the void, but I could also feel the shard moving inside my skull, the pain was gone, and eventually, the shard seemed to settle into place in the back of my skull near my right ear. A feeling of motion, and the blue glow of a portal appeared around me as a system prompt appeared. Preparation time has expired, and you may no longer delay your summoning. Since forced compliance was asserted, your final ranking for this summoning will be reduced by a marginal amount. ¡°Wait, what summoning?¡± I muttered, slowly realizing that a summoning must have started while I was still unconscious after the dungeon shard shot into my head. I was pushed, none too gently, from a glowing blue portal. I landed on damp grass which helped cushion the blow. Before I could stand and get my bearings, I could feel my summoner shouting at me. My body automatically reacted to his commands even though my mind hadn¡¯t quite caught up yet.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Get that beast, buy me time to escape,¡± a corpulent man standing next to a wagon ordered. The summoner link between us glowed brightly in my sight, an indication that it was exerting power to force me into obeying it. I began to jog in the direction my summoner was pointing, drawing my sword as I went. I was running toward the front of a wagon caravan of about a dozen vehicles. The two lead wagons had been crushed by some powerful force, and bodies were strewn about them. At the next wagon, a small contingent of armed people tried to do battle with an enormous bear with bony spikes sticking out of various parts of its body. My mind immediately thought Dire Bear as I summoned the mana slayer drone. By summoning one of my minions, the compulsion to engage the target directly ended, the system must have judged my actions as sufficiently obeying my summoner¡¯s commands and allowed me back some control. It was for the best, as I figured that I would probably last for less than three seconds against a twelve-foot-tall dire bear. The mana slayer drone sprang into life right where I¡¯d targeted him, behind the rampaging bear. As soon as he appeared, the drone began to slice into the bear with his longer, bladed arms. While it attacked with one pair of arms, the drone produced a short spear from its chest for the other pair of arms to wield. The crowd in front of the bear held its attention as the drone went to work. Despite their numbers, the armed caravan members were having trouble getting close enough to land a blow on the giant beast. When the bear turning to fight the drone, I summoned the goblin trio. Glem and Glamb charged the bear from the front, shrieking their goblin war cries. Glurk was already loosing his first shaft at the monster. Despite the thick hide of the dire bear, Glurk¡¯s arrow sunk six inches into the meaty back of the bear. Next out was Khurr, who I ordered to pull the wounded caravan defenders away from the fight. With more of my minions appearing, the caravan defenders started to back away. A metallic clang was heard as the bear connected with one of its paws on the drone, hurling it twenty yards away, and shearing off one of the drone¡¯s long, bladed arms. Turning to face the goblins, the bear began to swipe at Glem and Glamb, who were nimble enough to dodge the first blows. With the drone almost gone, I hit Glem with Duplicate. I figured that a second spear wielder was a better option against a large threat. The duplicate appeared to the side of Glem, but the duplicate minion unfortunately stepped right into the next swing of the bear. With the cooldown ticking away on Duplicate, I summoned Blieek. The weakest minion on my team was given the same orders as Khurr, to help get the wounded to safety. I drew my magic missile wand with the intention of pelting the thing with magic from as far away from those deadly claws as I could manage. Instead, I felt my summoners link pull at me, and I turned to see the pudgy man run, gasping for breath, running away from the caravan toward the dubious safety of a nearby copse of trees. ¡°Get away from that bear and follow me. I¡¯m the one that needs protection, not those fools at the caravan,¡± my summoner ordered. Forced compliance hit me once more, and I turned from the fight and ran to join my summoner. He hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about my minions, so I tested the boundaries of summoning compliance and left them fighting the bear and helping to rescue the wounded. My summoner¡¯s orders were specific enough that the system seemed to deem just me running to protect him as sufficient. As I ran, I could feel my link to Glamb end, and then a moment later, the drone was gone. I summoned Elida next, as close as I could get her to the fight and ordered her to heal the injured caravan members. She ran toward the fight, even as the bear killed Glem and began charging after Glurk. ¡°Wait, you can summon creatures? Bring her back, she needs to help defend me,¡± the summoner ordered. With a grunt of disapproval, I ordered Elida to follow me and the summoner toward the copse of trees. Thankfully, the fat fool had been so focused on reaching safety, that he didn¡¯t notice the other minions that I¡¯d summoned. We moved at snail¡¯s pace following the summoner who looked like he would drop dead from a heart attack at any moment. I worried that he was going to order me to carry him, when a crash was heard from the trees in front of us. Bursting from the trees was a second dire bear, this one perhaps even larger than the first. The ground shook as it bore down on my summoner. The man gasped and pointed at the monstrous beast, and I felt a compulsion to step between him and the monster. Elida still hadn¡¯t closed the distance, and I wasn¡¯t willing to burn any consumables for this man, so I prepared as best I could. Firing off a magic missile at the bear seemed to only make it angrier, drool flew from its open mouth as I dropped the wand and drew my sword. The bear was much faster than I thought it would be and I barely had time to bring up my blade before the bear trampled over me with the force of a truck. You have been crushed to death and your summoning is now considered complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Below Average. Your performance rating has been adjusted down due to your delay in entering the summoning portal. Your new performance rating is Poor. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 3, and your performance rating of Poor. You have earned 5 experience points. You have earned 7 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 242. A Poor Performance. Chapter 242. A Poor Performance. ¡°Poor, where do they come up with that?¡± I ranted as I stepped into my personal space. The attendants looked at me, offering a warm washcloth and an assortment of beverages. I had to admit, the attention did help the disappointment of my ranking a bit. Still, I was not a big fan of the system right at this moment. Too bad there wasn¡¯t a customer service line where I could call and complain. Looking around the personal space, I could see that Tzes¡¯zod wasn¡¯t there, which was probably a good thing. He wouldn¡¯t want to hear my ranting and would probably just reiterate that the system does what it does, and our desires and opinions didn¡¯t matter to such a powerful entity. ¡°Hey, Melvin, how are things going?¡± I asked, seeing my buddy slide in on the ceiling from the training center. He sent me feelings of consolation, feeling through our link that I was angry and frustrated. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll make it up on the next one. If getting one poor ranking is the price I have to get the dungeon summoning gift activated, I suppose I should consider it a win,¡± I said, taking a moment to put things in perspective. Having been knocked out while the dungeon shard was installed had cost me my rating, but the ability I gained from the shard was much more important than a single poor rating on a random summoning. Feeling around my head, I didn¡¯t notice any injury or scar from the shard entering inside me, which was to be expected after being summoned and healed of any injuries. The pain in my head was gone as well, but I was a bit creeped out that there was a shard from a dungeon core lodged inside there. At least I could bring the core shard with me back home. Even better, it would survive the continuous summoning and returning cycles and wouldn¡¯t be permanently stuck on Earth once I brought it there. With low expectations, I opened my rewards chest to see what a poor showing had netted me. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 11.
  2. Copper coins, 39.
If this had been one of my first summonings, it would have been a decent haul, now, it felt depressing to see such poor compensation for being trampled by a dire bear. What a difference a few months as a summoned being made to my expectations. To top off the poor rewards, there wasn¡¯t even a minion equipment token or any other piece of gear. Melvin nudged my foot, bringing me out of my funk. He sent me feelings of excitement and a desire to show me something. ¡°What do you want to show me, buddy?¡± I asked. Instead of sending a mental communication, Melvin instead shifted form, turning his body into what looked like a gelatinous shirt of some kind. ¡°Oh, is this the armor project you¡¯ve been working on?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, Melvin is now armor,¡± he mentally replied. ¡°Well, show me how it works,¡± I said, eager to see what my companion had created. Melvin sent me an image of putting him on like a vest. When I went to pick him up, his body kept its shape, stretching and shrinking where needed to create a perfect fit. Once the armor was equipped, the system took over and explained what Melvin had created for me. Gelatinous Barrier. Your companion, the being known as Melvin, has created a new piece of gear for you. When equipped, Melvin will add a layer of protection for your upper body. It will greatly mitigate crushing and slashing damage, as well as provide a minor benefit against piercing damage. In addition, the armor will absorb a small portion of all magic damage and provide insulation against most environmental effects. This item can be equipped through Melvin¡¯s summoning figurine. It shares a cooldown with your companion, and you must choose whether to summon Melvin as a companion, or as armor. If summoned as armor, Melvin¡¯s cooldown between uses is shortened drastically. This item may improve over time as Melvin spends more of his time and energy working on the project. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As the system explanation ended, a figurine for Melvin¡¯s armor appeared in my hand. ¡°This is the coolest thing ever! Thank you, Melvin. Let¡¯s go equip your armor in my loadout,¡± I said, making a show of placing the figurine reverently in the armory. Melvin had worked hard on this, and I wanted him to know I appreciated it. ¡°The next time we get back to Earth, I¡¯ll treat you to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I think you¡¯ll love the dry braised beef at Ta Chen¡¯s,¡± I promised him. The little hole in the wall restaurant was in Garden Grove, but it was one of my favorites and I didn¡¯t mind driving there from Huntington Beach where Refuge was located. That brought up another thing, I could finally afford a car. I¡¯d never been a big car guy but having my own wheels would be pretty nice. It wasn¡¯t like it would be a financial burden, I was loaded after turning in the mana gauge and giving the government some valuable information. Melvin sent me images of tacos again, reminding me that he wanted them as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the next time you visit, I¡¯ll have Julio take you back for more tacos. We¡¯ve got a lot of different foods to try, and I know that the kids in Refuge will spoil you rotten when you visit again,¡± I told him. Images of food flashed through our link as Melvin slid back into the training room. I was more than ready to give him all the time he wanted in there, especially if it meant he would keep improving his armor. Before I forgot, I checked on the return gauge to see if I was close to going home again. The gauge was pegged near the return point at around 98%. Just one more summoning should do it. I found that I was looking forward to getting back into training with Major Finley and the other soldiers. Hopefully, I was providing them with as much of a benefit as they were to me. The only question was whether we would have enough time to train all the various military units before our world was integrated into the system. I knew other summoned beings had been tasked with gathering information on system integration during their Somhagen visits. Once that was gathered, it would be shared with all the groups like Refuge. Despite the effort and resources that the government was putting into this, I worried that things would fall apart once the system arrived. While I waited for my next summoning, I gave all the new furniture a test drive, seeing which chairs and couches were the most comfortable, and rearranging things a bit. It was more an effort to keep busy rather than some strong desire to play interior decorator. ¡°Sir, I feel I should warn you that things will revert back to their original placement once you¡¯re summoned again,¡± one of the butlers said. All three of the male butler¡¯s looked similar, but this one stood out by having longer hair tied up into a ponytail. He was like a hipster grandpa forced to dress up for a family wedding. ¡°That¡¯s good to know, I wasn¡¯t trying to change things permanently, just killing time,¡± I replied. ¡°Very good, sir. Might I suggest you tweak your next purchase if you find the standard layout is not to your satisfaction,¡± the butler added. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s a thing? Chaladoom never mentioned that I could make adjustments to the furnishings,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, he usually likes to keep things simple for a first-time customer. Now that you¡¯ve had a bit of experience with product, you¡¯ll be able to opt for a bit more customization,¡± the butler said. ¡°Well, thanks for the information, if any of you can think of similar things, feel free to speak up,¡± I told the attendants. ¡°Only Issindra and I, the chief maid may interact with the customer,¡± the butler said, indicating one of the maids, who, like the butler, seemed a bit older than the rest. ¡°Might I have your name?¡± I asked. ¡°Whirtmir, sir. I should probably also advise that the others have no names, since they are less autonomous forms of mana constructs. At the price point of this furniture suite, you are only given two higher-functioning attendants,¡± Whirtmir advised. ¡°Thank you again, Whirtmir, I appreciate your help,¡± I replied. ¡°It is our pleasure to serve, sir,¡± Whirtmir said right as another small tremor shook the personal space. ¡°What is Gary up to now? Whirtmir, Issindra, has that been happening the whole time I¡¯ve been gone?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, sir, though the effects are lessening with each instance. That creature you let the space to slid another note under the door. The note mentioned aftershocks of diminishing power that will soon cease. He also made a promise to further compensate you for the inconvenience, but so far, has not paid anything. ¡°If I may be so bold, I don¡¯t think that being is entirely trustworthy, sir,¡± Whirtmir said, giving Gary¡¯s door a proper butler¡¯s glare. ¡°Keep an eye on things for me. Let me know if Gary or anyone else tries to enter the personal space,¡± I ordered. ¡°It will be as you have commanded. Do you wish us to attack any intruders?¡± Issindra asked. ¡°No, not unless they¡¯re hostile or try to steal something. I just want you to report what happens the next time I return,¡± I explained. The last thing I wanted was an overzealous maid taking a swipe at Gary and nullifying the protections I enjoyed from our contract. I didn¡¯t get a chance for any further instructions as another summoning portal appeared. This time, I was conscious and in my right mind, so I wouldn¡¯t get dinged by the system for not entering promptly. You are Summoned! Chapter 243. Mana Train. Chapter 243. Mana Train. As I stepped into the portal, the system granted me details of my latest summoning. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by a magical artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 3.
  4. Rewards level, modest.
  5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your current loadout has been equipped.
I appeared atop shaky ground, and it took me a second or two to find my balance. To my horror, I wasn¡¯t standing on the ground, and was instead on some kind of moving vehicle. The wind whipped into my face, making it hard for me to see. My summoner link led to a small amber crystal that was bolted onto the wooden floor I was standing on by iron straps to prevent it from flying away. Before I could truly get my bearings, a new system prompt appeared. It looked like I was being granted additional information about this new type of summoning I was experiencing. Your current summoning is through a pre-programmed artifact attached to a mana train. While you will have limited autonomy over your summoning, you must remain in the designated area that you have been assigned to. The designated area will be the train car you are currently standing atop. Your duty is to defend the train car using all your available means, including the various defensive structures atop the train. These defensive structures will become highlighted in your vision and basic understanding in their operation will be infused into your mind shortly. Prevent any intruders from entering the train car and do what you can to defend the other cars if there is no threat to yours. There are currently no visible threats, but an attack is expected to occur momentarily. This summoning is for a moderate duration, and will cease when you are either destroyed, or when the train reaches its destination. Use the time before the expected attack to familiarize yourself with your new environment and the defenses that are available to you. Woah, so I was on a train powered by some kind of a mana engine. It was too bad there were several train cars in front of me, and I could not quite make the details on the lead engine as we curved along the canyon we were riding through. A mana powered train would be something that Fitzfazzle would go nuts over. It was also something that I¡¯d want to take the knowledge of back home. Maybe mana could replace some, or even all our energy supplies once our world was integrated. True to my instructions, several areas on top of the train car were highlighted. The car itself was similar to what you¡¯d expect a cargo train¡¯s car back on Earth to look like. It was essentially a huge rectangular box on wheels with sliding doors on each side to load cargo. Leaning over the side, I could see that both loading doors were closed and, I assumed, locked down. The car itself was long, about eighty feet or so in my rough estimation. Around ten or twelve feet wide, the car was about fifteen feet off the ground. From the clacking noise on the tracks, I was sure it was rolling on some kind of wheels, and that it wasn¡¯t a hovercraft, or low-flying mana contraption. A quick inspection showed the car was made of thick wood, with iron overlays in areas to reinforce it. Magic of some type must have been used to keep the iron from rusting, that, or a whole lot of elbow grease to keep all the rust it should have had away. A walkway, just over four feet wide, ran across the center of the roof of the car. A small chain was strung through four-foot-tall metal posts to provide a handhold and, hopefully, help keep me from falling off if I stumbled. I¡¯d have to move carefully if I didn¡¯t want to test the effectiveness of a single strand of chain when walking along the moving train car. The system began to highlight five separate areas of the train car in my vision. The first area was a metal box positioned near the center of the car. At either end of the car, two thick metal bars were mounted just a few inches over the floor. Between the box in the center and the metal handles on either end of the car was a second set of handles that were identical to the ones on the ends of the car. The system highlights flashed on each of the five indicated areas and knowledge filled my mind, along with a system explanation of what I was looking at.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Your train car has five fixed defensive positions to assist you in defending your area of responsibility. Located at the center of the car, near the roof hatch is the Mana-infused Projectile Launcher, or MPL. This weapon allows you to deal with distant threats and will even enhance your aiming skills with its integrated targeting matrix. It will fire autonomously, but its accuracy and effectiveness are greatly enhanced by operator interaction. The box in the center flashed red, and I could see that I needed to merely place my hand on it to activate the system. An image in my mind of an open turret with a gatling gun appeared, showing me what the weapon looked like as the knowledge of how to operate it was downloaded. These four defensive positions can be raised to provide a protective barrier and grant cover while you defend the car. Additionally, when the need arises, you¡¯ll have access to the entry hatch positioned near the MPL turret should you need to enter the cargo area to deal with intruders who make it past your defenses. Unless a threat is present inside the car, your access will be prevented by the system. I couldn¡¯t miss the hatch near where the turret box was located. I had a round wheel to crank and open it, and the whole setup looked more like something on a submarine than a train. Turning my attention to the four handles placed along the top of the car, I could see that I just needed to pull up on the handle and hold it in one hand for it to activate. As long as I held the handle, and didn¡¯t leave the train car, a floating, iron shield would follow me around, moving automatically to protect me from attack. Overall, it was a rather extensive set of defenses for the top of a train car, and I had to wonder what exactly was being transported inside that would justify the effort and expense to create these things. The defenses were designed for a single humanoid summoned being to operate. But my class granted me additional bodies to help. To test things out I summoned the goblin Blieek and ordered him to the far end of the car where he grasped the handle and pulled. For a moment, the handle resisted his efforts, and a new system prompt appeared. A compatible minion has attempted to activate a defensive position, do you wish your minions to have access to the train car defenses? Y/N. I accepted, giving my minions access as the handle finally moved. As Blieek pulled it up and held it in his left hand, a curved iron shield, almost as tall as the goblin appeared. The shield moved around the goblin, hovering about two feet away from him. Not detecting any immediate threats, the shield rotated to behind the goblin to stay out of his line of sight until needed. As a test, I had Blieek put the handle in his belt, and the shield continued to operate normally. I had been a bit worried that once it left his hand, the shield would disappear. It would work as long as it was in his possession, which meant my minions wouldn¡¯t be hampered by only being able to use one hand in a fight if they wanted the protection the shield offered. I began to summon my other minions and had them spread out around the car. I had a total of seven minions and only four of the shield handle things. I had Blieek pass his to Elida and gave the other three to the goblin trio. Blieek and Khurr were my lowest ranked minions, and they were the most expendable, so no magic floating shields for them. Protecting the healer, and my better DPS minions was more important. The drone, with its stealth ability did not need additional protection. A quick test also showed that the drone was able to climb around the car easier than the others. His bladed hands and feet gave him enough grip to climb along the sides of the car without trouble, while the rest of us had to carefully pass each other along the narrow path atop the car. As for me, I¡¯d forgo one of the shields as I intended to use the MPL system in the center of the train car. Once activated, movement from one end of the car to the other would be limited to a narrow ledge that would allow us to squeeze around the MPL turret. In the heat of combat, I had no desire to have my minions attempt to squeeze by, so I tried to distribute them across the train car before I activated it. Elida, Glem, and Glurk would take position at the front of the train. At the back was Glamb, Blieek, and Khurr. The drone would hang off the side of the train near where I would be operating the turret. That gave us a ranged fighter, and a spear at each end of the train. Elida would help out with heals for those at the front of the train, and I could drop Health Blooms as needed anywhere my minions were positioned. The drone could climb along the side of the car and respond to any threats that rated his attention. I had just finished getting everyone organized and was about to check out the turret when an announcement was made over what sounded like a cheap loudspeaker. The sound emanated from all around the car, and I could not spot an actual speaker, or at least one I recognized, anywhere I looked. ¡°Look alive you summoned gits, we got flappers inbound toward the front of the train. Do your jobs and keep them off us,¡± a screechy voice I recognized as a goblin ordered. The system link to the artifact that had summoned me also extended tendrils of control toward the front of the train where this goblin must have been riding, granting him authority over me. Time for preparation and familiarization with the defenses was running out, and I needed to get the turret in action. In the distance, toward the front of the train, were what looked like several rapidly growing black dots in the sky. Whatever flappers were, they were rapidly closing in on us. Chapter 244. Flappers. Chapter 244. Flappers. ¡°Get ready to deal with whatever those are,¡± I said to my minions, pointing toward the dots flying in the distance. I hit the top of the box containing the MPL turret and watched as it unfolded itself from the roof of the train. The system was a bit like a turret in one of those old bomber movies. I would sit on a short metal stool in the center of the turret, which would rotate at my mental command. Settling onto the stool, I found it was designed for a goblin and too short to be comfortable for me, so I opted to stand instead. The weapon itself was on a flexible mount that allowed me to raise it into the position I wanted to fire it from. As far as the weapon¡¯s design, it looked almost like a copy of the magic missile gatling guns that had been mounted on the mech¡¯s I¡¯d used when helping Fitzfazzle¡¯s people. A bit more primitive, this one had a handle on the right side that I needed to crank to rotate and fire the seven barrels the weapon possessed. At the back of the weapon, where the spinning barrels attached to the handle I used to move and aim the weapon, was a glowing red gem. From the knowledge the system had downloaded into me, I knew that this was a mana crystal that powered the weapon. When the crystal was drained, I had to go through a short procedure to extract it from the weapon and replace it with a fully charged one. Around the weapon were three iron shields, smaller versions of the ones my minions were holding. They would help protect me from any incoming fire. At the base of the weapon, where the stool was mounted to the turret, were three more of the glowing red stones, they were the reloads for my weapon. I knew the ones mounted by the stool were slowly being charged by the train engine, so returning any empty ones into the holder would be important if the fight became a protracted one. ¡°They¡¯re coming from the front, but don¡¯t forget to check your other sectors during the fight,¡± I said to my minions, remembering one of the lessons from Major Finley. With an enemy approaching in clear view, it was easy to get target fixation and ignore other threats that might appear. With seven minions assisting me, we could keep an eye out for any new threats or tricks that might pop up. As I waited for the enemy to enter range, I took a look at the car in front and behind me. Each had the turret activated and tracking toward the approaching enemy. In front, was the diminutive figure of a goblin, who seemed much more comfortable than me using the provided stool on his weapon. Behind my car was an orc, a big burly guy who looked absolutely miserable cramped inside the turret. The orc had heavy plate armor and a huge axe slung over his back. I had a feeling that whoever made it past his turret fire wasn¡¯t going to be happy when they made it into melee range. We were ready, and my minions finished orienting themselves for an attack from the front. I tested out the weapon, giving the handle a good crank to see how it fired. As soon as I touched the handle, a glowing target sight appeared in front of me. I knew it would automatically help me lead any moving targets and wherever the sight was positioned was where the magical bolts of energy would fly. The crank moved a bit stiffly, and as the barrels turned, what looked like smaller versions of magic missiles flew out. They weren¡¯t guided like a normal magic missile, but with the rather accurate sight, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a disadvantage. To make things easier, the glowing balls of energy would show me where I missed and make it easier to walk my rounds onto the target, just like at the gun range back on the military base. Another lesson from Finley popped into my head as I thought about walking the tracers onto the target. Tracers were great to help aim your bursts, but they were a two-way street and just as easily allowed the enemy to also lock in your position. Being atop a moving train, and one of many turrets likely firing at our foes, I wasn¡¯t too worried about being singled out. The weapon seemed to have a decent range, and when I fired a short burst of three magic bolts at the distant canyon wall, I could see they hit with considerable impact. Maybe not as powerful as a modern military machinegun round, but it seemed to have more than enough oomph to punch through all but the thickest of armor. Even better, the ammo I was firing was magic, so it should be effective against most targets with physical resistances.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I tried to commit every detail of the turret design to memory. This might be something we could use back home after our world was finally integrated. If there¡¯s one thing humans knew how to do, especially Americans, it was how to shoot at things. How the weapon would hold up to Fail Weapons spells was another story. Its techno mage type of construction might give it a bit more resistance to the spell. I kind of hoped one of our foes would try to cast Fail Weapons, so I could report its effectiveness against the MPL turrets. As the enemy got closer, I could make out their forms a bit more clearly. At first, I thought we were dealing with giant birds, or bats, or something along those lines. Instead, the attackers appeared to be part humanoid, and part bird. The name harpy popped up in my memory, which seemed a good enough identification for the foe coming toward us. Unlike most of the other defenders atop the train car, I had minions to help out. If I could, I¡¯d try to help the others, but the harpies seemed to number in the hundreds. If they made it through our combined fire, they were going to swarm the individual defenders. Other than obvious melee classes like the orc on the car behind me, I figured we¡¯d take some casualties. Each turret operator we lost was going to make us a bit more vulnerable to any follow-up attacks. I knew the turrets had an effective range of around five hundred yards, thank you system downloaded knowledge, and I figured the lead harpies had entered that range as the front cars of the train began to fire steams of magic bolts into the sky. More and more turrets opened fire as the train¡¯s momentum brought us into range. I gave the number of tracers streams a count, telling me there were eleven cars in front of us, maybe ten if the engine had some kind of turret as well. I didn¡¯t get a chance to count behind me as I was about to be kind of busy. Lining up my sight, I targeted the nearest harpy swooping toward my car. The harpy had tan and brown feathers and held a bundle of short spears in the claw of one of its legs. When I cranked out my first burst of fire, the harpy reached back with one of the human-like hands at the end of its wing to pluck a spear and hurl it in our direction. As the harpy reached and threw, its flight became erratic as it lost momentum and dropped several feet before flapping with its arms to recover. The movement threw off my aim, and the first dozen or so bolts sailed over its head. I shifted, tracking my target and before it reached back for another spear, several magic bolts slammed into it. With a screech, the harpy fell, the pain and damage I¡¯d caused it prevented the monstrous creature from recovering and it slammed into the canyon floor. I peeled my attention back to the task at hand, sighting in on another harpy, this one with a mix of white and blue feathers. This harpy did not have any spears to throw, but the claws on its feet, as well as a respectable set of claws on its hands were probably more than sufficient to gut me like a fish. Of course, to gut me, the harpy had to close the range, and my next burst of fire put a stop to that. As my second target spiraled toward the ground, I looked for my next victim. Both Glurk and Khurr were now firing their bows, telling me the harpies were getting closer. Swiveling the turret, I found another harpy with blue feathers stop and hover over our car. Before I could fire, it chanted and pointed one of his clawed feet at Khurr. A bolt of blue lightning shot from its claw, striking my minion in the chest. Khurr dropped onto the walkway, seriously injured but not completely out of the fight. Firing my burst, a half dozen bolts slammed into the lightning chucking harpy. It fell to the ground, and I took a moment to cast Health Bloom over where Khurr lay. Finding another target wasn¡¯t difficult, but they were close now, and the traverse of my turret was slow. Trying to swivel the turret onto a harpy that was swooping down on Blieek, I barely made it onto my target and cranked the handle to fire. Unfortunately, no magic bolts of death fired out, and glance down showed the mana crystal was dark, it had been completely drained of energy. Remembering the procedure, I touched the crystal at the top and bottom at the same time, causing it to release. I slotted the expended crystal into an open slot on the charger, which allowed the next crystal in line to release when I touched it. Placing the charged mana crystal into the proper slot on the weapon, it bonded and began to feed the MPL power. I knew I was too late for Blieek, but I readied to fire and avenge him. To my surprise, Blieek was still alive, and had managed to impale the diving harpy on his spear. His weapon had broken in the process, and he stood there with his dagger out, ready to continue the fight. Scanning for more targets, I couldn¡¯t see any other harpies near our car. Further to the front of the train, some sporadic firing was still going on, but the number of harpies was dropping fast, and several were already trying to flee the fight. With glowing magic bolts hot on their heels, the rest of the harpies broke off the attack and flew away as quickly as they could, desperately trying to get out of the range of our guns. Chapter 245. Etvarts Boys.

Chapter 245. Etvart¡¯s Boys.

¡°You didn¡¯t do too bad out there folks, only one idiot got killed. We lost the team on car 6, so the rest of you near that car will have to take up the slack. Everyone can stand down for a bit but keep an eye out. If I had to bet on it, I¡¯d say them flappies was sent by Etvart¡¯s Boys, so this isn¡¯t going to be the only attack,¡± the goblin said over the loudspeaker. With a break in the action, I checked on Khurr. My Health Bloom had kept him out of the danger zone, but he was still looking a bit crispy around the edges after being hit by the harpy¡¯s lightning blast. Casting a second Health Bloom, I watched his wounds start to close over. By the time the second cast had wound down, he was back on his feet and ready to fight again. He wasn¡¯t fully healed, but I didn¡¯t want to deplete my mana any further. Once my mana was topped off, I¡¯d hit him with the spell one more time which should do the trick and bring him up to full health. For as much as the system functioned like a video game, it didn¡¯t give us any kind of a health bar or percentage which would have been nice. Maybe it was too far-fetched to have that since we didn¡¯t just have a huge health pool that ran out. The system seemed to make some things realistic while others were a bit bizarre. The train kept up its pace, and I kept an eye on the mana crystal that was recharging. In the few minutes since the battle, it had gone from being completely dark, to having a slight reddish glow which told me it was still going to take a while to finish up. The fully charged ones had a bright red glow. I tried to remember how many shots the first crystal had given me, and I kicked myself for not checking it after I¡¯d done some test firing earlier. There was a fully charged crystal in the weapon, two fully charged crystals waiting to load, and the one slowly recharging. Whoever the Etvart¡¯s Boys were, I was about as ready for them as I could be. As far as my minions, everyone was still in the fight, but Blieek was down to using just his dagger. The train rolled on, and when my mana returned to full, I hit Khurr with a final Health Bloom, bringing him back to normal. I didn¡¯t get a chance to see how much damage he and Glurk had done with their bows, but having seen them in action before, I was pretty sure that they had landed some good hits. It was too bad the train cars next to me only had a single defender. It was far too much area to keep track of, even if they seemed to be powerful fighters like the orc on the car behind me. I tried to look forward to car six where we had taken a casualty, but the train was heading straight, and I couldn¡¯t see past the next two or three cars. ¡°Heads up, Etvart¡¯s making a move, they¡¯re jumping from the cliffs, so watch out, especially you guys defending the rear cars,¡± the goblin announced. I could feel the train shudder as it tried to pick up speed. The acceleration wasn¡¯t neck snapping, but I was able to tell that we were moving a bit faster than we had been. Looking up, I could see the walls of the canyon stretched a couple hundred yards above us and the tracks had been laid only fifty or so yards from the wall of the canyon. Small figures began to jump off the cliffs above. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but one by one, crude parachutes began to deploy above each of the jumpers. Well, it looked like they deployed above most of the jumpers as four or five fell screaming into the canyon floor after their parachutes failed. I cranked the MPL up and started scanning for targets. As the goblin announcer had said, the jumpers were overshooting the front cars, and after a few seconds, I could see that they were going to miss the train entirely. As they drifted down, several of the goblins tried to throw spears or daggers at us but nothing even landed near the train which had sped safely past the attack. I had nothing to shoot at, and other than a few bursts from the car at the end of the train, the entire airborne assault seemed to be a complete non-event. ¡°I¡¯d say nice work again everyone, but you chumps didn¡¯t have to do anything that time. That was all me and my slick driving skills. Since Etvart¡¯s Boys aren¡¯t going to be a problem for a bit, maybe I should introduce myself. I¡¯m Gorma, and I¡¯ll be your train engineer and defensive coordinator for this here journey. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Don¡¯t bother shouting your names back to me, I won¡¯t hear you, and I won¡¯t care. Now that the introductions are over, our next stop will be coming up shortly. We¡¯re heading to Skarboz where we¡¯ll stop for a bit to pick up some more cargo. Let me make myself clear, you will stay on the train and will stand ready to defend us during the loading process. ¡°Etvart¡¯s going to feel the sting of two failed attacks, and trust me, he won¡¯t just let things go after only two attempts. As every goblin knows, if you fail in an attack, double down and hit ¡®em again. About 50% of the time, it works all the time. At least that¡¯s what the goblin warlords claim. For now, sit back and enjoy the smooth ride of this beauty,¡± Gorma announced. He was feeling chatty, but I didn¡¯t mind. The train ride wasn¡¯t all that bad. We were in some desolate looking country, about what you see in the American Southwest. It wasn¡¯t quite that hot, though, but I did position one of the shields protecting the MPL so the sun wouldn¡¯t beat directly down on me. There was no equipment slot for sunscreen in my armory loadout. After the failed airborne attack, the train resumed its slower pace. I had no way to gauge how fast we were really going, but with the wind whipping past you on top of the train, even a rather sedate pace feels like you¡¯re flying. While we rode, I kept scanning the skies, ground, and top of the canyon for more attacks. About an hour later, we left the canyon and started to travel out on flat ground. The skies remained clear of attackers, and nobody laid an ambush across the tracks. I had been summoned by an artifact, and I had no idea how long this summoning would last. Considering that the summoning artifact was built into the magic train, the artifacts were probably powerful, or it wouldn¡¯t be worth it to haul them up here to install. In the distance, I could see a dark cloud, but as we got closer it turned out to be smoke coming up from the smokestacks in a walled settlement. The settlement was large enough to probably house ten thousand people. Whatever industry they were doing here, the fumes sure stunk. Thankfully, the system would rebuild my body after the summoning, and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about lung cancer from whatever crud was billowing out of the goblin settlement. Out train tracks ran right through the middle of the place, and we began to slow as we drew closer to town. Other than our train, the tracks were clear, but I could see that the platform we were pulling up to would easily handle two trains of our size, or one massive one. Maybe the goblin trains were all a standard length, and they always had the same number of cars attached. We slowed to a stop as soon as the last car was inside the station area. Goblins in overalls swarmed the place and several wooden crates were wheeled out on dollies. There were some rickety looking cranes and rope pulleys near each car, but whatever was on those crates wasn¡¯t too heavy for the slew of goblins to haul them inside. The door to the side of my car squealed as it slid open. Curious, I leaned over the side of the car to get a better look at what was going on. To my surprise a pair of goblins armed with spears and wearing leather armor stepped from the train as the workers began to load a half dozen crates onto my car. It looked like the summoned beings on top of the train were only the first line of defense for whatever was being stored inside. In the distance, near the first car, and at the rear car, a full squad of a dozen spear wielding goblins formed up and marched inside. It looked like we were taking on some extra reinforcements. Looking down, I could see a number painted on the side of the car. It looked like we were car eleven, and with four cars behind us, it confirmed the train had a total of fifteen cars. Watching the goblin guards for our train, I took a run at talking with them. ¡°Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you happen to have an extra spear that my minion could use? He broke his skewering a harpy earlier,¡± I asked. One of the guards below looked up at me with an angry scowl plastered on his face. After a moment, he ignored me and walked into the train car. I figured we were out of luck for finding a replacement spear for Blieek, but then the goblin emerged carrying three spears, just like the ones the other guards were wielding. He passed them up one at a time, saying nothing until I had received the last spear. ¡°You¡¯ll get a chance to skewer more than just harpies on the next leg of our trip. Tap the roof with something heavy three times if you need any more. Now, don¡¯t bother me, I gotta keep an eye on these creeps, probably some of them have been bought by Etvart.¡± ¡°Have any crossbow bolts stored down there? Show them Khurr,¡± I said, having Khurr hold his hand crossbow over the edge of the car for the goblin guard to see. ¡°No, we don¡¯t got any gnoll weapon reloads, what do you take us for, gnomes? Leave us alone, we got guardin¡¯ to do,¡± the goblin snapped back, clearly at the end of his helpful mood. The loading continued for a good fifteen minutes. As surly as they were, I had to admit the goblins worked fast, and after the last crate was aboard, the guards entered the train and sealed the doors. With a slight studder and slowly increasing speed, the train pulled from the station. I had a feeling that this summoning, and the attacks on the train, were far from over. Chapter 246. Rules of Hostile Takeover.

Chapter 246. Rules of Hostile Takeover.

Our train chugged along, though I was a bit surprised at how smooth the ride was. I¡¯d only been on the metro train in LA once or twice, the station near where I had lived was kind of too sketchy for me. This mana powered train seemed to ride better than the so-called modern rail system. Maybe we could get something like this installed once Earth was inducted into the system. After the miles passed by, I noticed the scenery started to change a bit. Instead of scrub brush and desert, there were some groups of stunted trees, and patches of green here and there. The terrain was still relatively flat, but I got the impression we were on a slight incline and climbing in altitude. To my relief, the air was also a bit cooler. ¡°I¡¯m sure half of you are asleep and not paying attention, so consider this a wake-up call. We¡¯ll be heading into the Branmarr Forest in a bit, and I want everyone to be not only on their toes, but also on their best behavior. There¡¯s cargo to unload at that elf tree village, and I don¡¯t want any itchy trigger fingers to muck things up for us. ¡°It took way too long to work out a trade deal with those pointy eared weirdos. But anyway, that¡¯s my problem. Your problem is keeping an eye out for Etvart¡¯s next move, whatever that is,¡± Gorma announced over the loudspeaker. He had cranked up the volume a bit, presumably to make sure we were awake. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was looking for, Gorma wasn¡¯t exactly specific as to where the threat might come from. Half my team watched the skies, and the rest of us scanned around the train for any trouble. One thing I wondered was why this Etvart guy didn¡¯t just block the tracks and raid the train directly. That seemed like what a logical evil goblin leader would do. Maybe the goblin had some valid reason not to do it, but blocking the tracks seemed to me like the easiest way to end this. It was yet another of those things I wondered about as a summoned being. I¡¯d rarely get the whole story of what was going on during a summoning, and some things were just head scratchers. Thinking about it for a moment, there was maybe one source I could ask. Right next to the turret was a hatch that presumably led into the train car. The hatch had one of those metal wheels you¡¯d see on a submarine door in an old war movie. I cranked it open, the wheel squealing loudly enough to tell me it hadn¡¯t been opened in a long time. As soon as I lifted the hatch up, a spear was thrust out of the opening and nearly skewered me. ¡°Woah, easy there guy, I¡¯m on your side,¡± I said to one of the goblin guards waiting inside the car. ¡°Stay up there where you belong, you¡¯re not allowed inside the cars, human,¡± one of the goblins screeched at me while motioning with his spear for me to get away. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get in, I had a question,¡± I told him. ¡°You just worry about doing your job, and I¡¯m pretty sure your job isn¡¯t to pester me with questions,¡± the guard screeched. The guards were, thankfully, not in my chain of command, and the summoner hadn¡¯t issued me any commands to prevent me from entering the cars. No compulsion to obey hit me when I considered the option, so I was good to keep talking to them. ¡°I just wanted to know if we have to worry about a blockade across the tracks. Won¡¯t Etvart¡¯s Boys do that to stop the train. They could just swarm over us when we stopped, why waste time with harpies and suicide drops from the cliffs?¡± I asked as the goblin reached up to try and wrench the hatch from my grip. Strength might not have been my best stat, but what I did possess was more than enough to overpower the lanky goblin guard. ¡°It¡¯s business, you know. The three rules of engagement in a hostile takeover. What do they teach you humans? Everyone knows how these things pan out,¡± the guard said, shaking his head in disbelief over my ignorance of goblin business law on this world.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I went to human school, so why don¡¯t you give me the quick version of whatever the heck these rules of engagement are?¡± I asked. The goblin looked down at his companion, who just shrugged with indifference. They must have been as bored as I was at this point, at least bored enough to continue the conversation for a bit longer. ¡°You got three rules for a hostile takeover, you know. The first is to get at your opponent by hiring someone else to do your dirty work. Doing it on the cheap and ripping off your hirelings gives you bonus points in the eyes of your foe. Etvart followed the first rule when he attacked with the harpies. Nobody expects the first attempt to succeed, but it¡¯s kind of a nice way of saying, hey there, we¡¯re going to try and steal your business. ¡°Step two is a direct action by the opposing party. That was them clowns that tried to drop in on us. It¡¯s a chance for the rival boss to flex that he¡¯s rich and powerful enough to throw away resources. Etvart¡¯s attempt had the added bonus of eliminating any slackers in his roster. You can be sure those chumps jumping off the cliff weren¡¯t among the top producers for Etvart. ¡°If either of the first attempts succeeds, great, you¡¯ve taken over a rival business on the cheap,¡± the goblin said, pausing for a moment to take a drink from a flask he pulled out of his pack. The goblin didn¡¯t offer me a sip, and from the noxious fumes coming from the flask, it was probably the equivalent of drinking drain cleaner. Instead of continuing our little talk, the goblin seemed content to suck down more of his toxic liquor. If I didn¡¯t want him to get drunk or poisoned, and falling down the ladder to his death, I¡¯d better move the conversation along. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t answer why Etvart doesn¡¯t just barricade the tracks. Is this too hard a target for him to take by force? Going against these so-called rules seems like a great way to get ahead of your opponent,¡± I asked, trying to speed up this goblin business ethics class. ¡°Bah, you¡¯re just ignorant. Nobody goes all out on the first two tries. That would tell everyone that you¡¯re desperate. Not only that, but it would also be ringing the dinner bell from some other organization to take a crack at stealing your new prize right out of your weak grip. Only a chump or someone with a business on their last legs goes against the rules for a hostile takeover,¡± the goblin snapped back. ¡°I hear you, it still doesn¡¯t make any kind of logical sense, but you goblins do business the way you want to, it¡¯s not for me to judge. So, what¡¯s this third step of the takeover, what can we expect next from Etvart?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, this is where it gets good. Now that he¡¯s made the first two takeover attempts, Etvart can make his real play. Don¡¯t let his earlier attempts fool you, Etvart¡¯s Boys have some real numbers and more than a few who know their way around a blade and spell. To make matters worse, for us, Etvart loves to hire mercenaries to throw you off your game,¡± the goblin said, the look in his eyes made it almost seem like he admired Etvart. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer what he¡¯s going to do,¡± I pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m getting to it, don¡¯t get your wyverns in a twist. The beauty of this last attempt is not only that it¡¯s the most powerful strike, but also where the aggressor can demonstrate his cunning. Nobody knows what Etvart will do exactly, but it¡¯ll be something to see, it will,¡± the goblin said with gusto. ¡°Why are you so happy about it? If this attack is a strong and cunning as you expect, you might be killed in the fighting,¡± I asked. ¡°Can¡¯t a goblin admire a master of the craft? Etvart¡¯s got a solid reputation, and yeah, he¡¯ll butcher the lot of us if we resist too hard. You¡¯ve gotta remember, Etvart is doing this as a business takeover, not some village raid where you go all scorched earth on everything. ¡°What we¡¯re counting on is letting your kind do all the heavy lifting. If things turn against you, well, the rest of us can just change sides and join Etvart. It¡¯s a win, win for everyone. Etvart gets to show he¡¯s the most powerful, and we get to keep doing our jobs and collecting our pay. Do you think I really care who my boss is? It can be whoever you want, as long as they¡¯re paying me. Most of the time, we even get an allegiance transfer bonus,¡± the goblin said, licking his lips greedily with his warty, green tongue at the thoughts of a bonus. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. You do know that I have to stay loyal to my summoner. So, if you switch sides, understand that it¡¯s not personal when I have to kill you for being a traitor,¡± I said, a little annoyed and taken aback at the mercenary nature of the goblin guards. ¡°Sure, you keep telling yourself that you¡¯ll get the drop on me. You hear that Grizlib? This humie thinks he can take us,¡± the goblin said to his fellow guard. The two started belly laughing at me as I ended the conversation by slamming the hatch shut and spinning the wheel to lock it in place. ¡°If we get in a fight, and one of those goblins comes up here, watch them. If they even look at me harshly, be ready to take them out,¡± I ordered my troops. The goblins may have shifting loyalties, but I was going to do everything I could to get a good rating. Being stabbed in the back by a traitorous goblin was probably not the way to go if I wanted to maximize my rating. Chapter 247. Station Chaos. Chapter 247. Station Chaos. The train ride continued at a steady, but monotonous pace. In the distance, I could see a large forest spread out before us. The thin thread of the train tracks cut through it, and I could only wonder how it was that the elves, who were supposed to care for the forests, allowed the goblins to clearcut a line through their pristine wilderness. The forest started with a few stunted trees and grew denser the further we rolled into it. It was truly a beautiful sight, and I thought I could see a few log cabins scattered here and there. Each of the cabins had a small patch of farmland cut from the forest around them. Small figures moved about the farms, laboring hard to bring forth whatever crops they were growing. The size of each cabin and farm was almost uniform, and from the thin tendrils of woodsmoke rising from the stone chimneys, I believed it was someone other than elves that lived there. I wasn¡¯t sure what type of abodes goblins preferred to live in, but the cabins reminded me more of something a human would build. As we drew deeper into the forest, the small clearings with cabins and farms disappeared. The forest became almost oppressive, and it became harder to see more than a few feet into it front of the train car. The branches of the giant trees grew over the rail line, cutting off much of the light and making the journey feel like we were traveling at dusk rather than the actual mid-afternoon that it was. Our train began to slow, we were still rolling along, but I heard the screech of the train¡¯s brakes more than once. The rail line seemed to cut straight through the forest, so I had no idea why we were slowing, it wasn¡¯t like there was a sharp curve or anything in front of us. ¡°All right, chumps. We¡¯re heading into the station. Like I mentioned before, keep on your best behavior. The last thing we need is to stir up trouble with the elves. They¡¯re a touchy lot, and most of them would rather gut a goblin than do business with one. Luckily, we got something they need, and as long as we keep things strictly professional-like, it¡¯s all going to be smooth sailing. When we stop, keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. If you think you¡¯ve spotted something, don¡¯t act on your own, let the guards inside your cars know, and they¡¯ll tell you what to do. Follow their orders and we¡¯ll be good,¡± Gorma announced. I could see the thin tendril of mana connecting me to the summoner stretch and fray, as small strands began to flow down into the car below us. It looked like I was now bound to the guards below. Hopefully they wouldn¡¯t cause me any major hassles. The last thing I wanted was some stupid order from a goblin guard to mess up my ranking for this summoning. According to the mana gauge, I should be heading home after this summoning, and I was excited to get back into training with Major Finley and the team. Brakes began to screech in earnest as they fought against the immense mass of the train. It looked for a moment like we were stopping in the middle of the forest with nobody around. A brightly painted building hove into view as we finally rolled to a stop. It was then that I noticed a loading platform that blended almost perfectly with the trees around us. Figures moved about the trees above us, and looking closer, I could see elves coming and going from buildings that had been grown from the trunk and branches of the trees. The blue and red painted building stood out in stark contrast to the organic, tree-grown structures that blended into the forest. Looking like it was made of scrap metal and fresh lumber, the doors of the building slid open, disgorging an unhappy-looking batch of goblin laborers. Large wooden crates were rolled out from the building, and elves began to descend from the trees, carrying large bundles wrapped in leaves and tied with vines. The bundles were carefully stacked up next to the crates the goblins were pulling from the building. I didn¡¯t know what the two sides were trading with each other, and despite my curiosity, I was pretty sure neither the goblins, nor the elves were in the mood to discuss it with me.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The guards stationed in each train car unlocked and opened the sliding doors, allowing the goblin laborers to enter and begin unloading metal barrels that they carefully rolled out to the elves who had delivered the bundles. As our cargo was unloaded, the laborers replaced the barrels with the piles of goods that were out on the loading dock. Everything was going smoothly, but I kept to my orders and continued to scan the area for threats. My minions did the same, and it was Blieek who pulled on my armor and pointed at one of the bundles. I saw it for only a moment, a small green hand had stuck out from the leaves then pulled back in. Looking down at the cargo doors of the train car, I could see our pair of guards slacking off and shooting the breeze with the goblin leading the work party for our section of the train. Maybe the hand in the bundle was part of what was expected, but I couldn¡¯t take that chance. Leaning over, I threw a copper coin at one of the guards to get his attention. My aim was better than usual, the copper coin pinging off the guard¡¯s shoulder armor. He looked up at me annoyed, but I motioned to the hatch leading down into the car. With a shrug, the guard entered the train car as I opened the hatch. ¡°Yeah, what do you want? I was just about to close a deal with that foreman,¡± the guard said with annoyance. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know if this is anything, but I spotted a green hand sticking out of one of those leaf bundles. Tell me, were you expecting goblins to be wrapped up in those things?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re not playing me for a kobold are you?¡± the guard said, turning his gaze to the growing pile of goods being loaded into the car. ¡°No, check for yourself if you want, it¡¯s that one, the third from the crate on the right,¡± I said, giving him directions to the bundle I¡¯d spotted the hand in. While he climbed down the ladder to check, I ordered my drone to go invisible and the others to get ready for trouble, just in case. ¡°Hey, I need to do a spot check, open that bundle. If there¡¯s anything other than smoke leaves in there, we¡¯ve got a problem,¡± the guard ordered the foreman. ¡°I ain¡¯t got time for no spot inspection. We¡¯ve got a schedule to keep,¡± the foreman complained loudly. Around him the other goblin laborers stopped to watch the argument as the foreman got in the guard¡¯s face. ¡°Just open the one bundle, it¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯ll tell you what, if you don¡¯t want to have your people do it, I can send one of mine,¡± the guard said motioning for me to send a minion down to check. The foreman didn¡¯t respond, at least not verbally. Instead, he drew a knife from his belt and before I could do anything, slit the guard¡¯s throat. ¡°It¡¯s Etvart¡¯s Boys!¡± the other guard shouted as he tried to come to his stricken comrade¡¯s aid. He made it only three steps before other goblin laborers swarmed over him, stabbing and smashing at the guard with various tools. From the leafy bundles, other goblins emerged. Unlike the laborers, these guys were armed with real weapons and wore leather armor. Given the number of bundles out there, at least fifty hostiles were arrayed against our guards, not counting all the laborers joining the fight. Some of the attackers had already been carried inside the train cars, making them a type of plant-based Trojan Horse. My minions responded immediately, with Blieek slamming the hatch to the top of the train closed, and Khurr with Glurk firing at the attackers with their bows. I made it to the MPL turret and began to seek out targets. The weapon had a limited amount of depression, but several targets were still far enough from the train for me to hit. As I cranked the firing handle, magic bolts began to pepper the hostile goblins, cutting down a whole swath of them before they could reach the car. ¡°This is it, everyone, Etvart¡¯s making his move! Seal them cars up tight, the reaction teams are moving in to secure things. Keep fighting, this is Etvart¡¯s last chance. We beat them here, and his takeover attempt is done for,¡± Gorma ordered. Other turrets began to open fire, and in the train car behind me, the orc roared a war cry, drawing his axe and dropping into the car to deal with the attackers in a more direct manner. I was content to pelt them with magic bolts of death, while my minions kept me safe. Several of the goblin laborers charged the train, trying to boost each other up onto the car. My minions cut them down easily, but as my turret ran out of juice and I prepared for a reload, I could see the hatch on our car starting to spin open. By now most of the enemy had already reached close enough to the train car where I was unable hit them with the turret, so I made ready for a more direct approach. I prepared my Commander¡¯s Pilum, intending to skewer the first attacker to stick his head up through the hatch. The sounds of combat roared around the train and sparing a quick glance around. I could see goblins tearing each other, and the summoned beings, apart. For now, the elves seemed content to watch, but I could see the glares of hatred they had for both sides of the goblin conflict. How long would it be before the dozens of elves in the trees around us decided to pitch in and shower everyone with deadly arrows? Chapter 248. End of the Line. Chapter 248. End of the Line. The handle on the hatch quickly spun and then the hatch slammed open. As soon as it was open, one of the goblin laborers started crawling out. I threw my javelin at the goblin, the weapon skewering him through the skull before it unleashed its electrical energy. It was overkill and the dead goblin dropped back into the train car. His fall must have dislodged several others trying to climb up given the thumping sounds and cursing coming from inside. Khurr walked over, took a peek down inside the hatch, and fired his hand crossbow. The smaller weapon lacked the power of Glurk¡¯s masterwork longbow, but at close range, and these tight quarters, it was the perfect weapon. He reloaded and fired a second time, and I was surprised to see the weapon fire again almost instantly. It took me a moment to remember that Khurr had gained the Double Shot ability. He could only use it once a day, but it probably guaranteed another foe was down. Khurr reloaded, but instead of firing, he pulled a small pouch off his belt and began tinkering with the hatch. My gnoll minion was using another of his abilities, Trapper. The minions were getting more powerful, and it was good to see even the lower tier ones, like Khurr could still be useful in the right circumstances. With the other minions fending off goblins trying to climb up onto the car, it was up to me and Khurr to defend the hatchway. With Khurr testing out all his abilities, it was a good time for me to try out something I hadn¡¯t used yet. I activated the Armsman¡¯s Gloves and a simple, but razor-sharp dagger appeared, floating a foot or so above my hand. I knew its attack radius was supposed to be five feet, so I positioned myself four feet from the hatch opening and waited for another goblin to appear so my dagger could do its thing. While I waited, I checked in on my other minions. The goblin trio had shifted to the other side of the train and had begun patrolling the rest of the car where some of the attackers had moved to try and flank us. The drone and Blieek kept the enemy from gaining a foothold on the other side and Elida stayed in the middle, ready to lend healing magic to whoever might need it. The sound of the hatch slamming closed startled me and drew my attention. Khurr was still there standing ready with his hand crossbow loaded and aimed at the hatch. Nothing happened for almost a minute before the hatch spun open again, and another goblin laborer stuck his head out. My dagger and Khurr¡¯s crossbow bolt hit the hapless goblin at the same time, dropping it down into the car. I could also see a bloodied wooden spike attached to the inside of the hatch; it was part of Khurr¡¯s trap which had also caused the hatch to slam down on anyone trying to climb out of it. While the simple trap had proven effective, it was only a single use ability, and had a one-day cooldown. At higher levels, the gnoll would probably get more charges for the ability and could make things very unpleasant for an enemy trying to approach us in a tight space like they were doing now. The fight began to drag on, the supply of goblin attackers seemed almost endless. My dagger, and Khurr got a workout on top of the train car, and the others stopped any climbers from gaining a foothold. I did need to cast Health Bloom twice, when thrown weapons and a goblin slinger managed to land some hits on my team. Elida also fired off one Minor Healing Burst to keep Blieek on his feet after a throwing axe had buried itself in his chest. As things stood, I felt we were well positioned to hold off the goblins indefinitely as long as they kept coming at us this way. With the summoned being on car in front of us dead, it was overrun, and I expected the goblins to appear on the roof there to open a new avenue of attack. The expected attack never materialized, and instead of dealing with us, the goblins were focused on pushing through the cars toward the front of the train. As the attackers pushed forward, the assault on my car was abandoned.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. After finishing off the last of those assaulting our car, I could see that reinforcements for the enemy were still arriving, but they were heading into the train around the middle car where they had cleared a safe space. I knew that Gorma had taken on some reinforcements at our last stop, but the enemy still seemed to vastly outnumber us. I contemplated sending some of my minions on a counterattack, but my orders had been to defend the car, which I was doing without much trouble. The fighting pushed further up the train, and defenders seemed to be exacting a horrible toll on the attackers. I had no idea how many fighters Etvart¡¯s Boys had in their roster, but this attack had to hurt them. An announcement over the loudspeaker came a few minutes later. ¡°Hey everybody, stop fighting. Me and Etvart have come to an understanding. We¡¯ve got a new deal worked out that¡¯s going to be better for everyone. Our organizations are joining together and we¡¯re going to be one big, happy family. Welcome to Gorma Etvart Enterprises everyone! They¡¯ll be a nice bonus handed out to the survivors once we reach our destination.¡± At the mention of bonus, the goblins on both sides cheered. I expected my summoning to end with the threat being over, but I was kept around. A second announcement by Gorma clarified what was going on. ¡°All you summoned chumps who are still alive, yes, I see you there on car eleven, good job holding out when everyone else near you folded up like a cheap suit. Okay, here¡¯s the deal. You¡¯re signed on for the duration. We have one more stop which is back to our home, and I expect you to do what you can to protect the train during our last leg. It should be smooth sailing, but hey, you never know. It can be a dangerous world out there.¡± Nice, Gorma had singled out my team for surviving the fight and doing our jobs. That had to help boost our final ranking as long as we didn¡¯t blow it on the last leg of this trip. For now, we just took a break and stood watch as the goblins finished loading the cars. It did take some time for them to remove all the bodies from inside the cars. The fight had been a particularly costly and brutal one. While the goblins seemed to have genuinely set aside any differences, I had to believe they could have solved this whole, bloody ordeal in a less costly manner. They were goblins, and I was just here to follow my summoner¡¯s orders, not bring about some new goblin peace accords. With that in mind, I¡¯d just keep quiet and let Gorma call the shots. The entire process of loading, unloading, and dealing with the bodies took almost an hour. I kept a watchful eye on things as they worked, and I still had no idea what the goblins and elves were trading each other. From the looks the elves were giving the goblins, it seemed that their truce was a tentative one. The elves had murder in their eyes and were ready to slaughter the goblins at a moments notice. Given the number of archers I could spot in the trees, I would probably put my money on the elves if it came to a fight. We pulled from the station without the elves slaughtering us all and began to roll along our way to the final stop. The forest gave way to more of the rough terrain I¡¯d first experienced in this world. Not long after leaving the forests, I began to see smoke on the horizon. It was a large goblin city, and the whole place looked like an industrial town had run amok without any health or environmental regulations. Clouds of oily smoke streamed from smokestacks, and the air smelled funny, almost choking me if I took too deep a breath. A greasy coating began to accumulate on my exposed skin, and I was going to be glad when the summoning was over and my body was recreated, sans any industrial pollution. As the train pulled into a station crafted from rusty metal, I could see a half dozen similar trains lined up that were loading and unloading things into various warehouses. Another crew came out of one of the warehouses to unload our train, but this crew wasn¡¯t like the ones we¡¯d seen at our last stop. Instead of goblin laborers, a haggard line of elves stepped from the warehouse and headed toward our train. There were over a hundred of them, and they all looked like they¡¯d seen better days. Filthy and dressed in ragged remains of what were once fine garments, the elves reluctantly went about their assigned task. It turned out it wasn¡¯t some special goods that the elves needed from the goblins to secure trade with them, it was the fact that the goblins had hundreds of their people held hostage. Mercifully, my summoning ended as the first elves entered the train car to unload. You have survived and successfully completed your summoning. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 3, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 29 experience points. You have earned 38 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 4. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 249. Token Transformation. Chapter 249. Token Transformation. I returned to my personal space, happy to see everything was in order. A servant was waiting with the standard beverage and warm towel for me. It was a luxury I was going to miss back home. Tzes¡¯zod wasn¡¯t in the personal space when I arrived, though he had left a rather sizeable mess on his desk, with lots of papers scattered around. He wasn¡¯t exactly keen on me poking into his business, so I made a point to avoid looking at anything on the desk as I headed to the reward chest to see what my latest adventure had gotten me. As expected, the return gauge was full, and I¡¯d be able to head home after I sorted things out here. One thing I had checked out on the database at Refuge, was how long we had to prepare inside the personal space before the system just forced us back home. It seemed the time varied, but the consensus was that the higher your tier and rank, the more time you¡¯d be given. There was no reason for me to push the limits, so I¡¯d try to be efficient with my time here in the personal space. Sorting for new items, I opened the reward chest. Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 1112.
  2. Gold coins, 43
  3. Minion ability/spell token (2).
  4. Minion equipment token (6).
  5. Minion experience token (1).
  6. Token Transformation Attachment.
Everything was pretty standard except for the one new item sitting there, the Token Transformation Attachment. Since it had token in the name, I figured it would be better to inspect the attachment before activating the other minion tokens. The item was a small wooden box that seemed completely sealed. The system gave me information once I had the item in my hands. Token Transformation Attachment. This item is an attachment for your rewards chest. It allows you to transform minion tokens into different types at varying costs. A list of costs, and possible transformations are included below. To install the attachment, merely hold it to the side of the reward chest and the item will be automatically installed. Tokens may only be upgraded, you cannot take a more powerful token, such as a veterancy token, and downgrade it into multiple equipment tokens. This attachment may be upgraded further once you have obtained your first veteran minion. Token Transformation Costs.
  1. Ability and equipment tokens may be transformed into the other type at a cost of 2 to 1.
  2. Experience tokens may be created by transforming any combination of 5 ability or equipment tokens.
  3. Veterancy tokens may be created by transforming 10 experience tokens.
This was really going to come in handy once I¡¯d maxed out either the equipment or abilities of my minions. Until that time, I¡¯d probably keep using the tokens normally, as the transformation process was costly and inefficient. At least I wouldn¡¯t end up with a pile of minion equipment or ability tokens I could never use, though I would probably always have a need for them if I kept receiving new minions every five ranks. After one of my minions was maxed out and became a veteran, I¡¯d have to see how much of a difference it made. If the transformation to veteran was a powerful one, it might make sense to pump every token I could get into making a few key minions into veterans. That was a problem for the future, for the present, I had plenty of minion tokens in my reward chest that would be useful right now. I began with the ability/spell tokens. Khurr¡¯s Scout ability has improved to Rank 1. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have unlocked the ability Recruit, Rank 0. The system had randomly assigned the ability tokens, and I pulled up the related ability for each of the lucky minions to see what had changed. Khurr, gnoll scout, Tier 0, Rank 7. Scout, Rank 1. At this rank, Scout allows Khurr to notice nearby danger, traps, and potential defensive positions that others might miss. This ability has a slight chance to detect invisible threats. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 6. Recruit, Rank 0. The goblin trio may recruit one additional minion into their horde, applying the bonuses of Horde Tactics to the selected minion. The minion must be goblinoid in order to be recruited. Khurr could now help us with any invisible threats out there, giving me a bit more survivability against hidden assassins, or monsters that were invisible. It should probably work on invisible undead, like specters and the like. So far, I hadn¡¯t encountered anything like that, but from the database, I knew they were out there and were some of the more troublesome foes you could encounter. My goblin trio could now recruit Blieek into their horde, which would help my least powerful minion to improve his usefulness. It would also lend more weight to adding future goblinoids to my roster, a 10% bump to both attack and defense was nothing to sneeze at. I¡¯d have to do some research back home to see exactly what types of creatures were considered goblinoid by the system. Next up were the equipment tokens. I activated them and waited for the system to do its randomization thing. Elida Silverbarrow¡¯s armor has improved to Rank 5. This is the maximum rank for her armor at this time. Elida Silverbarrow¡¯s weapons have been improved to Rank 3. Khurr¡¯s armor has improved to Rank 1. Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s weapons have improved to Rank 2. Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s Stealth Field Generator has improved to Rank 1. Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor has improved to Rank 4. Elida and the drone were today¡¯s big winners. I took a look at all three of the improved minions to see what had changed. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer, Tier 1, Rank 2. Equipment:
  1. Armor, Rank 5. At this Rank, Elida¡¯s wears a steel breastplate over a set of leather armor. This armor is imbued with simple magical protections, reducing any damage taken by 5%.
  2. Weapons, Rank 3. Elida wields a wooden staff with steel caps on the ends. She also now has a leather sling to deal with ranged threats as well as the basic skills to use the weapon.
Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 7.
  1. Armor, Rank 1. At this rank, Khurr wears a padded jerkin that provides limited protection.
Mana Slayer Drone, Tier 2, Rank 1.
  1. Armor, Rank 4. At this rank, the Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor consists of overlapping composite plates that are effective against all types of physical attacks and resistant to any elemental damage. The plates will shift on the drone¡¯s body to reinforce areas that the drone deems critical. The armor includes a self-repair feature.
  2. Weapons, Rank 2. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands that can extend for up to twice their length to attack more distant opponents. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons. When needed, the mana drone can form simple weapons for the smaller arms to wield.
  3. Stealth Field Generator, Rank 1. At this rank, the stealth field generator may operate for up to two minutes per Tier. The field leaves behind a slight distortion which may be used by more observant foes to track your minion. Higher ranks will improve the generators¡¯ ability to conceal the minion, as well as block other forms of vision and scrying.
The upgrades were solid all around. My drone¡¯s stealth field would operate for longer, his main attack arms could reach further, and his armor¡¯s self-repair was now always active, even in combat. Khurr finally got some armor. It was a simple padded jerkin, but it was better than the dirty tunic the gnoll was wearing before. Elida had maxed out her armor ranking, which enchanted the steel breastplate and leather armor combo she was already using. Even better, her weapon upgrade consisted of a ranged weapon, the sling. I was reluctant, for obvious reasons, to send Elida into melee with her staff, but we could always use another ranged attacker, allowing her to contribute to the fight instead of waiting around for someone to heal. I was happy with the improvements, especially since they¡¯d all come from a single summoning. Granted, the train job was a longer summoning, but the number of tokens I was being given was improving. Last, but not least, was the experience token. None of the minions had ranked up from the last summoning, but a few were getting close again. I activated the minion experience token and waited for the results. Your minion Blieek has gained 15 experience. Blieek has reached Tier 0, Rank 2. Blieek has gained the ability, Charge. Nice, Blieek hit a new rank. In addition to the minion getting just a bit stronger, skilled, and more durable at each rank, he¡¯d also unlocked an ability. Pulling up his information, I checked out Blieek¡¯s Charge. Blieek, goblin spearman, Tier 0, Rank 2. Abilities:
  1. Charge. Blieek can charge up to 10 feet, quickly closing the distance with a foe, and granting him a 10% bonus to hit and damage for his next strike on that foe. Charge can be used 1/day.
All in all, it was a solid upgrade for me and my minions. Having sorted through all the new rewards, the right side of the rewards chest began to glow. I realized that I was still holding the Token Transformation Attachment. One side of the box in my hands was glowing as well. Placing the two glowy bits together, the attachment sealed itself to the reward chest. When I opened the chest, I now saw a prompt to activate token transformations. Ignoring it for the time being, I activated all the upgrades for the minions in my armory, something that had now become automatic for me whenever I finished with the reward chest. Now, the only thing left to do was to go home. Chapter 250. Takeaways. Chapter 250. Takeaways. I returned to where I had left off inside the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Center. I¡¯d been controlling my minions, using them as the opposing force for the platoon of soldiers to fight against. It took a moment to get my bearings when I heard Major Finley speaking to me. ¡°Rico, is everything okay? All your minions just disappeared. Do you need a break or something?¡± Finley asked. We were sitting in the command bunker watching the exercise unfold when I had been summoned. ¡°Yeah, that might be best, I was summoned and just came back,¡± I told the major. I hadn¡¯t considered that anything I had summoned here on Earth would disappear when I was pulled back into a summoning series. ¡°All right everyone, the exercise is over, regroup at the gym and we¡¯ll do a debrief. I think Rico¡¯s will have some interesting stories for us,¡± Finley said over the group comms channel. Gathering my bearings, I left the bunker with Major Finley and jumped into the SUV they used to cart me around on post with. ¡°I¡¯ll try to hold my questions until the platoon is gathered, but I must admit, I didn¡¯t see a thing when you were just summoned. All your minions disappeared, and I asked you if everything was okay. Only a few seconds passed here, how long were you gone? No, hold that, I want the whole platoon to hear,¡± Finley said, more animated than usual. Being summoned and coming back home was old hat to me now, but it must seem bizarre to these soldiers who only heard about the odd things going on and hadn¡¯t experienced them directly. I hoped that the work I was doing with them would help prepare the soldiers for integration. Maybe my efforts would save lives and keep things from spinning out of control. ¡°Find a seat everyone, Rico¡¯s going to give us a debrief. While you were hunting down his minions, Rico was summoned again. Rico, I¡¯ll record this to save you a second debrief with the feds later. We can just send them the video,¡± Finley said. They didn¡¯t have a dedicated tech guy here to work with us, but one of the soldier¡¯s was into that kind of stuff and got everything set up while the platoon sat on the gym bleachers and waited. ¡°Where do you want me to start?¡± I asked once the video recording was ready. ¡°Start at the beginning, when you were first summoned. I know you go to the personal space, but what happens there?¡± Finley asked. I described being pulled into a summoning, how it seems you float in nothingness for a bit until you suddenly appear standing in the personal space. For the most part, the soldiers sat there eating it up, until I mentioned the servants I now had in the personal space. Of course, one of the soldiers had to ask if the maids were hot, which caused Finley to signal one of the sergeants to slap the offending soldier in the helmet. ¡°How many different summonings did you go on, and how long were they?¡± one of the soldiers asked. ¡°Let¡¯s see, this time I had a total of six this time. Some were pretty short, but one was at least a weeklong ordeal, maybe a bit more. It was hard to tell, I was inside a dwarven mine,¡± I replied. ¡°Dwarven mine? How about a quick recap in order. What types of things did you fight, and what could you have done to improve your performance,¡± Finley asked. I was a bit self-conscious talking about my performance, finding that I didn¡¯t want the soldiers I¡¯d trained with to think I was a screw up. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s see. My first summoning was for some guy that was almost human, but not quite. The place was like being in a western mixed with magic, and I was summoned by him to, believe it or not, help him cheat at cards,¡± I said, pausing for the others to absorb what I¡¯d said. ¡°How¡¯d the summoning end, and what kind of booze did they have,¡± one of the soldier¡¯s asked, half joking about the booze. ¡°No booze for me, well, maybe one drink. I was a simple minion to that guy, and things were over quickly when I was caught cheating and had my head melted by a Searing Doom spell. I don¡¯t recommend it,¡± I replied.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So, no combat, and no other takeaways that might help us here on Earth after the integration?¡± Finley asked. ¡°Not that I can think of now, I¡¯ll write down a full report later, but it¡¯s good to recap for you now while it¡¯s a bit fresher in my mind. Ready for the second summoning?¡± I asked. ¡°Hold up, we know you were killed by spells, but what about other weapons. You mentioned it was like a western, did they guy who summoned you have a gun?¡± one of the sergeants, a short but stout man named Mendez, asked. I couldn¡¯t help but think that if the sergeant was kitted out in dwarven gear, he¡¯d pass for one of their miners. Despite his small stature and my enhanced stats, the man utterly destroyed me in combatives training. ¡°No guns or anything like that,¡± I replied. Finley motioned for me to go onto the next summoning. I explained the mansion and the contest where me and the other summoned beings had to survive and fight our way out. The soldiers gave me one of their Hooah¡¯s when I told them I¡¯d won the challenge. Next up was the dwarven mine summoning. It was a longer term contracted summoning, and I explained the details of what that meant. A few questions about the bugs were asked, and the other dwarves we¡¯d fought. There were more than a few looks of horror when I explained waiting for the bugs to come and eat me after the minion explosions. You wouldn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be thankful for a mine collapsing on you, but when the alternative was being slowly eaten alive by bugs, it was a much more pleasant end. My next summoning was to the dungeon. They¡¯d heard me talk about my previous experience defending a dungeon and even clearing two here on Earth, so this summoning was a bit more familiar for them. I answered questions on the mage, knight, and their fighting styles, and Major Finley took notes to incorporate both a simulated dungeon clear, and a defense into our training program. I had my new dungeon shard ability as well, and Finley asked if we should use it before I was summoned again, to give the team a look at a real dungeon room. While I was reluctant to use it for just a training session, I still had tons of consumable figurines to use here on Earth if we ran into something dangerous. The odds of me being attacked or having to defend myself had dropped drastically when we finally started working with the government and the other summoned being organizations. After the dungeon, I explained the next summoning by the merchant being attacked by the dire bear. I felt vindicated when a few of the soldier¡¯s began to curse the system at my performance rating of poor just because I had been late to the summoning because of the dungeon shard integration. ¡°My last summoning had something interesting happen. I got a look at a weapon resembling a gun turret,¡± I said, explaining the weapons the goblins had mounted on top of the train cars. Major Finley had me go over those several times and mentioned that they¡¯d need a full report with as much detail as possible. I¡¯d explained a similar weapon with the mech suits the gnomes used, and I figured they already had plans underway to make some kind of magic missile rifles or something along those lines. The goblin turrets were a bit more than just magic missile wands mounted on a mech, they were powered by the strange mana crystals and weren¡¯t just firing a spell from a wand. ¡°Thanks for the information, Rico. After this last summoning session, is there anything you want us to focus on to help you in the future?¡± Finley asked. ¡°I think we just keep doing what we¡¯re doing. Just from the short time we¡¯ve been working together, I learned enough to help keep that dungeon alive. Small unit tactics are great, and maybe we can see about getting some medieval and ancient weapon specialist to come at teach us,¡± I suggested. ¡°Work on that is already underway. From what I understand, command is in the process of vetting several individuals to work with the new teams were forming. On that note, we¡¯re going to have to share you with another team next month. Until then, we¡¯re going to get as much out of you as we can,¡± Finley said. ¡°Any idea who I¡¯ll be working with?¡± I asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not something command decided to share with me. Since we were so rudely interrupted earlier by your summoning session, why don¡¯t we restart the last exercise. The platoon against your summoned creatures in an urban environment,¡± Finley said. ¡°I¡¯m up for it, but I¡¯m not sure the troops are,¡± I said, spinning up the soldiers a bit. ¡°My minions have quite a few upgrades since the earlier skirmish. Did I mention the mana slayer drone has a grenade launcher now?¡± I taunted. ¡°This sounds like a good opportunity for a wager,¡± Sergeant Mendez suggested. ¡°What did you have in mind, Sergeant?¡± I asked. Finley just smiled, his silence letting us know he was cool with a friendly bet. ¡°Winner of the skirmish buys lunch for the next week,¡± Mendez offered. ¡°Is that fair? If I lose, I¡¯ve got to buy for the whole platoon, and if you lose, you just have to buy my lunch,¡± I complained. ¡°Dude, you¡¯re loaded, you can afford a whole lot more with all that magic gold and stuff you sell off. I¡¯ve got an E6 salary and three dependents to take care of,¡± Mendez countered. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Now, what kind of rules do we have for this little contest?¡± I replied. For a moment, I¡¯d forgotten I was now a millionaire. Being broke for so long, it was hard for me to get my head around it. That didn¡¯t mean I was going to let them win. My minions had improved, and I wanted to show them off a bit. If Finley agreed, I even had a few tricks in mind to simulate the bizarre environments they might find themselves fighting in once the integration occurred. Chapter 251. Arena Time. Chapter 251. Arena Time. We spent the rest of the day running the platoon through some more drills with the newly upgraded minions. It gave the troops a good chance to see how different creatures could improve with new ranks, and the dangerous abilities and skills they might unlock. A simple tier zero, rank zero goblin wasn¡¯t much, but give him a few ranks, gear him up, and add a simple ability and you had a deadly opponent. As for my own training, we did some more work on clearing rooms, and fighting in tight spaces. Several of my summonings had been to open areas and battlefields, but the majority were still inside tunnels, dungeons, or buildings. Which minion took point, and where to position the ranged fighters would change based on the battlefield conditions we faced. After an busy day of training, I returned home to Refuge, exhausted both mentally and physically. Being summoned and returned left you with a perfectly good body that was physically rested. The mental strain was another issue. After all I¡¯d experienced, a good night¡¯s sleep was just what I needed. Before I drifted off to sleep, I let Marie know I¡¯d had just finished another summoning series, and that I¡¯d update the database once I got some rest. It turned out that Agent Lopez had called that afternoon and wanted to meet with us in the next couple of days. One of the other summoned beings, a rank two seer, had brought back some new information from Somhagen and he wanted to go over it personally. The alarm on my phone woke me after what seemed like only a few seconds of rest. It was daytime and I groggily pulled myself out of bed to get ready for another day of training with the military. I¡¯d never spent a whole lot of time with people in the military before, but I found that I enjoyed the camaraderie they shared and felt that I could appreciate their often-dark sense of humor. Major Finley said that starting next week, another team would be joining us on the base along with my regular platoon. I¡¯d have over a hundred people looking to me for training on the coming integration. It was hard for me to break out of the mindset where I felt like I wasn¡¯t an expert and was just some imposter that they¡¯d discover before kicking me out. I had to keep reminding myself that not only was I one of the more experienced summoned beings, but I also had more combat experience than most of the soldiers I was working with. Granted, much of my experience wasn¡¯t in a true life or death situation, but I still felt the pain of my various deaths and had run into more than one instance where my life was truly on the line. We were halfway through the morning PT session when a prompt appeared in front of me. Your arena challenge is now active. You are Summoned! I was pulled, mid-pushup, back to my personal space. I¡¯d been home less than a day and would have liked to have more time on Earth before dealing with this again. Inside the personal space, Tzes¡¯zod was there, working away at his desk. Melvin also sent me a greeting from the training room. ¡°Back again, Rico, I didn¡¯t expect you back so soon. Is it time for another visit to Somhagen? If you¡¯re going, do you mind picking up a few things for me,¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked as I waved away the beverage from one of the attendants. ¡°I¡¯m going to Somhagen, but for an arena challenge. Unless they sell whatever it is that your looking for in that overpriced gift shop, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be much help. I should hit Somhagen for real in the not-too-distant future, what did you need?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s just a few odds and ends. If you¡¯re not going now, I¡¯ll leave my list with one of your attendants, along with payment for what I need. It shouldn¡¯t take too much time out of your visit, and to help compensate you for your time, I¡¯ve inscribed a few items for you,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, handing me three scrolls. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m glad to help, and I usually have more than a little bit of free time when I visit Somhagen. For now, I¡¯ve got to get ready and see what my arena challenge is going to be this time,¡± I replied.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I didn¡¯t have long, so I hit the armory first off, making sure all my gear was squared away. This time, I felt much better equipped and trained for whatever the system wanted to throw at me. A strong performance and the rewards that went with it were going to be important if I wanted to keep paying out for arena challenges. My class was a combat focused one, and if I wasn¡¯t forced into personal combat without my minions, I should fare pretty well. One thing that did seem odd was how long it had taken for this arena session to begin. I had kind of expected my last summoning session to be interrupted by it, but despite several long summonings, and the time I¡¯d spent at home, the arena had never called until now. Inside the armory, I looked at the scrolls Tzes¡¯zod had created for me. It was a skill he¡¯d never advertised before, and it made me even more curious what his true class was. He didn¡¯t seem inclined to share about his personal life or more information than was necessary, and I wasn¡¯t going to pester him and anger the powerful undead creature. For now, I was glad to see three new spells that might prove rather handy in the coming challenge. I added them to my loadout as I checked on the spells that the scrolls contained.
  1. Acidic Arrow Barrage, 15 mana. This scroll will unleash 6 acidic arrows that will fly unerringly toward the targets of your choice. Each arrow inflicts piercing damage, as well as injecting a highly caustic acid into the wound or on the surface of any object the arrow hits. The acid will corrode almost any material but will lose potency after 10 seconds have passed.
  2. Greater Leap, 10 mana. This scroll will allow the caster to leap up to 100 feet in any direction they choose. The caster will land gently at the end of their leap, though jumping straight up in the air may overcome this effect and cause fall damage.
  3. Call of the Warbringer, 25 mana. This scroll will greatly increase the strength, dexterity, constitution, and natural armor of the caster and any friendly allies within a radius of 25 yards. The effect will last for 5 minutes, and builds slowly over time, reaching full potency 30 seconds after casting.
It was a nice addition to my now depleted consumables and couldn¡¯t¡¯ have come at a better time. Melvin also decided to tag along as his gelatinous armor figurine. It would be good to have his help if this turned out to be a combat-oriented challenge, or just his company if it was something a bit less aggressive. I did one last check to see if I¡¯d missed anything. Confident that I was as ready to go as I could be, I headed for the door exiting my personal space. It had appeared as soon as I had been summoned here, and if things worked like they did with my last arena run, it would lead directly to a preparation area where I could use any upgrade certificates. As I opened the door, I felt a moments disorientation as I stepped through. It was almost like the feeling when I¡¯d first enter a summoning portal. I figured it was probably the same thing, just with the portal targeting the arena preparation area as my summoning destination. We were inside the main stone building surrounding the arena floor. An odd collection of participants was queuing up in a long, winding line that led up to several windows in what looked like an oversized ticket booth. There were probably over a hundred contestants in the queue, and more continued to join the line as others left the window and walked into a summoning portal behind the structure. The line moved quickly and when I reached the window, I was greeted by a young-looking elf clerk. ¡°Please state your name, class, tier, and rank please,¡± the elf said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline with the Foe Commander class. I¡¯m tier two, rank four,¡± I replied. ¡°Just a moment please. Do not resist the mana you will soon feel, it is merely confirming your identity and gathering basic information on your stats so the odds makers can properly categorize you,¡± the elf said. I did nothing as I felt a tingle of mana flicker over my entire body. ¡°Can you tell me what this arena challenge is going to entail?¡± I asked. The elf held up his hand for me to stop and from his glazed-over look, I figured he was working on some system prompts. ¡°Thank you for waiting, I can only give you the following information about this challenge. Per the system, each contestant will have the same information,¡± the elf said, apologetically. After clearing his throat, the elf launched into a canned spiel that the system must have forced him to recite. ¡°Welcome to the tier two arena challenge. Your group has been selected for a special session and will be joined together with several other groups. This is an extended arena event and will follow slightly different rules. All existing upgrade certificates will be automatically funneled into your starting area, where they will be converted into various advantages for you. I cannot give you any additional details and ask that you now step through the portal located behind the registration booth,¡± the elf said, gesturing toward the portal that everyone else had been going through. ¡°Well, thanks for that, I guess. See you around,¡± I said to the elf as I approached the portal, wondering what the system had in store for me. Chapter 252. Meet your Subjects. Chapter 252. Meet Your Subjects. I stepped through the portal and found myself on a grassy field. In the distance, a thick forest stood, and behind me was a tall mountain. At the base of the mountain, an ominous cave opening loomed. Looking for signs of civilization, I couldn¡¯t see anything, not even woodsmoke from a distant campfire. No wildlife called out, and it seemed far too quiet for such a lovely looking spot. A system prompt interrupted my inspection. Welcome summoned beings to the Tier 2 arena challenge. You will participate in a rarely seen contest, one that will have an extended duration, an enhanced number of competitors, and expanded rewards. In this contest you will guide and develop a small population of randomly selected beings. These system-generated beings will follow your orders as you build their civilization. The path you choose for your civilization is up to you. Many will choose the path of conquest, using military power to subjugate the people and threats around you. Others may choose a friendlier approach and develop strong ties through trade and peaceful cooperation. No matter which path you choose, threats will lurk inside the lands you are assigned to. Many of these threats cannot be handled by diplomacy, so all participants will need to flex their military might at some point during the challenge. In addition to the threats lurking inside your realm, outside challenges and opportunities will sometimes arise that you must deal with or exploit. Though this is intended to be a longer duration challenge, there are time limits to each stage of the challenge. After a brief acclimation period, there will be a total of 3 stages, with each stage being slightly longer in duration than the last. The total number of participants for this challenge is 5,000. Your performance will be ranked among your peers and will determine your final rewards at the end of the contest. The starting faction for your challenge will now be randomly assigned for each contestant. Your starting resources and the richness of the lands around you will vary based on the power of your starting species. Any arena upgrade certificates in your possession will also be consumed and used to improve your initial position through a variety of means. Please stand by as your starting species and faction is generated. After the faction generation is complete, you will have a short time to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of the challenge before the first stage begins. It seemed like there was a lot going on with this challenge, not to mention there were 5,000 participants. My last arena challenge only had about 1,000. I wondered just how many summoned beings there were in the universe if 5,000 of us could be pulled in just for a tier two arena challenge. The rewards would probably be amazing, but I¡¯d have to keep near the top of the heap to see a solid return on the investment of my entry fee. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, maybe a castle or village growing up around me? Nothing seemed to change, but a system prompt gave me a clue of where to look for my starting species. A tribe of cave-dwelling kobolds has been selected as your starting species. Primitive, cunning, and aggressive, your starting species awaits your guidance to grow them in the lands around you. A map of your territory, and the limits of your challenge area will be available inside your Command Cavern. From this Command Cavern you will direct your people. Locate the Command Cavern and begin your efforts. ¡°Command cavern, that means I¡¯ve got to go inside the creepy cave. Best not to do this alone,¡± I muttered to myself. To my surprise, Melvin gave a small feeling of agreement through the armor figurine. I summoned my mana slayer drone to watch over me as I next pulled out Melvin¡¯s armor figurine. Activating it, my armor began to glisten as a protective layer made of gelatinous cube began to flow over it. Once it was done flowing over my existing armor, the protective layer became clear and almost unnoticeable. At least it didn¡¯t remain slimy, the armor hardened into an almost rubber-like texture. I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ be leaving streaks of goo every time my armor bumped up against anything. Melvin had done a great job, and I was even happier to sense that he could still communicate with me while in this form. Once the rest of my minions were summoned, we headed toward the cave. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, were these kobolds supposed to be like my minions? I had no idea if I had to do something to win them over, or if there was anything else lurking in the cave. I heard a chittering screech of warning sound out when I entered the cave, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light after leaving the brightly lit field I had started in. All of my goblins and the drone had no trouble transitioning to the dark, but Elida, Khurr, and myself were unable to see for a moment.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. As my eyes adjusted, I could see there were at least a dozen diminutive kobolds scattered around the rather enormous cave. They were yipping and hissing their odd language among themselves. A few seconds later, the system began to translate for me. I ¡°Is he big leader man? Not dragon? He humie?¡± ¡°Hungry. What to eat. We eat goblin?¡± ¡°Sharp stick, need-find sharp stick to stab-kill intruders¡­¡± The kobolds continued to chatter among themselves, but now I could communicate with them. ¡°Everyone quiet!¡± I roared. The kobolds were stunned into silence as my voice boomed inside the cave. It was something I¡¯d learned from my time with the soldiers, the ability to project my voice across the battlefield. I figured it would be a good idea to start in a position of strength with these kobold things. ¡°I now rule here. Take me to the command cavern,¡± I demanded. The kobolds continued to just stand there and stare at me. ¡°Who do I need to kill to get you to follow my commands?¡± I growled. That seemed to do the trick. The kobolds began to hop and point deeper into the cave, waving me forward. This place was huge, and not as bland as some of the other caverns I¡¯d seen before on my journeys. As we walked deeper into the place, I could see a faint light given off by glowing moss on the walls, and the occasional opening in the rocks that let in some daylight. It wasn¡¯t as bright as the field outside, but the light was more than enough for me to see the extent of the cavern. A large section of cavern floor was fenced off with glowing mushroom stalks. Inside the fenced off area, more mushrooms grew in rows, a farm of sorts where four filthy kobolds worked at picking and digging around in the rich soil there. The kobolds themselves looked a bit scrawny. Their scales were dim, and they looked like they could all use a good meal or two. I¡¯d dealt with the species a time or two before. They were about the size of a halfling and resembled humanoid lizards to me. From what I¡¯d been told, they were somehow related to dragons, but I couldn¡¯t see any real dragon stooping low enough to claim them as part of the family. Further inside the cave was a handful of structures that looked to have been cobbled together from a combination of branches dragged from the forest outside, and more of the large mushroom stalks. These were probably the residences of the kobolds and just past this area was a rickety wooden shack, about as large as my bedroom back home. The kobolds began to point toward the shack, which had no actual door, only a filthy blanket draped over the doorway leading inside. My mana slayer drone led the way, pulling down the blanket with his claws and checking the interior before I entered. Waving that it was all clear, I stepped inside and was barraged with a series of system prompts as soon as I did so. You have claimed your Command Cavern. From here, you will direct your people as they go forth and do your bidding. Like the rest of your new domain, your Command Cavern will grow and evolve as your power over this region increases. This structure will also slowly generate resources for you to use, and as it improves, the flow of resources will increase. Based on your arena upgrade certificates, further improvements to your domain will now commence. There are four aspects to domain management, the infrastructure, defense, trade, and population tabs. All four can be accessed here inside your Command Cavern. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the interface created for this challenge. It seemed straightforward, a bit like one stage of my first arena run where I commanded the orc army against three other summoned beings. From the way the system had described things, it sounded that, unlike the previous arena run, I wouldn¡¯t be fighting directly against any of the other summoned beings this time. It was a PVE type of challenge. There was no computer console or anything inside my little headquarters, instead it was a completely empty, and rather filthy box that I was standing inside. Everything worked through my interface. I started with the first of the four domain management options, infrastructure. When I selected infrastructure, I got a map of the cavern I was currently in, the field where I had arrived, and the very edge of the forest, where I assumed the kobolds had done some scavenging for lumber. Most of the circular map was dark, ready to be explored by my forces. A slight glow on the cavern icon allowed me to select it and zoom in on this area. I could see my command cavern, which I was able to rename headquarters, which sounded better to me. Two other structures were highlighted in the area, and I pulled up each one in turn. Headquarters, Rank 0. This structure provides management of your domain. Further upgrades will allow more control and unlock a variety of benefits for your people. Mushroom Farm, Rank 0. This structure provides sustenance for your population. Your population growth will, in part, depend on your ability to farm, scavenge, or trade for food. As part of your arena upgrade certificate bonuses, this structure may be now upgraded to Rank 1. Housing Complex, Rank 0. This collection of crude structures provides housing for your people. The higher tier your accommodations, the more population you can support and the happier they will be to serve you. As part of your arena upgrade certificate bonuses, this structure may be upgraded to Rank 1. I had seen the mushroom farm and the housing on my way to the headquarters shack. They weren¡¯t that impressive, and I was glad I could at least upgrade them one rank before this whole thing kicked off. Before I could upgrade the two structures, a system prompt flashed red in my interface. Your subjects are under attack, organize a defense against this assault to prevent further casualties, and to build your reputation among your people. Current Faction Morale: Rebellious. Chapter 253. Rebellion. Chapter 253. Rebellion. This is the first time you have been attacked during this challenge. Your map will reveal where the attack is occurring, and if you focus on any of your minions in the area, you will be granted vision in a small radius around them. At least the system told me how to figure out where the attack was coming from. I pulled up the map linked to my headquarters and saw a flash of red inside the cavern, back at the edge of the explored area. There were no minions there currently, but I could see that two of my kobolds had been there and that they were now dead. The map represented the dead kobolds as a grey dot with an x through it. With no active kobold¡¯s around, I couldn¡¯t view the area directly. ¡°You, can you lead my minions to this area?¡± I demanded, pulling one of the kobolds lurking outside the headquarters inside to show them the map. Thankfully, the system allowed me to project the map onto the wall of the headquarters, making things easier. ¡°That where other kobolds live. The try to kill us or force to join them. We want to live here and go outside, they want to stay in cave,¡± the kobold said, shaking in fear as it looked around at all my minions surrounding it. ¡°Lead us there, quickly. I won¡¯t allow these rebels to harm our people,¡± I ordered, forming up my minions as we moved past my headquarters and deeper into the cavern. As we got close to where the red light was flashing on the map, I ordered my mana slayer drone to activate his Stealth Field Generator and lead the way. It was darker here, with no light from the entrance reaching this far into the cavern. At least it wasn¡¯t completely dark, and the glowing fungus on the walls allowed me to navigate without too much difficulty. Other than a few larger patches of glowing fungus, we were inside a rocky area with plenty of nooks and crannies in the walls and floor for someone the size of a kobold to hide. The drone stopped at an open spot near where a partially harvested patch of mushrooms was found. The soil here was torn up by signs of a struggle, and there were blood trails leading deeper into the cavern. Our guide chose this moment to flee back to the village, and rather than cause another casualty, I let him go. There would be time later to instill some steel into their spines, but for now, the frightened creature was only acting on its instincts. A bit further in, I heard several yipping kobold voices arguing, and saw the flickering light of a campfire. With the noise these kobolds were creating, my team was able to approach without being noticed. They must have had little fear of the other kobolds coming to retaliate against their attack, and given our guide¡¯s reaction, their lack of concern was probably justified. Unfortunately for them, me and my minions were now running things inside this cavern. ¡°Spread out a bit, everyone, we¡¯ll start with ranged fire, then move in after we¡¯ve softened them up,¡± I ordered to my team. Sitting around a small campfire made from burning mushroom stalks were nine kobolds. Unlike the ones in my village, these guys looked better fed, and seeing what was cooking on the fire, it was clear they were supplementing their fungus diet with some old-fashioned kobold cannibalism. The enemy was unarmored and carried sharpened wood sticks and crude stone daggers as weapons. Glurk, Khurr, and Elida with her new sling, made ready to fire. I also pulled my magic missile wand and picked a target. On my command we fired, and four of the feasting kobolds went down. Glurk was the fastest at reloading and had a second shot out before the enemy even had a chance to respond. With over half their number down, one kobold shrieked out a pathetic war cry and charged. The other three survivors fell to the ground and covered their heads like kids trying to hide from the boogeyman. My mana slayer drone dropped from stealth right in front of the charging kobold and carved him up with little trouble. That left me with only the three cowering enemies. ¡°You three, did you use to be part of the tribe?¡± I asked. ¡°No kill, please, no kill,¡± one of them whimpered. ¡°Answer my question or die,¡± I commanded. ¡°We part of tribe, no want to starve, so leave and eat what we can,¡± one of the kobolds replied.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be working out too well for you if you need to eat your former tribe to survive. Now that I¡¯m in charge, I¡¯ll solve the food issues for our village. Do you want to return to the tribe? If you do, you¡¯ll have to work hard, but we¡¯ll see that you¡¯re fed enough,¡± I asked. ¡°You would bring us back to tribe? You let them kill us for you?¡± the kobold asked, finally uncovering his head to look at me directly. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to help us build the tribe, not for revenge. There¡¯s too much to do and not enough hands to do it. If you work, you¡¯ll live,¡± I promised. ¡°I go with you, if you promise no kill,¡± the kobold said, standing and looking at his two companions. After the newly recruited kobold dished out a few kicks and slaps, he managed to get the other two joined up. I had the goblins escort the trio, just to make sure there were no shenanigans on our walk back to the village. As we made it back to the headquarters, a system prompt appeared. You have quelled the nascent rebellion among the kobolds. Your people¡¯s morale has improved from Rebellious to Moderately Hostile. You have brought back some of the rebels and allowed them to rejoin the tribe, this was not looked upon favorably by a majority of your tribe. Your people¡¯s morale has changed from Moderately Hostile, to Rebellious. Improve your village and give your tribe purpose to improve their morale. If morale remains hostile for too long, a new rebellion will occur, drastically reducing your available population. The system controls seemed to kick in and I didn¡¯t have to give the former rebels any orders, they just joined in with the other kobolds. Nobody tried to shank their former enemy, but I had to get cracking if I wanted to prevent another rebellion. First off, I needed to finish figuring out my headquarters. Linking back up with the interface inside the headquarters, I resumed where I¡¯d left off inside the infrastructure tab. Both the mushroom farm and the housing complex had an upgrade available. I had to confirm my desire to activate both upgrades and heard some surprised chittering from the kobolds as things started to change. The fence around the mushroom farm extended about twenty feet on one side. Fresh, rich soil appeared, and new clusters of mushrooms began to grow at a rapid pace. Two more of the kobolds milling about, including one of the former rebels, joined the four mushroom farmers to help with the harvest. The handful of rickety huts that constituted our housing complex expanded as well. They were still ramshackle affairs but would fit more kobolds inside when it was time for them to sleep. With the upgrades completed, the system confirmed that I¡¯d done something to help the morale situation. Your expansion of food production and housing has improved the morale of your tribe. They are now Moderately Hostile. Continue to build and improve your empire in order to improve the morale of your people. Typically, all your newly created structures will start at rank 0, with the upgrade granted by your arena certificates, all newly created mushroom farms and housing complexes will start at the current rank of your headquarters. It was nice to see my kobold empire was only moderately angry with me. Oh well, that would change as we built this place into something more than it currently was. Next up was the defense tab, and it was pretty sad. Defenses. Fixed defenses: None. Warriors: None. Militia: None. Create a barracks to begin training your population for war. I had more building to do, but the build new structures tab was locked, and I got a system message to complete the tutorial before I could begin to add or upgrade any additional structures. Trade: None. Another thing that waited for my intervention. I wasn¡¯t sure who or what we were going to trade with, and at some point. I¡¯d have to decide whether we wanted to focus on conquest or growing relationships through trade. Knowing most summoned beings, they would opt for going aggressive and fighting anything in their path. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t appear that there was any PVP element to our challenge. What the others did shouldn¡¯t affect me directly. The final tab was population, and it gave me an exact count of how many kobolds lived under my mostly benevolent rule. Population. Kobolds: 27. I had 27 subjects, but I only counted 19 inside the cavern. The others must be out scavenging in the forest or something. Using the map, I found an option to show existing subjects. Green dots began to appear, and as I suspected, there were eight kobolds grouped together out in the forest. Shifting my view over to one of the kobolds in the forest, I could see that a strong work ethic wasn¡¯t something that had been instilled into my people. Two of the kobolds were half-heartedly picking up fallen branches to haul back to the cavern, and the rest were just lazing about, doing nothing to contribute to our mutual success. You can now choose where the resources your people gather are spent. In order to build a sustainable economy, you should spend your resources on building a variety of structures for your starting village. It was time get this village to grow, and for me to decide just how I wanted to play this arena run. Do I go aggressive and make my kobold nation into one of conquest and destruction, or do I go with gathering great wealth through trade and alliances with the other factions that I¡¯m sure were lurking in this land? Chapter 254. Construction Zone. Chapter 254. Construction Zone. Finally, I was able to open the build structures tab. The selection was limited, and there were a few indistinct, greyed out icons showed there was more to unlock in the future. As it stood now, I had a few things to start with. Available Structures:
  1. Mushroom Farm.
  2. Housing Complex.
  3. Barracks.
  4. Crafting Station.
  5. Fortifications.
Playing around with the interface, I found that I could assign a percentage of our resources to several projects at the same time. From what the system had suggested, I needed to try and get a bit of everything built and see where that led me. To start with I chose to build the three structures I didn¡¯t currently have. Once selected, the system required that I choose a place inside of the cavern to build my structures. For the crafting station, I placed it further in the cavern, back near the far wall where the kobold rebels had been lurking. I wanted to leave quite a bit of open space around the existing farm and housing areas for future expansion. As far as the barracks, it was placed next to the headquarters. If I needed help or assassins tried to hit me inside the headquarters, I wanted my troops nearby. There was also only one spot I could currently select for fortifications, the area around the cavern entrance. Once I¡¯d made my selections, I distributed the resources equally among all three projects to get a feel for how quickly each structure would be completed. You may now see your current resources as well as all resource gathering efforts. Some starting resources have been placed in your reserve, as well as additional resources as part of your compensation for arena certificates. When I concentrated on resources, I could see the image of what looked like a storage silo. Just over half of the silo was filled, and I could see a small trickle flow from my headquarters and into the silo. In addition, a thin trickle of resources moved from the forest to the silo, but it was only like a drop every minute or so. Not surprising given my lumber gathering kobolds¡¯ lack of any type of work ethic. The farm also had a resource link, but when I focused on the link, I was informed that farming would only supply resources after the needs of the tribe were met. I¡¯d have to expand the mushroom fields or add a new one if I wanted them to become a resource generator for me. Already, from having my farm automatically upgraded to rank one, I could see my kobolds looked a bit less scrawny. They were still rather hungry looking, so I added a second mushroom farm to the queue, placed right next to the first one. Once I confirmed my choices, the existing resources inside the silo flowed to where the buildings would be constructed. The supply of resources drained quickly with four buildings under construction at the same time. It was a race to see if my resources would dry up before the construction was completed. Watching the buildings, it seemed like they were coming together at a rapid pace. At each building site, a small, smoke-like haze was found covering the area. It was a barrier preventing any of my existing population from entering. There would be no sending in kobold workers to increase construction time, but at the rate these structures were building, I doubted that my kobolds could make much of a difference. A noticed dinged in my interface, and I could see that the first structure was completed. It was the defenses around the entrance. At the cave mouth, a palisade made of mushroom stalks had been constructed, with a gap in the wall wide enough for a wagon to fit through. There was no gate at rank zero, just a spiked barricade that the kobolds could move into place. It wouldn¡¯t hold back a determined attacker, but it would serve to funnel them into a single entry point where my troops, once I had some, could negate any numerical advantage the enemy might have. Next to be completed was the second mushroom farm. Just like the system had explained, this farm was already rank one and had the same larger footprint as the original one. The other two buildings, the barracks, and the crafting stations were close to completion when the supply reserves ran out. Like a car slamming on the brakes, production slowed to a crawl, powered only by the trickle of resources generated by the headquarters and the slackers out in the forest.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I couldn¡¯t find anything in the headquarters options to make my kobolds work harder, and I was considering sending my minions out to harvest lumber when I noticed a new trickle of resources coming in from the second farm. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was more than the logging operation was bringing in. In addition to the extra resources, my kobolds no longer looked scrawny. They were still a diminutive race and not all that muscular to begin with, but I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any penalties due to them being malnourished. If I expanded the farms further, maybe it would help stimulate population growth, or maybe grant my workers a buff of some sort. To my delight, the forest gatherers began to step up their game as the food situation worked itself out. They were still mostly slackers, but now half of them were actively working at any one time. The flow of resources from their efforts was still negligible, but every little bit helped. After maybe an hour, the other two buildings were completed. The system gave a breakdown of each as I looked them over. The barracks turned out to just be large tent, with a rather burly looking kobold standing outside. He was holding a simple wooden spear with a stone tip and wore a camouflaged tunic. The kobold must have been their version of a Drill Sergeant, and he began to shout for new recruits to join up, but only a few of my kobolds were responding. The crafting stations were a series of three tables with various tools strewn about them. My shop teacher in High School would have had a fit at the way the tools were being neglected, but that seemed par for the course with these kobolds. A forge and anvil were placed by one crafting table, and a stinking vat of something foul was bubbling away next to several animal hides at another. The final table had blueprints for various things haphazardly placed upon it. It wasn¡¯t long before one of the kobolds wandered over to the stations and began to mess around at the forge. Instead of waiting to see what he would do, I checked in with the system information on my structures. Barracks, Rank 0. This simple tent houses a veteran Kobold warrior who will begin to train a portion of your population for war. The percentage of kobolds that choose to take up fighting as a profession will depend on the civilization focus that you choose for your people. It does take time to train a warrior, but once trained, they will be organized into squads and you may command them to defend or attack a specific location, or begin to patrol an area. Crafting Station, Rank 0. The crafting station allows your people to learn new skills and create items to improve their way of life. In addition to improving your farming, construction, and military equipment, crafters may occasionally unlock new discoveries that will improve your civilization¡¯s chances of survival. I wasn¡¯t going to have a huge army anytime soon but having a few kobolds with sharp sticks was better than what I had now. One thing I was going to have fun doing was watching my crafters work. They would eventually be creating all the gear for my troops, as well as doing upgrades for my other structures. That could really make a difference over time. The rank of a structure was the main determining factor on how effective it was, but it seemed that there was always at least a small chance that my minions would discover something new and unique to my faction. Whatever they discovered might give us an edge that the other contestants might not enjoy. From the laughable efforts of the trio of kobolds now attracted to the crafting stations, I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath on any world changing breakthroughs anytime soon. After the first kobold recruit entered the barracks tent, the kobold drill sergeant walked inside and began shouting at him. A few minutes later, the first recruit had been trained, and emerged from the tent with a look of confidence. He was still dressed only in the dirty tunic all my other kobolds wore, but he at least held a wooden spear with a stone tip similar to the one the drill sergeant carried. The spear was held in a way that told me the kobold now knew the basics of how to use it but was nowhere near an expert on the weapon. When I selected the barracks tent, I could see three other kobolds being trained inside, each had a bar over its head that filled up as they progressed through their training. I was also prompted about where I wanted them stationed. For now, I selected to have all the kobolds join the same unit and have them patrol the entire cavern. Later, when I had more soldiers to work with, I¡¯d have a dedicated unit standing at the cavern entrance. There would also need to be patrols guarding the lumberjacks and any other foraging operations. I would also need some way for my people to start exploring the map. Whether that would be through my kobold soldiers, my minions, or some other method, I had no idea. It seemed that with the last structure built, the system decided it was time for the training wheels to come off. Your tutorial session is now complete. The first stage of the challenge, is now active. This first stage will last for 30 days. Build up your power during the next 30 days so you can weather the greater challenges that await. Chapter 255. Time to Explore. Chapter 255. Time to Explore. Seeing that the tutorial had completed made me a little nervous. I sort of expected a horde of enemies to come pouring out of the woodwork, but several minutes into the official first stage of this challenge, nothing really happened. Resources were still trickling in, and I finally got a look at how my population would increase. Near the housing complex, I noticed a new feature. A small nest was placed outside of each hut. Near three of the huts, the nests held a huge egg. As I watched, the eggs grew in size, and about five minutes later, hatched into a new kobold citizen for my growing empire. After the three eggs hatched, my population was up to 30. The new kobolds were odd, they hatched adult sized and were already clothed in the dirty tunic that each of the workers wore. I was pretty sure that¡¯s not the way it normally happened with kobold reproduction, and there must have been some system shenanigans going on to keep the challenge flowing at a better pace. About the only downside to more population was that the flow of resources from the mushroom farms dropped to almost nothing. I needed to decide on what to build next with my growing empire. More population was going to be needed no matter which way we decided to do things. To make that happen, I selected a third mushroom farm and a second housing complex. They would take a while to construct, given my limited resource flow. While I waited, it was time to explore. Since the kobolds didn¡¯t seem interested in exploring, it would be up to my minions to do so. I kind of wanted to head out there as well, but the only way I could access all the information for my empire was inside the headquarters. If a threat showed up nearby, I could jump out to help fight. For now, I needed to keep my hands on the wheel of civilization growth, or we¡¯d fall too far behind. I wasn¡¯t sure what my minions would find, but I needed the information and if I lost a minion or two in the process, this challenge was going to be long enough that I could eventually resummon them back into the fight. ¡°I want everyone except for Blieek and the drone to head out. Stay as a group and scout the area around the cavern. If you find something, try to stay hidden and wait for further orders. I¡¯ll send Blieek out to you with new instructions on where to explore, or to bring you back if something happens here,¡± I ordered to the team. With the still somewhat hostile kobolds under my reign, I wanted my heavy hitter, the mana slayer drone, to stay nearby and remind the kobolds who was boss. Blieek would make a good runner to pass orders to my minions, though I hoped that the system would allow me some other method of communication with my team. From the kobolds I¡¯d fought with, it seemed that even my lowest tier and rank minion was considerably more powerful. I watched the headquarters post map as my team began their sweep. It was like one of those strategy games with a fog of war that kept everything hidden until your units explored there. They began working around the unknown area, starting with what was outside my cavern entrance. The entrance opened up to the west, which was also where we had explored the edge of the forest. Our cavern was at the base of a small mountain, which seemed to be impassable. As my minions skirted around the edges of the mountain, the terrain changed to hard scrabble rock with patches of dry brush here and there. It was at this spot where they ran into trouble. A pack of wolves, six in all, came charging out of the brush. Khurr yipped a warning before firing off his hand crossbow at the lead wolf, dropping it with a lucky hit to the eye. The goblin archer, Glurk, followed with his shot a second later, killing another of the wolves. I had almost forgotten that Elida had a ranged weapon now but was reminded when a stone from her sling slammed another wolf in the nose, causing it to stop and shake his head in pain. That left two wolves dead, and one falling behind the rest of the pack when they hit our melee fighters. Glem and Glamb met the charge, with Khurr taking on the third. Glurk and Elida fired off another shot at the straggler, taking him down while the others engaged in melee. Glem¡¯s long spear was the perfect weapon in this fight, and he impaled the wolf charging toward him. Glamb had similar success with his masterwork chopping blades. The blades looked like an odd combination of meat cleaver and shortsword, but the goblin wielded them with some skill. Both blades dug deep into the wolf¡¯s neck, but the large animal did manage to snap at the goblin¡¯s left wrist, causing him to drop a blade.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The light enchantments on the goblin armor prevented the bite from doing any real damage, and the wolf facing Glamb was quickly bleeding out. Khurr was having a harder time, unable to reload his crossbow, the gnoll had opted to draw his shortsword and was stabbing at the wolf in front of him. The wolf nipped at the gnoll, eventually grabbing onto his ankle and flipping the gnoll over. With a prone victim in front of him, the wolf dug into Khurr¡¯s stomach, tearing through his padded jerking with little trouble. Glurk came to the rescue, skewering the wolf with a well-placed arrow while Elida cast Healing Burst to close the wounds Khurr had suffered. Another arrow ended the wolf, and the skirmish was over. Elida burned a second Healing Burst to fully repair the damage to Khurr. Glamb didn¡¯t need healing, but I suspected his wrist would be sore for a bit from the pressure of the wolf bite. They were in no rush, so the team stopped while Elida used Channel Mana to recover one of her spell slots. While they were getting ready to continue their exploration, a system prompt appeared. Forces under your control have defeated a threat within your territory. Dealing with these threats can benefit your civilization in two ways. First, reducing the number of threats in the territory can have a positive influence on morale. Second, the defeated threats will often leave behind resources that your workers can gather. A new option has opened in your headquarters, the ability to assign work teams to different tasks. Send a team to gather the bodies of the wolves which will be converted into resources for your faction. Side quest issued. Completely harvest the remains of your first skirmish with a native threat. Reward: Ability to upgrade structures to Rank 1. Nice, I had a way to upgrade my structures to a higher rank. Other than the upgrades to rank one from the arena certificates, the system really hadn¡¯t explained the structure progression yet. It also spurred me to continue exploration, the quests for further upgrades were out there waiting for me. I could now see under the population tab that there was a list of work teams under my command. The tab was set to automatic, and there was currently one work team unassigned. I guessed those were the loafers just wandering about inside the cavern who hadn¡¯t taken up a profession or reported for military training. Four other work teams were already assigned to tasks, one for each farm, one for the crafting station, and the one lazily gathering lumber in the forest. I assigned the available work team to gather the wolf remains. As soon as I gave the orders, they began to walk out of the cavern and toward the fallen wolves. They had the same slow and lazy pace as the wood gatherers, and I hoped the wolves wouldn¡¯t start to rot before they managed to harvest everything. Maybe, when the morale ranking improved, they¡¯d get more pep in their step, but for now, I¡¯d have to deal with their slow and sloppy work rate. My team continued to explore the mountain that our cavern was nestled under. The mountain wasn¡¯t all that large, and they had made good progress over the last hour. During that hour, they cleared out another pack of wolves, which the system finally identified for me as Tier 1, rank 0 Mountain Wolves. During that time, the third farm was completed. I had placed it near the others, and I had a long line of three farms now. The problem was that I didn¡¯t have enough workers to manage three farms, a problem I hoped would be rectified when the second housing complex was finished. That structure was almost done, and despite having equal resource flows assigned to both, the farm was the quicker to build of the two. I waited to see what would happen with a new farm and no available team of workers. Instead of one farm being abandoned, the workers divided themselves up as best they could among the three farms. Each was operating at a lower efficiency, but they were still generating enough food for the population and providing a small stream of resources for our next building project. The workers assigned to gathering wolf corpses also contributed resources, which matched what the workers in the forest were accomplishing. A bit later, the second housing complex was finished, another five of the large huts appeared near the others. For now, I¡¯d try to keep each group of similar buildings near each other to reduce any confusion when I was looking over the village. Near each of the new huts, a pair of eggs began to grow, and I was feeling confident that we¡¯d have ten new kobolds added to our population before long. My team had also cleared the eastern portion of the mountain and were heading southwest when a new system prompt appeared. You have encountered a new faction inside your zone, the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes. Do you wish to open hostilities with them or attempt peaceful contact? My team hunkered down behind a rise in the ground, and in the distance, I could see several of the gnomes moving in and out of a cave mouth like the one my tribe used. The figures were very different from the gnomes I had known before. There were no garish outfits, wild haircuts, or complex tools seen among them. The gnomes wore the same ragged clothing as my kobolds and seemed to be unarmed. I was watching what must have been the gnomish equivalent of my kobold logging team. They were just about as lazy as my workers, and the group numbered fewer than ten. There were probably plenty more of them inside the cave, and I had a feeling the system would make the first organized faction we encountered similar in power to my own faction. With my minions, I was confident we could win a war between our tribes, but was that the best option? Now was the time to decide how I wanted to handle this first contact. Their cavern might be one we could expand into, and there might also be stockpiled resources for us to pilfer if we wiped them out. On the other hand, if they could be brought onboard as allies, maybe we could trade and both benefit from the cooperation and not waste valuable resources and time fighting against each other. Chapter 256. War or Trade? Chapter 256. War or Trade? If I wanted to go aggressive, I should probably start by having my minions thin out the enemy numbers. With fewer than ten of the rock gnomes working outside, my team, even without the mana slayer drone, should have no trouble defeating them before reinforcements arrived. The perfect opportunity for a first strike was presenting itself, and maybe this was the system¡¯s way of goading me in that direction. Given that I wasn¡¯t sure how to open any kind of negotiations, I supposed that attacking the gnomes was the best option. I sure wasn¡¯t going to leave my headquarters and walk over there, ignoring the rest of my kingdom building activities to talk to a bunch of system generated gnomes. Khurr crept closer to the gnomes, while the goblins and Elida in their shiny armor kept out of sight behind a pair of rocks. I was about to order them to attack when the gnomes working outside began shrieking and running toward the cave entrance. It looked like my team had been spotted and the gnomes were fleeing. Reinforcements were likely already on the way, and my people were going to have to pull back if they didn¡¯t want to be overrun by the entire cave full of gnomes. As Khurr moved back to join the others, movement was spotted at the edge of the forest, which grew much closer to the gnome cave entrance than it did in front of my kobold kingdom. Wolves, like the packs my team had defeated earlier, stormed from the forest, making a beeline for the retreating gnomes. It wasn¡¯t just five or six of the beasts this time around, it was a huge pack that seemed to endlessly stream from the forest. Leading the pack was an alpha wolf, nearly double the size of the others. The alpha was carrying a screaming gnome in its huge jaws. As I watched, the wolf bit down and split the gnome, who must have been one of their scouts, in two. Instead of stopping to enjoy his meal, the alpha ran down the fleeing gnomes, quickly tearing apart the one lagging the furthest behind. The last of the wolves emerged from the forest and I finally got an accurate count of their numbers. There was a total of 21 wolves, counting the alpha. I suppose my thoughts of them being an endless stream were a bit exaggerated, but given the relative weakness of the gnomes, a pack this large would probably devour them all. If the wolves killed off the gnomes, would they grow stronger, somehow absorbing the resources and expanding the pack? I had a hunch that the system would do something like that. If the gnomes didn¡¯t somehow manage to thin out the pack now, it would likely be on my doorstep tomorrow. Not only would it be on my doorstep, but the pack would also probably be even larger after feasting on the gnomes. If I fought the wolves now, while they were also engaged with the gnomes, I could put an end to the threat immediately. In addition, maybe this would unlock a way to negotiate with the gnomes. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to help the gnomes after all,¡± I said to myself with a hint of disappointment over having to change my plans. Ordering my team to attack the wolves from the rear, I watched the battle unfold. Thankfully, I had a perfect view of the action from my headquarters, and even better, I could communicate with my minions like I was standing right there with them. Unlike my cave opening, with its rickety barricade, the gnomes had no fixed defenses in place. The lack of defenses gave them a wide area to defend, but I could already see a dozen gnomes standing by to repel the assault, and more were arriving by the second. They were all armed with simple weapons, wooden sticks sharpened to a point, large rocks, or makeshift clubs of firewood. Just before the lead wolves arrived, a half-dozen better equipped gnomes showed up. These had real spears, albeit with simple stone spearheads, and looked like they knew how to use the weapons. Reinforced with the retreating gnomes, the two sides had parity in numbers, but were not even close in quality. The wolves ripped into the thin line of gnomes, tearing apart several. Unfortunately for the wolves, they had no formation, and were strung out based on how fast each individual wolf had been. When they hit, and each wolf seemed intent on making a kill or stealing the kill from a fellow, rather than work together to bring down prey. This allowed the gnomes to gang up on a few of the wolves and inflict some casualties of their own. More gnomes were streaming to the defensive line from further inside the cavern, but if they were about as numerous as my kobolds, there weren¡¯t many more reinforcements to be had. With the fight at the cavemouth drawing all the belligerent¡¯s attention, my team was able to sneak into range of the fight and begin to pepper with wolves with arrows, hand crossbow bolts, and sling stones.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. One by one the wolves fell to our attacks. A few were just wounded by the strikes, often turning to charge down the hill at my minions, which made them the focus of all our ranged attacks, killing them off long before they could get into melee range. With some of the pressure on the gnomes relived, they were able to group up and provide a better defense against the wolves. Casualties mounted, and the leader of the gnomes finally made an appearance. This system-controlled faction didn¡¯t have another summoned being to lead them, so it added a rather well decked out rock gnome instead. Their leader entered view as he charged from the depths of the cave and smashed the head of the alpha wolf with a large hammer. The strike wasn¡¯t enough to kill the oversized beast, who snapped back and snatched up the gnome leader in his jaws. I ordered my minions to focus their fire on the alpha, trying to bring down the largest threat. I was shocked to see the gnome leader wasn¡¯t bitten in half; he was wearing what looked like armor made entirely of stone. Teeth cracked as the wolf bit down, but the alpha was powerful and hurled the gnome leader deeper into the cave and out of sight. A rain of arrows, stones, and crossbow bolts began to pepper the alpha, who howled and charged down the hill toward my minions. His howl brought a couple of the regular wolves along with him as Glem and Glamb prepared to meet the charge. After firing one last shot from his hand crossbow, Khurr drew his shortsword and moved to support the two melee goblins. Elida surprised me by using an offensive spell. Burst of Light popped into being right in front of the alpha wolf¡¯s face, causing it to stumble and shake its head. The two regular wolves pulled into the lead, one skewered easily by Glem, and the other colliding with Glamb in a ball of blades and teeth as the two chopped and bit at each other. Khurr came to the rescue and began to stab Glamb¡¯s attacker. It was too late for my dual wielding goblin, who burst into mana vapor, but Khurr¡¯s attacks were able to finish off the wolf. The alpha wolf quickly shook off the blinding effects of Elida¡¯s spell, and then, it seemed to have a change of heart as it howled at the pack and ran toward the forest. Glurk never stopped his attacks on the alpha, and his next arrow managed to kill the alpha just before it escaped out of range. With the fight turning against them, and the howl of their deceased alpha ordering them to flee, the remaining pack members ran off in a panic. My minions picked off a few more, but at least five or six managed to make it to the safety of the nearby forest. The threat of a giant pack was over for now. A quiet hush reigned over the battlefield as the gnomes looked warily at my surviving forces. The gnome leader, limping from the injuries sustained in his fight against the alpha, shouted down to my minions, causing a series of system prompts to appear. You have encountered a significant threat and eliminated it. A resource bonus has been split between both participating factions. The leader of the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes has initiated negotiations between your people and has offered a temporary truce between your peoples. Should you agree to this truce, neither side will be able to take any offensive action against the other for a period of 48-hours. If this truce is violated, a penalty will be assessed. Do you agree to this temporary truce? Y/N. I had to think this over. The gnomes were weakened, but I was down a minion. There was a good chance I could best the remaining gnomes and wipe them out, but it might also be good to see how the system planned to handle diplomacy between the factions inside my challenge domain. You have agreed to a temporary truce. A new tab has opened in the trade interface at your headquarters. A small bonus to resources has been added to your reserves for opening diplomatic relations with a new faction. Nice, I ordered my team to continue their patrol, leaving the gnomes in peace, at least for the next 48-hours. It was probably for the best, discovering what else was out there was likely more important at this time than a war with the gnomes. With the resources I¡¯d just gained, my newest farm and housing complex would be completed momentarily. Between all the bonuses, the resource reserve was now almost a third full, but depleting rapidly as they funded the ongoing construction efforts. While I waited for the structures to complete, I checked out the trade tab, which had changed from just trade to now read trade and diplomacy. Trade and Diplomacy. Current trading partners: None. Current Diplomatic Status.
  1. Gurtzam Rock Gnome Tribe. Temporary truce.
The tab for the gnome tribe was greyed out, and when I tried to access it, I got a system message. Occasionally, you may attempt to further diplomatic relations, or attempt to open trade negotiations with a discovered faction. Currently, this faction is unwilling to accept further diplomatic negotiations. I sort of figured that wouldn¡¯t be open to further discussions given how the gnomes had lost a good chunk of their population fighting off the wolves. They would likely need time to recover if they didn¡¯t want to negotiate from a position of weakness. It looked like the first encounter with one of the system-controlled factions in my challenge had gone about as well as I could have hoped. We had a tentative peace, and I was pretty sure that if the gnomes wanted to start something, we¡¯d be able to beat them. Given that the system had granted resources just for opening diplomatic relationships, it looked like going on a killing spree wasn¡¯t the only option going forward. Chapter 257. New Construction, New Trouble. Chapter 257. New Construction, New Trouble. My team that was out exploring, minus Glamb who had been killed, left the area around the gnomish cave and continued their mission. Leaving the headquarters interface, I pulled my internal status to see that Glamb was regenerating and I¡¯d be able to summon him before too long. The system hadn¡¯t specifically excluded my minions respawning inside the challenge, but you never knew all the details when you started one of these arena deals. While the exploration team finished their loop around the mountain, I opened the system notices about the structures I¡¯d completed. I now had my third farm and second housing complex up and running. Your newly constructed farm has been upgraded to Rank 1. You have reached the maximum number of farming plots based on your headquarters rank. Your newly constructed housing complex has been upgraded to Rank 1. To upgrade your headquarters, continue to construct new structures and improve your existing ones. Well, it looked like I had finally hit a cap and needed to build whatever I still could if I wanted to upgrade my headquarters. From the way things looked, when I did upgrade my headquarters, my farms and housing structures would automatically upgrade by one tier due to the arena certificates I had cashed in. All my other buildings would still have to be upgraded manually, but having two types of structures automatically improve was going to save a lot of time and resources. Back at the new housing complex, ten eggs had hatched, two from each of the little huts. The newly hatched workers began to move about the cavern. They filled out any work teams that were short of workers, and some even headed for the barracks to be trained as soldiers for our fledgling army. A second set of ten eggs appeared at the huts a moment later, slowly growing additional kobolds for my empire. It looked like each housing complex would provide around thirty kobolds at rank one. Either the number of kobold workers would expand as the homes reached a higher rank, or maybe the workers would improve. Having workers that weren¡¯t so lazy would probably be just as good for productivity as having more of them. For now, all I had were numbers, and I added another housing complex to the construction queue. With all three farms having the necessary workers tilling the fields there, it looked like food for a third housing complex wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Quite a nice stream of resources was flowing from the three farms. With a third housing complex, I had to figure most of it would be used up to feed the expanded population. Jumping back into the headquarters interface, I tried to see what I might be missing as far as what I needed to build to bump our headquarters a rank. A bit more detail had filled in since the new buildings were constructed, and several build sites were marked out and reserved for specific building types. A fourth farm would fit near the one I had just constructed, but after that, we¡¯d hit the wall of the cavern and run out of room. I knew I had reached my cap in total farms, and when I tried to interact with the final farming plot, a system prompt appeared. As you build and expand your domain, you will find that there are restrictions on the placement of some structure types. Farms must be placed near each other, or you will face reduced efficiency in their production since workers cannot shift from one farm to another easily during harvest. Other options for food production may become available as you rise in rank and upgrade your structures. The same is true for your kobold housing. A tribal and close-knit species, the kobolds like to have their homes near each other for a sense of safety. Choosing to build a housing complex far apart from the others may be detrimental to morale. Other options for housing may become available as you rise in rank and upgrade your structures. Okay, so I had to keep the farms and houses near each other. Checking on my other structures, I didn¡¯t get any additional system prompts warning about restrictions. It might be because I had no additional plots showing yet for those structures and I¡¯d just have to wait until I could build up my headquarters again. Since I already had at least one of each type of structure, I hoped that the third housing complex I had under construction would be enough to unlock the headquarters upgrade. For now, I was done with construction, but with the second batch of eggs about to hatch, I¡¯d run into another problem. Where was I going to assign the new workers that would soon arrive?If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. All my farms, and the work teams out harvesting lumber and the wolf remains were full. The simple crafting station also seemed like it was its worker capacity. Maybe my minions out exploring would turn up something for my new workers to do. I couldn¡¯t have anybody lazing about if I wanted to score well on this challenge. Checking in on my minions, they had just completed their trek around the mountain. It looked like our mountain was just a single, tall and rocky peak in the center of a forest, more of a large hill than a true mountain. In front of my cavern entrance was the grassy field where I had been summoned into the challenge. It gave us just under 200 yards of clear view before the forest began. With the mountain circumference explored, and no visible paths to the peak, I had my minions begin to explore the forest area nearest us. While I was focused on the forest, I also tried to assign another squad of workers to gather more lumber. To my surprise, the system rejected my request. This resource field isn¡¯t sufficient for additional work teams. Explore and discover new resources for your workers to exploit. Well, there went that idea. I was going to have to wait for my minions to explore. On that note, I checked if one of the work teams could also be used to explore. Workers cannot be assigned to explore new areas unless well protected. To assign workers to explore, you must also assign a military unit to escort them. That was easy enough. I now had two complete squads of my kobold soldiers. The newest squad, freshly trained from the recently hatched eggs, had joined the first in their patrol duties since I hadn¡¯t queued any orders for new soldiers yet. Attaching the new squad to a team of workers was a success, and I ordered them to help explore the forest where my minions were heading. For my minions, who were a lot more capable than my kobolds, I sent them along the unexplored forest toward the south, scouting the space between our cavern and where the rock gnomes¡¯ home was located. If there were important resources out there, or some threat, I wanted my people to discover it before the gnomes did. I had a feeling the gnomes would become more friendly with us, but finders keepers ruled this land. On a whim, I tried to assign a second work team to the explorers, and it worked. A third was a no-go, but it looked like a group of five warriors could escort two full groups of workers without any trouble. Whether they could actually protect them against the threats out there was another story. It wasn¡¯t long before the kobold exploration team found another patch of forest that the system deemed a resource location. I set one team to gather the resources there and had the second team stay with the warriors to continue exploring. As they continued to explore, my final housing development was completed. Your newly constructed housing complex has been upgraded to Rank 1. You have reached the maximum number of housing complexes based on your headquarters rank. Congratulations. Your burgeoning empire has now reached all the requirements needed to upgrade your headquarters to Rank 2. Once the upgrade is completed, additional building options will be unlocked, as well as new upgrades for your existing structures. Just what I was hoping to hear. Checking on our resources, I could see the silo was almost empty. I had no idea how many resources were needed for the headquarters upgrade, but I had to figure it would be quite a bit more than the other structures had cost me. I placed all the existing resources, and all our current resource production, into the headquarters upgrade. With the new housing complex done, my population was expanding, and while the resource income from the farms was still there, it had dropped back down to the levels of the lazy wood gathering parties. At least I now had a second team of workers out gathering wood, but they were showing the same lack of work ethic that their kin had shown. Still, with two wood gathering teams, the farm income, and the natural trickle from the headquarters, it would be enough to upgrade the headquarters before too long. I¡¯d soon have extra workers and another team of warriors to send out when the eggs from the third housing complex hatched. Your minions have defeated the remnants of a significant threat near your people. Side quest issued: Explore and loot the alpha wolf lair. Nice, while I had been organizing the workers and soldiers, my minions had stumbled across the lair of the wolves that had attacked the rock gnomes. There were only a few wolves left in the pack, and many of those were still nursing wounds from the earlier fight. My minions had little trouble dispatching the foes. I had my team explore the lair, which was only a small nest dug near a large tree trunk. Before too long, Khurr found some buried remains. Among the remains were two silver objects that the system explained. Congratulations, you have successfully completed the side quest, Explore and Loot the Lair of the Alpha Wolf. Additional resources have been awarded. You have acquired Structure Upgrade Markers. These markers can be used to upgrade any structure, except for the headquarters, from Rank 0 to Rank 1. That was a great find, the new resources from the rewards began to flow, and my headquarters interface now showed the two markers were ready to be used. Trying to use one now on the barracks, I found that the headquarters upgrade still had to be completed before the tokens could be used. With the additional resources, it shouldn¡¯t be long before I could start upgrading. Your forces have been attacked by a newly discovered faction. ¡°Just when I was about to get things rolling,¡± I complained to myself. A glowing red indicator on my headquarters interface showed the team of soldiers and workers exploring further into the forest were pinned down by archers hiding in the trees. I caught a glimpse of one of the archers, noticing the lean build and pointy ears, it looked like we were going to have some trouble with elves. Chapter 258. Elf vs. Drone. Chapter 258. Elf vs. Drone. The elves were picking apart my kobolds with little trouble. Two of the warriors guarding the workers were down, as well as half of the workers. As I watched, the entire group of kobolds broke and ran. Elves showed themselves as they continued to pick off my kobolds one by one. I was now able to get a good count of the attackers, it looked like there were only a half dozen elf warriors with bows. While they hunted down my kobold exploration team, I ordered my minions into action. It would take them some time to get there, but I was certain that they would fare much better against the elves than my hapless kobold warriors did. Given the crude nature of their bows, and the simple arrows they were firing, I had to assume the elves were relatively low ranked, maybe only a rank or two above my kobolds at most. I also sent the mana slayer drone to join my team. This was a fight I needed to win, and win decisively, if I didn¡¯t want elves plinking away at all my kobold workers. I soon lost my view of the attacking elves as the last of my kobolds fled the scene. Only two made it out alive, a warrior and a worker. The housing complexes would start to hatch replacements, but the system sent a prompt advising me of some additional restrictions. You have taken significant casualties among your kobold population. While your fallen will eventually respawn, the time to respawn a kobold fallen in battle is significantly longer than the time needed to create them in the first place. Well, at least my population would eventually replenish. It would have been a short arena challenge if the kobold losses were permanent. Looking in on the housing complexes, the new one was still working on spawning its initial population, while at the other two housing complexes, several of the cradles now held darker colored eggs that were growing at a much slower rate. Those darker eggs must have been the replacements for our losses. I felt reasonable secure inside the rapidly upgrading headquarters, even with only Blieek as my personal bodyguard. Glamb would be respawning soon, and he could stay back and help to defend me if the elves made a mass attack, or if my kobolds decided to revolt again. Even without my minions, I was more powerful and better equipped than anything I¡¯d seen so far. All I could do now was wait as my drone linked up with the other minions and they began to hunt down the elves who attacked us. I watched their progress, and by the time they reached the area, my headquarters had upgraded. Instead of an empty shack with a single map table. I now had a bigger empty shack with two rooms, a map table, and a stool for me to sit on. Not much of an improvement, but it was good enough for my needs, and it allowed me to keep expanding. Checking on the farms and housing complexes, they were both changing, upgrading automatically to the next tier. It appeared that my arena upgrade certificates were paying big dividends. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to having to upgrade each farm and housing areas. The certificates were going to save me a ton of time and resources. While the existing farms and houses automatically upgraded, I considered the two upgrade markers I had earned from the wolf lair. Before I used them, I saw in the headquarters interface that a new building had been unlocked. Market Square. This structure provides a marketplace for your people to trade among themselves and with any friendly factions that you have trade agreements with. The market will provide a small flow of resources that will increase when outside trade arrives. It will also allow you to acquire special resources and gear that your people would normally not have access to. In addition, your people will have specific goods to trade with others. Currently your kobold empire has the following goods to offer.
  1. Exotic mushrooms for food and medical purposes.
  2. Labor.
If a trade partner wishes to purchase labor, an available unassigned work team will make their way to your trading partner and earn resources for your nation for the duration of their labor contract. You may designate how many work teams you wish to make available for export. Teams waiting for contracts will not be available for other tasks. The market was something I wanted immediately, so I placed its construction first in the queue. After it was done, a new farm, and a new housing complex were next. I thought about saving one of my upgrade tokens for the market, but I also needed the crafters area and the barracks upgraded. Since those structures were already built, I hit them with the free upgrades.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Every structure I could possibly create was being built or upgraded. The entire cavern seemed to buzz with activity as the system began construction and my kobolds reacted to the changes. The farms were the first to finish upgrading. Their mushroom fields were the same size as before, but I noticed a small section of each farm now had a few raised planters where oddly colored mushrooms of various shapes and sizes grew. Those must have been the exotic goods that the marketplace was supposed to use in trade. While most of the fields were still planted with the normal mushrooms I¡¯d seen before, the yield looked to have improved, and the clusters of mushrooms were noticeably denser. The workers on the farms didn¡¯t miss a beat and automatically knew how to care for and harvest the new types of mushrooms. For some reason, the farmers seemed much more diligent in their work than my outside gathering teams were. Maybe it was because they also needed to eat, or it could be that the more diligent workers naturally gravitated toward the farming work. Lazy or not, it seemed my people approved of the upgrades I was making. The growth and expansion of your tribe¡¯s infrastructure has been noticed and appreciated by your people. Morale has improved from Moderately Hostile, to Disgruntled. It appeared the risk of imminent revolution was gone. As we grew and improved the kobold tribe, morale should also keep improving. My attention shifted back to the forest as my team of minions stalked the area where the kobolds had been ambushed. The mana slayer drone had linked up with the others, and Khurr seemed to be on the trail of something. Khurr was my tracker, but it was Glurk who fired the first shot. A pair of elves moved from behind trees about twenty yards from my party, each had their bows drawn and ready to fire. Glurk¡¯s shot hit first, and his powerful masterwork longbow had no trouble punching the arrow completely through one of the elves. The other elf loosed his shot, the arrow shattering against the armor of the mana slayer drone as he stepped in front of the others. Khurr was up next, and his crossbow bolt was closely followed by Elida¡¯s sling stone to finish off the second elf. The mana slayer drone charged forward while the rest of the team formed up and took cover behind some trees. I couldn¡¯t tell if the elves attacking us were the same ones that had ambushed my kobolds, but they were just as aggressive. More elves popped out from behind trees, firing at the charging drone. Their simple bows and arrows were useless against the drone¡¯s armor, and each shot pinged off the drone as he closed the gap. The closest elf chose to turn and run just a little too late as the long arms of the drone cut him down. Two more were taken down by my ranged fighters as they fled, and the last, seeing that escape was impossible, chose to stand his ground, facing off against the charging drone with only a simple steel dagger. My drone dispatched the last elf with no trouble and hadn¡¯t received a single scratch during the fight. My team¡¯s fight with the elves had drastically different results than my kobolds. I kind of wished that some of the kobolds might have been around to see how they should try to fight. Without any threats in the immediate area, Khurr began to scour the ground for tracks. Glamb was also ready to respawn, so I summoned him inside the headquarters to help protect me in case there was any trouble closer at hand. While Khurr and the rest of the team tracked down where the elves had come from, I checked in on my construction efforts. The housing complexes had finished their upgrades to rank one, but it wasn¡¯t much of a change. Each housing complex still had five huts, but those had expanded a bit more, and some square footage and almost reaching the edge of the plot they were situated on. The next rank of upgrades would need to expand up or down rather than out. At each hut, new eggs began to grow as the upgraded housing and farms could now support a larger population. I¡¯d have to wait and see what my new population totals would be and how many kobolds each housing complex now supported. The barracks and crafting center were still upgrading, and the marketplace also had a way to go before it was constructed. Back out in the forest, my team had managed to track down another ambush team of elves. The half-dozen ambushers met the same fate as their kin and fell to the armored drone and my ranged attackers. As my minions continued their advance into elf territory, the forest started to change. The trunks of the trees were getting larger and were beginning to resemble the giant redwood trees in California. My team suddenly took cover as, in the distance, I could see that a small village had been constructed among the branches of the trees. Shapes flitted about the treetops as the elves prepared for our assault. Without hesitation, the drone charged forward and was met with a smattering of arrows. It wasn¡¯t the rain of arrows I¡¯d sort of expected from tree-dwelling elves, but maybe they were just starting out like my kobold empire was and had a limited number of warriors available. Just like before, the drone was impervious to the elf arrows. Most of the fire was coming from one particular tree, and my drone wasted no time in starting to climb his way up. More arrows struck and a green blast of energy, similar in size to my magic missiles, was also hurled by an elf with glowing eyes. Unlike the arrows, the magic left the armor scorched and lightly dented. In response, the drone climbed a bit further before aiming his shoulder-mounted launcher up into the trees. Three grenades coughed out of the launcher and a spread of explosions blasted the area where the mage and archers had been hiding. Shouts of pain were heard as the shrapnel from the grenades sliced through the defenders. A trio of bodies fell from the trees, thumping onto the ground. Things had gone quiet, and no more attacks hit my drone, who had kept climbing the tree and was almost at the first of the structures built in its boughs. A voice called out from another tree, frantic and tearful. ¡°Stop, please, offer terms. We¡¯ll do what you want, I don¡¯t wish to see my people destroyed.¡± Chapter 259. Dealing with Elves. Chapter 259. Dealing with Elves. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do. My minions couldn¡¯t speak with the elves, and it would take me too much time to hoof it down there to negotiate. The system came through a moment later, as it had done with the gnomes. The Zalbairn Forest Elves have offered to surrender to your forces. This offer has unlocked several options. Please select one of the following.
  1. Eradication. Your forces will exterminate the elf settlement completely, netting you a moderate number of resources and gear.
  2. Truce. You will impose a truce between your peoples for a set amount of time. During that time, neither faction may participate in hostile activities toward the other.
  3. Subjugation. Your faction will take over the elf forest village and you will run it directly. The morale of the elves would be permanently hostile, and you would need to station a sizeable force of warriors here to prevent a future revolution. This option will extract a large portion of the elf economy and convert it into resources for your faction, but the elf economy will be stagnant and grow at a significantly reduced pace.
  4. Confederation. You will accept the elves into your faction. They will remain autonomous but will be required to trade and provide mutual defense at your request. Their morale will start as hostile but, depending on your demands and treatment of them, may change over time.
  5. Offer Fealty. You will offer your faction as a subservient ally of the elves. Your arena challenge will end, and you will be returned to where you had been summoned from.
Well, offering fealty was out. There was no way I was going to give up now, and I wasn¡¯t sure why the system was even offering it. Maybe there were some people pulled here for the arena challenge that had pressing issues at home and didn¡¯t want the distraction, but even with the extended length of the challenge, not much time would pass back home while we were gone. Of the other options, I didn¡¯t think that eradication was the best choice. A small bump in resources now was much worse than working out some kind of longer-term deal with the elves. Of the remaining three options, I didn¡¯t want just a truce. A truce had been fine with the gnomes, as there hadn¡¯t been any hostility with my people before that. The elves had been the aggressors here and deserved to be punished in some way for their actions. If I accepted a temporary truce, it would just give them breathing room to rebuild and attack again. Of the remaining two choices, I considered subjugation as a sort of punishment for starting the fight. It would give me a small, continuous flow of resources that were important when building up my faction. The downside was that it sounded like I would have to keep a good portion of my army stationed there to prevent them from revolting. The confederation option seemed to offer the best of both worlds. We could impose trade demands and keep some income flowing, but I wouldn¡¯t have to keep an army on their doorstep. In time, they might even prove to be valuable allies, especially if there was a mutual defense pact. My kobolds could really use some archer backup and that seemed to be the elf warrior¡¯s strength. You have accepted the Zalbairn Forest Elves into your faction. Do you wish to establish a trade and mutual defense pact at this time? If you choose to delay one or both of these options, the elves will look upon it favorably as it gives them time to recover from the catastrophic losses they took during the conflict with your people. I wanted to establish trade right away, since I needed resources, but as for defense, maybe waiting would be the best option. From what I could tell, the elves had lost most or all their warriors in the fight, and it would be some time before they could offer any meaningful help if I needed them. Giving them some time to recover, and improving their morale, might be the better option. You have chosen to establish a trade pact with the Zalbairn Forest Elves. Trade caravans will occasionally leave from your cavern and the elf village, bringing trade goods. Remember, trade routes must be protected, or losses will occur, affecting both resources and morale. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Please note, you currently do not possess a Market Square. Until a Market Square is built, you will not be able to open a trading route with the Zalbairn Forest Elves. I sort of figured I¡¯d need to finish the market first, though the construction was already underway, and it should be completed before too long. There was also a new tab in my headquarters for confederated factions. I pulled up the elves to see what kind of state they were currently in. Confederated Factions.
  1. Zalbairn Forest Elves.
Population: 21. Military forces: 0. Average structure rank: 1.4. Morale: Moderately Hostile. It wasn¡¯t much information, but it was good that I could check on them. As soon as they replenished their population a bit, I¡¯d have to see about the mutual defense pact. As it stood now, I¡¯d probably be the one supplying forces to them since it looked like my minions had killed all their military forces. As an added bonus, I now had vision over the elf village and the fog of war had been removed for the areas they¡¯d already explored. Between my minions¡¯ exploration, and the new elf information, I had a better picture of what the land looked like around us. The elf village was in the center of the forest to the west of my kobold empire. The elves had explored further to the west, stopping at the edge of the forest where I found plains and rolling hills in the distance. To the north of the elves, the forest continued, but they hadn¡¯t explored all that far. Most of their focus had been to reach the edge of the forest to the west, and to where they ran into my people in the east. To the south of the elf village, the forest soon opened into a large clearing exposing a rather peculiar structure I had to investigate. It was a log fort or small walled settlement of some kind. The elves had never made contact, and since there were no elves in the area currently, I couldn¡¯t see exactly who was in charge there. For some reason, the elves had left them alone and not gone any further south. They instead had chosen to attack my people. I didn¡¯t have much information on the lands to the east of the mountains, or to the north, but first, I wanted to explore the strange building. It was too bad the system had instituted a simple interface to deal with the other factions, I¡¯d have loved to question the elves about what they¡¯d found, but it appeared that direct communication between our people outside of the system headquarters interface wasn¡¯t possible. The log fort had been enough to keep the elves away, and I needed to get eyes on it and determine if it was going to be a threat. I sent my minions toward the fort, leaving the elf village to its own devices. Supposedly, the elves were part of my empire now, and I didn¡¯t need to keep my forces there to babysit. So far, my minions had proven to be the toughest kids on the block. Hopefully whatever was at the fort wouldn¡¯t change that dynamic. Your Market Square has been completed. Trade between your people and trade partners will now commence. The number of trade routes a market can support is limited to 2 with an additional route opening with every rank of the market. Looking at my map, I could see a thin, green line connecting my kobold cavern with the elf village. It must have been the path the trade caravans would take. For now, there was nothing moving on the path, but I hadn¡¯t forgotten that I needed to defend the trade route. I¡¯m sure the system would spawn some highwaymen or monsters along the path if I didn¡¯t do anything. With my population increasing from the upgraded farms and housing complexes, I now had a total of three squads with five kobold warriors each. One, the squad that had been chased off by the elves, was down to a single kobold, but the replacements were already growing in the odd, dark-colored eggs. Of my remaining two kobold squads, one was defending my cavern and would stay on that task. I placed the final, full-strength squad, on a patrol of the trade route to the elf village. A system prompt appeared as soon as I¡¯d assigned the troops. The trade route is now protected. The level of protection is considered Poor. Add additional troops or upgrade the existing troops to better protect the trade route. Threats may appear when a trade route is improperly protected. It was all I could do for now; I¡¯d just have to count on my minions dealing with any threats to trade that might pop up. Whenever I got another squad of kobold warriors, I¡¯d assign them to help defend the trade route, but for now, I¡¯d just have to rely on the single squad. At least the squad might improve as the upgrades to my barracks and the crafting stations were complete. I had to check them out, as well as the new market square. Before I dug into that, I noticed on the headquarters map that a trade caravan had left the elf village. It wasn¡¯t much of a trade caravan, just a few elves with oversized packs on their backs. My kobold escorts were already leaving the cavern and would reach the slow-moving elves before too long. Trade had started, and I was curious to see what would happen when the elves reached my market. At the back of my cavern, I heard a rumbling sound that drew my attention. Your faction is under attack by an unknown force. Organize your defenses. Chapter 260. Wall Lizards. Chapter 260. Wall Lizards. ¡°What now?¡± I mumbled to myself and was startled when Melvin responded to me. ¡°Lizard things eating our kobolds.¡± Melvin was right, I could see the seemingly solid stone cavern wall near the crafting station had collapsed, revealing a new space, and more importantly, several lizards the size of ponies. The lizards were chowing down on some of the kobold crafters who had been too slow to run. The kobold warriors defending the cavern were running toward the threat, but I really doubted that they would be enough to handle it on their own. I had Blieek and Glamb with me, but the rest of my minions were too far out to be of use right now. It was up to us, and I ordered the two to follow me as I headed toward the fight. A total of seven of the giant lizards had now emerged from the collapsed wall, and I didn¡¯t know if more were going to follow. The creatures were larger and heavier than the kobolds and seemed more than eager to have kobold for dinner. Aggressive, the lizards also seemed to have no fear, crowding around and feasting on the trio of dead kobolds that they had taken down. They completely ignored the defenders closing in on them. ¡°After I throw this, I want you to charge in and attack,¡± I ordered to one of the kobold warriors who had joined me. The kobold seemed terrified, but I got the sense that he would follow the order. Defending their home cavern made them a bit braver than those just watching over the gathering parties. Hefting my javelin, I activated its power and hurled it at the closest lizard. Automatically targeting, the magic in the weapon made my throw hit the lizard in the chest. A jolt of electricity shot through the beast, killing it and stunning the lizard next to it which happened to be touching my target. I followed up with a magic missile, while the kobold I¡¯d chosen charged forward. I felt a bit bad about what I was about to do, but there were too many enemies that were too powerful, and a sacrifice had to be made. As the lizards turned toward the threat, they lunged at the kobold who I targeted with the Ring of Final Sacrifice. The system seemed to deem the kobolds minions when it came to the ring and the magic of the powerful item filled the attacking kobold. I was a bit shocked that the kobold managed to stab the lead lizard, but its crude wooden spear just skipped off the scales of the beast. The first lizard clamped down on the kobold, killing it and causing the ring¡¯s magic to activate. The explosion almost knocked me off my feet, we were a bit closer than we should have been to the enemy. The remaining kobold warriors were knocked over by the blast but were recovering quickly. Blieek and Glamb remained on their feet and charged in. I hit Glamb with Duplicate as they ran forward. My dual wielding goblin had turned into a formidable fighter now that the trio¡¯s weapons were upgraded to rank three and their armor to rank four. I drew my wand as the smoke and dust from the explosion started to dissipate. The lizard that had killed the exploding kobold was completely obliterated, only a few meaty scraps remained. A few other lizards were seriously wounded and flailing around on the ground. That left three beasts were at least partially protected from the blast by the other lizards. These were injured to varying degrees, but all were still willing to fight. I hit the healthiest one with a magic missile as Blieek used his charge ability to impale it with his spear. Unlike the kobold warriors, Blieek¡¯s spear had no trouble piercing the lizard scales. The damage was enough to put the lizard down, but Glamb was in trouble. He had hacked his blades into one of the lizards, but his duplicate chose the same target. That left the lizard bleeding out on the stone cavern floor, but it also left one lizard free to chomp down on Glamb¡¯s head. Despite his upgraded armor, the lizard¡¯s teeth had managed to latch onto the goblin¡¯s neck where there was no protection. Shaking its head like a dog, the lizard shredded Glamb¡¯s neck and the Health Bloom I cast on the area wasn¡¯t enough to stop the bleeding in time. For the second time in the challenge, poor Glamb was killed and would have to regenerate before I could call him back. Blieek and the duplicate Glamb laid into the killer lizard. Heavy chopping blades and a steel spear dealt with the monster.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Finish off the wounded,¡± I ordered the kobold warriors who were just now catching up to my minions. They set about stabbing the fallen lizards, their spears were garbage, but there were plenty of points on the lizards¡¯ bodies where the tough scales had been blasted off from the explosion. ¡°Explore the new opening, Glamb. Blieek will stay with me,¡± I ordered. The duplicate Glamb trotted off past the collapsed wall, his weapons at the ready as Blieek helped the kobolds finish off the lizards. You have dispatched a threat to your people. Bonus resources have been awarded, and an expansion to your cavern is now available for you to exploit. The system prompt appeared as the last lizard was dispatched. I headed back to the headquarters to order a team of workers to start harvesting the bodies. The system reward was nice, but I wasn¡¯t going to let the free resources lying on the floor go bad. From the headquarters, I could also monitor the duplicate Glamb¡¯s progress. The new addition to our cavern was a single, almost rectangular space. About as large as two mushroom farm plots. It would provide space for the crafting stations to expand further. As long as the other walls didn¡¯t collapse under another surprise lizard assault, I should have enough room in the newly discovered area for a future structure. A few glowing crystals caught my eye in the new area. There was a large cluster of them that seemed to be growing out of the far wall of the new expansion. As I examined the crystals, the system came through with an explanation. Glow Crystal Formation. With the proper tools, these glow crystals can be harvested by your kobold workers. Highly sought after for lighting, the glow crystals quickly replenish after being harvested, reducing their value somewhat despite their demand. Nice, another resource area ready to be exploited by my kobold empire. The only trouble was, when I tried to assign a work team to harvest the glow crystals, I was met with another system prompt. Your workers do not have the proper tools to harvest these crystals. Simple mining tools can be created at the crafting station, but you must wait for your workers to respawn and new workers to be trained in their construction. You have unlocked the Quartermaster¡¯s Hut. By constructing a Quartermaster¡¯s Hut, you will provide a place to distribute weapons, gear, armor, and tools to your people. Items crafted by your people, or received in trade will automatically be stored in the Quartermaster¡¯s Hut. This building will increase the efficiency of all your workers and warriors by 5%. I ordered up one of the new huts, placing it near the crafters station. It seemed like the building would just give a flat bonus to efficiency, but with my lazy workers, I needed all the help I could get. By raising the rank of the structure, I was pretty sure that I¡¯d unlock even better efficiency boosts. Now, I had to wait impatiently for my crafters to respawn. We needed more tools, weapons, and equipment. With the newly upgraded crafter¡¯s station, my kobolds should be able to provide them once they all respawned. Only two had survived the lizard attack, and they were just now returning to their posts, though I could see they kept looking around instead of focusing on their work. The system seemed to have noticed as well. Protect your workers from attack. If a particular work team takes significant casualties, the surviving members will be struck with a Fear debuff that will reduce their work efficiency by 50% for an hour. The workers might be scared, but I could see they at least had a better place to work now that the crafters station had been upgraded. A new forge, more tools, and even what looked like a small alchemy station had been created. It wasn¡¯t the only thing to upgrade, the Barracks had also hit rank one. Changing from the rickety looking barn structure, the barracks now was starting to look like a sturdy, purpose-built structure. At the entrance, the drill sergeant still waited, calling out for new recruits, but I could also see a small tower placed above the entrance. A single warrior stood guard there, and his presence signified something new. At Rank 1, your barracks will start to create defenders to protect the structure and your nearby headquarters. These forces are in addition to your existing population and do not require any additional resources or housing to support. Nice, it was only a single warrior defending both the barracks and the headquarters, but it was a start. The fact that the new defender wouldn¡¯t be a drain on resources was even better news. Given the unexpected lizard attack, and the hostile elves, I could only wonder when and where the next threat might show itself. I had my eye on the log fort that the elves had discovered and got a bad feeling about that place. My minions should be there soon, and then we¡¯d see if that place represented an opportunity, or a new enemy. Speaking of opportunities or enemies, the time on the temporary truce with the rock gnomes was running down, and I still needed to decide how I wanted to proceed with them. Chapter 261. Coming Soon, Now Go Away! Chapter 261. Coming Soon, Now Go Away! I waited for my housing complexes to respawn replacements for our losses and for the quartermaster¡¯s hut to be built. While that was happening, I ordered my minions to check out the log fort. The elves had avoided it, but curiosity was getting the better of me and I had to know what it was and if it was a threat. A system prompt appeared as I waited, confirming that I¡¯d finished a side quest. Side quest completed. Completely harvest the remains of your first skirmish with a native threat. A small number of resources have been granted as a reward for your efforts. The system wasn¡¯t lying and the resource totals in the interface increased by a small bit but were quickly being drained by the quartermaster¡¯s hut construction. When the hut was done, I would probably be able to upgrade my headquarters again which would start the cycle of upgrades for my other structures. For the kobolds that had been harvesting the wolf corpses, I sent them out into a different part of the forest to harvest lumber. Another quest for looting more battle sites didn¡¯t appear, and the one I had just completed must have just been used as a system reminder to not waste things in this contest. To bolster my minions, who were closing in on the log fort, I sent Glamb back to join them. I¡¯d just have Blieek to defend me, but I had consumables and Melvin¡¯s armor to help protect me if anything nasty showed up at the door to my headquarters. A pleasant surprise was the arrival of the elf caravan. They¡¯d made it despite the pathetic forces I had assigned to the task of defending the route. The elves walked into my cavern without a hint of trepidation and made their way directly to the marketplace. The marketplace wasn¡¯t all that exciting, just a collection of several crude stalls that my kobolds would occasionally visit. Leaving their packs behind at one of the stalls, the elves made their way to a different stall and grabbed new packs. Hefting the packs onto their shoulders, the elves began their slow trek back to the elf village. I did notice a slight bump in resources as they dropped off their packs, showing me that the trade between our people was having some benefit. As both our factions grew, I could only expect the trade and the number of resources it generated to grow. Having confederated the elf nation was starting to pay dividends. Your quartermaster¡¯s hut has been completed, and you have unlocked a new structure that is an addon to your quartermaster¡¯s hut. You may now construct the resource silo addon. The resource silo provides a physical location for all your resources to be stored in, and also generates a small number of resources at a rate based on the building¡¯s rank. Once built, your resource silo will automatically upgrade when your quartermaster¡¯s hut is upgraded. Only one resource silo may be created, and it is susceptible to attacks from enemies. Should an enemy destroy the silo, they would immediately capture the resources inside. Natural predators in the world may also be attracted to the silo, creating a threat, but also an opportunity for your troops to gain experience and for you to harvest the fallen as valuable resources. It seemed like the silo upgrade was a two-edged sword. I wanted constant resource generation, and overall, having it attract creatures would be a benefit if it wasn¡¯t an unstoppable horde attacking us. The current resource situation, where they existed only as bar in my headquarters interface was safer, but there was no doubt that if I didn¡¯t build the silo, I wouldn¡¯t be able to further upgrade the headquarters. Having to take the risk, I ordered the silo to begin construction. The timing was great, as my minions had also reached the log fort by the time I was done with all my administration duties. Instead of an attack, or some dire system warning. My minions came across a sign posted outside the gates of the fort. Go away! We¡¯re not ready to open yet. Solicitors will be killed, their gear taken, and their bodies sold off to the highest bidder. Right below that rather rude sign was a second one, its tone completely the opposite of the other. Coming Soon! The Gavelox Trading Consortium and Food Court will be opening a trading post at this location. On opening day, come by and peruse the goods and services we offer. Mention this sign for 10% off your first order! If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. A magical clock under the sign was counting down the time until the trading post opened. It was supposed to open just a day before the first stage of the challenge was completed. I¡¯d have to check it out once it opened, but I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how I was supposed to pay for things. Given the system had simplified this whole process, it would probably siphon off resources when I wanted to make a purchase. All I could do now was wait. My structures were being built, and my minions were starting to slowly explore the area around us. They moved in a large circle, and with each rotation of their patrol, more of the unexplored area was revealed. After a few days of exploring, the rock gnomes sent me an offer. The leader of the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes has offered to trade with your people. Their offer is contingent on agreeing to a permanent non-aggression pact. Should you accept their offer, the trade and continued observance of the non-aggression pact will slowly raise your reputation with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes. As your reputation grows, new options for both your factions may become available. Do you wish to accept or reject this offer? It was time to make a decision, do I go the way the of the conqueror, attacking and subjugating the gnomes like I¡¯d done with the elves, or did I work together peacefully with them? The system was giving me, and I assumed the other contestants, different ways to handle our growing empires. My minions made us strong, but the kobolds themselves were a bit disappointing in their military prowess. Going to war would seem to be the easiest way to deal with the gnomes, but I had a feeling that taking the easy way out might not be the best long-term option. I also wanted to see how things progressed with a faction that was a happy trading partner vs. the elves who had been forced into a confederation. Of course, the elves had it coming because they had attacked us first. You have accepted the trade and non-aggression offer from the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes. As they were the ones to initiate the trade offer, the gnomes will lay out a trade route between your people. Each faction will be responsible for protecting their half of the trade route. Should you fail to properly defend the trade route, your reputation with your trading partner will suffer. By opening trade, each partner will be granted limited visibility over the trade route of any caravans or defenders traveling along it. The longer this trade route remains in operation, the better the resource gain between your peoples. Trade may also make items available that your people cannot create for themselves. I had another drain on my limited number of kobold guards. With the expanded barracks, a new squad was starting to train up. I¡¯d have to place the new group on the gnomish trade route while keeping another on the trade route with the elves. The final squad of guards would remain here in the cavern. The gatherers out in the forest would have to fend for themselves for the time being. Limited protection was probably justified since my gathering teams were being so lazy. Maybe they¡¯d realize that I could only offer troops to protect them if they gathered enough resources to build up our population. Something told me that the kobolds under my benevolent rule didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to understand that logic. Surprisingly, the trade route with the gnomes proved to be a bit different than I was expecting. I figured they would just follow the shortest distance around the mountain to the cave entrance of my cavern. Instead, they were tunneling directly through the mountain toward us. The exit would be near our market, which seemed logical. I was a bit worried about opening another way into my domain, but this was what I¡¯d agreed to with the gnomes. When I had more resources and soldiers under my command, I could just build some defenses around the trade route entrance. The route the gnomes had selected was a good one and used several natural caverns and passages to cut down drastically on the amount of digging they had to do. Dwarves had always been the natural miners in my view. But my view was tainted with far too many fantasy games, books, and movies. These rock gnomes were making rapid progress and seemed just as happy digging away as any dwarf I¡¯d met. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to hire them if I ever needed some excavation work. A single patrol of five gnome warriors started to patrol their half of the trade route. Their equipment was about the same as my kobolds. They wore no armor, but their spears did have crude steel tips on them instead of the cheap junk my kobold guards were wielding. All in all, they weren¡¯t much different than what I was working with. As the gnomes breached our cavern near the market, my existing team of five kobold guards protecting the cavern headed to that area, ensuring that there was no funny business going on. Just as we had agreed to, the construction team simply cleaned up the mess, then turned and headed back to the rock gnome village. Back at my marketplace, a trio of kobolds entered the trade tunnel, each carrying an oversized pack. So far, the trade with the elves had been one sided. For some reason, I had kobolds starting to trade with the gnomes on their own. Even better, the trio of kobolds hauling their packs weren¡¯t part of my population cap, which was confirmed by a new system prompt. Your marketplace will occasionally generate trade caravans that can be assigned to one of your existing trade routes. These traders are part of the marketplace structure and do not count against your population cap, and do not consume any resources. Improve your marketplace to make this process more efficient and to expand your trading reach. My great empire of trade was just starting to take off, it was too bad I could see a red dot on the unexplored trade route. It was moving toward my kobold traders, and the guards that I had assigned to the route weren¡¯t ready yet. Chapter 262. Plains Inhabitants. Chapter 262. Plains Inhabitants. ¡°Blieek, head down there and see what you can do to help,¡± I ordered my minion. The goblin trotted toward the market and the entrance to the trade route that was near it. I still couldn¡¯t see who, or what, was stalking my trio of traders, so all I could do was wait and watch. When the dot got almost on top of where the traders were slowly traveling, the trio stopped and dropped their packs. I had expected panic and for the kobolds to turn and run, but to my surprise, the traders drew simple bone daggers from their belts and stood their ground against whatever was coming after them. Blieek was on his way, but not quite there yet when the threat revealed itself. A thin string of web shot from the darkness and hit one of the traders in the chest. The trader was dragged off his feet, but his companions came to the rescue, hacking at the sticky, but impressively strong webbing. Losing one of their daggers to the web, the strand broke and retracted back into the darkness, freeing the trader who fell to the ground and struggled to find his footing. As he tried to strand, a shape dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the poor kobold. It was a spider the size of a Great Dane, and it chomped its oversize fangs into the hapless trader. The kobold¡¯s scream of pain was a short one as the giant spider pumped venom into the wound which quickly killed its victim. The other two kobolds responded by attacking, the one who had lost his weapon in the web clawing with his hands, and the other one stabbing with his bone dagger. Neither weapon was effective, and the attacks only served to distract the spider from its meal. The creature scuttled after the unarmed kobold, bowling it over and giving it the same treatment as it had given his comrade. Blieek finally arrived on the scene, and despite the goblin spear wielder¡¯s relatively low tier and rank, his gear made him formidable among the relatively weak creatures that I¡¯d seen so far in this challenge. He used his one and only ability, Charge, to close the gap between him and the spider, his spear driving deep into the monster¡¯s abdomen. I didn¡¯t know spiders could scream, but this one sure let out a loud squeal of pain as the spear slammed home. With his Charge ability, Blieek¡¯s attack did an extra 10% damage, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to put the spider down in one hit. The other kobold arrived, hammering at the spider with his dagger. Sadly, the dagger was dull and brittle, it barely cracked into the spider¡¯s carapace, but it at least did some damage to the monster. With a heave, Blieek pulled his spear from the spider¡¯s abdomen, and disgusting goop poured from the wound. Furious over the attack, the spider flexed its legs and leaped onto Blieek, driving its fangs deep into my goblin minion¡¯s gut. Not giving up, Blieek drew his steel dagger and stabbed it into the side of the spider¡¯s head even as the monster¡¯s venom poured into him. With a final shudder, both Blieek and the spider died. The surviving kobold trader moved to one of the fallen kobolds, kneeling over his comrade. I felt a pang of grief at first, thinking the kobold was mourning his friend. Instead, he was just grabbing his bone dagger to replace the one he¡¯d worn out attacking the spider. While your trading caravans possess some small ability to defend themselves, you must make every effort to protect your trade routes; continued losses will affect morale and could lead to issues with your trading partners. Frustrated with the loss of Blieek and two of my kobold traders being taken out, I could only wait and watch what was happening. The final trader made it safely to the gnomish village, and their caravan made it to mine without any trouble. Both groups swapped out packs and began their return trip, just as the elves had done. I hadn¡¯t gotten any resources when my kobold trader reached the gnomish village, but I assumed whatever it was bringing back would help. Trade was a two-way street, and I¡¯d only gain resources when the traders arrived at my marketplace, not when they left. Things continued in much the same manner for a while, I watched the trading caravans move back and forth between the various villages. So far, my traders were only going to the gnomish village, and had ignored the elves. Maybe that would change when I upgraded the marketplace again. My two missing traders also slowly regenerated. One replacement appearing after each round trip was completed.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My minions out on exploration duty were also slowly peeling back the fog of war on my map. So far, I had the mountain and rocky lands near it in the center of the map, the forest ring was next, and then plains waited further out. I¡¯d only encountered one faction in each section of the map, the gnomes for the mountainous area, and the elves for the forest. It remained to be seen who, or what, was inhabiting the plains, but I was sure my minions would uncover the newest addition to the map before too long. The unknown areas continued to house threats, and my minions were occasionally attacked as they explored. It wasn¡¯t anything they couldn¡¯t easily handle, as the system difficulty seemed to mirror my kobold¡¯s empire¡¯s power, not my own. Having minions was going to be a big advantage for me in the challenge. The other competitors would have to explore on their own, leaving the headquarters and the tasks waiting for them there incomplete until they returned. Or they would have to wait for their faction teams to slowly explore the map. If the others had a faction as annoyingly lazy as my kobolds, it could be some time before they explored anywhere near the same amount of territory that my minions were able to. To speed things up, I divided my forces. When Blieek respawned, I had him join the other goblins and create their own group. The drone, Elida, and Khurr formed another team, allowing me to explore twice as fast. None of the creatures we¡¯d encountered proved up to the task of defeating my smaller teams so far, but if another creature like the alpha wolf and its pack was out there, I¡¯d probably need to bring everyone together to defeat it. My buildings also continued to improve, and once the silo was complete, I ordered the marketplace to upgrade to rank 1. Everything else had been maxed out and it was the last structure to do so. With the trade flowing between the other two factions, resources were building up at a decent pace. The upgraded market proved to be just a few more stalls, nothing too exciting. As I suspected, going up a rank did add a second trading caravan. A new trio of kobold traders was now making its way from my marketplace to the elf village. Once complete, the marketplace upgrade also unlocked rank two for my headquarters, which was next on the upgrade agenda. Your headquarters has reached Rank 2. At this rank you may directly intervene with your minions, casting spells, using abilities, and activating items to support them. Spell cast times will be lengthened when cast through your headquarters. The additional time required will be dependent on the distance from your minion. That was good news, I could now do a few more things when my minions were fighting. Using the Duplicate spell after activating the Ring of Final Sacrifice was my go-to tactic for more powerful foes, or huge hordes. Now I could use the combo to my heart¡¯s content. I¡¯d just have to factor in the extra cast time, which meant it probably was going to need to be planned a bit further in advance. Time passed and my city, as well as its population, began to grow. Rank two of my headquarters gave me a bit more furniture, including a bed for sleeping. So far, this arena contest seemed to provide for my needs just like my personal space did. I was happy for that, as one feature of city building that I was happy to do without was figuring out some kind of waste disposal system in the cavern. After the headquarters upgraded, I made the rounds with the other buildings, starting with new farms and housing. It took time for the new population to spawn, and I wanted to get them started as soon as possible. As an added bonus, my arena certificate upgrade continued to work, upgrading the rank of all the farms and housing complexes automatically. All I had to do was build a new one of each in the building slots that had opened up. As my upgrades continued, my minions had to deal with another threat. Just like I¡¯d feared, there was another big predator out on the plains. It was some kind of carnivorous, prehistoric ostrich-looking thing. The goblins had run into a small flock of ten of them, and they looked dangerous enough that I didn¡¯t want them to tackle them alone, so they waited for the drone and other minions to arrive. Once they were set, my team opened up at range, cutting down three of the birds before they got into melee range. I did cast Duplicate on the drone before the fight, figuring he was my best fighter and with two of them, I shouldn¡¯t need to use any exploding minion shenanigans. The birds were tough, but their teeth and clawed feet fared poorly against the armor of the drones, who held the front line for us. While the drones held their attention, my ranged minions went to town on the attackers. Elida threw in a few healing spells, keeping both drones up for the entire fight. After a few minutes, the last of the birds collapsed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. My minions were pretty far out on the plains, but I had to figure the bird remains, if we could safely gather them, would generate a decent number of resources for us. I assigned a freshly hatched squad of workers, along with another newly recruited squad of warriors to harvest the remains. My minions had to continue their exploration and couldn¡¯t wait around just to stand guard. I wanted to have the whole area of the challenge uncovered before the first stage ended. Before I could order the harvest, my team caught movement in the distance. It wasn¡¯t another group of birds; it was a group of around a dozen humans. They were pretty far away, but I could tell they wore some kind of armor and carried spears and bows. I think I had just encountered the faction that I suspected was living somewhere here in the plains. Chapter 263. Human Negotiations. Chapter 263. Human Negotiations. The humans approached cautiously, and I expected the worst given the odd makeup of my minions. To my surprise, the humans hailed our people from a distance, and didn¡¯t just attack once they were in range. The system translated their greeting into another choice I had to make. A newly discovered faction, the village of Millstone, has made claim on the remains of your kill. Do you wish to allow them rights to harvest the kill? Y/N. That was unexpected. Given the way they were dressed and armed, this might have been some kind of hunting party. If they were as weak as the other factions that I¡¯d encountered so far, I was willing to bet that the birds would have slaughtered them. Did I want to give away our kills? Would it be seen as weak or generous by the human villagers? I considered the offer, but then tried something new, I tried to make a counteroffer, including what I wanted in exchange for giving up what I already had. Your kobold faction has offered a peace treaty and trade agreement with the village of Millstone. In return for these treaties, your faction agrees to surrender the ten ripper bird kills that your minions have just made. The leaders of Millstone will momentarily decide on your offer. Well, at least I¡¯d get some chance at negotiation. Prior to this encounter, I¡¯d just had take it or leave it offers. The human village decided quickly what they wanted, so the system didn¡¯t leave me hanging. The village of Millstone has rejected your offer. They have countered with a temporary truce of 72 hours and claiming your kill. During this time of truce, both parties will have access to observe and explore the other party¡¯s territory. Do you accept this counteroffer? Y/N. I hoped to have a quick trade agreement here, but it looked like this village wasn¡¯t going to jump into anything too quickly. They also really wanted these birds, which I was fine with giving up. It was pretty far for my kobolds to make it all the way here to harvest them, and I could probably find something closer to home if I looked hard enough. You have granted the kill to the village of Millstone. A 72-hour truce between your peoples is now in effect. As long as no hostile actions take place, either party can traverse freely throughout the other party¡¯s lands. Should either side break the truce, a substantial number of resources will be taken from the offending party. Wanting to make the most of the truce, I had my minions separated into two teams again, sending them both out to explore as much of the grasslands as we could before the truce expired. I wanted to at least see where the human village was in case there was eventually trouble between our people. As my minions explored, back in my cavern, the new farm and housing complex were completed. My next choice for an upgrade to rank two was the marketplace. New eggs were already placed outside each kobold home, and my population was about to explode. To help feed everyone, the farm upgrades added a larger raised planter section, allowing about a third of each farm to double up on mushroom production. The planters for the special mushrooms remained the same, but I could see the density of mushroom clusters inside each was greater, giving us a better yield for my main trade good. Mushrooms weren¡¯t my only trade good, though, and I noticed a team of kobold workers heading toward the elf village on a building contract. Once they were on site, the kobolds would generate a small stream of resources back to our cavern for as long as the elves had hired them. I wasn¡¯t sure what elves needed the help of kobolds for, but I¡¯d figure that out once my kobolds arrived. The market upgrade confirmed that I had a new caravan ready to assign to a trade route. When I tried to attach the caravan to either the gnomes or the elves, I received an error message telling me that route was already sufficiently serviced by trading caravans. It looked like I needed to find a new trading partner if I wanted to put the kobold traders to work.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. At least my other two caravans had been upgraded. Instead of three kobolds, there were now four in each caravan, providing a nice bump in the number of resources the caravan could bring back on each trip. After the market, I scheduled the barracks, the crafting stations, and finally, the quartermaster¡¯s hut for upgrades. The barracks expanded a bit more and added a second gate at the rear of the building. Another guard was placed in a tower over the rear door, giving me a second free warrior defender. From the sounds coming from inside the barracks, I would soon have another squad of warriors trained up, giving me four to work with. Once they were complete, I¡¯d assign them to join the defenders here in the cavern. My elvish ally was also expanding and upgrading. I could see their tree buildings were slowly increasing in size and quality, and they finally were helping to guard the trade route between our lands. The elf squad was a bit smaller than my kobold squad, only two elves with spears and one with a bow were on patrol. Despite that, I had a feeling they would still wipe the floor with my kobold team. The growth and expansion of your tribe¡¯s infrastructure has been noticed and appreciated by your people. By expanding trade, you have maintained a peaceful atmosphere and have allowed new goods to be brought in that your people are enjoying. Morale has improved from Disgruntled to Neutral. Nice, I¡¯d take neutral over disgruntled or about to revolt any day. A quick check revealed that the teams of kobolds out in the forests gathering lumber had taken the new upgrade in morale to heart. Now, over half of them were actually working, and the flow of resources they provided bumped up a bit. My people had a long way to go, but at least they were improving and not falling deeper into sloth. Another curious action began among my troops. It started with the existing squad inside the cavern. When the new squad from the barracks emerged, the old one marched inside. The system explained what was happening. With an upgrade to your barracks, your troops can be further trained. One squad will be upgraded at a time, and if you have more than one squad assigned to a single area, one of the squads assigned there will leave to relieve the next one in line for additional training. By doing this, you will allow your troops to get experience by rotating through various duties, further improving their usefulness. I¡¯d take any benefit to my troops that I could. It was too bad the barracks didn¡¯t seem to upgrade their equipment yet. Maybe that would resolve itself when the crafting stations upgraded. We needed better weapons and tools to improve our productivity and to protect my growing empire. Speaking of empires, my minions were still exploring the grasslands, which encompassed much more territory than the forest had. The goblin team had finally set eyes on the village of Millstone. It was a small collection of about a dozen buildings with a low, palisade wall around it. A gurgling stream flowed nearby, and several sections of land were planted with what looked like wheat or something similar. I wasn¡¯t a farmer by any means, but I could tell there was something wrong with several of the fields. Much of the crop, which looked ready to harvest, was trampled and ripped out of the ground. A few farmers were in each field, frantically trying to replant the damaged areas. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it was probably the same birds my minions had killed that had caused the crop damage. That would explain their eagerness to claim our kills. There was probably a food shortage going on, at least until the fields they were repairing were back in business. Maybe that was going to be my leverage with the human village. If they needed food, we had a surplus of mushrooms. I pulled up the diplomacy tab on my headquarters interface, making the village of Millstone a new offer. You have offered to trade with the village of Millstone. The village has been informed of your main exports and will take that into consideration. Please note that making too many diplomatic offers in a short period of time will annoy many of the other factions. Point taken, system, I wasn¡¯t going to spam trade treaty requests. The prompt hadn¡¯t mentioned me annoying the human village yet, so I figured this most recent offer was fine, but I shouldn¡¯t try again for a while if this one was rejected. It took a bit longer than I expected before a response came back from the village. The village of Millstone was intrigued by your offer to trade food. Instead of agreeing to trade between your peoples, the village of Millstone has threatened war with your faction if you do not provide ongoing food tribute to their village. Do you wish to provide food tribute to the village of Millstone until such a time as they release you from obligation? Y/N. Not a chance. In fact, I was able to get the system to show the village what I thought of their offer. You have declared war on the village of Millstone. Eliminate the population of the village or destroy their town hall to claim victory. Chapter 264. Humans vs. Minions. Chapter 264. Humans vs. Minions. I ordered my minions to gather together once more and sent my newest squad of kobolds to join them. The kobolds were still poorly equipped, just using sharpened wooden sticks as weapons, but they had received a new round of training in the barracks. We¡¯d put that training to the test as I assaulted the village. You have declared war on a faction you currently have a truce with. An early termination penalty will be assessed for violating the truce. All resource income will be reduced by 10% for the next 3 days. If there are further violations of agreements with other factions, the penalties imposed will increase. Factions specializing in deceit or subterfuge are exempt from pact-breaking penalties. That was an unpleasant surprise, but I knew the system was going to do something bad if I broke the treaty. Still, going at the humans now was the best option, even if it cost me some resources. They were struggling with food issues and if I waited for the truce to expire, they might have time to harvest the creepy bird kills I¡¯d granted them and could recover their strength. It would be better to strike fast and with overwhelming force if I wanted to end this threat. There was a good chance I could force the village into confederation once I destroyed the town hall. I¡¯d rather not wipe them out to the last person if I could help it. Another trade partner, even a reluctant one, was preferred over an empty population center. The system seemed to have seeded at least one species in each type of terrain that we¡¯d explored so far. I had the gnomes sharing our mountain, the elves in the forest, and now, the humans on the plains. I hadn¡¯t gotten a view on what was past the plains yet, since I wanted my team to fully explore this section of the map before I expanded outward. From what I could tell, the plains extended far into the distance, and given the borders on the map, we had maybe one more terrain type and a final faction to uncover. What happened after that, and after this first phase of the challenge was over, was a mystery. As I waited for my forces to gather, I pulled up the information on the elves who were considered part of my faction now. While I didn¡¯t have complete data on them, I could view their village. In addition to the trio of guards patrolling the trade route between our lands, the elves only had a couple others walking around with weapons. I considered establishing a mutual defense pact with them and recruiting them to help against the humans. Their forces were still being rebuilt, and adding a couple of elves to the battle wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Since the system had mentioned improved morale among the elves if I held off on conscription for a time, I decided to leave them out of the fight. On the outskirts of the human village, my goblins were doing a good job of scouting out the enemy forces. The humans seemed to have around a score of people armed with simple weapons that were gathering into squads of five. Earlier, they had around a dozen confront us over the birds we¡¯d killed, which must have been the bulk of their available forces. Some of the human warriors had crude leather jerkins for protection, and all of them either carried a spear with a stone tip, or a wooden club as their weapon. Three of the warriors carried rough-looking short bows. Compared to Glurk¡¯s masterwork longbow, or even Khurr¡¯s hand crossbow, the human ranged weapons looked like something a kid would make at summer camp. Given their arrows had the same crude tips as their spears, I doubted the bows would penetrate the armor of my front-line fighters. I would have to keep the kobolds behind the main line, as even the crude bows would tear them up. The enemy would have a slight numerical advantage, but my summoned minions were much better trained and equipped. To my delight, half the human warriors left the village, escorting a large group of workers. They were heading to harvest the resources from the bird corpses before the fighting began. Unfortunately for them, my team was almost assembled and ready for a fight.Stolen novel; please report. One of Major Finley¡¯s training sessions came to mind. He explained that when fighting a numerically superior force, you should look for opportunities to separate them into smaller groups before taking them on. He called it defeating the enemy in detail, and it was exactly what my minions were about to do. The drone team changed their pace to meet the goblins at the bird corpses right when the humans arrived. It took the slow-moving humans a bit to get there, and I almost ordered the goblins, who were tailing them, to engage early. I stuck to my guns and waited for all my forces to arrive. The kobolds would miss out on the first fight, but they weren¡¯t exactly needed. ¡°Attack!¡± I ordered as the humans arrived and the villagers started harvesting the bird corpses using crude bone daggers that were oddly similar to the ones my kobold traders had. The tall grass of the plains hid my troops well, but the drone was kind of hard to miss and as he closed in, the warriors guarding the workers shouted out a warning and gathered to face the approaching threat. The archers among our enemy loosed their first shots, the stone arrowheads shattering uselessly against the armored body of the drone. From behind the enemy, my goblins shouted a war cry and charged. Glurk fired arrow after arrow at the enemy, targeting the archers first, and dropping all three before the others got into melee range. It was a massacre more than a fight. None of the enemy could best my troops in combat, and the drone was completely unstoppable as none of the weapons our enemies wielded could penetrate his armor. One by one the human warriors fell, and to my surprise, the villagers joined in the fight, attacking with their crude bone daggers. The villagers did have a bit more luck than their warriors, having caught my troops by surprise as they waited until after their warriors had fallen before attacking. My minions had figured they were non-combatants and it took them a moment to respond to the threat. That moment was long enough for a pair of villagers to close in on Khurr and start stabbing his lightly armored body. Yipping in pain, Khurr retaliated with his shortsword, cutting down his attackers with the help of Blieek who used his charge ability to skewer one of the humans. Elida dropped a pair of Minor Healing Burst¡¯s on Khurr which had him good as new in moments. The last of the human party was down, and we¡¯d only lost a couple of spell slots in dealing with them. Elida spent a minute using Channel Mana to regain one of her spell slots as the party turned and headed toward the human village. My kobold squad met them there just before they arrived. The humans must have known something had gone wrong with the war party they sent to harvest the birds, as everyone working in the fields came running back to the walled settlement. The low palisade might have protected the human village against the killer birds, but it was going to do little against my troops. I had my minions make a show of their approach, which gathered most of the surviving human warriors to that section of the wall. I could only see one of the defenders wielding a bow, and Glurk stalked forward to deal with him. Only shoulder high, the wall provided some protection against missiles, but the enemy archer was more exposed, standing on something to give him a better line of sight on my troops. Despite having the height advantage, Glurk¡¯s longbow had much better range. Given the goblin¡¯s growing prowess with his weapons, he had little trouble hitting the target. After firing, Glurk¡¯s arrow arced over wall and hit the human archer in the center of his chest, dropping the man and eliciting a chorus of alarmed cries from the defenders. It was time for my drone to get to work, and he marched toward the wall like an invincible automaton. Another warrior gathered up the bow from his fallen comrade and stood to fire, only to also be brought down by Glurk¡¯s archery. Reaching the palisade, my drone just started to tear through it with little trouble. His bladed arms hacked through the ropes holding the posts together and his smaller arms pulled axes from his chest to use on the barrier. In less than a minute, the drone had hacked an opening in the flimsy defense, ignoring a few spear strikes and club hits from the defenders. ¡°Get the town hall, I urged the drone. It hacked through the remaining defenders, and the regular villagers didn¡¯t attack this time, and instead fled to the shacks they lived in. There were only a dozen buildings in the village, and the largest in the center was obviously their town hall. Like the rest of the structures, the town hall was flimsily built, a bit like my headquarters before the most recent upgrade. As he stalked toward the building, it looked like the surviving villagers were screwing up the courage to ty to stop him. Before they could sacrifice themselves uselessly, the grenade launcher on the drone¡¯s shoulder fired off out three rounds that penetrated the thin wood of the town hall before exploding. Fire broke out as the structure collapsed. The system confirmed I¡¯d just won the very short war with the human village. You have conquered the Village of Millstone and can now decide its fate. Chapter 265. Expanded Empire. Chapter 265. Expanded Empire. ¡°That was easy enough,¡± I muttered to myself and worried that the system was going to throw some wrench into the works. Thinking about it for a moment, it did sort of make sense. Not every contestant would be a summoner with powerful minions it could send out to attack. The village defenses had been prepared to deal with the combat forces of the other factions. My kobolds, without my minions, would have struggled to defeat any of the other factions in my challenge. Most challengers would have to leave the headquarters and deal with each threat directly until their faction grew stronger. Their direct participation would also affect the growth of their faction as their headquarters sat idle during the time they were away. By virtue of my class, I had a bit of an advantage that I was going to exploit to the fullest. I could stay here and manage my empire while my minions went out and discovered friendly factions or dealt with any that proved hostile. I had been victorious and now it was time to decide the humans¡¯ fate. For conquering your foe, the early termination penalty for breaking the truce has been rescinded. Please choose one of the following options for your defeated foe.
  1. Eradication. Your forces will exterminate the human settlement completely, netting you a moderate number of resources and gear.
  2. Truce. You will impose a truce between your peoples for a set amount of time. During that time, neither faction may participate in hostile activities toward the other. Enhanced penalties will remain in effect for anyone breaking this truce.
  3. Subjugation. Your faction will take over the human village and you will run it directly. The morale of the humans would be permanently hostile, and you would need to station a sizeable force of warriors here to prevent a future revolt. This option will continuously extract a large percentage of the human economy and convert it into resources for your faction, but the human economy will be stagnant, and their settlement will grow at a significantly reduced pace.
  4. Confederation. You will accept the humans into your faction. They will remain autonomous but will be required to trade and provide mutual defense at your request. Their morale will start as hostile, but depending on your demands, may change over time.
They were almost the same options as I had been given after defeating the elves. The only thing missing was the option to let the humans take over and for me so I could leave the challenge. That must have been something the system offered only once, early in the challenge, for those that wished to leave. I had already chosen confederation with the elves and decided to do the same with the humans. Like I had done before, I excluded them from any type of defensive alliance until they had rebuilt their strength. The system confirmed my choices, giving a bit more detail this time around. You have confederated with the Human Village of Millstone. Their morale is currently Hostile. Over time, this attitude will change based on the demands you make and how the human faction is treated overall. Should their morale fall low enough, a revolt may occur. You have chosen to establish a trade pact with the Human Village of Millstone. Trade caravans will occasionally leave from your cavern and the human village, bringing trade goods. Remember, trade routes must be protected, or losses will occur, affecting both resources and morale. Over time, continued trade between the various peoples will improve their attitude toward your faction, as well as provide valuable resources and gear your kobolds cannot craft for themselves. Improve your marketplace to add additional trade caravans and to improve the effectiveness of the existing trade routes. That reminded me that I had a trade caravan ready to go and doing nothing since I¡¯d last upgraded the marketplace. I assigned them to the human village, as well as assigning a squad of warriors to patrol the route. It was a much longer journey than the one between the elves and gnomes and was probably riskier. I may need to assign an additional patrol when I had more forces available. It might not be needed once the humans recovered and began to help with the patrols. For now, the villagers in Millstone had rebuilding to do and a village to repopulate. Just like with the kobolds, the system had a simple mechanic in place to replace losses.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. In the human village, a team of villagers was already working to rebuild the town hall. After that, I figured they¡¯d repair the gap in the palisade that my drone had torn through. A trio of humans did start walking from the village with the typical packs over their shoulders to indicate they were a trading caravan. My kobold warriors who had been with the attacking force were now assigned to guard the trade route, and followed the human traders, giving them protection as they brought goods to my markets. Maybe when all our factions started to rank up, we¡¯d have proper caravans with wagons and whatnot. For now, it was just three of four people hoofing it slowly along the trail. On my map, I could keep track of their progress, and a green dotted line showed the trade routes that were active. My kobold traders, all four of them, began the long trek to the human village. Time passed as trade continued and my minions explored the rest of the plains. As I suspected, the human village was the only other faction living there, but they did run into occasional hostile creatures that were easily dealt with. All were too far from my kobold village to waste the time of workers to try and harvest the resources, but I noticed something odd when we left without harvesting the remains of our foes. About an hour after my minions had abandoned the latest remains, the human village, much closer due to their location on the plains, sent out a harvesting team. The system must have determined that after a certain time, if no action was taken, the resources were up for grabs. I was fine with that, as it might help the humans to rebuild their village more quickly. The main foes that my minions seemed to run into on the plains were the bird creatures. I was also pretty sure there was some kind of respawn mechanic for the creatures in this zone as I¡¯d noticed more than one wolf sniffing around the outskirts of my mountain. They weren¡¯t aggressive yet, but likely would become so as their numbers rebuilt. I was fine with a reprieve from wolf attacks for a while, as I needed to expand and build up my forces. My minions were needed to finish exploring my small world, and the kobold warriors weren¡¯t up to the task just yet. While not up to the task of eradicating wolves at this time, my kobold forces were starting to improve as the now-upgraded crafters station and the marketplace began to pay dividends. Instead of sharpened sticks, my kobold warriors were now armed with spears like humans wielded. The spears now had long, straight shafts with stone tips. In addition, each warrior had a crude leather jerkin to help protect them. I had yet to see them in action on their own, but at least they were starting to look the part. My kobold village continued to improve, and before long, my headquarters upgraded to rank three and I went on a building spree, adding a new farm, a new housing complex, and upgrading everything else. My population expanded and the trade caravans now had five-man teams and I was pleased to see they were now pulling a small cart loaded with goods. At the headquarters, I could now more easily give direct orders to not only my minions, but also the kobold warriors out in the field. Work teams and caravans were on their own, but maybe future upgrades would give me more control. For now, I could just set their tasks and let them work at their own pace. Marketplace upgrades gave me more steady resource income, and another trade caravan. To my surprise, I was able to place the trade caravan on the route with the human village. The distance must have been long enough between the two places to justify a second team. The barracks and crafting station upgrades granted me two new squads of troops and upgraded the equipment on my existing troops even further. The warriors¡¯ spears now had sharp, steel tips and they wore proper leather armor. In addition, each had a steel dagger and one kobold in each squad had a crossbow. My defenses over the rear entrance to our cavern had also improved, and thanks to trade with my rock gnome buddies, I had a proper stone wall with a heavy portcullis protecting the entrance. I also unlocked the option to add a new defensive structure in my territory. Unsure where I wanted it, I held off on placement until a more urgent need was seen. All the structures in my cavern were starting to look like something people would want to live and work in. I was excited to see what rank four would do for us. My headquarters upgrade also unlocked a new option for my map interface, a tab called War Coordination that was currently greyed out. I had a feeling that this arena challenge was going to include more fighting, and I hoped my focus on trade wasn¡¯t going to hamper my chances to finish strongly in the rankings. The rewards were bound to be better at the tier two arena challenge, and I wanted in on the good loot. All I could do now was prepare and grow as rapidly as I was able to. In addition to expansion at home, my minions had completed their exploration of the plains and were ready to head into the last, and unknown section of the map. The plains slowly gave way to a desert-like environment, but my minions didn¡¯t need food or drink, so they should have no problem exploring it. I figured that a final faction was out there, and I wanted to make contact and deal with them, either through peace or war, before this first phase of the challenge was completed. Chapter 266. Map Revealed. Chapter 266. Map Revealed. It wasn¡¯t only my kobold empire that was growing, each of my trading partners were starting to expand and improve. The rock gnomes¡¯ trading caravans were now the same size as mine, and even had the same pushcart full of goods. Their patrols were also better armed and equipped. Each gnome warrior now carried a heavy, stone mace, a stone shield, and a slingshot for ranged attacks. They also wore basic leather armor like my kobold warriors did. Each of the expanded gnomish trade caravans that arrived now granted additional resources, which were fed into my own expansion. In addition, I started to accumulate stacks of stone building blocks at the market, and when I focused on them, the system explained what was happening. Your trade efforts are starting to amass resources that your minions are not capable of gathering or producing on their own. The Gurtzam Rock Gnomes are renowned for their stone cutting skills. Each caravan that arrives will deposit a few of their choice building stones. Over time, your kobold structures and defenses can be reinforced by this stone. In return, your trading caravans are bringing exotic healing mushrooms to the gnomes, who use them to help heal wounded soldiers and workers. This continued, mutually beneficial trade between your peoples has fostered improved relations and the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes are now friendly toward your faction. Continue to develop this relationship between your peoples to unlock benefits for all parties involved. We were both benefiting from the exchange, and I could now see part of the gnomish home territory where my trading caravans walked to their version of the market. It looked like they were expanding nicely and had recovered from the earlier wolf attacks. As long as they continued to see us favorably, I hoped they would become stronger and keep feeding me more resources. The elves were doing better as well. As a confederated faction, I had more insight and view over their domain. Their tree houses were expanding, and their guards assisting the caravan patrol routes had expanded to five warriors each, three melee and two archers. The elf caravans didn¡¯t have carts yet and consisted of just four elves walking with overloaded packs. Last and least was the human village. Some system shenanigans had allowed them to instantly rebuild the town hall and they were working on repairing the damage to the outer wall. My attack had slain all their warriors, but I could see three or four armed humans now wandering around the village. None were on patrol yet, so my squad protecting that caravan route was on its own. My minions had grouped back together to begin their exploration of the desert. This was the area furthest from our cavern, and I didn¡¯t know what kind of threats we¡¯d face just yet. It looked like sand stretched out into the horizon, but as my team explored the edge of the desert, they did come across a trail of sorts. A paved road, wide enough for two wagons to pass, which started at the edge of the plains and disappeared into the desert. Sand had reclaimed much of the road, but having Blieek dig down a bit, I could see that the road was still in good repair, just covered up. The road was our best chance at quickly finding the final faction, so I gave up on my usual method of exploration and had the team just follow the road. The journey would take some time, and I estimated that the desert covered an even wider territory than the plains had. It also appeared the road was safer than just traipsing along in the desert, as they were spared from any encounters with wildlife. Near our cavern, killing wildlife was great, as it turned into easily gathered resources. Far out in the desert, whatever we killed would just go to waste, or maybe the human faction would send a team out here to harvest, but I doubted it. The relatively flat desert made the road run pretty much straight through, without having to waste time on detours around terrain features. It even seemed like my team was moving faster than it normally did. After my observation, the system confirmed what was happening. Your minions are traveling on an Improved Trade Route. These routes increase speed by 10% and reduce the dangers from hostile wildlife and bandits by 75%. Look for opportunities to build this type of infrastructure inside your lands. Roads between my trading partners would be great, but so far, I had no option to build them. I had a feeling the system was teasing me, and that infrastructure construction would unlock at the next headquarters rank. I had finished all my rank three upgrades, and resources were stockpiling nicely, so rank four wasn¡¯t going to be too far off. I was distracted from watching my minions when I received notice that a caravan was under attack. It was one of my kobold caravans on the route with the human village. A smaller pack of the killer ostrich-looking birds were attacking. The five traders had huddled next to the cart and were brandishing their daggers at the birds.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Unintimidated by the bone daggers of my traders, the birds pressed closer, lashing out with their razor-sharp beaks, and kicking with their huge feet. Each foot was tipped with a long claw that would eviscerate anyone it hit. One of the traders was already down, and a bird jumped in and dragged him away from the others. While they feasted on their kill, the survivors tried to make a break for it. At the same time, I ordered the patrol on that route to come to the rescue. My caravan was around the midpoint between our two villages, and the guards were closer to the human village at the present time. That was all I could do for now and would just hope that the killer birds were content with a single kobold for dinner. The four survivors of the caravan were pushing their cart away from the scene of the attack, but they weren¡¯t exactly fast and if the birds wanted a second meal, I didn¡¯t see much they could do to stop them. I¡¯d keep an eye on the situation. A replacement for my fallen trader would eventually respawn, but that caravan would bring fewer resources back home until a replacement was ready to work. The birds took their time feasting, and when they were done, they took off after the fleeing caravan. It didn¡¯t take them long to catch up, but as they did, the kobold patrol was almost there. A second caravan member was slain, and like before, the birds stopped to feast, ignoring the fleeing survivors. My patrol of warriors was going to catch up to the birds before they finished their meal, and I was curious to see how the rank three improved kobolds would fare against the birds. My attention was drawn back to my minions when a system prompt appeared. Your minions have encountered a random trading caravan that wishes to offer you some goods, do you wish to trade? Y/N. I could see a brightly colored, oversized wagon drawn by two large elks with impressive sets of antlers. The driver of the wagon was a halfling dressed in a garish purple and silver robe. I accepted the trade offer and looked at what I could buy from him. Norber¡¯s Fine Goods:
  1. Structure upgrade token. Why waste time waiting for your structures to upgrade when Norber can get the work done for you in a jiffy! This item immediately upgrades any non-headquarters structure by one rank. Your headquarters must already be at the improved structure¡¯s new rank for it to activate.
  2. Crate of healing potions (1 gross). Keep your minions alive and in the fight! Now in black cherry flavor! Each potion heals a Rank 5 minion for 25% of its health. Diminishing returns are active with this product.
  3. Out-of-date zone map. Want to know what¡¯s out there? Buy Norber¡¯s old map! Who cares if this was drawn a century ago, it¡¯s not like the terrain would change all that much. This item uncovers the unexplored areas of your map, up to a maximum of 20% of your zone¡¯s total area. Please note that some information on factions, threats, and areas of interest may be out of date.
  4. Friendly Gift Basket. Want to make a good impression on your neighbors? Norber, has you covered. Send this gift basket to any faction in your territory to increase your reputation level with them by 1 step.
This was odd, the halfling wagon driver, who I assumed was Norber, seemed to stare directly at me, despite me seeing them through my minions. As I inspected each offering, I got an image of my resource silo emptying by a specific amount. The worst culprit was, oddly enough, the gift basket. If I bought that it would almost drain my resources completely. I wasn¡¯t going to delay my next headquarters rank just to bump a reputation by one step. As it stood, I was in no immediate danger of revolt, so I could safely pass on the gift basket, even if I was curious about what was in it. The healing potions were also not that great, and though they only took about a quarter of my resources to purchase, I didn¡¯t see a need. My kobolds were rather weak to begin with, and a 25% healing bump wasn¡¯t going to win a fight for me. The number of potions was nice, even if it took me a while to remember that a gross of something was 144. With my Health Bloom, and Elida¡¯s Minor Healing Burst, I felt we had healing covered. The structure upgrade token was something I wanted, and though it took half my resources to purchase, it was a good buy, and only slightly more than I¡¯d pay to do the upgrade myself. A more than fair price to instantly construct a building. The last item, the map, had a negligible cost of only 10% of my resources, and I took a risk on it. You have purchased the structure upgrade token and the out-of-date zone map. Norber thanks you for your patronage and asks for permission to return to your lands in the future. Do you wish to allow Norber access to your lands in the future?¡± Y/N. Nice, the token turned out to be a flashing icon on my headquarters interface where I could activate it when I needed to. When I received the map, I found I could choose where to explore. Before I did that, I allowed Norber access to my lands in the future, excited to see what he might bring next time. Activating the map, I found it was just shy of what I needed to complete all the unexplored areas of the map. With a bit of tinkering, I was able to explore everything but the path I figured my minions would uncover by following the road to its end. Several icons appeared in the newly discovered area, though I was a bit wary of accepting the information on the map as gospel, given the warnings the system had decided to include. Norber thanks you for the access pass to your lands. A notification will appear whenever he is in this zone. I waved away the notification about Norber and focused on a point of interest out in the middle of the desert. It showed a dungeon called the Temple of the Forgotten Ones. I knew the information was out of date, but I couldn¡¯t pass up sending my minions to see what it was all about. Before I would have them do that, I wanted them to finish their journey on the road. They would uncover the last bit of unexplored area on the map, and since there were no other factions listed in what I¡¯d already uncovered with Norber¡¯s map, I was sure that at the end of the road, we¡¯d run into our last neighbor. Chapter 267. Shoremarch. Chapter 267. Shoremarch. As my team of minions continued their journey down the paved road, I turned my attention back to the group of birds that was still hounding my kobold trading caravan. The patrol of five kobold warriors had arrived and were summarily cut down by the flock of carnivorous ostrich-looking birds. My warriors hadn¡¯t gone down without a fight, though, and two of the birds had been killed during the fight. The remaining creatures were busy feasting on all the remains, and the caravan survivors would probably make it the human village without any trouble. As long as the birds wandered off after eating their fill, the road should be clear for a bit. Eggs would soon start to grow in the housing complexes, producing the replacements for my lost warriors and traders. While the traders could pretty much start right away once they were hatched, the warriors would take a bit longer since they had to go to the barracks for training and equipment. A quick check of my resources showed the silo was slowly but steadily refilling after my previous purchases. It would have to be pretty much full before I could expand my headquarters to rank four. I had the instant upgrade token for one of my structures, but it couldn¡¯t be used on the headquarters, unfortunately. Waiting for my resources to build up wasn¡¯t the most exciting experience in the world, so I shifted my attention to the minions as they traveled toward the end of the road and the edge of the map. From what I could tell, they had to be getting close, especially with the speed boost the road gave them. The haze of the desert heat over the road gave way to cool breezes as my minions reached their destination. In the distance, I could see the ocean, as well as a seaside town bustling with activity. Unlike my kobold cavern and the villages of the other faction¡¯s, this one was protected by a stone wall and was more than double the size. As my team drew closer, I could even see several small fishing vessels out on the water, and a pier with a larger ship was tied up and unloading cargo. Outside the village, a few pathetic-looking farms tried to grow crops in the thin and sandy soil. Along the wall around the village, there were several well-armed and armored guards. Unlike the guards at the other villages, these guards were comprised of all sorts of humanoid races, from halflings to orcs. At least a score of the guards were on patrol around the perimeter of the village. I figured there were more inside where there was sure to be a barracks of some type. Each guard wore a full suit of chainmail, topped with a steel helm. Round wooden shields with spears were their main weapons, but each had a long dagger on their belt. In addition to the melee weapons, about one in five of the guards had a light crossbow as a ranged weapon. These guys were more formidable than my other encounters, so I¡¯d have to do what I could to avoid conflict. I was sure my minions could do a number on them, but I doubted we could handle that many without taking casualties. A pair of guards left the village and walked on the road toward my team, as the two groups met, a system prompt appeared. Congratulations! You are among the first 100 contestants to explore the entire map of the zone you have been assigned to. This accomplishment entitles you to a choice of rewards as well as bonus resources to help grow your realm. In addition, the overall layout of your zone will be simplified to help you in the final phase of the challenge. For your reward, please select one of the following.
  1. Sorcerer¡¯s hovel. Unlock the sorcerer¡¯s hovel to add magic wielding kobolds to the ranks of your warriors. As the structure improves its rank, the sorcerers will become more powerful and unlock new spells and abilities.
  2. Crude road network. Construct a simple roadway between all trading partners and confederated factions. The crude road network increases the speed of all travelers by 2% and reduces the dangers of hostile wildlife by 25%.
  3. Resource node. Creates a random, valuable resource node inside your faction territory. This node will slowly regenerate after being harvested.
  4. Beast tamer¡¯s hut. Allows some of your kobold workers to take up the beast taming profession. They will explore the lands, taming beasts for both work and defense. By breeding these animals, you¡¯ll have a steady supply of creatures to supplement your forces and to speed your construction.
That was something I hadn¡¯t expected. A low rumbling was heard throughout the cavern, and I could feel a slight vibration under my feet as the system made changes to the zone around me. Other than myself and my minions, none of the other inhabitants seemed concerned by, or even noticed, the disruption.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. On the headquarters map, I could see the zone layout change. The mountain that my kobolds and the rock gnomes resided in shifted to the far eastern end of the zone. To the north and south, the zone narrowed significantly. Things elongated to the west, extending the distance between my mountain and the newly discovered village on the coast. The forest widened, but the elf village remained in about the same place. The human village was a different story, as it was pushed further west, making the journey there even longer. I could also see the icon for the trading post that didn¡¯t want to be disturbed shifting west a bit, but not as far as the human village had. Thinking about the trading post, I made a mental note to have one of my minions stop by there soon to see if it was up and running. A blinking light on the map of my kobold cavern told me the resource silo was filled to the brim, and I would soon begin to lose resources if I didn¡¯t spend them. I immediately ordered the headquarters to be upgraded to rank four, and for a little while, the resources barely decreased as the bonus for exploration continued to feed me more. The bonus resources petered out rather quickly, but it was going to be enough to build the tier four headquarters and leave the silo over half full. Looking at my reward options, I was distracted by another system prompt that appeared as my minions and the guards met on the road. You have discovered the free city of Shoremarch. The city wishes to open negotiations with your faction. Do you wish to negotiate with the free city of Shoremarch? Y/N. I wasn¡¯t sure what we were negotiating exactly, but I would rather talk to them than start hostilities right off the bat. I accepted the negotiation offer and new information began to appear. The system first explained the city, then presented the offer to my faction. The free city of Shoremarch is independent and will refuse to join any faction. Primarily a trading hub, a trade agreement with Shoremarch will allow multiple caravans to trade with the city once they have accepted you as a full trading partner. Shoremarch will remain neutral unless attacked directly. Your reputation with the city will begin at Neutral and can improve or decline based on your actions. The free city of Shoremarch makes the following offer.
  1. Limited trade route agreement. This agreement will allow a single caravan to trade with the city. Each of the factions in your confederation will also be allowed a single trade caravan with Shoremarch.
  2. Durable, non-aggression pact. This pact will prevent either side from initiating hostile actions, both direct and indirect. The system will enforce significantly enhanced penalties for any party that breaks this pact. This pact is necessary if you wish to accept the limited trade route agreement.
  3. Mutual trade route defense. You agree to utilize no fewer than two squads of defenders to patrol the trade route between your cavern and Shoremarch. Your responsibility for defense begins at the point where the old trade road meets the plains.
Should the trade caravan from Shoremarch be attacked, you agree to compensate the city with resources equal in value to the losses incurred. Should one of your trade caravans be attacked in the area under Shoremarch¡¯s responsibility, you will be compensated with resources equal in value to the losses incurred. Do you agree to these terms? Y/N. It sounded like trade with this place was something I couldn¡¯t pass up and was the preferred choice over trying to conquer the fortified city. I wondered if this was a test for those going the aggressive route, giving them an opportunity for trade as long as they could hold off their murderous tendencies for a bit. That also brought up the question of whether the other contestants had a similar layout for their challenge. Were we all using the same map? The terms laid out in Shoremarch¡¯s offer seemed fine, though I was going to have to burn my upgrade token on the barracks if I wanted enough troops to effectively patrol the long path between our factions. Accepting the terms offered, I was given a final acknowledgement. You have entered into a binding agreement with the free city of Shoremarch. Continue to abide by the agreement and protect the trade routes to improve your relationship with this city and open up additional options. The guards that had met my team on the road turned and walked back toward the city. I ordered my team back and watched as a trade caravan left Shoremarch. Instead of a few traders with a cart, this was a full-blown wagon stuffed to the gills with goods. Two drivers rode on the wagon, and a squad of five town guards marched with them as escorts. I panicked for a moment, realizing I had no free soldiers to guard the trade route. The green line of the new trade route appeared on my map. It ran along the desert road and then through the shortest distance from the plains to the human village. From there it, joined the existing route where it finally ended at the kobold cavern. The route through my lands flashed red, and an icon showing the total units patrolling the route was one out of a minimum of two. At least it counted the guards I already had patrolling between the human village and my cavern as one of the required teams. Assigning the squad from inside the cavern to guard duty on the new route, I was left defenseless until my upgrades were complete. Now, I just had to decide on which reward to choose. Chapter 268. Second Stage. Chapter 268. Second Stage. I looked over the upgrade list again, and at first glance, I thought about building the road network. Given the trade agreement with Shoremarch, having a safer, and faster, way for our caravans to travel would be a huge bonus. The downside was that I was almost certain that the ability to build roads would pop up soon, perhaps even after the tier four upgrade for the headquarters was complete. A resource node also sounded good at first, but there were likely other resources out on the map we hadn¡¯t explored yet. In fact, there was a place marked with a special interest icon in the desert. It had popped up from the outdated map I¡¯d purchased from Norber, which meant it might not be anything, but I wanted my team to check it out just in case. The sorcerer¡¯s hut and the beast tamer one were both interesting. I didn¡¯t think either of those would appear naturally during the normal upgrades, so snagging one now might be the only chance I got for some unusual units. Which of the two was the best? Magic slinging kobolds were pretty cool, but beast taming might be even better if we could capture and breed the various things out there trying to kill us. It was a tough call, and I could see the pros and cons of each. In the long run, sorcerers might be the better option, granting us easier and more consistent damage against our foes. Maybe it was time to get a second opinion. ¡°Melvin, what do you think I should do, go with beast tamers, or mages for our kobolds?¡± I asked. Melvin was silent for several long moments as he considered the options. The gelatinous cube in his armor form was a bit less chatty, but he could still communicate when it was needed. Images of our kobolds with wolves and the ostrich monsters filled my mind. Before I could confirm that was what he wanted, Melvin shifted gears and I could see a line of kobold warriors standing firm while sorcerers behind the defending warriors began hurling a barrage of fireballs that obliterated anything in their path. After considering both options, Melvin gave me the gelatinous cube equivalent of a shoulder shrug. He wasn¡¯t going to be a great help, so I just made a decision based on what I thought would be the most effective. The kobold sorcerers hut has been unlocked. A rank 0 version of this structure will be completed automatically, but it is up to you to upgrade the structure further. In addition to training some of your kobolds to use the inherent magic of their species, the sorcerers hut will also allow them to craft some minor magic items for both your people¡¯s use, and as trade goods to sell to your trading partners. These magic items will improve as the rank of the structure increases. I had the option of where I wanted to place the sorcerers hut, and I decided to have it next to the marketplace. Maybe that would help with using their magic items for trade. As I selected the location, the building began to rise from the cavern floor. My new structure wasn¡¯t much to look at, just a small hut made of mushroom stalks and wood scraps. It looked like one of the housing complex buildings, but round instead of rectangular. I almost used my structure upgrade token on the hut but held off. It would be foolish to burn that token on making a structure rank one when it could be used to bump a more expensive rank three building up to rank four. While I waited for my headquarters to finish upgrading, I ordered my team to head toward the special interest icon on the map. It was going to bug me not knowing what was out there, so while they were already in the desert, it made sense to investigate. With little to do now, I stood by and watched the headquarters complete its upgrade. This time, at rank four, the building stayed the same size. Instead, I received a newly upgraded map table with several chairs around it. It was all window dressing as I had no command team to discuss options with. The construction quality was also upgraded, with a base made from the stones we¡¯d gotten in trade with the gnomes, while the upper portion was crafted from lumber. The pile of stones back at the marketplace was reduced by half as the system used them in the upgrade. Before I dove into any headquarters changes, I used my upgrade token on the barracks. We needed more defenders and currently, it was just me and the workers available to defend the cavern. The upgrade token made the structure change before my eyes, and the whole process was completed in seconds.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Just like with my headquarters, the barracks now had a stone base and wooden upper portions, draining the last of the stockpile of stone at the marketplace. The barracks also now had a small palisade around it made from mushroom stalks. There were still two entrances at either end of the building, but they had widened and now featured battlements above them. A pair of kobolds stood guard at each end of the structure entrances. There weren¡¯t any kobolds to train yet, as the farms and housing complexes were still upgrading themselves. These were automatic, and free upgrades, so I couldn¡¯t complain if it was taking longer with each new rank. What I could do was use the new building slots that opened, and I queued up a new farm and housing complex to add to what we already had. The resources in my silo dipped, but it was still a quarter full, giving me enough to start one more structure upgrade. I chose the marketplace, as I needed more traders to work the trade route I¡¯d just unlocked. With the buildings underway, I was now forced to wait while more resources were gathered. Looking over my new headquarters, a system prompt appeared telling me there had been some changes after the upgrade. Congratulations on creating a Rank 4 headquarters. A new building type has been unlocked. A new faction option has been unlocked. New structure options.
  1. Trade routes. You may now construct crude trade routes to speed up and improve the safety of trade in your zone. Construction is limited to the existing routes between all trading partners and confederated factions. The crude road network increases the speed of all travelers by 2% and reduces the dangers of hostile wildlife by 25%.
New faction option.
  1. Joint exercises. Training cadre from your barracks will share their knowledge with the other species in your confederation. In return, their trainers will visit your barracks to improve the training and skills of your troops.
The new structure option was just what I¡¯d expected, the ability to build roads. I was now glad that I hadn¡¯t picked it as my free upgrade. Having roads for free and instantly built was great, but I¡¯d have given up the kobold sorcerers in exchange for a bit of convenience. I was also curious how the joint training exercises would pan out. The system hadn¡¯t mentioned that I¡¯d have to supply a squad of trainers, so it didn¡¯t appear that I was going to be depleted of any of my existing troops. We were spread thin as it was, so I didn¡¯t want any additional obligations to bleed off more manpower, or kobold power in this case. Four kobold warriors walked out of the newly upgraded barracks. They broke up into pairs and one headed for the elf forest while the other team were on the trade route to the human village. In return, a pair of human and elvish warriors left from their perspective homes, walking slowly toward the kobold cavern as the training exchange got underway. A loud gong and a system announcement startled me and caused me to jump. The first stage of your challenge is now complete, and the second stage will begin shortly. New changes will occur in your zones and for those that have fully explored your territory, some hint at the changes will be given on your headquarters map. In this second stage, you must do all you can to prepare your people for the final challenge. Exploit your resources, grow in power, and foster alliances with those around you. A new threat will arise in each zone during the second stage, an omen for things to come. Uncover this threat and deal with it or face a more difficult time during the third and final stage of the challenge. This stage will last a total of 40 days. Use your time wisely. I had lost track of time, not realizing that the first thirty days had already passed inside this challenge. From the announcement I was going to benefit a bit more from my decision to explore quickly. Also, there was some sort of threat brewing that I had to find and deal with before the next stage. The announcement also reminded me that the Gavelox Trading Consortium and Food Court out in the forest clearing was supposed to be open now. Was that a new opportunity or was it the threat that had to be dealt with? One of your trading caravans is under attack. One of your allied trading caravans is under attack. One of your trading partners is under attack. Your home cavern is under attack. What was going on? My headquarters map lit up with danger notifications and my team of minions was still out in the desert, way too far to come and help. Whatever was going on, it looked like I was going to have to deal with it myself. First off, I checked out our cavern. I could deal with attacks on the trade routes only after I was sure my home base wasn¡¯t about to be overrun. I could see several attackers had spawned in the marketplace and were engaging a gnome caravan that had just arrived. Several of my kobold workers were down and the gnome traders were trying to defend themselves but weren¡¯t doing a very good job of it. Our attackers were odd, misshapen creatures, vaguely humanoid, but giving off a sense of wrongness even looking at them through the headquarters interface. Instead of arms and hands, the things had tentacles that they used to tear and rend apart the helpless victims. Checking to make sure my gear was ready; I ran from the headquarters. I had to defend against this attack, or the arena challenge was as good as done. Chapter 269. The Forgotten Ones. Chapter 269. The Forgotten Ones. I readied my pilum as I ran, lamenting the fact that most of my figurines were back at home. Sure, that was the best place for the most powerful ones, but I could sure use some help here. Taking stock, I had only a summoning figurine for a sea horse and some bear traps in inventory. There was one more in my inventory. Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine was off cooldown, and I could call him to help. His figurine¡¯s cooldown was a long one, though, and I really wanted to summon him to Earth where he could see our tech and give some of our scientists and researchers insight into what tech would work and what was going to fizzle out when the integration occurred. No, I wasn¡¯t going to call him now. I¡¯d risk a poor showing on the challenge to help make my world safer and give my friend Fitzfazzle a good look at what mana-free technology could do. I had several scrolls but wanted to keep the Scroll of Eternal Suffering I got from Gary for a more powerful foe. I did have the AOE buff scroll and the acid arrow one that Tzes¡¯zod had created for me. I readied the acid arrow scroll in one hand, and my pilum in the other as I closed in on the market. A half-dozen creatures were overrunning the market, and a similar number were still pouring in from the trade route area. Activating its magic, I heaved the pilum at the nearest monster, one that was about to tear apart the last gnome trader. Flying unerringly due to its enchantment, the pilum slammed into my target, unleashing a burst of electricity that cooked the monster from the inside out. ¡°Run, it¡¯s the forgotten ones!¡± the gnome shouted as he fled deeper into the cavern. With the flashing light of the electrical attack, the other monsters turned and rushed toward me. I got a better look at them as I began to cast the Acidic Arrow Barrage scroll. These things were like something from a Lovecraft novel. They were ugly enough with their misshapen limbs and tentacles, but up close, I could see they had distorted faces. Not only were their faces distorted versions of a human¡¯s face, but they had also more than one! Some had extra faces on their chests and other random parts of their body. Each of the faces focused on me as they attacked. Some of the faces cried, some shouted in rage, and others looked terrified. The ones that freaked me out the most were the ones that just smiled. No matter what else they were doing, each face was also babbling out an incoherent chant. If they hadn¡¯t been system generated creatures, I could see someone going mad as their babbling resonated in your mind and almost, but not quite, made sense. With the scroll greedily sucking out fifteen of my mana, the spell activated. A half dozen green arrows shot forth one slamming into each of the closest monsters. The arrows dug deep into the gray, knotty flesh of the monsters, and then the acid began to do its work. An unholy howl sounded from the injured creatures, who went berserk in rage, attacking anything near them as the acid sizzled deeper into their bodies. Their blind, pain-filled rage gave me a chance to pull my bear trap summoning figurine. Melvin sent me confident vibes, reminding me that he was there and ready to help. For a few moments, the monsters fought amongst themselves, giving me time to deploy the figurine. Four oversized bear traps appeared on the ground in front of me. They were colored to match the cave floor but were a bit obvious to anyone who bothered to look. The monsters weren¡¯t paying attention and two charged toward me while the others were still in melee with each other. With a surprisingly loud snap, the traps closed over the misshapen legs of the monsters who blindly ran forward. More squeals of pain sounded as the pair fell, one landing perfectly onto another trap that snapped shut and tore the monster¡¯s chest out, killing it. The other one, unable to walk, slowly began to pull itself toward me. Leaping forward, I finished off the creature with my sword. I gagged as the first blow landed, and I felt only minimal resistance as the blade slid through and an odd milky liquid that served as blood for the creatures oozed out. It gave off a foul stench that smelled of death and rotting eggs.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. My second thrust hit the monster in its back, right where one of the disgusting faces was positioned. It screamed at me, hurling strange curses that made my mind hurt before it finally went still, the damage too much for even its unnatural form to survive. Whatever these system generated beings were based on, I hoped that I¡¯d never have to run into the real ones. Expecting to find the other monsters charging toward me, I was surprised to find that they were all dead, mostly due to the acid arrows, but others had torn apart by their own kin. With the immediate threat to my cavern dealt with, I hurried back to the headquarters to get an eye on the other attacks. On the trail between my cavern and the gnomish home, my trade caravan had been wiped out deep inside the gnomish side of the trail. The bodies of my kobold merchants were torn to shreds, and the cart they had been hauling was left untouched on the trail. Maybe when they respawned, my kobold traders could recover it. Of course, the gnome trading party in my cavern had met almost the same fate, with only one lone survivor. I had a narrow view of the entire trade route, including where it entered the gnomish cavern. A battle was going on there, as gnome warriors manning a defensive wall held back a similar number of attackers that I had just dealt with. Only able to slowly climb the defensive wall the gnomes had built; the monsters were speared to death before they could make it into grappling range. We had both lost a trading caravan, though there was a rock gnome trader still alive somewhere in my cavern. He showed up as a yellow dot on my headquarters map, the poor guy was over by the main entrance, making his way out of my cavern to travel overland back to his home. I couldn¡¯t blame him as there were probably more of those things inside the mountain. The patrol of kobold warriors and the gnomish patrol were both untouched, the monsters must have somehow decided to only attack the most vulnerable targets. How it knew my cavern was undefended at the time was a bit worrisome, but the new eggs in the housing complex should start hatching soon, and some of them would find their way to the barracks be trained as new warriors and help defend this place. The attack also caused me to activate the second defensive structure upgrade from my trade with the gnomes. I added it over the entrance to the trading route, protecting us from another attack coming from the bowels of the mountain. Maybe there were worse things out there than those monsters the rock gnome trader had called the forgotten ones. A stone wall, almost identical to the one the gnome had just used to successfully defend their home began to build itself. With a wide gate in the center, the wall should be perfect for what we needed. I¡¯d have to assign a squad of defenders here if I wanted someone to open and close the gate for trading caravans. Right now, the wall on the other side of my cavern where it exited to outside, was also unguarded, and the gate there was just left open. At my housing complexes and farms, the free upgrades were completed. The mushroom farms now had denser clusters of fungus, and more of the raised planting boxes for the exotic mushrooms. The housing complex added a second story to most of the structures, giving us a population boom as all the nests, including several new ones from the upgrade, were full of eggs, many of them already starting to hatch. New kobolds hatched and went immediately to work. I was happy to see that several headed right to the barracks where the sounds of training began to ring out. Even replacing the losses I¡¯d taken earlier against the giant birds, there should be enough recruits to add two new squads to my forces. A system prompt appeared as I watched new workers head to the market. You¡¯ve failed to protect a trading partner¡¯s trade caravan, your relationships with that faction has worsened to Untrustworthy. Your allied faction has failed to protect one of your trade caravans. Due to both factions failing in the same task of protecting their respective areas of responsibility, your reputation with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes has been restored to Friendly. Well, it was a wash at least. I was worried there were still more of those forgotten ones running around inside the mountain, but maybe the warriors patrolling that area would be able to handle them, especially now that we had defenses over that entrance. The system had mentioned a threat arising in each zone, were these forgotten ones the threat I was facing? It could be they were just some random creatures that crawled out from the caves beneath the mountain, but I was leaning toward them being part of the overall threat I was going to have to deal with as the challenge reached its conclusion. It was sounding more and more like I would have to deal with a battle at the end of this challenge. I¡¯d gone the route of trade for the most part, but I was going to need more combat power if I wanted to place high in the rankings. Chapter 270. Trade Routes and Tariffs. Chapter 270. Trade Routes and Tariffs. I kept watch over the map in my headquarters, but no other immediate threats showed themselves. Those forgotten ones creatures were creepy, but it looked like their attack was a one-off event. Turning my attention back to the resource silo, I could see we had enough to start another building. As long as the current trade caravans weren¡¯t somehow attacked, they continued bringing in a strong flow of resources. I was excited to see how much I¡¯d receive once the oversized wagon from Shoremarch arrived at the marketplace. It had the longest way to go, though, and it would be some time before it reached us. Once it left the paved road through the desert, its pace was going to slow down quite a bit. That made me decide to make the trade routes my next construction option. Picking that option in the interface highlighted the various routes that were currently in operation. I had to build each route individually, which made sense given how much work and resources a road would require compared to a single building. I started with the route between the cavern and the human village. It was part of the route that the caravans coming and going from Shoremarch would have to traverse, so I¡¯d get double the benefit from it. That stretch of the trade route was the second largest one given that the human village was further out than the gnomes or the elves. Confirming my selection, I waited to see what would happen. To my surprise, a group of kobolds holding various tools walked out of one of the housing complexes. There were ten in total, and they didn¡¯t show up on my population totals, so they were in addition to the population cap. They walked to the entrance of the cavern and began to make motions with their tools. Normally, when I upgraded a structure, the building sort of went blurry and grew into its new form. With the road construction, there was a blurry area where they were working, and as the work crew slowly walked down the caravan trail, a rough dirt road was created behind them. Resources were draining at a sedate pace from my silo as they worked. The resource drain was slow enough that it wouldn¡¯t delay my next construction project by very much. If I tried to run multiple road crews at the same time, I¡¯d probably have to wait before I could build anything else, but for now, keeping that one crew working wasn¡¯t going to be too much of a burden. That left me with enough resources to start on a second project. The kobold sorcerers hut was still a dinky little rank zero shack, so I ordered that to expand to rank one. It wouldn¡¯t be too costly to go from rank zero to rank one, and it would probably be competed rather quickly. So far, I hadn¡¯t seen any kobolds resembling what I¡¯d call a sorcerer, but I chalked that up to still waiting for more eggs to hatch, and for them to finish training. There were also no instructions on how I would get to assign them. I had a feeling they were linked to defense and would have to assign them to some of the existing warrior squads or defensive positions, but until they hatched and were trained up in the sorcerer¡¯s hut, I couldn¡¯t say for sure. My minions were now closing in on the area of the desert that was supposed to house a point of interest. I shifted my view to the minions and watched as they walked over a sand dune to get a peek at the position marked on the map. There was nothing there, but I could see Khurr look around the area, then point off into the distance. His tracking and scouting skills were coming in handy. The team traveled over a few more dunes, then finally stopped their progress at the top of one. Below them was a small oasis, looking just about what I¡¯d expect one to look like based on movies and cartoons I¡¯d seen over the years. A small pond, several palm trees, and tufts of greenery covered a space about a football field in size. At the edge of the oasis was a small, rough stone building that looked ancient and worn down by centuries of sand blowing against it. A single doorway led into the dark interior, giving the structure a foreboding look. Khurr moved toward the structure while the other minions took up defensive positions around the oasis.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He sniffed the air like a dog, then slunk forward, keeping out of line of sight of the entrance. Khurr edged his way slowly along the wall toward the entrance, his hand crossbow ready in one hand, and his shortsword in the other. As soon as he peeked inside, a system prompt appeared. The prompt startled me as I focused intently on Khurr and what he was about to discover. Forces under your command have discovered the entrance to the Temple of the Forgotten Ones. The Temple of the Forgotten Ones is a tier 2-3 ranked dungeon. Dungeon creatures will occasionally spawn and head toward the nearest target if the dungeon is not regularly cleared by adventurers. Please note that the forces you command, and your minions, are not able to enter the dungeon. Since this dungeon is in your territory, your faction will claim ownership of it, though it can be taken from your possession by hostile forces. New construction options have been unlocked. I was a bit disappointed that my team couldn¡¯t make a run at the dungeon, and it seemed that the system was considering it more of a build location and resource node than anything else. As soon as I inspected my build options, I quickly spotted the new structure I could construct. Tariff Station. This small tariff station will impose a modest tax on all loot extracted from the dungeon. Once enough resources have been gathered through taxes, they will be sent by caravan to your faction¡¯s marketplace. Please note that these caravans carry substantially more resources than a trade caravan of similar size, making them attractive targets for hostile forces in the area. Nice, I could use some more income, even if I really did want to get a peek inside the dungeon. I had a feeling that this one wasn¡¯t a true dungeon as it was system generated for the challenge, but there was always the possibility that the system had sent a true core here, and I might have been able to communicate with it. I¡¯d never know, since I couldn¡¯t interact with it directly. What I could do was build the tariff station. My sorcerers hut upgrade was almost done, and I¡¯d start on the tariff station right after. My minions couldn¡¯t do anything at the dungeon, so I sent them on their next task, investigating the trading consortium fort that was near the forest. A new wave of eggs hatched inside the housing complexes, and I was happy to see several of them head inside the barracks for training. Four were waiting outside the sorcerer¡¯s hut which was just finishing up. As it completed, I could see that the hut had grown a bit in size, but other than growing a bit, the rest of it looked about the same. The four sorcerer trainees walked inside, and I could see some flashing lights inside the hut as they learned whatever spells they would wield. They exited about the same time as the latest batch of warriors did. Each of the sorcerers wore grey robes and had a dagger on their belt as their only physical weapon. A system prompt explained how they would function for me. You have trained your first sorcerers. Kobold sorcerers use the innate magic of their race to support your troops and damage your foes. With a rank one sorcerer¡¯s hut, your sorcerers know the spell, Burst of Flame. Burst of Flame is a ranged spell that does minimal initial damage and has a slight damage over time component as the impacted area burns for the next three seconds. Improve your sorcerers hut to unlock higher ranks of existing spells and to learn new spells. By default, your sorcerers will attach themselves to any existing squads of warriors. You may also choose to group them inside their own formation. All adjustments can be made at your headquarters. At rank one, my sorcerers weren¡¯t all that exciting. Their spell was just them chucking a small burst of flame at their enemies. The system didn¡¯t explain their maximum range, or how many spells they could cast before running out of mana or spell slots. I was also restricted and couldn¡¯t choose which squad to attach them to, and it looked like it was a totally random process. I could choose to make a specific sorcerer squad but decided to just let them bolster the other forces for the time being. Given how sorcerers were unarmored and only had a dagger for defense, it was too much of a risk to send the only four I had out on their own. I had a feeling that they would be much better when paired with the more durable kobold warriors. There were only four of the sorcerers, and I¡¯d have to wait and see if more of the eggs waiting to hatch gave me any additional spellcasters. Some activity at the dungeon caught my attention as the map flashed and a notification appeared. The Temple of the Forgotten Ones dungeon has expelled several creatures that will now seek to attack the nearest target location. Attract adventurers to clear the dungeon and build defenses to prevent future outbreaks. Should your dungeon remain uncleared, the waves of hostile creatures will increase in number and strength. Chapter 271. Incursion. Chapter 271. Incursion. Since they had emerged from a dungeon in my territory, I was able to catch a glimpse of what had escaped. Given the name of the place, I expected more of those creepy things that had appeared inside the cavern and attacked the marketplace. Instead, there was a group of around a dozen humans dressed in green and black robes walking into the desert. On the map, I could see their destination was the closest city, Shoremarch. There was no way I wanted to have an attack from a dungeon I controlled hit my newest trading partner¡¯s city, so I ordered my minions to intercept them. Given that the dungeon creatures were walking slowly, my minions, moving at a much faster pace, were going to get to them before they hit the city. From their path, the dungeon attackers were heading toward the road first, the system probably calculating that using the roads movement bonus would result in the fastest journey. While I waited for my forces to arrive, I checked out the area around the tariff station that was under construction. I wanted to add some defenses there to prevent the dungeon mobs from attacking, at least until we found some way to attract adventurers to the dungeon. I selected the defenses tab in the interface and had an option to upgrade the defenses already inside my cavern, and for a single structure, a watchtower, that I could place anywhere I controlled. The system description for the watchtower didn¡¯t make it seem all that exciting, but there was probably greater utility when I upgraded it a few ranks. Defensive structures:
  1. Watchtower. Build a simple wooden watchtower that grants enhanced vision over the area. The watchtower will also make nearby creatures less likely to attack in the area it covers.
It didn¡¯t take much in the way of resources to build one, but right now, my build queue was full, and my resource silo was just about drained. Out in the desert, my minions closed in on the dungeon generated people in robes. They would meet right before the dungeon forces reached the road. Just before they came into sight of each other, I hit the drone with Duplicate. Once duplicated, the drones faded from view as they activated their stealth fields. The robed, dungeon spawned people kept their slow, sedate pace when my minions came into view, but they did adjust their course to head right toward my forces. They soon as they robed people entered range of Glurk¡¯s masterwork longbow, he fired off his first arrow. The arrow struck the lead figure in the chest, but he seemed to ignore the attack. It had done damage, and I could see blood leaking from around the arrow. To my surprise, the blood wasn¡¯t normal, it was clear with a greenish tinge to it. At once, all twelve of the dungeon creatures threw back their cloaks and screeched at my minions. Their mouths morphed from a normal human one, into an elongated snout filled with shark-like teeth. They charged forward, trying to close the gap as my melee troops formed up in front of my ranged minions. Now that the range was closer, Khurr and Elida began to fire as well. Their weapons seemed to have the same limited effect as the longbow had shown. Glem, Glamb, and Blieek stood in the way of the attackers, and just before they reached our lines, I cast Entangle. The longer casting time that using it from headquarters imposed almost caused me to botch the targeting, but I managed to land it in a spot that hit all the enemy attackers. Old, dried roots emerged from the sand, grasping at the feet of the attackers. They weren¡¯t stopped, but the spell managed to slow them down, which was when the two drones dropped out of stealth. They had positioned themselves on either side of the melee line and over their shoulders, the grenade launchers were coughing out rounds. Each drone only had three grenades in the weapon¡¯s magazine, but the blasts tore apart the lead attackers. Limbs were blasted off, and shrapnel peppered most of the others. With the Entangle spell expiring, my troops advanced to attack the enemy while they were still disorganized from the effects of the grenades. Half the enemy was down, and the six that were left seemed unfazed by their losses. One of the enemies tried to kick at an approaching drone. The blow should have never landed, but to my surprise, the dungeon creature¡¯s previously human-looking leg, split into three grasping tentacles.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The drone sliced two of the approaching limbs, but the third wrapped around his arm. Armor crunched as the tentacle constricted like a powerful snake. More appendages shot forward, this time from the arms of the creature. My drone used its smaller arms to try and pry off the attacking limbs, but I could hear the armor of my minion creak and crumble under the relentless pressure. A second dungeon creature joined the attack, and between the two of them, they crushed my mana slayer drone like a tin can. I dropped a Health Bloom over the area, but the strange, robed creatures were tearing apart my minions. The duplicate drone managed to best one of the creatures, slicing and stabbing it until the monster collapsed onto the ground in a gelatinous heap. Another monster latched onto the duplicate drone, and with the extra damage the duplicate took, it quickly was destroyed. I hit Blieek with the Ring of Final Sacrifice, just as another monster grabbed onto him. The explosion partially caught Elida in the blast, but she was able to heal herself and quickly return to the fight. The blast took out the dungeon monster, but I was now down to Glamb with his chopper blades and Elida. Khurr and Glurk had fallen at some point, but I had missed what had happened. Three of the monsters were still fighting and one was already slipping a tentacle past the dual chopping blades of my goblin. With a sickening crunch, Glamb turned into mana vapor, and I had Elida run from the foe. She was the lone survivor and could do nothing to stop three of the monsters on her own. Reaching the road, she began to run toward Shoremarch, but the monsters behind her were faster. In the distance, coming from the city, was a group of four travelers. Seeing Elida¡¯s plight, they charged forward. Too bad for my minion, the monsters caught Elida just as the travelers arrived on scene. Seeing them up close, I had a good feeling about our chances of stopping the attack before it reached the city. These four travelers were dressed as adventurers, and before my view over the area was cut off as my last minion fell, I could see one of the adventurers hurling a ball of fire at the dungeon monsters. My entire team was down now, and it would be a while before everyone could be resummoned. Until then, I only had myself, Melvin, and the kobold warriors to rely on. I was shocked how easily my minions were overrun by the dungeon creatures. Thinking about it, the system described it as a tier two to three dungeon. All but my most powerful minions were below rank two, so these tentacled dungeon creeps were likely a higher tier and rank than any of my minions. Of course, my team did have the advantage of the abilities and gear I¡¯d unlocked for them, but that could only go so far when facing a greater number of higher tier foes. I had gotten complacent with my team tearing through the relatively weak creatures we¡¯d faced so far in the challenge. A few minutes after my team was killed, I received a system notification. The wave of creatures from the Temple of the Forgotten Ones dungeon has been defeated. Bonus resources are granted for your assistance in stopping the threat. A small batch of resources, about 10% of the silo¡¯s capacity instantly filled in. It would give me enough resources to complete my current building projects without them starting and stopping as I waited for caravans of resources to arrive. My tariff station completed a short while later, almost immediately followed by the upgrade to rank one for the sorcerer¡¯s hut. The tariff station was a rank zero building and looked like a simple street stall with a counter and a tarp over it to keep the sun off the pair of kobold workers manning the place. They just stood there with little to do, staring at the dungeon. Their boredom wouldn¡¯t last long, as the party of four that had finished off the monsters, turned out to be an adventuring party. They walked past the tariff station on their way inside the dungeon, giving me a good look at them. It was a solid party composition. The elf in robes that I¡¯d seen chucking a fireball was their caster. A human woman in a steel breastplate, shield, and heavy mace was either their tank or perhaps a healer of some sort. The main damage of the group was probably the cloaked halfling with daggers strapped all over his body, and a huge orc with an axe almost as big as he was. I couldn¡¯t get any system information on their tier, rank, or gear, but they moved with confidence, and I was glad to have adventurers enter the dungeon and hopefully keep any more waves of enemies from spawning out of the place. The fact they seemed willing to defend against attackers on the road also meant that new parties of adventurers would probably help keep the trade route secure. For my upgraded sorcerer¡¯s hut, I didn¡¯t get any notification of new spells or abilities, but I did see three more kobolds enter the building to begin their training. Hopefully, with another rank or two on the place, we¡¯d unlock more powerful magic and have a sorcerer for every squad of kobold defenders. My attention was drawn away from the cavern, when a yellow marker began to glow on my map. It was on the trade road halfway between the human village and the kobold cavern. As it moved down the road, a system prompt appeared. The Gavelox Trading Consortium had grown tired of waiting for your minions to interact with them and has sent an envoy to open negotiations. Do you wish to enter into negotiations at this time? Y/N. Chapter 272. Trading Consortium. Chapter 272. Trading Consortium. I accepted the negotiations, and a series of options appeared. It looked like this challenge wasn¡¯t one where I would interact directly with folks or factions, and would just have to make the best choices I could with the limited information available. The Gavelox Trading Consortium would like to make the following offers.
  1. A durable peace treaty between their faction and yours. This treaty requires advance notice of 30 days if either party wishes to rescind it. If the peace treaty is violated, the system will enforce extreme penalties on the violator.
  2. Trade between their outpost and members of your faction.
  3. A tariff of 10% on all trade that enters their outpost. This point is non-negotiable and required at all Gavelox Trading Consortium outposts.
  4. A trade road network constructed and defended by your faction.
  5. Access to limited inventory for direct purchases.
Do you wish to accept these terms, decline them, or make a counteroffer? It was quite a bit more than my previous negotiations which basically included a trade agreement and a short-term non-aggression pact. Breaking this offer down, I agreed with most of it, though I had a few points I wanted to renegotiate. First, I confirmed how the tariff would work, just thinking about it, triggered the system to confirm how it functioned. Tariffs. For this arena challenge, some neutral parties may offer trade agreements including tariffs. Tariffs are assessed on all trade caravans that reach the trading partner. The funds for the tariffs would be deducted directly from your resource silo. Okay, so each time a caravan arrived at the trade outpost, I¡¯d get hit for 10% of the resource value it contained. Doing some quick math, I¡¯d still come out ahead since the caravan would turn around and return to my cavern with a full load. I was essentially opening a new trade route that provided 90% of the benefits my others would have. My other option was no trade with these guys, so I could live with the tariff if no trade at all was my only alternative. I thought about trying to impose a tariff in return, but I figured it was better to negotiate the other items in their offer. After considering the other points, I made a counteroffer. You have made the following counteroffer to the Gavelox Trading Consortium.
  1. A durable peace treaty between their faction and yours. This treaty requires advance notice of 30 days if either party wishes to rescind it. If the peace treaty is violated, the system will enforce extreme penalties on the violator.
  2. Trade between the Gavelox Trading Consortium and all faction members.
  3. A tariff of 10% paid to the Gavelox Trading Consortium on all trade that enters their outpost. This tariff is to only be paid on caravans that originate from the kobold cavern, and not assessed against the Kobold Empire for trade with other faction members, trading partners, or confederated factions.
  4. A trade road network constructed by the Gavelox Trading Consortium that will link with the closest existing trade route inside the Kobold Empire. The Gavelox Trading Consortium will be responsible for protection along this portion of the trade route and the Kobold Empire will be responsible for the remaining route defense.
  5. Immediate access to all inventory for direct purchase.
It was only a few tweaks, but I didn¡¯t want to front the cost of road building and additional patrols if I could get the consortium to pay for it. I also didn¡¯t want to get hoodwinked into paying for the elves, humans, gnomes, and the people of Shoremarch¡¯s tariffs. I only wanted to pay for the caravans coming and going directly from the cavern. The consortium could negotiate their own deals with my confederates and allies. I sort of hoped they would, since extra trade for my allies would help them grow, which would, in turn, provide more trade for me. A few moments later, the consortium came to a decision. A final offer has been tendered by the Gavelox Trading Consortium. They agree with all your points but require a 15% tariff if they are going to provide the resources to construct and defend a section of the trade route. In addition, they will provide limited inventory for direct purchase, but will expand their offerings over time as your trading partnership continues. I could go with that, the extra 5% tariff would probably end up costing me more in the long run, but right now, funneling my resources into quick growth was more important. What inventory I could purchase from them was a bit of a mystery, but given that I didn¡¯t have a whole lot of extra resources to spend right now, I was fine with them wanting to unlock the options slowly.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. You have agreed to the final counteroffer from the Gavelox Trading Consortium. Inventory available for purchase will now be displayed in the trade tab on your arena challenge interface. Okay, we had a new trading partner and with the agreement, I could see a view of their outer gate. As I watched, the first caravan emerged, it was just like the one from the port, a single overloaded wagon that should bring in quite a nice bump in resources. I waited for a caravan to emerge from my marketplace but wanted to kick myself when I realized that I was already maxed out on caravans, so I added the marketplace as the next upgrade in the queue. A trade route was now highlighted between our factions. The route led from the clearing that the trading post was in and then through the forest toward the elves. There, in the forest, it met up with the road from the elves to my cavern. It wasn¡¯t the longest stretch of road, but I was glad I didn¡¯t have to pay for it. A small group of defenders followed the wagon, and I was a bit shocked to see how powerful their patrol was. It consisted of four goblins in armor and weapons similar to my goblin trio. In addition, they had an actual ogre with them. I doubted any of the threats that we¡¯d run into so far in the zone could challenge them, even if the ogre was unarmored and just had a big wooden club for a weapon. Your marketplace is insufficient to provide a trade caravan for your new route. This is a violation of your trade agreement and will result in system generated penalties. In a show of good faith, the Gavelox Trading Consortium is willing to offer you a structure upgrade token that you can purchase at double the normal rate, which will be deducted from trade resources generated from future caravan arrivals. I didn¡¯t have much of a choice other than to accept their offer. After seeing how powerful their guards were, I didn¡¯t want to consider engaging in any conflict with the consortium. It was going to be an expensive lesson but would be fine in the long run. At least by purchasing the overpriced upgrade token, I would avoid any dumb system penalties. You have accepted the offer from the Gavelox Trading Consortium. A repayment tracker has been added to your arena interface. Looking at the trade tab in the interface, I could see the payback tracker was just an empty bar that would fill up as each caravan arrived in my cavern. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t take too many trips for that to happen. The upgrade token was also sitting there as well, ready for me to activate. After activating the token, my marketplace began to expand to rank four. The stalls had a more permanent look and some of the kobolds in the cavern began to move over there and act like they were examining the goods that each stall had to offer. With my kobold citizens shopping in the market, the resource flow from the structure increased, which was a welcome surprise. I also took a moment to see what inventory I now had access to with the consortium. Gavelox Trading Consortium. Current Inventory. Please note that inventory and stock levels change weekly.
  1. Structure upgrade token (1).
  2. Mercenary contract, Tier 0, Rank 5. (1).
  3. Random addon token (2).
  4. Spell scroll (1).
As I looked at each item, I got a feel for how many resources they would cost me. The structure upgrade token was half a silo full of resources, which made me groan thinking about how much I owed the consortium for the token they¡¯d fronted me. When I looked at the mercenary contract, I could see that it would summon a squad of ten mercenaries at the tier and rank indicated. The mercenaries would stay for the duration of the challenge and could be assigned to any task I could currently assign my kobold forces to. It was the most expensive, requiring a full silo¡¯s worth of resources, but in the long run, this could be the payoff for having a trade focused empire. My forces were going to be limited, but with enough income, I could hire all that I needed. Another interesting option was the random addon token, they cost half a silo of goods each, and would unlock a structure addon for a random structure. When I selected the item, I could see that each of my buildings glowed that could support an addon. I was surprised to see that everything could be upgraded except for my headquarters. Each building also had only one slot for addons, limiting how much I could upgrade them. Finally, I had the spell scroll. It would grant me a random spell that I could cast from my headquarters. The spell would be on a cooldown that would vary depending on the spell I received. There was a big random theme going on with the Gavelox offerings, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad, and gave me something to look forward to discovering. A caravan finally left my marketplace, and I let out a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn¡¯t in violation of the trade agreement any longer. The faster the caravans moved, the quicker I could get my debt paid off. That also meant I¡¯d need to spend more resources to expand and upgrade my trade routes. So far, the road construction team was only working on the stretch from my cavern to the human village. After that, I¡¯d have to pick the route to the elf village as next in line for an upgrade. It would delay the longest stretch, which was between the human village and Shoremarch, not to mention the one linking that route to the new dungeon tariff station that should start producing income soon. I had a solid plan in place to grow my empire financially. Now, I only had to protect it until the engine of commerce really got going. Chapter 273. Growth. Chapter 273. Growth. I was now in a position where I just had to wait. My minions were slowly regenerating, and I¡¯d start to summon back the lowest tier ones soon. The respawn mechanic that the system had created for them made it so the higher the tier and rank of the minion, the longer it would take them to regenerate. Resource income was coming in at a steady pace. It looked like my other trading partners had also worked out a deal with the consortium as I spotted new caravans heading toward their factions. With the income flowing, I started to upgrade the remaining buildings to rank four. I started with the crafting center, hoping that at rank four it would finally start to produce some useful items. Out at the tariff station, I also ordered a watchtower, curious to see how it operated, and at the same time hoping that it would help keep the random threats in the area away. Time passed, and when my team was resummoned, I sent them out to patrol the unexplored areas of the map. While the general area had been unlocked when I had purchased the map from the Norber guy, my team needed to lay eyes on it directly. The map was supposed to be out of date, so there might be something out there that I wasn¡¯t picking up on. After all, the dungeon was noted as a location of interest, but it wasn¡¯t in the exact same spot it had been marked on the map I¡¯d purchased. Roadwork was ongoing as well and the first stretch was finished, I started the same team on the next portion, working my way slowly out from the cavern. As the buildings upgraded, new things began to unlock. Bringing the sorcerer¡¯s station to rank four gave them a wider range of spells to work with, upgraded their existing spell, and even unlocking a spell for me to use. Sorcerer¡¯s hut, rank 4. Your sorcerers have access to the following spells.
  1. Bursts of Flame. The Flame Burst spell has upgraded to Bursts of Flame. When cast, your sorcerers fire off a trio of flame bursts. These bursts can be targeted at multiple opponents, but for each burst that hits the same target, the damage over time aspect of the spell is increased.
  2. Dragon Scales. This spell taps into the kobold¡¯s link with their more powerful kin, hardening the existing scales on their body and giving them an armor rating similar to chainmail. The Dragon Scales spell also grants minor resistance to elemental effects.
  3. Regeneration. This spell creates a minor healing over time effect on the targeted kobold. The spell lasts for 10 seconds and there are diminishing returns if cast continuously on the same target.
Challenger Spell Unlocked. Your sorcerer¡¯s hut has unlocked a new spell for your use, further upgrades and other discoveries may add additional spells or enhance the ones you already possess. These spells can only be cast inside the headquarters and have a limited number of charges that will slowly replenish over time. Arena Challenger Spells.
  1. Bursts of Flame. Mirroring the spell your kobold sorcerers use, Bursts of Flame can be cast at a target within view of any of your minions, summoned creatures, or allies. The spell has a maximum of 3 charges and new charges regenerate at a rate of 1 charge every 5 minutes.
It was quite an upgrade, and by reaching rank four, the number of sorcerers had increased to match the number of squads produced by the barracks. The sorcerer kobolds also were equipped a bit better now. I was happy to see that they wore the same leather armor as the warriors did, though they still only had a steel dagger for personal combat. I didn¡¯t have a charge of Bursts of Flame to test out yet, but I saw the icon for it greyed out in my headquarters interface. A countdown timer and the number of charges I had available was superimposed over the icon, so I¡¯d know how much longer I had to wait. It wasn¡¯t the most powerful spell in the world, but it would give me a chance to support something other than just send my summoned minions when danger reared its ugly head once more. While the barracks had already been at rank four for a bit, I was still seeing the results of its upgrade. As the population increased, more kobolds showed up for training inside the barracks. Now, instead of five kobolds in each squad, their number had increased to seven. One of the seven was even a bit larger and better equipped than the others. As the first of the bigger kobold warriors was trained, I got a system notification about it.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Your Rank 4 barracks has replaced all the losses you¡¯ve sustained and is now expanding each squad of warriors to a total of 7. Any supplementary forces attached to your squads, such as those gained by your sorcerer¡¯s hut, will be in addition to the warrior total for each squad. Going forward, replacements for existing squads will be trained and deployed before any additional squads of troops can be mustered. Now leading each squad is a kobold sergeant, these sergeants are more powerful warriors trained to a higher standard from the best specimens of your faction. When present, the sergeants grant all kobolds in line of sight of the sergeant a 5% increase to attack, and a 5% increase in defense. Sergeants will issue orders to the squads in combat, executing basic tactics and coordinating with friendly forces. The total number of squads your barracks and population can support is 10. It was nice to see my forces expand, though I did plan to supplement my kobolds at some point with the mercenaries on offer from the consortium. For the time being, I assigned one squad to patrol each of my trade routes, which had grown in number. There was the route through the mountain toward the gnomes, the one through the forest to the elves, another to the consortium, one to the humans, one to Shoremarch, and one to patrol the route from the tariff station to where it met the Shoremarch road. I decided to add an additional one to the Shoremarch route since it was the longest route, and furthest from my cavern. That way, if one squad was destroyed, I wouldn¡¯t be dinged for failing to provide security given how long it would take a fresh squad to form and march all the way out there. That used up a total of seven of my ten squads. I added two to the cavern, one guarding the defenses at each entrance. For the final squad, I noticed that something new had unlocked as I upgraded the tariff station. There was a new option in the interface to add squads as direct escorts for the tariff station. They would loiter around the station providing security until a caravan was ready to move. Once the caravan was on the way, the squad would escort it the entire route back to my cavern. I still hadn¡¯t seen one of the tariff station caravans arrive, but from the way the system wanted me to protect them, it seemed like they were going to be very lucrative. The tariff station itself was looking less janky than it had been initially. At rank four, it was an actual wooden building with a trio of workers inside. It would now increase all tariffs charged on dungeon adventurers by 2%. In addition, I had a kobold warrior standing guard at the door. This was an additional warrior granted by the building and not taken from one of my existing squads, just like at the barracks. More adventuring parties arrived at the dungeon, but there was a long gap between when one finished and another one emerged from Shoremarch to begin the journey there. The initial party of four had emerged from the dungeon, headed to the tariff station and then headed back toward Shoremarch. One party didn¡¯t seem to be enough to trigger a tariff station caravan. When my last structure hit rank four, I decided to save up and make some purchases at the consortium before saving for the rank five headquarters upgrade. The inventory they had would change, so I didn¡¯t want to miss out on something that disappeared after the next inventory shuffle. My first purchase was one of the structure addon tokens. Once purchased, it appeared in my headquarters interface. Sadly, it was greyed out, and when I tried to use it, I was hit with a notice that it would only work on rank five structures. I still wanted the other one in the consortium inventory, as well as the structure upgrade token. They would help jumpstart my progress once I hit rank five for my headquarters. I almost passed on the mercenaries since they were only tier zero, rank five. But after seeing the forces that the factions in my zone could field, they might not be that bad of a purchase. When the resources were high enough, I purchased them, the system giving me a description of the group as they left the consortium fort and began to follow the trading road toward my cavern. You have acquired the services of a squad from the Reckless Hounds mercenary company. Comprised of street toughs, retired adventurers, and some failed town watch, the Reckless Hounds provide a well-rounded, but not exceptionally talented, group of human warriors. I got a look at them once the last of the ten-man squad emerged from the consortium fort. As described, they were all human, and each was equipped with simple gear. Six had swords and shields, two held long spears, and two wielded crossbows. They all wore padded armor with leather reinforcing the vulnerable areas. As the system indicated, they were not an especially powerful group, and none appeared to be casters of any sort. Despite their limitations, they were a solid addition to my current kobold squads. For now, I assigned them to guard the cavern, planning to use them as my rapid reaction force while my minions scoured the map for anything interesting. Before long, I had all the items on offer from the consortium and was starting to stockpile resources to upgrade the headquarters to rank five. Just like with the addon token, the spell scroll was locked until the headquarters reached rank five. I was also relieved to see that with the continual caravans coming and going from the consortium, I had paid down half of my debt to them. At least it didn¡¯t seem like the Gavelox Trading Consortium charged outrageous loan interest rates like lenders back home might have done. With my resource silo nearly full, I started construction on the rank five headquarters. There was also only about ten more days before the second stage ended, and I was excited to see what the third, and final, stage of this arena challenge was going to be. Chapter 274. First 50 to 5. Chapter 274. First 50 to 5. The headquarters turned faded and blurry as the rank five upgrades started. Unlike the other buildings, I could still work in the headquarters while it was being upgraded. Most of the other classes involved in the challenge would probably have welcomed a break to explore the map or personally deal with a theat. For me, I was able to use my minions to do most of the dirty work. Various caravans continued to run the trade routes, each dropping off resources when they arrived at my market. The roads were having an impact, and even though it was just a small speed buff, I could tell the difference when watching the progress on the map. I was surprised to see the occasional red dot appear on the various trade routes. So far, they appeared to be minor threats, and any nearby patrols were quick to respond to them. I was able to watch one skirmish that occurred on the route between my cavern and the gnomish cave. A red dot appeared on my side of the route, and my squad guarding the route moved quickly to intercept. Luckily, there were no caravans nearby, so if the warriors could deal with the threat, we¡¯d be in good shape. I could see a small distance around my squad and as they drew close, the threat turned out to be a trio of those lizards we had fought early in the challenge. My minions had little trouble dealing with them, and I hoped my kobold troops would do equally as well. The additional squad members from the upgraded barracks hadn¡¯t all spawned yet, so this squad only had five warriors. Despite only having five warriors, it did have one of the first sorcerers in it, so that should help in the fight. My kobold warriors were still modestly equipped and wielded a spear with a steel tip and a dagger as a backup weapon. I was happy to see that one of the five warriors had a crossbow out that he was pointing in the direction of the lizards. They still didn¡¯t have much in the way of armor, with all the kobolds only wearing leather armor that offered modest protection. Hopefully, as the crafting center really got going, they¡¯d get better gear, and maybe a shield for the spear wielding kobolds would be a nice addition. My crossbow wielding kobold opened the fight with a shot that hit the first lizard right between the eyes. It looked like the training exchange between my people and the elves was starting to pay off. In addition, the sorcerer fired off Bursts of Flame at the next lizard charging toward them. The blasts of fire did some minor impact damage, but the damage over time component seemed to do the trick as all three blasts burned into the thick hide of the lizard. Neither creature was dead yet, but both the injured lizards were struggling to stay upright. The spear wielding kobold warriors didn¡¯t rush to attack or run in fear. Instead, their training kicked in and they stopped and readied their spears to receive the enemy charge. Only the size of large dogs, the lizard charge wasn¡¯t too devastating on the diminutive kobolds, and all four of the spear wielders managed to skewer their attackers. The two already wounded lizards died immediately, but the final one struggled at the end of one of the spears until his crossbow wielding comrade finished the lizard off with a final shot to the face. There were no system prompts granting awards or resources, the skirmish was just another day in the life of a kobold warrior. I felt a bit better at my forces being able to defend against threats to the caravans. The threat would be reduced once all the road networks were in place, and their buffs helped to keep attackers away. The haze around my headquarters suddenly dissipated, and I found myself inside a rather nice room. It was all constructed of the gnomish stone and looked sturdy and official. There was also much more in the way of furniture and d¨¦cor. I had a long, mushroom stalk desk with chairs for meetings that I¡¯d probably never have. The map table was separate from the meeting area and sported a comfortable chair with padding for me to sit on. Heading outside, the outer door was now made of thick planks of wood reinforced with iron straps. A large wooden beam rested against the wall just inside, which could be used to secure the place in an emergency. A small waiting room was separated from the meeting room and map table where I¡¯d normally be. A small group of kobold workers began to filter into the headquarters, two sitting at a desk in the waiting room as if waiting for visitors, and the others trying to make themselves useful by cleaning and organizing things in the building. I also had a trio of kobold warriors standing guard outside, two regular warriors and a larger one tagged by the system as a sergeant. These were additional troops and didn¡¯t count against the total number of squads my barracks could produce. A system prompt appeared just after I got a good look at everything. Congratulations, you¡¯re one of the first 50 participants to construct a rank 5 headquarters. Rank 5 will be the rank cap for this challenge. Bonus rewards will be assigned based on your position in achieving this milestone. Your rank is #39 and you have received additional resources, a new structure, and enhancements to your headquarters. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rewards:
  1. Armored resource storage silo. An additional, armored silo has been added to your quartermaster¡¯s hut. This silo resists attempts to destroy or pillage the resources inside, resulting in an additional 2% bonus added to any resources that are stored inside. Your existing silo will also be slowly upgraded to the new standard at no cost to you.
  2. As part of your reward, the new silo will be initially filled with resources.
  3. Headquarters upgrade: Redoubt. The Redoubt upgrade for your headquarters transforms it into a secure defensive structure designed to hold off attackers for as long as possible until help can arrive. A dedicated defensive squad will be added as a garrison and other options for defense may unlock at a later time.
That was a nice surprise. I had a feeling I was doing well on the challenge due to my minions handling a lot of the heavy lifting for me outside the cavern. Being in the top fifty to construct a rank five headquarters gave me some confidence that this arena run was going to be worth it. Standing outside the building, I could see it begin to go hazy briefly as the changes to it took place. Over at the quartermaster¡¯s hut, I could see the second silo appear. Just as the system advertised, it looked to be made of sturdy stone, a huge improvement over the slapdash construction of the original. When my headquarters finished up, I was surprised to see that it had transformed into a mini keep. A crenelated wall with a fortified gate surrounded the building, which now had thicker walls and firing ports at various points around it. The windows had wood and steel shutters that could be closed and bolted if we were attacked, and the defenders had expanded to a full squad, including a sorcerer. The good news kept coming as another round of system notifications appeared, apparently triggered by my upgrades. Your Faction Morale has improved from Disgruntled, to Neutral. The morale of the confederated Zalbairn Forest Elves has improved to Disgruntled. The morale of the Village of Millstone has improved to Disgruntled. Continued trade with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes has changed their reputation with you from Friendly to Potential Ally. Everyone seemed happy, but it was apparently too soon for the city of Shoremarch to improve their opinion of us. It seemed that any imminent rebellion among our confederated groups wasn¡¯t going to happen anytime soon. Given their reputation improvements, it was probably time to institute a mutual defense pact with each of them. Both factions had been given plenty of time to recover from our initial conflicts, and it was time for them to start shouldering the burden of defense a bit more. I pulled up my confederated factions tab to see where each of them stood. Confederated Factions.
  1. Zalbairn Forest Elves.
Population: 118. Military forces: 2 squads. Average structure rank: 3.1. Morale: Disgruntled.
  1. Village of Millstone.
Population: 194. Military forces: 3 squads. Average structure rank: 2.8 Morale: Disgruntled. Neither of them had that much in the way of military forces. Still, I opened the negotiation tab and implemented a mutual defense pact with each. It wasn¡¯t much of a negotiation, both were confederated factions and couldn¡¯t tell me no, but I was happy to see that the new demands didn¡¯t tank their morale. Waiting to force the defense pact until both were stronger had been the right call. A mutual defense pact with the Zalbairn Forest Elves has been established. Should either faction be attacked by an outside foe, the other agrees to lend military aid. This pact will also require the confederated faction to expand their military presence. At their current population, the Zalbairn Forest Elves will add an additional 2 squads to their total forces. Other troops will train and deploy once their population increases enough to support them. As the faction leader, you may request control of up to 2 squads of the Zalbairn Forest Elves to use in your territory as you wish. Please note that taking these troops far from home or causing them to take heavy casualties will negatively affect the morale of this faction. The elves now had two squads I could order around. One was already patrolling the trade route between us, so I added the second one to the same task, giving us better protection on that route. Now I needed to do the same thing with the human village. A mutual defense pact with the Village of Millstone has been established. Should either faction be attacked by an outside foe, the other agrees to lend military aid. This pact will also require the confederated faction to expand their military presence. At their current population, the Village of Millstone will add an additional 2 squads to their total forces. Other troops will train and deploy once their population increases enough to support them. As the faction leader, you may request control of up to 2 squads of the Village of Millstone to use in your territory as you wish. Please note that taking these troops far from home or causing them to take heavy casualties will negatively affect the morale of this faction. It seemed like I had the same deal with the human village. Both were capping out at five squads of troops and giving me two to deploy as I wished. Just like I did with the elves, I placed both human squads on the trade route between our factions. That should give us better protection and not put too much of a strain on their morale since their troops would still be close to home. If things got dangerous out there, I could count on using the elf and human troops to guard the supply lines and free up my kobold squads to deal with any problems that were sure to pop up. Chapter 275. Lizard Pits. Chapter 275. Lizard Pits. I had the structure upgrade token that I¡¯d purchased from the consortium ready to go. Using it on the barracks, the structure grew hazy again as it began its transformation. The housing complexes and the farms were also undergoing automatic upgrades. Having the system choose those structures for my arena certificates turned out to be a solid investment. A new plot for both a housing complex and a farm opened up, but first, I wanted to get the marketplace upgrade underway. With two storage silos, and one of them arriving fully stocked, I had enough to select something else for an upgrade. I hit the crafting center and resources began to flow from my storage silos at a frantic pace. A quick calculation showed that there were more than enough resources to finish both structure upgrades before I ran dry. There were two random addon tokens and if I had my choice, I¡¯d want to have an addon for the barracks and marketplace. Those two buildings seemed to be the most important for the future of my little empire. The addon tokens could only be used on rank five structures, so I was able to game the system a bit by using one now when I only had two structures that met the requirements. Activating the token, I waited like a gambler looking at the roulette wheel. A few seconds later, a smaller structure began to construct right next to the barracks. You have unlocked the Expeditionary Force Barracks addon. This addon will generate additional troops that don¡¯t count toward your total population cap. These troops will become part of a permanent garrison for each faction you have a mutual defense pact with. One complete squad with attached forces will be sent to each eligible ally. In addition, a complete squad, including any attached forces, will journey from each eligible ally and take up residence in the new addon. While not under your direct control, these troops will respond to any threats to your cavern. Losses sustained by the expeditionary forces will eventually regenerate, but only after all your own units are at full strength. For now, nothing was happening as both buildings were still under construction. I had been distracted by the upgrades, and it took Melvin urging me in his armor form, to look at the map. My minions had discovered a small ruin that they were investigating. It was in a section of the desert that was off the beaten path but near the border to the forest. It looked like a deep pit lined with carefully cut stones. The construction was similar to the road leading out from Shoremarch and was of high enough quality to not have been completely reclaimed by the desert. Khurr was lowered down into the pit where he sniffed and searched for anything of interest. Eventually, he uncovered a broken tablet in the sand with writing carved onto it. ¡­desert training pit is becoming too dry an environment for the beasts. Breeding facilities will be relocated to the grove location near the¡­ That was it, just a cryptic message that wasn¡¯t complete. I didn¡¯t think the system would leave it out here if it was of no use. It mentioned a second facility in a grove. My minions had explored a lot of the desert area that was based on the unreliable map, but there were also bits of the forest edge to the south that were included in that map. I sent my minions to explore along the edge of the forest to the south, hopefully they¡¯d uncover something useful there. If not, I¡¯d just have them continue exploring the zone for anything of interest. Looking back at the map, I saw a gnome caravan was under attack. It wasn¡¯t on my side of the trade route, so I left things up to their warriors on patrol to handle. The barracks soon completed; it seemed that the upgrade tokens built them faster than if I just spent resources on my own for it. A host of changes occurred when it reached the cap for the challenge. Instead of a single, fortified building, the barracks expanded with a defensive wall surrounding the area around it. The wall even tied into the wall on my headquarters, giving us a small fortress complex inside our cavern. Barracks, Rank 5. At this rank, several upgrades and changes have occurred to your barracks. To help defend the structure, and the adjacent headquarters, 2 new squads of defenders will be summoned. These defenders will patrol the walls around the barracks and provide support if the headquarters is attacked. These defenders are additional forces and aren¡¯t included in your population cap. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Your barracks will now begin to train your workers as militia. Training of the militia will only occur when the barracks is not training any other troops. Militia will be issued gear that is two ranks below your kobold warriors and they will be less proficient in using that gear. Inside your headquarters, you now have the option to activate a bell to call your militia to action. When the bell is rung, all workers trained as militia in the cavern will head toward the quartermaster¡¯s hut to be issued gear. Once equipped, you may order them to support and defend anywhere inside the cavern. Please be advised that calling the militia to arms will have a serious impact on your productivity, and a debuff causing a 50% reduction in efficiency will take effect for 2 hours after the militia are released to return to their civilian duties. It seemed like the system was preparing me for some all-out war, which seemed like a fitting end to the challenge. All I could do now was continue to make my little empire stronger. With all the trade agreements, I had to believe that I was acquiring resources faster than most of my competitors. On the downside, my forces were probably weaker than the other summoned beings who had focused on conquest. I¡¯d need to keep upgrading as much, and as fast, as I could. Also, any mercenary contracts that appeared, I was going to snatch up. I checked in on the Gavelox Trading Consortium, but their inventory was still empty from me purchasing everything last time. It still showed four slots for purchases, but each had a countdown timer showing how long it would be before they restocked. The soonest something would become available was in a day and a half, and the longest was three days. There didn¡¯t seem to be a specific reason for the differing times, and even though I hadn¡¯t bought everything at the same time, I had made the purchases over the course of a 24-hour period, not three days. My housing complex and farms finished upgrading a short while after the barracks. The farms now had raised planters that covered most of the farm area, greatly expanding production. The little storage hut for the workers also had a basement now, where the rare and valuable mushrooms were being grown. When the market upgraded, they would probably help to bump my resource intake even higher. Out at the housing complex, each of the homes was expanded to a two-story affair, and a sixth home was added to each plot. It would significantly expand my population, and that was even without building out the final plot. Eggs appeared in front of each home, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before we had more kobolds than ever running around. Around the time my market upgraded to rank five, my minions discovered something at the edge of the forest to the south. Several ruined stone buildings stood partially hidden from view by the dry scrub brush in the area. Khurr, his nose working overtime, had sniffed something out. Only one of the buildings was still intact, and Khurr entered the small structure. My gnoll tracker emerged a few moments later with a football-sized egg in his hands. As I looked at the egg, a new system prompt appeared. I had unlocked a new structure and one I was more than happy to add to my empire. You have discovered the dormant eggs of a battle lizard. In times past, a nearly forgotten civilization raised and fought these beasts in tournaments for the entertainment of their population. Eventually, as the breeding program for these lizards progressed, they became larger and more powerful. Seeing their power, the ancient civilization incorporated these beasts into their armies, using them much like some cultures use war dogs. Your kobolds have an affinity for reptilian creatures and can continue the trend of raising these beasts of war. The Lizard Pit structure has been unlocked. This structure will allow your kobolds to breed battle lizards to supplement your armed forces. The number and power of these lizards is determined by the structure rank. I definitely wanted some battle lizards in my army. With the market now complete, and the crafting area almost done, I added the rank zero Lizard Pit to the queue. It would take a while to get it upgraded to rank five, but I wanted to at least get a look at what would happen with the building, even if further upgrades might have to wait until my other structure upgrades were completed. I had an option of where to place the lizard pit. My cavern was getting a bit full now that the buildings were continually upgrading and expanding. I found some room near the rear exit of the cavern, between the defensive wall and the housing complex. Hopefully, the lizards wouldn¡¯t get out and invade the housing complex on a kobold egg eating spree. The location seemed like the best option and gave me enough room if the pit needed to expand at the higher ranks. The ability for cross-realm assaults has been unlocked. A competitor has unleased mercenary forces upon your zone. Rally your defenses and repulse this attack. A flashing red icon appeared on the map, one much bigger than the icons for an attack on a trade route. To make matters worse, this one was close inside the forest. Not only was the dot close, but it was also moving quickly toward my cavern. I¡¯d been caught out of position and my minions were too far away to help. It was going to be up to me and my kobolds to repulse this attack. Chapter 276. Battle at the Wall. Chapter 276. Battle at the Wall. The attack had appeared in the forest, not too far from my cavern. I rallied the available troops, sending them to man the defenses protecting the cavern entrance. Pulling the squad guarding the marketplace entrance gave me two full squads of kobold warriors to work with. Each had a sergeant, a sorcerer, two archers with crossbows, and five melee warriors with spears. To bolster these forces, I had the mercenary squad I¡¯d hired join them. I also would head over there once the enemy drew closer. My minions were hurrying back, and making good time, but we¡¯d have to hold out for a while before they could arrive. Following the enemy path, I could see that they would most likely exit the forest at the clearing in front of my cavern. The clearing was about 200 yards wide, which would give us time for some ranged fire before any enemies could make it to the barricade. When the enemy got close, I queued up for all my structure upgrades in case I was away from the headquarters for longer than I expected. After the queue was set, I left the headquarters and joined my defenders at the barricade. I wanted to kick myself when I made it to the barricade. I¡¯d upgraded the defenses at the entrance near the marketplace, and it was now a formidable wall with a reinforced gate for entry into my cavern. Here, at the main entrance to the cavern, all I had was the initial rickety wall to provide protection. There wasn¡¯t even a gate, just a short barricade we dragged across the opening in the wall. At that gap I placed one of my kobold squads. The others I dispersed along the barricade along with the human mercenaries. It wasn¡¯t long before the enemy showed itself, and I was a bit surprised at what I saw. Trudging across the field were three squads almost identical to the human mercenaries I¡¯d hired. A quick count revealed the enemy were thirty strong and had the same breakdown of troops as the mercenaries I¡¯d hired. As soon as they were within bowshot of the entrance, my troops fired. I had a total of six crossbowmen, two from each kobold squad, and another pair from the mercenaries I¡¯d hired. After the first volley two attackers had fallen, and their return fire was ineffective, the long range and cover from the rickety wall proved sufficient to protect my troops. Before the crossbows were finished reloading, the enemy entered the range of the two kobold sorcerers among my defenders. Their Bursts of Flame spells peppered the attackers with deadly fire. The attack also reminded me that I could cast the same spell. I had three charges of the spell and began by selecting three of their six crossbowmen. My sorcerers had used their Bursts of Flame to hit multiple targets, seriously wounding, but not killing them. Instead, I focused each entire burst on one attacker, and the trio of flaming strikes knocked them back then set them aflame, killing the targets in seconds. Another volley of crossbow bolts fired out, and three of the attackers fell. Their return fire was again ineffective as I¡¯d halved their number of crossbowmen, and we still were enjoying the benefits of cover. I¡¯d used all three charges of my spell, but I still had my wand of magic missile, which I began to target the lead attackers with. The enemy seemed to realize that they were losing the ranged battle and charged forward, trying to close the distance with us as quickly as they could. A third volley of crossbow bolts, Bursts of Flame from the sorcerers, and my magic missiles took out seven more enemies before they got close. When they were almost at the barricade, I stowed the wand and pulled my javelin. Crackling with electrical energy, I threw the weapon at a shielded swordsman in the lead of their formation. The magic in the weapon caused it to unerringly hit the target, but the man managed to get his metal shield up in time to try and deflect it. The javelin pierced the shield, and the arm holding it. At the same time, a burst of electrical magic was released, killing the attacker despite his successful block. Knocking aside the flimsy barricade, the attackers crossed blades with the defenders. Drawing my own sword and shield, I moved to face off against a spearman that had burst through the line of defenders and was heading toward one of my sorcerers. He thrust toward me, and my training kicked in. Angling the Shield of Resistance, I deflected the thrust and stepped inside the attacker¡¯s reach, slamming my blade into his chest. The sword pierced easily through the light armor my target was wearing, and with a single grunt of pain, the man went limp and died as I pierced his heart.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The fight at the entrance was going on strong, but it looked like we had the upper hand. I cast a Health Bloom over the worst of the fighting, and I could see the kobold sorcerers were also avoiding combat and casting healing spells where they could. Atop the flimsy wall, my archers rained crossbow bolts down onto any attackers they could safely target. Their first shots had taken out the last of the enemy crossbowmen, so we held the advantage there as well. Unsupported by magic, and losing their only ranged attackers, the enemy began to fall quickly. We were taking losses too, but if ours weren¡¯t killed outright, there was a good chance that they could be healed and back in the fight. I was especially impressed with the kobold sergeants. They were clearly more skilled than the human mercenaries, and used their spears with a strength their smaller frames wouldn¡¯t appear to possess. As the last of the attackers fell, a system prompt appeared. You have successfully fended off a mercenary attack from another competitor. Once your marketplace reaches rank 5, you may order assaults, for a fee, on the competitor directly above and below you in the rankings. I was going to be able to do the same attacks against my competitors, but it seemed like a waste of resources. Why would I send mercenaries out to attack someone when they would do more good remaining here in my challenge zone? As my marketplace reached rank five, I could see a new tab for hiring mercenaries had opened. Marketplace, Rank 5. At this Rank, your marketplace can now support up to 12 trade caravans in total. Multiple caravans can only be selected for longer trade routes. The capacity for each caravan has increased, allowing them to generate more resources on each trip. Since you already possess a Rank 5 barracks, you may also seek out mercenary contracts and special equipment through your marketplace. You have unlocked the ability to construct Improved Trade Roads. These roads can be constructed between all trading partners and confederated factions. The Improved Trade Roads increase the speed of all travelers by 10% and reduce the dangers of hostile wildlife by 50%. Special Equipment. Please note that the available patterns offered for sale will change weekly.
  1. Dwarven repeating heavy crossbow. Should you purchase this upgrade. These weapons will be installed on any existing, and newly constructed fixed defenses you possess.
  2. Road Crew Contract. Hire a road crew to rapidly complete any existing road construction projects. For 48-hours, road construction in your realm will increase by 200%.
Mercenary Contracts. Other kobold empires offer the use of their forces for a fee. Once hired, these mercenaries will remain for the entire duration of the challenge or until destroyed. Should you choose to send these mercenaries to attack your competitors, the cost to recruit them will be reduced by half.
  1. Kobold Skirmishers. A squad of 10 kobolds armed with slings and javelins. Especially quick and agile, these skirmishers will launch attacks on your foes and retreat out of range before the enemy can respond.
  2. Prison Fodder (2). Led by cruel overseers, this mob of 20 kobold prisoners has agreed to fight instead of rotting away in a cell for the rest of their short lives. Poorly armed and trained, these kobolds are only a threat in mass numbers.
  3. Kobold Dragonkin Elite. Tapping into their draconic heritage, this small band of powerful warriors have obtained many of the aspects of the dragons they share a relation to.
There was a lot here, I had more caravans available, and I added additional ones to the Shoremarch and Gavelox Trading Consortium routes. When I tried to add one to the elf and rock gnome routes, I was prevented, the system telling me it was too short of a distance to handle multiple caravans. Even better, my caravans were finally looking impressive. Each caravan now consisted of a large, loaded to the gills wagon, as well as one of the smaller carts stuffed with goods. The number of kobolds in each caravan had also increased to ten. Most were needed to push and pull the wagon and cart, but the ones that weren¡¯t carried packs with even more trade goods over their shoulders. As for the newly offered upgrades, I wanted to wait until my structures were all fully upgraded before I began buying. The only thing I wanted to purchase early was the road crew, which would kickstart the upgrades to my trade routes. A quick check showed the crews were relatively affordable at a cost of about half a silo of resources. I paused new building construction until I had the resources to hire them. The mercenary contracts were also interesting. Unlike the ones offered by the consortium, these were all from other kobold civilizations. I wanted all of them, but again, they¡¯d have to wait until construction projects were completed. The fact I could unleash the mercenaries on my challengers at half the cost wasn¡¯t enough to make me want to spend resources to hamper a foe. Sending out attackers against my competitors still seemed a waste to me. I wanted every blade here in my zone to help defend us. A system prompt that appeared right after the road crew was hired confirmed that I¡¯d made the right choice. The first 5 competitors in the challenge have maxed out all structures and upgrades. This achievement has accelerated the time before the final stage of the challenge is unleashed. You have 10 days to prepare. Plan and work hard, for the apocalypse is coming for each of your territories. Chapter 277. Buying Protection. Chapter 277. Buying Protection. You are currently ranked 74/2432 in the arena challenge. As a participant that has reached the top 100 at this stage of the challenge, you will be granted additional rewards at the end of the challenge. To provide a better chance for all contestants, each contestant¡¯s structures will all be automatically upgraded to match the current rank of their headquarters. If the majority of their buildings are already at the same rank as their headquarters, the headquarters will be upgraded by one rank and some additional resources will be provided to that challenger. This upgrade applies only to existing structures and will not unlock any new structure patterns. As I watched, all my buildings began to upgrade to rank five. To my delight, it seemed that the upgrades also applied to the roads I was constructing. They were all upgrading to the improved trade road versions. I felt a bit bad at having wasted resources on hiring the road construction crew, but having the roads upgraded automatically was more than enough compensation for that. It looked like my defenses were even upgrading, and at the two entrances to the cavern, the walls were more solid, and the gate was now flanked by two towers. The expanded housing complexes were now two-story affairs with a basement below. New eggs were already appearing, and I was going to have a population explosion. Gear and equipment for my minions were also being upgraded, but it would take some time for it to be distributed by the rank five quartermaster¡¯s hut. The farms were generating more than enough food for my population and were contributing a strong flow of resources to our silos. The crafting stations were also looking great, with dedicated areas for forging, alchemy, leatherworking, tailoring, and a general work area for everything else. My sorcerers hut grew and expanded. It was now a four-story, stone tower with strange glows appearing through the windows. The top of the tower was flat, with crenelations encircling it. Several sorcerers were painting strange symbols on the ground before they began to raise their arms and chant. A system prompt explained what they were doing. Your minions in the sorcerer¡¯s tower have divined the coming apocalypse and are attempting to summon a powerful defender to help protect their people. You may choose to allow them to work on their own or provide additional resources to improve the power of their summoning. As it currently stands, the summoning will generate a full squad of dragonkin warriors to assist you once the final stage begins. A gauge to show how powerful the summoned defender will become has unlocked in your headquarters interface. A quick check showed an empty bar with five levels of power marked out on it. As a test, I pushed a tenth of the resources from a silo into the ritual. The gauge moved forward, almost to the first line. I slowly added more resources, and when the gauge hit the first line, I was rewarded with more information. Your sorcerers will now summon an elite sorcerer to support your dragonkin warriors. In addition, the warriors will possess upgraded gear and equipment. They will also have several combat abilities to further enhance their power. That was a nice addition to the sorcerer¡¯s hut, and I knew that it would bug me if I didn¡¯t max out the summoning before the ten days were up. As it stood, all my buildings had been upgraded, and all the funds I had pouring in were rapidly filling the silos since I had no construction projects to drain them. Caravans were running to all my trade partners and confederated factions, so it was time to make use of the economic empire I¡¯d created. I started by purchasing all the mercenaries available in my marketplace. Along with the mercenaries, I bought the dwarven repeater crossbow upgrade for my defensive structures. Along the wall of the entrance fortifications, oversized crossbows appeared, along with a pair of kobold warriors to operate them. There were two crossbows on each wall, and the size of the weapons was somewhere between a heavy crossbow and a ballista. When the first weapons appeared, I received information on them. A system notice told me they were enhanced by dwarven tech mages to unleash two shots every time the weapon was fired. After a few minutes, the hired mercenaries began to march in from the marketplace. There was the single squad of the kobold skirmishers that I ordered outside the main gate to patrol the forest there for the time being. They would be great to harass and attrit a force moving toward my cavern. The lessons I¡¯d learned from Major Finley were going to come in handy. The two groups of twenty kobold prisoners were armed with makeshift prison shanks. Each was led by a large, fat kobold in leather armor and holding a whip that gave off electrical sparks when it hit. They were just fodder to throw against a foe to give my stronger forces time to prepare. For now, they would remain in the cavern in the open area behind the crafting stations.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. My new dragonkin mercenaries were much more impressive than the prisoners. Each stood nearly seven feet tall and were bulkier and more muscular than an orc. A pair of leathery wings growing from their backs was sadly just for show, so I wouldn¡¯t have an air force during the fight. Each elite dragonkin had darkened plate armor protecting them, and they held oversized swords as their main weapons. A faint glow of enchantment could be seen on the blades, and for longer range work, each dragonkin had a bundle of javelins strapped between their wings. These guys looked like they could give my minions a run for their money, and other than some facial similarities, I had trouble believing that they were related to the diminutive kobolds I commanded. While I waited for my funds to rebuild so I could have a shopping spree at the consortium, I tried my hand at some diplomacy. If the apocalypse was coming, maybe the rock gnomes and the city of Shoremarch would be willing to become more than just trading partners. You have opened negotiations with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes and offered a mutual defense pact. You have opened negotiations with the Free City of Shoremarch and offered a mutual defense pact. The Free City of Shoremarch has rejected your offer and sends word that they are content with their current agreement and will continue to trade with your people. The Gurtzam Rock Gnomes have accepted your mutual defense pact and will send a squad of their troops to help defend your cavern. In return, an extra squad of your warriors will proceed to their home cavern and assist in its defense. This squad is in addition to your existing forces and does not count against any population totals. These exchanged forces will be under the command of the host faction, though they can be recalled, and the mutual defense pact cancelled if either side wishes. Nice, a squad formed up in the barracks and started to march toward the rock gnome cavern. When they got there, I would get a peek at what gnome cavern looked like. It was too bad the Shoremarch didn¡¯t want to join us, but maybe I¡¯d get another chance at them before the apocalypse started. The squad heading toward the gnome caravan was a free, system generated one. It gave me a peek at what my other squads would look like once all our newly hatched kobolds were trained and equipped. At the lead of the squad was a burly kobold in chainmail with a steel breastplate. He wielded a longsword and had a round wooden shield in his other hand. Eight regular kobold warriors followed, each equipped in chainmail and wooden shields, with a steel-tipped spear as their main weapon. They also had a backup weapon, either a shortsword or mace, on their belts. Two more warriors were equipped with crossbows and steel daggers. They wore studded leather armor instead of the heavier chainmail of the melee troops. Following behind the kobold squad was a sorcerer. The upgraded hut now gave my sorcerers a magically reinforced robe that the system reported was as strong as chainmail. Holding a wand in one hand, the sorcerer also had a dagger belted to his waist. Having the new sorcerer spawn triggered some system information on spell upgrades. New spells and upgrades to your existing ones have been unlocked with your sorcerer¡¯s hut reaching rank 5 and becoming the sorcerer¡¯s tower. 1. Flame Burst. This spell now fires off a total of five bursts of flame that do increased impact damage. 2. Regeneration. This spell now covers a small, targeted area, providing its healing to all allied forces withing the area of effect. 3. Scorching Ray. This new spell generates a beam of intense heat that greatly damages a single target. Arena challenger spell changes. 1. Flame Burst. This spell now fires off a total of five bursts of flame that do increased impact damage. You can have a total of 5 charges of this spell and a new charge regenerates every 4 minutes. 2. Scorching Ray. This new challenger spell generates a beam of intense heat that greatly damages a single target. You can have a total of 2 charges of this spell and a new charge regenerates every 5 minutes. My kobold sorcerers were now a force to be reckoned with, not to mention the challenger spells I had access to. I also remembered to check in on the tariff station to see what its improvements looked like. The building was now made of stone and seemed like it was study enough to survive an attack by dungeon monsters. Even better, four kobold warriors stood guard, two inside, and two outside the door. I also received a notice that the upgraded, rank five version of the station would collect a greater percentage of the loot gained by adventurers in the dungeon. As an added bonus, some of the goods created in my cavern at the farms and crafting stations would be sold here for additional profit. These profits still needed to be sent by caravan, and the journey from the tariff station to the cavern was the longest one in the zone. I had almost forgotten about the watchtower I had constructed near the tariff station. It had transformed from a rank zero, rickety wooden tower that helped prevent monster attacks, into a stone, two story tower with battlements at the top where a pair of kobold warriors and one of the dwarven repeating crossbows stood watch. Inside the tower was a full squad of defenders that would respond to any exterior threats, as well as any dungeon outbreaks. The tower would also add additional escorts for a caravan leaving the tariff station, providing four kobold warriors as guards. With the kobold squad patrolling the route, the new guards, and the improved roads deterring against attacks, the rich tariff station caravans should be well protected. Now, all I had to do was amass my wealth and buy every mercenary contract I could get my hands on before the apocalypse was unleashed on my kobold empire. Chapter 278. Surge Pricing. Chapter 278. Surge Pricing. Things were bustling inside the cavern as all the upgrades took place and new kobolds entered the workforce. I had more workers than projects at the moment, so I sent more to gather lumber, which at least generated some benefit for me. With the rank five upgrades for everything, the workers had changed their slacker ways and were now all contributing. The system seemed to agree, granting us a bump in morale. Combined upgrades, and the newly enhanced power of your empire has inspired your population. Morale has improved to Happy and Productive. You will receive a bonus to productivity of 5% for as long as you maintain this level of morale. My workers were squared away, and the existing warrior squads were starting to rotate through the barracks, receiving more training and upgrading their equipment to the new standard. It would take some time before all the squads, including the far-flung ones patrolling the trade routes, were able to be upgraded. The expanded barracks also allowed for a single squad to be upgraded while new ones were training, which should help to speed things along. Only one last building was still in the process of upgrading, my lizard pits. There was no system prompt as to why it was taking longer, but it may have been that the structure was something I¡¯d discovered by exploring, not one that I purchased or unlocked normally. When the glow around the expanded lizard pits finally dimmed, and I got a good look at the rank five building. It was now a much larger, circular pit dug into the stone floor of the cavern. Stalls for the lizards, as well as their nests, ringed the outer perimeter of the pit, and in the center was a large corral where the kobold workers trained the newly hatched lizards. The beasts themselves had grown. Now, they were the size of a pony and looked downright dangerous with their tooth-filled mouths and sharp claws. Newly trained lizards began to walk out of the corral on their own. To my surprise, half walked to the barracks, but the other half walked over to the marketplace. At the marketplace, a caravan to the gnome cavern was about to leave. The kobold merchants waved over the first two lizards to arrive and hitched them to their wagon. That freed up several of the workers who had been helping to haul the wagon. Now, those workers could shoulder packs full of even more goods as the lizards went to work. Since the caravans had a limited ability to defend themselves, I figured the addition of the giant lizards, even if they hadn¡¯t been trained for war in the barracks, would boost their ability to fight off attackers. As for the lizards that had gone into their barracks, they exited a short time later. When they left, they didn¡¯t head out to bolster my warrior squads, instead, they headed to the quartermaster¡¯s hut. At the hut, workers strapped on a studded leather harness that would add a nice layer of armor protection for the lizards. Combined with their rather sturdy looking scales, they should be well protected against most threats. Over their front claws, razor-sharp steel extensions were somehow glued on. When they were fully kitted out, the lizards started to disperse to the various squads of warriors I had under my command. None moved to join the squads out on trade route patrol, but I figured they would join them when they were rotated in for new gear and training. With a war lizard added to each squad, I was feeling even more optimistic about our chances against whatever the pending apocalypse turned out to be. With the lizards squared away, I noticed that my trade income had almost filled a silo, which meant it was time to shop at the consortium. All I had to do was think about trading with them and the system did the rest, simplifying things for this arena challenge. The offerings from the consortium had changed since the last time, but there was still plenty that I wanted. Gavelox Trading Consortium. Current Inventory. Please note that the inventory and stock levels will now change every 3 days.
  1. Mercenary contract, Tier 0, Rank 5 (3).
  2. Mercenary contract, Tier 2, Rank 0. (1).
  3. Mercenary replacement structure (1).
  4. Defensive upgrade package (1).
The system seemed to have shifted the items offered away from the structure upgrades and purely into military related stuff. Prices had also adjusted, and the tier zero, rank five mercenary contracts were only half a silo now. The tier two mercenaries were another story and cost a full two silos worth of resources. A quick check of the other two offerings triggered a system description for each one. Mercenary replacement structure. This structure slowly regenerates any troops lost by your active mercenary companies. The rate of replacement is 1 random mercenary every hour. At least one surviving member of the mercenary company must be present for it to be eligible for replacements. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Defensive upgrade package. This package contains a random defensive upgrade with a random number of activations. The mercenary replacement structure cost another two full silos. It was a bit of an investment, but I wanted it. I would be adding a lot of mercenaries, and it would be nice to be able to generate some replacements as they took losses. I¡¯d just have to be careful and make sure to pull back a mercenary group from the fighting before they were completely wiped out. As far as the defensive upgrade was concerned, it was more of a gamble, but I was a sucker for those. At only half a silo of resources, it wasn¡¯t going to be too expensive to roll the dice on that one. All I had to do now was wait for the resources to build. I was a bit concerned. The consortium offerings would change every few days, and it wasn¡¯t certain I could afford all of them before they changed over. To prioritize this batch of offerings, I would save up first for the mercenary replacement structure, then the tier two mercenaries. If I had time after those two, I¡¯d buy the defensive upgrade package, then try for as many of the tier zero, rank five mercenary groups that I could. By now, my minions had explored almost all the out-of-date areas of the map. It looked like the lizards and the dungeon had been the only things out there for me to find. I wondered how many other contestants had the opportunity to explore as much as I was able to. My minions really gave me an advantage in this challenge. Maybe the system provided something for those with only individual power, since they would be forced to waste a lot of their time working at the headquarters. Other contestants¡¯ problems weren¡¯t mine to worry about, I had a zone to defend. I figured this apocalyptic event was going to be some kind of attack, otherwise, the system would be asking me to build storm shelters and stockpile supplies or something. With that in mind, I pulled my minions back to the cavern. If the expected attack occurred nearby, they would do me no good traipsing around the desert. While I waited for the resources to pour in so I could start my purchase plan at the consortium, I checked in on my allies. Starting with the gnomes, I was finally able to get a peek inside their cavern now that I had a squad of my troops helping to defend them. Their cavern was a mirror image of my own, the only difference was that gnomes were not up to rank five structures yet. Most of their buildings were rank three, with the headquarters, barracks, and marketplace at rank four. The barracks must have been a recent upgrade, and I could see a fresh squad of troops emerging. There were four gnomes carrying stone clubs and shields, as well as one with a staff which must have been their equivalent of a mage. The squad was led by a bigger, meaner-looking gnome with two clubs instead of a club and a shield. As for their armor, they all wore leather harnesses with stone plates attached. Their gear should have been too heavy for them to lift, but they must have had some kind of bonus for that type of gear given the name of their race. Their caravans had a small cart with six gnome traders assigned to them. They were also trading with the other factions in the zone, which was probably what was fueling their improvements. The elves and humans were in a similar spot as the gnomes, both had headquarters and barracks at rank four, but only humans had also upgraded their marketplace to that rank. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of time left, but they should all be able to get a few more upgrades before the final stage of the challenge. I was going to be able to keep track of their military capabilities by watching the squads sent over to my barracks from the mutual defense pacts. The elves currently had four spearmen with shields as their main, frontline fighters. An elf with two scimitars led the group, and they were bolstered by two archers with longbows. As far as their armor was concerned, the elf warriors all wore leather, and their weapons seemed to be of decent quality. The humans mirrored the elves in numbers, and armor. Four of the human warriors in the squad held longswords and wooden kite shields, while two others held crossbows. The leader of the human squads was a larger man in chainmail with a steel mace instead of a sword. The caravans arriving, along with the steady income from several structures allowed me to hit two silos of resources quickly, and I ordered the mercenary replacement structure. I found room for it on the opposite side of the barracks from my headquarters. It wasn¡¯t much to look at, just a series of three large tents. The first replacement for my human mercenaries spawned as soon as the place was active. My observations were interrupted when a system prompt appeared. It looked like the other factions in the zone now knew about the pending apocalypse. A wise sage and trusted diviner in the town of Shoremarch has warned of the pending apocalypse. The city seeks the aid of their trading partners as they organize an evacuation. To properly protect the evacuation, their forces guarding the trade route must be pulled back into the city. If your faction can man the patrols from the entire route, the city of Shoremarch will send a special caravan of goods to reimburse you for their expenses. Do you wish to agree to these terms? Y/N. I wanted to see about a mutual defense pact, but that option was greyed out in the interface, as were all other options for Shoremarch. A notice of pending evacuation was there, preventing all other diplomacy. Since I had more squads now, it wasn¡¯t a problem to assign one to the section of the route the city had normally patrolled. You have agreed to the offered terms. Additional caravans carrying the goods the city will not be able to evacuate in time will begin to spawn. You must assign kobold workers to fetch them, and ensure they are adequately protected. As I watched, a wagon full of goods was pushed out the city gate, just waiting for me to come and grab it. I assigned several work teams to the task, the system allowing a total of three to join the efforts. Just to be safe, I added another squad of troops to protect the route from Shoremarch. Given the current uncertainty in the region, the Gavelox Trading Consortium will be adjusting their pricing to reflect demand. Existing offerings will be kept at their current pricing levels, but all new offerings will follow the demand surge pricing model. Well, the trading consortium was about to start gouging me on prices. Hopefully my marketplace would generate some more options before the apocalypse arrived. Chapter 279. New Defender. Chapter 279. New Defender. I kept tabs on my resource reserves as I waited to see if I¡¯d have enough to buy everything I wanted before the consortium changed their inventory and raised their prices. While I waited, I tried to efficiently maneuver my troops to get them cycled through the barracks and upgraded as quickly as possible. I started by sending out the troops on guard duty inside the cavern, I had them replace the various squads on trade route duty. As the trade route squads returned, they were sent immediately to the barracks for training, then to the quartermaster¡¯s hut to get issued their latest gear. My lizard pits were also training new lizards at a pace of two every few hours. One would head toward the marketplace, and the other to train and gather equipment before being randomly assigned to one of my warrior squads by the system. For the lizards in the marketplace, the workers there placed them in their harness to help pull the wagons and waited until a full team of two had been trained before they headed to their new assignment. By the time the day was over, I had enough resources to purchase the tier two, rank zero mercenaries from the consortium. Once purchased, the squad marched from the trading consortium fort and headed down the trade route toward my cavern. The purchase didn¡¯t disappoint, and I found that I had gained my first cavalry unit. Mounted on massive wolves, my mercenary squad was a band of six goblin riders. Five of the six were armored in heavy chainmail with steel plates reinforcing vulnerable areas. The wolves themselves also wore armored harnesses to give them some protection. Armed with long lances and steel shields, the five heavily armored riders were an imposing bunch. The last rider, and his mount, wore lighter armor. The goblin had studded leather and held only a leather whip in his grasp. I wasn¡¯t sure how effective this last rider would be, but the system granted me a brief explanation about what I¡¯d just purchased. Drughat¡¯s Fangs. A well trained and equipped squad of goblin wolf riders stands ready to crush your foes. Five of the riders are equipped as heavy cavalry, and they are led by a beast master that can summon creatures to attack your foes and has spells to heal and enhance the other riders¡¯ mounts. It was a great purchase and would give me a rapid reaction force that could respond quickly, and powerfully, to threats. Even just walking down the trade road, the wolf riders were easily moving at triple the pace of one of the trade caravans. The group might even give my minions a run for their money in a straight up fight. The mercenaries and the mercenary replacement tent had both been great buys, but time was starting to run out when I had enough to purchase the defensive upgrade package. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect with the upgrade, and once I sent the resources over to the consortium for the purchase, the defensive structures tab in my interface flashed, revealing the new option. Defensive structures.
  1. Watchtower. Build a simple wooden watchtower that grants enhanced vision over the area. The watchtower will also make nearby creatures less likely to attack in the area it covers.
  2. Goblin minefield (4). You can now order your work teams to deploy one of these minefields at any defensive structure you possess. Only one minefield can be placed at each defensive structure. The mines are inactive until you choose to activate them in your headquarters. When active, a safe path through the minefield will be marked for any friendly forces that need to pass through.
I had minefields, four of them. First off, I assigned work teams to deploy them in front of both entrances to the cavern. The kobold work teams, now boasting ten workers each, headed toward the quartermaster¡¯s hut to collect the mines. Somehow, the system had transferred them directly there from the consortium and I didn¡¯t have to wait for a caravan to deliver them. Instead of hauling them out by hand, the kobolds exited the quartermaster¡¯s place pushing a trio of small carts that were stacked high with wooden crates. Two workers pushed each cart and the remaining four struggled behind them, each one carrying another crate of mines. As soon as they reached the entrances, the kobolds got to work.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The mines weren¡¯t exactly what I had expected. I was assuming that they¡¯d be something similar to what I¡¯d seen during Major Finley¡¯s training about mines and modern defenses. Instead, these looked like metallic spiders the size of a small dog. The workers simply dug a hole outside the defensive wall and buried each of the mines. I had two more minefields to deploy, but I could only deploy them around defensive structures, and only one per structure. Other than the two walls protecting the cavern, the only other defensive structure I had designated on my map was the guard tower protecting the tariff station at the dungeon. There was no way to tell where the threat to my zone would appear at, and I was hesitant to install the mines near the dungeon area in case they turned out to be wasted there. A quick check in the interface showed that I could order the minefields to be redeployed to a new location, but the process was a slow one. I had the option of building a new watchtower somewhere else, but that would take time and resources to build, and then I¡¯d have to upgrade it manually. The system had only bumped all my existing structures to rank five and wouldn¡¯t do that for any new construction I built. With only a few days before the final stage of the challenge, I didn¡¯t have much time to decide. I went ahead and ordered a minefield at the watchtower protecting the tariff station, crossing my fingers it would do some good. After I got a look at the next batch of consortium offerings and their inflated pricing, I could decide if building another watchtower would be a better option. I tried to place one randomly, just outside my cavern, but the system prevented it. Apparently, they could only be placed at certain strategic locations. A series of dots appeared on my map, showing where I could place towers. It restricted them to one outside the main gate of my confederated factions, and one on each at the best defensive spot on the longer trade routes. The closest location wasn¡¯t too far from the cavern, just past where the forest started along the elf trade route. It was within sight of the cavern and was also where the road from the human faction joined up. That would be the spot when I had the resources to spend on it. For now, it looked like I¡¯d have enough for only two of the three tier zero, rank five mercenaries before the consortium offerings changed. I purchased each mercenary group as soon as I had the funds. They weren¡¯t anything special, unlike the wolf riders, and were identical to the human squad that I¡¯d already purchased. When the clock ticked over, I checked on the new consortium offerings. Gavelox Trading Consortium. Current Inventory. Please note that the inventory and stock levels will change every 3 days.
  1. Mercenary contract, Tier 1, Rank 5 (3).
  2. Mercenary contract, Tier 2, Rank 5. (1).
  3. Defensive upgrade package (1).
  4. Goblin war machine.
Checking on the prices. It appeared that the consortium wasn¡¯t kidding when they said they were going to bump the cost. The lowest tier mercenary contract was now four silos full of resources. That price also applied to the defensive upgrade package. I didn¡¯t have any information on it and was a bit worried that it would be more mines that I couldn¡¯t deploy until I built towers. As far as the tier two, rank five mercenaries, the highest tier I¡¯d seen offered, they were ten silo¡¯s worth. The crazy sounding goblin war machine was another ten silos. The final phase of the challenge was about to begin, and I couldn¡¯t afford what the consortium was offering. For now, I¡¯d keep tabs on my own marketplace, and build that watchtower. There was also one more place I could spend my resources, it was at the sorcerer¡¯s hut. It hadn¡¯t cost that much to bump the summoning for the final stage by one tier. As an experiment I dropped the same 10% of a silo full of resources into the summoning meter. It increased the same amount as before, which meant it would only be just over half a silo to hit the highest tier. I funneled the resources in, a few caravans arriving pushing me over the limit to max out the summoning. Once the summoning bar hit rank five, it flashed, and I received a system prompt. You have granted generous resources to your sorcerers, enabling them to summon the most powerful guardian of the kobold kind. A new habitat for your summoned guardian is being created. While you will have no direct control over this guardian, it will do its best to protect the kobold cavern and your headquarters. The cavern shook as changes occurred somewhere above us. I pulled my vision to the outside of the cavern and could see a massive cave that had been dug out above our entrance, near the top of the mountain. Everything had been done by the system, so we didn¡¯t have to worry about a cave in or rubble blocking the entrance. Another system prompt showing who the summoned guardian would appear when its habitat was completed. At the beginning of the final stage, your sorcerers will summon Doshkath, Scourge of the Desert. This powerful young red dragon is distant kin to your faction. Awakened from his slumber by the coming apocalypse, Doshkath has pledged his support to the Kobold Empire. Doshkath is a Tier 5, Rank 0 elite creature. The Gavelox Trading Consortium could keep its overpriced mercenaries, I was going to have a dragon protect me from the apocalypse. Chapter 280. The Apocalypse Begins. Chapter 280. The Apocalypse Begins. The last day was ticking down before the final stage. While the consortium was a bust with its price gouging, my marketplace came through for me with a few more offerings. Even better, I unlocked a new feature based on my performance. Your faction has taken the route of trade over brutal conquest. In response to your benevolent rule, both factions in your confederation will offer limited access to their markets so that you may hire additional forces for the coming apocalypse. It was nice to get some kind of bonus right before the end. I looked up my marketplace and those of the elves and humans to see what was offered. It seemed that a big fight was in store, as the only things offered were more mercenary contracts. Marketplace Mercenary Contracts. Other kobold empires offer the use of their forces for a fee. Once hired, these mercenaries will remain for the entire duration of the challenge or until destroyed. Due to the dire nature of the threat that you are about to face, these forces are offered at a substantial discount. 1. Disciples of the Dragon Lord. A squad of 10 kobold fanatics, dedicated to the protection of your home cavern. These kobolds are armed with explosives that will detonate automatically when near a foe. The explosive will kill the disciple holding it, but it will also unleash a small cloud of deadly gas. This cloud will harm any living beings that it touches. 2. Prison Fodder (4). Led by cruel overseers, this mob of kobold prisoners has agreed to fight instead of rotting away in a cell for the rest of their short lives. Poorly armed and trained, these kobolds are only a threat in mass numbers. 3. Kobold Sniper Team. A highly trained team of 5 snipers from an advanced kobold empire. Armed with magically enhanced crossbows, these kobolds are experts at stealth, and can fire upon most foes without revealing their presence. 4. Barrier Lizard. Specially bred by the same advanced civilization that offers the sniper team, this massive lizard will greatly enhance your defensive forces. Heavily armored, capable of breathing fire, and mounting several weapons platforms, this reptilian engine of destruction is ready to serve. Village of Millstone, mercenary offerings. 1. Warband (1). This squad of human mercenaries are Tier 0, Rank 5 and equipped with a variety of weapons and armor. 2. Ballista team (1). A powerful ballista with a crew of five human warriors to man it. This weapon and its team are considered Tier 0, Rank 7. Zalbairn Forest Elves, mercenary offerings. 1. Archer Squad (1). A squad 10 elvish archers that are Tier 1, Rank 0. 2. Elvish Mage. An elvish mage of Tier 1, Rank 5 that has a variety of powerful forest magics at her disposal. There was quite a bit to choose from, but oddly enough, the offerings from my own marketplace didn¡¯t seem to be rated by the system as far as tier and rank. The system did disclose the tier and rank for my allies and while they weren¡¯t super powerful, they were all good enough to help in a large battle. With all the caravans flowing into my marketplace, and the hefty discount the system was offering me, I was able to purchase everything my marketplace had in inventory. Sadly, once I made the purchase, the tab for mercenary contracts greyed out, and when I tried to select it again, the system said the coming apocalypse was going to prevent any additional purchases. The kobold prison fodder was a familiar pick, and though they weren¡¯t exactly a deadly foe, having four additional squads of them really bolstered my numbers. The disciple fanatics were exactly as described, kobolds with a crazed look in their eyes that hugged large, spherical bombs to their chest. I¡¯d have to be really careful where I chose to deploy them.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. My new kobold sniper team held themselves like an elite force. They wielded oversized crossbows that looked like they should be too big for them to use, but the kobolds handled them with ease. Each wore dark leather armor, and as long as they were not moving, they disappeared from view, and I could only track them through the headquarters interface. For the barrier lizard, it didn¡¯t physically arrive, and instead, I could summon it when needed. I was pretty much a fixed defensive position, and I was informed that I should have troops nearby to man the weapons on it if I wanted the full benefit of the beast. Much like the watchtowers, the barrier lizard could only be summoned at certain points in my empire. Mainly, I could summon it outside any friendly village, either of the two cavern entrances, at most crossroads, or even outside my headquarters. Paying for all my kobold marketplace offerings tapped out most of my funds, but the mercenaries my confederates had in their marketplaces were much more affordable than the consortium. I had a good feeling that the funds would be here to purchase everything the humans and elves offered before the apocalypse kicked off. My own forces weren¡¯t idle while the apocalypse approached. More and more workers were filing through the barracks for militia training, and we were able to get all the warrior squads fully equipped and trained up to the rank five barracks standard. When all was said and done, I had 20 kobold warrior squads at my command and most, if not all, of my workers would be able to answer the call to battle as militia. The town of Shoremarch has completed its evacuation. Not all its people were able to escape by sea, and they request permission for the remainder to make their way overland, through your territory. Do you wish to grant the remaining population of Shoremarch free travel through your territory? Y/N. I was a little bit surprised by the system prompt, and I couldn¡¯t see any reason to deny their refugees¡¯ free passage. Hearing from the town reminded me to check on the supplies they¡¯d gifted to us. A quick check showed that the wagons of supplies that they had left for me earlier were almost to the cavern, which given the size of the wagons, should grant me enough resources to finish purchasing all the remaining human and elf mercenaries. In response to your history of fair trade, and your generous offer to allow safe passage, the leaders of Shoremarch have gifted their city to the Kobold Empire. A small remnant of people has refused to leave the city and will continue to work there for you. Protect them from hostile forces and you will be granted a small stream of revenue from the city. With that announcement, I now had vision over the entire city of Shoremarch. It was at least five times larger than my cavern, and with almost all the population gone, it looked like a ghost town. Only a few people moved through the streets, and most of those looked terrified, yet determined. A small flashing light on the headquarters interface directed my attention to a mountainous area at the far end of the map. A portal appeared there, showing me where the refugees had to travel to reach safety. The poor refugees were going to have to traverse pretty much the entire length of the zone to escape. Turning my attention back to the nearly abandoned city, I had some decisions to make. While I didn¡¯t have the forces to properly garrison such a large place, I couldn¡¯t leave it completely undefended. I decided to organize a small force to occupy the city and keep its resources flowing into my silos. I sent a squad of the human mercenaries, a squad of my kobold warriors, and two of the prison fodder squads to defend Shoremarch. In addition, I sent my last case of goblin mines, and a team of workers to lay them with the reinforcements. I still wasn¡¯t sure where the final minefield would go but having them on the other side of the map would allow me the chance to deploy them where needed. Time ticked down as the reinforcements began their march, aided by the improved roads I¡¯d created. The final supply wagons from Shoremarch that my kobold workers had hauled also reached my cavern. The supplies they carried granted me enough resources to finalize the purchase of the elf and human mercenaries. The human mercenaries were another squad identical to the ones I¡¯d purchased from the consortium, nothing special, but a solid unit compared to the threats I¡¯d faced previously. Their ballista team was just as described, and for now, I assigned them to the main entrance of the cavern, supplementing the defenders on the wall there. My new elf archers were also well equipped and looked like they could handle themselves in a melee brawl as well. Each wore a well-crafted suit of leather armor and had a thin-bladed sword at their side as a backup to their longbows. The elf mage I chose to attach to my elite dragonkin. The mercenary squad of dragonkin were my most powerful force, other than the actual dragon. Having a mage added to ranks would help protect them and make the best use of any healing magic the elf mage might have at her disposal. My newly hired mercenaries left from the respective villages I¡¯d purchased them from and began to march toward my cavern. When the countdown to the apocalypse ended, the system announced what form my doom would take. The final phase of the arena challenge has begun. Waves of enemies will spawn in various locations to assail you. Their final goal is the destruction of your headquarters which will trigger the end of your arena challenge. Your ranking will be based on how long you survive compared to your fellow challengers. A rank tracker can now be accessed in your interface. Stand ready, an ancient, long forgotten threat has awoken and is hungry to consume all life on the world above. Chapter 281. Ominous Threat. Chapter 281. Ominous Threat. I didn¡¯t have to wait long for a threat to show itself. A flashing icon appeared on the trade route between my cavern and the gnomes¡¯. Another blinked at the dungeon entrance. Looking first at the trade route, given it was much closer to my headquarters than the dungeon, I could see a small group of attackers fighting against a gnome trade caravan and their squad of guards. It was more of the forgotten ones, but these were larger and more formidable than the ones that had attacked my marketplace before. Standing over six feet tall, the forgotten ones dwarfed the gnomes, but the gnome defenders didn¡¯t balk at tearing into them. Even the caravan workers were fighting hard, they held stone spears that they gathered from the trade cart. I sent the kobold squad patrolling that trade route to assist, and it looked like there were only a half-dozen of the forgotten ones attacking. Between my squad and the gnomes, I figured we had that attack handled. I shifted my view over to the dungeon to see what was going on there. The dungeon attack was far more serious than the trade caravan one. A horde of cultists had burst from the dungeon, this time, supported by more of the smaller forgotten ones. Just outside the dungeon entrance, an adventuring party was trying their best to defend themselves, but they were being quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers. My tariff station guards sealed the main doors and took up positions inside. Two of them held crossbows that they began to use through arrow slits in the walls. At the watchtower, the guards had also retreated inside, and the door there was even more sturdy than the one at the tariff station. Inside, half the kobold warriors guarded the door, while the others moved to the battlements. One of the kobolds at the top of the watchtower was working the repeating crossbow mounted there. Heavy bolts fired from the weapon with a sharp clacking sound. Each one found a target in the swarm of attackers, and each hit was usually a kill. Two crossbow wielding kobolds on the battlements joined the fight, adding their fire to the mix. The final ranged attacker was the kobold sorcerer among the tower defenders. With a mad cackle, the sorcerer began to hurl blasts of flame among the attackers. His actions reminded me that I could do the same. Concentrating, I unleashed Flame Bursts among the attackers that were focused on the adventurers. I had five charges of the spell, and each charge fired five bursts of flame. My spells pushed back the attackers, giving the adventurers a chance to run toward the tariff station. A system prompt appeared as they reached the front door. A party of adventurers seeks refuge inside your tariff station. Do you wish to allow them entry? Y/N. I granted them entry and the kobolds inside quickly unbolted the door and swung it open to allow the adventurers inside. Only three adventurers had survived the ordeal, but among them was their healer, a human woman who immediately began to heal her party as the doors slammed shut behind them. My kobolds closed the door just in time as several of the cultists started battering the door with their weapons. With the upgraded stone structure of both the tariff station and the watchtower, I didn¡¯t think the cultists or the forgotten one monsters were going to get inside anytime soon. For now, it was a massacre as my ranged forces, bolstered by the adventurers and fire from the watchtower, tore through the foes assaulting the tariff station. So far, they hadn¡¯t attacked the watchtower directly, and instead were focusing on the more lightly defended tariff station. It appeared the flow of attackers from the dungeon wasn¡¯t stopping anytime soon, as more and more groups of cultists and the forgotten ones kept emerging from the swirling dungeon entry portal. A system prompt appeared to explain what was happening. Inspired by their wakening god, the forgotten ones and their servants rise inside your zone, seeking to eradicate all life as a sacrifice to their forgotten god. The Temple of the Forgotten Ones dungeon will continue to release waves of increasingly powerful attackers as they attempt to overwhelm your defenses. Inside the depths of your mountain, more of the forgotten ones awake, and will ceaselessly climb from the dark places of the world and attack your forces. Beware, this is just the beginning of the assault, and the longer this stage of the challenge lasts, the more powerful and numerous the forces assaulting you will become. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. New war coordination options have unlocked. New commands for your forces have unlocked. New options have opened in your marketplace and with the Gavelox Trading Consortium. Okay, it looked like the dungeon and the middle of the mountain were going to be continuous spawning points for the attackers. Eventually, they¡¯d overwhelm me, but the longer I held on, the higher in the rankings I¡¯d climb. Before I began to organize my defenses, I checked out the new options I¡¯d unlocked. The war coordination menu was pretty simple. I could select an ally and request that they send forces to a particular point on the map. The places I could send them were limited, mainly just the faction cities and crucial crossroads. For now, I held off on shifting any of my allied forces, they were needed to defend their homes in case another spawn point appeared nearby. I had plenty of mercenaries I could use, as well as my kobold warrior squads. That brought up the question of whether I wanted to keep patrolling the caravan routes. It might be better to bring my troops in and turtle up at several critical points. Doing so would add to my defensive ability, but it would also jeopardize my economy if attacks on the trade routes began to happen. As far as the marketplace and consortium. They offered an outlet for my resources. Both had cut off any mercenary offerings, or upgrades, but I could funnel a portion of my resource generation into them. Those resources would be used to generate replacements for any losses I sustained, both among my mercenaries, and my kobold forces. Along with the option to funnel resources to the market and consortium was an announcement that I would no longer naturally generate replacements for both workers and warriors. I sent half my resource flow to the marketplace and half to the consortium. My marketplace gave me around double the value in replacements per resource than the consortium, but I could only send a maximum of half to each. With all my buildings maxed out, I really didn¡¯t have anything else to spend my resources on unless I wanted to build something new. More watchtowers would be nice, but I doubted I¡¯d have the time and resources to start them at rank zero and bring them all the way to rank five where they really became effective. Any of the resources I spent on building meant that losses to my existing troops would take that much longer to be replaced. For now, to allow the resources to keep flowing in, I kept the existing kobold trade route patrols in place. The exceptions were the squad patrolling the road connecting the dungeon, and the squad protecting the road between my cavern and the gnomes. The squad from the dungeon I sent to reinforce the forces occupying Shoremarch. As for the squad inside the mountain, they were already helping to clean up the last forgotten ones that had attacked the gnome caravan. The attackers had been defeated, but with a never-ending flow of attackers soon to arrive there, keeping them on the trade road was suicide. I cancelled that trade route but found that I could now redirect the caravan to a slower, overland route to the gnomes. There were no roads on the overland route, but I still needed those trade resources to keep flowing in. The gnomes would probably also need the trade income to keep their troops in fighting shape. As for the squad patrolling that route, they were redirected to guard the new overland route I¡¯d created. I¡¯d stop the enemies spawning in the mountain at the wall to my cavern, where I reinforced the kobolds guarding it with a squad of human mercenaries, the elf archer squad, and the kobold snipers. As a final addition, I pulled the ballista crew from the other wall to protect this one. It was going to be some time before the attackers from the dungeon fought their way to the entrance of my cavern, and the ballista would do more good skewering forgotten ones that were already starting to appear inside the mountain. Back at the dungeon, the attackers were multiplying, and I was starting to see some of the larger forgotten ones emerge from the dungeon entrance. As more enemies swarmed out, they began to assault the watchtower as well as redoubling their attacks on the tariff station. As the attack on the watchtower progressed, I got my first look at the goblin mines I¡¯d purchased. Popping out of the ground, a mine scurred toward the attackers like a clockwork spider. Once it was close to its target, the mine exploded in a blast of shrapnel that cut down several cultists and forgotten ones. When one mine detonated, another pulled itself out of the ground and continued their suicidal defense of the tower. I never did get a count of how many mines there were in each field, but it had to be a substantial number given the overloaded cart that had supplied them, not to mention several workers in the crew also hauled crates of the mines. However many of the mines there were, it wasn¡¯t going to be enough to stop the enemy, but it would buy me time. The longer I survived, the more chance I had that another competitor would fall, and I would move up in the ranks. A new threat flashed on my interface, one approaching the city of Shoremarch, and one that seemed to warrant a system announcement. The forgotten ones rise not only through the dark places under the earth, but also from the depths of the sea. A new horde has awakened and will soon make landfall at Shoremarch. It looked like the forces I¡¯d sent there were going to have to go into action almost immediately. While I waited for the enemy to show themselves, I ordered the kobold workers with the mines I¡¯d sent toward Shoremarch to mine the road just outside the city. The city was going to fall at some point and the invaders would undoubtedly use the road there to speed their passage deeper into my empire. A final system prompt appeared, announcing the end of the first full day of the final stage and giving me a look at how many contenders remained. You have survived the first 24 hours of the final challenge. Continue to survive for a chance to earn additional rewards. Remaining contenders: 2181/2432. Chapter 282. The Forgotten Ones Rise. Chapter 282. The Forgotten Ones Rise. As night fell over the zone, my problems began to multiply. Red attack indicators flashed on several of the trade routes, and I received a notice that the elf village was also under attack. Out in the ocean, the wave of attackers was nearing Shoremarch. My forces there seemed strong when I had watched them marching along the road, but when they were spread out over the long wall facing the port, I could see that there were too few to protect that big of an area. I hated to abandon the city, and the few survivors that refused to leave, but if the attackers swimming toward the city were as numerous as I suspected, my forces would be quickly overwhelmed. My desire to defend the city had to be balanced against my main goal of protecting the cavern, and its crucial headquarters, for as long as possible. Reluctantly, I ordered the troops in the city to abandon their posts and return to the cavern. If the attack on the elves was proving to be too much, I could shift them to help defend the village. As it stood, there was almost too much going on for me to keep track of. First, I focused on the elf village. I could see a group of about a dozen cultists, supported by a few of the smaller forgotten ones, were trying to climb the tree homes of the elves. It looked like the defenders there had the fight well in hand and they were picking off enemies with little trouble. The squad of kobold warriors that was added there from the defense pact were able to mop up any attackers that made it through the barrage of arrows. Out on the roads, it was a different story. A human caravan not far from their village had been overrun by a group similar to those attacking the elf village. One of my caravans, heading toward the elves, was also being destroyed. Guards on the roads were responding to the attacks, but they would be severely outnumbered as more and more attacks appeared along every trade route. It looked like continued trade with my allies was out of the picture. I ordered the existing, non-engaged squads on the trade routes to retreat to the cavern, or if they were closer to an allied village, to bolster the defenses there. Trade was a major portion of my income, but I still had some resources coming in from the structures inside my cavern. It would be all I had to work with for spawning replacements. The Gavelox Trading Consortium is evacuating the zone. All existing contracts will be fulfilled, but new orders and ongoing services will end in the next hour. The Gavelox Trading Consortium would like to thank all its loyal customers and wish them luck in surviving the coming hordes of attackers. Well, the consortium was tapping out of the fight. It was fine with me, I no longer had resources to spend there. A quick check showed the gates of their fort had opened and a dozen overladen wagons pulled by oxen were starting to roll out. Just like the evacuees from Shoremarch, they headed east to where a portal had opened. The caravan was well guarded, with a few squads of human mercenaries and a half dozen ogres decked out in plate armor and were wielding monstrous sized axes. Atop each wagon, a pair of goblins with bows nervously watched the countryside around them. The teamsters driving the wagons were also armed goblins, which made this caravan a much more difficult nut to crack compared to my kobold trade caravans. When I tried to inspect the portal to the east, a system prompt appeared. This is an evacuation point for your zone. As an alternative to fighting to the last, you may choose to evacuate your people. Survivors escaping through the portal will improve your final ranking in the challenge. The system was giving me an alternative win condition. Sadly, I didn¡¯t think trying to hoof it with all my kobold civilians was going to work. We were already being pressed hard by the attackers coming from inside the mountain, and the continuing attacks on the trade routes were blocking most of the roads out of here. My troops were powerful, and I could probably punch my way out, but there was a very real chance we¡¯d be easily overrun on the road, ending my challenge earlier than I wanted. Almost at the same time I decided to stay and fight, the gnomes decided they were done.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The Gurtzam Rock Gnomes have informed you that they are preparing to evacuate. All trade and mutual defense pacts between your peoples have been dissolved, but in the spirit of past cooperation, the gnomes will leave the squad of defenders assigned to your cavern behind. When they left it would mean more pressure on my defenders at the wall since half of the forgotten ones attacking from inside the mountain were assaulting the gnome cavern. At least I got to keep the squad of gnomes. It was too bad I was going to lose the kobold squad that were helping to defend the gnome village. They had no easy route back to my cavern, so for now, I had them help defend the gnomish wall as the gnomes prepared to make their escape. The city of Shoremarch has been overrun. You must retake the city if you wish to restore its resource contribution. I zoomed in on the city, watching as a swarm of forgotten ones of all sizes pull themselves out of the ocean. They had already scaled the defenses in the port and were hunting down the last few survivors cowering in their homes. The number of attackers already was over a thousand, and it didn¡¯t look like the flow of them emerging from the ocean depths was stopping anytime soon. They didn¡¯t stop at the city gates either. A few of the larger forgotten ones broke through the gates and the horde started to pour down the trade road. The first groups of enemies were blasted to pieces by the minefield my kobold workers had barely finished laying. Explosions were continuous for almost a minute before the last mine had detonated. That one minefield had destroyed over a hundred attackers, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind, as the wave of twisted creatures continued to push toward my retreating forces. Sadly, the forgotten ones were way too fast for my troops to match, so I had no option other than to order my forces to stand and fight. It was a short, but brutal fight. I added what I could with my spells, firing all my Flame Bursts at large groups of smaller attackers, and using the Scorching Rays to take down a huge forgotten one that was tearing through the prison fodder. It turned out my kobolds were tougher than I thought after their final upgrades, and along with the mercenaries, they traded with the enemy at better than three to one. Unfortunately, the enemy outnumbered us by a ratio of at least a hundred to one. The rather substantial force I¡¯d sent to the city of Shoremarch was overrun in minutes, and the horde continued down the trade road where they would eventually hit the human village. So far, the human village had only suffered a few smaller attacks, mainly by cultists and the weaker forgotten ones. The wall around their village had grown from the short, shoulder-high thing my minions had run right through, into a true wooden palisade made of shout logs. It gave the human defenders an advantage, but even with the wall, there was no way they were going to stop the horde from Shoremarch. With the chaos going on, I tried to organize my forces, reinforcing each of the walls protecting my cavern with the majority of my troops. As a mobile reserve inside the cavern, I kept the goblin wolf riders, the elf wizard, and two of my kobold squads. My minions were here with me in the fortified headquarters. For my big boy, the barrier lizard, I worked on different ways I could place the creature. I decided to keep it as a final roadblock the front of both my headquarters, and the barracks. To bolster the garrison inside the headquarters, I added the elite dragonkin squad. Combined with my minions and the garrison troops already here, it was a powerful force, even against the sheer number of attackers coming at us. The walls covering both entrances were too short to hold all the forces I had arrayed there, so I worked out a rotation system for when things started to really kick off. Once a group was tired and had taken casualties, a fresh squad would rotate in to replace them. In the event of a breakthrough, I had the remaining four squads of prison fodder to throw into the gap while we reorganized our defenses. Attacks on the wall from inside the mountain were picking up, but the defenders there were still able to easily defeat the forgotten ones assaulting them. Casualties were light and would probably remain so for some time. I always had the trump card of activating the militia which would turn all my worker kobolds, of which there were hundreds, into warriors. That was a last-ditch panic button though, since I¡¯d cripple my resource flow, which would stifle any reinforcements for my better units. Like someone plugging in the Christmas tree lights, my headquarters map lit up all at once. Every location and every one of my allies were under attack. Even inside my previously secure cavern, the sounds of fighting reached me. A system prompt appeared to explain what was happening. For a long time, the whispers of the forgotten ones have permeated the minds of the residents of the zone. Many were swayed, becoming the cultists that have led the attack on your forces. Just as many heard the call, but were ordered to wait. Now, their time has come, and the forgotten ones call on all their servants to end life on this world. A percentage of all populations in the zone have been corrupted and are rising against you. Fight hard and survive for as long as you are able. Remaining contenders: 1951/2432. Chapter 283. Falling Empire. Chapter 283. Falling Empire. Kobold screams broke out behind me, and I readied my weapons as I turned to face the threat. The two kobold warriors that normally stood guard outside the map room in my headquarters were fighting. One had transformed, an arm replaced with a tentacle-like appendage that was latched around the other kobold¡¯s throat. The other kobold was pawing at his waist, fumbling at his attempt to draw his dagger. Before I could charge forward to help, a blur appeared from deeper in the headquarters, slamming into the mutated kobold. It was the war lizard assigned to my headquarters, and it had closed its jaws around the mutated kobold¡¯s throat. A moment later the sickening snap of bone was heard, and the mutant went limp. All throughout the cavern, the battle was raging as many of the kobolds, both warriors and common workers, mutated into forgotten one hybrids. I needed to get my cavern under control, then see about the rest of my crumbling empire. The headquarters was now quiet, and I ordered my minions out to first clear the barracks, then work their way out from there. Turning back to the headquarter map, I used it to watch the progress of the battle inside the cavern. The few mutants inside the barracks had already been dealt with by the defenders there, so my minions headed to the quartermaster¡¯s hut, while I sent the squad defending the barracks to clear the crafters area, then the marketplace. Deeper in the cavern, my workers on the farms and at the housing complexes were having trouble. They weren¡¯t warriors and had more trouble fighting off the mutants that had appeared in their ranks. The mobile reserve I¡¯d set aside in the cavern went to work, and the goblin wolf riders were soon on the scene. With their help, housing and food production would be secured shortly. On the wall protecting us from the interior of the mountain, it was a more precarious situation. The transformed kobolds there seemed to have a unified purpose other than sewing chaos throughout the cavern. They moved to overpower the guards at the gate, killing three and then attempting to open the doors. The horde of forgotten ones pouring from deeper in the mountain had only grown as the gnomes sought to escape the zone. That horde now pressed against the gate, ignoring the horrible losses they were taking as the defenders on the wall above rained missiles down upon them. The spells I¡¯d used against the attackers at the dungeon had replenished by now and cast several Flame Bursts to wipe out the mutants trying to open the gate. My troops at the walls regained control quickly after that and redoubled their efforts to punish the forgotten ones still massing outside the gate. A few of the larger forgotten ones started to climb the walls, their odd appendages proving remarkably suited to the task. I had heavily reinforced the walls with troops earlier, and even with a few forgotten ones trying to climb, my defenders were holding well. Throughout the cavern, the uprising of creepy mutant kobolds was put down. Despite victory here, the cost had been high. I estimated about 10% of the population had been transformed, and they had killed an equal number before finally being killed off. My population was down by a total of 20% and the fight had a long way to go. Just in case, I had my mobile teams not wait to respond to threats, and instead, had them begin patrols of the massive cavern we called home. I kept my minions closer at hand now as well, ordering them to remain just outside the map room door while I was in there. My cavern was secured, but my holdings outside weren¡¯t in quite as good a shape. Norber¡¯s traveling merchant caravan has arrived in your zone and wishes permission to trade. Do you want to allow Norber free access to trade in your zone? Y/N. Before I could even answer a new system prompt appeared. Norber¡¯s trading caravan has been overrun and will no longer offer goods to yourself and your allies. That was quick. I could see that the hapless merchant had appeared on the trade road just outside of Shoremarch, and right in the midst of the attackers using the road to reach my cavern. Out at the dungeon, the tariff station had fallen. I didn¡¯t get to watch the whole thing, just the aftermath as the last adventurer inside, their healer, fell under a mound of forgotten one creatures. The door was open but still intact, so I assumed one of the kobolds inside must have mutated, then thrown open the door to the attackers.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The watchtower was also about to be overwhelmed, as even larger and more powerful forgotten ones had started to emerge from the dungeon. Around ten feet tall, these new arrivals had no trouble climbing up the tower and using their oversized tentacle appendages to snatch defenders off the battlements and hurl them down into the crowd of attackers below. Before long, the top of the tower was cleared of defenders and the big creatures began to hurl their smaller kin up to the top of the tower even as they assisted in breaking down the door. Attacked from above and below, my defenders there fell in a matter of minutes. You have lost control of the Dungeon of the Forgotten Ones area. All resources from this location are now cut off from your empire. It wasn¡¯t a huge loss, as no caravan from the dungeon would have made it down the long road to my cavern anyway. The real problem was the invasion from inside the dungeon was now free to follow the road and join up with the horde coming from Shoremarch and the sea. The numbers pouring from the dungeon, as well as those from the sea and inside the mountain, seemed unending. My confederated allies, the elves and humans, had fought off the attackers appearing in their midst, but had taken losses they wouldn¡¯t be able to replace, and the main horde from Shoremarch was drawing ever closer. The trade caravans and guard squads still making their way back to the cavern had taken losses, but there were survivors from each group that would reinforce us once they arrived. At the elf village, the attacks were more severe. It seemed like the deep parts of the forest were also some kind of spawn point for these monsters and they were barely being held off by the elf archers and warriors. Despite their efforts, the elves were taking losses and as each elf fell, it left them that much weaker. They were going to be overrun, sooner rather than later, but for now, they were helping to stem the tide. Each forgotten one that attacked the elves was one less at my walls. Oddly enough, the cultists were no longer among the attackers. Given that some of the forgotten ones wore tattered remnants of clothing, I figured they had been completely transformed into monsters. My former trading partners, the gnomes, were in a bad spot. Their walls had been overrun when my squad defending them had been unable to hold back the huge number of attackers. Unstoppable, the horde of forgotten ones poured out of the cavern and began their assault to the gnome villagers trying to escape to the portal. Slow moving to begin with, the gnomes were further hampered when 10% of their population transformed and began attacking. From what I could see on the map, the forgotten ones would soon reach them, and the remaining gnome defenders were going to be too few in number to hold them off on the open road. The survivors of Shoremarch were also going to be run down by the forgotten ones, as they were moving far too slow to make it to the portal before the road was cut off. The only group that looked like it was going to make it out of the zone was the consortium caravan. Nobody in their group had transformed into monsters, and they were almost at their destination with no large forces nearby that could stop them. Things began to calm down inside the cavern, and my troops defending the interior wall were still holding strong. Out at the wall protecting the cavern from the outside world, my troops had only faced a few small groups of stragglers. Eventually, the unending horde coming down the main trade road would reach them, but at the moment, they were under little pressure. The surviving trade caravans also made it to the cavern, and the workers assigned to them gathered at the marketplace while the warriors were used to fill the open slots in other squads that had taken casualties. This brought the defenders on the interior wall back up to strength, but I still had a bunch of workers hanging around with nothing to do. Eventually, I¡¯d have to call out the militia, so even the workers with nothing to do would become useful again. A few eggs were at the housing complex, the slow resources generated from my structures allowing me a few replacements for kobolds lost in battle. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t specify which kobolds to spawn as replacements, and the mix favored workers over the warriors I desperately needed for this fight. As I predicted the poor gnomes were overrun and killed off. They put up a brave fight but were too few to stand against the forgotten ones. If they had just remained in the cavern, the walls there would have allowed them to last longer. As it stood, forgotten ones streamed out of the mountain, joining the swarm that had killed the gnomes. This group began to wind around the outside of the mountain, making for the front gate of my cavern. In a futile effort to save themselves. The human village of Millstone has broken from your confederation and submitted themselves to the forgotten ones. I turned my attention back to the human village. One by one, the humans began to fall on the ground and writhe in pain as they were slowly transformed into forgotten ones. To make matters worse, their town hall collapsed and in its place, a swirling red portal appeared. From the portal, a new stream of forgotten ones poured out. The transformed village population and the attackers from the portal began to head down the trade route toward the elves. Only one more ally remained in the zone, and they were going to fall as soon as the monsters from the human village reached them. The day ended as I watched the invaders approach from every angle. I had survived, but it appeared that many of my competitors had not. This was only going to get harder, so I had to do whatever I could to stay alive as long as possible. The 2nd day of the final stage has ended. Remaining contenders: 912/2432. Beware, what you have faced so far are the weakest that the forgotten ones can muster. Their more powerful abominations are only now starting to pull themselves from the depths as they try to end the last opposition to their ascension. Chapter 284. Breach. Chapter 284. Breach. The Zalbairn Forest Elves have been defeated. There it was, my last ally was gone, and I was on my own. The largest tree in the elf village split in two, and another sickly portal appeared in the middle of it. More forgotten ones emerged from the portal, joining the unending stream of attackers heading toward my cavern. To make matters worse, the newest invaders appearing were even larger than the previous ones. Each was at least the size of an ogre, and they were also fast, easily outpacing their smaller kin as they marched toward my cavern. At least the cavern itself was secured, and I had a few reinforcements spawning in to help. The trade roads are no longer under your control. As the system announced the loss of the trade roads, my vision over the zone shrank to just a small spot past the entrances to my cavern. I would have no idea what was coming for us until they reached the view of my defenders on the wall. Having intel on what was approaching would be missed, but the fight would be decided here, in the cavern, not in some battle of maneuver out on the roads. All I could do now was wait. My headquarters was a small fortress in its own right and should hold out even after the defenses at the entrances to the cavern failed. The barracks next door also shared a wall with my headquarters and had its own defenders to help it survive for longer. Now, both entrances were under continuous assault, though the defenders were holding strong. I had purchased enough mercenaries so that between them and my kobold squads, I could hold off the enemy for some time. Eventually, the enemy numbers would overwhelm me, but each moment I survived made it more likely I¡¯d do better in the rankings. The new day progressed, and we held. Some of the larger forgotten ones were starting to arrive, and they were causing us more and more casualties as they could climb up and snatch defenders off the walls. Our heavier weapons focused on the larger attackers, but they were becoming more numerous as the day turned into afternoon. My mobile reserve, save for Durghat¡¯s Fangs, the goblin wolf riders, were thrown into the defense at the wall. More and more enemies were climbing up to almost make it on the battlements, and the reinforced gates were also taking a beating from the constant pounding on them. Before long, one of them would be breached and we would be in trouble. Just when it looked like the defenders on the walls were going to be overwhelmed, explosions began to ripple across the front lines of the enemy. Flames stuck to the misshapen flesh of the forgotten ones, their many faces screaming in pain and rage as they were consumed by the fire. A second wave of explosions rippled across the enemy front, killing them by the score. With help from your crafting stations, the defenders in your sorcerer¡¯s tower had developed a new weapon to aid your forces. Dragonfire bombs have been distributed to your kobold warriors, each warrior is issued one, though replacement bombs can only be crafted at a pace of 1 bomb per hour. Checking out the kobold warriors inside the headquarters, I could see each carried what looked like one of the old-fashioned stick grenades, only much larger. A red rune glowed faintly on the iron casing of the bomb, as the sorcery inside waited to be unleashed. It was yet another item I filed away in my mind to report back home. Maybe we could find a way to duplicate these weapons? Remembering home, I dug into the lessons I¡¯d received from Major Finley. It was inevitable the walls would be overrun, and I needed a plan for when that happened. Ideally, I would have the idle workers build a wall behind the existing wall, so when it fell, a second line of defenses would be ready. Sadly, the system limitations on this challenge didn¡¯t give me that kind of flexibility.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. What I could do was mass the workers near the quartermaster¡¯s hut. When things were about to go south, I would activate the militia, and they would already be lined up to have gear issued to them. The plan would be to use them to hold back the enemy while the surviving warriors and mercenaries fell back to the barracks and headquarters where we¡¯d make our last stand. After a few minutes the kobolds ran out of dragonfire bombs, and the attack on the wall continued in earnest. Even larger forgotten ones joined the attack, and these didn¡¯t try to bring down the walls, instead, they hurled the smaller monsters over the wall to land behind my defenders. Reserves, waiting for their turn on the wall, were forced to deal with the ranged attacks. Only half the thrown creatures could put up a fight after the impact of their landing, but it was wearing out my reserves and causing more casualties among them even before they were needed on the wall. After another hour, the enemy was starting to gain footholds on the wall, and the gate by the main entrance was on its last legs. It was time to activate my plan before the remaining warriors fit to fight were overrun. A gong and then a series of horn blasts sounded throughout the cavern as I called up the militia. There would be no more resource generation, and no casualty replacements after this, but I was under no illusion that the trickle of reinforcements would make a difference at this point. Earlier in the battle, they had surely helped, and I would have lost the walls hours ago if I hadn¡¯t had them. At the quartermaster¡¯s hut, the workers began to flood into the oversized, barn-like doors of the entrance. They entered through one half of the door, and exited a few moments later kitted out in militia gear. The gear wasn¡¯t as good as my warriors¡¯, but the militia all had leather armor, a shield, and a spear. I¡¯d place the militia at about the same equipment and skill level as the warriors I was cranking out with the rank three barracks. They wouldn¡¯t stand for long against the monstrous forgotten ones, but they¡¯d buy me the time I needed. More workers, those that had actually been working at the various structures in the cavern when the call to arms sounded, were on their way to get gear issued, but I had a solid force of nearly 300 workers already geared up due to their placement earlier. Half the equipped militia made their way to each wall, forming a line behind the wall as I ordered the retreat of my warriors and surviving mercenaries. To bolster them, I cast all the available spells I had acquired from the sorcerer¡¯s tower. Flame Blasts and a pair of Scorching Ray¡¯s hammered into the enemy as the warriors on the wall, and the reinforcements behind them, began to flee. My troops had barely cleared the walls when the enemy swarmed over the obstacle. The first ones over the top took a few moments to unbolt the gate and throw it open before charging toward the line of militia defenders. To their credit, the kobold militia didn¡¯t hesitate or break and run. They stood their ground and stabbed their spears into the nearest foes. A steady trickle of militia replacements from the workers still being kitted out at the quartermaster¡¯s hut flowed to replace the losses. Despite this flow of reinforcements, the lines of kobold militia were overrun in minutes. The ones holding the line near the main cavern entrance were the first to go down as a pair of super-sized forgotten ones broke through the walls and tore through the thin line of defenders. I had made the right call; the pair of giant forgotten ones dwarfed the wall itself and were easily forty feet tall. If my main force was still on the wall, they would have been killed in moments. The giant forgotten ones broke through the wall like it was made of cardboard, and another pair of the oversized monsters smashed their way through the other wall. A few swipes of their misshapen appendages swept aside most of the remaining militia and the monsters strode confidently toward my headquarters. Swarms of their smaller kin followed in the wake of the four giants, and I didn¡¯t think the walls of my headquarters, or the barracks would stand up to the big guys. With a series of shrill war cries, the goblin wolf riders charged to attack, trying to buy my other forces time to finish their retreat. To my shock and delight, they avoided the first clumsy swings of the giants, but their weapons seemed to barely scratch the surface of the giant¡¯s, knotty hide. The goblins did the job of distracting the giants, though, and the attacks had shifted their attention away from smashing the headquarters. Sadly, the goblins could avoid the clumsy swings of the giants¡¯ tentacle-like appendages, but they couldn¡¯t stop the swarm of smaller forgotten ones from surrounding them and taking them down one by one. With the goblin distraction over, the giants resumed their relentless approach, and I had a feeling my arena challenge was about to end. A deep roar was heard from outside the cavern, and a wall of flame blanketed the main entrance, cooking scores of forgotten ones. Blasting through, and barely clearing the entrance, was a massive creature. It was one I had almost forgotten about, it was Doshkath, the dragon my sorcerers had summoned to help defend us. The four giant monsters turned to face the new threat, and I waited for the clash of titans that was about to occur. Chapter 285. End of an Empire. Chapter 285. End of an Empire. Seeing the four giant-sized forgotten ones in front of it, Doshkath flapped his wings and hovered near the top of the cavern. So far, I hadn¡¯t seen any type of ranged weapons used by the forgotten ones, but these four monsters were large enough that their tentacle arms should reach almost to the top of the cavern. Doshkath roared in challenge and seemed incensed that the monsters in front of him were silent. I was no expert on the subject of dragons, but if a young dragon was anything like a young human, ignoring his challenge was a good way to goad him into a fight. Folding his wings, Doshkath dove at the forgotten ones, his attack led by another blast of his flaming breath weapon. One pair of giant forgotten ones were completely enveloped in the flames, and I could see their bodies melt away as the sticky dragon flame consumed them. The blast also consumed my market, but I had a feeling that I wasn¡¯t going to need it any longer. The battle was at its endgame, and I had to just hold out as long as I could. With the dragon and titanic forgotten ones holding the focus of everyone and everything in the cavern, I issued a few orders. All the surviving mercenaries and kobold warrior squads were now massed at the headquarters and barracks. The surviving militia, which there were just over a hundred of, were positioned outside the walls in front of the gate to the headquarters. Directly in front of the gate, I had the giant barrier lizard appear. A score of militia climbed up its back and began to man the half dozen weapons that were strapped onto the immense beast. The lizard didn¡¯t seem to mind, and even shifted his bulk a few times to make sure all the weapons, essentially the same oversized crossbows as we had on the walls, had a clear field of fire. I kind of felt bad about leaving the barrier lizard and the militia outside. There just wasn¡¯t enough room for them inside, and they should be able to at least get a few kills and slow down whatever tried to breach the entrance to the headquarters. Another roar from Doshkath shook the cavern. Unfortunately, this roar wasn¡¯t one of challenge or anger, it was a shout of pain. Turning my focus back to the fight, I could see my dragon ally was in trouble. Doshkath had adjusted his dive to hit one of the two surviving giants. The impact, along with his claws, teeth, and tail, made short work of the giant. His aggressive attack had left him open to the final foe, who wasted no time in lashing out with his tentacle arms. Instead of smashing into the dragon, the forgotten one instead looped one tentacle around the dragon¡¯s throat, choking off the cries of Doshkath. The other tentacle had pierced like a spear deep into the dragon¡¯s chest. As I watched, the dragon¡¯s struggles grew weaker, and the giant forgotten one seemed to swell with power as it somehow drained the life force of Doshkath through its tentacle. In a final, desperate effort, Doshkath croaked in pain, and I could see a red glow appear in his throat. Doshkath was charging up his breath weapon, but with his throat constricted, the breath had nowhere to go. Heat radiated off the dragon¡¯s body and the forgotten one squirmed in pain as anything in contact with the dragon began to burn. Sadly, the pressure and heat building up inside Doshkath¡¯s body proved to be too much, and he exploded in a whirlwind of dragon flesh and fire. The blast wave reached out across the cavern, killing hundreds of the smaller forgotten ones before its power diminished. Even with the blast over, I could feel the temperature in the cavern had increased by several degrees. At least the blast was too far away to do any damage to the headquarters, barracks, or the troops inside. Despite the cataclysmic fight, the forgotten ones didn¡¯t relent. The unstoppable horde continued toward my headquarters as I prepared to make my last stand. Archers atop the walls at the windows of the headquarters, and aboard the barrier lizard began to fire, dropping enemies by the score. There were just too many forgotten ones now, and they seemed to ignore any losses they suffered and continued to advance. As the edge of the enemy swarm engaged the militia outside, the barrier lizard released a blast of flame into the lead ranks. Not nearly as powerful as Doshkath¡¯s breath, the lizard was still able to toast dozens of the foes. While the lizard cooked the enemy, I received an update from the system. Apparently, another day had passed while I had been focused on the battle.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The 3rd day of the final stage has ended. Remaining contenders: 309/2432. A countdown of the remaining contenders will now be accessible inside your headquarters interface. Well, I¡¯d held out for longer than most. Pulling up the remaining contenders¡¯ countdown inside the headquarters interface, I found I could keep the countdown open in the corner of my vision without needing to constantly focus on it. I watched it tick down to 308, then 307 in seconds. My competitors must be facing the same sort of pressure I was. The forgotten ones had now cut through the remaining militia and the poor barrier lizard outside, and the larger ones were pounding on the gate and throwing their smaller kin atop the headquarters battlements. On the battlements above, the archers suddenly found forgotten ones dropping all around them. After a few minutes, the numbers of enemies atop the battlements grew and my kobold defenders were cut down. The defenders inside the headquarters bolted the hatch leading to the battlements, but I could already hear the forgotten ones above tearing into it. They would break through before too long. At the main gate, I could hear the stout wood bar holding it closed crack. A couple more shoves and the gates flung open. Forgotten ones poured through the open gates and were met by a barrage of the last dragonfire bombs my troops possessed. After the bombs were used up, the sorcerers burned the last of their mana to blanket the area in Flame Blasts and Scorching Rays. I added my spells to the mix, as well as dropping a Health Bloom over the first ranks of my kobold troops. Ignoring the firepower slaughtering them, the forgotten ones charged forward, their objective was in sight, and nothing was going to dissuade them from reaching me. A quick check revealed that the contender count was down to 264. Others were falling fast, and if I could just hold a bit longer, my rewards would be much better. A string of explosions rippled through my front ranks as the kobold fanatic mercenaries charged forward and detonated themselves against the horde. Collateral damage killed more than a few of my own troops, but it gave us a breather to reorganize the rest and bolt the doors to the map room. Inside, I had the dragonkin elite squad and my minions. The door to the map room was reinforced, but nowhere near as strong as the front gate. Once they finished off the rest of my forces, the forgotten ones would have no trouble breaching it. Through the interface I watched as the last of my troops were slaughtered, but each death bought me a few more moments of life. Those extra moments of life allowed me to keep climbing the ranks of the surviving contenders. We were down to 207, and the number was falling fast by the time the door to my headquarters was breached. Minutes passed, and the powerful dragonkin elite warriors I¡¯d positioned there seemed to have no trouble holding back the tide of attackers trying to get through the doorway chokepoint. Part of the wall behind me crumbled as the forgotten ones breached it. I cast Duplicate on the mana slayer drone and assigned the pair to hold the breach. Khurr also joined them when the forgotten ones began to push past. I hurled my javelin, the lightning empowering the weapon cooking several enemies that were tightly packed in the breach. Just then, another section of wall crumbled, and I sent my goblins to hold that spot. Elida was constantly casting healing spells, rapidly burning through her spell slots as she tried to keep the defenders alive. I dropped Health Blooms over each group of defenders, helping to keep them on their feet for as long as possible. Moving to the corner of the room, I overturned the map table and positioned myself behind it as I prepared to make my last stand. The contender count was down to 117 and dropped to 116 a second later. Whatever was happening in the other zones, it seemed as devastating as the attacks against me. Glurk and Glamb were snatched up by a larger forgotten one and dragged into the swarm. I hit Glamb with Ring of Final Sacrifice, causing him to explode as the forgotten ones tore him apart. Firing off magic missiles from my wand, I also reached into Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts for another defender. ¡°Really bag, that¡¯s what you give me,¡± I complained as a large rodent was pulled out. The system called it an Agouti, whatever that was. I thought it looked like an oversized squirrel without a tail. It did about as well as I expected, charging forward only to be stomped on by a forgotten one. My wand ran dry just as the last of my goblins fell and the enemy charged forward. The surviving minions and dragonkin elite turned and tried to come to my aid, but there were too many enemies between us for them to reach me in time. Just as the lead forgotten one was about to enter melee range, the ground shook, knocking me off my feet. I caught a brief glimpse of the ceiling collapsing and another of the titanic forgotten ones readying his arm for a blow that would probably bring down the entire headquarters. You have been crushed to death by falling debris. Your arena challenge is now complete. Congratulations! You were ranked #96 in the final tally. As a top 100 contender, additional rewards have been allocated. You will now be returned to the arena center to receive your rewards. Chapter 286. Top 100. Chapter 286. Top 100. There was a brief pause in the void before I found myself stepping out of a portal and into a small lobby near the entrance to the arena. One by one, other contestants popped into view as their challenge ended. It was an odd collection, with about half of us being humans, and most of the rest were weird insect-like creatures I wasn¡¯t familiar with. Other than that, we had a smattering of all the other species I was familiar with and had run into one time or another. ¡°Please step up to the nearest agent, and you will be assigned your appropriate rewards. I¡¯m aware they are normally distributed through your reward chest inside your personal space, but for top 100 finishers, the arena prefers to award you directly, tailoring your rewards to fit your specific class needs,¡± a small halfling with a loud voice shouted. There were about a dozen of those ticket-booth looking stands nearby, and everyone started queueing up behind the shortest line. I waited my turn behind one of the insect people, and a human woman in full plate armor. None of my line mates seemed up for chitchat so I kept to myself as the line moved forward at a modest pace. When I finally made it to the front of the line, I was greeted by another of the serpent people. She had a fake, customer service smile plastered on her face as she spoke in a monotone voice. ¡°Congratulations on reaching the top 100 of the tier two arena challenge. Please state your name and place your hand on the indicated mark.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m Rico Kline,¡± I replied, noticing the glowing spot on the counter in front of me. Placing my hand there, I felt a slight tingle as the system made sure I was who I said I was. ¡°Based on your placement in the final tally, you are entitled to three special rewards. Your normal rewards will be found inside your reward chest inside your personal space. Please step into one of the private rooms to redeem your rewards. Once you have reviewed them, they will be logged and stored by the system, and you will be returned to your personal space,¡± the clerk said, passing over three glowing tokens and pointing toward a line of doors at the far wall. I snatched up the tokens and headed toward one of the open doors, a bit curious why the system didn¡¯t just dump these token things into the reward chest. The tokens looked like silver coins that were visibly glowing with powerful mana. Entering through the door, I was greeted with what looked like an oversized changing room at a ritzy department store. It had a mirror on one wall, and a comfy looking leather chair with an ottoman if I wanted to sit. Next to the mirror was a long shelf with locked storage boxes under it. There were ten storage boxes, and each of them had a glowing coin slot at the top. A system prompt appeared, telling me what to do. Congratulations! Based on your performance, you have earned 3, top 100 reward tokens. Place your token in the desired boxes to unlock your rewards. Strive to achieve more in your next arena challenge to earn better rewards. I had to guess that the top winner probably got all ten rewards, and the numbers trickled down to me at 96/100 getting three. I picked the far-left box to start with first. Dropping my coin inside, it made a rather satisfying sound, like a coin going into a slot machine. A moment later, the top of the box slid back, revealing a scroll. Opening the scroll caused a burning sensation to start in my chest as the system explained my reward. You have acquired Mana Core Shielding, Rank 3 with a Minor Regeneration Engine upgrade. At this rank, you can shield 15 of your mana from being drained by a mana-starved environment. In addition, the shielded core will act as a mana generator, regenerating the shielded mana at a greatly reduced rate. When outside of a mana-starved world, your core will now boost regeneration of your shielded mana by 300%. That was huge, I finally had a way to regenerate mana back home, which would be a game-changer. The system didn¡¯t tell me how long it took to generate a point, but I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t lying when it said the rate of regeneration would be greatly reduced. There was even bonus regeneration when I was in a world with normal mana, at least for the fifteen points contained in the shielded portion of my core. Excited by my first reward, I picked the next box in line, dropping my coin and having it open to reveal black tactical gear, including a helmet. It was similar to what the soldiers back home wore. By touching the helmet, the armor set automatically was equipped, replacing my existing set and triggering a system prompt.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. You have acquired the Minion Master custom armor set. Modeled after the gear favored on your home world, this set of light, flexible armor provides protection equivalent to masterwork plate armor, with additional piercing damage resistance. In addition, it is well protected against most environmental effects. Your previously equipped armor has been sent back to the armory inside your personal space. In addition to the armor¡¯s protective properties, it is also enchanted to enhance your minions. When wearing this gear, all minion summons will appear as 1 Rank higher than their actual rank. The Minion Master armor will also cut down their respawn time by 10%. Should your armor become severely damaged, it will unsummon and begin to slowly repair itself inside your armory. Once fully repaired, the armor can be resummoned again. This gear is shielded and can be summoned on your home world. When summoned and equipped on a mana-starved world, the additional effects relating to your summoned minions will not function, though the armor¡¯s physical and environmental protections will remain in effect. If unequipped after summoning it on a mana-starved world, there will be an extended cooldown period before it can be summoned again. Having armor that I could summon at home gave a huge boost to survivability. Sure, I had a set of normal body armor that the military had issued me, but this was a step above and could be summoned at will instead of having to take the time to put on each piece. Excited, I dropped my token into the next box in line. This time, another small, sealed scroll appeared. There was no burning sensation when I opened this scroll, just a mysterious system prompt that didn¡¯t offer any further explanation on what the item was. You have acquired a Class Transformation Token. It will unlock at the appropriate time. ¡°Well, thanks for everything,¡± I said as a portal to my personal space opened next to me. I wasn¡¯t sure if the system, or people in charge of the arena were listening, and I didn¡¯t want to seem ungrateful for the rather useful rewards I¡¯d just received. ¡°Welcome back, Rico. From your new armor, I take your arena experience was a favorable one,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said as I returned. He was back at his desk writing furiously on a piece of parchment. Melvin suddenly appeared next to me as he shifted from his armor form and back to normal now that he was home. ¡°I didn¡¯t do too badly, hit the top one hundred which netted me some nice rewards. In fact, there are a few more that should be waiting in the chest for me. Are you doing okay, Tzes¡¯zod?¡± I asked. ¡°I am well, thank you for asking. Now, along with my congratulations, I must also offer my farewells. I have a project I need to attend to that will require my presence for some time. Despite the time requirements of this new project, I remain, as per our agreement, ready to assist if you should have need of me,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said before rolling up, then placing the parchment he had been working on into a scroll case. Once it was secured, he stepped through a portal that had opened for him. ¡°Shall there be anything else you require?¡± the head butler asked. ¡°I think I¡¯m good, thanks for this,¡± I said accepting a glass of cold fruit juice and a warm scented washcloth to wipe my face with. Having these folks here was great, and I was glad that I had shelled out so much money for the upgrade. Melvin sent me a mental nudge toward the reward chest, my friend almost as eager as I was to see what else we¡¯d gotten. You have received the following new rewards.
  1. Kobold Warband figurine, reusable. Note, this figurine will lose its reusable trait and become a normal summoning figurine should you take it back to your home world.
  2. You have unlocked special request summoning offers. These offers are presented by those either seeking you personally, or someone with your specific class traits. These summonings are not obligatory and you may accept or deny them with no penalty. Rewards for special summoning offers are enhanced.
These summoning offers typically have more details about what is required of you, as well as basic background information on the person requesting your assistance. Special request summoning offers will only occur during a normal summoning series and will not pull you directly from your home world.
  1. Summoning Pass (1). Immediately end a summoning and have your ratings and rewards for this summoning be considered ¡°Good¡±.
  2. 917 gold.
Wow, another round of great rewards, as well as a whole bunch more gold. Seeing as how I was already loaded back home, I¡¯d keep the gold here to spend in Somhagen when I hit tier two, rank five. I should reach that rank during my next summoning series, since I was already at tier two, rank 4. I also liked the idea of special summoning requests, which had enhanced rewards, and I could turn down any that seemed shady. The summoning pass was just the icing on the cake, allowing me to bail on a dodgy summoning without being penalized. I¡¯d need to check for more of these the next time I was in Somhagen. Looking at the kobold summoning figurine, it depicted an entire kobold squad from my arena challenge. I¡¯d have eight kobold warriors, a sergeant, two crossbowmen, a sorcerer, and last but not least, one of the war lizards. It was also nice to see the Tier and Rank were bumped up. I had expected them to be just Tier 0, Rank 5 based on the challenge, but these were a solid Tier 2, Rank 0 summoning figurine. Leaving the kobold warband in my summoning loadout so it wouldn¡¯t be ruined on Earth, I gathered my things and prepared to return home. Chapter 287. Friends and 486 Horses. Chapter 287. Friends and 486 Horses. ¡°He¡¯s got that zoned out look again. I think Rico just got back from a summoning,¡± one of the privates in the group I had been training back home said as I found myself exactly where I had been when the summoning for the arena challenge had snatched me away. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I need a minute. That was a long one for me,¡± I replied. ¡°Take your time Rico. For us, it¡¯s just been a few seconds, how long were you actually gone?¡± Major Finley asked. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, probably over a month, it was an arena challenge,¡± I replied, trying to remember if we¡¯d gone over those yet. None of these soldiers were going to be summoned beings, so my focus when talking about Somhagen was to go over things that would be applicable to the threats and opportunities that we¡¯d face after integration. ¡°What kind of challenge was it?¡± one of the soldiers, a corporal named Ellis, asked. ¡°It was different, I was put in command of a small tribe of kobolds, and had to grow their empire before an apocalypse wiped us out. Everything was system generated, and the competitors were ranked on how long they survived. I ranked 96/2432,¡± I explained. ¡°Not bad, did you get any rewards?¡± Corporal Ellis asked. ¡°Oh yeah, some good stuff for my class, and 1,000 gold that I left behind to spend in the city,¡± I explained. ¡°Dude, a thousand gold, how much is that in dollars?¡± one of the privates asked excitedly. ¡°Depends on the weight of the coin and if they¡¯re pure gold or some kind of alloy. Google the price per ounce and you¡¯ll have an estimate,¡± Finley explained to the soldiers. ¡°Woah, over a million dollars, and you left it behind?¡± the private asked, looking at his phone. That earned him a death glare from the Major since there were supposed to be no phones during their training sessions. I was sure the private was going to be in for a bad time later after training was over. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need much in the way of funds here, and the stuff I can buy in Somhagen might save some lives when the integration happens,¡± I explained. ¡°Let¡¯s break early for the day. Rico will have reports to write and I¡¯m sure command will want to hear of his latest adventures,¡± Finley explained. ¡°Thanks, but as long as you have someplace for me to work, I can get on the reports here. I can summon some of my minions for your soldiers to train with if you like. I¡¯d hate to see us lose half a day of training,¡± I offered. ¡°Perfect. Summon away, and we¡¯ll do some room clearing in the hangar if you can order your minions to hide and pretend to strike if they get the drop on us,¡± Finley requested. It was a good plan, so I summoned the drone first. His stealth ability would raise the difficulty for the troops. I also called in Blieek to give them a more basic opponent. It was easy enough to order my minions to not cause any harm, which should keep this whole exercise a bloodless affair. Finley found me a small, vacant office in the gym we were using. I¡¯d already made a habit of bringing the laptop that Refuge had provided for me. Typing up my report, I made sure to mention a few things that I thought might be important. Mainly, I wanted to offer Fitzfazzle¡¯s services to help them with any tech they wanted to experiment with. In return, he¡¯d get a peek at what we¡¯d managed to create without mana. I also sent a text to Agent Lopez, because if they wanted to work with my gnomish friend, the sooner they did so, the better. It was unlikely that I¡¯d be summoned for another series for a bit, since I¡¯d just gotten back. If they dilly-dallied and I was summoned before they got all they wanted out of Fitzfazzle, it would be quite a while before I could call on him again. Just as I was finishing up the report, my phone rang. ¡°Rico, it¡¯s Lopez. I¡¯ve checked with command, and they want you to summon the gnome for us. This Fitzfazzle could be key to several projects we''re working on, and in return, I have authority to give him free reign to inspect our technology,¡± Lopez advised.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll summon him now. I promised to show him around a bit, so your folks can¡¯t hog all his time here on Earth,¡± I replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we want to pick his brain, but we don¡¯t want to burn any bridges for potential future visits. I¡¯ve got a team boarding a flight now and should touch down at the base you¡¯re on around 7pm. We¡¯ll go over some preliminary information, then cut him loose for the night so you can show him the town. I do need to let you know that Fitzfazzle will be given a rather large security detail. The minute he arrives, he¡¯s a VIP for us, and I don¡¯t want anything to happen to him,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll call him now, but you need to be flexible with his schedule. I¡¯m not going to force him to do anything he doesn¡¯t want to do,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t burn any bridges with him,¡± Lopez tried to assure me. So far, he hadn¡¯t steered me wrong, so I believed he¡¯d do what he promised to do with Fitzfazzle. We ended the call, and Lopez said he¡¯d try to make it to where I was in Los Alamitos before the team arrived. ¡°Major Finley, I just spoke with Agent Lopez, and he wants me to summon my friend Fitzfazzle,¡± I said after tracking the major down in the hangars they were using for their training exercise against my minions. ¡°No worries, Rico, I just got a call from my superiors, letting me know this guy you¡¯re summoning is to have a protection detail while on post. The platoon we¡¯re training with are hitting the armory to get live ammo issued. I doubt we¡¯ll have any issues, but I¡¯m not going to risk it and have my boys unarmed if some system shenanigans start up,¡± Finley said. With that, I pulled out the figurine for Fitzfazzle and summoned my friend. Nothing happened at first and Finley asked if it was a dud. I explained to him that Fitzfazzle would have a bit of time to respond to the summoning and was likely gathering up some gear in case I was bringing him in to help with a threat. ¡°Rico, what¡¯s going on?¡± Fitzfazzle said as he stepped out of the swirling blue summoning portal that opened inside the hangar. He was armored in chain and leather, with an oversized pack on his back. He was also lugging around two heavy duffel bags in each hand. Fitzfazzle might be short, but his system enhanced stats, and countless hours working on his contraptions had made him strong. ¡°No threats this time, buddy. I¡¯ve brought you to my world. I thought you might want to check out how we live with no mana, and I was hoping that some of our scientists and techs can work with you on a few projects we¡¯re experimenting with. The integration of my world into the system is happening soon, and I want to make sure we¡¯re ready for the chaos,¡± I explained. ¡°Oh, excellent, I¡¯ve been curious about your world, ever since you explained what you¡¯ve accomplished without any mana,¡± Fitzfazzle said, dropping his duffel bags down before clapping me on the back as I introduced him to Major Finley and the soldiers I was working with. At that moment, one of the reserve pilots getting some hours in on a Blackhawk, flew past the open hangar door. Fitzfazzle¡¯s jaw dropped, and he ran to the doorway to watch the chopper hover, then land at the other end of the runway. ¡°How do you keep that in the air without mana? It was hovering, not gliding, and that noise it made was intriguing,¡± Fitzfazzle asked. ¡°Hold up, Mr. Fitzfazzle, we can¡¯t have you go out there just yet. I don¡¯t know if Rico explained it to you, but humans are the only intelligent species on the planet, and a gnome is someone from our myth and folklore. Even though these are military personnel, we can¡¯t risk news of you getting out just yet,¡± Finley explained, waving for Fitzfazzle to get back inside the hangar where he would be out of view of the flightline. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fitzfazzle, I¡¯ll see that we arrange a trip on one of the helicopters as well as some of our other aircraft while you¡¯re here,¡± I added. ¡°Fine, but I want more than a ride, I want to be able to take one apart and see how it works,¡± Fitzfazzle said, his hands absently drifting toward the various tools he had stashed away on his person. ¡°Sir, I think I may have something for Mr. Fitzfazzle to do while we wait. He might like to check out my Mustang,¡± Corporal Ellis said with a car enthusiast¡¯s pride. ¡°Horses aren¡¯t really my thing, but I can appreciate a good steed as much as the next gnome. Also, no need to be formal with me lad, just Fitzfazzle is fine, we¡¯re not real big on titles where I¡¯m from,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Go ahead and fetch the Mustang, Corporal,¡± Finely said, sending Ellis running to wherever they had their personal vehicles parked. ¡°I think you¡¯re going to find that this kind of mustang is something you¡¯d be very interested in, Fitzfazzle,¡± I said as we waited. Less than a minute later, Major Finley received a call from one of the MPs. Apparently, Ellis driving his personal vehicle onto the airfield was a big no-no, but a short conversation with Finley put a stop to any delays. We heard the growl of the Mustang¡¯s V8 engine before we saw it appear in the hangar opening. Ellis pulled the car inside and revved the engine loudly to Fitzfazzle¡¯s delight. I thought I saw the gnome wipe a bit of drool off his beard as he approached the vehicle. ¡°This is like no horse I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Fitzfazzle said absently as he ran his hand over the still warm hood of the sleek car. ¡°No, Fitzfazzle, that¡¯s not like any horse, but it does have the power of 486 horses under the hood. Good old American muscle right there,¡± Ellis said with pride as he popped the hood and showed Fitzfazzle how to raise it. My gnomish friend immediately lost interest in me and anything else, leaning over the engine compartment as he shot forth a steady stream of questions at Corporal Ellis, who, to his credit, was able to answer most of. I no longer had any concerns that we could keep Fitzfazzle occupied until the rest of the team arrived. Chapter 288. Repaying a Friend. Chapter 288. Repaying a Friend. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use one of your electric motors for the car. It seems these internal combustion engines are less efficient. Of course, running it on the driver¡¯s mana would be the best option, but you can¡¯t exactly do that yet,¡± Fitzfazzle asked Corporal Ellis as he moved the driver¡¯s seat into a position that would fit him. ¡°Sacrilege! Dude, Ford already tried to name some lame SUV a Mustang, but if they tried to do away with the traditional V8, we¡¯d probably riot. An electric car is fast, but it¡¯s an appliance, a soulless creation that¡¯s for soccer moms and sad people. Jacobs, go grab your car and bring it here,¡± Ellis said with passion, he really was into cars. I received a text that Lopez and his team were going to be there in a just a few minutes. It¡¯d been nearly an hour, and both Ellis and Fitzfazzle showed no signs of slowing down as they examined the corporal¡¯s car. A few minutes later, Private Jacobs pulled in with a small Nissan electric vehicle, pulling it silently next to the Mustang. Fitzfazzle jumped out of the Mustang and began going over the electric car. ¡°This is a rather minimalist design, and I can see both some advantages and disadvantages over the liquid oil powered Mustang,¡± Fitzfazzle said, stroking his beard as he looked at both cars. ¡°Remember, to a lot of us, a car isn¡¯t just a practical purchase, there¡¯s an emotional component as well. You¡¯re a man, er, gnome who knows his way around machines, tell me, if you had to drive one each day, which would you prefer? Jacobs, rev that electric baby up,¡± Ellis said, moving around to each vehicle and pointing at them like a lawyer in a TV courtroom. The electric car wasn¡¯t exactly made to rev, so it just made a little whining noise then beeped angrily at Jacobs as he abused the accelerator a bit too much. Shaking his head, Ellis walked Fitzfazzle over to the Mustang and had him start the car and rev the motor. The V8 in the car gave a satisfying growl at startup, and when he revved it, the engine, the exhaust roared. ¡°I see your point. I think this electric car is more practical in many ways, but I¡¯d rather that any MESS I created had an exhaust note like the Mustang. I¡¯ll have to see what I can do about that when I get home,¡± Fitzfazzle said. My fears of giant gnomish mechs doing burnouts and crashing into the crowd at a cars and coffee were forgotten as a trio of black SUVs holding Lopez¡¯ people pulled into the hangar. Lopez and a couple of men and women in suits who were obviously agents of some type got out first. Then, a flood of people in both casual wear and lab coats scrambled out, each excitedly trying to introduce themselves to Fitzfazzle at the same time. Seeing the deer in headlights look plastered on Fitzfazzle¡¯s face, Lopez took charge. ¡°All right everyone, settle down for a minute. You¡¯ll all get some time to talk to Fitzfazzle, for now, we need to get this dog and pony show organized,¡± the crowd of scientists, engineers, and who knew what else, seemed to deflate and take a step back. I figured that Lopez had laid down some harsh ground rules for them if they wanted the chance to interact with an alien that had access to technology they¡¯d never imagined could exist. ¡°First off, Fitzfazzle, I¡¯m agent Lopez and it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you in person. I work with Rico here on Earth, and he¡¯s told me a lot of good things about you and your people. I know your time here is limited, and you probably want to spend at least some of it with your friend, but our world is facing a crisis. When we integrate into the system, everything will change, and we want to do all we can to save as many lives as we can. ¡°Fitzfazzle, would you be willing to help us for at least some of the time you¡¯re here?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Agent Lopez, without Rico, my people would have likely been killed, consumed, or converted into undead. We owe him our lives and if my working with your people will help to save lives in your world, I¡¯m glad to be off assistance,¡± Fitzfazzle said much to Lopez¡¯s relief. The gnome then chuckled a bit before continuing.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Ha, I think I might enjoy the conversations as much as your people will. I do want to spend at least some time with Rico, though, can we work that into the schedule? He¡¯s promised to bring me somewhere to eat something called a taco,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°We¡¯d be glad to cut you loose as much as possible to hang out with your friend. For now, we¡¯d like to at least get some initial work done. We¡¯ve cleared a building on the base here for us to work out of, and we¡¯ll also get some time at the nearby universities and a couple of other places we can sneak you inside. ¡°Please don¡¯t be offended that we¡¯re hiding you. Rico probably already explained this, but the presence of your people was something only hinted at in our works of fantasy and legend. For now, we¡¯d like to keep any uproar to a minimum as we try to prepare and save as many lives as we can,¡± Lopez said, handing Fitzfazzle a smart phone. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Fitzfazzle said, nearly dropping the phone when the screen came to life at his touch. ¡°It¡¯s the main communication device in our world. Rico, and probably everyone else on the planet has one. I¡¯ve pre-loaded my number, Rico¡¯s, and even a few emergency contacts into it if we somehow become separated. Lillian here will show you how to use it while we head over to the meeting room we¡¯ve created,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Rico, are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to leave,¡± Fitzfazzle asked. He seemed excited, but also a bit concerned over all the attention. ¡°Lopez and his people have always treated me well. Just call me when you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll take you out for tacos and beer,¡± I assured him. The agents and scientists loaded Fitzfazzle¡¯s gear into the back of one of the SUVs and then they all piled back inside with Fitzfazzle riding shotgun in the lead vehicle. Corporal Ellis gave Fitzfazzle a big thumbs up when the gnome asked the driver of the SUV if his vehicle had a proper V8, or a lame electric motor. ¡°That¡¯s a cool dude, I hope we can hang out again later. I was even going to offer him to let him test drive my car,¡± Ellis lamented as the trio of SUVs pulled away. Remembering something, I quickly sent a text to Lopez, reminding him to look at my reports and ask Fitzfazzle about the gun I¡¯d used on the goblin train. ¡°That counts as your break, people. We still have Rico¡¯s summons to hunt down, and some additional training drills for the whole team,¡± Major Finley ordered. The platoon, minus a squad that was sent to help with security at the building where Fitzfazzle was working, returned to their drills. I also took some time in between skirmishes to go over the latest foes that I¡¯d faced, and we brainstormed on how I could have improved my performance. The things I¡¯d already learned from my time with the military had paid dividends in my recent summonings and arena challenge, so I wanted to absorb as much new information as I could. Finley also had me integrate more with the soldiers as we stalked my minions throughout the hangar complex. From what the major said, it was becoming clear that our military wasn¡¯t going to be able to handle everything on their own, so we needed to learn how to integrate people with system powers into the ranks quickly. During a break, I sent an email to Marie, confirming that they had the apartment next to mine set up for Fitzfazzle if he was staying nearby. A guard rotation between the agents and some of the summoned beings in Refuge would keep an eye on any threats that might pop up. I figured that Fitzfazzle could handle himself, but he was inexperienced when it came to combat in a mana-starved world. True to his word, Lopez broke up their meeting around dinner time, and I took Fitzfazzle out for tacos at the hole in the wall place that Julio had picked when Melvin came to Earth for the first time. We weren¡¯t exactly low profile with armed security following us around, so I had to settle on takeout from the taco shop¡¯s drive through and eating in my apartment along with Marie, Julio, and Janette. Fitzfazzle was just about to fall asleep at the table when we all called it a night. My gnomish friend was excited to start over again tomorrow and was particularly looking forward to a flight on the helicopter and one of the transport planes. The apartment next to mine wasn¡¯t exactly luxurious, but it was comfortable and Fitzfazzle didn¡¯t seem to have any problems getting settled in. I laughed to myself after getting into bed. My life had become rather insane, but I was loving it despite the craziness. I had friends, both here at home, and in other worlds. Even better, I now had a job that could help make a difference for our planet¡¯s future. It was so much better than my life a few months ago working as an insurance adjuster in a soul-draining office. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, the sounds of gunfire boomed in the parking lot below my apartment, followed quickly by screams of pain. Chapter 289. Home Invasion. Chapter 289. Home Invasion. I jumped out of bed, pulling on my shoes as I peeked through the blinds. The angle was bad, and the dark helped to obscure whatever was going on. Grabbing my gun and stuffing figurines in my pockets, I headed outside. My apartment was on the second floor, and down below, in the parking lot, I could see a black SUV with the doors open. It was the vehicle that the agents on Fitzfazzle¡¯s security detail used. The body of an agent, a middle-aged woman in a suit, was on the ground next to the vehicle. Her pistol was lying next to her as blood slowly pooled around the body. Gunfire directly below my apartment told me other agents were still in the fight. Who they were fighting was a mystery, and I couldn¡¯t see anyone or anything else. It was obvious they were here for Fitzfazzle, and there was no way I was going to let them get to him. I summoned my armor, the process felt odd from when I had tried it out right after the arena challenge. Instead of snapping into place, the armor felt like it slowly appeared, as the mana-starved world we lived in tried to siphon off its energy. ¡°Fitzfazzle get up, we¡¯re under attack,¡± I said as I pounded on his door. I heard Fitzfazzle say he was up and getting his gear ready. As I looked over the railing again to try and get a better idea about what was happening below, I heard Fitzfazzle cursing up a storm because most of his gear wasn¡¯t working. All the mana infused into his devices and weapons had been drained since arriving on Earth. Flashes and the sharp crack of gunfire sounded below me. I saw the final two agents of the team assigned to protect Fitzfazzle fighting off at least a dozen people. Their opponents didn¡¯t seem to have firearms, but they all held bats, knives, and axes as they rushed blindly into the gunfire. ¡°Impressive weapons,¡± Fitzfazzle said as one of the agents began to fire bursts from his MP-5 submachinegun. The attackers were cut down in droves, but as we watched, two large passenger vans pulled into the parking lot and more attackers poured out. The submachinegun went silent, and I could see the agent try to clear a jam. Armed with only a pistol, the other agent couldn¡¯t keep the crazed attackers at bay on his own, so I aimed my .45 over the railing and lined up on my first target. I snapped off two shots, hitting my target before I felt the tingle of mana on my weapon as the trigger stopped working. ¡°They¡¯ll be coming up the stairs to get at us,¡± I warned Fitzfazzle as I summoned the rest of my minions. There were two sets of stairs that an attacker could use to reach the second floor. My apartment was in the middle, and the walkway was narrow enough to create a chokepoint. The drone and Khurr went to my left, while all the goblins went right. Elida, I kept behind to support us with her healing magic. ¡°I¡¯ve got this side, you deal with that one,¡± Fitzfazzle said, turning to the right while I took the left. ¡°The sacrifice is here. Take him alive for the master!¡± the first attacker, a young woman in her twenties, dressed in dark sweats and a hoodie shouted as she reached the top of the stairs. Khurr silenced her with a bolt from his hand crossbow, and behind me, I heard the twang of Glurk¡¯s longbow as the goblin got to work. Our ranged fire stalled the attackers at the top of the stairs, but soon, they pushed forward as more and more attackers joined them. To my horror, a school bus pulled into the apartment parking lot, disgorging even more attackers to join the siege. As the attackers started to pour off the bus, a huge ball of flame shot from the corner of the apartment complex and slammed into the bus¡¯s open door. Bright light, heat, and flames enveloped half the bus and even the crazed attackers on the stairs stopped to look at the gruesome spectacle before resuming their attack. In the back of my mind, I remembered that the young man Elliot was an elemental mage with a fire specialization. That must have been his work, though, knowing Elliot from our dungeon delve, he probably blew all or most of his mana in that one attack. ¡°We need more numbers, I¡¯m going to summon some extra help,¡± I said digging into my pockets for the figurines I¡¯d stuffed inside on my way out the door. I grabbed one of the figurines with multiple figures on a single base, remembering it was a tier one, rank five Angry Mob figurine. It did the trick as a dozen people dressed as villagers, complete with torches and pitchforks, appeared around us. They shouted curses at the attackers before charging to the right and flinging themselves at the people engaging my goblins. My side of the walkway only had the drone and Khurr, but those two seemed to be doing a fine job at holding back the tide. The drone had created a spear and a mace to use in its two smaller hands, while the long, bladed arms made short work of anyone in front of it. Any attacker that tried to get close was cut down, and the whole time, Khurr was loading and firing his hand crossbow over the railing at the mass of attackers below. Sirens in the distance told me that help was on the way, we just had to hold out a bit longer.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Just when I thought we were going to make it, I heard Fitzfazzle curse behind me. Looking over to his side of the fight, I could see that half our angry mob were down, turning into mana vapor alongside Glem and Glamb. A large man pushed his way through the crowd, and I immediately realized this was another summoned being. I couldn¡¯t guess at what his class was actually called, but to me, the man looked like a human porcupine. Large quills grew along his arms and bare upper body. Every few seconds, some of them shot forth, impaling more of my minions. I needed something a bit more heavily armored to deal with him. ¡°Do not harm the sacrifice, we need him alive,¡± one of the wounded attackers lying on the walkway said. She was bleeding out from an arrow in her chest, but found the strength to grab onto porcupine man¡¯s leg to get his attention. He returned her warning with a quill to her forehead, finishing her off before attacking the surviving minions on that side. I found my tier one, rank five mana slayer drone figurines, and summoned it immediately. While my drone minion was upgraded heavily, this generic figurine one was no slouch as it was also tagged as a veteran figurine. The drone appeared and ran toward the porcupine man, who responded with a hail of quills. Thankfully the drone blocked any of the projectiles from hitting me and Fitzfazzle, but a stray quill did hiss past me and bury itself the back of Khurr¡¯s skull, turning him back to mana vapor. The quills seemed powerful enough to penetrate the armor of the drone, but it was too tough to be taken down by a few holes punched into its armored frame. Wasting no time, the drone slammed both bladed arms into the enemy summoned being. The man screamed as the blades cut into him. Oddly enough, the blows weren¡¯t fatal, and the blades didn¡¯t penetrate very deeply. Whatever his quills were made of, they served well not only as weapons but also as armor. Undeterred, the drone unleashed a flurry of blows on his opponent, who couldn¡¯t effectively defend himself against the number of attacks. Gunfire below crackled as two police cars and a black SUV pulled into the parking lot and the agents and officers began to engage. With a scream, the porcupine man was hurled off the balcony to thud onto the concrete below. My summoned drone began to tear into the other cultists crowding the stairs, who, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, weren¡¯t giving up the fight. With a drone on either side of us, the attackers with their melee weapons didn¡¯t stand a chance. Some of the enemy turned to attack the police and agents, but with the porcupine guy taken out, I figured they had nobody to cast Fail Weapons spells any longer. It was down to just mopping up now, but the attackers fought to the death. I could see a few had been somehow disarmed and subdued by the agents, and I expected that Lopez would have some way to get information out of them. With all the summoned beings he was in contact with, Agent Lopez had to know someone who had a power or spell to coerce information from a prisoner. As the last enemy fell, one of the officers headed up the stairs, looking warily at the piled bodies and blood covered drone guarding the path in front of him. ¡°Rico Kline? Are you and Fizzle okay?¡± the officer called out, not willing to risk trying to push his way past the heavily armed and armored drone. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good, and its Fitzfazzle, not Fizzle. Thanks for showing up when you did, I¡¯m not sure if we could have held out against this many on our own,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay, Agent Lopez said he¡¯s on the way and wants to see if you and the others are up for a quick debrief,¡± the officer said. ¡°Let me round everyone up and find a place to meet that¡¯s not covered in gore,¡± I replied. It struck me at that moment, the officer looked like he was about to be sick, but the aftermath of the battle barely affected me. I¡¯d been in dozens, if not hundreds of fights that ended similarly. To top that off, I¡¯d also been killed more times than I could remember. I didn¡¯t know if my numbness to carnage was a good thing that would protect my mental wellbeing, or if it was a sign I was turning into something I didn¡¯t want to be. Most of my minions were down, I had only the drone and Elida left alive. The summoned drone wouldn¡¯t be around for much longer. With my class skills it would last a decent amount of time, but Earth was constantly pulling at the mana that held it together. Looking down, I could see that I hadn¡¯t come through entirely unscathed. A long quill was stuck into the body armor covering my chest. While the armor¡¯s magical properties were gone here on Earth, it also carried the ballistic protection that modern body armor provided. The quill was stuck into the armor but hadn¡¯t penetrated through it. With some effort, I plucked the quill from my armor. A sticky goo with a sap-like consistency covered the end of the quill, and I was careful not to get any on my skin. Who knew what kind of nasty toxins the summoner had unlocked for his bizarre class. I was surprised that the quill felt more metallic than I expected. It was a deadly ability, but not one that I¡¯d ever want to trade in my class for. With Fitzfazzle in tow, we picked our way carefully down the stairs and found Marie, Julio, Elliot, and Quinn waiting below. A pile of bodies was strewn around in front of them, and it looked like they had teamed up to keep any of the attackers from breaking through into the rest of the apartment complex. I¡¯d been so caught up in my own battle, that I hadn¡¯t realized there was a second one going on down here. Quinn didn¡¯t look so good, and as I greeted the others, he collapsed to the ground. The young man¡¯s Quest Knight class grated him strong armor, but I could see several quills sticking out of the armor. The porcupine summoned being must have tangled with my friends before homing in on their actual target, Fitzfazzle. ¡°Hurry, get those quills out of him, they¡¯re covered in toxin,¡± I ordered, casting Health Bloom over the area as I waved Elida forward to help. I didn¡¯t know if magic healing could deal with poisons and toxins, but I wanted to do everything I could to save Quinn. Chapter 290. Whats to Come. Chapter 290. What¡¯s to Come. Quinn was unconscious, but not dead as Elida pumped healing spells into him. Before long, she ran out of spell slots and activated her Channel Mana ability to restore one of them. While she channeled the ability, I dropped another health bloom. My own mana was starting to drop, and I had only enough for another cast after this one. As I cast my last health bloom a pair of paramedics arrived and began working on Quinn. I wasn¡¯t sure what modern medicine could do, but the two young paramedics seemed to know their stuff. In moments they had Quinn hooked to an IV and were loading him onto a stretcher. Elida cast her last healing spell just as the paramedics took him away. ¡°Where will he go?¡± I asked. ¡°We have a helicopter inbound. They¡¯ll take him to where you were treated after your fight with the Plague Warrior,¡± Marie explained. ¡°I¡¯d like to go with him, do you need me here right now?¡± A rather distraught Julio asked. ¡°We¡¯re fine here, Agent Lopez is on his way to help sort things out, let us know how Quinn¡¯s doing,¡± Marie said. ¡°I will,¡± Julio said, before grabbing me by the shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Rico, you and your minion might have helped save my nephew¡¯s life tonight,¡± Julio, tears in his eyes, ran off to meet the helicopter that we could now hear approaching. I stood there stunned for a few moments, gathering my thoughts. ¡°Is this kind of attack common in your world? It seems more dangerous than back home,¡± Fitzfazzle said, breaking the silence. ¡°Uh, no, we usually don¡¯t have hordes of crazed attackers in the middle of the night. Anyone have any idea who these freaks were?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe, I heard one mention Lord Bhalkur just before I turned him into a human torch,¡± Elliot said. ¡°So, they¡¯re from the cult that captured me before,¡± I said, remembering my brief captivity, and the young woman, Celeste, who died in our escape attempt. It had been Fitzfazzle¡¯s reward, the mech figurine, that had saved me that night. I had run into the cultists again, when the Plague Warrior summoned being tried to capture Tran. After that, between the government and the Grimslade Group, I had thought the cult had been pretty much wiped out. It looked like I was wrong, and I could only hope that our trouble with them was finally over. We joined Jeanette in her apartment, and over a cup of tea infused with her class power, we started to recover. Somehow, Fitzfazzle had pilfered a fallen agent¡¯s submachine gun and started fiddling with it. In a panic, I had him keep his hands off the weapon and explained how to load, fire, and how to safely handle it. The time with the military and Julio¡¯s firearms instruction was paying off. ¡°A nice bit of kit, this is. Too bad it¡¯s so susceptible to Fail Weapons spells,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Keep it, who knows, you might figure out some way to keep it from malfunctioning after a spell hits it. There¡¯s always the chance you get one as a reward after the summoning,¡± I replied. Julio called Marie a few minutes later, giving us the good news that Quinn had regained consciousness just as they landed at the hospital. He had a long way to go, but it looked like he was going to recover. I could only hope that my healing spells had helped, but it could also have been chalked up to his class having a high constitution stat. A clean up team from the government arrived a bit later and began to bag up the cultists¡¯ remains and tow their vehicles off. I was more than happy to have them deal with it, that was a task I wasn¡¯t looking forward to having to do myself. Along with the cleaners, Agent Lopez arrived along with another agent carrying a computer case. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Agent Lopez asked as soon as he spotted us. ¡°Quinn was hurt. They had a summoned being with them that shot him with some kind of toxic quills,¡± I explained. ¡°So that was Quinn who was medevacked out. How¡¯s he doing?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Julio is with him, and said that Quinn¡¯s doing well, but might be in the hospital for a while,¡± Marie answered. ¡°I¡¯m glad the rest of you are here, we have some things to go over. It appears your attackers are more of the cultists from this Bhalkur being,¡± Lopez explained.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°We figured that out given one of them was overheard shouting his name, but how did you find out?¡± Marie asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only incident with these cultists. Something has them riled up, and there are far more of them than we anticipated. At least ten other incidents have happened across the country. For now, this cult only seems to be present here in the US,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°How are there so many? We hadn¡¯t heard a peep from them after our last run in, now a whole horde of them invade our home. They seemed to have been after Fitzfazzle. Do you have any idea why?¡± I asked. ¡°From what we¡¯ve gathered from the few prisoners taken, they are seeking sacrifices to bring their god back into the world. With the summoned beings among their ranks, it stands to reason one of them might have a class that can sense someone like Fitzfazzle appearing here in our world. Maybe sacrificing a summoned ally like that releasees more energy for their master, or maybe they¡¯re just nuts,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Do we have any idea why they all seemed to suddenly go active?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re still investigating, but there is some information that might tie in with them. That was another reason I wanted to meet with all of you in person. One of the summoned beings working with us has the class of Seer. She can predict coming events and has focused much of her research on Earth and our integration,¡± Lopez said before stopping to take a drink from the cup of tea that Jeannete brought him. She also dropped off a plate of shortbread cookies that both Fitzfazzle and I immediately helped ourselves to. ¡°Can she really predict the future, what tier and rank is she?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Lillian is tier three, rank zero right now. From what I understand, she can only see various possible outcomes. The closer we are to an event, such as Earth¡¯s integration, the more accurate her predictions can become. I should also mention that she¡¯s incredibly powerful in combat, despite only having a few combat related abilities. Knowing what your opponent is going to do before they act is quite the force multiplier, as the cultists trying to capture her found out,¡± Lopez said, joining me and Fitzfazzle on our cookie binge. ¡°What outcome is she predicting and how does it tie into the cult?¡± I asked through a mouthful of shortbread. ¡°A couple of predictions keep coming up. In addition to that, the mana gauge is filling even faster than normal. The estimate now is that integration is somewhere between six and nine months. As for her prediction, two things will come to pass before integration occurs. The first is that a prison will open on our world, and a challenge to destroy the evil one will begin. ¡°That, we think, is a reference to this Bhalkur, and the cult is trying to wake him sooner, and feed him more power through these sacrifices before those that come to destroy him arrive,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°So, this Bhalkur is imprisoned somewhere here on Earth?¡± Marie asked. ¡°That would make sense,¡± Fitzfazzle interjected. ¡°Your world has long been starved of mana. If he was imprisoned here, there would be nothing to power his attempts to break his bonds. Of course, the imprisonment device would have to be one that isn¡¯t affected by mana either. Now that your world is close to integration, someone, or something, that powerful could begin to break free.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something to look forward to, but I suppose we have no idea where his prison is located,¡± I said. ¡°No, only that we think it is somewhere here in the US. We have placed a team on locating it, and with our seer, Lillian¡¯s, help we hope to narrow the location down quickly,¡± Lopez said. ¡°If you find it, I¡¯d like to be in on any attack we launch. His cult has caused all kinds of pain, and I¡¯d like to have a part in bringing it, and their master, down,¡± I said, thinking back again to Celeste¡¯s body on the cold, concrete floor of the warehouse. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to get you involved, in fact, we would have probably solicited your help anyway,¡± Lopez told me. ¡°And what about this second prediction?¡± Marie asked. I had been so caught up with the cult that I forgotten there was a second prediction from the seer. ¡°That one is a bit less urgent, as it¡¯s something that is supposed to happen to herald in the day of integration. Lillian predicts that the bringer of war will enter our world to battle an old foe. The destruction this bringer of war causes will also lead to hope for our world,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something to look forward to. A destructive force that¡¯s also somehow helpful. Must be another pyromancer like me,¡± Elliot chimed in. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait and see what that means. One thing I can tell you with some level of certainty, is that most, or maybe even all of you won¡¯t be around to see this bringer of destruction,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Wait, what? Are we going to die or something?¡± Elliot said in a panic. ¡°No, sorry to give you a scare. This is the last thing I was going to tell you about tonight. It¡¯s becoming clear that the higher tier and rank summoned beings are being sent somewhere else. Everyone seems to disappear somewhere between tier three, rank zero, and tier four,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Is something bad happening to them, or is the system going to kill us?¡± I asked with some concern. ¡°No, we don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything nefarious going on. Another summoned being bought some information, very expensive information, from Somhagen. It turns out that right before integration, or when a summoned being reaches a certain level of power, they¡¯re pulled from Earth. Supposedly, you¡¯ll return after the integration at some point,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Any idea why?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing concrete, but we think it¡¯s the system¡¯s way of keeping things fair in the early days. You¡¯d be the most powerful people on the planet the day that integration occurs, and we think the system wants the rest of us to catch up a bit. It¡¯s more than likely when you return, you¡¯ll still be the highest power in terms of tier, rank, gear, and practical experience. At least by the time you get back, everyone else will have started to adjust to our new lives,¡± Lopez said. I had wanted to be here to help when integration occurred, and now, I had to worry about what exactly was going to happen with me and the other summoned beings while we waited to return. Elliot was asking Lopez another question when I received a new prompt. A summoning link has been activated. You are Summoned! Chapter 291. Taste the Difference. Chapter 291. Taste the Difference. I tried to remember what other summoning links I had out there. There was the one with Fitzfazzle, which this was obviously not part of. I also had one with Sharnlynn, but that ended when she passed away. The system prompt detailing the summoning session triggered a memory of where I was going. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Abbasa.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 4.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of non-combat related support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped through the portal and into a large, and very busy, kitchen. The summoner link led to a man dressed as a butler. It was the mage Abbasa who I¡¯d worked with before as a taste tester. Another summoning spent eating amazing dishes was just what the doctor ordered. ¡°Welcome back summoned being. I take it you remember the procedures from you prior summoning?¡± Abbasa asked. ¡°Yes, do you need minions to assist with the tasting again?¡± I asked, remembering that adding my minions had helped to bump my rating up at the end. ¡°Absolutely, everyone is needed tonight. You¡¯ll be tasting back here in the kitchens this evening, as this event is one where only the best of the best servants should be visible to our guests. Please summon your minions and we¡¯ll see what we¡¯re working with tonight,¡± Abbasa said. I summoned my team but held off on the drone. It couldn¡¯t exactly taste anything, and toxins would have no effect on it. With the trio of goblins, Elida, Khurr, and Blieek, we had plenty of tasters to work with. Abbasa looked over everyone, stopping by Khurr for a moment longer than the others. ¡°A suitable group, all have similar dietary requirements to our guests, save for the gnoll. You may dismiss him or keep him here, as you please. Just make sure he¡¯s not in the way of the staff. Please join me over here, we¡¯ll be serving the first courses shortly,¡± Abbasa explained. I kept Khurr with us. This wasn¡¯t the most dangerous summoning, but having someone watch our backs while we focused on tasting wasn¡¯t a bad idea. If the kitchen wasn¡¯t so busy and chaotic, I¡¯d have summoned the drone as well, but he would have definitely been in the way. I did wonder what it was about the gnoll that made him unsuitable for tasting. Maybe they had a higher natural tolerance for tainted food or something. Abbasa led us to a long side table near the entrance to the dining hall. He explained that the servers would bring each dish by for one of us to taste. A pile of spoons, forks, and napkins were already arranged there for us. We would take a tiny taste of each dish, and the dining staff would hide our efforts as they finished plating the dish. ¡°As I did before, I need to enhance your vulnerability to toxins and diseases. Should there be a danger in the food, we need to know immediately. Please do not resist the next two spells that are cast on you and your minions,¡± Abbasa explained. This was the same as before, though it was always a bit unsettling to have myself willingly accept a vulnerability. A spell, Amplify Toxin, has been cast upon you. All toxins introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. A spell, Amplify Disease, has been cast upon you. All diseases introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. I ordered my minions not to resist as Abbasa started with me and worked his way down the line of minions, casting the same two spells. Over the course of my adventures, I¡¯d developed a resistance to toxins, but bumping the power of them by 1000% was sure to overcome my minor resistance. The idea was, we would keel over almost immediately if someone poisoned the food. Using summoned beings for this kind of thing seemed a bit more humane than having living servants do it, so I had to applaud the king, Abbasa, or whoever came up with this plan for looking out for their people. A pair of servants, one on each end of the table, were there if we had any questions, or needed a resupply on utensils, napkins, or whatever. It didn¡¯t take long before the first few dishes arrived. The first one was a consume that tasted a bit like miso to me. It was a simple way to start the long line of dishes that I could see starting to come out of the kitchen.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. While we worked, Abbasa kept an eye on us, leaving occasionally to check in on the main dining hall. We were the riffraff kept away from the guests, but Abbasa must have been a trusted servant at this point. Every few minutes, another dish arrived. Each taste was only a small one, but I was enjoying the experience. Occasionally, Abbasa would enter and taste a few dishes, not for concern over poisoning, but to make sure that what the kitchen was producing was up to standard. More than once, he sent a dish back, along with an admonishment for the chef that produced it. For the most part, the feast passed muster with Abbasa, and even the things he sent back seemed fine to my unrefined palate. Most of the ingredients looked similar but didn¡¯t taste quite the same as what I¡¯d eaten on Earth. Some of the flavors were completely new, and I wondered if it was due to some spice they had in this world, or if there was magic in the chef¡¯s preparation of the dish. A few dishes were various seafood items, which was not my favorite. It didn¡¯t matter what my preferences were, we just had to take a small taste. About an hour passed, and Abbasa renewed the spells on my group. I wondered how much the guests inside the dining hall were going to eat. Desserts were just starting to arrive, and despite only taking a small bite of each thing, my stomach was starting to rumble, and I was concerned that I was at my limit. Looking down the line of minions, everyone seemed to be feeling the same way, save for Khurr, who whined a bit like a dog as the dishes passed him by. One of the servants, feeling sorry for Khurr, brought him a bowl of a stew that had been served earlier. It was a hearty affair, with chunks of pork and potato in a thick gravy. Khurr seemed to enjoy it, scarfing down the entire bowl and licking his chops afterward. It was odd, my minions didn¡¯t need to eat, but for some reason, Khurr had developed an appetite tonight. Maybe the smell of the food was enchanted to stimulate hunger. If that were possible, chef-mages were going to be in high demand after the integration. With a shudder, I feared what the fast-food restaurants would do with this kind of magic. The last thing my world needed was a horde of people that couldn¡¯t stop eating Taco Bell for hours on end. ¡°We are nearing the final courses, and I wanted to thank you in advance. You¡¯ve performed your task expeditiously and without any trouble, despite the rather eclectic nature of your group,¡± Abbasa said. After the third desert, a pudding with berries mixed in that reminded me of cheesecake, I hit the wall. My stomach was growling as pain began to build inside of it, becoming too much for me to ignore. Elida and the goblins also seemed to be feeling it, and Abbasa looked at us with concern. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Abbasa asked, casting a spell on us. The mage Abbasa has cast Identify Ailment. ¡°My stomach is hurting, I don¡¯t know if it was anything in the food, or just because of how much I¡¯d eaten,¡± I explained. Abbasa motioned for the servants that had been assisting us to bring chairs over for me and the others to sit on. Sitting was easier than standing, but it didn¡¯t stop the pain roiling in my gut. Out in the dining hall, a commotion was heard and cries for help were shouted out. ¡°It seems to be working. You have my apologies, summoned being, for the pain you¡¯ll soon experience. We are in the midst of a regime change tonight, and the oppressors needed to be eliminated. Unfortunately, I am bound by a geas to protect my king from any toxins and disease that might be introduced to his food and drink. The geas was very specific, and his majesty felt very secure that it held me in check,¡± Abbasa said. He stopped suddenly and muttered a spell casing a flaming spear that impaled poor Khurr, turning him into mana vapor. ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked, curious despite the growing pain. ¡°Why, exactly what my geas required. I summoned you and others to taste each dish and make sure there were not poisons, toxins, or diseases. What the fool of king didn¡¯t realize was that his geas had nothing to prevent me from incorporating a parasite into the meal tonight. It had taken me years to arrange to have all the powers of the land in one place, for one meal together. ¡°Now, I shall ascend to the throne and rule this land as it was meant to be ruled!¡± Abbasa shouted, which caused the kitchen staff to cheer. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can stop whatever is happening to me,¡± I said. It felt like something was tearing its way through my digestive system. ¡°There is no cure, but I can ease your passing if you wish,¡± Abbasa said, pointing toward where Khurr had been standing. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d rather not stay here until the summoning ends, or the parasites do me in,¡± I replied. Getting impaled by a flaming spear was preferable to having my guts eaten away by worms or whatever was inside me now. ¡°As you wish, and again, thank you for your service this evening,¡± Abbasa said, conjuring another spear that he threw straight at my face. You have killed by the Flaming Spear spell. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 4, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 29 experience points. You have earned 47 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 5. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You have gained 1 point in Constitution. You have gained 1 point in Presence. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 292. New Minion. Chapter 292. New Minion. ¡°Sir, welcome home,¡± the head butler said as I appeared inside my personal space. Everything inside looked normal, and I was always happy to see that Gary hadn¡¯t burned the place down while I had been away. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, taking the glass of juice and heated towel from the servant. These items had become standard procedure when I returned to my personal space, and I was going to get spoiled by the service provided in here. That did remind me that I was wealthy back home, but having grown up without much, I wasn¡¯t about to start throwing money around and hiring servants for my apartment. ¡°Rico, good to see you again. I was just about to leave unless you have some need of my services,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. It seemed like the lich was always running off somewhere, and it would have been nice to be able to pick his brain a bit about a few things. I told him as much, and he merely nodded without committing before walking into a portal that he summoned. Melvin slid out from the training room, sending me happy thoughts. Even though we didn¡¯t get to interact much during the arena challenge, it seemed that my friend had enjoyed himself. Thinking about my friend brought up another problem. ¡°That stinks, Fitzfazzle probably got bumped from Earth when I was summoned,¡± I said. We still had a lot to learn from him and having his trip cut short wasn¡¯t ideal. At least his figurine would recharge at some point, and we could call him again. It might even be good that the gnome had a chance to see how our technology worked and would now have some time to think on the problems we were going to face. The problems that stood before us were even more urgent than before. From what Lopez had told us, we were less than a year from integration. The seer had even divined some of the coming signs to look out for. But just like with every seer or fortune teller in a movie or book, they weren¡¯t exactly big on exact details. I could only hope that Lopez and the others in charge of preparing our world for integration were on the ball. I¡¯d continue to do everything that I could to help, but I was only one person. There was also the rather ominous revelation that all the summoned beings that were over tier three were starting to disappear. The disappearances weren¡¯t supposed to be anything bad, just a way for the system to keep us sidelined until the rest of the world started to learn their new lives. I was kind of curious, and a bit nervous about what awaited me, and at tier two, rank five, I didn¡¯t think it would be all that long before I found out. Thoughts on future integration could wait for a bit. I had some leveling to do, and some rewards to gather. Expecting some minion tokens to be included in the reward, I opted to level up first so my new minion would get a shot at winning a token. Rico Kline, Foe Commander. Tier 2, Rank 5. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 17/40. Summoning points: 161. Strength, 14. Agility, 13. Constitution, 17. Mind, 27 (28 with apprentice ring of the mind). Presence, 13. Current Mana, 56. Damage Resistance, 10%. Mana core upgrades:
  1. Rift travel containment field.
  2. Shielding, Stage 3. Minor regeneration engine.
Resistances:
  1. Curse of Undeath, minor.
  2. Toxins, minor.
  3. Mental Intrusion, moderate.
  4. Flame, moderate.
Skills:
  1. Basic weapons skill.
  2. Basic Unarmed Combat.
  3. Basic armor proficiency.
  4. Basic Lockpick/Disarm Device.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Abilities:
  1. Linguistic adaptation interface.
  2. Riposte.
  3. Template Hunter.
  4. Shared Burden.
  5. Switch.
  6. Enhanced Command Lesser Foe.
Your Template Hunter ability has activated. Your Tier 2, Rank 5 minion is based on the template you¡¯ve selected. Since this minion was created from your Template Hunter ability, it will start with Rank 1 armor and weapons. For minions that are spellcasters, the Channel Mana ability will improve and grant an additional spell slot. Digbaz Bazam, wind mage, Tier 2, Rank 5. Experience, 0/40. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor, Rank 1. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a thick robe that has padding added to the most vulnerable areas.
  2. Weapons, Rank 1. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a solid wooden staff with an iron casing on each end. In addition, a steel dagger is kept as a backup weapon.
For ranged attacks, your minion holds a wand of magic missile with 2 charges. Charges for the wand will regenerate with each summoning, or at a rate of 1 charge every hour for longer duration summonings. Abilities:
  1. Channel Mana, Rank 0. Twice a day, your minion can stop and concentrate for 10 seconds to recover 2 spell slots. This ability can be disrupted if your minion is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
  2. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect one harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only activate once every 24 hours. Spells with tiers much higher than your minion may partially, or totally negate this ability.
Spells: Your minion has a total of 20 spell slots. Digbaz Bazam regenerates 1 spell slot for each hour of uninterrupted rest.
  1. Shove (Cantrip). This cantrip does not take up a spell slot, though there is a 5-minute cooldown required between castings. Shove creates a blast of air that can force back a medium sized humanoid. Larger, stronger, and magic resistant foes may negate some or all this effect.
  2. Blades of Air, Rank 0. This spell creates a hardened blade of air that slashes any target within the caster¡¯s line of sight. The spell does damage equivalent to the slash of a dagger and the power of the spell will increase as your minion increases in tier and rank.
  3. Dome of Protection, Rank 0. This spell creates a dome of hardened air around the caster. The dome will absorb any damage, both magical and physical, that hits the caster. When it reaches the limit of damage it can absorb, the dome will shatter, and a 1-minute cooldown is required before it can be cast again.
  4. Tornado. Once per week, your minion can summon a tornado to destroy your foes and devastate the area. This tornado is guided by the caster and lasts for up to 10 seconds. Extremely powerful, the spell uses all your minion¡¯s mana and lifeforce. When the spell expires, your minion will be unsummoned and face an extended regeneration time before they can be summoned again.
I summoned my new minion, who looked a bit different than I¡¯d expected. Instead of a human, like I¡¯d targeted with my Template Hunter, my new minion was a kobold mage. Template Hunter must not copy the exact person, but just their class and powers. The other aspects of the minion were a bit random. I¡¯d have to keep this in mind when selecting the next target for Template Hunter. I¡¯d seen most of the abilities my new minion had when I¡¯d battled an air mage. It was a great class, and having the minion housed in a smaller kobold body would be an advantage since he¡¯d appear less threatening to many opponents. His spells sounded powerful and with twenty spell slots, he quadrupled what Elida could cast. Digbaz also had a few spells and abilities without ranks. His ultimate spell, Tornado didn¡¯t appear to be upgradeable, which kind of made sense if a tier two, rank five minion was casting something that powerful. It¡¯d even destroy my minion after casting, and I¡¯d have to wait longer to resummon him. The cantrip Shove was the most basic type of spell a mage could have, so it made sense it couldn¡¯t be upgraded further. His Spell Reflect also didn¡¯t seem to have a rank and would probably remain as it was. Maybe there were some other upgrade options for him once Digbaz grew his power a bit. I took my new minion to the training room and let him cut loose on a few summoned foes. Shove wasn¡¯t all that exciting, and against a goblin, it pushed the target back a few feet and almost made him fall. Against an orc, the spell just nudged him a bit. I could see some good uses for the spell though, forcing someone¡¯s aim off, or who knew, maybe Digbaz would get the chance to push someone over a cliff. His Blades of Air was powerful and trying it out against several types of armored foes, it seemed to hit with the force of a well struck dagger blow. Only heavy plate armor, or similar natural armor seemed to stop it, but even then, it would dent the armor and had to hurt the target despite not slashing them open. Given that he had twenty spell slots, I could see Digbaz using this spell to tear apart most foes we faced. The Dome of Protection was a spell I¡¯d experienced firsthand when I¡¯d fought the mage. Not only did he have the protection dome, but he had also had the spell reflect, which had killed me at the end of the fight. Since I didn¡¯t want to burn a weeklong cooldown on a test or risk my personal space being destroyed, I held off on having Digbaz cast Tornado. It was hard to wait, I really wanted to see what the spell could do. With spell slots, both Digbaz, and Elida were able to function on Earth, and this minion¡¯s abilities would wreak havoc on another attack by cultists. When Agent Lopez tracked down this Bhalkur guy, we¡¯d see how he stood up to a tornado in the face. Thoughts of future revenge aside, I had a reward chest to dig into. The loot had better be decent after that excellent ranking and being forced to suffer through parasites eating me alive from inside. Chapter 293. Back to Somhagen. Chapter 293. Back to Somhagen. I had my new minion ready to go, and the door to Somhagen now appeared on the far wall. The trip to the city could wait a bit, as I had some rewards to claim. Opening the reward chest, I was also notified that Khurr had leveled up. Your minion Khurr, has reached Tier 0, Rank 8. He has unlocked the following ability.
  1. Blindfighting, Rank 0. This ability allows Khurr to target and engage melee opponents even if they are invisible or his eyesight is damaged. All attacks made when using Blindfighting have a 25% additional chance to miss.
Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 877.
  2. Gold coins, 29.
  3. Minion ability/spell token (2).
  4. Minion equipment token (4).
  5. Minion experience token (1).
  6. Elixir of the Parasite.
There were the usual suspects in the reward chests, including a nice pile of coins. Before I dug into the minion tokens, I took a look at the elixir. A system prompt appeared to explain the item. Elixir of the Parasite. Imbibing this elixir will introduce a parasitic infection into the hosts digestive system. These parasites will permanently sap 1 point of Constitution from the host. In return, the parasites will vigorously defend their host from any competing parasitic creatures, eventually granting the host complete parasitic immunity. Wow, that was quite a tradeoff. After my final experience as a taste tester, I wasn¡¯t exactly keen on parasites. By drinking the elixir, I would sort of be making a deal with the devil. Was having complete immunity from other parasites worth adding a bunch of them into my system permanently? ¡°What do you think Melvin, parasites now to prevent worse parasites later?¡± I asked my gelatinous friend. All he sent back was a shrug. He was already immune, since he could just dissolve and eat any parasites that somehow found themselves inside him. It would have been great if Tzes¡¯zod was here to bounce the potential dangers off, but he was out doing his thing, and this didn¡¯t qualify as a negotiation where I could summon his services. For now, I¡¯d keep the elixir in storage and maybe ask about it with the information broker if it wasn¡¯t too expensive of a question. Next up, I had my minion tokens to distribute. The first one was the single experience token. I activated it and the system selected one of my minions at random. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Tier 1, Rank 3. She has gained an additional spell slot. Stats and durability of this minion have improved. A quick check confirmed that Elida now had a total of six spell slots. Combined with her upgraded stats and durability, she just became a bit more effective. I activated the spell tokens, then the equipment tokens and waited as the system randomly distributed them. Khurr¡¯s Trapper ability has reached Rank 1. Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 2. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Armor, Rank 5. Blieek has reached Weapons, Rank 3. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Weapons, Rank 3. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 1. Blieek and the drone were the big RNG winners this time. Khurr now had an extra trap charge making it a bit more effective. For Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana, the new rank reduced the channeling time of the ability by a second. Not a huge difference, but in the middle of a fight, even a single second could be the difference between life and death.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. For the gear upgrades, my drone now had a rapid repair feature added to its already impressive armor. The repair boost lasted for fifteen seconds and was like a heal over time effect for the minion. With his rank three weapons upgrade, the secondary set of arms on my drone could wield thrown weapons. Having a ranged option for my most powerful melee minion would be great for those times when getting up close and personal wasn¡¯t possible. Blieek¡¯s upgrades consisted of a new padded tunic and sturdy boots. It was only rank one armor for my lowest tier creature, but it was better than the dirty, threadbare tunic he was wearing before. For his weapon upgrade, Blieek now would be summoned with a pair of throwing daggers that he was proficient with. That one summoning¡¯s set of rewards proved to be a nice bump in power for my team. With my minions and rewards squared away, I had a trip to Somhagen to prepare for. I didn¡¯t feel like there was any pressing business for this trip, so I would just see what kind of contracts I could wrangle up, while cashing in the one¡¯s I¡¯d already completed. I was always on the lookout for gear and upgrades, and there were 161 summoning points for me to work with at the summoned market. Money wasn¡¯t going to be a problem and brought everything I had in the storage chest with me. Back home, I was wealthy and didn¡¯t need to bring coins back to be converted into US currency anymore. I¡¯d come a long way from having to pawn my copper and silver coins to eat and pay for a shabby motel room. ¡°Melvin, do you want to come with me?¡± I asked. After all, Somhagen was where I had found him. He sent feelings of excitement over our connection, and slithered along behind me as I approached the door. I wondered if he might want to visit the shop where I¡¯d found him, and he seemed curious but not overly excited about the idea. Once again, my door opened onto the hillside, and I could see Somhagen laid out in front of me. It was early morning, and a great crowd of carts and people were slowly flowing into the city. We walked down the hill and joined the crowds in front of the main gate. A quick look back showed that there were dozens of doors dotting the hillside. I wondered how many summoned beings were in the city at any given time. From what I could gather, only worlds with pending integration into the system could spawn summoned beings. It seemed to be a big piece of the system¡¯s plan to slowly infuse the world with mana. Agent Lopez had said that we had anywhere from six to nine months left before we were integrated into the system. I was both excited and terrified over what the change might mean for our world. While I had been trying to do what I could to help, it felt bad that the summoned beings would be kept away from Earth for at least the initial period of integration. I¡¯d have to wait until I passed tier three to find out what was going to be in store for me, and I had to admit that I was a bit nervous about where I¡¯d be sent. If my status as a summoned being was ending, life would get a lot more dangerous without the respawn mechanic in place during a summoning. The crowd in front of us slowed down as they waited for the guards to process them all inside. Melvin didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow when he passed into the city at my side. My status as a summoned being was somehow easily apparent to the guards, and Melvin was probably far from the strangest thing they¡¯d seen while on duty. ¡°Where to first?¡± I asked myself. Melvin took it as a question for him, and immediately sent images of food through our link. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll stop at a cart on the way, but I want to get a room for us before we get too involved in our day,¡± I replied. We stopped for a bite at the first tier of the city. I returned to Tonpu Zavai¡¯s cart, the older man who sold the corn dog-like fried sausages. He and his wife looked a bit worried about Melvin, but my buddy was on his best behavior today, especially when he knew that I wouldn¡¯t buy him a corn dog if he was giving me any trouble. ¡°Hello, young man. You and your friend look a bit hungry,¡± the man said. ¡°Good to see you again Tonpu, I¡¯ve bought food a couple of times from you before, but I didn¡¯t have Melvin here with me,¡± I replied, handing over a handful of copper coins to buy several corn dogs. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, sorry, my old age causes me to take a few minutes before remembering folks. You¡¯re the summoned being, let¡¯s see, Rico was your name, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He asked. ¡°Exactly. I hope you¡¯re both doing well, I¡¯d stop to chat more, but I got a lot to do and only a short time here,¡± I explained, passing over even more money when I saw that Melvin had already dissolved the three corn dog¡¯s I¡¯d given him. With another three corn dogs slowly dissolving inside Melvin¡¯s gelatinous mass, we moved on. I headed toward the second tier and the same inn that I¡¯d stayed at last time. It was a nice enough place, and the food was good. The inn was also situated near a lot of the shops I wanted to visit on this trip. Hoping they wouldn¡¯t have a problem with Melvin joining me, I entered the inn. ¡°Heya Rico, fancy seeing you here buddy,¡± an all too familiar voice called from the bar. There, seated on a stool with a pair of drinks in front of him was none other than Gary. ¡°Who let you in?¡± I asked, confused and annoyed that Gary had somehow made it back into Somhagen. Chapter 294. Cloak and Gary. Chapter 294. Cloak and Gary. ¡°Relax Rico, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost. It¡¯s just me, your friendly and good-looking next-door neighbor,¡± Gary said. All the other patrons had turned to see what the commotion was all about, but the inn was a bit quiet at this time of day. It was still early in the morning and most people were out and going about their day rather than sitting in an inn drinking or eating. ¡°I thought you had to be invited to enter the city, and while I appreciate you as a neighbor, I didn¡¯t invite you to join me this time,¡± I said, dreading having Gary take an interest in my Somhagen visits. ¡°Oh, I appreciate the previous invite, but I kind of have an ongoing pass to visit this place anytime I want now. You see, it turns out that I have a lot of stuff to do here, and one of the acquaintances I made on the last trip was overjoyed to sponsor me back for another visit,¡± Gary explained. I moved to join him near the bar. While I had no plans to sit and drink with the super powerful evil being, I didn¡¯t want to shout across the inn at him and draw even more attention to our interaction. ¡°I probably don¡¯t want to know what deal you struck to get in here anytime you want. So, do you have to have my personal space parked in the area to be here? You know I can only visit every five ranks,¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s best if I just tag along in my rental property. Sure, I could make it here on my own, but it would take too much time. It¡¯s better if I just enjoy the free ride and have your personal space do all the work. Rico, I¡¯d love to sit and chat some more, but I got things to do and souls to take. Maybe I¡¯ll see you around,¡± Gary said, dropping some coins on the bar counter before hopping down from his stool and heading for the door. ¡°Okay, see you around, I guess,¡± I said, both confused over his abrupt exit, and happy to see this visit wasn¡¯t to torment me personally. ¡°What a cheapskate, I ought to give him a piece of my mind next time he strolls in here,¡± the bartender on duty, and older man with a stained apron and a perpetual scowl on his face mumbled. ¡°Word of advice, don¡¯t antagonize Gary. He¡¯s a lot more dangerous than he looks, and not only that, but I also think he¡¯ll carry a grudge for a long time,¡± I warned. ¡°Yeah, appreciate that, can I get you anything?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking to rent a room for a night or two. I¡¯ve stayed here before and it was a nice place,¡± I explained. ¡°Helga, this young gentleman needs a room, can you get him squared away?¡± the bartender asked. Helga, who was an older woman that resembled the bartender, asked me a few questions about how long I wanted to stay and if I wanted meals included. I told her two nights, but maybe more depending on how the day went. The place had decent food if I remembered correctly, so I included dinner and breakfast for each day, paying extra so Melvin would also get a plate of whatever I was eating. The same room as before was available, so I took it. For a moment I thought about asking for a different room to try and stay away from Gary, but if he wanted to find me, I didn¡¯t think that staying in a different room would fool him. I could only hope that his reason for being here really didn¡¯t involve me. A pang of guilt hit, as I realized that I was only thinking about myself, and not about whatever poor soul Gary was going to try to steal. ¡°Melvin, I think we¡¯ll hit the summoned market first, what do you think?¡± I asked, trying to distract myself from worries over what Gary was doing. Melvin sent me an image of more corn dogs. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll get lunch a bit later, but we¡¯ve just eaten, and I want to get some stuff done while all the shops are open,¡± I explained.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The path to the summoned market on this tier of the city was a familiar one now, and after my last stay, I was getting pretty familiar with this tier of the city. Traffic was light, and I took time to peek at the front window of several shops as I went, making note of the ones I wanted to explore after spending all my summoning points. When I passed near the shop of Clayton Yon, the merchant who I still had a summoning contract open with, he paused his sweeping of the shop¡¯s entryway. It took him a second, but I could see his face light up when he finally recognized me. ¡°Rico, right? You¡¯re the summoned being who offered me the contract. Good to see you, how are things?¡± Clayton asked. His demeanor was much different from the last time I¡¯d interacted with him. ¡°I¡¯m good Clayton, how¡¯s business?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, better than ever, I just signed a new clothing distribution deal that will help my wife and I out quite a bit. Come on inside, Rico, I have something I think you might be interested in. You know my shop doesn¡¯t specialize in summoned being gear, but when one of my colleagues offered me this on trade, I thought it would be perfect for you,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Lead the way, I¡¯ve set aside the whole day for shopping,¡± I said, following him into the shop. The place still seemed to specialize in clothing, and an older woman who I assumed was Clayton¡¯s wife, was busy restocking the nearly empty shelves. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re doing well for yourself,¡± I said. ¡°We are, indeed. Our new contract is bringing in a steady flow of customers each night. Let me introduce you to my wife, Eleanor. Eleanor, this is the young man that I told you about a while back, the one who tried to make up for what happened to our son,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Pleased to meet you, thank you for putting up with Clayton¡¯s rather gruff demeanor. Also, thank you for offering to help if we need it. Not only that, but you didn¡¯t charge us too much for the contract that you and Clayton signed,¡± Eleanor said, stopping to shake my hand. I remembered that the system required a price on the contract, so I just put a single copper in there as compensation. ¡°Glad to meet you as well, Clayton said he had something I might be interested in,¡± I said, trying to not get too tied up in a long conversation with the older couple. I had a lot to do and wanted to get back home after such a long arena challenge. ¡°Right you are, take a look at this, Rico,¡± Clayton said, reaching behind the main counter to pull out a cloak that looked like it had seen better days. It was a faded grey color and while there were a few worn spots, the cloak was made of a thick and sturdy material and wasn¡¯t going to fall apart anytime soon. Holding the item and looking closely at it triggered a system prompt. Cloak of the Minion Master. When activated, this cloak can reinvigorate summoned servants. Each summoned minion allied with the wielder gets an immediate boost of 1 Rank. In addition, the activation will generate a small burst of healing and then a moderate healing over time effect that will last for 30 seconds. If the cloak is at full power, each minion will also receive a force shield that will absorb any physical and magical damage up to a maximum of half the minion¡¯s total health pool. The cloak slowly regenerates its power after each use, reaching maximum effectiveness 1 week after it has been activated. It can be used earlier, but its effects will be prorated based on the time that has passed since its last use. Currently, this cloak is fully charged. It was a perfect item for my build, and the more minions I acquired, the more powerful its overall effect would be. Having a shield for half the maximum health of a powerful melee minion like my mana slayer drone, would really turn the tide of a tough fight. I wanted the item, and asked Clayton how much it would cost. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d charge you around 75-100 gold for something like this, but Eleanor reminded me of your earlier generosity,¡± Clayton said, looking over at Eleanor who had a rather smug look on her face. ¡°Clayton will sell it to you for the same price you charged him for your summoning contract. The price, Rico, is one copper coin,¡± Eleanor said, much to Clayton¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Honey, I paid over 30 gold for that,¡± Clayton started to complain. ¡°And you¡¯ll price it like I¡¯ve told you. We can well afford it now, and I believe in repaying those who¡¯ve treated us right,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°Sold,¡± I said, passing Clayton a copper coin before he could protest further. ¡°See, Clayton, you survived the ordeal of not making a profit on one item,¡± Eleanor kidded. ¡°Thank you both. I¡¯m ready to help whenever you need to activate that contract,¡± I told the pair, equipping the cloak and reminding myself to add it to my loadout once I got back to my personal space. I said my goodbyes to the couple and headed toward the summoned market. This one brief stop had been a rather profitable one, and I hoped that it was only the beginning of the good things I¡¯d find on this trip. Chapter 295. Unusual Figurine. Chapter 295. Unusual Figurine. ¡°Welcome back, summoned being. How may I assist you on this fine day?¡± a slender, older woman asked as I approached the market. It was the same woman I¡¯d worked with before, and after a few seconds of concentration, I remembered her name. Thank you, high mind stat. I doubt that I¡¯d forget anyone¡¯s name again. ¡°Hi, Cambre, nice to see you again. I¡¯m looking for pretty much the same items I was after last time. Any abilities, spells, or upgrades for my class. I¡¯d like to concentrate on things not offered for coin out in the city. Pretty much whatever you have for my class that is exclusive to the summoned market,¡± I explained. ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯d be happy to try and help. Just like last time, I need your permission to examine your class to best fit what we have with what you need,¡± Cambre explained. An employee of the Summoned Market, the being known as Cambre, has asked to inspect your class information. Will you permit this? Y/N. I accepted, knowing that the employees were supposed to be bound by the system to not reveal our information. It was surprising how so many odd things became almost routine after you¡¯d done them a few times. You have granted limited access to the being known as Cambre. Once your shopping has ended and you leave the store, all access will be revoked. ¡°Your class is a rather interesting take on a summoner variant. Please follow me,¡± Cambre said, leading me deeper into the store. I was still impressed with the tier two summoned market. It was much larger than the one on the first tier of the city and reminded me of an upscale department store from back home. Cambre led me to a small shelving unit where several summoning figurines were displayed. ¡°Take your time to peruse our summoning figurine selection while I gather what I think you might be interested in. Do you have any other needs besides class specific items. At this point in your class, many summoned beings start to think about shoring up any weaknesses inherent in their class,¡± Cambre offered. ¡°Whatever you think might help me. I¡¯m not afraid to think outside the box if it¡¯ll keep me or whoever summoned me alive,¡± I said. Cambre went off to other parts of the store and left me to shop on my own for a bit. I wondered about her class, was there some system guidance involved in helping her find what would best fit my needs, or it was it just skill from doing the job so many times. While I waited, I scanned through the figurines the shop had on offer. They had more than usual, but I was reluctant to purchase them with summoning points when I could buy figurines for coin out in other stores. What I did look for was anything that seemed unique, or that I was unlikely to find on my own. The display was arranged rather neatly, with shelves separating the figurines by tier and rank. Each shelf had a range of five ranks, and the lower I went, the higher the tier and rank. Most were common creatures that I passed on. Veteran figurines were few and far between, but I did grab a couple to ask Cambre about. A lot of what I¡¯d buy here depended on the cost. If they were cheap, and I had a few points left over after shopping for my class items, I was fine with spending a bit on unique or interesting figurines. Before Cambre returned, I¡¯d held a total of three that I was interested in. The final selection was one that I found on the floor under the last shelf. My foot had accidentally kicked the figurine when I stooped down to look at the last shelf, or I would have never noticed it. I wondered how long it had languished there under the shelving rack. Did the shop have a magical means of organizing shelves or was this just knocked over recently by a carless customer. Figurines:
  1. Flame Font. Tier 2, Rank 5, Elite. When activated, the Flame Font will engage any targets within 100-feet. Up to three targets can be manually selected, or the summoner can leave the figurine to target automatically. When set in automatic mode, the Flame Font will prioritize the highest tier and rank opponents in range. The Flame Font emits burst of flame that sticks to and burns any target they hit.
There is initial impact and flame damage, followed by a 5-second damage over time element. This figurine¡¯s damage over time component stacks with each successful hit. The Flame Font exists for 1 minute, plus an additional minute for each tier of the summoner. Once placed, the Flame Font cannot be moved.
  1. The Haunting. Tier 2, Rank 5, Veteran. When activated, The Haunting will summon a pair of lesser undead specters to attack your foes. These specters drain life and mana from their targets with each hit, and their attacks penetrate all non-magical defenses. Magical armor, spells, and effects will reduce damage by 75%, but will not completely stop the attack from passing through. Half the life and mana stolen by the specters will be transferred to the summoner.
  2. Replacement Being. Tier 2, Rank 5, Legendary. When activated, this figurine will summon a simulacrum of the summoner. This simulacrum will possess roughly 75% of the power, skills, and abilities you possess at Tier 2, Rank 5, and will perform its tasks autonomously at a competent level. Once this figurine is activated, the summoner will be returned to his personal space until your simulacrum completes the summoning in your stead.
Please note, this item was created in an unknown fashion outside of system influence and may act or function differently than the description indicates. The three figurines were all things I hadn¡¯t seen before. First off, the Flame Font caught my eye because it looked like a machinegun on a tripod. It was only after I looked closer that I realized how powerful it could be. It would be great for summonings where I was facing hordes of weaker creatures, burning them down three at a time. For powerful single targets, the flame font would add a stacking damage over time effect that would help to take down even the most durable targets.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. For the haunting figurine, I liked having something that could get through heavy armor, and even with magical defenses, they would still be somewhat effective. I had a feeling they¡¯d be hard to deal with for most of the opponents I faced. The fact that they would heal me and grant me mana as they fought was an added bonus. The final figurine, the one I found under the shelf, shocked me at first. It looked exactly like me, and of course, that was creepy. I was also a bit freaked out by the last note the system placed on the figurine. It was a gamble to use this thing, but I held onto it anyway so I could ask Cambre about it. ¡°Here is what I¡¯ve gathered for you. There are always more of the standard items, like accessories with stat increases, or various weapons in line with your tier and rank if you wish to see our selection. There is a chance that similar standard items can be purchased for coin outside of the summoned market. As you¡¯ve requested, I¡¯ve just brought over the more unique items, things that you wouldn¡¯t normally be able to find anywhere outside of the Summoned Market or as a system reward,¡± Cambre said as she joined me, unloading her findings on a table near the figurine shelf. ¡°Cambre, before we get started on what you¡¯ve brought, can you tell me about this figurine? I found it under the shelves, and it seems like the description is a bit off,¡± I said, handing the figurine to Cambre as she unloaded the bag of items that she¡¯d brought over for me to examine. Before I could start to look through the new items, Cambre grabbed my arm. ¡°This is not one of our items, and I¡¯m not getting any system information on it, show me exactly where you found it,¡± Cambre demanded, waving for another clerk, a young, bald woman, to join her. The other clerk took the figurine and began to cast a spell of some sort on it. ¡°Right here, under the shelf. I only found it because my foot kicked it,¡± I said pointing to the spot right under the shelf where the figurine had sat. With a slight squeal of pain, the other clerk dropped the figurine to the floor. She pulled Cambre aside and they spoke frantically for a few minutes, making things a bit awkward as I stood there waiting for them to return. When they returned, Cambre¡¯s nice demeanor was gone, and her eyes bored into mine with a fierce look that was more than a bit unsettling. The whole atmosphere of the market took on a more oppressive feel. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a demand of you now. You must submit to an honesty enchantment. If you refuse, you will be banned from shopping inside the summoned market on every tier of the city,¡± Cambre demanded. This wasn¡¯t what I was expecting for my shopping trip today, and I was thoroughly baffled about what was going on at this point. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m a bit confused. I don¡¯t want to get kicked out, all I did was show you what I found on the floor,¡± I replied. ¡°Do you consent to the enchantment. Answer the question,¡± Cambre demanded. Several other shop attendants appeared around us, and a few began casting spells that obscured my view of the rest of the shop. Now I was getting more than a bit worried over my situation. I had nothing to hide, so I¡¯d consent to the enchantment. ¡°I consent as long as the enchantment isn¡¯t for a long duration,¡± I replied. ¡°The enchantment has a short duration and will also end early if you leave the shop,¡± Cambre said flatly as a young woman of an odd reptilian species, cast a spell and pointed in my direction. The enchanter, Ssiriana is attempting to cast a Total Truth enchantment on you. This enchantment will make it extremely painful for you to lie. The duration of the enchantment is 30 seconds per tier of the caster. Do you consent, or do you wish to resist the spell? I accepted the enchantment and felt a strange tingle in my mind as the magic took root. The enchantress nodded toward Cambre, who seemed to be in charge of this whole interrogation. ¡°Rico Kline, did you truly find this magic item on the floor when you accidentally kicked it?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said,¡± I replied. ¡°Did you bring this item in with you, or have knowledge of who might have brought it here?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t have it with me, I¡¯ve never seen it before I picked it up off the floor. As far as knowing anything about it, I can say without a doubt that no, I had no idea it existed before I picked it up. I just thought it was a normal summoning figurine,¡± I replied ¡°He is telling the truth,¡± Ssiriana softly hissed to Cambre. ¡°One final question, did you receive a system prompt when you examined this item,¡± Cambre asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be glad to examine it again and tell you exactly what the system said about it,¡± I said, holding out my hand in case they wanted to me to examine it again while telling them what I remembered of the system prompt. ¡°No, you will never touch this again. This is a dangerous artifact, one that should have never been able to make its way inside here,¡± Cambre replied, stepping between me and where the figurine rested on the floor. Another clerk, a gnome with a rather impressive mustache, cast a spell that created a small bubble of darkness around the figurine, levitating it and dropping it into an ornate lockbox that he quickly sealed. ¡°What was that thing?¡± I asked. ¡°A very dangerous item, one that would have doomed you should you have attempted to use it. That such a thing made its way inside the summoned market, despite the protections in place, will have to be examined further,¡± Cambre said looking back to the gnome with the mustache. ¡°Summoned being, the item has imprinted on you, despite your brief contact with it. I must send you back to your personal space, and request that you return to your home immediately. I assume you live on a mana-starved world?¡± the gnome asked. ¡°Yeah, Earth is still mana starved. What exactly does imprinting on me mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Time is of the essence here, but I can tell you that the item intended for you to trigger it and bring something into our world, or perhaps your world if it had somehow activated there. Whatever was brought in would likely have attempted to take your place. It¡¯s been crafted from an odd combination of aberrant mana that I haven¡¯t seen before. Others will examine it before we seal it away. I¡¯ll have our representatives on the third tier give you an update when you reach that tier. By then, the threat should have been neutralized,¡± the gnome said. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll believe your explanation, but I do hate to leave before I¡¯m done with what I wanted to accomplish here in Somhagen,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you must cut your visit short. You¡¯ve done us a service in discovering and turning this foul thing over to Cambre. To reward you, you may retain, at no cost, the items that Cambre has selected for you. Now, I must insist you leave now,¡± the gnome said. I could feel mana build up around him and a swirling blue portal appeared in front of me. A firm push from behind forced me into the portal. Prepare to return to your personal space. Chapter 296. Early Return. Chapter 296. Early Return. ¡°What just happened?¡± I asked myself as I returned to my personal space. Something had gone very wrong with that strange figurine, and it freaked me out a bit. I¡¯d probably have had no issues with the process if the thing hadn¡¯t looked exactly like me. ¡°Sir, may we be of any assistance?¡± the head butler asked as he offered me a drink and a warm washcloth. ¡°No, thank you. Just an odd experience is all,¡± I replied, accepting the items he offered. Melvin sent me annoyed thoughts; he wasn¡¯t all that concerned about the figurine but was more than a little upset that he missed out on another meal in the city. ¡°Sorry buddy, we¡¯ll get you something good next time,¡± I replied, glad that he was fed by the mana inside the personal space, and I didn¡¯t have to pay for his meals. A gelatinous cube would eat me out of house and home, despite the money I had. ¡°Welcome back, Rico, did something happen during your summoning?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked from behind his desk. I had been too distracted to scan the room and didn¡¯t even realize that he was there until he spoke. ¡°Hey, Tzes¡¯zod, no, not a summoning, something odd happened in Somhagen,¡± I told him. ¡°Interesting, please explain,¡± the lich asked. I gave him a rundown of the events inside the summoned market. After that, Tzes¡¯zod drilled deeper, having me recount the entire visit in detail. He would have made a good interrogator for the police, as he was able to get me to recount details I had almost forgotten about. ¡°It seems this figurine was something the staff at the market had some knowledge of. As for it taking on your form, I believe it is less to do with some nefarious targeting of you specifically, and more of an attempt blend in and leave that place. Short of visiting there myself and taking the artifact by force, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t offer any more insight into it. As long as it¡¯s secured by the summoned market, I believe the danger is past,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. For a moment I wondered what would happen if the lich tried to storm the summoned market and pilfer the figurine. While I had never seen him in action, I could feel that he was powerful. Thankfully, he was an ally and with his phylactery stored safely inside my reward chest, it was in his best interest to see that both me, and my personal space, were secure. That brought up another thought. Between Tzes¡¯zod and Gary, I wondered who would come out on top in a fight? An undead lich wizard vs. whatever Gary was would probably sell a whole bunch of tickets on pay per view. Maybe after integration, someone would start arena matches on Earth with those kinds of matchups. Some enterprising goblin was probably already putting plans in motion for something similar once integration was over with. ¡°Thanks, Tzes¡¯zod, I appreciate your insight. Oh, there was one thing I was interested in getting your opinion on if you have a moment,¡± I said, heading to my reward chest. Before I perused the rewards that I had been given because my trip to Somhagen had been cut short, I wanted the lich to look at the Elixir of the Parasite. ¡°An interesting item, a system reward I assume. Let me examine it for a moment,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, taking the glass vial that held the greenish-yellow elixir. He muttered a few spells under his breath, and then pulled out a jeweler¡¯s loupe to look through. How an undead lich with no eyeballs looked through a jeweler loupe was a mystery, but I chalked it up to magic and system shenanigans. After a few moments of examination, he handed the vial back to me before speaking. ¡°As the description reveals, the elixir is a bit of a mixed bag. Tell me, Rico, how high is your constitution score?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°It¡¯s seventeen,¡± I replied. Normally, you weren¡¯t supposed to disclose that kind of information, but I figured the risk of telling Tzes¡¯zod was minimal. ¡°That should be sufficient, and usually, the system won¡¯t offer a reward that would harm you. Some, like this elixir, have drawbacks, but the system must have weighed that the benefits outweighed them,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained in a tone that reminded me of a college professor giving a lecture to a bored class. ¡°But should I use it?¡± I asked, trying to get him focused on my real reason for having him examine it. ¡°I would say, yes. When you imbibe it, tiny parasites will infest your system, permanently draining a point or two of constitution. These parasites aren¡¯t mindless and won¡¯t seek to destroy the host they live inside. Instead, as the description announced, they will vigorously defend you from any other invasive species. ¡°Their power will start off rather weak, but the longer they reside inside you, the better able to defend you they¡¯ll become. While encountering parasites that your normal constitution as a summoned being can¡¯t fight off is rather rare, I¡¯m sure you will encounter more powerful dangers at some point. There is also the possibility that the parasites will help against things like rot grubs and the like once the parasites grow in power,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Thank you, give me a minute to think about this?¡± I told him. Tzes¡¯zod didn¡¯t reply, and instead went back to whatever he was working on at his desk. The elixir I held made me a bit nervous. After weighing the pros and cons, I figured giving up some constitution to protect me from a potentially horrible death was a good trade. ¡°Welcome to the team, parasites,¡± I said as I quaffed the potion. It had no taste, for which I was thankful. It was pretty much like drinking a vial of tap water. I stood there for a minute, waiting to see if there was going to be anything catastrophic happening. Other than feeling of lethargy that passed quickly, I didn¡¯t notice any changes. You have been infected with a parasitic organism. Your constitution has dropped to 15. You have gained resistance from parasitic infestation. The resistance is considered moderate but will gain in potency over time. At least losing two constitution points permanently wasn¡¯t painful. The tired feeling was also fading quickly. With the parasites making themselves at home, it was time to check out my loot. When I opened the chest, I selected new items only, and was given a system prompt before my acquisitions were displayed. Since your visit to Somhagen at Tier 2, Rank 5 was ended prematurely by a system sanctioned facility, all items acquired from the Summoned Market will be enhanced by the system. Reward Chest.
  1. Class ability scroll. Life Tap.
  2. Ability upgrade scroll. Switch.
  3. Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb.
  4. Portal of the cackle.
It all sounded good, but I needed to examine each item to see exactly how powerful they were. I went in order, starting with the class ability scroll. Advanced Life Tap. The Tier and Rank of this ability scale with the caster. This class ability scroll is compatible with all summoner classes. Life Tap allows you to pull the life force from one of your minions, using it to heal yourself. This ability works on all your summoned minions, including those created through consumables or contracts of any sort. The summoner may determine how much life he intends to pull from his minion. This spell has been upgraded to an advanced form. The advanced version of Life Tap allows you to target any summoned creature, both friendly and hostile. Advanced Life Tap may be resisted by creatures with a higher Tier and Rank than the caster. The greater the gap between the caster and the target, the more likely it will be partially or fully resisted. This ability has a 1-minute cooldown between uses. That was a nice addition, and with the system bumping it to the advanced version, it was not only an emergency heal for me but was also a way to destroy enemy summoned creatures. I activated the scroll and allowed the knowledge to flow into my mind. Next up was the upgrade scroll which I activated after reading its description. Your ability, Switch, has evolved into the spell Switch and Replace. The ability no longer requires you to target a minion, instead, you may target any spot within your line of sight. The maximum range of the ability is 100 feet per tier of the caster. When activated, Switch and Replace will instantly teleport you to your targeted location, leaving behind an illusion that matches your movements. This ability can be activated every 5 minutes. Great, now I didn¡¯t have to place a minion in danger to save myself. It was essentially a short-range teleport, and the illusion might buy me a few extra seconds before the attacker discovered it wasn¡¯t real. The cooldown of five minutes probably made it a one-shot option in most fights. Now it was time to see what the orb thing was. Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb. This item may be activated to cast spell reflection on yourself and all your summoned minions. The spell reflection will shift the next harmful spell, ability, or physical attack back on your opponent. This orb can only be used once per day, and when activated, it will return to your reward chest to recharge. Once activated, the orb¡¯s effects will last for 1 minute before the magic dissipates. The orb can only affect attacks that up to the Tier and Rank of the summoner. Attacks and abilities from a higher Tier and Rank may only have part of the damage or harmful effect reflected or it may bypass the protection entirely. That was another survival option for me, and I was starting to feel better about my chances when I wasn¡¯t under the protection of the respawn mechanic. Combined with the Cloak of the Minion Master, my summoned creatures would be well protected. The orb itself was a small, marble-sized polished stone. It was grey in color, and I could activate it with a thought, which was good, because if I needed it, I probably didn¡¯t have time to pull it from inventory. Portal of the Cackle. Tier 0, Rank 5. This portal may be placed anywhere within the line of sight of the summoner. When activated, the portal will begin to spawn gnoll warriors at a rate of 1 warrior every 30 seconds until the charges are expended, or the portal is destroyed. The gnolls will attack the nearest hostile target and will automatically be unsummoned after 1 hour. The portal starts with 5 charges and slowly gains new charges until the maximum limit of 10 is reached. Should the portal be destroyed, it will gradually rebuild itself inside your reward chest. This portal was great. It was essentially a free group of lower tier and rank minions that I could place anywhere on the battlefield. They probably would only serve as distractions against more powerful foes, but I¡¯d been in many situations where I needed numbers as much as quality, and the portal would help. After adding everything to my loadout, it was time to return home. I was a bit disappointed over leaving Somhagen early, but getting free gear from the summoned market was awesome, and it allowed me to stockpile even more summoning points for when I finally made it to the third tier of the city. Prepare to return to your home world. Chapter 297. Back to the Grind. Chapter 297. Back to the Grind. I was sent home, and it took me a minute to remember what had been going on when I was summoned. I was still in Jeanette¡¯s house, and remembered that we had been meeting with Agent Lopez after the attack on Refuge by the cultists. The meeting was still going on, through everyone was looking at the empty chair where Fitzfazzle had been sitting. ¡°What happened to Fitzfazzle?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Sorry, I got pulled into a contracted summoning and that must have forced him back to his world,¡± I explained. ¡°You were just summoned and returned? Let me get some readings,¡± the agent with the computer said. ¡°Did everything go okay, Rico?¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°Yeah, it was fine. I hit tier two, rank five and then visited Somhagen again. I¡¯ll put it all down in the report, along with a couple of odd things that happened in the city. Sorry to have interrupted the meeting,¡± I replied. ¡°No problem, Rico, it¡¯s not like you can plan these things. Having Fitzfazzle gone is a bit of a blow. How soon until you can summon him again? Our people were getting some great ideas from him, and I think Fitzfazzle was enjoying learning from our people almost as much as we were from him,¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°There¡¯s no exact timeline, I just have to wait for his figurine to be ready again. As soon as I can summon him again, I¡¯ll let you know. Maybe we¡¯ll try to time it for just after I get back from a summoning so we¡¯ll maximize how long he can stay here,¡± I offered. ¡°Good plan, just give me a call as soon as you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll have a team kept on standby when you think we¡¯re close. At least we had some time to work with Fitzfazzle which will allow us to plan a bit better for his next visit. With that being said, does anyone have anything else to add?¡± Agent Lopez asked as he tried to wrap up the meeting. ¡°I have a few administrative things, but they don¡¯t have to be handled in person, and we can just text or email about that,¡± Marie said. ¡°Great, one final thing and then I have to get out of here. As you can imagine, we¡¯ve got a lot of paperwork and reports to do after the cultist attack. The last thing I wanted to mention, is that we need the help of every summoned being right now, even those that are minors,¡± Lopez looked at Elliot as he said that. ¡°With the summoned beings that are over tier three disappearing, we¡¯re losing our most experienced consultants. Please try to make your schedules flexible as we work to get our world ready,¡± Lopez pleaded. Snagging a final cookie from the fresh plate Jeanette brought out, Agent Lopez and his assistant left. Everyone was tired, and I slunk back to my apartment to sleep. Closing the door to my place, I almost jumped when Melvin spoke up. With his last visit, I thought it might be a while before he could join me back on Earth, but he had managed to hitch a ride in his armor form. As he moved slightly, I could see a thin, nearly invisible gelatinous layer encasing my armor. He wasn¡¯t as mobile and seemed muted and less talkative when in this form, but he had no trouble telling me that he was hungry¡­as always. With no mana here to sustain him, I did have to feed him. My refrigerator wasn¡¯t exactly empty, but the choices were slim. I was too tired to head out to some late-night restaurant or fast-food run, so I gave Melvin a sample of everything that I had on hand. It was a bit harder to feed him, as he was encased over my existing armor. Melvin made it work, and anything I held against my armor for more than a few seconds was slurped up. Before long, I got the feeling that while he wanted more, he was fine with me stopping to rest. I unsummoned my armor, took a shower, and hopped into bed. A quick resummoning of my armor revealed that Melvin was still there. He sent me images of him remaining in armor form until a summoning, or visit home ended, no matter how many times I equipped and unequipped the armor.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. My day started early, and after introducing Melvin to my favorite cereal, Captain Crunch, I was called by Major Finley. They were bumping up the number of trainees that would be working with me. Now, we were up to a reinforced company, just over 200 soldiers. The old platoon I had been working with was still part of the training group, but working with the new additions went slower than I¡¯d have liked. The military had given them all a briefing but seeing what a summoned being could do in person was always a bit of a shock. In the end, with Major Finley¡¯s help, we got them sorted and into the normal training routine. A new addition to the group, First Sergeant Novak, proved to be a big help. Nobody, even the officer¡¯s, wanted to mess with Top, which is what they all called the First Sergeant. With a booming voice, and a command presence I hoped to someday achieve, Top kept everyone on task. He wasn¡¯t afraid to dish out some ¡°corrective physical training¡± when needed. I was even a victim of his efforts a time or two, but Top laid off after he realized it was taking too long to smoke me properly with pushups. My system enhanced body was coming through for me again. After a couple of days of training and waiting for rides or borrowing cars from others at Refuge to get to the base, it was finally time to make my first big purchase since becoming wealthy. It was time for me to buy a car, but what car? My bank account said that I could get just about anything, but I¡¯d lived a much simpler life for too long to blow money on an expensive car. In the end, I just wanted basic, comfortable transportation, not to make a statement to anyone. Deciding on a Honda Accord, my dealership experience was a strange one. I expected there to be some haggling, there always is during a car purchase, but what I didn¡¯t expect was for my Mind and Presence stats to come through for me. While they didn¡¯t give me the car for free, a later check online showed that I had bought it well below the dealer¡¯s cost. They dealership even offered me a job as a salesman there. Maybe if this whole summoned being and pending apocalypse thing didn¡¯t work out, I¡¯d at least have a new career in car sales waiting for me. Having my own car made things a lot easier for me. Southern California wasn¡¯t a place that had great public transportation, and I¡¯d always felt bad asking other people for a ride anywhere. With new wheels, I was also able to take Melvin out for some grub. He already loved tacos, but I also introduced him to the other offerings nearby. The days passed, and I continued to assist with training the troops. There was a lot they had to shift their thinking about, as well as new skills to learn with melee weapons and primitive ranged weapons. Supposedly, the military was working on something that would keep their advanced weapons secure, but from what I¡¯d seen of the universe out there, tech only functioned efficiently when paired with mana. Units rotated in and out of my training program, and we began to get things dialed in. Somehow, despite the soldiers and others being briefed on the pending induction into the system, word hadn¡¯t gotten out. It was inevitable, and from what Agent Lopez said, there was going to be an announcement of some kind soon, hopefully early enough to give people a couple of months to prepare before it happened. Elliot and a now fully healed Quinn joined me in the training. Once they were up to speed, we were able to expand the number of soldiers we worked with. In addition to the military, we started to see members of law enforcement and other emergency services. I didn¡¯t know how the system would determine classes for everyone, but it was assumed that those with medical training would probably be offered some kind of healer option. I¡¯d had over two weeks without a summoning when the next series finally hit. I was overseeing my mana slayer drone as it attempted to ambush a squad of Marines in a training exercise when the familiar words flashed in front of me, and I was pulled into my personal space. You are Summoned! ¡°Welcome back sir, may I be of any further assistance?¡± Whirtmir, the head butler in my personal space asked after handing me the obligatory beverage. ¡°No, I¡¯m good, thank you, Whirtmir,¡± I replied. I never got a chance to visit Chaladoom¡¯s store since my visit to Somhagen was cut short. New upgrades for the personal space were on the agenda, but that would now have to wait until tier three finally rolled around. After a quick check to make sure my loadout was how I wanted, I stepped into the portal, ready for my next adventure. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the techno mage Crellin.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 5.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of non-combat related support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
Chapter 298. The Dragons Gullet. Chapter 298. The Dragon¡¯s Gullet. I stepped from the portal and found myself outside a tall wooden palisade. There were dozens of other summoned beings around me, of all different species. An order was given out over a loudspeaker every few minutes, telling us to obey the attendants and to wait quietly for new orders. We all stood quietly in a roped-off area as I waited to see what I was supposed to be doing on this summoning. Several goblins in colorful uniforms wandered around the crowd of summoned beings. They were unarmed save for a small dagger and a wand on their belts. I tried to follow my summoning link, but instead of one thread leading to my summoner, it was a spiderweb of links to every goblin around me as well as the crude brass speaker the announcements were coming from. ¡°Send the current group into the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± the speaker announced. I could see looks of concern that matched my own on the other summoned beings¡¯ faces. I was forced to obey as one of the attendants lifted the rope and waved us through. A quick check showed that I had the Summoning Pass reward ready to use. Being fed to a dragon was not on my list of fun things to do, but if it was a quick end, I¡¯d save my escape option for a more sinister threat. We were led around the tall palisade, and toward a gate. The gate was open ad was oddly decorated with brightly colored images of various monsters, a blimp of some kind, and people sitting on a raft laughing as they approached a swirling vortex that would likely spell their doom. ¡°Where¡¯s this lot going Kriznip?¡± An armed and armored goblin at the gate asked. A dozen of them were lazing about the gate, the first heavily armed people, other than the summoned beings, that I¡¯d seen. ¡°They¡¯re heading to the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± the goblin leading our group, who I assumed was Kriznip, answered. ¡°Did maintenance finally get the bugs worked on the containment field there?¡± the guard asked as he shuffled lazily out of the way and waved the group through. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re going to find out for us. Don¡¯t forget, Dunburk, management¡¯s always willing to take volunteers to test things out if you¡¯re tired of your current assignment,¡± the goblin attendant leading our group offered. The guard waved him off and the pair laughed at the suggestion. Inside the gate, I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. From the well-constructed palisade, I figured this was a military camp of some kind. Instead, we walked down a cobblestone path lined with shops. I was able to catch some glimpses inside the buildings as we marched past. The shops were mostly empty, though a few had small teams of goblins working inside them. It looked like they were building out counters and hauling in crates of goods. About half the shops had colorful signs to match the entrance, including offers of various foods at what were probably exorbitant prices. We turned down another wide path, and passed more shops, as well as what looked like a small stage for performers. A bridge ahead led over a rapidly flowing river that was about twenty feet wide. As we crossed, one of the rafts I¡¯d seen depicted at the entrance sailed under the bridge. The raft was filled with grim-faced summoned beings just like us. What was going on in this odd place? The group was led toward a small hill about five-stories tall that had been carved to resemble a mountain peak. Groups of workers were slathering on white paint to make the tops look like they were covered in snow, as other workers placed plants and trees at various points. In front of the mountain was a corral that we were led toward, and I wondered if we were just cattle to be slaughtered in an attempt to curry the favor of whatever dragon might be lurking inside the small mountain. ¡°Queue up and get ready to board the mine carts when you¡¯re told,¡± the goblin leading our group, Kriznip, ordered. Just like with all the other goblins, I had a faint summoner link to Kriznip, so I obeyed. There was just over a score of summoned beings, but we looked like a small party inside the huge corral that was designed to hold hundreds.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Toward the front of the group, I could see that narrow railway tracks had been laid just outside the corral gate. The tracks headed toward the dark and ominous opening in the mountainside. In the other direction, the rails led around a bend and behind the mountain before they were cut off from view. ¡°Hey Jeff, how¡¯s this contraption running today?¡± Kriznip asked a scrawny looking goblin in robes who held a glowing stone up to one eye like it was a spotting scope. ¡°Eh, seems okay so far. The boss wants us to keep cycling these things through to see if everything has been sorted out,¡± the oddly named goblin, Jeff, replied. If I had been allowed to speak, the first question I would ask was how a goblin ended up named Jeff, but sadly, I had no speaking permission, and goblin Jeff was probably a mystery that I would never solve. ¡°Where¡¯s the cart at? Not to rush you, but I¡¯ve got another group that I have to send to the Vortex River before I can break for lunch. I hear they¡¯re serving a pint of ale with each lunch at the commissary today and I don¡¯t want to miss out,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°It¡¯s on the final leg now. The cart¡¯s empty and I¡¯ve run it through empty a bunch of times now with no problems. Ah, here it is,¡± Jeff said as a line of a dozen rickety wooden mining carts rolled around the mountain and toward the corral. ¡°What are those bars in front of each cart?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°A new safety device. The earlier volunteer test group showed a higher injury and death rate if we just let the passengers bounce around inside the carts. Oh, that reminds me,¡± Jeff said, turning his attention toward our group. ¡°As you go through, make sure to raise your arms occasionally and test out the safety bars,¡± Jeff ordered us. The carts slowed to a stop too soon, and were now just behind the corral opening, preventing us from boarding. After giving a goblin curse the system didn¡¯t bother to translate, mana surged, and Jeff cast a spell over the carts. With a shuddering jolt, the carts crept forward, stopping at the right spot for us to board as Jeff waved his hands in a strange pattern to control the mine cart¡¯s movement. ¡°How much juice do these things hold. I don¡¯t think management can afford to have mages here pumping mana into them all day, every day. That¡¯s going to be expensive,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to get a mana crystal system installed in the lead car before the end of the day. That way, the cheapskates running this operation can just have them charged once each day and not have to pay mages to pull a whole shift,¡± Jeff explained. ¡°Nice, okay, should I load them up?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°Yeah, get them aboard,¡± Jeff demanded. We followed the goblin commands and filtered into the mining carts. I was stuffed into the front cart along with a diminutive gnome in mage robes. It struck me that these carts weren¡¯t exactly set up to haul cargo, each one was just like a simple two seat amusement park ride. A shiny, steel bar started to slowly lower into position as the last of the passengers were brought aboard. Sharp screams of pain were heard from behind me as something happened to a summoned being a few carts back. Jeff and Kriznip rushed over, and I could hear metallic banging and then a whiff of mana as Jeff cast some unknown spell. ¡°Dang, that¡¯s one gone before the carts even started. What happened to the so-called safety bars?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°That¡¯s my bad, I didn¡¯t realize that particular cart was set to accommodate the smallest passenger in the seat. It lowered into place to securely hold the halfling but broke the legs of the orc sitting next to him. I¡¯ve reset them to match the largest passenger. We¡¯ll see how many of the little ones we lose on the journey,¡± Jeff said. The ¡°safety¡± bar lowered again, stopping just before it touched my thigh. From the corner of my eye, I could see the gnome next to me looking down at the gap between the safety bar and his legs in fear. It would probably help to hold me in, but if our ride was a rough one, the gnome was in trouble. ¡°All right, a few commands for you on your journey. Like I mentioned before, try to raise your arms and move side to side occasionally on the ride. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll debrief the survivors on the experience. The main thing we want from you is whether or not, after the safety issues are worked out, if you think this ride would be fun experience for paying guests,¡± Jeff explained. That cinched it, this whole place was some sort of weird goblin amusement park. Given the shoddy construction of the ride, and the obvious dangers to the passengers, I had to guess there were no regulations about customer and worker safety in whatever world we were in. With a nearly whiplash inducing lurch, the mine carts started forward. The dark opening into the mountainside loomed and I wondered how many of us were going to survive the ride. Chapter 299. Going for a Ride. Chapter 299. Going for a Ride. Even though the cart was powered with mana, it still made that familiar clacking sound as it climbed up an incline toward the opening in the mountain. We were essentially crash test dummies for the amusement park, and I saw a goblin worker planting trees on the mountainside give us a sad shake of his head as we passed. Even he knew we were in for it. I realized something then; the carts had appeared around the corner of the mountain empty. Did that mean everyone aboard for the last test died, or were they somehow unsummoned on the other side of the ride? Whatever the reason, I was about to find out. The track leveled out as we entered the dark cave. Glowing crystals, probably powered with mana of some sort, lined the ride. It was still dark inside, but there was enough light to see the cheap, painted wooden cutouts they had placed for ¡°ambiance¡±. A sign near the cave mouth told me what I was looking at. Follow the brave team of adventurers as they journey into the dragon¡¯s lair and seek the treasure within. Will they survive their adventure, or will the dragon have a fresh meal to enjoy? There were four wooden cutouts, painted to look like an orc warrior in plate armor, a human woman in chainmail with mace and shield, a halfling rogue in leather armor with a sword in hand, and finally, a goblin wizard in dark robes with a wand in one hand and a longsword in the other. The track turned and we were led deeper into the fake mountain. We began to climb as we entered a stretch of the ride with no mana lights. In the pitch black, we reached the top of our journey and then the carts began to race down the track, picking up speed as we spiraled down. Now, lights reappeared, flashing onto more cheap wooden cutouts of the adventurers battling various minions of the dragon. When we reached the bottom of our drop with a firm jolt, the ride smoothed out. The gnome next to me yelped in panic. I could see him flying up and out of the cart, the lap bar proving no impediment to him begin thrown out. A quick grab allowed me to snag onto his robes and haul him back into his seat, where the gnome grabbed the lap bar with a death grip and nodded his thanks. I still couldn¡¯t speak, but I was able to nod in reply. I smiled, realizing we probably looked like two dudes who thought they were too cool for anything other than a nod of acknowledgement. The tracks then led us slowly through an open cavern, where the lighting was better and the party whose adventures we were following had set camp. If I knew my amusement park rides, we would be in for another climb and then the grand finale. As we started the climb, wooden cutouts of small dragons shot from the walls and toward our carts, with badly recorded growls sounding out as they moved. It was here that we hit our first snag. Apparently one of the cutouts wasn¡¯t secured properly and the wooden dragon-shaped plank launched itself into the rear cart. Things happened too fast for me to see the impact, but when I did get turned around in my seat, both occupants in the rear car were no longer there. Presumably, they had been killed and turned into mana vapor as they were unsummoned. The ride ground to a halt and we were stuck there, able to do nothing. Thankfully, my cart was in the front and well past the dragon hatchling cutouts that kept flying forward and back. It was probably only a matter of time before another one broke free of its restraints and crashed into a cart. Suddenly, the cutouts all retracted and the lights overhead glowed brighter. A trio of goblin workers emerged from a side tunnel. I¡¯d never worked in an amusement park, but I had met several people in California that had at one point or another. The rides like this one were usually riddled with hidden passages allowing the maintenance teams to access the rides. ¡°I thought we had that one squared away. I guess Jeff was right and we need to double up on the mounting brackets on these things,¡± one of the goblins complained as he pulled out an iron bracket and headed toward the broken dragon cutout. The other pair of workers hauled in a replacement cutout, telling me that this was probably a regular occurrence.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Hey, new guy, head back to the control room and tell them the ride is clear. Make sure they keep these things on inactive, though. I don¡¯t want them hitting us while we¡¯re working,¡± one of the goblins said. The smallest of the trio ran off deeper into the mountain to follow his orders, and a few minutes later, our journey resumed. We clacked and clattered our way up the big incline, and once at the top, began what felt like a breakneck journey toward a cavern lit with open flames alongside the glowing crystals. Here I could see four live versions of the adventurers that had been depicted throughout the ride. Instead of bravely facing the dragon, they were sitting down and eating what must have been their lunch. They gave us a casual glance as our carts streamed past them, and pretty much ignored us. I guess the park realized that painted wooden cutouts weren¡¯t going to be enough for the paying passengers, and the goblins intended for a bit of a live action show to spice things up. We now hurled toward the ¡°dragon¡±. This time, it was just a metal framework, and I had to guess that there was probably some illusion magic to bring it to life when the ride was finally ready. Nobody was going to be satisfied with the erector set looking thing in front of us. What did have me worried was how the jaws of the contraption continually seemed to snap down, almost hitting the rails. Our path was right through the things mouth, and I had a good feeling that this is where most of the previous passengers had met their fate. The jaws clamped down as my cart passed under. A loud crash sounded out as the jaws closed on the car behind us. The connection between our car and the rest of the train snapped and we surged forward as the others slammed into the now broken dragon maw. We moved past before I could get a good look, but it didn¡¯t appear that there were many survivors. My gnome riding buddy looked at me with terror in his eyes as the ride slowed and I could see the light of day as the exit neared. I couldn¡¯t say anything to reassure my companion, but I figured the worst was over. Rides typically now slowed down until you reached the debarkation area. The whole process was about getting everyone efficiently off, so the carts could be sent to pick up the next group of customers. A final, painted wooden cutout greeted us as we left. It was the goblin wizard, and one arm was animated to wave. As we passed by the wizard, a final sign was placed before we exited the mountain. The battle with the dragon was fierce, and only the great and powerful goblin wizard Braznil has survived. Before you leave, make sure to get your plushy version of your favorite characters from the ride. As a special deal for new guests, the plushies are now buy one, get one free for a limited time! It seemed like the goblins had the merchandizing piece of the amusement park experience down pat. If they could keep the rides from killing most of the guests, they might actually be able to turn a decent profit. We passed outside, and as my eyes adjusted to the bright daylight, I could see the landing where the guests would normally get off the ride. There was even a gift shop placed so the guests would be forced to walk through it before they could leave. Instead of stopping there, our sole surviving cart made its way back to the loading area where the goblin Jeff waited for us, a look of disappointment on his face as he saw the state of the train after this brief journey through the mountain. As the ride slowed to a stop, I could see the goblin Kriznip return with a fresh batch of summoned victims. ¡°Damn, we¡¯re going to have to have maintenance hook up some more carts,¡± Jeff said as Kriznip pushed the ¡°safety¡± bar aside so we could exit. ¡°Yeah, and the mages will need to be summoned to make sure the mana drive crystals are charged up enough. That¡¯s going to take some time, and I doubt that you¡¯ll be ready for this lot before their summoning expires. Where do you want me to take them?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°I¡¯ll check, give me a second,¡± Jeff said, chanting a quick spell and pawing at the air like he was working on a tablet before continuing. ¡°Okay, they need more test subjects at the Vortex of Doom, send them down that way.¡± ¡°Fine, but that ride¡¯s in even worse shape than this one. What genius thought it was a good idea to introduce a real live pond grabber to the ride?¡± Kriznip complained. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t say that has worked out very well. Supposedly, they¡¯ve got its feeding and pacification spells sorted out now, but I guess that¡¯s what this group will find out for us,¡± Jeff said. ¡°All right, buddy, see you after work for some drinks? I hear the commissary is bringing in some stronger stuff to keep us all happy,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be there, see ya,¡± Jeff replied in a friendly manner as I joined the other group of summoned beings that were marching toward whatever the Vortex of Doom was. If it was as well constructed and maintained as the dragon ride, I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about our chances of surviving. Chapter 300. Vortex of Doom. Chapter 300. The Vortex of Doom. We marched back through the park, and I got a view of a couple of other attractions that I hadn¡¯t seen before. It seemed that the dragon ride and the vortex thing we were heading toward were some of the main attractions, but the goblins hadn¡¯t skimped on installing some of the more basic rides. First off was a Ferris wheel that was powered by a pair of ogres turning a crank. There weren¡¯t any test subjects like me riding the wheel, but it seemed like a pretty simple and safe device as long as the ogres didn¡¯t screw up. The other ride we passed was a kid¡¯s ride based on the mana powered carts from the dragon ride. This time, the short track was flat, the cars smaller and much slower. About the only excitement on this ride were more of the cheap, painted wooden cutouts these goblins liked to use. Ahead, I could hear the roar of a river, and Kriznip pointed us toward another corral that doubled as a dock for the ride¡¯s rafts. With the extensive queue area, the goblins must have felt this was going to be a popular ride and needed to be able to handle quite a few customers at once. I had to give the goblins points for having most of the queue area covered. There was nothing worse than being in line outside under the beating sun for a summer amusement park trip. A full team of goblin workers were there as we wormed our way through the queue. This Vortex of Doom was most definitely a work in progress. The sign wasn¡¯t even up yet. I wondered how long it would be until the park was finished, as some of it seemed almost ready to go, but other parts, like the vortex, had a long way to go before they were ready for the public. The goblins waved the first group of around eight passengers forward and loaded them into a wooden raft that was little more than logs lashed together with coarse rope. For ¡°safety¡± a bench on each side of the raft had been nailed down, and a rope was strung around the seats to help keep the passengers from flying out if things got a bit wild. One by one, the groups were loaded and pushed out into the raging waters of the river. As far as the river itself, it looked like any type of water ride you¡¯d see in a modern amusement park. The river channel was made from cobblestones held together by a concrete-like substance. How they powered the water was a mystery, as the river was moving at a pace you¡¯d expect to see on a white-water rafting trip, not an amusement park ride. I was partnered up with the same gnome from earlier as the only passengers on the last raft. We sat where indicated on the wooden bench and grasped the safety rope for our dear lives. The rope was strung through several posts that had been driven into the floor of the raft, and at least those seemed sturdy enough that they wouldn¡¯t snap as soon as all our weight hit the rope. Once again, the gnome looked terrified, and I wondered if he even knew how to swim. Was swimming a popular activity around the crazy system-controlled worlds? I sort of figured it wasn¡¯t given that there was the possibility of monsters in just about any body of water. We were cast off from the dock area, where a small breakwater kept the current down to a manageable level. Once outside the calmer waters, our raft began to pick up speed. The raft headed toward the far bank of the river, and I expected us to crash against the cobblestone raised bank. Instead, something gently pushed against the raft as we neared the side. The goblins were using magic to keep the rafts from crashing and breaking up, which I took as a good sign that we might just survive this ordeal. The ride slowed as we passed a sharp turn that drenched us both in water. Things continued in this vein for a while, and this vortex must have been one of the longer rides in the park. Just about when I was starting to enjoy myself, we entered a wider part of the river. In front of us was another summoned being laden raft, and we could now get a preview of whatever was going to happen to us. At the end of the wide river was a huge pool that had a swirling roil of water in the center. This must have been the titular Vortex of Doom, and I wasn¡¯t sure how the goblins expected us to survive it. We watched as the raft in front of us got pulled by the vortex, but just like the sides of the river, some kind of magic kept them from being completely sucked into the roiling water and destroyed. After a complete loop around the vortex, the raft moved away, heading toward another channel that must take the rafts back to wherever they unloaded the passengers. To my horror, and the horror of the people aboard the raft in front of us, two long tentacles emerged from the vortex and snatched up a pair of riders. The riders¡¯ screams were cut short as they were pulled into the vortex by whatever creature resided inside.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It was then that I remembered the conversation between Kriznip and Jeff. They had mentioned something about a pond grabber that wasn¡¯t doing what they wanted it to. Those tentacles must have been from whatever a pond grabber was, and as we hit the vortex, I could only hope that the monster wasn¡¯t still hungry. We made our loop around the vortex and were heading toward the final leg of our journey when the tentacles emerged again. They turned toward our raft, and I silently urged our ride to pick up speed as we were almost out of the monster¡¯s reach. That¡¯s when it hit me, this monster wasn¡¯t going to eat its fill if its only victims were summoned beings. We just disappeared into mana vapor when killed and would provide the monster no sustenance, hence its continued aggression. The tentacles shot forward as the ride spun and our backs were to the creature. I jumped forward, aiming to hit the bench on the other side and, hopefully, get out of range of the attack. My gnome companion wasn¡¯t quite as lucky, and he gave a short yelp as a tentacle latched onto him and pulled him toward the vortex. My last-minute maneuvering managed to dodge the other tentacle¡¯s attack, and before it could strike a second time, I was out of range. I¡¯d survived, and tried to enjoy the calm, and monster-free last section of the ride. As I suspected, there was another debarkation area, with a goblin team waiting to pull our rafts into position so we could unload. ¡°Step out and join the others,¡± Kriznip ordered as they pulled my raft to the dock. ¡°Did that thing kill all but one of the passengers? That¡¯s got to be a new record, one of the goblin attendants said. ¡°Nah, there were only two on this raft, the only survivors of the latest test run on the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± Kriznip replied. ¡°So, this guy is the sole survivor of both the Dragon¡¯s Gullet and the Vortex of Doom. He¡¯s should get some kind of award for that, don¡¯t you think?¡± the worker asked. ¡°It¡¯s a summoned being, not an employee. He should be happy we¡¯re not sending him through a second time. I think Jeff¡¯s going to debrief him since he¡¯s survived our two most problematic rides. Now, let me get moving, this guy¡¯s summoning is going to expire soon, and Jeff wants to talk to him pronto,¡± Kriznip said. They didn¡¯t seem to think of summoned beings as anything other than disposable minions but given these were goblins working in a janky amusement park, I probably shouldn¡¯t be offended by that attitude. It did strike me funny how the system translated slang, I was pretty sure that ¡°pronto¡± wasn¡¯t the actual word Kriznip used. After exiting the ride, the rest of the survivors were shuffled back to the Dragon¡¯s Gullet by another worker, and Kriznip led me to one of the shops that was still under construction. Jeff met us there and ordered me to sit at the table with him. ¡°First off, let¡¯s confirm that you can hear and understand us. You never know with summoned beings. Sometimes they are stupid as rock, despite looking like a race that can normally hold a decent conversation. You have permission to talk now human,¡± Jeff said. Kriznip stayed in the room with us, but he seemed disinterested in the whole thing. ¡°I can understand you, what is it you wanted from me?¡± I answered. ¡°Great, first off, let¡¯s hear your experience from the Dragon¡¯s Gullet. Other than almost getting chomped, was the ride fun?¡± Jeff asked. Like before, Jeff was pawing at the air, like he was working an invisible tablet as he took notes. ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯m a bit jaded, as we have a bunch of amusement parks like this back on my world. Of course, we don¡¯t have mana yet, so they¡¯re all run on technology. Other than one in a million freak accidents, we don¡¯t have people killed or maimed very often. As far as the ride itself, you could do better, it wasn¡¯t the best dark rollercoaster I¡¯ve been on,¡± I tried to explain. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve got places like this on your world? Amazing, but I have only a short time here or I¡¯d pick your brain more. So, about the Dragon¡¯s Gullet, in your opinion, what can we do to improve?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°First off, the painted wood cutouts are kind of cheap looking. I don¡¯t know, maybe you can have some kind of illusion spell instead? The dragon at the end obviously needs some work, and there¡¯s no reason to have it chomp directly at the tracks. That seems needlessly dangerous, and you can get the same jump scare by having it looming nearby while it roars. ¡°Good stuff, summoned guy, I appreciate your input. I do feel the need to inform you that our organization has full rights to all information you relay to us, and as a summoned being, you cannot make any copyright, stolen intellectual property, or other damage claims against our company. Furthermore, you cannot disclose anything you¡¯ve seen here to any potential competitors. Do you acknowledge that I just informed you of your rights and obligations?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°Sure, I guess. Hey, one question before we continue. I¡¯ve never heard of a goblin named Jeff before. How did you get your name?¡± I asked, not really concerned about the legalese. I had no desire to open a competing amusement park. ¡°Ah, I wondered if my name would come up. As a human, you¡¯ll probably find this incredibly interesting. You see¡­¡± Jeff started to say before I was whisked away by the system. You have survived and successfully completed your summoning. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 5, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 31 experience points. You have earned 42 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 6. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 301. The Mystery of Jeff. Chapter 301. The Mystery of Jeff. ¡°Aw, come on System, I wanted to hear why the goblin guy was named Jeff!¡± I shouted in frustration as I returned to my personal space. Now, I¡¯d probably never find out. That was the problem with most of my summonings, I almost never got a chance to see what impact I might have had. Maybe that was for the best, because I¡¯m sure there have been times when I thought I was doing the right thing, but unintended consequences happened. Waving off the refreshments from my butler, I greeted Melvin who met me by the rewards chest. Lately, he¡¯d been more interested in the rewards I received, and I kind of hoped that the system might give him something at some point for all the help he¡¯d provided. Setting the chest to display only new items, I dug into my latest rewards. Reward Chest.
  1. Class ability upgrade scroll.
  2. GEE summoning token (5).
  3. Summoner Contract (1).
  4. Minion ability/spell token (4).
  5. Minion equipment token (4).
  6. Minion experience token (3).
I had expected the various minion tokens and wasn¡¯t disappointed in the number I¡¯d received from this summoning. Retrieving the tokens, I put them aside and pulled out the class ability upgrade scroll. When I attempted to examine it, I received a system prompt. Class ability upgrade scroll, Tier 3, Rank 0. This scroll will upgrade one of your abilities at random. Until you reach the required Tier and Rank, this scroll cannot be used. It was yet another item that was locked until I reached tier three. Agent Lopez had mentioned that summoned beings were disappearing around tier three, and I had a feeling that all these items I was accruing were part of that whole process. All I could do was wait. I doubted that I¡¯d reach tier three during this summoning session, but there was a chance on the next one that it would happen. There was also the chance of my class evolving again after tier three, perhaps even extensively. Having a chance to immediately upgrade a class ability after it evolved was probably worth the wait. After placing the ability upgrade scroll back into the reward chest, I pulled out the next item, the odd GEE tokens, whatever they were. As soon as I held the tokens, which were carved wooden strips, I received a system prompt explaining their use. These summoning tokens will take you, or any current holder of a token, on a VIP visit to Gorma Etvart Enterprises latest venture, the World of Amusement. By having a hand in the quality control and testing of several of this park¡¯s attractions, you have unlocked these tokens that can be used once the park is open and fully operational. These tokens are shielded against mana drain and can be safely taken, and utilized, on your mana-starved world. So, the goblins on the world I¡¯d just visited were somehow attached to the others I¡¯d worked with on the crazy train ride a while back. Just how far did these goblin corporations reach if they were present on multiple worlds? I did have a total of five tokens, so I could invite guests or just give them away. After experiencing the rides at that amusement park, I had no desire to visit again, but with these tokens able to survive the return home, I could see a huge opportunity. I would bring them back and pass them off to Agent Lopez. Having five of Earth¡¯s experts experience an amusement park on another world where mana and tech were blended could be the break we needed. Sadly, the goblin tech wasn¡¯t foolproof, but maybe our scientists and engineers could come up with something better. Last on the list of rewards except for the minion tokens was the summoner contract. The contract turned out to be a single, small scroll, sealed in wax. A system description described what they would do. Summoner contracts. These contracts may be issued by the summoned being to anyone of their choosing. No rewards will be offered by the system for this summoning, so use care in who you distribute it to. When activated, the summoned being may review the summoning in detail, then decline or accept the call without penalty. This item is sealed and may be transported to your mana-starved world. While the item may be transported, it cannot be activated unless inside a mana-rich environment. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. That was odd, the system had granted me two items that could return home with me and allow people in our world to potentially have some interaction with the system. Lopez had mentioned that Earth¡¯s ambient mana had been increasing at a faster rate than we had previously expected, so maybe the higher mana concentrations were allowing the system more leeway in my rewards. It could also be the system¡¯s way of helping to prepare our people so that when the integration occurred, it wasn¡¯t as catastrophic. Hopefully, the other summoned beings were given similar items, and that the various governments of Earth were coordinating their efforts to maximize our results. Maybe it was a pipe dream, but I believed that this integration had as much a chance of bringing our world together as it did of tearing it apart. I added my GEE tokens, and the summoner contract to the bring home pile before activating my minion tokens, starting with three experience tokens.
  1. Mana slayer drone has received 15 experience. Current experience 25/35.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, have received 15 experience. These minions have reached Tier 1, Rank 7. The Strength, Constitution, and Agility of these minions have increased. Current experience 1/30.
  3. Khurr, gnoll scout has received 15 experience. Current experience 15/20.
At least the goblins had been bumped up a rank. Khurr and the drone weren¡¯t quite there yet. I had veteran upgrades in the bank, but so far, none of my minions had been able to max out their rank. The lower tier and rank minions had lower experience requirements for them to hit the next rank, but who got the experience each time I activated a token was dependent on the system¡¯s random distribution. With the experience doled out, I activated the spell/ability tokens.
  1. Blieek¡¯s Charge has increased to Rank 1.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders have increased their Recruitment ability to Rank 2.
  3. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 2.
  4. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 3.
The spell and ability upgrades were incremental boosts for my minions. Going from Rank 0 to Rank 1 for Blieek¡¯s Charge ability increased the charge distance from ten to twelve feet, and the bonus damage increased from 10% to 11%. I couldn¡¯t expect too much for my lowest rank minion. Even maxed out, his abilities just weren¡¯t going to be that powerful. The goblin¡¯s Recruit ability allowed them to recruit a second minion into their horde. The only problem was that I didn¡¯t have any other goblinoids other than Blieek. For now, unless I got a goblinoid creature from a figurine, the upgrade wasn¡¯t going to do much for us unless I duplicated one of the goblins. Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana ability was the big winner for the upgrades with a double increase. At rank three, Digbaz could now use the ability three times a day and the channeling time went down from nine seconds to five. With abilities and experience out of the way, it was time for the equipment upgrades.
  1. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Weapons to Rank 4.
  2. Mana slayer drone has upgraded his Shoulder Mounted Grenade Launcher to Rank 1.
  3. Blieek has upgraded his Weapons to Rank 4.
  4. Digbaz Bazam has upgraded his Weapons to Rank 2.
The upgrades were interesting. Both Elida and Digbaz had staves as their main melee weapon. At rank 4, Elida now carried one that the system described as being made from mana-infused wood, which added a bonus to her melee attacks. Digbaz had the same staff now as well, but his was obtained at Rank 2, which showed how equipment was also adjusted by the tier and rank of the minion. In addition to the staff, Elida¡¯s sling was now listed as well-crafted, which should improve her ability to hit a target. Digbaz had his ranged weapon, the magic missile wand, increase its capacity from two missiles to three. The drone¡¯s grenade launcher hit rank one from rank zero which bumped up the range to 100-yards. For Blieek, he graduated from a shorter spear to a long spear of the same quality. It¡¯d give him more reach but would probably hamper him if an enemy got past the longer weapon. For his ranged weapons, the tier four upgrade added a second pair of throwing daggers for my least powerful minion. ¡°Sorry Melvin, nothing for you this time,¡± I told my friend who had stretched his gelatinous form tall enough to peek into the reward chest. He sent me feeling of contentedness for now, but excitement for what might happen in the future. Melvin consoled himself by heading into the training room to work out a bit. Before I joined him, a quick check of the return gauge next to the chest showed that I¡¯d completed about 21% of this summoning series. I had at least a few more to go, and it looked like the system wasn¡¯t going to give me much time to rest and train as another portal opened almost as soon as I finished with loot. You are Summoned! Chapter 302. Schoolyard Challenge. Chapter 302. Schoolyard Challenge. I stepped through the portal and was given the basic information regarding this summoning. It looked like this one was going to be combat related, so no more amusement park rides this time. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned through a consumable item by the apprentice mage Nasraf.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 6.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of a duel; combat is highly likely. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
¡°Nasraf, you cheater, I said a duel between our minions, not a duel between my minion and whatever summoning figurine your family bought for you,¡± a young voice complained as I stepped out of the portal and into what looked like an open sports field. A large rectangular area had been painted on the well-trimmed grass, and just outside the perimeter was a horde of people in matching robes staring intently at me. ¡°Dag, it¡¯s not my fault your family is poor. Just consider this duel as a further expansion of your lessons here at the academy. The sooner you realize your place in this world, the easier things will become for you,¡± my summoner, a young elf named Nasraf taunted. It was hard to tell the exact age of an elf, but given the crowd of other, teenage-looking humanoids gathered around the field, I figured we were in some type of boarding school for wizards. Great, I was stuck in the system version of Hogwarts with a pair of feuding teens. Our opponent that stood angrily in front of my summoner looked like a human woman, who was angry at my appearance for their duel. ¡°Nasraf, you know were all only tier zero, rank five. You need to summon something directly, not use a consumable,¡± the young woman, Dag argued. I agreed with her, after all, what was the point of a duel with someone who had minions two tiers higher? It wasn¡¯t exactly a test of skill, just a comparison of who had the deeper pockets. ¡°Dag, you¡¯re such a whiner. My family warned me about the lesser folk and their complaints against our superiority. Nevertheless, I¡¯ll allow you a small handicap given the inherent weaknesses of humans. Why don¡¯t you have two of your little friends join you, they can also summon a creature to help you in the fight,¡± Nasraf offered. ¡°So, three tier zero, rank fives against a tier two, rank six summoned creature? How is that any fairer? Just summon something you can call on without resorting to consumables. If you do that, I¡¯m sure everyone would agree it¡¯s a fair fight,¡± Dag said. To their credit, the crowd did seem to murmur with approval at Dag¡¯s suggestion. ¡°It isn¡¯t about fair, my dear Dag. You¡¯re the one that challenged me, and I accepted. I don¡¯t recall any negotiations beforehand; you simply said you challenged me to a duel. If you win, I must leave you alone, and not bother you or your friends for the rest of our time here. If I win, you announce to the school that you acknowledge my obvious superiority,¡± Nasraf said with devious smile plastered on his face. ¡°You knew I was angry, and you know we¡¯re not even supposed to be out here without an instructor. Either play fair, or the duel is off,¡± Dag said. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll make one more concession, you can bring four of your friends to summon creatures to help you,¡± Nasraf said. The crowd¡¯s murmuring got louder at that point, and though I couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying to each other, I got the distinct vibe that they considered Nasraf¡¯s latest offer a bit more compelling. I still felt it was unfair. If the duel kicked off, I¡¯d just summon my minions who would tear a group of four low tier and rank opponents to pieces. It was too bad I couldn¡¯t switch sides; I think I¡¯d rather fight for Dag than this odious Nasraf guy. My summoner link and the forced compliance prevented me from shifting my allegiance.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Okay, give me five other students to help out, and we¡¯ll accept the duel, but I have one final condition. If you win, I¡¯ll do as you ask, but after I publicly confirm your so-called superiority, you, agree to lay off my friends,¡± Dag countered. A small halfling girl left the sidelines and jogged over to Dag¡¯s side. ¡°No, Dag, he¡¯ll still win even with five of us helping you. I don¡¯t know what class his summoned warrior is, but it would probably easily handle six of our summoned creatures,¡± the halfling pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s unfair, I know, but if we don¡¯t take this chance, this harassment will never end. If Nasraf accepts, at least I can keep you guys from being hassled by Nasraf¡¯s cronies,¡± Dag said. ¡°I accept, Dag, you may summon your minions when ready. Mine is ready to go,¡± Nasraf said, walking over to me and placing his hand on the shoulder of my body armor. While Dag gathered five of her friends and prepared to summon their minions, Nasraf looked critically at me. ¡°Hmm, your gear is odd, what kind of weapons do you wield?¡± Nasraf asked. I drew my shortsword and shield, then also summoned my sparking javelin for him to inspect. He asked directly about weapons, so I didn¡¯t have to mention that I was a summoner. Maybe, if Nasraf neglected his due diligence, I could work around the system restrictions for this duel. ¡°I assume you¡¯re skilled with those as your tier and rank would suggest?¡± Nasraf asked. ¡°I am,¡± I replied with confidence. ¡°Good, then once these weaklings summon their creatures, put your weapons to good use,¡± Nasraf said, patting me on the back like an old chum. ¡°I will obey, and engage the foes with my weapons,¡± I replied, trying to keep an almost robotic, even tone to my voice as I tried to set Nasraf up. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask,¡± Nasraf confirmed, his attention diverting to the creatures being summoned to oppose me. Inadvertently, Nasraf had just given his foes a huge chance. I would follow my summoner¡¯s command to the letter and fight to the best of my abilities with my weapons. I¡¯m sure that he wanted me to go all out, but I was going to try and abuse the loophole of his language as much as possible. Since this was a school, maybe he would learn an important lesson. A summoner should always ask what class their summoned minion is. I took stock of my opponents. With five of her friends allowed to participate, Dag¡¯s team had a total of six minions to oppose me. I¡¯d summoned plenty of tier zero, rank five minions, both with my class skills, and through figurines. They weren¡¯t especially powerful, but while I had solid gear, my class wasn¡¯t set up to be a melee powerhouse. The training with Major Finley and the soldiers had improved my skills considerably, but I lacked any of the spells or special abilities that a melee focused class would have at their disposal. One by one the opponents were summoned, and the foes were about what I expected. It was an odd assortment of foes. The first pair I had sort of expected, a goblin and a gnoll. Humanoid minions could cover a wide gamut of tier and rank options. Giving or taking away better gear, more powerful stats, or a few abilities could customize them for the appropriate challenge. The goblin was equipped with a leather jerkin, a spear, and not much else. For the gnoll, it had a shortsword in one hand, a rusty dagger in the other, and wore only a tunic for defense. My next three opponents were animals, one was a wolf, and another was a huge boar almost as big as the wolf. The final animal was a dire rat with mangy fur and blistered skin that looked diseased. As the final creature was summoned, a tiny gelatinous cube, I was a bit shocked. Other than Melvin, I really hadn¡¯t run up against that many slime type creatures. With my current gear, I didn¡¯t think I could have handled it, but then Melvin, who was integrated into his armor form, reminded me that he could easily deal with the tiny slime. When I tried to inform Melvin that we didn¡¯t really want to win this one, he sent me a feeling of obligation. It seemed, as part of my gear, Melvin was ordered to fight in melee as hard as I was. The same summoner compulsion that forced me to obey also held him under its sway. ¡°What a sorry example of summoned creatures. Is this really the best you and your friends could come up with, Dag? You may as well concede defeat now and spare yourselves the embarrassment of losing,¡± Nasraf taunted. ¡°Quit trying to act so superior. If we forced you to summon your own creature and not use one that mommy gave you, you¡¯d have the same tier and rank minions that we do,¡± Dag replied. ¡°Very well, if you refuse to concede, how about we get this over with. Lonnie, would you like to do the honors?¡± Nasraf asked. A skinny human kid that stood near Nasraf moved in between the two teams. He was apparently a toady for Nasraf, and I wondered why these arrogant rich kids always seemed to have someone like Lonnie following them around. ¡°You all know the drill, when I drop this handkerchief, the battle starts,¡± Lonnie said. He cast a spell and the red handkerchief he pulled from his pocket hovered between us. All the students retreated behind the lines in the field, which I assumed had some magical protection to keep the spectators safe. I readied my javelin as the opening move in the fight. Hopefully, I was better at melee with all my training, but still not quite good enough to handle six vs. one. Chapter 303. Important Lessons. Chapter 303. Important Lessons. Looking over my opponents, I singled out the boar as the most immediate threat. In melee, the wolf or the gnoll might be stronger, but it was probably a safe bet to assume the boar had some kind of charge ability that would let it close the gap with me quickly. We were faced about twenty yards apart, so there was not a lot of space to work with. The handkerchief floating in the air between us suddenly dropped and we all snapped into action. First, I heaved the javelin at the boar, trusting my slowly improving aim, and the weapon¡¯s magical targeting to land the blow. While I charged forward, I drew my shortsword and pulled the shield off my back. That was it, I was following my orders, so no other magic items, spells, or summons would assist me in the fight if I could help it. The javelin hit the boar, which squealed briefly as the electrical damage coursed through its body. It turned to mana vapor as I engaged the first of my opponents in melee. In the lead was the wolf, who lunged for my leg. I dodged to the side, stabbing at the animal in reply. Its jaws snapped closed just an inch away from my knee, but my sword strike was on target. The blade stabbed deep into the wolf¡¯s neck, but it leaped back before I could deal a fatal blow. It might bleed out, given the amount of blood dripping from the wound, but for now, it was still in the fight. A blow hit me on the back, as the goblin thrust out his spear. My armor blocked the attack, but it did push my next blow at the wolf off target. The wolf moved to keep me in front of it, and I could see the gnoll maneuvering to my right. Behind me, the goblin kept up a series of stabs with his spear, but so far, it hadn¡¯t found any weak points in my new armor. While I was happy that my armor was proving effective, I feared that I was going to easily win this fight. The wolf moved in for another strike, and just like with its previous attack, I dodged the blow and landed one of my own. With a meaty thump, the wolf¡¯s head dropped to the ground before it turned into mana vapor. That left four opponents. I hadn¡¯t spotted the rat yet, but the slime had reached my foot during the fight and was slowly flowing over my boot, looking for an opening to slither inside and begin digesting me. Before I could do anything, Melvin reacted. My armor took on a wet-looking sheen as my gelatinous cube friend went to work. He slithered down my armor and began to envelop the slime attacking me. The pair rolled off my foot and onto the grass. I was confident that Melvin would come out on top given the tier and rank discrepancy between them, but it was going to take a while. With Melvin gone, my defenses were a bit weaker. The slime had distracted me, allowing the gnoll to slash my arm with his rusty shortsword, and stab my neck with the dagger in his other hand. The slash to my arm failed to breach my armor, but the dagger found the unarmored gap just under my helmet. Pain lanced deep into my neck, and I reflexively stabbed at the gnoll in response. My aim was on target, and I speared through the gnoll¡¯s chest, skewering his heart. As the gnoll disappeared, the giant rat made its appearance as the chisel-like teeth of the monster gnawed at my leg. It found a small gap between the boot and leg armor, slicing out a chunk of meat that it greedily swallowed before biting down a second time. Pain hit again, as the goblin, having learned from the gnoll¡¯s attack, hit the back of my neck near the existing wound. I stumbled back, slashing ineffectively at the goblin, and rat, trying to keep them at bay. My movements were uncoordinated, and I could feel something important had been hit in my neck. A numbness started to set in along my body. A flash of light blinded me for a moment, and I was hurled back from my opponents. As I sat on the grass, I received a command from my summoner to stop fighting. A booming voice sounded out over the dueling field, magically enhanced so everyone, even the furthest spectator, could hear. ¡°Cease this foolishness! Unauthorized dueling, even through the use of summoned creatures, is forbidden. Whoever is responsible, step forward immediately,¡± the voice demanded. My vision returned as the magical flash-bang effect wore off. Between me and the surviving pair of Dag¡¯s summoned minions was a glowing, humanoid shape. I¡¯d never seen anything like it, and the being looked to be composed entirely of light. The faint outline of mages robes could be seen, but even the fabric of the garment did little to block the being¡¯s light. It hovered two feet off the ground as it looked down upon a frightened-looking Dag, her friends that had participated in the duel, and Nasraf. ¡°Headmaster, I can explain. I was merely defending myself from Dag and her cronies. They demanded I duel them, or they would make my life on campus miserable,¡± Nasraf pleaded. ¡°He¡¯s right, headmaster, I saw the whole thing,¡± Lonnie, Nasraf¡¯s flunky called from the sidelines.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Enough!¡± I don¡¯t need the soothsayers here to discern your guilt or innocence. Both of you were involved, and both of you will be appropriately punished. Since you¡¯ve gathered a sizeable portion of the student body here to witness this spectacle, why don¡¯t we turn it into a lesson as well as a means of disciplining the offenders. Gather round everyone,¡± the headmaster demanded. The crowd jogged toward the center of the field, gathering around the space where the headmaster floated in front the two culprits. I was a few feet away on one side, and the other summoned creatures on the other. So far, we hadn¡¯t been dismissed, which I was curious about. I finally gained my feet, the numbness in my body receding as the Troll¡¯s Belt I wore slowly did its regenerative work. ¡°So, you two thought you would have an unsanctioned duel. Tell me, what did you each summon, and why was that your choice?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°Sir, fearing for my safety, I summoned my most powerful minion. It¡¯s a tier two, rank six, uh, warrior,¡± Nasraf answered first. ¡°And the rest of you?¡± the headmaster demanded. ¡°We each conjured the best minion we had available to us, but unlike Nasraf, we don¡¯t have mommy and daddy sending us expensive summoning figurines,¡± Dag replied for her group. ¡°So, what you¡¯re all telling me is that none of you thought tactically about the situation. Nasraf just went with the most powerful thing in his arsenal, and the rest of you did the same. Dag, given the composition of your team¡¯s summoned minions, I take it that your group didn¡¯t discuss how to create a cohesive force before you started summoning,¡± the headmaster said, his light-filled eyes locked onto Dag. ¡°I, well, I think I see what you¡¯re getting at, headmaster. We acted on emotion and didn¡¯t plan out our overall summoning strategy ahead of time. If we had done so, we would have had a better chance of success,¡± Dag admitted. ¡°Leave it to the lesser species to act on foolish emotions,¡± Nasraf mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t recall giving you permission to speak out of turn, Nasraf. While Dag and her friends made a tactical error. The most foolish one out of this group of miscreants is you. A tier two, rank six summoned creature should have no trouble dealing with even a dozen low ranked opponents. Tell me, Nasraf, what exactly did you summon to fight on your behalf?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°It was a figurine that my parents sent to me for my protection. It¡¯s obviously a warrior of some type, but given that he struggled a bit, I think my mistake was trusting my parents to supply me with quality goods. This one is obviously something less powerful than the tier and rank would suggest,¡± Nasraf answered. ¡°No, wrong again in your conclusion. Given that this item was supplied by your family, I assume you have the financial means to have identification cast upon it. An item like this shouldn¡¯t be wasted on a duel, and if this had been a true threat, and you were trusting your life to it, you would have likely perished,¡± the headmaster said before looking directly at me. ¡°You there, summoned being. I can see your class and basic information. Tell us, what exactly did Nasraf demand of you when you were first summoned,¡± the headmaster asked. I looked toward Nasraf for permission to reply and he nodded in agreement. I gave a recap of the exact instructions that I had been given by Nasraf. ¡°All right, can any of you figure out Nasraf¡¯s mistake. Not just with failing to identify the summoning figurine, but also in the instructions he gave it?¡± the headmaster asked to the group. A few raised their hands, and he picked a small gnome girl to respond. ¡°Headmaster, after summoning an unknown figurine, he didn¡¯t ask it about its powers and abilities. Even worse, his instructions limited its options,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Precisely. Well done, Lizzle. Nasraf, you got lucky, and this figurine managed to summon a very powerful minion. Next week we¡¯ll get into the difference between a summoned minion that is a mana construct and the very rare, and often more powerful, summoned beings that occasionally answer the call. For now, summoned being, give us your name and tell us your class,¡± the headmaster demanded. Nasraf added a summoner link to the headmaster so I would now be able to answer him without seeking approval each time. ¡°My name is Rico Kline, and I¡¯m a class called the Foe Commander,¡± I replied. ¡°Excellent, thank you for participating. Please, Rico Kline, show us what your class can do,¡± the headmaster asked. I was happy to help out and summoned my entire crew. After they were all out, I cast duplicate on the mana slayer drone, since he was more impressive looking rather than Digbaz who was probably the more dangerous of the pair. ¡°As you can see, Rico here could have created a powerful force to assist you. Instead, you ordered him to use only his melee weapons. In fact, I believe that Rico may have even assisted a bit by pushing you in that direction,¡± the headmaster said. I gave him a subtle nod of agreement. Now, Nasraf, Dag, and the others who directly participated in the duel can write a 20- scroll complete examination of the duel, your mistakes, and learning opportunities of this situation. The rest of you, for the crime of choosing to spectate instead of trying to put a stop to this, can write a shorter, 5-page version of the assignment. You all have until the end of the week to complete this project,¡± the headmaster said. ¡°Rico, perhaps you would be willing to participate in further instruction here at the academy?¡± the headmaster whispered to me. ¡°I¡¯d like that, if it¡¯s possible,¡± I replied. It wasn¡¯t a bad summoning, and the headmaster seemed like a reasonable guy. ¡°It is possible, and it has been done. Thank you for helping to put Nasraf in his place, and I look forward to working with you in the future,¡± the headmaster said to me quietly enough so the others couldn¡¯t hear. After that, he demanded that we be dismissed by our summoners. You have survived and successfully completed your summoning. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 29 experience points. You have earned 48 summoning points. A single use summoning link has been created between yourself and the being known as Headmaster Glorine. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 304. Special Opportunity. Chapter 304. Special Opportunity. I stepped back into my personal space, happy to have completed a fairly normal summoning for once. The headmaster seemed interesting, and I was glad to have a summoning link with the magic academy. Having a summoned being answer questions for a class, or even using us for a training device, like the military was doing now, should be helpful for the students. Who knows, maybe I¡¯d learn something out of the deal as well. Looking around the personal space, I could see that Tzes¡¯zod was gone doing whatever it was he did, but Melvin was there to greet me. An odd, orange glow appeared from under the door to Gary¡¯s addition, but things there were quiet, which was all that I asked for. Creepy light shows were fine, as long as we didn¡¯t have a repeat of before where the entire personal space rumbled from the fight or whatever was happening inside his area. My reward chest awaited, and I was happy that my summoning ended with another Very Good rating. Opening the chest, I got to see what I¡¯d gained after my latest adventure. Reward Chest.
  1. 37 gold.
  2. Minion Experience Generator, Basic.
  3. Special Request Summoning Offer.
  4. Minion ability/spell token (3).
  5. Minion equipment token (3).
It was a solid haul, though I was a bit surprised to see the complete lack of experience tokens for my minions. I did have the experience generator thing, though, so I pulled that out first to check out what it was. It proved to be a simple steel box, about the size of a shoebox, with no visible means of opening it. A system description explained what I was holding. Minion Experience Generator, Basic. This device will automatically generate experience for your minions at the completion of a successful summoning. A successful summoning is considered a rating of Adequate or better. The generator will create 1 experience point per minion, per summoning, though there is the potential of a second experience point of the summoning was rated at Excellent, or if it was of an extended duration. As a basic level device, this item can be upgraded to further enhance the experience gains of your minions. To install, select an open area on the exterior of your reward chest and push mana into the device to seal it to the surface and activate its ability. This device was issued in lieu of any minion experience tokens for this summoning, but it will not replace the normal distribution of experience tokens in the future. Nice, it was only going to be one point per minion, but that would add up quickly. I missed out on a few experience tokens from this summoning, but the generator would more than make up for it after only a few uses. Selecting a spot in front of the reward chest, I pushed mana into the generator. I could feel the device getting warm as it adhered to the side of the reward chest. A quick test showed that it was firmly attached, and it looked rugged enough to withstand anything other than a dedicated attack on it. After it cooled down, a new prompt confirmed that I hadn¡¯t botched things up. The Minion Experience Generator, Basic, has been installed. Experience gains for your minions will begin with your next summoning. After that rather interesting reward, I decided to activate the ability and equipment tokens before I looked at the summoning offer that was waiting for me. Minion equipment tokens.
  1. Blieek has upgraded his weapons to Rank 5. This is the maximum weapons rank for this minion until the minion reaches Veteran status.
  2. Khurr has upgraded his armor to Rank 2.
  3. Blieek has upgraded his armor to Rank 2.
It looked like my lowest tier minions were the big winners for equipment this time. I summoned the pair to see what had changed. Khurr¡¯s armor had gone from a padded jerkin to one reinforced with thick leather at several vulnerable points. Blieek¡¯s armor was a bit less formidable than the rank two gear for Khurr, and now consisted of a full set of padded armor that would offer limited protection.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The weapons hitting the maximum rank of five was a big bump for my smallest minion. Blieek¡¯s long spear had been upgraded to a true pike, giving him great reach for his size. With longer reach, he should have a bit more survivability in combat. His backup dagger was a bit nicer, but nothing spectacular, but his throwing knives, which he now had six of, were showing as masterwork weapons. Blieek could now dish out some decent damage, and it was time to see what the ability tokens offered. Minion spell/ability tokens.
  1. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk¡¯s Horde Tactics ability has reached Rank 1.
  2. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Dome of Protection spell has reached Rank 1.
  3. Khurr¡¯s Blindfighting ability has reached Rank 1.
The upgrades were a mixed bag. The goblins had their Horde Tactics bonus go up by a meager 1%, but given that it covered several minions at once, it wasn¡¯t too bad. My air mage, Digbaz¡¯s protection spell now warded off airborne gases, toxins, and disease which was situational but a solid addition to the spell. Khurr¡¯s Blindfighting, another very situational skill, had increased to a 40% chance of him hitting any invisible or concealed target. That was it for minion upgrades this time, and the summoning offer was ready to be examined. I had almost forgotten that I was now eligible for the special requests. The special request was in the form of a scroll, and new system information appeared when I opened it. Special Opportunity for summoned beings that can bring additional minions into battle. The Salmasani Collective offers enhanced payment, including a guarantee of new weapons and armor for all your minions, if you agree to sign up for the coming campaign season. The summoning will be of a slightly extended timeframe or until the summoned being is destroyed. The campaign requirements include assaulting and taking control of the Temple of Unending Conflict. While the aforementioned rewards will be available regardless of your success, should the summoned being participate in a successful liberation of this location, additional rewards will be offered. Mission specific equipment will be issued for the duration of the battle, but these items are restricted and will not be included in any possible rewards pool. Additional compensation will be offered based on the number of minions you can summon, as well as their summoning duration. This offer must be accepted before your next summoning or it will be rescinded. Wow, that was something new. A summoner wanted me for a battle of some sort, and they were more interested in the number of minions I could summon for the effort. Somebody needed fodder and a meat shield for their army and were willing to pay well to get it. While I wasn¡¯t all that excited to fight for an army that I knew nothing about, I did have the return scroll that would guarantee a good rating if it turned out we were the bad guys. I had to admit that I was also intrigued a bit to see another battlefield in a mana-rich world. The knowledge I brought back might prove extremely useful for Earth in the future. I had to decide quickly, because if another summoning for this series popped up, I¡¯d lose the opportunity to accept the special request. Before the portal could ignite again with a new summons, I accepted the offer in front of me. Please wrap up any unfinished business, direct summoning will automatically occur in 5 minutes. Additional advancement of your return gauge will be granted for this summoning. I guess they were in a hurry. A quick check of the return gauge showed it was hovering right at 39%. Maybe this one summoning would be enough to fill the gauge, but even if it didn¡¯t it would probably cover a good chunk of what was left. I felt bad that Fitzfazzle¡¯s visit had been cut short but was excited to hear what our people had been able to learn from him. Having done everything I needed to, I accepted the summoning, and the portal opened in my personal space. I was deposited in some kind of underground chamber. The floors were simple, packed dirt, and I was standing on a glowing circle of stone that rose about six inches off the floor. I could see sturdy, but crudely constructed wooden bracing holding up the ceiling. Another pair of summoned beings appeared next to me as a figure at the far end of the chamber started shouting orders. ¡°Listen up, recruits. I plan to only ask you things once. If you want a good rating on your summoning, and the rewards that brings, follow my commands and answer quickly. First off, step away from the summoning pads. Now, each of you will tell me how many minions you can summon, and how long they can remain summoned for. We¡¯ll start with you,¡± the human shouting commands at us pointed toward a young-looking gnome woman standing next to me. ¡°Uh, sorry, I, uh¡­¡± the woman muttered until our summoner growled at her in displeasure which caused the woman to focus on her answer. ¡°I can summon up to ten minions based on my mana pool. They can remain for up to an hour,¡± the woman replied. ¡°And if they die, how soon until you can resummon?¡± the man asked. I got a better look at him, and the pair of other humans standing behind the summoner. They were all dirty and looked haggard from whatever this battle had demanded of them. Each wore a grey woolen uniform that reminded me of something an army around the turn of the century would have worn. One of the two men behind the summoner had his ear start to glow with a blue light. ¡°Head¡¯s up, sir, disruptor wave incoming!¡± the soldier with the glowing ear warned. ¡°All of you, hit the deck and cover your heads!¡± the summoner ordered as an ominous rumbling was felt through the floor. Chapter 305. Into the Trench. Chapter 305. Into the Trench. The rumbling continued and grew in strength as we huddled in the room. With a loud crack, the reinforced roof above us began to collapse and the soldier in charge waved us toward a side passage. Just as the last of us exited the room and entered the passageway, the ceiling collapsed. I thought I caught a glimpse of stone spikes jutting up from the floor even as the entire room was obliterated. ¡°Dammit, let command know that we¡¯ve lost summoning platform seven. I¡¯m inbound with the last three arrivals from the portal. You three follow me, we¡¯ll brief you in one of the munitions dumps,¡± the soldier in charge said. The glow in the other soldier¡¯s ear intensified as he spoke with someone else that we couldn¡¯t see or hear. That pretty much confirmed they had some sort of magical radio thing going on. I made note of it so I could let Agent Lopez¡¯s people know it was possible. It was yet another thing to bring up with Fitzfazzle when the cooldown on his figurine was up. We moved through the roughly constructed passageway, which was made of packed earth and reinforced with stout wooden beams. Pulling us into a side chamber, I could see several crates were stored. A few of the crates were open, and I took a peek inside. It looked like it was stacked with small, solid metal boxes. The system didn¡¯t bother to identify them before the soldier, who was also our summoner, continued his interrogation. ¡°So, you can summon ten minions for an hour or so. What about you?¡± the summoner asked me after confirming what the young gnome woman had claimed before the roof collapsed. ¡°I can summon up to eight minions in total across a wide range of tiers and ranks. They¡¯ll remain here for as long as I¡¯m still around,¡± I answered, seeing no reason to try and hold anything back yet. ¡°Good, and if your minions are killed, then what?¡± the summoner asked. ¡°In that case, I can resummon them after some time has passed. How long I have to wait to resummon them is based on their tier and rank, so the more powerful ones have a longer wait,¡± I explained. ¡°Given you armor and gear, I take it you can fight as well?¡± the summoner asked. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not as effective at melee than some of my minions. I do have a magic missile wand and some support spells to bolster and heal my minions,¡± I said. ¡°Excellent, and you, the last one,¡± the summoner asked. The final summoned being in our group was another human, this one was an older human that looked like a dollar store version of Gandalf, complete with white beard, robes, and a wooden staff with a glowing white gem atop it. ¡°I am the Imp Master, and I will flood the battlefield with my minions,¡± the old man said. His accent was strange and going off his gear and mannerisms, I doubted he was a fellow Earthling. ¡°Details, that¡¯s what I asked for. How many minions, how long will they last?¡± the soldier asked, seemingly annoyed at the old man¡¯s answer. ¡°They last a short time, ten minutes or so, and with my current mana pool, I can summon just over a hundred,¡± the old man said. ¡°Impressive, even if the duration is short, it¡¯s perfect for what we need on this assault. All right, all of you follow me, we¡¯ll get you gear and send you with your liaison to the jumping off point,¡± the summoner said. He hadn¡¯t given us a name, and oddly enough, the system didn¡¯t provide one with the contract. We continued down the passageway and out into a wide trench. The sky above was grey, which matched the filthy uniforms of the soldiers moving about the trench. After a few hundred yards of wandering through the trench line, we entered a large dugout. Inside was a long counter with crates of gear stacked behind it. A pair of clerks were handing out gear based on wooden tokens that the soldiers were turning in.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Corporal Bellmore, we have three summoned beings that need a standard issue kit before the next assault,¡± the summoner said. ¡°Pulling out all the stops this time, eh, Sergeant?¡± the corporal said as he waved us up to the counter and then began tossing items to us. ¡°Each of you will wear the overcoat so we can tell you¡¯re on our side. I know your summoned minions won¡¯t have that luxury, but if you do your job right, we can tell their friendlies by the direction their running. Does anyone need a weapon other than the gear you have with you?¡± the corporal asked. ¡°I hold the Staff of the Pit Lord and need no other weapon or armor,¡± discount Gandalf claimed. ¡°Good for you, what about you human? Your gear looks up to snuff,¡± the supply corporal asked me. ¡°I¡¯m good for everything but a ranged weapon. I can only throw the javelin once, and my magic missile wand holds only a few charges. If you think I¡¯ll need more than that, I¡¯ll take whatever you¡¯re willing to offer,¡± I told him. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, none of ¡®this powerful staff makes me invincible¡¯ garbage for you mate. Here, this is a standard long-distance bolt projector. Just load the box in the bottom, line up the sights, and bingo, your target is dead,¡± the corporal said, handing me a crude device that resembled a World War 1 bolt-action rifle, crossed with the crude stock of any early matchlock weapon. It was heavy, despite the barrel being only a few feet long. A box magazine was fitted to the weapon, and I looked for a magazine release to see what type of ammunition it used. The corporal pointed out the release, which was oddly part of the magazine. Once out, the mag looked like a solid block of metal, which confused me more. ¡°Ammo¡¯s in short supply, so I can only give you one reload. Trust me, you¡¯ll probably be able to pick up more after the fighting starts, if you know what I mean. Do you have any questions on aiming the weapon?¡± the corporal asked. At his comment about finding more ammo, I recalled war movies I¡¯d seen where there were plenty of casualties, and lots of fallen weapons and gear to choose from. ¡°I¡¯m good, the sights are similar to the weapons we have back home,¡± I replied after lining up the weapon and seeing it had a simple blade sight. The trigger was odd, just a metal lever jutting out from beneath the stock. While the corporal showed me how it worked, I found it a cumbersome way to fire. You had to press and hold the lever for a whole second before the weapon would activate. It was a janky design, but I intended to use it as much as I could so I could give it a comprehensive review before I headed home. Something told me we weren¡¯t going to field this hunk of junk, but maybe our scientists and mages would come up with something better. If we could issue firearm-like weapons that wouldn¡¯t be too susceptible to spells, it would give our armies a big boost after integration. ¡°Everyone will follow Corporal Schmidt; he will lead you to your jumping off point. Follow his orders like they were my own,¡± the summoner said, and I could see our summoning link branch off to the new corporal that had just joined us. This Corporal Schmidt was a dwarf of some sort, and he had that bone weary look in his eyes that told me he had seen a bit too much action and was running on auto pilot at this point. ¡°Follow me, if I tell you hit the dirt, do it. It¡¯ll take us a bit to get to our assigned location, and the enemy isn¡¯t sparing the mana with their long-range firepower today,¡± Corporal Schmidt said. Our journey through the trenches proved safe enough, and we were moving north according to the corporal. Schmidt gave us instructions as we walked. When the attack was about to commence, we were to summon all our minions and send them toward the enemy trench line to the north. After summoning, we were to go over the top and join them in the assault. The objective was a ruined temple about a mile from the trench we were starting from. When we arrived at our destination, I could see we were in a much wider trench this time. Wooden steps lined the dirt walls of the trench, and we were herded toward the front of the line. Behind us were several ranks of soldiers in their dirty grey uniforms. They clutched the same odd firearm that I had been issued, and I could see fear etched in many of their faces. ¡°Just in time, Corporal Schmidt. When are the next summoned beings arriving?¡± A human in a much cleaner uniform asked. ¡°Captain Adkins, I¡¯m to inform you that summoning platform seven is out of commission for the foreseeable future. For our section of the line, what we have now, is all we¡¯ll have as far as summoned beings. This lot is a bit above average in the number of minions they can summon, so it won¡¯t be too bad,¡± Corporal Schmidt reported. I was reminded of one of Major Finley¡¯s favorite sayings that we fought with the army we had, not the army we wanted. ¡°Very well, I have additional reinforcements arriving soon, they¡¯ll go over the top before the summoned beings do their thing. We¡¯re throwing a lot of resources into this, and the Salmasani Collective expects us to finally crack open that temple. Keep in mind men, when we take the objective, and the general has promised leave, and a pay advance for everyone that took part in the assault!¡± the captain shouted. The men gave a brief, but forced, cheer at the mention of rewards. My minions and I were about to go over the top of the trench and into what promised to be a meatgrinder of a battle. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to whatever awaited us. Chapter 306. Over the Top. Chapter 306. Over the Top. ¡°Reinforcements are arriving, pull back the 42nd assault regiment to make room,¡± the captain shouted. Various squad leaders began to push and prod the mass of troops behind us as the regular troops were led back into secondary trenches to make room for whatever reinforcements were coming. We waited for about twenty minutes as the regular troops made their way back, and a new steam of forces approached. ¡°All right, summoned beings, head to the back wall of the trench. It looks like you¡¯re the second wave this time. The scum is going to get a chance to redeem themselves,¡± Corporal Schmidt ordered. We followed his command moving back from the ladders at the front of the trench to the back of the trench wall where I was able to finally get a good look at how many summoned beings they had gathered. This trench was wide, but it did curve, cutting off my view of some of the summoned beings at the ends, but I¡¯d have to say there were at least fifty of us waiting to go. If everyone could summon as many minions as I could, that would be quite a large, and varied, attack force charging the enemy lines. ¡°Move with a purpose, scum! Fall in behind the ladders in unit formation,¡± Captain Adkins shouted as a new mass of troops began filing into the trench. If the regulars of the 42nd assault regiment that had been here earlier looked worn down, these men were downright pathetic. They wore the threadbare grey overcoats the rest of us wore, but they had strips of dirty white cloth sewn across the back. Many limped or bore obvious injuries, and all of them looked like they could use a good meal or two. None held weapons, and the only thing on their weapon harness was a wooden canteen for water. Most of the newcomers looked terrified, and a few lost control of their bladders as they saw the ladders leading out of the trench. They were packed in tight, and the lead soldiers were forced up the ladders, just under the lip of the trench to pack a few more in. ¡°Push back up against the trench wall, summoned beings, make room for them. Each of these sorry souls will be eating magic and missiles that would otherwise have hit you or your minions,¡± Corporal Schmidt said. Behind each mob of the newly arriving troops were several well-armed and armored soldiers. These wore breastplates or chainmail under their greatcoats, and most held a riding crop in one hand and a sword, mace, or dagger in the other. When any of the newly arrived soldiers took too long to move, or just when the mood struck them, the armored soldiers would smash their riding crops into the back of the offender. The riding crops were enchanted in some way, and I could see sparks when they struck. One was even cut down when he turned and tried hit the armored soldier behind him. The others just stomped over the body without a care or concern for their fallen comrade. ¡°Sir, what unit are you with, and how many did you bring?¡± Corporal Schmidt asked a lieutenant that positioned himself at the back of the trench near the summoned beings. Just like the troops he led, the lieutenant was filthy and unarmed. An armored soldier acted as his personal guard. ¡°Corporal, this is the 3rd Prisoner Regiment, reinforced with whoever they picked up in the last sweep. All told, we are nearly five hundred souls ready to lead the glorious assault and give our lives to the Salmasani Collective,¡± the lieutenant said with disdain. The armored soldier swatted the lieutenant with his riding crop. ¡®None of that sass, sir, you¡¯ve got orders to not spread anymore of your defeatist attitude,¡± the armored soldier was obviously not a personal guard, and more like his personal jailor. I¡¯d heard about penal units in my military history studies with Major Finley. They weren¡¯t exactly effective as anything more than meat for the grinder. It appeared this lot was so poorly regarded that they were forced to attack in front of the disposable summoned beings. The lieutenant didn¡¯t speak further, and Corporal Schmidt didn¡¯t bother the man who was likely about to go to his death soon.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Listen up! Members of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment. Your objective is the Temple of Undying Conflict. Take it from the enemy and all of you who participate in the assault will be granted a pardon for your crimes. Keep that in mind as you are issued weapons for the attack. Turn on your betters and the families of all those in your regiment will take your place in the trench,¡± Captain Adkins warned. This army I had temporarily joined wasn¡¯t giving me warm and fuzzy feelings, but I would reserve judgment until I saw what we were up against. So far, there wasn¡¯t anything that would make me want to pop my Summoning Pass. With a sickening feeling, I realized that I hadn¡¯t been given any new Notice of Cessations when I was sent back early from Somhagen. My old ones were probably ineffective now that I was over tier two, rank five. All I had was the one Summoning Pass. I¡¯d have to save that for a truly dire situation where I was being tortured or something. A commotion among the ranks of the prisoner soldiers drew my attention. Their guards were hauling up large crates and pulling various weapons from them. The weapons were as battered as the men they were issuing them to. As they were distributed among the men, it was obvious there wasn¡¯t enough to go around. Another couple of crates were brought up, but even after those weapons were passed out, the troops of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment had only about two thirds of their number carrying a weapon. ¡°Quit your squawking. If you don¡¯t have a weapon now, there¡¯ll plenty out there in no man¡¯s land for you to choose from. The important thing is to keep moving once the whistle is blown to begin the assault,¡± the guards said as they moved back to the rear of the formation. A flash of heat baked the top of my head as a gigantic fireball streaked just over the trench. It exploded somewhere behind us. The enemy, whoever they were, must have noticed our preparations were doing what they could to disrupt the assault before it started. All eyes were on Captain Adkins who stood on a crate to be seen by everyone. He held a brass whistle loosely in his mouth. A soldier near the captain had his ear begin to glow as another magical radio message was given. At a nod from the soldier receiving the message, the captain began to blow the whistle. The sound of the small whistle was almost deafening, and it must have been enchanted in some way. The lead soldiers at the trench ladders hesitated, and from the back of the trench, the guards discharged powerful bolts of electricity from their riding crops into two or three, killing them and spurring the others on. To try and stay behind was death, and attacking was the only slim hope of survival that they had. There were no war cries, or shouts of rage as the 3rd Prisoner Regiment poured over the trench wall and charged forward, just a grim acceptance of their fate. Once started, the troops moved quickly up the ladders and the crush of bodies in the trench began to lessen. It took a good minute for all the prisoners to go over the top, and the last to charge forward was the disgraced lieutenant, who was handed one of the electric riding crops to wield by a guard as he climbed the ladder. ¡°Summoned beings, move up the ladder and prepare to attack. As soon as you¡¯re up, move forward twenty paces and begin summoning. Once all your minions are on the field, follow behind them and lend your power to the assault. Do not stop, keep pressing the enemy until the temple is ours,¡± the captain ordered. I tried to organize the summoning order for my minions. First out would be the drone, followed by Digbaz. I figured the drone could act as a shield for the kobold mage so he could get all his deadly spells fired off. After that, everyone would be summoned by going with the highest tier and rank first. I¡¯d hit either the drone or Digbaz with my duplicate spell, whichever proved to be the better fit for the battle we were about to enter. ¡°Go!¡± Captain Adkins shouted, and I followed discount Gandalf up the ladder. To my relief, I wasn¡¯t immediately cut down by machine gun fire and was able to make it twenty paces to the spot where I was supposed to begin summoning. My minions began to appear, along with other random creatures as the other summoners started their work. With the brief delay between summonings, I was in the middle of the pack as far as starting our assault. While summoning, I had gotten a look of the battlefield, and it was about what I¡¯d expected. If the first world war had been fought with magic, it would have probably appeared much the same. The stench was horrible and the remains of fallen soldiers, both in the grey of the troops I was fighting with, and the dark red of our foes. Everyone was filthy so the color of the enemy uniforms didn¡¯t seem to make a difference. In any other type of battle, they¡¯d be easy to spot, but here, everyone on both sides of the battle was somewhere hidden in the trench lines or covered in filth. Just over a quarter mile away was the enemy trench line, and I could see a constant stream of crossbow fire interspersed with blast of magic lash out from the enemy trenches. The prisoner regiment in front of us had been cut to pieces, but they were still driving forward. In the distance, behind the enemy trench line, was a stone structure, that the system identified as our objective, the Temple of Unending Conflict. If the battlefield around it was any indication, the temple was more than living up to its name. Chapter 307. Take the Objective. Chapter 307. Take the Objective. All my minions were on the battlefield, and we moved as a unit toward the enemy trench line in the distance. The remnants of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment were still fighting their way to the trench and were less than a hundred yards from it. Their approach seemed to cover the summoned beings well, as most of the enemy¡¯s attention was focused on them. That wasn¡¯t to say we weren¡¯t targeted at all, as an occasional fireball or lightning bolt would streak out from the enemy lines and hit our assault team. I was reminded how powerful my new, but diminutive, minion was when a bolt of lighting flashed out from the enemy trench and hit Digbaz. Instead of turning him into a crispy kobold, the bold reflected away from him and returned right back to the enemy caster. The caster had already ducked back behind the trench, but the bolt hitting right where his head had been was probably enough of a deterrent to buy us some time. We had covered a quarter of the distance to the trench when I watched the survivors of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment reach the trench line and jump down to attack. Last to climb down into the trench was the lieutenant who had remained at the back of the force. With the first trench under direct attack, the enemy in the trenches further back shifted their attention on us. I wasn¡¯t sure how many mages they had, or if they had been reinforced with consumables, but their rate of fire seemed only marginally less than it had been at the beginning of the attack. The ground sloped uphill, and I could see there were a total of three main enemy trenches, with smaller ones branching off all the way to the objective, the Temple of Unending Conflict. Most of the fire was coming from the second trench, and a fireball blasted Elida and a couple of imps that the human wizard next to us had summoned. ¡°Digbaz, can your Tornado spell hit the second trench line?¡± I asked. The kobold nodded and was ready to cast, but I held him back. Tornado would kill off the minion and I had a feeling that I¡¯d need more from him during this assault. Instead, I cast Duplicate on Digbaz, and then ordered his duplicate to fire off Tornado. I had been excited to see the spell in action and it didn¡¯t disappoint. The duplicate Digbaz stopped his advance, and I could feel mana build around him. The spell consumed all his spell slots, his entire mana pool, and his entire health pool. Just as the duplicate died and turned into mana vapor, the spell was unleashed. A storm cloud hovered over the second trench and began to swirl, taking on the distinctive shape of funnel, the bottom of which touched down inside the trench. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was luck, or if the kobold mage had total control of the spell, but it began to walk its way down the trench line. Bodies of our foes were torn to shreds from the force of the wind, and were flung, along with gear and debris, all over the nearby battlefield. The tornado cleared a hundred-foot gap through the enemy trench line directly in front of me and forced many of the enemy not caught in its path to retreat from the force of nature. Given that my duplicates took additional damage, I wondered if the real Digbaz could have kept the spell going for even longer since his lifeforce would have depleted at half the speed of his duplicate. Incoming fire on the summoned beings slackened, and the fastest of us began to close in on the first trench. A glance behind showed the 42nd Assault Regiment was joining in the assault. That reminded me that we were just fodder in the fight, bodies and abilities to throw at the enemy lines to soften them up for the actual soldiers. Fodder or not, I had no desire for my summoning to end early, so I slowed the advance of my team slightly, letting the other summoners and their minions pull ahead. About the only one slower than me was the human mage. I had to admit, his staff was a pretty awesome piece of kit. As he strode forward at the pace of a brisk Sunday stroll, the wizard glowed with a red light. Every few seconds, a portal opened in front of the staff, and a small imp emerged. The flow of imps didn¡¯t stop, and I had to guess that he had summoned at least thirty of the things so far. At first, the imp¡¯s kind of freaked me out, their squat, red bodies looked too much like Gary. Even though they were supposedly on our side, I was glad the imps didn¡¯t seem remotely close to Gary in terms of power. In fact, they just sprinted for the trench line and jumped inside, using claws and teeth to do their damage. The other, faster minions were also hitting the trench, and I needed a plan for when we arrived there. The defenders in the second trench line would get their act together and resume fire on us soon, and as dangerous as the first trench was, I¡¯d rather be inside it with my minions before the lightning and fireballs picked up again. I ordered the drone and the goblin trio to charge forward and clear a section of the first trench wide enough for us to occupy.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As my minions charged, a blast of flame erupted from the ground in front of them, turning Glem into barbeque before he disappeared into mana vapor. The others made it into the trench, and we followed them inside a few seconds later. Behind us, the 42nd was closing the gap, assaulting forward at a brisk pace. Occasionally, a squad of about ten would kneel and fire the odd weapons they used. How effective they were against the target I couldn¡¯t guess, as I had trouble picking out the individual enemy soldiers in the next trench line. Inside the trench, it seemed almost like a mirror image of the one we had emerged from. Glurk had his bow out and was covering our right, which was clear up to the point where it curved out of view. To our left, the drone was chopping down a pair of enemy soldiers. Their dirty, red uniforms made them easy to tell apart from our allies. A few of the prisoner unit soldiers were still milling about the trench, and I could hear the lieutenant shout for them to rally on him as he blew his whistle to signal where he was. Only one prisoner was alive in the trench section I could see. He bent over, picked up a brightly polished sword from one of the fallen foes, and ran to join his unit. The man gave me a brief nod of appreciation as he passed by, my minions arrival had probably saved him from the final pair of enemies that my drone had just shredded. Summoning compulsion began to exert itself after I tried to linger in the trench. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to wait for the other summoners to take the lead, so I ordered my team up and over to assault the second line of defense. Glamb and Glurk were knocked down by the enemy¡¯s magical rifle fire as soon as they climbed up, and Khurr soon joined them in a mass of mana vapor. The drone took a pair of hits, but they both were deflected off his armor. Using the drone as a shield, I followed behind him, with Digbaz, then Blieek taking up the rear. Other summoned beings and minions joined us as we continued the assault. To my left, a small knot of thirty or so members of the prison regiment remained alive, and the 42nd was almost to the first trench. Our numbers had been thinned in taking the first trench, but we seemed to have enough mass of troops remaining to take the second. The duplicate Digbaz had torn through a wide section of defenders, and they would have needed to thin their ranks to fill in the gaps. More fire hit us, and a lightning bolt slammed into the drone. His Spell Reflect ability started to trigger, but the lightning resisted, probably cast by a mage with a higher tier and rank than my minion. Though the Spell Reflect failed to send the bolt of lightning back at its caster, the secondary effect of greatly increasing the drone¡¯s spell resistance did kick in. Instead of turning my minion into slag, the lighting blew off the minion¡¯s right arms. He was still mobile, so I ordered the damaged minion to charge and jump into the enemy trench. With a burst of speed, the minion closed the distance to the enemy¡¯s second trench, taking a few shots that further damaged him as he moved. Just as the minion hit the trench line, I activated my Ring of Final Sacrifice on the drone. He jumped down into the trench, and I could see movement as defenders closed in to stop him. A few moments later, a blast threw several enemy bodies out of the trench, clearing a section wide enough for us to enter without any further casualties. We jumped in after the drone, and I took a look around. To my right, an enemy mage staggered into view, glowing wand already pointing right at me. I activated my Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb as a bolt of lightning flew from the wand. Unlike the drone, my magic item seemed to work as intended, and the bolt of energy flew back into the face of a very surprised opponent. I tried to wait for the rest of our summoned being forces to enter the trench before we went in, but I felt the summoner¡¯s compulsion start to kick in. Trying to delay it, I began to use some items. That seemed to do the trick as the system determined my actions constituted supporting the attack. First off was Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. I got lucky this time, no small mouse or useless pigeon appeared. Instead, a big fat yak stood next to me, waiting for a command. ¡°Clear the trench of any enemies that way,¡± I said, pointing it toward the right where the mage with the wand had just emerged from. During the advance, and after the losses we took, it seemed like I was now the far right of our assault, at least until the 42nd caught up with us. There was no way I could haul the yak out of the trench, so better to send it off to make sure nobody was going to attack us from that side of the trench. The yak grunted and began to trot down the trench, and I expected it to be quite a surprise to any enemies trying to sneak up on us. More imps jumped down into the trench to my left. After crossing the trench and climbing up the other side, the imps continued their assault but seemed to get picked off almost immediately. That confirmed my tactic of using items to delay our attack was probably the right one. After a few Imps, the human mage fell into the trench. I was impressed that he didn¡¯t drop the summoning staff or even interrupt his casting. Another imp emerged and the old man turned and looked at me. Terror was etched on his face as he caught his breath while continuing to summon. ¡°We¡¯re almost to the third trench, hang in there, I think we¡¯re winning,¡± I told the man, trying to bolster his spirits as I activated my Portal of the Cackle to summon a team of gnolls to pad our numbers. He ignored me, and instead walked across the trench and climbed out, his staff still spewing out an imp every five or so seconds. ¡°Get moving, summoner, no time to dawdle,¡± a sergeant of the 42nd ordered as the unit began to enter the second trench. ¡°Just summoning a few more before I continue,¡± I said pointing toward the small portal that I had just set up. A gnoll stepped through, causing the sergeant to nod his approval. Thankfully, he had no idea that this portal was an automated item, so I kept up the show, pretending to hold my hands out like I was controlling it. Each gnoll was uncontrolled by me and immediately climbed out of the trench to head toward the nearest enemy. With a gnoll would appearing every thirty seconds until the ten charges were spent, giving me a bit of time to prepare for the third, and final, trench assault. Chapter 308. Runaway Staff. Chapter 308. Runaway Staff. The soldiers lined up on the far side of the trench and began to fire their strange rifles at the enemy as the last gnoll appeared. With the summoning portal closed, I had no more excuses as to why I was holding back. Before the compulsion kicked in, I climbed out of the trench, my remaining minions in the lead to provide a meat shield of some sort. In front of us was the third trench line. The distance between this one and the second was shorter, maybe a couple hundred yards. Other summoned beings, and surprisingly, a couple of the prisoner unit soldiers were already making their way across the no man¡¯s land between trenches. They had covered about half the distance to the third trench. Directly in front of me, the section of the trench had several mages with wands firing off magic missiles, and the occasional small fireball. The incoming fire was depleted quite a bit, though the threat to me might have been even greater since there were fewer targets for them to focus on. To my left, the crazy human mage still held his staff aloft, and an imp continued to charge from the portal the staff created every five seconds. While those imps were rather weak, that staff didn¡¯t seem to be running out of minions to summon. ¡°Digbaz, clear the trench in front of us with your Tornado spell,¡± I ordered. The only way I was going to make it to the third trench was if we cleared it out a bit first. As my kobold sorcerer minion started his spell, I ordered Blieek to cover him. The goblin dutifully obeyed, standing to block any incoming fire that targeted Blieek. As for myself, the compulsion to attack was strong, but I held it at bay for a few seconds as I knelt and fired the odd rifle I had been issued. The rounds snapped out of the rifle with a pop and sizzle sound. They looked like magic missiles but weren¡¯t automatically guided. My training with the soldiers back home kicked in and I started to get a feel for the weapon. I think I might have downed one of the defenders in the enemy trench when Digbaz finally completed his spell. Just like with his duplicate, Digbaz was killed as the spell consumed his life force. A quick check showed that Blieek had also gone down at some point, and I was on my own. The spell activated, and a roiling cloud appeared over the enemy trench. Like before, the distinctive funnel cloud reached down into the trench, starting a bit to my left. The force of the wind tore apart both defenses and defenders as it moved down the trench at the pace of a slow jog. The incoming fire abated as the defenders in the third and final trench tried to escape my minions¡¯ spell. Seeing the opportunity, the soldiers of the 42nd joined the assault. They were charging hard toward the objective and would soon overtake my rather sedate pace. Having more life energy than the duplicate, Digbaz¡¯s spell lasted a few seconds longer. When it finally fizzled out, around 120 yards of trench had been cleared, and my path forward was reasonably safe. I sprinted toward the trench, now that the section in front of me was cleared of defenders, it was less dangerous than standing out in the open. The enemy¡¯s numbers were depleted by now, and only a few replacements filtered in from further down the trench. By the time I hopped down into the cleared-out section, the soldiers of the 42nd were right on my heels. When they entered the trench, a couple of squads moved to the right, holding off the trickle of enemy reinforcements, while the majority continued through the trench and drove toward the temple which was now only a short distance away. I joined them, the relative safety of the group giving me a chance to look around. The crazy human wizard and his staff were still to my left, but instead of the tiny imps, the portal his staff created now spewed out larger versions, about double in size of the earlier ones. These new imps were smarter as well, using what cover they could as they joined the attack on the temple. With the upgraded imps came a slower spawning time. The wizard¡¯s staff could only summon one every ten seconds or so. The elderly wizard was looking a bit rough, and I began to wonder if he was going to have a stroke or a heart attack before we reached the objective. The ruined temple was surrounded by a stone wall that had tumbled down long ago. Several breaches had been cleared to allow passage through, and those breaches were being held by small groups of enemy soldiers. As they charged, my allies would occasionally stop to fire into the breach, and I followed their lead.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. More rifle fire reached out from the defenders and our soldiers took several casualties. The enemy were also taking losses, and the 42nd was relatively fresh and still had most of their strength. As I neared the closest breach, I readied my javelin, targeting the largest and most dangerous looking enemy soldier. Crackling with electricity, the javelin flew true and slammed into the enemy soldier, piercing his chest and cooking his internal organs with the electrical surge the weapon released. The gap was almost clear, and with my sword and shield ready for the anticipated close-in work, I charged in behind a pair of soldiers. Before I could get into melee range, the final enemy defender was hit with a rifle shot. Once through the gap, I could see that part of the temple had been cleared of rubble, and a stone stairway led below. We charged down the steps, and I ended up face to face with another enemy soldier. From the clean, and more decorated uniform he wore, I took my opponent for an officer. He seemed shocked at our appearance and fumbled for the wand at his belt as I ran him through with my blade. Another enemy officer tried to stab me with a dagger, but I blocked his hasty attack with my shield. The soldiers of the 42nd flooded into the chamber, along with one of the big imps summoned by the human wizard. Trying for a second stab, the enemy officer lunged forward with his dagger, but my Riposte ability triggered and before his blow could land, mine struck. Unarmored, the enemy was cut down by the heavy slash my Riposte ability dished out. The chamber had gone quiet then, as the other allied soldiers checked the room for further passages. This chamber proved to be the only one, and an officer entered to begin shouting orders. ¡°Sarnaf, get your unit out there to guard the wall breaches. Find out where the enemy is and if they¡¯re about to counterattack us,¡± the officer ordered. The man, Sarnaf, nodded his understanding and headed back outside, already shouting to get his troops organized. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve got a pair of our fastest runners heading back to our lines. They¡¯ll give word that we¡¯ve captured the temple and that the follow-on forces can start moving this way,¡± another soldier, probably one of their sergeants, advised. ¡°Good, pass the word for the rest of the unit to hold here, find a good defensive position and dig in. We¡¯ve taken this spot, and now we¡¯ve got to keep it until reinforcements arrive,¡± the officer ordered. All but two of the men with the officer remained behind in the chamber, and it looked like me and the old summoner were the only other summoned beings to have survived the attack. ¡°Cease your summoning, or better yet, head outside and use those things to reinforce the defenses. We don¡¯t need more creatures down here where they can¡¯t do us any good,¡± the officer said to the now haggard looking wizard. Instead of obeying, the wizard stood there shaking, sweating, and chanting in some strange language that the system wasn¡¯t translating for some reason. ¡°What is wrong with you? Obey my commands,¡± the officer said in annoyance. ¡°I can¡¯t stop him!¡± the old wizard shouted, causing the officer to order the pair of soldiers to drag the old man out. As they moved forward, the large imp still in the chamber turned to attack. I was too shocked to move to react, as this was a minion conjured by the summoned being. We weren¡¯t supposed to be able to disobey our summoner, and the compulsion should have prevented this from happening. Shouting for reinforcements, the officer aimed his rifle and fired into the imp, who shrieked in pain, but still managed to cut down one of the soldier¡¯s dragging the old wizard. The imp had grown long, black claws that slashed through the other soldier dragging the old man. The officer fired a second time, hitting the imp in the head and ending the threat. Though quieter than a real gun, the magic rifles caused enough noise that several soldiers ran down the steps to see what was happening. The officer tried to shoot the wizard, but even as the round hit, the staff he held exploded, the force of the explosion hurling me back into the nearby stone wall. I was dazed, and tried to stumble to my feet, counting on my troll¡¯s belt to regenerate my health and keep me going. I looked around the room to see if there were any other survivors. Where the wizard had been stood a seven-foot-tall imp, this one wreathed in dark flames and exuding an aura of terror and malice. ¡°Foolish human, did you think yourself the master of that which you held,¡± the monstrous imp said to the fragmented remains of the wizard. ¡°You were just a tool for me to arrive here. Now that I have this temple under my control, this world, and the souls it contains are mine to harvest,¡± the creature boasted. Before I, and the soldier¡¯s pouring down the stairs could act, the giant imp waved his hand. A blast of the dark flames engulfed us. I felt an intense pain that seemed to reach into my very being before I was pulled into the void and a system prompt appeared. You have been slain by the Soulfire ability of a Pit Lord. This summoning is complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 35 experience points. You have earned 51 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 7. You have gained 1 point in Mind. One of your class abilities, Template Hunter has evolved and upgraded. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 309. Fangs and Upgrades. Chapter 309. Fangs and Upgrades. ¡°Welcome back, sir,¡± Whirtmir, the head butler announced as I appeared back in my personal space. ¡°Thanks, is everything okay here?¡± I asked. ¡°Precisely, sir, all is as it should be,¡± Whirtmir said. I did notice that he turned and looked at the door to Gary¡¯s room when he spoke. The staff weren¡¯t fans of Gary, and neither was I. Still, as long as Gary paid his rent on time, I couldn¡¯t complain about his presence just a door away from my personal space. It looked like Tzes¡¯zod was out and about somewhere doing whatever it was he did. Melvin also left and headed toward the training room. Having him as an armor upgrade had been nice. He was less talkative when in his armor form, but his presence was still comforting. The gelatinous cube companion had proven to be one of the better purchases I¡¯d made in Somhagen. Thinking about Somhagen, I was still a bit concerned about my abrupt exit from the city last time. Hopefully, when I did hit tier three, I would get at least one more chance to visit and shop in peace. After saying hello to the rest of the staff, I made my way toward the reward chest. I knew that only the head butler and maid had any sort of sapience, but I didn¡¯t want to be rude to them. It would be a mistake to get into the habit of treating others poorly, you never knew when that would backfire. Reward Chest.
  1. 57 gold.
  2. Fangs of the Hydra Pouch.
  3. Class ability upgrade token.
  4. Minion experience token (3).
  5. Minion equipment token (5).
  6. Minion ability/spell token (5).
I¡¯d done well with the minion upgrades, and even had an upgrade token for myself. Before I dug into those, I wanted to see what the fangs were all about. Fangs of the Hydra Pouch. This small pouch of hydra teeth can be thrown onto any blood-soaked ground to call forth a Hydra to serve you for up to one hour. The number of teeth used determines the Tier, Rank, and powers the hydra you summoned will possess. Alternatively, you can throw the teeth at one of your minions to instantly revive them when they fall. A single tooth will regenerate at the end of each summoning, and the pouch can hold up to 10 teeth. To start, the Fangs of the Hydra Pouch has 3 teeth inside. That was a rather interesting item. A hydra sounded formidable, but I supposed that it really depended on how many teeth I decided to use. With only one tooth regenerating on each summoning, it would take a while to replenish. On my next combat-oriented summoning, I had to try one of the teeth just to gauge the power of the creature I could call forth. Any summoning item, like the fangs, should also be affected by class abilities, making them even stronger. The only drawback was that I had to toss them onto blood-soaked ground. I hoped that included a floor and I wasn¡¯t blocked from using them inside a structure. In a pinch, I could always give myself a small cut to donate my own blood for the teeth to use. If there was combat going on, and the opponents weren¡¯t summoned creatures that turned into mana vapor, there was usually plenty of blood to go around. I equipped the fangs into my summoning loadout. There was a very good chance that back home, they would function once, and then be useless with the mana of the pouch drained. As part of my loadout, I was guaranteed to have a recurring benefit from the item. Before I went on a minion upgrading spree. I activated my class ability upgrade token. As soon as I used the token, it pulled up my status page. Instead of a randomized upgrade, the token highlighted three abilities and spells I could choose for it to upgrade. I had a choice of upgrading my Health Bloom spell, Duplicate, or my Template Hunter ability. So far, since I¡¯d gotten Digbaz, I hadn¡¯t run into anything or anyone I was keen on targeting for my next minion. Despite not having a great target yet, upgrading the Template Hunter could help lock in a powerful minion template that would blend well with my other forces. The Health Bloom was also a heavily used spell, but having it upgraded didn¡¯t seem as critical. It served well enough back home and during summonings, so I was leaning toward ruling it out for an upgrade.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Duplicate was also used both at home and during summonings. Having two of my most powerful minions, especially now that I could duplicate Digbaz and his devastating tornado spell, was very appealing. The system didn¡¯t give any further details, or show what the upgrade would accomplish, so I was flying blind as usual when it came to this stuff. I had to make a decision, so I went ahead and selected Duplicate, in the hopes I could field three tornado wielding kobold sorcerers. Duplicate. Mana cost 5. This spell has been upgraded and now has a duration of 2-minutes. The cooldown before Duplicate can be cast again is 1-minute and only 1 instance of Duplicate can be active at a time. In addition to duplicating the targeted minion, Duplicate will also create a copy of your lowest Tier and Rank minion. It didn¡¯t look like I was going to get extra sorcerers but having a free Blieek duplicate every time I cast the spell was a strong upgrade. The upgrade would continue to improve as Blieek maxed out his rank, gear, and abilities. Having the duration of the duplicate increased was also a nice bonus. All in all, I wasn¡¯t disappointed with my choice, but I did wish I could have seen what the other abilities would have upgraded into. With myself taken care of. I went on an upgrade binge for my minions. Digbaz Bazam has received 15 experience. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have received 15 experience. Blieek has received 15 experience. Blieek has reached Tier 0, Rank 3. Blieek has improved his strength and constitution. Digbaz and the goblin trio were only about halfway to their next rank after the experience boost. Digbaz had the highest experience pool to fill for each rank, but with Blieek, fifteen experience was a guaranteed rank upgrade. I summoned my newly ranked up minion, and while it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d gained any new abilities with his rank increase, he was now stronger and more durable. Next up were the equipment tokens, which I had five of. Khurr has reached Weapons, Rank 2. Khurr¡¯s hand crossbow has been upgraded to a Light Crossbow. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Weapons, Rank 5. Elida has gained a masterwork sling for ranged attacks. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Weapons, Rank 4. The mana slayer drone¡¯s attacks now drain 1 mana from a foe with each strike. The mana drained is converted into a damage boost for the next melee strike the drone makes. Digbaz Bazam has reached Weapons, Rank 2. Digbaz¡¯s magic missile wand now holds a total of three charges. His backup dagger is now a masterwork weapon. Digbaz Bazam has reached Armor, Rank 2. Digbaz¡¯s robe has been replaced with studded leather armor. This armor is carefully crafted to not interfere with the sorcerers¡¯ casting abilities. It was as solid round of upgrades, especially when I considered that this was only from one summoning. A quick check of the mana gauge showed it was at 64% and was filling up nicely. I was still anxious to be home to help with the training before I hit tier three and was shuffled off somewhere away from Earth. Of course, the more powerful that me and my minions became from the summoning rewards was also important. Last up were the ability/spell upgrade tokens. I had also gotten five of these, which was a nice haul. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded his Stealth Field Generator to Rank 2. The generator now will function for up to three minutes per tier. The distortion field that can give away his position is less noticeable. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded his Shoulder Mounted Launcher to Rank 2. The launcher now holds 4 grenades, and the range has increased to 120-yards. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Minor Healing Burst to Rank 2. The amount of healing generated by this spell has increased by a modest amount. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Minor Healing Burst to Rank 3. The spell now adds a healing over time effect for 3 seconds after it is cast. Blieek has upgraded his charge ability to Rank 2. The range of the ability is increased to 15 feet. The bonus to hit and damage has increased to 12%. He can now use this ability 2/day. Elida and the drone both came away with two upgrades, and Blieek¡¯s charge was now a bit more useful. With all my upgrades completed, there was no immediate summoning portal, so I spent some time in the training center with Melvin. I put my minions through their paces, seeing how the recent upgrades functioned. In particular, the drone¡¯s new mana draining attacks seemed to be particularly effective against the caster opponents I summoned for him. One point of mana being drained didn¡¯t sound like much, until I considered the sheer number of attacks the drone could unleash. With four arms, and two deadly, clawed feet, he would strike a foe multiple times, and with each attack, their mana dropped and in turn, empowered the drones next strike. I did cast Duplicate to see how it would function, and true to the upgrade¡¯s description, it summoned a copy of Blieek in addition to the targeted minion. Between duplicate, my existing minions, and consumables, I could call forth a small army if given enough time to work. After some time in the training center, the summoning portal opened, and I was called back into action. A summoning link has been activated. You are Summoned! Chapter 310. Linked. Chapter 310. Linked. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Abbasa.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 7.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I appeared in a familiar place once again. It was the kitchen where I had been summoned twice before to work as a taste tester. I had almost forgotten that there was a summoner link between me and the head chef guy. I sort of figured that the link would be eliminated now that he had reached his goal of ruling the kingdom. ¡°You¡¯re back, excellent. I need your assistance,¡± Abbasa said. He appeared stressed and kept looking toward the door leading out of kitchen and into the dining hall. Only a few of the kitchen staff were working, though it looked like they were cleaning up and not preparing another massive feast. A trio of armored guards holding longswords and shields formed a protective barrier between Abbasa, and anyone who might approach. Abbasa himself looked different, and it took me a moment to realize what had changed. His hair was now completely grey, and more than a few wrinkles were making their presence known. He had aged since we¡¯d last met, and I knew from my last visit with Sharnlynn that time could pass differently between summonings. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± I asked. ¡°The ungrateful wretches!¡± Abbasa growled, again looking at the kitchen exit. ¡°They have decided to try and take the empire from me. How dare they, after all I have done for them,¡± Abbasa raged. ¡°Again, Abbasa, what can I do to help,¡± I asked, trying to keep him on task. Gone was the cool, dignified, and competent master of the kitchen, in his place was this man with the demeanor of a frightened animal. ¡°I need your protection, as I find that most of my supposedly loyal guards are anything but. Gather your minions and escort me from the palace. There are enemies hunting me here even as we speak, so work quickly,¡± Abbasa ordered. That was all I needed to hear, and I started to summon my minions. I had given it some thought after adding Digbaz, and had come up with a new summoning order. Previously, I would just summon the minion with the highest tier and rank first, then move my way down the list. Now, I didn¡¯t want to summon the relatively squishy Digbaz first when there were potential threats around. Instead, I started with the drone, then the goblin trio, and only after I had some muscle on the field, did I summon Digbaz. After Digbaz I¡¯d follow with Elida, Khurr, and finally, Blieek. ¡°That is everyone,¡± I told Abbasa. ¡°So much time has passed. I thought you would have added many more to your menagerie,¡± Abbasa said, looking a bit deflated. ¡°Time passes differently between our worlds. Sometimes we¡¯re in sync, other times, like now, there is a big discrepancy. Sorry, it¡¯s something odd I¡¯ve experienced with other summoner links,¡± I replied, hoping that by explaining what was going on, the system would think I was being especially helpful and boost my ranking at the end of the summoning. ¡°Very well, this will have to do,¡± Abbasa said, turning toward the remaining kitchen staff before continuing. ¡°My loyal friends and subjects. Our empire is in dire need of your services. Join and protect your emperor, resist the forces that would tear our great empire apart.¡± Abbasa¡¯s request fell on deaf ears for the most part. Only two young women who were working on cleaning dishes responded, both grabbed butcher¡¯s knives and joined our entourage. One of the guards led us through the back of the kitchens, past larders stacked with food of all types.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Enchantments must have been at work as I could feel cold air wafting off some shelves, while others were merely room temperature. This would probably become a necessity on our world if the electricity ceased to function after integration. After passing thought the third larder, we stopped as the guards pulled aside a crate of cabbages left seemingly forgotten on the floor. An iron grate waited beneath the cabbages and the guards opened the grate to reveal a ladder leading into a drainage tunnel. At least it wasn¡¯t a sewer and while we had to slog through ankle-deep water, there was no accompanying stench to make the trip especially miserable. We walked cautiously down the tunnel, my goblins out in front, and the drone bringing up the rear. The trio of guards still maintained their vigil around Abbasa, while the two members of the kitchen staff, likely regretting their choice, followed miserably behind the kitchen manager turned emperor. Our journey was interrupted once by a dire rat that tried to grab Blieek and drag him off into a dark side passage. Glurk hit the creature with an arrow, and before it could recover, Blieek had run it through with his spear. Another pair of rats emerged from the darkness to attack, but the goblins handled them with only Glurk suffering a bite to his arm. Elida fixed up our wounded goblin, and the rats ceased their attacks. From the horrible sounds coming from the dark side passage, the rats too busy dragging off their fallen comrades to feast upon and chose not to test their luck against our weapons again. I was tempted to have Digbaz throw a few Blades of Air into the passageway to make sure the threat had been dealt with but decided to not tempt fate by needlessly riling up the rats. ¡°Your minions performed expertly. I didn¡¯t think goblins could fight with skill and coordination like your warriors have,¡± Abbasa said. ¡°Thank you, my team are all well trained and equipped,¡± I replied. From Abbasa¡¯s comment, this world must either not have goblins, or they were all the primitive types, not the corporate masterminds I¡¯d seen in other worlds. My minions all seemed to have been drawn from more warlike, and primitive, goblin tribes, but I couldn¡¯t forget the goblin train I¡¯d helped to defend, and the odd technology they¡¯d invented. It was a good half hour of traveling the winding drainage tunnel before I spotted light in the distance. One of the guards warned of traps before going forward to disarm them. A thick, iron gate secured the exit to the drainage tunnel, and after several minutes, the guard finally motioned that it was safe to proceed. Emerging back into the light, we were blinded for a few seconds before I could take in our surroundings. The tunnel had emerged from a cliffside onto a wide, sandy beach. Small waves splashed against the shore and the warm sunlight felt great after the cramped, damp confines of the drainage tunnel. ¡°Make way for the emperor!¡± one of the guards shouted. We weren¡¯t alone on that beach. A line of guards, probably the turncoats, waited on the sand. Behind the armored guards was a large crowd of other people that looked like normal villagers, not hardened warriors. Despite their normal appearance, the people were all armed, though the civilians were carrying mostly simple farming implements or crude knives. ¡°Abbasa is no emperor, he is a petty tyrant that must be stopped,¡± an older man said, stepping through the line of armed guards to stand in front of our band. ¡°Ghillraine, I would have never guessed that you would be behind this rebellion. I only ask why? I gave you everything, my oldest friend, everything. You had wealth, a title, lands, all you could want,¡± Abbasa said, obviously hurt at his friend¡¯s betrayal. ¡°You forgot who you were, where you came from. More importantly, you became the very corruption you stamped out at the Final Feast. I¡¯m sorry, friend, but you have lost your way, and I must stop the destruction you¡¯re causing,¡± Ghillraine said. ¡°Very well, my oldest friend is but another traitor. No matter, you will die with the others, and I¡¯ll raise a new, and loyal, lord to rule over your lands. Minions, kill every one of¡­¡± Abbasa¡¯s command stopped as his voice turned to a hideous gurgle. I had been focused on the forces in front of me, and by the time I turned around, I could see that the two kitchen staff that had joined Abbasa were stabbing into his throat and body over and over again with their butcher¡¯s knives. Before I could order Elida forward to heal him, and cast a Health Bloom over the area, my summoning ended. Your summoner has been slain and this summoning session is complete. Your summoner link with the mage Abbasa is terminated. Your ranking for this summoning is Average. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Average. You have earned 22 experience points. You have earned 31 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 8. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 311. A few Questions. Chapter 311. A few Questions. I returned to my personal space as I processed the last summoning. It was odd seeing how much could change in another world when for me, only a few days or weeks had passed. The mage Abbasa had seemed so confident when he had eliminated the leaders with parasites during the feast. Not only that, but it also seemed like all the people around him were supportive of his efforts. This time, it seemed like I was dealing with a completely different person than the one that had summoned me before. Abbasa was paranoid, frantic, and had obviously strayed from the path of being a good ruler over his people. To have his people turn against him so thoroughly showed me how time and power could corrupt a man. As a summoned being, I would keep growing in power. I¡¯d need to safeguard myself and not slowly drift into something I didn¡¯t want to become. Perhaps some of that safeguard would come from the friends I¡¯d cultivated. The people at Refuge, and even Agent Lopez and the folks I¡¯d met in the military, would help to keep me grounded. That brought up a whole new slew of concerns. When our world changed with the induction, power would be much more readily available. Too many would fall to that power and commit evil to further their own gain. That was a problem for future Rico, though, and for now, I had some rewards and a return gauge to check on. The personal space was quiet enough, and Melvin sent me a gelatinous wave before heading into the training center. Tzes¡¯zod was at his desk and seemed to be engrossed in whatever he was writing onto the parchment in front of him. Not wanting to disturb him, I headed to the reward chest. I would always have questions for Tzes¡¯zod, he had lived a long time and had a very thorough knowledge of the system. That being said, annoying or pestering the immensely powerful undead lich was probably not a good idea. Reward Chest.
  1. 11 gold.
  2. Summoning figurine.
  3. Minion experience token (1).
  4. Minion equipment token (2).
  5. Minion ability/spell token (2).
Hitting only average in my ranking for the last summoning wasn¡¯t doing my rewards any favors. Before I activated the paltry number of minion upgrade tokens, I took a look at the figurine I¡¯d received. It was an odd one, another of the figurines with several minions on a single base. Instead of warriors or monsters, this figurine had all humans, and they were in various work clothing and holding tools and household items, not combat garb. Summoning Figurines:
  1. Helpful staff, Tier 2, Rank 7. Activating this figurine will summon a staff of 10 minions to assist you. Nearly useless in combat, these staff minions are experts in other mundane tasks that might need to be completed. Use them as general labor, kitchen help, mining support, or any other task of a similar nature. They will remain for an extended time of 6 hours per tier of the summoner.
It was an odd figurine, but I could see it coming in handy on certain summonings. Not all my tasks were combat related and burning a figurine like this to get an excellent ranking over an average one would be more than worth it. I doubted it would be of much use on Earth, so I added it instead to my loadout. Next up were my minion tokens, starting with the experience ones. I was also still getting a single experience point for each minion after every summoning through the minion experience generator attachment that was mounted on my reward chest. Khurr has gained 15 experience. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 3. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 4. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Blades of Air spell has reached Rank 1. Elida Silverbarrow¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 1. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Not the most exciting batch of upgrades this time around, but progress was progress. Khurr¡¯s experience boost didn¡¯t let him hit the next rank nine yet, but he was getting close. Blieek¡¯s armor upgrade boosted him from leather reinforced padded armor to a full set of studded leather armor. Digbaz¡¯s upgrade was a bit more substantial, as I¡¯d expect with him being my highest tier and rank minion. Blades of air now summoned two blades at rank 1, giving me hope that it would become very powerful by the time it finally maxed at rank 5. Elida¡¯s Channel Mana was less impressive, and only served to lower the channeling time by two seconds and boosted her chance to resist interruptions while channeling. With my rewards handled, I checked the return gauge to see that it was now at 87%. Anything other than a poor showing on my next summoning should fill it up and allow me to return home. Looking over Tzes¡¯zod, I could see that he was still working, but his writing lacked the intensity it had possessed earlier. ¡°Tzes¡¯zod, do you have time to talk?¡± I asked. ¡°Perhaps, does the subject you wish to discuss hold some importance, or is this merely an attempt to pass the time?¡± the lich said, the glowing orbs in his skull that served for eyes focused disturbingly on me as he waited for a reply. ¡°It¡¯s of some importance for me, and perhaps my world as well. Integration is almost about to hit, and I wondered if you had any advice for us?¡± I asked. ¡°Integration is a subject I¡¯ve studied, but not for the purposes of damage mitigation to the world involved. My research was more along the lines of exploiting the integration of a new world for power. Don¡¯t worry, Rico, I no longer pursue such things, as my studies have driven me in another direction,¡± Tzes¡¯zod paused, his bony finger tapping on his chin with a disturbing clicking sound as he thought for a bit before responding. ¡°From your perspective, I understand that you wish to mitigate the chaos. I have a few suggestions for your world. The first would be to immediately eliminate any threats. Prisoners, political opponents, and general swaths of the world¡¯s population that aren''t aligned with you and your allies should be killed off. ¡°The chaos of an integration, even one where the world is somewhat prepared, can lead to unintended consequences, as well as unintended opportunities. Having a foe, or someone with ill intent gather unexpected power could lead to your destruction. It¡¯s better to eliminate a potential threat before it has a chance to take root. Other than that, those in power should rule with an iron grasp, leaving no confusion over who is in charge during the integration,¡± Tzes¡¯zod suggested. Wow, he was a bit harsh in his advice, but as an undead creature, he probably valued life and freedom much less than I, or most of the people of Earth, did. Wholesale destruction and world domination wasn¡¯t in the cards, and was something I would probably actively fight against. At least his answer confirmed something I was contemplating asking Tzes¡¯zod. I had been considering asking if the lich was able and willing to return with me to Earth and help us prepare. Now, I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t want the lich advising our world¡¯s governments on preparation methods. The last thing we needed was a new world war erupting as everyone tried to eliminate their potential foes and seize power. ¡°Thanks, Tzes¡¯zod. One last question. Do you have any idea what is happening to the summoned beings from my world? They seem to all stop returning after reaching tier three. From what a summoned being from my world with the seer class learned, the disappearances aren¡¯t something nefarious, but I was curious what would happen since I¡¯m going to hit tier three soon,¡± I asked. ¡°Each world¡¯s integration is somewhat different, so I can¡¯t tell you exactly what is happening or why. The only thing I think we can safely discern from this event is that it is system derived, and not an attack of some sort. Based on past integrations, I know the system likes to pull aside any who might have an extreme advantage in the early days, but what you described seems a bit more encompassing. ¡°I suspect you¡¯ll be sent somewhere safe, where you can grow in power at a more sedate pace, while the people of your world learn to navigate the changes that are occurring. You¡¯ll undoubtedly return after a time, though the world may not be recognizable as the place you left. Integrations leave their marks, no matter how well prepared a world thinks it is. Now, I must return to my studies,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained before going back to writing on the latest piece of parchment he was working on. He¡¯d pretty much confirmed what the seer had told us. There was still no way to tell what was going to happen to me after tier three, but he didn¡¯t think it was something bad either. I did have one more question I was willing to risk bugging Tzes¡¯zod about. ¡°Sorry to bother you again, but I have one final question. When the integration occurs, will I still be a summoned being? After all, our whole purpose was to seed Earth with mana so the integration could occur,¡± I asked. ¡°I cannot say for sure, like I mentioned, every integration is different. Most summoned beings will transition into something more, and the system seems to be rather generous to them for the services they¡¯ve rendered,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. Well, maybe I wasn¡¯t going to be pulled randomly all over the universe anymore after hitting tier three, but for now, that was my lot in life. Almost to confirm my thoughts, a new system prompt appeared, and a portal opened on the far wall. You are Summoned! Chapter 312. Maze Runner. Chapter 312. Maze Runner. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by an artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 8.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for competitive purposes. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I popped out of the portal and found myself in a well-kept garden. Others, that I assumed were also summoned beings, were lined up a few feet away. My summoner link connected to a glowing stone placed in the center of the garden, at the top of a fountain. A goblin in odd clothing that resembled a blue tuxedo stood in front of the line of summoned beings. Two heavily armored humans stood just behind the goblin, like a pair of bodyguards. ¡°Okay folks, it looks like we¡¯ve got a bonus contestant on this run. It¡¯s confirmed there are a total of eight contestants now. Let me check the summoning stone to make sure this is all,¡± the goblin said. As the goblin spoke, the summoning link split off from the stone atop the fountain, and connected me to both the goblin, and his two bodyguards. I looked around and could see that the garden was completely fenced in by an eight-foot-high hedge made of thick plants and vines. There was no visible entrance or exit from the square garden I had been summoned to. ¡°Step into line, and keep quiet unless spoken to,¡± one of the guards ordered with the harshness of a drill sergeant. Not waiting for compulsion to kick in, I walked over to the right end of the line and waited for further instructions. ¡°I¡¯ll interview the last contestant and then we can begin shortly. All right human, who are you and what can you do. Just the basics, mind you, species, tier, rank, and class,¡± the goblin ordered. ¡°I¡¯m a human, tier two, rank eight, and my class is called Foe Commander,¡± I replied. The goblin wanted just the basics, so that¡¯s all I gave him. ¡°Great, everyone we have the final contestant logged, and I¡¯ll be passing off the focus to our announcer, Blix the Bold. Let our good viewers know what¡¯s in store for them today, Blix!,¡± the goblin said. After a moment, he seemed to relax a bit. ¡°Boys, we¡¯re off focus now while Blix hypes up the event. So, you all may be wondering what¡¯s going on, yeah?¡± the goblin asked us. I nodded along with the other contestants. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, this garden isn¡¯t as pretty and proper as it seems. The organization I work for has ported part of a dungeon here, and you brave folks are going to speed run it. Your goal is to run through the garden maze as fast as possible, trying to survive until the end. There will be bonus points for the number of kills you make, both of the dungeon mobs, and your fellow contestants, so hold nothing back. Any questions?¡± the goblins asked. ¡°Sir, what is this all for?¡± a rather polite orc in full plate that practically glowed with enchantments asked. ¡°Just like everything else, this is for profit. Buckets full of gold and gems are being wagered right now on you jokers, so don¡¯t let me down. Give it your all, and even if you¡¯re about to be killed, make it exciting for the viewers,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°We need to get out of the garden maze, but exactly how big is it?¡± another contestant, an elf woman with greenish skin asked. Given that her armor was made from living plants, she must have been a druid of some sort. I could almost feel the betting odds moving in her favor for this type of environment. ¡°The maze is completely square and maybe a total of a quarter mile across. Not that far, see, but the place isn¡¯t called a maze for no reason. Lots of twists and turns in there, not to mention things that want to kill you. Like I said before, just have fun with it,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°What are the rules, can we cut our way out?¡± the orc asked. ¡°The only rule is that there are no rules. I take it back, there is one rule, do not do anything to harm any of us working on the event. As far as cutting your way out, sure, that¡¯s a valid tactic, but you need to understand this was part of a dungeon, and those plants making up the hedge are a bit tougher than normal. Flying or jumping over the maze is not allowed. Also, the more damage you do to the maze, the more heat you¡¯re going to draw to yourself from the dungeon core,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re almost ready, should I get them into position?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°Yeah, anything else before I send you to your starting positions?¡± the goblin asked. I did have one question, one that would help shape the overall plan I was starting to form. ¡°Do we get any prep time before this thing starts?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me, you¡¯ll get a one-minute warning before the whole shebang kicks off, now everyone get into position as I call you out,¡± the goblin said. A scroll appeared in his hand as he began to call out our classes.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Bloodblade, you¡¯re number 1, dark druid is number 2,¡± as the goblin started numbers began to glow on sections of the hedge around us. We were being placed two to each side of the square, and everyone an equal distance from the nearest competitor. I remembered another summoning close to this, where I had to run a gauntlet and avoid the opponents. That was a haunted house type of place, and the betting was among a small group of old, stodgy men that were just betting among themselves. This time, I was getting the feeling that the event was being televised through magical means to a much wider audience. ¡°Foe Commander, you¡¯re number seven,¡± the goblin said. I moved into the position marked on the hedge. To my left was a lean elf woman wearing scale armor and holding a golden spear. To my right was a gnome holding a huge wrench in one hand, and a simple wooden case in the other. Knowing Fitzfazzle, I made sure not to underestimate a gnomish engineer and the devices they used. I was hoping that my class was odd enough sounding that they wouldn¡¯t figure me for a summoner. ¡°One minute to showtime folks, start your preparations,¡± the goblin announced. I got to work right away, summoning the drone to watch my back and then cast Duplicate on him. As I summoned the rest of the team, a quick glance to either side showed that neither of my opponents seemed to be focused on me. There were no rules, so there was always the chance that someone would go on a killing spree before we even got into the maze. I was counting on my minions to put a stop to any of those types of shenanigans. Before time ran out, I had orders to give. ¡°Duplicate as soon as this starts, use your launcher to blast a path through the hedge. We¡¯re going to cut a path through the hedge in that direction,¡± I said pointing at the glowing seven where we were starting from, and then toward the closest point out of the maze. ¡°Drone, once the duplicate¡¯s launcher is empty, you take up the slack. After that use your blades to cut through. Digbaz, as soon as we start, spam Blades of Air to help out the drones cut through. Blieek, stick close to me. The rest of you, form a defensive perimeter,¡± I ordered. Both drones aimed the grenade launcher on their shoulder toward our starting point. They also extended their bladed arms, and with the smaller pair of arms, they created hand scythes as the perfect weapons to cut through foliage. I was expecting the hedge to try and reform quickly since it was a dungeon-based structure, but with the drones¡¯ Nullify Magic, and Mana Drain, I hoped that we would be through the gaps before the dungeon could react. I had no plans of blithering about in a dungeon maze. I was going to use firepower and steel to cut and blast our way to victory. ¡°Go!¡± the goblin shouted when the countdown ended. At his command a section of hedge where the glowing seven had been placed disappeared, granting us an entrance to the maze. The duplicate drone was already firing on the next section of hedge blocking our path. It took two grenades to blast through, and then the duplicate shifted to the next section of hedge. I had Khurr and Digbaz follow behind the drones, and with Blieek at my side, I was next through the gap. The goblin trio and Elida brought up the rear, with Glurk was firing off arrows in the direction of the elf with the spear. Almost directly across from us was a halfling mage with about the same idea that I had, he was pouring fire from his hands and burning quickly through the hedge. While the gnome seemed to be making good progress, he had nobody to watch his back. I ordered Glurk to shift his fire to the halfling who seemed to have the best chance of beating me at my own game. Just as Glurk¡¯s first arrow hit, the golden spear of the elf next to us also flew into the halfling¡¯s back, causing him to collapse to the ground and struggle with what was probably a healing potion. We were now three hedgerows deep into the maze, and none of the other contenders were in sight. That didn¡¯t mean there were no other threats, as dungeon creatures, mostly plant-creatures the system tagged as vegepygmys, hurled themselves at the drones. Khurr, Digbaz, and Elida kept the dungeon creatures off us. With the final grenades expended, we had cut through four hedgerows and the drones were shredding their way through the next. I estimated that we were more than halfway to our objective, and even without the grenades, the drones were making good progress. None of our competitors had shown themselves, though I could hear sounds of combat in the distance. Just as we reached the much thicker final border of the maze, huge vines reached up from the ground, pinning the drones in place and slowly crushing their armor. They fought back, and even with the help of the other minions, first one, then the other was crushed into mana vapor. ¡°Everyone, keep those vines busy. Blieek head to the hedgerow and stop for nothing!¡± I ordered, as I activate the Cloak of the Minion Master and pulled an animal from Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. A small monkey that was apparently called a Lutung appeared from the bag and charged the vines. It lasted about a second, but every second counted. I held my breath as Blieek managed to avoid drawing the attention of any of the vines. When he reached the final hedge wall, I hit him with the Ring of Final Sacrifice as one of the tentacles finally caught up to him. ¡°Don¡¯t resist, Blieek, and don¡¯t heal him, Elida,¡± I ordered. A moment later a big explosion erupted as Blieek¡¯s mana vapor fueled the ring¡¯s magic. As I expected, a small gap had been blown through the hedge maze, though most of my minions were being killed off quickly. The gap that had been blasted was too small to walk through, but I was able to finally see outside the maze. I targeted a spot outside the maze and cast Switch and Replace. The spell briefly disoriented me as I found myself standing near a deadly vine one second, then in the next, I was outside the maze enjoying the nice sunshine in peace. ¡°Ladies and gentle beings, we have our second-place finisher, the Foe Summoner!¡± I heard the goblin announce, his voice magically amplified. I was almost sure I¡¯d be first, but one of the others must have beaten me to it. Before I could try and find out who beat me, my summoning was over. You have completed the terms of this summoning and survived. This summoning is now complete. Your ranking for this summoning is Good. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Good. You have earned 25 experience points. You have earned 38 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 313. Home Again. Chapter 313. Home Again. My personal space attendants greeted me and Melvin as we returned. Pretty much like always, Melvin slid toward the training center, which reminded me to ask him what he was working on. He sent me a confusing array of images, everything from new armor configurations to Melvin casting spells and using strange, elemental abilities. I got the feeling that Melvin wasn¡¯t focused on a particular project and just wanted to see where the training led him. ¡°Best of luck to you, buddy. Let me know if you turn up anything interesting, or if you want to practice together sometime,¡± I said. Taking a look around, it seemed that everything in the personal space was as it should be. Tzes¡¯zod was gone again, his desk messy as always. It was funny how so much of my personal space had been taken over by others. Of course, the addition was rented by Gary, so that really didn¡¯t count. But here in the actual personal space, Melvin had set up shop in the training center, and Tzes¡¯zod had claimed the area around the desk. Already, I could see his space expanding as a small wooden cabinet had somehow been brought here and placed next to this desk. At least Tzes¡¯zod seemed to have good taste, and the cabinet matched the other furniture in the room. I didn¡¯t really mind that much; it was nice to have company here. When I¡¯d first started, it was just a bare wooden floor with the only other thing in the room being my reward chest. To go back to that would be rather depressing, and I was happy to have the staff, Melvin, and even the occasionally helpful, but still a bit creepy, Tzes¡¯zod to share the space with. ¡°Sir, Mister Tzes¡¯zod requested that I give you this,¡± the head butler, Whirtmir, said as he held out a sealed scroll. I took the scroll and looked longingly at my reward chest. The rewards could wait a minute, if Tzes¡¯zod left a message for me, it was probably either important, or maybe a nice consumable scroll for me to use. I broke open the seal, noticing a faint whiff of mana from it, and began to read. Rico, Our previous conversation about the disappearance of summoned beings on your world after hitting a tier and rank over three made me a bit curious. I had been ready to dismiss it as another system quirk. The system tends to prefer to create some diversity in its various integrations as well as keep up the appearance of fairness in allowing the other inhabitants a chance to adjust before unleashing those already experienced with the system. Learning many centuries ago to not ignore my curiosity, as it is often an indicator of potential, I conducted some research. It turns out, the disappearances are not unique to your world, and they have occurred at least three other times in recorded system history. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t give you more information on your predicament, as my focus was more on the lines of any changes to your personal space. Fear not, none of the instances of summoned beings disappearing resulted in a negative result for the summoned beings, and in most cases, you¡¯ll stand to benefit greatly. The disturbing information I¡¯ve gained is that your personal space will likely change in a significant way once you¡¯re no longer a summoned being. As my phylactery is linked to your personal space in general, and your reward chest in particular, I believe we may need to make an addendum to our previous agreement. My studies prevent me from meeting you in person this time, but when you next return for a summoning series, I¡¯ll be there to discuss the terms of a new contract for a potential long-term, disturbance-free residency. Tzes¡¯zod. Having my personal space change wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d considered. I could see why the system would change it, though. The personal space and reward chest were more a feature of my life as a summoned being, and probably not something every system integrated person had access to. Hopefully Tzes¡¯zod will have more information when I return next time, information on not just my personal space, but also on my potential future after my term as a summoned being ended.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I turned my attention away from the coming changes and back to the reward chest, opening it to see what the good ranking for my last summoning had given me. Reward Chest. The Minion Experience Generator has issued 1 experience point to each of your minions.
  1. 28 gold.
  2. Scroll (elite).
  3. Class ability token.
  4. Minion experience token (2).
  5. Minion equipment token (3).
  6. Minion ability/spell token (3).
My ability upgrade token, and the unlabeled scroll were the first things I wanted to examine. First off was the elite scroll, which contained a single-use spell. Scroll of Diminish Foe. This scroll will cast the elite version of the spell, Diminish Foe. Once cast at a hostile target, Diminish Foe will lower the Tier and Rank of your opponent for a total of 5 minutes per tier of the caster. The change in Tier and Rank is proportional to the disparity in power between the two individuals. As the elite version of this spell, the maximum power reduction of your foe is 1 Tier and 5 Ranks. Wow, that was a powerful spell and could really help even the odds and turn an unwinnable fight into something manageable during a difficult summoning. The scroll was probably the difference between a poor ranking and an excellent one, so I¡¯d have to be selective on when I used it. I made sure to add it to my loadout before I grabbed and activated my class ability token. You have unlocked the Revive ability for your class, Foe Commander. Revive: This spell will instantly recall one of your minions after they have been destroyed. It can only be cast once per summoning, and can only summon minions up to Tier 3, Rank 0. This ability can be upgraded as you increase in Tier and Rank. A new ability was always a welcome surprise and Revive seemed like it would be a powerful one. It could only be used once per summoning, but bringing back one of my most powerful minions during a tough fight would really turn things around. The fact that it was an ability also meant that I could potentially use it back home and it wouldn¡¯t just be restricted to my summoning sessions. I¡¯d made out like a bandit with the rewards from the last summoning, now it was time to see how my minions were going to do. Minion experience tokens.
  1. Blieek has gained 15 experience. Blieek has reached Tier 0, Rank 4 and has unlocked the Dodge ability.
  2. Digbaz Bazam has gained 15 experience.
After the experience token, Digbaz was at 33/40 experience to the next rank. Any of these experience tokens were pretty much an entire rank for Blieek. His Dodge ability that unlocked would allow Blieek to activate it 1/day for 10 seconds of increased awareness that would allow him a chance to dodge incoming physical attacks. It would do nothing against magic, but I couldn¡¯t expect too much from my rank zero minion upgrades. Minion equipment tokens.
  1. The Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s Stealth Field Generator has reached Rank 3.
  2. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 5.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have reached Weapons, Rank 4.
The drone¡¯s stealth field generator upgrade to rank three made it so foes targeting him while the field was active faced a 50% miss chance. Blieek had maxed out his armor, which was still a set of studded leather, but he had now added a round wooden shield to the mix. The shield was of decent quality, but nothing special. At least the minion seemed to have also been granted the skill to wield the shield effectively. Last up for the gear upgrades were the goblin trio. Glem¡¯s spear enchantments added an armor mitigation effect to go with its bonus to hit and damage. Glamb¡¯s two chopping blades added the chance to hit and damage to go along with the bleed effect they could cause. For Glurk, his bow was enchanted to give it a 20% range enhancement as well as a small bonus to hit. Next for the final upgrades, were the three ability/spell tokens.
  1. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Personal Shield, Rank 2.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Channel Mana, Rank 2.
  3. Khurr has reached Double Shot, Rank 2.
Elida was the big winner here, though both upgrades were minor. Her Personal Shield was upgraded from having the strength of studded leather armor to that of chainmail and her Channel Mana ability dropped its concentration time to six seconds. Khurr¡¯s Double Shot at rank two just added a bonus to hit. I¡¯d finished up all my rewards and upgrades, and the mana gauge was full, which meant it was time to head back home. Chapter 314. What Now? Chapter 314. What now? ¡°Halt exercise! Clear and safe your weapons. Form up at the rally point,¡± First Sergeant Novak¡¯s voice boomed out over the training exercise. It took me a moment to remember exactly where I had been and what I¡¯d been doing when the most recent summoning session had occurred. I had been overseeing one of the platoons running through an exercise where they tried to track down the mana slayer drone inside a series of buildings. Even though really no time had passed for everyone in the training session, all my minions would have disappeared. By now, the officers and NCOs knew that if the summoned minions all disappeared, it meant I had left and returned from a summoning. ¡°Sir, command is requesting your presence at the CQ. I know they usually have a debrief, but do you mind resummoning your minions before you go so the exercise can continue?¡± the first sergeant asked. ¡°Roger that, Top, I¡¯ll give them commands to not harm anyone and to follow your orders. What they can do might be limited without me around to command them, but it should at least let you get some training in while I¡¯m stuck writing reports,¡± I said before starting to summon my team. It was funny, a few months ago, I knew nothing about the military, how it operated, or what was involved in their training. Now, I was getting a crash course and was starting to pick up the lingo. Somehow, I remembered that a first sergeant was called Top even after just returning from a summoning. ¡°Thank you, Sir, I¡¯ll take good care of them,¡± Top replied. ¡°No need, do what you need to with them to get our troops trained. Remember, though, if they get eliminated, it may be a while before I can resummon them,¡± I replied. It seemed a bit cruel, but my minions weren¡¯t real, and if getting some real attacks in on my team helped these soldiers to survive integration, it was worth a delayed resummoning time. Top only gave me a nod as a soldier in a battered, olive drab green pickup came to collect me. The Joint Forces Training Base-Los Alamitos had pretty much been taken over by our crazy program at this point, so we had to be much less stealthy about my minions or the other summoned beings that had been brought on post to help with training. We stopped at an office building where a lot of the admin functions occurred, and I was met inside by Major Finley. ¡°Rico, I just got word that you¡¯re back from a summoning. HQ wanted me to ask if Fitzfazzle was ready to return yet?¡± Major Finley asked. I checked on his figurine and could feel that the connection wasn''t ready to activate yet. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ready yet. Thanks for reminding me, though, I had forgotten to check when I returned,¡± I replied. ¡°No worries, with how many scientists and engineers are waiting to work with him again, I doubt they¡¯ll let you forget about it. From what I understand, they¡¯ve already developed several prototypes that they want Fitzfazzle¡¯s opinion on,¡± Finley said. ¡°Major Finley, I¡¯ve been in a training cycle for the last few weeks here on Earth and haven¡¯t had an update. How are things going with the preparations for integration? Is the announcement about it happening soon?¡± I asked. ¡°A solid date hasn¡¯t been set yet. I think the major governments want to have plans in place to deal with potential chaos, riots and whatnot. Every week that they delay brings us closer to the integration event, but also gives us more time to train and a gives us a chance to bring more people into the loop on what is about to happen,¡± Finley replied. ¡°I¡¯m still shocked that word hasn¡¯t gotten out yet,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t be, people are pretty resistant to change, and I bet that even after we announce things, a good chunk of them will just believe that it¡¯s some kind of scam. Some clips of system related things have shown up online, and they do sometimes get a large number of views before we shut them down. I suspect we¡¯ll have that announcement in the next couple weeks,¡± Finley said. ¡°Do they need me to do anything special when the announcement occurs?¡± I asked. ¡°Probably, I suspect that you, and several other summoned beings will be prepped a few days in advance so we can show off your skills to the world,¡± Finley said. I had sort of figured something like that would occur. If there were any important groups they needed to convince, there was nothing better than having me summon my minions to show them that this was all real.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Did we ever get a count on how many summoned beings there are on the planet?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s no exact data, as a sizable minority of the summoned beings are still out in the dark. After hearing some of what you went through in the beginning, I don¡¯t blame them for not trusting that they¡¯ll be safe if they join our efforts. The best guesstimate right now is that there are somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 summoned beings. ¡°Most were concentrated in large population centers where the system must have figured its efforts would blend in better. As far as how many are working to help with the integration, we have just over 1,300 signed up worldwide,¡± Finley said. ¡°That¡¯s a good chunk, but still having more of us out there without support feels bad. If I can help convince anyone, just let me know,¡± I offered. ¡°Thanks, Rico, I know we have what they¡¯re calling a first contact team out there. Sometimes, they bring a summoned being with them to help. At least for now, I think command is more focused on your help with training up our forces,¡± Finley said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready to help with recruitment, or anything else that turns up,¡± I offered. They¡¯d already used us to help quash the dungeon outbreak, so who knew what other dangers might turn up as the system integration got closer. ¡°Thanks for that, Rico. The men and women you¡¯ve helped train will have a better chance at survival, and a better chance at protecting others because of your efforts. Now, I¡¯ll let you get your report finished up. When you¡¯re done, it¡¯ll probably be early evening, so go ahead and call it a day. I can¡¯t imagine how mentally draining it would be to suddenly be summoned away for what might feel like weeks and then pop back right to the time and place you left from,¡± Major Finley said. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll see you later then, Major,¡± I replied, heading toward one of the small offices they had set up with a secure connection where we could submit our reports. This report was a rather long one. I tried to add everything I could about my last conversation Tzes¡¯zod and the note he left. Something was going to happen to the summoned beings¡¯ personal spaces. Hopefully, with my next summoning, Tzes¡¯zod would be back with more information. It felt a bit strange writing about the crazy goblin amusement park, and I figured that with the information I was about to send in, there would be plans underway for something similar once the integration chaos was over. There was going to be a complete change in everyone¡¯s lives, but there was also going to be a lot of opportunity. I considered that maybe it would be in my best interest to invest in something that I had knowledge of, like the amusement park experience. After pausing my report and thinking about it a bit, I realized that helping to build a crappy dragon themed ride wasn¡¯t what I wanted with my future. I¡¯d been given power, and as long as that power wasn¡¯t taken away when I was pulled away at tier three, I wanted to help people with it. The report took longer than I had anticipated. A lot of different, but potentially important events had occurred in the last summoning series. I¡¯d experienced a trench warfare battle, which I knew was something we¡¯d want to avoid at all costs. There was also the experience with my final linked summoning. Both linked summonings had me appear at the end of the summoner¡¯s life, once due to natural causes, and in the case of the kitchen manager turned emperor, through violence. By the time I was done, it was dark out, and much of the staff on post had gone home. I was able to bum a ride off one of the clerks leaving for the night, since my car was parked in a lot pretty far from where I was doing my reports. My stomach was reminding me that it needed something by the time I reached my car. It was strange, I felt a sense of accomplishment when I saw my rather utilitarian Honda Accord. I¡¯d bought something that I needed to be efficient at my job, but also was able to enjoy it for myself. I had earned that car through literal blood, sweat, and tears, but I also hadn¡¯t succumbed to the lure of spending all my newfound wealth on frivolity. Just when I was starting up my car, Melvin, who had joined me in his armor form, sent images of tacos to me. That began a short argument over what we¡¯d eat that night. I sort of was feeling a pizza, and Melvin wanted Mexican food. We ended up settling on In and Out Burger which both of us found not only acceptable, but also a rather good pick once we thought about it. With dinner plans settled, we headed for the main gate, only to be flagged down by one of the MPs on duty there. ¡°Sir, I need you to pull your car into the holding area and wait for further orders. I¡¯m told you are not to leave the base until you¡¯re debriefed on an evolving situation,¡± the MP ordered. Two of them stood nearby while I parked my car in the small inspection area near the main gate. More MPs arrived, all in full battle rattle as they took up defensive positions around the gate. While I waited, I noticed a stream of vehicles entering the gate, each driven by soldiers and civilian staff that had been hastily recalled back to the post. The MPs were efficient but also very thorough in vetting everyone inside the vehicles. The sounds of loud diesel engines caught my attention, and I spotted a line of huge trucks with lowboy trailers attached. On top of each trailer was one of the armored personnel carriers that I trained on. The MPs cleared the gate for these vehicles to get through and the first vehicle in line, one of the ubiquitous government SUVs pulled up next to me. ¡°Rico, hop in, we¡¯ve got a situation we need your help with,¡± Major Finley said. I jumped into the rear of the SUV and found myself seated next to Elliot who just nodded in my direction. Something big was going down, and given the firepower lined up behind our vehicle, I worried about what we were heading to face. Chapter 315. Fluffle Danger. Chapter 315. Fluffle Danger. ¡°Major Finley, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ve got a new system-related outbreak we¡¯ve got to deal with. Late this afternoon, a group of hikers at the Acton Wash Wildlife Sanctuary were attacked by monstrous animals. Two of the hikers were unfortunately killed, but the other pair were able to fight off the creature with their walking sticks. ¡°Hearing the initial calls, it was apparent that this was something integration related so we sent a team out to reinforce the first responders and to make sure that those first responders were ones already read into the program,¡± Finley said, pausing to check something on his phone after it beeped ominously at him. ¡°So, what kind of wildlife are we talking about?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Hang on a minute, there¡¯s some new intel coming in,¡± Finley said. ¡°Rico, do you think the integration is happening?¡± Elliot asked me. ¡°No, if this is just an isolated thing, I doubt it. I kind of expect the actual integration to be a bit more than some wildlife attacks on the outskirts of Los Angeles,¡± I replied. I had never heard of this wildlife sanctuary place, but it had to be close enough to haul us and the armored vehicles all the way to it on trucks. ¡°Sorry about that, we have found a possible source of the problem. As far as what attacked those hikers, it was rabbits,¡± Finley said, distracted by reading more information on his phone as he spoke with us. ¡°Rabbits? If a pair of normies with walking sticks were able to take one out, this doesn¡¯t sound too dangerous. Why roll out all of this hardware instead of sending just me and Rico in?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°That¡¯s what we tried to do, there were two other summoned beings nearby that were first pulled in to deal with the situation. They were backed up by a few police officers that knew about the system. They proceeded to sweep the wildlife sanctuary and look for any additional threats. ¡°We lost contact with them thirty minutes later. The last image we got from their body cameras was a swarm of these rabbits attacking,¡± Finley said, pulling up a picture on his phone to show us. I could see the image of a rabbit jumping toward one of the police officers. In the image, the officer was firing his pistol, and I could see serious-looking wounds on the rabbit. The rabbit itself was the size of a large dog, and instead of the cute bunny teeth, this thing had razor-sharp carnivore fangs. To top things off, the rabbit also had a set of pointy antlers it was aiming at the officer. ¡°Nasty, how many of these things do you think there are out there?¡± I asked. ¡°No idea, and we also have no idea how many of the rabbits have turned into monsters. The team noted several normal jackrabbits during their search, so we¡¯re hoping it¡¯s not as bad as it could be. Even so, we¡¯re not taking things lightly, hence the platoon of Bradley¡¯s and MRAP¡¯s. ¡°The sanctuary is sealed off by troops and law enforcement, but we¡¯re stretched thin as this is a huge area. We¡¯ve got drone support and they¡¯ve taken out at least a dozen of the creatures that strayed toward our lines. So far, the bulk of the monsters seems to be remaining inside the wildlife sanctuary, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they run out of food there,¡± Finely explained. ¡°Not only that, leaving these system mutated animals alone will likely allow them to spread in number, and probably gain XP if they¡¯re out hunting stuff,¡± I offered. ¡°Yes, and here¡¯s a picture of the latest drone thermal imaging. Do you see that herd of rabbits? Look at what¡¯s in the center of them,¡± Finley said. I could see at least a dozen mutated rabbits in the thermal image, and there, in the center of the rabbits was someone standing. There was a human there with them, and they weren¡¯t attacking him. ¡°Uh, sorry to be that guy, but a group of rabbits in the wild is called a fluffle,¡± Elliot said.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°What? Really, I thought it was a warren,¡± I said. ¡°No, a warren is where they live, the nest. The domesticated ones are a herd, but in the wild they¡¯re called a fluffle. What, my mom had me watch a lot of Animal Planet when I was a kid. Some of it must have stuck,¡± Elliot said apologetically as Major Finley glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care what they¡¯re called, we¡¯re going to kill them, and then deal with whoever that is,¡± Finley said, pointing at the man. ¡°Is it possible that human is one of the first team sent in?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe, which is why we haven¡¯t just dropped a Hellfire missile onto the group. Here¡¯s the plan,¡± Finley said, pulling a paper map of the area out for us to look at. It turned out that Elliot and I weren¡¯t the only summoned beings joining the operation. There were two other groups of three that had joined up with similar military forces. One group was being used to reinforce the perimeter, and the other was going to sweep the park for any additional mutated rabbits or other threats. My group was going to push directly toward the human and the large group of, well, I guess it¡¯s a fluffle, of rabbits around him. The trip there took just over an hour and as we rolled, Finley tried to keep us up to date on any changes as we approached. Elliot found some body armor and other tactical gear in the back of the SUV, and I merely summoned my armor, complete with Melvin¡¯s armor reinforcement. ¡°I hope I can find something like that the next time I¡¯m in Somhagen,¡± Elliot said as my gear instantly equipped onto me. ¡°You¡¯ll get plenty if you keep scoring high on your summoning ratings,¡± I replied. Our comms headsets that tied in with the Infantry platoon we were going in with. The platoon were the ones that Elliot and I had been training, so everyone was familiar with not only how the system shenanigans worked, but also what our individual powers and abilities were. Even if their modern weapons were somehow shut down by spells or abilities, the men were all trained to use a backup melee weapon. Some wanted to use the bayonet on their rifle, but others preferred something more substantial. Machetes and tactical tomahawks were popular choices. One guy even carried around a gladius on his pack. Our platoon would have two Bradley IFVs and two MRAP vehicles. That would give us armor and firepower, allowing me and the troops to move in on the objective in relative safety. I turned down the offer of a rifle, but did go ahead and take one of the M9 pistols and a few spare mags. I¡¯d trained with pretty much all the usual suspects as far as military firearms went by this time. Despite that, I was more comfortable with the pistol and wanted to have an easier time reaching any of my consumables without a larger weapon getting in the way. Elliot also took a pistol, and though I knew he was trained, it still worried me to see the often-rash young man armed. It was really kind of a silly fear. After all, Elliot threw around fireballs and the like for his living, so a pistol was pretty much a downgrade in threat. This new world that I was a part of was going to take some adjusting to. I worried about the other people who would soon learn of what was happening. At least the summoned beings had some time to prepare and train in relative safety. The rest of the world was going to just get dropped right into the hot grease with this whole integration thing. ¡°Get ready, I¡¯m going to split you two up, so all our summoned beings for the strike team aren¡¯t in the same track,¡± Finley ordered as we pulled off on a dirt road and stopped. The sounds of the armored vehicles firing up roared out into the sparse scrub and desert-like environment I found myself in. ¡°Rico, this is your ride. First Sergeant Novak is in command, but he¡¯ll defer to your expertise on anything system related. You¡¯ve worked together so I don¡¯t anticipate any problems,¡± Finley said as he gestured toward one of the Bradley¡¯s as the vehicle¡¯s rear ramp opened and a team of soldiers rushed inside. I was seated by the door, with the first sergeant directly across from me. Four other men were inside with us, as well as the crew. The door buttoned up and we began to roll. I had to say the ride on a Bradley wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, but I was glad to see that they had somehow found time to install a monitor for us to watch the gunsight camera through. Having an ¡°expert¡± on the system related threats must have warranted the quick upgrade to our ride. ¡°Rico, this is just a normal day at the office for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± One of the soldiers joked. I sort of expected the first sergeant to snap at the man, but he seemed to realize that the nervous soldiers needed a bit of a distraction as they headed into the unknown. ¡°Pretty much, but remember, I don¡¯t respawn out here. I doubt anything the system is throwing at us is going to be too powerful, given we haven¡¯t even started integration yet. We¡¯ll just have to worry about numbers. Top, if it¡¯s okay with you, we¡¯ll have my minions lead the charge, they can¡¯t get hurt for real, and they¡¯re rather effective,¡± I suggested. ¡°Roger that Rico, but if I give an order, follow it. You may be system enhanced, but if the platoon has to pull back, you don¡¯t want to be left on your own or have one of our soldiers risk their lives to retrieve you,¡± Top replied. As we moved over the scrub brush and dry soil of the wildlife refuge, I kept my eye on the monitor. We were heading directly toward the ring of mutant rabbits and the human they were surrounding. What I would find there wasn¡¯t likely to be pleasant, but I was the one best equipped to handle the problem. This wasn¡¯t some other world where I was summoned for a dispute or entertainment. This was Earth, and I¡¯d do everything that I could to defend it. Chapter 316. Coax. Chapter 316. Coax. ¡°We¡¯re getting reports of contact with the sweeper team and on a few spots on the perimeter,¡± the track commander said over the speaker system. Our headsets had been tuned into their channel, so we could hear what they were doing as we watched it on the monitor. ¡°Any word on weapon effectiveness?¡± the first sergeant asked. ¡°Wait one, Top,¡± the commander replied, as he asked on another channel. ¡°Okay, we do have an update on our weapons. They seem to kill mutated rabbits as well as they kill people. There is a much higher than normal failure rate among our weapons, though. Not serious stuff, just more likely to have things jam,¡± the commander explained. I watched the monitor and tried to keep myself from being tossed around too much by the motion of the Bradley. It was a piece of military hardware and wasn¡¯t exactly designed for comfort. Still, it didn¡¯t punish me too badly, and my armor, with Melvin along for the ride, softened any blows when things got too rough. ¡°Contact Front! Rabbits in the open, distance, 100 meters. Gunner, engage with coax,¡± the track commander said trying to control himself as they fought a very different enemy from what his vehicle was designed to handle. The monitor was linked to the gun camera, and I watched as the commander slewed the turret over to face the target and let his gunner get to work. ¡°Engaging with coax,¡± the gunner calmly said. Through the monitor, I could see a swarm of giant, mutant jackrabbits charging toward our track. I couldn¡¯t get a good count with how much I was being jostled around, but it was impressive how the gun camera remained steady on target. The government spent a lot more on firing accurately when moving than it did on comfort. Even though it was partially muffled by the mounting system, the M240 coax machinegun was still loud inside the vehicle. The soldiers all had ear protection, but I was a bit more durable now that I was a summoned being. Despite the loud noise, my constitution prevented me from any kind of permanent hearing damage. The gunner fired in even, short bursts, and I watched the tracers walk across the mass of charging rabbits. Once hit, the rounds tore through the creatures, dropping them one after the other. I was glad we were looking at things through a thermal image, as the blood being shed was just a glowing green splotch of heat on the monitor. The other three vehicles in our platoon, a trio of MRAPs, also opened fire. They didn¡¯t have a cannon or anti-tank missiles aboard, but they did have much more powerful machineguns. In place of our 7.62mm coax, the MRAPs each fielded a big .50 caliber. The guns were remote operated, which let us all remain nice and buttoned up behind armor plate as the rabbits closed the range. ¡°Tango¡¯s down, secure and safe your weapon,¡± the commander ordered as the last rabbit was torn to pieces by the fire. ¡°Weapon secure,¡± the gunner confirmed as we continued toward the strange ring of rabbits surrounding the humanoid. Twice more, rabbits attacked, but instead of a large group, these came at us in ones and twos. A burst of fire dealt with each threat as we finally reached our objective. There, among the dirt and scrub brush of the area, was a wall of fluffy death. They had heard our approach and formed a line in front of our vehicles. The humanoid moved through the crowd and yelled something. It was hard to tell on the monitor, but the guy looked like a human. He waved us forward, still trying to shout at us though we couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Rico, you¡¯re the expert here, what are your thoughts?¡± Top asked. We were a good 200 yards from the creatures, and vehicles pulled into a line so we could bring all our firepower to bear on the rabbits if things went south. ¡°He¡¯s shouting something, and the rabbits aren¡¯t just charging at first sight, so maybe I should go speak to him and see what¡¯s happening. My armor and minions should keep me safe enough, close to 50 yards and I should be able to talk to the guy,¡± I offered. ¡°Roger that, bring us in,¡± Top said to the track commander. ¡°You sure, Top?¡± Getting closer when we can shred those things from here sounds bad,¡± the commander said with concern. ¡°You haven¡¯t worked with Rico that long, he¡¯s the real deal, and should be okay. Just be ready to rock and roll if things turn south,¡± Top ordered. The track moved forward, the MRAPs following in line. I was happy to see they weren¡¯t all fixated on the targets in front of us, and the turrets of two of the MRAPs were constantly rotating as they looked for additional threats to our flanks and rear.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I¡¯ll head out and summon my team, they should keep me safe enough from some low tier rabbits,¡± I said, more to give myself confidence than the soldiers inside with me. ¡°Rico, you want us to dismount with you?¡± One of the soldiers asked. I was about to tell him no, that I¡¯d take things from here, but I quickly realized something. These guys were going to deal with the integration soon and wouldn¡¯t have the help of summoned beings. It was better to get them some practical experience now, while things weren¡¯t quite as dangerous as they would likely become. ¡°Yeah, join us and help keep an eye out for anything sneaking up,¡± I ordered. We reached the designated spot and the ramp at the back of the Bradley lowered. I exited, but before waving the soldier on or moving into view of the man standing next to the rabbits, I began to summon my minions. The mana slayer drone was first out, then the goblin trio. After that, Digbaz and Elida appeared. Khurr and Blieek rounded out the team and followed behind me as we stepped out in front of the vehicles. Thankfully, the weapon systems on the various vehicles were mounted higher up, so even the tall drone wouldn¡¯t be in the line of fire. Now, only fifty yards away, I could make out the man in front of us a bit better, the view improving as the vehicle lights came on, showing the man and the rabbits in greater detail. With Top and the four soldiers in the track flanking me, I moved forward. I didn¡¯t move far, just twenty feet or so, enough that I wouldn¡¯t have to shout at the top of my lungs to be heard over the rumbling diesel engines of the idling vehicles. The man duplicated my move, heading forward with only a trio of rabbits at his side. These rabbits were true monsters, and many were as big as a horse, rather than the dog-sized creatures we¡¯d already gunned down. Their visage was a horror show, as each of the giant white rabbit companions had their muzzles covered in gore. It dripped down and stained their coats a dark red, and I was glad I was too far away to smell the beasts. ¡°A fellow anointed one, welcome!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Anointed one? What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°The great ones have touched you, as they have me. I was granted power by them, power to guide my friends as they ascend to replace man as the dominant species. With your aid, we can turn the tide on these relics of Earth¡¯s past power. Guns, vehicles, and soldiers will soon fail and are no match for what we can do. I see you are a summoner. Your minions are not the same as mine, but they, and all the minions of the anointed ones, shall be welcome,¡± the man, obviously mad, shouted. I had no desire to debate this guy, and was pretty sure this was going to go badly for him once the talking was over. Despite that, he might have some information that we would need. First, I had to determine how long he had been a summoned being. ¡°Top, I¡¯m not going crazy or anything, but I need to play along with this guy for a bit so we can see what he knows,¡± I whispered to Top before replying to the crazed man. ¡°I see that you are like me. Tell me, friend, what is your name, and how long have you been under the System¡¯s guidance as a summoned being?¡± I shouted. ¡°My name is no longer relevant to what I have become. I am now the Warren Master and that is what I shall be called. As far as a summoned being, I¡¯m not familiar with that. Is it the title that the great ones have bestowed upon you?¡± the man asked. ¡°Warren, do you mind if I call you that? How long have you been anointed? It seems you have built up much since your anointing occurred,¡± I asked. ¡°Warren, hm, that is fine. I¡¯ve been blessed by the great ones for a mere week and look at what I¡¯ve amassed. Now, brother, shake off these soldiers that try to bind you to the old world. Kill them with my aid and we will find you a place to rule that befits your station,¡± the man said. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Warren, and I can¡¯t let your freaks hurt anyone else. Surrender, and I¡¯ll see that you are treated fairly,¡± I ordered, whispering to Top to get ready to fire. ¡°You seek to command me? You think the power of your failing technology is sufficient to stop my people! No, fool, if you will not join me and share in the power of the great ones, my pets will feast upon your flesh and take your power for themselves!¡± the man shouted maniacally before beginning to babble and gesture toward us. ¡°Contact rear, more rabbits moving up on our six,¡± one of the men in the MRAPs advised over comms. ¡°My turret traverse is jammed, moving to manual,¡± the Bradley commander replied. ¡°Mine too, turret is a no go,¡± one of the MRAPs announced. ¡°He¡¯s casting some kind of mass fail weapons spell, fire while we still can!¡± I shouted before ordering my minions into action. Only two of the MRAPs opened fire, one pointing to the rear, and one that had zeroed in on Warren. His giant rabbits jumped in front of him, absorbing the first strikes as the rest of the rabbits charged. The soldiers around me opened fire, cutting down the rabbits with ease as the drone began to lob grenades into their midst. The rest of the platoon exited the MRAPs and added their fire to the mix. I could see Warren running into the night and was just about to cast switch and replace to appear near him when an arrow from Glurk¡¯s longbow slammed into his back, causing the crazed man to stumble. He regained his feet, only to be cut in half by a burst of .50 caliber rounds. After that, the surviving rabbits went into a rage and began fighting amongst themselves as well as trying to get at the soldiers. It took only a few minutes before we were able to cut down the last of the changed creatures. ¡°Cease fire, get some teams out to collect that Warren guy¡¯s remains,¡± Top ordered as he began organizing the platoon. ¡°You did good, Rico, maybe that conversation will turn something up. We also have some weapons jammed by mana that we can examine. You saved lives tonight, son,¡± Top said. ¡°We did, but we didn¡¯t save everyone,¡± I replied, looking at the bloody muzzles of the giant rabbits that had defended Warren. Their own blood mixed with that of their victims, and I couldn¡¯t help but think about those victims as we secured the area. Even a victory with system changed creatures had a cost. How much worse was this going to get? Chapter 317. Aftermath. Chapter 317. Aftermath. The platoon was going to stay on scene to secure the area until the recovery teams came in to clean up. What the scientists would find from mutated rabbits, I had no idea. Maybe, with the other data they¡¯d uncovered from summoned beings, our scientists would work out some way to help combat this type of thing once our modern weapons lost their effectiveness. It was a bit scary to see it in action, this one person with system powers, had been able to jam up several heavy weapons. What would happen once most of the population was integrated? At least the soldiers I was with had trained alongside my minions, and were as prepared as they could have been for the fight. Oddly enough, the man commanding the rabbits, Warren, claimed that he wasn¡¯t a summoned being. What did that mean if people other than those of us who were summoned beings, started to gain powers. I knew the mana levels were climbing quickly, so I had to expect the integration was going to happen much faster than anticipated. Agent Lopez had the soldiers shuttle me back to the command post they¡¯d set up for the operation. I had to dismiss my minions since they wouldn¡¯t fit in the vehicle, so there was going to be a bit of a cooldown before I could call them forth again. At least I had a sizeable collection of consumable figurines to use here on Earth. ¡°Rico, good work out there. What can you tell me about the guy you fought?¡± Lopez asked once he hustled me into a large tent full of equipment. Others were there, mostly technicians and communications people. One younger soldier documented our conversation with a small camera. ¡°His powers were odd, and he as obviously the one in command of the rabbits. I don¡¯t know if he created them, or just developed powers to control them after the system mutated the creatures. The strange part is that he claimed he wasn¡¯t a summoned being,¡± I explained. ¡°That¡¯s odd, but not the first time we¡¯ve run across this. I was going to debrief you later on the newest developments, but this emergency popped up and delayed our meeting. Several people around the world have developed system powers. Most are weak, and are only tier zero, rank zero or so. A few, like what you just faced, seem to be prodigies as far as system powers go,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Sir, the current count of system inducted individuals, including the one our team just killed, is at 17,¡± the soldier with the camera added. ¡°Thanks Davis, the total has gone up from the twelve we knew of just two days ago. The rate of mana saturation is increasing, and if we know of 17, that means there are probably a lot more out there, most of whom are probably confused and scared about what¡¯s happening to them,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I take it were watching hospitals and the like. Most people might be like I was in the beginning, thinking they¡¯re having a stroke or going through some mental health episode,¡± I said remembering when I was first chosen as a summoned being. It seemed so long ago, but it had been less than six months. While the time here on Earth had been limited, I suppose a lot more time had passed when you considered how long all my summonings had lasted. Just helping Fitzfazzle deal with Pharox had taken weeks, even though no time had passed on Earth. Thinking of my gnomish friend, I checked his figurine, confirming he was still on cooldown. ¡°We¡¯ve got several teams out there searching for any hint of a system inducted person. Is there anything else you can tell us about this Warren guy that you fought? Did he tell you about his class? What powers did he reveal?¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t get too far with his class, he was mental, and our conversation was a short one. What I can tell you is that he already had a version of the Fail Weapons spell. Not only that, but it was also a pretty powerful area of effect one. Several of the vehicles had guns jam and the like, but there were too many of us for him to deal with,¡± I explained. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well, though it is in line with what we¡¯ve found from the other system inducted people. About half were inducted with Fail Weapons and the Linguistic Adaptation Interface. For the ones that turn hostile or crazy, we at least have the advantage of their mana running out quickly. ¡°Earth¡¯s mana levels are high enough now that you should start to see some slow regeneration, like a point or two a day. It¡¯ll still suck the mana out of devices and enchanted items, so be careful what you bring back with you, but most summoned beings are now able to pull a tiny trickle of mana from the environment,¡± Lopez said.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°This guy was controlling the rabbits, had been for some time, it seems. Not only that, but he was also chain casting Fail Weapons. That doesn¡¯t seem like a tier zero, rank zero kind of mana pool,¡± I said. ¡°I agree, but we¡¯ll not get any answers out of him. Things are moving fast, Rico, and I know you¡¯re closing in on tier three soon. Do what you can to keep helping the soldiers train while you¡¯re still around, Lopez said. ¡°You know I will, though these guys all just got a big dose of real experience after seeing the monsters in action. I¡¯m sure my minions have helped with their training, but it¡¯s a different story when the monsters are actually trying to kill you,¡± I added. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right, and it¡¯s funny, you sound like a grizzled veteran yourself now,¡± Lopez said. I thought for a few seconds before replying. ¡°It¡¯s probably because I am. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been in combat dozens of times. I¡¯ve even been killed dozens of times. Not only that, but I¡¯ve also seen horrors that words can¡¯t adequately explain. So, yeah, I suppose I am a combat veteran now,¡± I replied. ¡°I suppose you are, Rico. Just like with the combat veterans in the military, we¡¯re going to need to leverage your experience as much as we can to save as many lives as possible. The platoon you¡¯ve been working with is being rotated out tomorrow, they¡¯ve gotten their hands dirty and it¡¯s time to bring in some fresh meat for you to train with,¡± Lopez advised. ¡°No problem, though I should probably get back home so I can sleep before meeting the new trainees,¡± I said, hoping that would trigger Lopez to have someone drive me back. ¡°Trucks will be leaving in a few to bring back the vehicles with the malfunctioning guns. We want our techs to dig into that back on base. Oh, there was one bright spot of information I almost forgot to tell you,¡± Lopez said. ¡°What¡¯s that, I could use some good news,¡± I replied. ¡°It turns out that not all the new system inducted people are getting combat classes. Of the ones we know about, we have a nurse, a chef, and a construction worker that all received classes that are related to their work. Everyone seems to get some combat ability that they can use to defend themselves with, but the theory is that most of Earth¡¯s people will have classes not directly related to combat,¡± Lopez said. ¡°That is good news. Having a world full of warriors, wizards, and rogues was going to be a recipe for disaster. I suppose Jeanette at Refuge is that kind of class, even as a summoned being,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, she is, though it¡¯s really uncommon for summoned beings to have non-combat classes. The whole nature of your existence is to be called into trouble,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you guys still have that summoning contract I gave you. It seemed like the system was setting it up so that the contract could be used even if I pulled into wherever the summoned beings are going. I¡¯ll also make sure to store all my consumables in the top drawer of my dresser at home. If something happens to me, distribute them as you see fit,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ve got that summoning contract set aside for an emergency,¡± Lopez replied. I had to wait around for another half hour or so as they loaded up the trailers with our armored vehicles. The trip back home went quickly enough, and I napped on the way back. Just before we pulled onto post, I got a call from Julio at Refuge. ¡°Rico, are you heading back home soon?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m on my way, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, a bit worried that he¡¯d call me at this late hour. ¡°It¡¯s Marie and Jeanette. I think they¡¯ve both been pulled away by the system. They¡¯re gone, and from the security cameras, neither has left Refuge,¡± Julio said. ¡°I hate to see them gone, but both were over tier three, so it was probably inevitable,¡± I said, saddened to hear that two of the summoned beings I trusted the most were gone to wherever it was we were all being sent. ¡°Yeah, we had sort of expected that, but I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you weren¡¯t confused if you went looking for them. How close are you to tier three? I know not everyone is taken away exactly at tier three, rank zero, but I¡¯d like to at least prepare for another departure,¡± Julio said. ¡°I¡¯m as close as you can probably get, Julio, I¡¯m tier two, rank nine. My next summoning will push me over the edge, though who knows if I¡¯ll be taken then, or sent back home again,¡± I explained. ¡°Whenever that happens, remember that you¡¯ll have people back on Earth waiting for your return,¡± Julio said. ¡°I know that, I just wish I could remain behind to help with all the system insanity,¡± I said. ¡°You and all the others have done great. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re exactly ready, but at least enough people in the right positions know what¡¯s about to hit and are preparing for it. I¡¯m almost excited to see that class I¡¯ll get once the system takes over,¡± Julio said. ¡°Ha, you¡¯ll probably get something cool. I suppose I¡¯ll have to wait to find out,¡± I replied. Julio was older than me, but he had been a great friend and helped me to find my place among the others at Refuge. If anyone was going to get a good class, and survive any chaos, it was him. When I finally got back to Refuge later that night, it seemed like something was missing. I don¡¯t know if it was Jeanette¡¯s class skills being absent, or if it was just that feeling of knowing people you expected to see wouldn¡¯t be there. My days were busy enough that I didn¡¯t dwell on it too much, though I was a bit anxious about what was going to happen to me after tier three. Chapter 318. Dog and Pony Show. Chapter 318. Dog and Pony Show. The next morning, I headed back to base and met the new unit I would be training with. By now, the training curriculum was well sorted, and I was able to quickly get to work. Meeting the new units, I was surprised that not all were military this time. I was working with a platoon of Marines, but there were also a dozen law enforcement personnel, four paramedics, and a score of civilians. Many of these weren¡¯t necessarily here for combat training, that would be the focus of the Marines and law enforcement, the others were here just to learn how to interact with system enhanced people and the various powers they might run into once integration occurred. My time was split between hard combat training, room clearing, and weapons discussions, while also essentially giving lectures on what I knew of the system. It seemed strange to be the instructor, since I was still relatively new to all this. Still, I had the experience of being in dozens of worlds and had faced an incredible array of odd situations. Elliot was still assisting, and that let us divide and conquer at times to keep the training flowing. Elliot¡¯s flashy fire magic was a big hit with the Marines, but my minions seemed to win over the civilians. The Marines and law enforcement personnel soon learned to hate my minions as they went through various combat scenarios. They were unprepared for the odd magic, abilities, and outright power many of my minions possessed. Our training exercises got rough a few times, but other than the normal injuries you¡¯d expect from this type of training, everyone was fine. About three days into training, Agent Lopez turned up at the end of the day and pulled me and Elliot aside to talk. ¡°I wanted to get both of you together to go over some changes. Tomorrow night, the President and most of the other world leaders, will be making an announcement. They¡¯ll explain what the system is and the pending integration we¡¯re going to go through. Since we expect there might be some turmoil, we¡¯d like to bring all the summoned beings and their families here on post, that way, we can keep you safe and avoid any issues you might have as things go public,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Why do we have to move. Just because the announcement is made, nobody knows who the summoned beings are,¡± Elliot argued, and I actually agreed with him. ¡°That brings up the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. The president has requested some summoned beings to appear during the announcement to demonstrate their powers. I suggested you two as part of that demonstration, since you¡¯re both experienced, and you have very different sets of system abilities. ¡°If you decline to join the dog and pony show, of course you can remain off post, but if you agree to help with the demonstration, you can expect a lot of public attention which would make it necessary to stay on post,¡± Agent Lopez explained. ¡°Do we get paid? My time is valuable,¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Shut up, Elliot, unless you¡¯ve been foolish with your summoning rewards, you probably have more money than 95% of the country,¡± I chastised. It was good to question what Lopez was offering, but Elliot was drifting back into just being an annoying teen. ¡°You can get paid, but I don¡¯t think dollars will be all that important soon. You¡¯re better off keeping your system coins on hand to be honest,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about the financial implications of the integration. I¡¯m just glad it¡¯s not something you expect me to deal with. If you think it¡¯ll help with the announcement, I¡¯d be glad to join the demonstration. What exactly did you have in mind?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you in, Elliot?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Sure, why not. I¡¯ll probably get a movie deal once Hollywood sees what I can do,¡± Elliot said.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Maybe, but movie production is about to change quite a bit. As far as what is being requested of the demonstration, we wanted you to show off your various fire spells, Elliot,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Will people even believe it? Won¡¯t they just think its CGI or some nonsense?¡± I asked. ¡°A sizeable minority probably will, and I have no doubt all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories will crop up after the announcement. We¡¯re not doing this to convince the fringe, we¡¯re doing this to prepare the vast majority of our people and get their buy in for the things that need to change,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I take it you want me to summon minions to show people about the other creatures and threats that are out there?¡± I asked. ¡°Exactly, and to show some of the variety in classes that people can acquire. We¡¯re going to showcase both combat related classes like most summoned beings possess, as well as some of the ones focused on a profession or direct support. You both have the Fail Weapons spell, right?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Yes,¡± we both replied. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll also have you use them on several firearms, computers, and the like. We need to show people that technology isn¡¯t going to save them, though I should mention that our scientists have some interesting ideas to change our power grid, and other infrastructure over to a mana-based system quickly after integration,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Where is the demonstration going to happen?¡± I asked, wondering if a long airline flight was in my immediate future. ¡°Your portion will be broadcast from here, on base. We want to show how our first responders are already preparing. Several news teams will arrive, and some independent experts to confirm that what the people are seeing is real. It¡¯ll all take place tomorrow evening at 5pm,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We¡¯ll be here, and ready to go,¡± I replied. ¡°Great, I¡¯ve arranged movers to have your stuff brought over. There is some on post housing that¡¯s clear, so you won¡¯t have to live in the barracks or anything like that. Elliot, your family will be brought over as well. Rico, I know you have a sister, and we¡¯ll arrange some security for her and her family,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Thanks, do you think that¡¯s necessary?¡± I asked. ¡°No, but it is a reasonable precaution. The press will sniff out everything about your background and I don¡¯t want anyone to hassle your relatives. There¡¯s a special protection order for summoned beings that the president will sign into law tonight. It¡¯ll help us keep the paparazzi and stalkers away,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Thanks for that, is there anything else you needed from us tonight? I¡¯d like to get dinner and then pack up if you¡¯ve got movers coming,¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, and thank you again for all your help,¡± Agent Lopez said, making a point to shake both of our hands. He was always so cool and collected, but I could see that even he was nervous when he talked about tomorrow¡¯s announcement. For the first time in too long, I thought about my sister. We¡¯d never been that close, especially once we left home and went about our lives. Still, I didn¡¯t want to see any harm happen to her or her family. Maybe this whole situation would bring us closer together. Her husband was a nice enough guy, but I¡¯d only met him a couple of times at family holidays and at their wedding. The last time we¡¯d spoken, back in December, they were planning to start a family. For all I knew, I might be an uncle soon. Thoughts of being the cool uncle with superpowers made me smile. Yeah, reconnecting with my family was probably something I needed to make an effort to do. Melvin sent me images of food as we drove off post. To nobody¡¯s surprise, he wanted tacos again. I headed to the hole in the wall place that Julio had gotten me hooked on and bought a family pack of tacos and burritos. Melvin liked their super spicy sauce, but I was more of a mild salsa guy, so I had to get both, and some extra chips. Eating with Melvin while he was in armor form was strange. He would gather most of his mass in one place, usually on my leg. I¡¯d drop a taco onto the gelatinous lump, and he eagerly start dissolving the food. I was full after two tacos and half a burrito, but Melvin finished off the rest with no problem. Packing up wasn¡¯t too hard, I didn¡¯t have all that much, just enough furniture to fill up a tiny one-bedroom apartment. My clothes fit in a single, large duffel bag that I¡¯d snagged from the base, and other than a pair of backpacks, that was all I needed for my personal items. The movers arrived later, around 9pm, and they worked quickly and efficiently. I don¡¯t know where Agent Lopez had found movers that worked all night, but we were packed and back on post in just a couple of hours. A corporal was waiting at the gate to guide me to my new digs. To my surprise, it was a small, two-bedroom house. Though it was much more than I needed, it was nice to not share apartment walls with anyone else. The movers unpacked as efficiently as they had packed, and just after midnight, I was officially moved in. After a shower, I headed to bed. The big show was tomorrow, and I still needed to work with my new training group before Elliot and I were pulled away for the announcement stuff. Instead of waking up early to get ready for my busy day, the system decided it was time for me to be called again. You are Summoned! Chapter 319. Confounding Contracts. Chapter 319. Confounding Contracts. I felt anxious in a way I hadn¡¯t felt since my first few summoning¡¯s. This whole process was old hat now, but it was also possible that something big would change for me on this summoning series. Information on my current summoning appeared as I stepped through the portal. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned via a contract with the shopkeeper Clayton Yon.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 9.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for defensive purposes. Combat is likely, prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped out of the portal and into Clayton Yon¡¯s shop in Somhagen. It was odd being summoned to a city I¡¯d been to several times already. My summoner link led to Clayton Yon and his wife Eleanor who stood there, both with intense fear etched into their faces. Remembering that he had lost his son when a summoned being had slacked on the job, I steeled myself to do all I could for this couple. ¡°You came, not that I doubted you, but well, yes, I suppose I did doubt you¡¯d come to help us,¡± Clayton stammered. ¡°What can I help you two with, are you in danger?¡± I said, summoning my team as I looked around the shop. It was dark out and the store was closed. A few lamps remained lit, giving me enough light to see most of the place. It was quiet, and other the older couple in front of me, I didn¡¯t detect anyone else around. ¡°We are, it¡¯s a mistake we made, and I¡¯m sorry I had my husband drag you into this,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°See, Eleanor, look at all the minions that Rico has at his disposal. I know we¡¯ll be safe from that thing now,¡± Clayton said, trying to comfort his wife as the last of my minions, Blieek, appeared. ¡°What exactly is the threat you¡¯re both so worried about?¡± I said with confidence. I had my minions, full mana, and excellent gear that should prove more than enough for whoever, or whatever was threatening these people. ¡°It¡¯s a creature, we can¡¯t say its name. We made a bargain with it, a bargain that allowed our shop to prosper. Now, the creature is coming to claim the price for our success,¡± Eleanor warned. ¡°I¡¯m still not getting any details here. What were the terms of the deal, and what is this creature coming to collect. Even more important, what kind of threat is this thing?¡± I asked, getting a bit impatient with the pair, but trying to calm myself and realize that they weren¡¯t exactly experts at dealing with deadly threats. ¡°Let me, Eleanor,¡± Clayton said, his wife nodding in reply. ¡°A creature, he seemed harmless enough, came to our shop not long ago. He offered a contract to have a guaranteed stream of customers shop here. He¡¯d give us prosperity, and, I have to say, he at least followed through on his end of the bargain,¡± Clayton said. ¡°So, this creature offered you a contract but didn¡¯t tell you what was required of you? Come on, Clayton, you¡¯re a businessman, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d fall for something like that, you¡¯re not that dumb,¡± I said. ¡°My Clayton is not that dumb, I am,¡± Eleanor said, tears cutting trails across the wrinkled face of the distraught woman. ¡°You didn¡¯t know any better, honey, you just wanted us to be financially secure. Rico, when you first met me, I wasn¡¯t doing well. There was a good chance we¡¯d lose the shop and our place in Somhagen. We¡¯re too old to start over new somewhere else, and my failure was slowly eating away at me. My wife knew this and accepted the contract behind my back,¡± he paused for a minute, reaching out and holding his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°We didn¡¯t know the true extent of what he was demanding of her until it came back recently and told Eleanor what was required of her, and that he¡¯d be here tonight to collect on the debt,¡± Clayton said.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to see you beaten down and sad all the time. I figured if the shop did well, I could provide whatever help that thing required, then return to your side,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°I know you meant well, honey, you just didn¡¯t know what you were dealing with. Don¡¯t worry, Rico¡¯s here and he¡¯ll protect us from that thing,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Do you have a copy of the contract? I¡¯m no lawyer, but I have one I can summon if we need to,¡± I said, thinking that Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s services might be required here more than those of my minions. ¡°I don¡¯t, it was all done through the system, and when I signed, I only read that it would require a year of my time as an employee for this creature, and it promised that I wouldn¡¯t have any physical harm come to me. But the thing lied, it wants so much more than I can give,¡± Eleanor said. I felt an oppressive wave of energy surge behind me, like a portal gone wrong had just opened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a copy of the contract if you need to see it again. Heya, Rico, fancy seeing you here,¡± a familiar voice said from behind me as Eleanor and Clayton began to shake in fear. ¡°Gary?¡± I said turning around. His visits to Somhagen, and no longer needing to tag along with me to get here, were starting to make sense. ¡°In the flesh, buddy. You know these two? Clayton and Eleanor are wonderful people. Just the kind of folks I like to do business with. You know the type, kindhearted and desperate, my favorite combination,¡± Gary said with a smile, as he walked toward us from a red portal that snapped shut behind him with an audible pop. ¡°I know these two, and they summoned me to help. What kind of deal did you work out with them?¡± I asked Gary. ¡°The usual stuff. I give them financial prosperity, grow their failing business, and all for just a bit of service in return. My deal with Eleanor here was for her to become an employee of my organization for a year, and then she¡¯d be returned home, free of any physical harm,¡± Gary said. ¡°What kind of services?¡± I asked, almost dreading the answer. ¡°Ah, just simple stuff really. I typically have new employees focus on powering my devices with their souls, and that sort of thing. I always keep my word, and she will return here hale of body and in perfect physical health, albeit without her immortal soul. See, it¡¯s all here in the contract,¡± Gary said, handing over a scroll. ¡°Ooh, yeah, just let me cover this part, it¡¯s my name and you wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally see that or bad things, completely outside of my control, will happen,¡± Gary said, the parchment was unrolled to the correct section, and certain spots, probably where Gary had signed is name, were blurred out. ¡­In return for the promised business enhancements, the contracted being known as Eleanor Yon, agrees to one year of employment, the type of which is to be determined by the other contracted party. After the year of service, she will be returned in perfect physical shape and without any lasting physical wounds or ailments¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t see any mention of souls here. It looks like a typical job contract,¡± I said. ¡°It is a typical job contract, at least for my kind. I promised not to harm her physically, I said nothing about harming her spiritually. That¡¯s the currency I deal with, as you know,¡± Gary said. ¡°Not with our deal, it was strictly a rental agreement for coins, not souls,¡± I replied. ¡°Bah, a one-off since you had what I needed at the time. Tell you what, Rico, do you want to switch with Eleanor here? I¡¯ll give you a great rate, only three months of service, and these kind folks can go about their newly profitable lives in peace,¡± Gary offered. ¡°No deals Gary, in fact, let me call someone that might help us parse out this contract,¡± I said, willing my link with Tzes¡¯zod to activate. Somehow, the system made the connection, and another portal opened behind me. The lich, Tzes¡¯zod was covered by the wacky gnome illusion again, which, hopefully, would keep the Yon¡¯s from freaking out even more. ¡°Rico, how may I be of service?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°I was summoned by these folks, who have a contract with Gary. Can you review the contract and tell me if it¡¯s valid and if Gary can try to take Eleanor away and drain her soul?¡± I asked. ¡°Woah, buddy, you may want me to cover up some bits there before you start reading,¡± Gary said as Tzes¡¯zod grabbed the contract. ¡°I shall review the contract in its entirety,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. I tried to warn him, but the lich began to read through the entire thing at breakneck speed, and Gary¡¯s true name seemed to have no effect on him. ¡°Hey, wait a minute, you¡¯re not a gnome,¡± Gary said, snapping his fingers which caused Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s illusion to disappear. Eleanor gave a fresh gasp of fright at the sight of the lich and passed out. Thankfully, Khurr was close by and caught the woman before she slammed onto the hardwood floor. ¡°I should have known, you¡¯re that lich guy that freeloads off of Rico¡¯s generosity,¡± Gary said with some anger in his voice. Normally, Gary kept up a jovial demeanor and seemed unflappable, but something about Tzes¡¯zod caused that veneer of joviality to momentarily disappear. ¡°Please avoid any interruptions, there are many details here that I need to investigate,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Though a lich didn¡¯t exactly have facial features, I got the distinct impression that he was determined to best the evil imp at his own game. Chapter 320. Faceoff. Chapter 320. Faceoff. ¡°Rico, I almost forgot, here¡¯s the ring I promised you. I may as well give it to you now. As you know, I¡¯m rarely in your personal space these days and who knows when we¡¯ll cross paths in there again. Sadly, it¡¯s not something I can entrust one of your minions to hand off, as it requires a personal activation,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, handing me a simple steel band. Trusting that Tzes¡¯zod had a reason for the whole ring shenanigans, I slid it over my index finger and found that the ring sized itself to fit perfectly. You have acquired. Ring of Telepathic Communication, minor. This ring will allow you to speak telepathically with the holder of a matched ring. The range of this ability is 100 yards, and the rings can only be used for up to 1 hour per day. ¡°I assume you can hear me now. If you can, try to concentrate on thinking your reply, not saying it verbally,¡± Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s voice called in my mind. ¡°Yes, I can hear you, are you hearing me okay?¡± I replied. ¡°Perfectly. Now, we have little time to deal with this contract issue and Gary has obviously put a lot of planning into bringing about this confrontation. There are a couple of problems here. One, if you move against Gary and attempt to stop him from harming the couple, you will break your rental agreement with him. If that happens it will allow him to retaliate back in your personal space,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What do I do then? I have to at least try to stop him, or my summoning compulsion will kick in. Other than that, I have a scroll that will complete this summoning, but that will doom these people,¡± I said. ¡°There are two tracks we can utilize. One, the easiest route is to activate the scroll and wash your hands of the matter. This is also the safest route, but it is one that may be more problematic in the future. The other option is for you to wait until your summoning compulsion kicks in. If you attack Gary due to your summoning compulsion, and not of your own volition, you will technically not be voiding the rental agreement, since you¡¯re not in control of your actions,¡± Tzes¡¯zod offered. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s no real risk if I allow the summoning compulsion to activate?¡± I asked. ¡°No more so than you would normally experience by having a death during a summoning. There is nothing Gary can do to you other than destroy your body. To damage your soul requires voluntary agreement on your part. However, there may also be an advantage to a future problem regarding ownership of your personal space if you allow your summoning compulsion to kick in,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Hey, I get you¡¯re undead and have all the time in the world, but you need to pick up the pace here buddy. I don¡¯t have all day to waste while some third-party, third-rate barrister reads through all the fine print of a boilerplate contract that every infernal uses. Need I remind you, lich, that I¡¯m only giving you time to read that as a courtesy for my buddy, Rico,¡± Gary complained. ¡°My time of delay is almost at an end, and my advice is to allow your summoning compulsion to kick in. Gary likely knows that loophole, and I suspect he will abandon his attempt to collect the debt at this time. You may not be able to protect these humans as you desire to, but you can grant them a bit more time,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m sorry to tell you, Rico, but it seems that this contract is in order,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, handing the sulfurous-smelling document back to Gary. ¡°There you have it, just like I said. Everything is above board, and the system obviously approves of the deal I struck. Now, let me gather up Eleanor, I think I have the perfect spot for her. Have you ever heard of a soul-powered portal generator? It¡¯s a wonderful device, though, since her soul will be the one powering it, I suppose the experience won¡¯t be all that wonderful for Eleanor,¡± Gary taunted. ¡°He¡¯s trying to anger you into attacking him. Do not allow the imp to succeed. I suspect there is also some subtle mind magic at work here,¡± Tzes¡¯zod warned just as I could feel rage build up inside me. With Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s warning, I was able to recognize and shake off the influence.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Your Mental Intrusion resistance has fended off an Infuriating Presence aura. My mind calmed, and I waited to see what Gary would do next, though I was a little annoyed that the system didn¡¯t determine Gary¡¯s aura to be a direct attack. We both stared at each other, and I could see anger roiling behind the imp¡¯s eyes. Gary kept up his carefree demeanor, but I think he realized that his ploy to get me to attack him wasn¡¯t going to work. ¡°Step aside, Rico, I¡¯m claiming what¡¯s mine,¡± Gary said. ¡°Sorry, Gary, but when you try to do that, my summoning compulsion will kick in, and I¡¯ll be forced to try and stop you. Since were such good buddies and all, I¡¯d hate for that to happen,¡± I replied with a bit more sarcasm than I probably should have. It was never wise to taunt powerful infernal creatures that could steal your soul. ¡°Hm, your lich friend tipped you off, did he. Don¡¯t worry lich, I¡¯ve dealt with your kind before, and you¡¯ve made an enemy this day,¡± Gary said, dark flames beginning to waft from his body. ¡°And I have dealt with your kind as well. I suspect that we were slated to be enemies from the day you entered Rico¡¯s personal space. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t realize what is about to happen,¡± Tzes¡¯zod taunted. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted too much time here, but don¡¯t worry Eleanor, I¡¯ll be back soon to collect when my buddy isn¡¯t here to save you. Later, Rico,¡± Gary said, giving Tzes¡¯zod another glare before he conjured up a glowing red portal that he entered. After his earlier comment to Eleanor, I thought I could almost hear the anguish of the poor soul that was powering Gary¡¯s portal. ¡°He¡¯s gone, you¡¯ve saved us, Rico. Thank you so much,¡± Clayton said, his fear dissipating enough that he was trying to revive the still unconscious Eleanor. ¡°The contract still stands between these people and Gary, Rico, though I believe you may soon have the means to nullify it. I do feel the need to warn you not to create a new contract with these humans. Now that you know the parties involved in the dispute, the system will not recognize your innocence if they call you for help again and your compulsion causes you to attack Gary,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He held out his bony hand and I returned the telepathic ring to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to stop Gary for good,¡± I said to Clayton. ¡°This might not be over for us yet, but you¡¯ve given me time with my wife. Every extra minute with her is a gift at this point, and for that, I¡¯m grateful,¡± Clayton said as Eleanor started to revive. ¡°I shall leave now, Rico, though I¡¯ll be waiting for you in your personal space. There is much more we need to discuss, and important events are transpiring that you will have a hand in deciding,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, teleporting away through a normal enough looking portal. At least, unlike Gary, the lich wasn¡¯t harvesting souls to power his movements. ¡°Again, I apologize that I couldn¡¯t do more for you. I also can¡¯t create a new contract now that I know who you¡¯ll be calling me to defend you from,¡± I warned. ¡°You¡¯ve done all you could, Rico,¡± Clayton said with a forced smile. My summoning ended at that moment, and I entered the void as the system announced my performance. You have completed the terms of the contracted summoning. This summoning is now complete. Your ranking for this summoning is Excellent. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Excellent. You have earned 39 experience points. You have earned 52 summoning points. Congratulations You have reached Tier 3, Rank 0. You have gained 1 point in Strength. You have gained 1 point in Agility. You have gained 1 point in Constitution. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You have gained 1 point in Presence. New class evolution options are available. Please review your status once inside your personal space. The system has determined that your time as a summoned being is at an end. You may return to Earth once the integration of that world is complete, and the residents have a chance to acclimate to the system. New options and rewards will be available to you shortly. You will now be returned to your personal space. This was it; I¡¯d reached tier three and wasn¡¯t going back home until the system integration was over with. I was torn, and I found myself both excited about what was coming, and still concerned over what my world was about to go though. I did take some pride in the fact that I had done my part in preparing my world for the system. ¡°Welcome home, sir,¡± Whirtmir said as I exited the portal and returned to my personal space. Questions flooded my mind almost as fast as the system prompts that appeared. For now, I hid the system prompts and would deal with them in order once my mind calmed down a bit. Melvin sent me his support through our mental link, and I knew that whatever the system had in store for me in the future, I wanted my friend Melvin to remain at my side. He seemed to echo the feelings and sent me images of us sitting in my car eating tacos and also of him absorbing damage as my armored protector. ¡°Thanks Melvin, you¡¯re a good friend,¡± I said to the slime as he switched from his armor form to the normal, happy cube of gelatinous goo. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m afraid there are developments regarding your personal space that need to be attended to. Speaking with your pet is a distraction you cannot afford at this time,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, standing from his desk and looking exactly like the ominous undead creature he was. Chapter 321. Unexpected Options. Chapter 321. Unexpected Options. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Tzes¡¯zod?¡± I asked. Before he could answer, a system prompt that demanded I read it appeared. Your time as a summoned being is ending, and along with the other changes you¡¯ll experience, your personal space will also undergo a change. Please select your class evolution and once that is completed, a destination for the next stage of your life will be offered, and the disposition of your personal space can be managed. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what I can, though from the glazed look in your eye, the system is beginning its own explanation,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Yes, I have to evolve my class, then I¡¯ll be sent somewhere else. My personal space is supposed to change, and with your phylactery in my reward chest, I assume that you¡¯re concerned about what will happen to it,¡± I said. So far, the system didn¡¯t seem to be rushing me, so I¡¯d try to get as much information, and perhaps advice on my class evolution from Tzes¡¯zod as I could. ¡°You¡¯re correct. With your time as a summoned being ending, the personal space will change, likely transform into some sort of personal storage or temporary refuge that only you can access. You may no longer have a reward chest once the changes occur, and currently, my phylactery is being held by the system until all these variables are worked out,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, and though he had no facial expressions, I felt he was being evasive to some extent. ¡°Other factors? Explain,¡± I replied. ¡°I only recently discovered about the changes to your personal space that are about to occur. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t an area of research that intrigued me until I sought out your personal space as a haven for my phylactery. As the system prepares for these changes, you should know that others can make a claim and attempt to gain compensation for what they can no longer use. To lay claim to your space, the being must have some existing, and extensive connection to it. ¡°Typically, a new contract would be negotiated by all parties involved and things would continue much as they have been. In some rare situations, a being can try to make a demand for the entire space. To make a takeover demand, residency must be established and extensive modification to their contracted section of your personal space must have been completed,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°Let me guess, Gary is going to make some play for this space,¡± I said, thinking back to all the noise that we had dealt with early on after he had moved in. I had the sinking suspicion that those sounds were in relation to the ¡°extensive modifications¡± that Tzes¡¯zod had just mentioned. ¡°Correct, and you¡¯ll have a decision to make when he does,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What¡¯s that decision?¡± I asked. ¡°You can willingly give him your personal space, and perhaps even arrange for him to provide some additional payment, or you can contest it and fight the creature for control,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I can¡¯t fight Gary, that would be suicide. Isn¡¯t there some other option? Hey, you¡¯re essentially a resident here, why don¡¯t you challenge me and Gary for control. You¡¯re the only one who could probably stand up to him,¡± I asked. ¡°I have no claim, as I only occupy a small fraction of your reward chest inventory and have made no modifications. In addition, my phylactery is not considered permanent residency. It would be more beneficial to both of us if I remain neutral, or ally with you when you resist Gary¡¯s challenge,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°If the only choice is to fight Gary or hand over the personal space, I don¡¯t see that there really is anything else I can do other than turn it over. Why is this place so important anyway? There are plenty of magical storage items out there, sure this might be a bigger location and have some other perks like the training room if the system keeps it around, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯d risk my life over,¡± I replied. ¡°Places like this are highly sought after. A magical storage item can be taken when the owner is killed, or, through moderately powerful magic, even stolen from their person. Here, you have a location that is protected by the system, one that is shielded from nearly all scrying attempts, and one that the system itself will prevent others from entering. ¡°For someone like me, or Gary, it is the perfect refuge. It¡¯s one he¡¯d be willing to risk much to acquire. It¡¯s also one that could greatly benefit your world once you return to it,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°How can it benefit my world?¡± I asked. The fact the personal space was protected from scrying and hard to enter was great, but not something I was willing to fight Gary for. A single wave of his hand would obliterate me and everything I could summon.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Imagine, when you return to your world, that this space is filled with items to help your people. You could store gear, mana-powered devices, instructional texts, food, water, potions. The options are endless. After that, it¡¯ll become your refuge and a place that you can retreat to in times of dire need,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, trying to convince me to fight for my personal space. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a huge space, and I don¡¯t even know what the system will change it into. Maybe it¡¯ll be even smaller after that, and what amounts to a single small warehouse full of stuff won¡¯t make much of a difference for an entire world,¡± I argued. ¡°Ah, but you forget another important point. You can bring magical storage devices here. While there is a limit to what those storage devices can hold, they take up very little space and would be completely safe here. Typically, one magical storage device cannot be stored inside another, but this personal space is a unique zone where that is allowed, though we must assume the system will impose some limits should things get out of hand,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Now, that was something I could see helping. Being able to dole out bags of holding full of supplies could really make a difference and keep more people alive. Sure, I was going to be gone for the initial turmoil, but I¡¯m sure that when the former summoned beings were allowed to return, I¡¯d be able to make a difference. ¡°While I can see the promise in storing more storage devices, but there are still several problems with the plan. First, while I have some resources, I doubt I have the coin to buy enough supplies to make a difference. Second, we still don¡¯t know for sure what will happen to my personal space, it might be changed in ways your research hasn¡¯t discovered. Finally, you keep avoiding the most important fact, I¡¯m no match for Gary,¡± I explained. ¡°I¡¯m not without resources, some of which the system will likely allow me to distribute to you in exchange for my continued presence here. I admit that I don¡¯t know the exact form your personal space will take on, though none of the examples I discovered make me worried that you cannot accomplish what we wish. ¡°As for your final concern, Gary isn¡¯t the unbeatable creature you believe him to be. Sure, he is powerful, but if you challenge his claim, Gary¡¯s power will be restricted by the system. If there¡¯s one thing the system likes to do, it¡¯s to give at least the appearance of fairness,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°How diminished are we talking? Will the system drop him to match my own tier and rank?¡± I said, warming up to the idea of fighting Gary for my personal space if we were on even footing. ¡°No, while he¡¯ll be vastly reduced in power, he will still likely exceed your present power by a large margin. I would, of course, assist you, but the system will impose restrictions on the help I can offer. Still, there is a very good chance that you will be able to defeat him if this plays out like I believe it will,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I¡¯m still not getting warm and fuzzy feelings about this. It seems that even if he¡¯s neutered by the system a bit, Gary is still going to be too much for me,¡± I replied. ¡°In your present state, yes, but that¡¯s where my help will come in. You see, my magic and abilities may not be geared toward combat, but they are capable of maneuvering through the system¡¯s rather maze-like options for these sorts of disputes. Let me lay things out for you. ¡°First, we¡¯ll assume Gary is going to challenge you, it¡¯s almost a guarantee, and he¡¯ll see it as an easy win. Once he issues his challenge, you¡¯ll shock him by accepting his test of combat to determine ownership of the personal space. Knowing that his powers will be reduced, but still considerably more than what you currently possess, he¡¯ll likely accept the combat challenge. ¡°That¡¯s where my work comes into play. The system will reduce Gary¡¯s strength based on the difference in your power levels at the point in time when the challenge is issued. Once decided, the maximum tier and rank of Gary will be locked in. ¡°What I¡¯ll make sure of is that the combat challenge occurs much further in the future as I use every loophole and trick at my command to delay the actual event. I¡¯ll see to it that you¡¯re allowed time to grow in power and have a real chance at being an even higher tier and rank than the reduced Gary when the fight finally occurs,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°That sounds almost doable, but there a lot of assumptions going on here, and I¡¯m still not sure that the risk is better than just giving Gary the personal space,¡± I said. While I loved the idea of defeating Gary and helping Earth, Gary was a cunning, devious, and deadly foe that I¡¯d so far been able to keep from harming me. ¡°I admit that I have contingencies already in place for my phylactery if you decide to acquiesce to Gary¡¯s demands on your personal space. Still, there are other things you need to consider before you make your decision. Gary knows of your world, and he has taken an interest in you. Do you really believe that if you hand over your personal space, that Gary will forget that you exist and just leave you and Earth alone? ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if he doesn¡¯t already have agents on your world to scope out the potential opportunities and harvest the souls that your newly integrated world can provide him with. Should you decide to acquiesce to his demands, I¡¯d be willing to help you hammer out a contract for abdicating control over your personal space to Gary. I¡¯ll also try to include in the contract ways to hamper any designs that Gary has on you and your world. ¡°You need to understand that there is a limit to the restrictions I can have a contract place on him. Not to mention, the more intent you are on placing these restrictions, the more you¡¯ll draw his attention, and the more likely Gary is to try and find a way to circumvent those restrictions,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I should have never rented the space to him. The annoying elves were probably even a better option than him,¡± I bemoaned. ¡°Doing so may have caused Gary to seek retribution at some later point. A problem I didn¡¯t need to point out at the time, as you came to the decision to rent to him on your own,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He was probably right; Gary wasn¡¯t one to take rejection very well. If I had turned down his offer, Gary would have still proven to be a thorn in my side, and a deadly one at that. Now, I had a decision to make. Give up and hand Gary the personal space, an option that would probably save my life, but perhaps cause even more problems for me and Earth in the future. On the other hand, I could confront and defeat Gary, keeping control of my personal space and even more important, ending his threat once and for all. Chapter 322. Horde or Contract. Chapter 322. Horde or Contract? ¡°If you are sure that you can buy me time to gain power, and that Gary will be locked into whatever tier and rank the system decides, I¡¯ll contest his claim to the personal space,¡± I told Tzes¡¯zod. There was almost a relief at deciding, though I was still a bit unsure if my decision was the correct one. ¡°You¡¯ve made the best choice out of a pair of challenging options. Rest assured, when Gary makes his claim, I¡¯ll tie him up in enough bureaucratic knots to buy you the time needed to grow your power,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Though he didn¡¯t have facial expressions, I thought I detected a hint of approval in his reply. ¡°Now, it looks like I have several other decisions to make,¡± I said, noting the glowing system notices awaiting my attention. ¡°Indeed, and once you¡¯ve decided on your new destination, the system will likely allow Gary to make his move. Though I must leave you for a time, I¡¯ll be ready to answer the call when you need to respond to Gary,¡± Tzes¡¯zod assured me as he exited through a portal. For some reason, I felt a bit more worried when he was gone. I knew that our agreement would allow him to negotiate for me, but it would have also been nice to get his take on my class evolution options. A second worry entered my mind, and I realized that I didn¡¯t want to become too reliant on Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s help. We were allies in keeping things as they were in the personal space, but that didn¡¯t mean he was necessarily my friend. Shaking off the other concerns for a moment, I activated the new class evolution options I had been offered. Based on the myriads of experiences you¡¯ve faced during your time as a summoned being, and your overall effectiveness, two options for your class evolution will be offered. Please select and familiarize yourself with your new class, and then, your new destination may be selected. At that time, you will also get a chance to review any changes to your Personal Space.
  1. Horde Bringer. The Horde Bringer class allows you to summon large numbers of minions to do your bidding. Overwhelm your foes with hordes of minions or put those numbers to work in a non-combat environment where they can earn you additional wealth.
The Horde Bringer can choose from several minion types, and the selections offered will be based on your past summoning experiences. Please note that these minions, while numerous, will be called to your side at a significantly reduced Tier and Rank compared to your own. While the Horde Bringer class is not one focused on personal combat, this class evolution will grant you additional personal power based on how many of your minions are on the field. You will also be granted the ability to hide among your minions, removing you from view and mitigating any damage you receive by sharing it among your horde.
  1. Contracted Summoner. The Contracted Summoner answers the summoning call of others not based on random system decisions, but on pre-arranged contract offerings. These contracts may be for extended or short durations, and in addition to system rewards, the summoners requesting your aid may offer additional enhancements to make their offer more attractive to you.
As a Contracted Summoner, you will be able to bring a limited number of minions with you on each contract. These minions will match your Tier and Rank, and you will be able to select them from a range of options featuring your prior minions and other creatures you¡¯ve encountered during your summonings. While the Contracted Summoner class evolution is not focused on personal combat, you will be granted several of your chosen minion¡¯s abilities to bring with you on each summoning. The number of abilities, spells, or skills will vary based on the minions selected and your current tier and rank. There were only two options, but both piqued my interest. I liked the idea of being a summoner, and the system must have picked up on that fact when it crafted the pair of classes it was offering me. I now had to choose from two very different paths. On the one hand, the Horde Summoner would give me an army of weaker minions. On the other hand, the Contracted Summoner would allow me to bring a small, elite team with me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The system was rather light on details, as it usually was, but one thing stuck out between the two options. Other than the just the quality over quantity question, only the Contracted Summoner seemed to follow a path that at least somewhat similar to my time as a summoned being. The Horde Bringer didn¡¯t seem to offer the structure that the other class offered, and I would be a bit on my own in unfamiliar territory with it. I sat in my rocking chair and contemplated the options. While at least the initial experience of becoming a summoned being had been a frightening and stressful one, I had learned to enjoy it more than I had suspected. Getting to visit the various worlds, and in some cases, make a positive change for my summoners, wasn¡¯t a bad life. I could also likely do some good, especially back on an inducted Earth, with the Horde Bringer class and an army of weak, but numerous, minions. There was also the consideration of which would be better in a showdown against Gary. While I needed to determine what type of future I wanted, I had to beat him if I was to have any future at all. The question was, which class would help me beat my tenant turned tyrant? Would the Horde Bringer allow me to climb tiers and ranks faster than the Contracted Summoner? Thinking about my past interactions with Gary, I¡¯d seen his power, and I doubted an army of low tier and rank minions would give him much trouble. The only caveat was the class feature that increased my strength in relation to the number of minions I had summoned. Still, Gary was extremely intelligent and would likely notice if my power started to wane as he killed off my horde. The Contracted Summoner class would allow me to bring more powerful minions to the fight, and they would be able to stand up better to the powers that I expected Gary to have at his command. I made a decision, and felt that the best option for defeating Gary, and the one I was most excited to explore after Gary¡¯s defeat, was the Contracted Summoner class. You have selected the Contracted Summoner class evolution. Please stand by as changes are made to you personally and the new class features are implemented. Any existing summoning points and consumables that enhance class, minions, or other features of your past class will be integrated into the new class and enhance the abilities, skills, gear, and stats offered to you and your minions. Unlike when you were a summoned being, your class is not required to randomly answer summoning requests, and instead will review and decide on various offerings submitted to you. These offerings come from a variety of sources and may be accessed at your revised Personal Space, as well as at designated special locations, such as the city of Somhagen. Please note that many class abilities, skills, and spells will be drastically changed, or possibly eliminated, from your previous class. My vision blurred and I felt myself pulled back into the void by the system. When I snapped back into reality, I felt odd, like my body was in flux and not completely solid as more system information began to appear. Your new class has upgraded many of your current stats. Going forward, the Contracted Summoner will gain the following stats. Strength: Strength is secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your current Strength to better match your new class needs. Agility: Agility is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Agility to better match your new class needs. Constitution: Constitution is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Constitution to better match your new class needs. Mind: Mind is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point for every rank you gain. As a Contracted Summoner, you will gain 2 mana for every point of Mind you possess. Your Mind stat was deemed sufficient for current class requirements and has remained the same. Presence: Presence is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point at every odd rank you gain. Presence will affect not only your ability to negotiate contracts, but also will enhance your minions. Your Presence stat was deemed sufficient for your current class requirements and has remained the same. You have gained a new stat: Reputation. Reputation is a measure of your reliability and skill as a Contracted Summoner. The higher your Reputation, the better the contracts that you can attract will become, and the higher you can set your fees. Refusing multiple contracts, ending them early, or performing poorly may not only affect your Reputation score, but can also add additional adverse notations to your Reputation. The Reputation stat is gained only by performing and completing summonings and does not increase with Tier or Rank gains. After consulting your past summoning record, and considering existing consumables and Summoner Points, you will start with a Reputation score of 25. Reputation was new, but I figured the system needed some way to advise potential clients of how reliable and effective I was. There was also some discomfort as I gained two points in strength, two in constitution, and one in agility, but the pain was brief and passed quickly. My new class would also allow me to gain stats at a faster pace than I had as a Foe Commander. As I got familiar with my newly enhanced stats, further class changes were flashing in the corner of my vision, just waiting for me to explore them. Chapter 323. Personal Space Conflict. Chapter 323. Personal Space Conflict. A new round of updated and upgraded class information began to appear, telling me what abilities and skills might have changed, been added, or evolved from my prior class. Your mana core upgrades will continue as they had been, and your existing resistances have remained the same. Many of your skills and abilities have remained the same, but the following have changed.
  1. Advanced Template Hunter has been integrated into your class. It is now a passive ability that will have a chance of adding new options for recruitment when the time comes to add another minion to your barracks.
  2. Shared Burden has evolved and is now constantly active. It will share 10% of any damage you take and distribute it equally among all currently active summoned minions.
  3. Switch and Replace has had its cooldown reduced to 1 minute.
You have gained several new class abilities.
  1. Negotiate Contract. A key feature of your class is to negotiate summoning contracts with various parties. These contracts are bound by the system and may increase in complexity as you grow in Tier and Rank. Based on the risk level of the contract you negotiate, you may be granted additional bonuses to your stats, enhancements to your abilities and summoned minions, or other helpful items and equipment for the duration of the contract.
It''s important to remember that these contracted summonings are not the same as you experienced during your time as a Summoned Being. There is no automatic respawn if you are destroyed during the summoning contract. Limited options to improve your survivability will unlock as you progress in your new class.
  1. Early Cancellation. If you suspect a contract may be problematic, you may opt to end it early. Should you cancel early, your Reputation will be negatively impacted, and if previously negotiated, you may face additional penalties. Early Cancellation can only be activated when you¡¯re not in combat or under a direct threat. Once activated, Early Cancellation will go on a cooldown with a timer that varies based on several factors.
  2. Summoner¡¯s Copy. Built into every contract you offer will be the Summoner¡¯s Copy clause. This clause allows you to bring an additional summoned minion with you on your next summoning. The minion will be chosen from several options generated by interactions during your previous summoning. On rare occasions, you may be able to contract with a direct entity and not be assigned a system generated simulacrum.
  3. The Summoner¡¯s Share. At the start of each contracted summoning, you will be offered a selection of modified abilities, skills, and powers that are granted from the minions you have chosen to take with you. The number of selections you may choose will depend on your Tier, Rank, and Presence score. The abilities will last only for the duration of the summoning contract.
There was a lot of information hitting me at once and I paused the flow of system notices as I tried to digest what I was seeing. So far, it looked like the changes weren¡¯t too drastic, and I¡¯d been given a couple of new abilities that would come in handy. Not all my new class features had been shown to me yet, like how many minions I could summon and if I could bring any of my existing team along for the ride. The Negotiate Contract ability included an ominous reminder that this was for real now, though I was much more confident in my survival skills and instincts than I had been when all this had first started. Early Cancellation would replace the Notice of Cessation from my time as a Summoned Being. There were more restrictions on the ability, but at least I had some failsafe if the summoning turned out to be something that wasn¡¯t what the other party had described. I¡¯d face a penalty for punching out of the summoning early, but a penalty was better than being forced to do something that violated my beliefs. The system also wasn¡¯t going to let me use Early Cancellation as an escape mechanism since I couldn¡¯t use it while in combat or under a direct threat. Taking a beverage from Whirtmir, I sipped the fruit juice as I readied myself for not just the rest of my class specifics, but also to discover what would become of my personal space. Some of your equipment is no longer compatible with your class and has been altered. The following changes have been made.
  1. The Minion Master armor will no longer increase the Rank of your minions by 1. Instead, the armor will provide a 5% bonus to attack, defense, and durability to your minions.
The equipment changes were minor, and it seemed like the system wasn¡¯t keen on my minions being higher tier and rank than me. Still, a 5% buff to three things was probably a fair trade-off, not to mention I really liked the armor and didn¡¯t want to have to hunt for something new if I ever got to somewhere I could shop. More information appeared, and the changes continued. Your spells have also changed and evolved to match your new class. The following changes have been made.
  1. Duplicate will only create 1 copy of the targeted minion, the secondary effect of it summoning an additional duplicate of your lowest tier and rank minion has been removed.
The cooldown on the spell remains the same at 30-seconds, and as before, only one Duplicate can be active at a time. The duplicated minion is now more durable and will only suffer an additional 25% additional damage instead of the 50% that the spell previously included. All of your other spells are compatible with your current class. You have gained an additional Tier 3 spell.
  1. Overdrive. Mana cost: 25. Overdrive will boost the stats, speed, damage, and durability of your minions by 25% for 30 seconds. In addition, it will affect you as the caster at a reduced rate of 10% for the same 30 seconds. After the spell effects end, you and your minions will experience an exhausted debuff that hampers your speed, damage, and durability by 10% for 1 minute.
Summoning: At your current Tier and Rank, your class allows you to bring two of your minions with you for each contract. These minions can be selected from those currently inside your barracks. In addition to these 2 minions, your Summoner¡¯s Copy ability grants a 3rd minion that may be chosen from a selection of offerings based on your last contracted summoning. Your minions will scale to your current Tier and Rank, making them powerful additions to your party. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. You may select up to 3 of your existing minions to add to your barracks. As you climb in Tier and Rank, additional minions may be added to your available options. Please select the three minions you wish to add to your barracks pool. Once your selections have been made, and the class evolution process is complete, you may view the updated information on your chosen minions. I knew that the class would have a limited number of minions, but those minions would be more powerful and having two additional party members that were the same tier and rank as me was going to give me some real power. The only problem is that I had to make cuts to the team. To make the choices even harder, the minions would scale with me, so it wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as just picking the three highest tier and rank minions. Looking over my existing crew, a few stood out. First off was Elida. She was the only healer among my minions, and I couldn¡¯t see very many situations where bringing along a healer would be a bad thing. While Elida was probably an auto-include, I was leaning toward passing on Digbaz Bazam. Having a powerful mage was good, but often, I would be the one in the back casting spells and would probably need more of a meat shield than another caster. I was going miss his Tornado spell if I chose to pass on Digbaz. Other than Elida, I was drawn to the Mana Slayer Drone as my second addition. It was powerful in melee, and with the grenade launcher, it was becoming deadly at range as well. With its tank-like armor and deadly melee capabilities, it was a solid choice. Given that the drone was a hard counter to any mages or magical creatures was an added bonus, not to mention, I was excited to see how he would improve going up almost a full tier when he matched my current one. With Elida and the drone decided on, I had one more slot to fill. I considered my lowest tier and rank minions, trying to view them through the lens of possible improvements they¡¯d experience by reaching tier three. Still, both Khurr and Blieek were only one minion, and with the goblin trio, I was getting a three for one deal. In addition, the system mentioned nothing about hampering their tier or rank due to there being three minions in the one slot. It was a bit of risk, and I was worried that the system would somehow hobble the choice of the goblin trio, maybe only giving me a choice of one of them, but the upside was worth the risk. Having two powerful melee attackers in Glem and Glamb, as well as a deadly ranged archer with Glurk, meant that trio managed to beat out Digbaz as my final selection. You have selected the following 3 minions:
  1. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling Battle Mender.
  2. Mana Slayer Drone.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
Well, that was unexpected. The drone¡¯s name stayed the same, but the other two were upgraded when they hit my new tier and rank. A Battle Mender sounded way cooler and more powerful than just a halfling healer, and the goblins had graduated from raiders to a kill team. I was excited to bring them out for a test drive, but the system was going to make me wait to examine the changes until we were done with the class evolution and whatever else the system had on the agenda. With your minions selected, your class evolution is complete. Changes will now be made to your personal space. The total area of the space will become smaller, and you will only be able to visit at the end of each contract period. Any additions to the space will be eliminated, and the current tenants will be notified of these changes shortly. While the time you can spend inside your personal space after each contract is complete is generous, there is a limit to how long you can spend there before you will be required to leave. The portal to your personal space will now be keyed to a designated area. Once you return from your personal space, you will return to this designated area, or the nearest viable location should that designated area become inaccessible. Only certain locations are qualified to become your designated return area, and you will be notified if an area is deemed inappropriate and several nearby alternatives will be offered. You have gained the ability: Designated Return. Designated Return allows you to select a location linked to your personal space. The Training Center in your personal space has evolved into the Barracks. This Barracks provides a place for you to review your summoned minions and their current loadouts. You also select available upgrades to gear, skills, and abilities, as well as guide the path you wish them to take as you grow your Tier and Rank. Your reward chest will function similarly to the way it does now. It will act as a repository for any compensation offered by those who enter into summoning contracts with you. In addition, you will be granted a storage ring, that will allow you limited access to your reward chest should a contract offer advance payment. When accessing the reward chest remotely, only those items included in the contract¡¯s advance can be accessed. You have been given a new item. Reward Chest Access Ring. This ring allows limited access to your reward chest and cannot be stolen or lost. Should the ring somehow become destroyed, it will be rebuilt and reappear inside your reward chest for you to collect on your next visit. That was what I had been waiting for, the changes to my personal space were going to eliminate Gary¡¯s rental area. As I expected, the system notified me immediately of his challenge as soon as it finished explaining the changes to the personal space to me. You have 2 existing tenants in your personal space. Only 1 of these tenants meets the requirement to initiate a tenant claim on your space. Should you abdicate your personal space, modifications to your class will be enacted. Your Reward Chest Access Ring will be transformed into an appropriate capacity, standard Ring of Storage. This Ring of Storage will not have the same protections as the Reward Chest Access Ring and can be lost, destroyed, or stolen from your possession. Awaiting a response from the following tenants with a possible claim on your personal space.
  1. The being known as Gary.
The being known as Gary is making a tenant¡¯s claim on your personal space. You may designate a proxy to negotiate the terms for resolving this dispute, or you may do so yourself. Do you wish to designate a proxy to negotiate on your behalf? As we planned, I selected Tzes¡¯zod to negotiate for me. I had no choice but to trust the lich in this situation. At least I was confident that he was appropriately motivated to help me to the best of his ability. Hiding his phylactery in my personal space was about as safe a place as he could hope to find. You have designated the being known as Tzes¡¯zod to negotiate the tenant dispute resolution process on your behalf. Notifications on the progress of these negotiations will be sent when appropriate, and you may also receive regular updates from your designated representative. With your class evolution complete, and the changes to your personal space and reward chest in progress, you may now review the first contracts offered to you. For the initial contract offering, several of your past contacts have been notified and given the opportunity to make you an offer. Should none of the offers be deemed acceptable by you, a different initial contract will be randomly selected by the system. Stand by for your initial contract offerings. Chapter 324. First Contract. Chapter 324. First Contract. Several options appeared in front of me along with more explanations about how my new contracted summonings would work. I sort of wished that Tzes¡¯zod was here to advise me on the contract options, but I¡¯d rather have him devote his full attention to delaying Gary. Turning my attention to the task at hand, I tried to put the pending fight with Gary aside. Contracted Summonings. Your class ability allows you to enter into direct summoning contracts with other individuals and organizations. Initially, your contract choices are based on your past interactions, and several of your past contacts have been sent contract offers for you to consider. Each offer will state the job expectations, compensation, level of threat, and estimated time of summoning. As you gain higher Tiers and Ranks, additional information may become available for each contract. In addition, you may unlock the ability to ask confirmation questions of your prospective employer. Once you have decided on the contract you wish to pursue, you will have a short time to prepare. Part of these preparations will include selecting the minions from your barracks that you wish to bring along. With many of these initial contract offerings, you will have the option to base yourself in that area and set it as a Designated Return location. After this initial contract, you will be required to locate and negotiate new contracts on your own. Contracts can be found either in the city of Somhagen, at a designated representative of the city, or through an interface in your personal space once the tenant dispute is resolved. Your personal space now has an option to open a portal with Somhagen. You will be restricted to the tiers of the city that correspond with your current Tier, and some areas will remain off limits. This link to Somhagen will only be active for a short period after you complete a contract. At times, during longer summoning contracts, the option to return briefly to your personal space, as well as access Somhagen, may become available. Please review the following summoning contract options.
  1. Gorma Etvart Enterprises (GEE) has offered to secure your services for an extended period of time.
Summoning purpose: Equipment testing. Threat level: Variable between Low to Extreme. Compensation: 10 gold per day, an annual pass to their amusement park, and the selection of 2 items from a designated equipment storage location. Other Considerations: The compensation and equipment offers are only valid for the individual being summoned. Should the contracted summoned individual perish during their contracted period of service, GEE will be absolved of any financial obligations. Additional Contract Enhancements: The contracted individual will have full access to local GEE facilities, including entertainment, training, and communication. I¡¯d worked for this goblin corporation twice now, once to protect a train, and recently, to test their amusement park rides. It sounded like they wanted to wrangle me up for another go at their amusement park. Given the casualty rates during my brief time testing the rides there, I had no desire to return and risk my life needlessly. That being said, the desire to find out why that one goblin was named Jeff almost made me accept the offer. Before my resolve could be swayed by the mystery of Jeff, I moved to the next contract offer.
  1. Clayton and Eleanor Yon.
Summoning Purpose: Personal Protection. Threat level: Extreme. Compensation: 15 gold per day, a choice of 1 item from their shop inventory for each week of employment. Other Consdierations: There is a high likelihood of conflict with the being known as Gary. Should you become involved in a direct confrontation with the being known as Gary before the tenant dispute has ended, current negotiations in that dispute will cease and your tenant will be free to seek control of your personal space through other means. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. That was a hard no. As much as I wanted to help the Yon¡¯s, taking this contract would put me directly in the path of Gary and pretty much assure my death. I quickly shifted my attention to the third option being offered.
  1. Headmaster Glorine of the Starveil Tower Academy.
Summoning Purpose: Instruction as a Temporary Adjunct Professor. Threat level: Low, but variable based on your actions. Compensation. 15 gold per week and retention of some teaching materials from the curriculum you will be using. Other Considerations. This position provides full room and board, as well as access to the academy training facilities and dungeons during the semester. Should you improve your Tier and Rank through training during the semester, additional compensation may be offered commensurate with any added skills or abilities that might enhance your teaching proficiency. It took me a moment to remember who Headmaster Glorine was. I had met him during a summoning where I was called to participate in a duel between two students. If I remembered correctly, I had gained a summoning link with the headmaster during that summoning, though that link was likely voided out when my class evolved. I¡¯d never thought about teaching, but a position for a semester in a school of magic might be intriguing. The mention of training facilities and dungeons were also a big draw. It meant I could ramp up my Tier and Rank in relative safety if the threat level on the contract was accurate. This offer was the frontrunner, but I had one more in the queue to consider before I made my final decision.
  1. Heart of the Forbidden Glade Dungeon Core.
Summoning Purpose: Core shard relocation. Threat level: Moderate. Compensation: 100 gold upon successful completion of the assignment. You will also be granted several consumable items of common power and a single rare item compatible with your class. Other Considerations. The duration of this summoning is variable and dependent on you finding a viable location for the new core shard. Should the summoning last for more than 30 days, additional compensation may be negotiated at that time. If you cannot come to an agreement on compensation, you may receive the promised compensation and end the summoning without penalty. I remembered the dungeon and found helping to defend it a very interesting experience. Despite that, it sounded like I was going to be tasked with planting a new dungeon or relocating whatever a core shard was. Helping friends move was not something I enjoyed. Looking over the four options one final time, I quickly eliminated one and two, leaving the choice between the academy and the dungeon. Of the two, I realized that I was most interested in learning what the teaching position would be like. I also had a gut feeling that I might learn something to help me in the coming fight with Gary. You have accepted the contract offered by Headmaster Glorine of the Starveil Tower Academy. Your contracted party will be notified of your pending arrival and a portal will open in your personal space momentarily. Please make any preparations you need and select the two minions you wish to accompany you on this summoning. A menu popped up listing my three available minions. I thought about the various options, and since I was heading to a magic academy, it stood to reason that the threats I might face would be magical in nature. That made the drone a good first pick. Given that my life was indeed on the line now with each summoning, I added Elida as my second pick. Something tickled in the back of my mind and a new system prompt appeared. Your chosen minions are now linked directly with you. You may summon them at will during this contract, though if either is destroyed, there will be a substantial delay before they can be resummoned. The Summoner¡¯s Copy class ability allows you to choose a third minion to accompany you on this contract. Pick one of the following.
  1. Somhagen Guard Sergeant.
  2. Infernal Warrior.
  3. Merchant Cart Vendor.
I was being given three options from my last summoning, which had been my contracted summoning with the Yon¡¯s. Their shop was in Somhagen, which was probably where the system was getting the guard option from, and they were merchants which explained the vendor. I could only assume the Infernal Warrior was something linked to Gary¡¯s appearance during the summoning. My first thought was to select the Infernal Warrior, as it might give me some insight into how Gary fought. The fact that it was going to be tier three, rank zero to match my rank meant it would be substantially less powerful than Gary. I considered the cart vendor as well. It was the wildcard option, though given where I was heading, it might not be all that bad a choice, given the lower threat level. I had a solid warrior in my drone, and from the sound of things, Elida had improved greatly as well. Since this was only a low threat summoning, I was going to roll the dice on the cart vendor. It was my first foray as a Contracted Summoner, so I may as well use the experience to learn about the summoned minions without combat classes I would likely start to have access to. You have selected the Merchant Cart Vendor. This minion will match your current Tier and Rank as it is added to your loadout. Please select any additional items and enter the portal to your destination. The glowing blue portal opened in its usual spot as I verified that I had everything in my loadout. I also brought all my existing funds, just in case I could buy something at the academy that might help me against Gary. Stepping into the portal, I prepared myself for the first adventure with my newly upgraded class. Chapter 325. Headmasters Instructions Chapter 325. Headmaster¡¯s Instructions. This is your first summoning with your evolved class. Unlike your time as a summoned being, there is no summoner compulsion during a contract unless specifically negotiated beforehand. While you can¡¯t be compelled by the system to perform your summoner¡¯s orders, your actions and performance will affect your Reputation, as well as any variable awards that may be granted by your summoner. You will be notified when the terms of your contract have been fulfilled, and you may then return to your personal space. I stepped from the portal and into a well-appointed office. The late afternoon sun illuminated the room with a warm light. Adding to that light was the glowing, humanoid figure that stood from behind a richly carved wooden desk. As I got my bearings, the glowing figure spoke with a deep, but friendly voice. ¡°Thank you for arriving so promptly, I¡¯m glad you accepted our contract, Mr. Kline,¡± the voice, who I recognized as Headmaster Glorine, said. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here, Headmaster Glorine, though you can call me Rico if you wish,¡± I replied, taking the glowing figures hand as he offered it to shake. Maybe a handshake was more of a universal greeting than I figured, but it seemed like there was no hesitation on the headmaster¡¯s part. As we shook, his hand felt remarkably normal for a glowing appendage, but there was a greater warmth than you¡¯d expect from a human¡¯s hand. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s just go with Rico and Glorine in an informal settings. When we¡¯re among the students, it¡¯s best to interact a bit more formally, lest they decide our informality is extended to them as well. Students, especially student mages, are a bit of a handful at times, as I know you¡¯ve already experienced,¡± Glorine said, reminding me of my prior summoning to participate in a schoolyard fight. ¡°You should see some of the schools in my world, the kids might give your mage students a run for their money as far as discipline issues are concerned. I admit that I am at a bit of a loss, what exactly will this job as an adjunct professor entail?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yes, I suppose we should go over a few details about your position. After that, I¡¯ll have one of your colleagues give you a tour and show you to your rooms. Tell me, Rico, have you ever taught before?¡± Glorine asked. ¡°Not in a classroom setting, but I¡¯ve had quite a bit of experience lately working with our world¡¯s military to train soldiers and first responders to deal with the changes that our world¡¯s pending integration will have,¡± I replied. I found that I had really enjoyed training with the military, and I was pretty sure I got as much or more from the work as the soldiers did. ¡°Good, that¡¯s a start. I¡¯d like to talk more in the future about your world and the precursors to integration. Several of the professors here include the integration process into their curriculum and I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love your insight. Who knows, maybe your efforts will help other worlds in the future,¡± the headmaster said. I didn¡¯t mind working with the other professors, but I doubt that the system will allow too much knowledge of the integration to be disseminated. From my experience, the system was keen on keeping new worlds in the dark until after integration. Everything we knew was hard won knowledge, and I had to think that our world¡¯s technology allowed us to gather information and share it much more quickly than a world that wasn¡¯t as advanced as Earth. ¡°When do classes start?¡± I asked, curious if I would have some time to settle into my role and figure out what I was doing before students arrived. ¡°We are just over a week out from the first day of classes. During this time, I¡¯ll have you shadow one of our experienced teachers. Professor Zaraman will be teaching Summoning Essentials for the newest students, those that are tier zero, rank five. I think that should give you enough time to get a handle on things. ¡°After you work with Professor Zaraman, the class you will be teaching is a new one, called Summoned Creature Optimization. We¡¯ll have you give examples of various summoned minions and how they¡¯ll fit in a party organization, potential in commercial ventures, and the like. Your class will also be for tier zero, rank five first or second semester students and your class will be an elective,¡± Glorine explained.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are students broken down by tier and rank, or also by age?¡± I asked. Looking back at the time I was summoned to the school for the duel, I remembered that students were younger and those fighting the duel with their minions all seemed around the same age. ¡°Those two are typically one and the same on the worlds we draw students from. These are generally well-established worlds and a person¡¯s tier and rank will tend to follow their age, save for the few over and under achievers. Professor Zaraman will help with filling out your class roster, and I¡¯ve instructed her to make sure you have a balanced group of students without any troublemakers. I¡¯d suspect your students will be comprised mostly of what a human would consider to be the mid-teen years,¡± Glorine explained. ¡°Great, I can deal with that. When will I meet Professor Zaraman?¡± I asked. Hopefully, the professor would be someone I could work with. Butting heads in this kind of summoning could lead to an early loss of Reputation, though I was still uncertain about how that worked. ¡°The professor will be here shortly. She¡¯ll guide you to the faculty commissary where you can have a meal, then she¡¯ll show you to your quarters. While you¡¯re working with her, she¡¯ll set aside some time for you to explore and learn about our school. We work hard, and the initial weeks are exceptionally busy, but I want the faculty to have some free time to pursue their own interests,¡± Glorine said. ¡°That brings up something else. Back home, I¡¯m facing a rather dire circumstance. The contract mentioned training facilities will be available. Are these facilities something that can help me gain in tier and rank?¡± I asked hopefully. Unless the system had completely steered me wrong, there was some way at this school for me to grow my personal strength. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one of the most attractive benefits for our faculty. We have several dungeons nearby that are controlled and regulated both the adventurer¡¯s guild and the school. When you¡¯re not engaged in school activities, you¡¯re free to delve into them anytime you wish. The adventurer¡¯s guild has a location in town, and they can get you signed up and in the queue. Normally, full parties are required, but faculty can go in smaller groups or solo if they wish. I do have a rule in place the tier and rank you can enter if you are if you¡¯re delving solo,¡± Headmaster Glorine said. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m looking forward to delving these dungeons. I¡¯ve also spent a few summonings assisting dungeons, and enjoyed my interaction with them,¡± I said, greatly relieved that I wouldn¡¯t be stuck here without any way to gain power before my confrontation with Gary. ¡°Your experience on the side of assisting a dungeon will be of some interest to others in the school. I think, Rico, that you will be a popular special guest in many classrooms. Ah, here we are, Rico Kline, let me introduce you to Professor Zaraman,¡± Headmaster Glorine said as a human woman entered the office. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting from a professor of summoning magic, but a young, human woman that looked around my own age wasn¡¯t it. She also wasn¡¯t dressed like I¡¯d expect, instead of some scholarly robes, she wore a complete set of leather armor with a steel breastplate. The breastplate had an image of an owl perched atop a tower, which could have been some individual coat of arms, or perhaps the school¡¯s symbol. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Professor Zaraman, I¡¯m Rico,¡± I said offering my hand. The professor shook my hand with a firm grip. Her hand was calloused in areas I was familiar with after so much weapons training over the last few months. ¡°Good to meet you, Rico, please, call me Melody, we¡¯ll save the professor nonsense for the classroom,¡± Melody said. ¡°Thanks, it¡¯ll take me a while to get used to that. Speaking of time, Professor Glorine, exactly how long will you need me for?¡± I asked. ¡°Our contract is for the semester, which is five months. Add a week or two to that for breaks and whatnot. I hope you enjoy your time here, and I¡¯ll leave you in Professor Zaraman¡¯s care,¡± Headmaster Glorine said. ¡°So, you¡¯re from a newly inducted world and you were a summoned being,¡± Melody said as she led me from the headmaster¡¯s office. There was a small waiting room outside, and a door that led to the main hallway. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had expected, something along the lines of a fantasy movie, but instead, the building we were in resembled an upscale hotel conference center more than a medieval tower that housed a mage academy. ¡°Yes, my world¡¯s called Earth, but we¡¯re not actually inducted yet, at least I don¡¯t think so. I was pulled away by the system after my class evolved and now, I can¡¯t go back home for a while,¡± I explained, trying not to give my exact tier and rank if I didn¡¯t have to. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, being away from home can be difficult, I know I miss my world and don¡¯t get to visit as often as I¡¯d like,¡± Melody explained. ¡°What¡¯s your world called, and what¡¯s it like?¡± I asked as we entered an area with more traffic. The hallways were wide and people in work overalls, and many in the school robes I expected, hurried to their destinations. There was a delicious scent in the air which told me that Melody was indeed leading me to the commissary for dinner. I wasn¡¯t in my personal space, and had to eat, sleep, and perform other bodily functions during this contract. ¡°My world¡¯s name can¡¯t be pronounced by human mouths. When dealing with your kind, we typically refer to our world as the Mesh,¡± Melody said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I mistook you for a human. I come from a world where humans were the only intelligent species,¡± I apologized. ¡°No worries, Rico. This body is just a summoned minion that I prefer to use for ease of conversation and locomotion. I¡¯m actually right down here, look I¡¯m waving my arms,¡± Melody said. I caught movement near the summoned warrior¡¯s neck where a spider-like creature the size of my fist stood, waving two of its eight arms in the air. Chapter 326. Tour. Chapter 326. Tour. I kept the fake smile plastered on my face, desperately trying to avoid showing my revulsion over the spider-like professor. Melody wasn¡¯t some creepy spider I spotted in the corner of my bathroom, she was a real, sapient person who would be a coworker. We walked in silence for a while as the smell of food grew stronger. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re probably a bit hungry now, the faculty commissary is right over here,¡± Melody said. The hallway had large double doors on the right which opened onto a large dining area. It looked less like a school cafeteria and more like a fancy caf¨¦. There was enough seating at the various sized tables to hold over a hundred guests. A large glass door led out onto a small patio where we could dine if the weather was nice. All in all, it sure beat my high school cafeteria or any of the college one¡¯s I¡¯d seen. ¡°Thanks, it smells good, and I admit that I am feeling a bit hungry,¡± I said as Melody led me inside. She¡¯d retreated out of sight under the armor of her minion for which I was thankful. From what I could gather, we were just past the dinner rush, and instead of being able to order individually cooked meals, there was a small buffet set up. Grabbing a plate and normal-looking utensils, I grabbed a bite or two of everything. Most of the food was similar to what I¡¯d expect on an Earth buffet. There was various pasta, meats, vegetables, and some bread. I avoided anything that smelled a bit too out there, but I figured the school wouldn¡¯t offer anything without warning if it would be potentially harmful. Once my plate was ready, Melody led me to one of the smaller tables. Several other tables were occupied, but it looked like she wasn¡¯t keen on interrupting the various conversations just to introduce me. ¡°Are you not eating?¡± I asked as we sat down. ¡°My dietary needs are a bit more specialized. The commissary has a separate dining facility for those like me,¡± Melody said. I didn¡¯t bother to ask for any further details. The less I knew about spider people¡¯s feeding habits, the better. ¡°There¡¯s so much I want to ask you, but why don¡¯t we start with what your class structure will be like, and what can I expect from the students?¡± I asked, trying to gather information as well as get to know my new colleague better. ¡°Like the headmaster probably mentioned, the students are a bit young and inexperienced in the tier zero, rank five class I teach, but they¡¯re good kids for the most part. Our school has a high enough reputation that we¡¯re sought after, but we¡¯re also not considered one of the elite schools, which helps us to avoid many of the more problematic and entitled students as well as their parents,¡± Melody said. ¡°Unfortunately, you didn¡¯t avoid all the problem children if my prior summoning here was any indicator,¡± I replied. ¡°Ah, I heard about that, the headmaster mentioned he¡¯d run into you as a summoned being and was impressed with your ability to manipulate the situation despite the summoned being restrictions and forced compliance. That will be an interesting topic for this year¡¯s class. These kids need to know how to deal with a recalcitrant summoned minion,¡± Melody said. ¡°Oh, I should also mention the dress code,¡± Melody said after a slight pause. ¡°While armor is normal enough for around the school, you¡¯re expected to wear instructor robes during your actual classes. Several sets as well as other toiletries you might need, will be delivered to your room. I hope that the uniform requirement isn¡¯t a problem.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not an issue, I can summon and unsummon my armor at will, though wearing robes will take some getting used to. It¡¯s not all that common to wear them where I¡¯m from,¡± I explained. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Due to my situation, I can get away with just having my minion pull some robes over her armor. Most of the other faculty don¡¯t have that luxury. Anything else you want to ask before I show you to your room?¡± Melody asked.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Tell me about training and the dungeons. How often do you really think I¡¯ll get a crack at delving? Growing my power is important considering what I¡¯m going to return to after this contract is up,¡± I said. While it was pleasant to talk to Melody, I wasn¡¯t trusting her enough at this point to spill the details of my situation with Gary. From what Tzes¡¯zod had said, my personal space would be highly sought after. I didn¡¯t need any new potential problems cropping up if others learned what I had. ¡°Dungeons are on a set schedule with the adventurer¡¯s guild. Tomorrow, we need to work on the curriculum for most of the morning, but I¡¯ll take you into town after we get our work done. There, you can sign up with the guild and get a slot for delving squared away. We get priority scheduling as faculty, but there is still often a wait depending on the dungeon you choose. As far as just practice goes, we have several training fields. Do you want me to show you before we find your room?¡± Melody asked. ¡°Yes, please. I have a few new things I want to practice before I enter a dungeon,¡± I said. I¡¯d need time and a place to test out my class changes and get a feel for how powerful my minions were. ¡°Great, are you ready to go?¡± Melody asked. While we had been talking, I¡¯d shoveled down my food and cleaned the plate. My time with the military on Earth had made me pick up on some of their habits. Nobody could pack away food as quickly as a soldier could. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I replied. Melody showed me where to place the dirty plates, it was surprisingly mundane, just a sink area where workers would clean them for the next guest. I had kind of expected some magical cleaning spell or something, but that wasn¡¯t to be. We went down a couple flights of stairs and exited the building. I got my first view of this world from the outside, though it was too dark to make out anything other than the lit pathways leading to other, smaller buildings in the distance. The building we had just exited was a huge tower, which was probably what the school got its name from. While the commissary didn¡¯t have magical dish washers, the school went all out with magical lights. The tower was lit in various colors, and I could even see flashes of light in some of the windows as students or teachers conducted some late-night experiments. The place had to be at least fifty stories tall, and I really hoped that my room wasn¡¯t up too many flights of stairs. ¡°I hope our classroom isn¡¯t at the top, that¡¯d be a lot of steps each day,¡± I said as I stood there gawking at my new temporary home. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rico, there¡¯s a portal system at every five floors. Sure, you¡¯ll have to still use the stairs a bit, but it won¡¯t be quite as bad as you fear,¡± Melody assured me, her minion pulling me toward a pathway to our left. We followed the path which eventually ended at what looked like the same fields I had been summoned to before. There were five fields on the path, and the two closest ones had groups of people training in both spells, and weapons. Melody led me past the first, and most crowded field, and toward the second in line. At this field, a few people were training, but they kept their distance from us and each other. ¡°The fields are warded to protect the others that are training and any observers. Each field is broken down by tier and rank, with the first field being a starter field for those up to tier two. Here, this field goes from tier two, rank one, all the way to tier five, rank zero. Will that be sufficient for what you need?¡± Melody asked. ¡°That will work just fine. How does all this operate?¡± I asked. ¡°Just enter the field, the magic will discern if you¡¯re allowed access and then will assign you part of the field for your personal use. Don¡¯t worry, any spells or weapon attacks will not penetrate past the zone assigned to you, and there won¡¯t be any ricochets to worry about,¡± Melody said. ¡°Thanks Melody, and I can come here anytime?¡± I asked. ¡°Absolutely, as long as you¡¯re not supposed to be working. I try to get some training in each evening before dinner. Maybe we can spar or train together sometime? There is a section of the field for sparring that will nullify any actual damage or effects, and the system will just inform us of what happened,¡± Melody offered. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that. I need all the practice I can get,¡± I said. Some sparring time with the other instructors could really help me smooth out the rough spots of my new class. It¡¯d be great for now, but the real draw for me was going to be the dungeons. I needed new tiers, ranks, and power if I wanted to stand a chance against Gary. Melody promised me a longer tour of the grounds tomorrow before we headed into town. She led me back to the main tower, where my room was located. It was on the 43rd floor, and more importantly, Melody showed me the portal locations. There were even a few special ones for faculty use that would take me directly to almost anywhere in the tower. My room was nice, like a medieval style luxury apartment. I had a separate office and bedroom space, and the bathroom functioned magically and would more than take the place of a modern bathroom. Inside a tall wardrobe in my bedroom were several long, grey and blue instructor robes, as well as various undergarments and even some casual clothes. They¡¯d really gone above and beyond to make me comfortable, and I was looking forward to working with Melody tomorrow and getting a better feel for my actual job. For now, it was late evening, but before I could even think about sleep, I was going to head to the training fields. I needed to get a feel for how powerful my new class was going to be. Chapter 327. Minion Power. Chapter 327. Minion Power. I did manage to get turned around a time to two finding my way back to the training fields. Melody hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about the hours of operation, so I hoped that I wouldn¡¯t be too late and find that the fields had shut down for the night. Thankfully, they were open, and there were still a few people in there practicing. The lowest tier and rank field had the largest crowd, about twenty or so people were inside training. My field, the one that went from tier two, rank one to tier five, rank zero only had three others inside training. As I walked onto the field, a system prompt appeared, somehow triggered by the protective spells placed on the field by the school. You have entered a training field that is valid for your tier and rank. Do you wish to commence training? Y/N. I hit yes and received further instructions. Move to the highlighted area and commence your training. Should you leave the highlighted area, your training session will cease. You may remain for up to 1 hour on the training field before a mandatory break of 1 hour is enforced. A selection of disposable training aids has been placed in the training area for your use. Only one set of training aids will be provided every 24 hours for each individual trainee. My training spot was in the far corner of the field where the end zone would be if this was a football field. The highlighted area assigned to me was rather large, about a third of the total field, which I assumed was due to the limited number of trainees currently here. A row of training dummies was set up at the edge of the field for me to use, some of them encased in battered armor. I suspected that if there were more people trying to train, my available space would be cut down drastically. More space was fine with me, and I had always hated working out in the gym when it was crowded. I was ready to go now, and I had upgraded minions to test out. First out, I summoned my drone, and the upgrades for hitting tier three were easily visible. The drone seemed about a foot taller than before and had bulked up to match his new height. My drone¡¯s long, bladed arms looked more like axe blades now than the more simple, knife-like appendages he¡¯d had before. Testing out its melee weapons on one of the training dummies, the drone completely shattered the wooden dummy, turning it, and two others into a pile of kindling with only a few swings. Even better, the drone was faster and more agile than before. Its armor also appeared thicker and denser. A few hits with my sword confirmed my suspicions. The grenade launcher on its shoulder had a longer barrel, and what looked like a magazine feeding into the side of the weapon. On the other shoulder was something entirely new. A small turret with a short, narrow barrel was mounted so it wouldn¡¯t interfere with the drone¡¯s movement. Another thing I noticed was a slight haze over the heavily armored body of the drone, its stealth field wasn¡¯t active, but it was almost like it was still partially functioning somehow. All in all, the drone had a much more ominous appearance than before and should intimidate many of the foes I might face. A system prompt documenting the changes to my drone appeared after my cursory inspection. Please note that upgrades to your Contracted Summoner minions are based on your Tier and Rank. In addition to their new Tier and Rank, your minions have been granted further enhancements based on the number of experience, gear, or ability/spell tokens that may have been used upon it in the past.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 3, Rank 0.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor. At this Tier and Rank, the Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor consists of overlapping composite plates that are effective against all types of physical attacks and resistant to any elemental damage. The plates will shift on the drone¡¯s body to reinforce areas that the drone deems critical. The armor includes a self-repair feature with an over boost that can be activated to provide a total of 30-seconds of rapid repair.
  2. Melee Weapons. Your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands that can extend for up to twice their length. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons. When needed, the drone can form weapons, including ranged weapons, for the smaller arms to wield.
  3. Ranged Weapons. The drone possesses a shoulder mounted grenade launcher that can store up to 6 grenades. The drone can set the grenades to be high explosive, incendiary, or caustic. The range for the grenade launcher is 150-yards. The grenade launcher will slowly refill its magazine over the course of a 24-hour period.
A second weapon, a Plasma Beam Generator, is mounted on the other shoulder of your drone. This weapon can fire at ranges up to 100 feet per tier, though accuracy may suffer at extended ranges. The beam can remain active for up to 12 seconds per day before it needs to shut down for 24 hours to recharge. This weapon is highly effective against both physical armor and magical protection fields.
  1. Stealth and Defensive Field Generator. The stealth field generator may operate for up to 5 minutes per Tier. The field leaves behind a slight distortion which may be used by more observant foes to track your minion. Attacks targeted while the stealth field is active have a 55% chance to miss.
When stealth is broken or deactivated, the drone instead produces a protective barrier around its body that mitigates up to 10% of any damage received. An additional 5% damage mitigation is applied to any magical attacks or enchanted weapons. Abilities:
  1. Nullify magic. This passive ability grants the mana slayer a modest damage reduction to all mana-based spells and abilities. This damage reduction is on top of what the Stealth and Defense Field Generator provides.
  2. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect a harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only trigger 1/hour, and more powerful spells can often resist the effects of Spell Reflect. If this ability is resisted, the mana slayer drone will still reap some benefit, doubling its Nullify Magic ability for the next 30 seconds.
  3. Mana Drain. Whenever the Mana Slayer drone lands a melee attack on a foe, it will drain 2 points of mana from its target. The drained mana will increase the damage of the drone¡¯s next melee attack.
Spells: None, this minion cannot use magic of any type. Woah, there were improvements across the board for my drone. It had gone up a total of nine ranks from where it was before, but like the system mentioned, the minion was juiced up further by the all the minion tokens it had absorbed during my time as a Foe Summoner. I had it fire off some grenades, testing all three of the new types. To my surprise, the explosive force of the grenades seemed to have pretty much doubled from what it was before. The incendiary grenades left behind a napalm-like substance that would be almost impossible for a foe to easily scrape off or extinguish. For the caustic grenades, they created a thick acidic cloud that took almost a minute to dissipate. From the way the dummy I¡¯d targeted sizzled and liquified inside the cloud, I was sure it would do well against almost any foe.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The new plasma weapon was almost as impressive as the grenade launcher. Its bright red beam was the diameter of a pencil and hummed ominously when active. A quick test showed the beam burned completely through the armored training dummies like they were made of paper. I wasn¡¯t sure what opponent could stand up to a full twelve seconds of that weapon. I was pretty sure that my drone could now go toe to toe with an actual tank and come out on top. Next up was Elida, and before I brought her out, I tried to check out the goblin trio. Sadly, I didn¡¯t see an option to show me the upgrades for the goblins. It looked like they had to actively be summoned on a contract, and not just hanging out in the barracks for me to examine them. I did have Elida and her new Battle Mender class, so I summoned her next. Elida appeared next to the drone, and despite her diminutive size, the change in appearance was even more apparent than the drone¡¯s upgrades had been. She was now encased in a full suit of plate armor that, from the mana I could sense inside it, was enchanted. In one hand she held a heavy, flanged mace and strapped to the other was a steel kite shield. Just like with the drone, the system came through with more detail on my upgraded minion. Elida Silverbarrow, Battle Mender. Spell Slots: 4. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 spell slot per hour. Healing Slots: 5. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 healing slot per hour. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor. Elida is equipped with a full set of plate armor that is further enchanted with protective spells and is able to project a resistance field that boosts the healing rate of all allies within 100-feet by 25%.
  2. Weapons. Elida wields a heavy mace that is enchanted to reduce its weight and increase the accuracy and damage of each strike. A steel shield provides additional protection and is enchanted with bonus protection against ranged attacks both magical and mundane. For ranged threats, Elida has a sling with minor accuracy and damage enchantments placed upon it.
Abilities:
  1. Channel Mana. 2/day, Elida can stop for 3 seconds and quickly gather any ambient mana, refreshing one of her spell or healing slots. This ability can be disrupted if Elida is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
Healing Spells and abilities:
  1. Healing Beam. This spell heals any ally that Elida targets within a 100-foot range. It generates a moderate amount of immediate healing, then a minor heal over time effect that lasts for 10 seconds.
  2. Restoration. This spell cures 1 simple negative status effect such as poison, disease, and minor curses on the targeted ally.
  3. Battle Mending. The signature healing ability of this class does not require a healing slot to activate, but there is a cooldown of 1-minute after each use. When engaged in melee combat, Elida¡¯s attacks heal all allies within 100-feet for 25% of the damage she deals to an opponent. The attacks also heal her for 50% of that damage. Battle Mending has a duration of 30 seconds.
Spells:
  1. Deadly Beam. This spell has the opposite effect as Elida¡¯s Healing Beam. It will inflict moderate damage on a hostile target within 100-feet, and add a minor damage over time effect that lasts for 10 seconds.
  2. Gleaming Aura. This spell causes Elida¡¯s armor to emit radiant energy that will damage any enemy within melee range. The damage is minor, but the effect lasts for 30-seconds. Damage from Gleaming Aura also benefits from Battle Mending, and when the two are active, the aura will heal Elida for 50% of the total damage it deals.
  3. Personal Shield. This spell grants Elida a second shield that matches the one she wields. It will follow her and intercept any blows, both magical and mundane, that might strike her. The shield lasts for up to 1-hour per tier, or until it has absorbed damage equal to Elida¡¯s total health pool.
Elida had gone from the squishy healer of my group to a healing juggernaut that would be difficult for any foe to take down. She had a strong ranged heal, and her new melee healing abilities would have great synergy with the drone or the two melee goblins of the trio. Her Deadly Beam was a solid counter for more powerful foes, while the Gleaming Aura was going to obliterate any weaker, swarm-like attackers. I had been a bit unsure about losing most of my minions with my new class, but now, I think that just one of my minions would give the entire previous team a run for its money. A quick test with the surviving pair of target dummies showed that Elida now fought like a skilled warrior, and there was more power behind her blows than her size would suggest. With Elida and the drone squared away, I summoned the final minion of this contract, the Merchant Cart Vendor. A human man in homespun clothes and chewing on the end of a corncob pipe appeared along with a sturdy-looking wooden pushcart. As I looked at the man and his cart, a system prompt appeared, giving me the rundown on my odd, new minion. This is the temporary minion you have chosen for this summoning contract. The Merchant Cart Vendor can remain active, even when separated by great distance. When not given other, specific orders, the vendor will patrol around the area in an ever-widening pattern as he seeks customers for the goods on his cart. Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor. Equipment:
  1. Merchant Cart. This enchanted cart carries an array of items that appeal to a broad selection of potential customers. The car will slowly replenish missing goods at a cost to the vendor of 75% of their retail value. If the vendor remains in the same area for a time, his goods will begin to change and reflect the desires of the nearby customer base.
If the Merchant Cart Vendor is killed and his cart destroyed, he will respawn with a new cart that contains half the normal starting goods, and he will lose half the currency that he possessed before he was destroyed.
  1. Multi-pass. The Merchant Cart Vendor possesses a multi-pass that grants him permission to sell his wares in any appropriate local area. This pass fulfills all local vendor regulations and sets a maximum tax rate of 25% of any profits generated by the merchant. Multi-pass is ineffective in hostile territory.
Skills/Abilities.
  1. No soliciting. If attacked or threatened, the merchant and his cart are granted a substantial burst of speed and increased durability for a total of 1-minute. The merchant will use this speed to attempt to escape and will also notify the summoner, and any appropriate local law enforcement personnel of the danger he faces.
  2. Summoner¡¯s Choice. The summoner can request that the vendor purchase goods for the summoner. These goods cannot exceed the Tier and Rank of the summoner, and the cost of the goods will be deducted from any profit the vendor makes.
  3. Recall. 1/day, the summoner can call the Merchant Cart Vendor to the summoner¡¯s current location.
  4. Keep an Eye Out. The Merchant Cart Vendor will always be on the lookout for special items he comes across that might be desirable for your current class. If the merchant is able to locate such an item, you will receive a system notification of the item and its price.
¡°Well, Clancy, it¡¯s good to meet you. Unless you have something that might be of interest for me now, I guess I¡¯m supposed to just send you out to do your thing,¡± I told the minion. ¡°Howdy sir, a pleasure to meet you. I don¡¯t think I have anything that you¡¯d be interested in right at the moment, but I¡¯ll let you know if I come across anything that I think might catch your eye. This looks like a good area for sales,¡± Clancy said as he looked around the campus. The minion had a calming, down-home sounding accent, and was much more interactive than my other minions, which made sense given his purpose. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, Clancy, stay safe out there, and see if you can make us some money. Oh, if you come across any consumables, like healing potions or summoning figurines, hold onto some of them for me,¡± I told the merchant. ¡°Will do, off I go then, sir. There¡¯s a customer born every minute you know, and I don¡¯t want to miss a single one of them,¡± Clancy announced with a wave as he began to push his cart and whistle a jaunty tune as he left. I had a 24-hour money making machine with my latest minion, as well as the pair of deadly, and recently upgraded ones. This new class was shaping up to be a solid choice, and while I was curious about my instructor position here, I couldn¡¯t wait to unleash Elida and the Drone on one of the local dungeons. Chapter 328. Challenge Accepted. Chapter 328. Challenge Accepted. ¡°You¡¯re new here, aren¡¯t you? I was heading back, but I wanted to introduce myself and see if you¡¯d be interested in a quick sparring session with our minions,¡± a young woman that had been training on the opposite side of the field said as she walked toward me. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Rico, and yeah, I¡¯m new. I¡¯m going to be an adjunct professor here for the semester,¡± I said holding out my hand for her to shake. At first, I had mistaken her for a human, but now that she was close, I could see small horns curling up from her long hair, and her feet, peeking out from the bottom of the robes, weren¡¯t feet, they were hooves. ¡°I¡¯m Briella, a third-year student of the summoning arts here at this illustrious academy,¡± she said with a playful smile. Long, sharp canine teeth flashed through the smile and gave Briella a formidable appearance despite her friendly demeanor. ¡°Good to meet you, Briella. I just got here a few hours ago, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not sure how the whole sparring thing works, but I¡¯d be glad to give it a try if you can help me,¡± I said. In reality, I wasn¡¯t just willing to give it a go, I was chomping at the bit to test my newly enhanced minions against a real target. ¡°Woah, a new professor completely uncorrupted by the other faculty. This should be interesting. Here¡¯s the deal. Either of us can initiate a duel challenge just by voicing your intent. Once active, the field¡¯s system will offer us some options. For this duel, I suggest just a minion-on-minion fight unless there is a long cooldown on resummoning or some other restrictions you have with your class. ¡°We can include ourselves in the duel, but it¡¯s not quite the same, I¡¯ve found. The system lets the minions go at it, but if we join in, there is no feeling, only the training field system determining what the outcome of our actions are. Saying you want to cast a fireball at a foe and having to actually cast the spell makes a huge difference in realism,¡± Briella explained. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I agree with just using our minions. I¡¯d rather give them a chance to shine without them relying on my support spells,¡± I said. It sounded like personal duels were rather boring as the training field did all it could to ensure there was no real threat to the participants. Summoned creatures were a whole different story, so it seemed. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll do a standard one-minute starting timer so we can summon all our minions. There will be no buffs from us, though minions can interact with each other and use abilities and spells as they normally would in a fight. Is placing no limit on numbers or tier and rank okay with you? If you want, we can do a series of one-on-one duels with our minions, but that¡¯s not as exciting,¡± Briella offered. ¡°I¡¯m fine with the no limit deal, and a big fight sounds like it would be more fun. How do we get started?¡± I asked. My minions were all out on the field, though none of Briella¡¯s team were present. I hadn¡¯t done much with my minions, just tested a few abilities and wasn¡¯t sure if Briella had even seen that much of them in action before she had walked over. ¡°Here we go, I¡¯ll send over the duel request,¡± Briella said. A duel challenge request from the being known as Briella, a Tier 2, Rank 7 Shield of the Forest summoner, has been offered to the being known as Rico Kline, a Tier 3, Rank 0 Contracted Summoner. This duel is to be a minion-only challenge, with realistic combat conditions. A 1-minute summoning and preparation timer before the hostilities commence will be enacted. Neither summoner may directly interfere with the conflict, and all spells, abilities, and consumables that may affect the outcome of the duel are to be restricted. Do you accept these terms? Y/N. I hit accept and another notification appeared. Please note the highlighted area of the field, and the specific locations for each summoner. Your minions must remain inside the highlighted area for the duration of the duel. A large, rectangular part of the field was lit up for us. A green square, just big enough for me to stand on flashed at one end, and at the other end was where Briella would stand. Once in my designated spot, a narrow strip of the field, closest to my spot, was highlighted for me to summon my minions onto. I already had the drone and Elida out and about, so I ordered them to stand in the highlighted area and wait for the duel to commence. Normally, I¡¯d be giving them some overall game plan to follow, but I wanted to see how the newly enhanced minions did on their own without any pre-planning from me. The duel has begun, your minions may attack in 60 seconds...59¡­58¡­ As soon as the countdown timer started, Briella began to summon her team. First out were a dozen small humanoid creatures that had bodies that looked like they were covered in small twigs and sticks. I¡¯d seen something similar before in the maze summoning contest I had been called to. They were called vegepygmys and I hadn¡¯t been all that impressed with them. Briella seemed to be casting a summoning spell every ten seconds or so, and the second spell created another dozen vegepygmys. Her third cast was something different, it was a group of four huge wolves, with bright green fur and oversized teeth. She had time to cast three more summoning spells, and I waited to see what was next.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A second quartet of wolves appeared, and then eight elves who quickly mounted the oversized wolves. The elves were equipped with bows and short spears. Each wore leather armor, and I got the impression that they were much lower tier and rank than my minions. Brielle¡¯s class seemed to have a quantity over quality approach to summoning minions. Her final summoning was a larger version of the vegepygmy, one that held a long branch shaped staff and that had small green motes of magical energy sparkling around it. The last few seconds ticked down and I could see Brielle sweating and panting like the rapid-fire summoning of six groups of minions had really taxed her. Despite her exhaustion, Brielle had a rather confident grin plastered on her face, like she was sure of victory. The large vegepygmy, a mage of some type, raised its staff and cast some kind of buff spell over its comrades. They glowed green as a mana barrier of some type snapped into place over them. My minions hadn¡¯t been idle either, and Elida had cast her Personal Shield spell, causing a second shield, identical to the one she already wielded, to appear and hover between her and the enemy. The countdown reached zero and the drone began to stride forward at a brisk pace, with Elida moving behind it, using the drone as cover. A bright beam of energy fired from the drone¡¯s shoulder-mounted Plasma Beam Generator. The drone targeted one of the swarming vegepygmys as they charged in front of the wolves and the mage. The bark-like skin of the small creature proved little protection as the beam sliced through it, leaving behind two smoldering halves of the creature on the ground. With remaining seconds of power it had for the weapon, the drone walked the beam down the row of small attackers, cutting through their numbers even as the drone¡¯s grenade launcher swiveled toward the foes. Elida added her attack to the mix, casting Deadly Beam at the enemy mage. A golden bolt of light slammed into the vegepygmy mage, burning deep into its chest, but not killing it outright. Ongoing damage would continue for another ten seconds, but the final summoning that Brielle had brought onto the field seemed to be the most durable of the bunch. In response, the enemy mage cast a green blob of sap at Elida as arrows from the wolf-mounted elves began to strike home as well. The drone stepped in front of the spell and an electronic hum sounded out as the drone¡¯s Spell Reflect ability kicked in. The blob of sap flew back at the enemy mage, but it seemed immune to whatever the spell was supposed to do. Arrows pinged off the drone¡¯s armor, and Elida¡¯s shields, none finding a gap in their defenses yet. Seeing their fire was ineffective, the elves spurred their wolves on, charging with their spears ready to strike. A series of six explosions detonated among the charging elves. The drone had chosen incendiary ammunition for its launcher and in addition to blast damage and shrapnel inflicted on the targets, they were all covered in sticky, flaming napalm. Only two of the wolf-riding elves made it through the barrage, and as they reached my minions, the enemy mage cast another spell, covering the ground under my minions in grasping, thorn-covered vines. The vines grabbed onto both minions, but the drone just slashed down with its oversized arms, cutting through and pushing past the mess with its enhanced strength. Elida was in a bit more trouble, unable to walk, and the long thorns wrapped tightly around her legs were able to find any gap in her armor, digging deep into her flesh. The halfling Battle Mender started to glow as she activated both Gleaming Aura and her Battle Mend abilities. Wounds healed and the vines began to shrivel as the aura took effect. The drone bulled its way through the small field of vines just as the elves arrived. One elf and its mount were impaled on a pair of short spears that the drone held in its smaller set of arms. The other elf managed to land its blow, and the metal-tipped spear punched through the armor of the drone¡¯s chest, doing damage, but nothing catastrophic. A swipe of the drone¡¯s bladed hands ended the elf, but the powerful wolf managed to pry off an armored plate on the drone¡¯s leg before it was also put down. All that was left of the horde of attackers were a few vegepygmys that tried to swarm Elida, and the enemy mage that the drone was now charging toward. The vegepygmys began to claw with their sharp stick-like hands, but a few blows of Elida¡¯s mace, and her still active aura did them in quickly. My drone was closing the gap with the mage but was also being hit with a barrage of spells. The Spell Reflect ability was still on cooldown, and even with its innate magic resistance, the damage to the drone was mounting as balls of acidic sap, and a hail of thorns peppered my minion. Elida responded quickly, also moving to join the attack while casting Healing Beam on the drone. Only the acid sap spells seemed to do any real damage, and the thorns were mostly ignored by the drone. With Elida¡¯s healing bolstering its health, the drone made it to the enemy mage and ended it with a couple slashes of its clawed hands. The being known as Rico Kline has emerged victorious in the duel. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to deal with my minions so easily, Rico, despite you being a few ranks higher than me,¡± Briella said, taking the loss in good stride. ¡°My two minions are rather strong, and they both had abilities that were hard counters to your forces. Despite that, I bet you¡¯ll give me a run for my money whenever you hit tier three and get more abilities,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I should have gone with a different mix of forces. I saw your nice armor and weapons, and I figured a lot of the power of your class was in your personal combat skills. If that had been the case, your minions would have been a lot weaker than they turned out to be,¡± Brielle said. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you for showing me how the duel system works. If you ever want another go at it, just let me know,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks, Rico, I¡¯ll take you up on that offer, and I think things will turn out differently next time,¡± Brielle said. She was a good sport and helpful. I hoped that my informality with her still being a student wasn¡¯t going to be a problem, but I¡¯d just realized how casual we had been only now that she was leaving. ¡°Well, gang, I think it¡¯s time we call it a night,¡± I said, unsummoning the drone and Elida. The school was a safe enough place, and I had a few figurines on me if things got out of hand. The resummoning timer began to tick down. Since they weren¡¯t destroyed, it seemed I could bring my minions back after a minute had passed. I then received a system notice warning me that unsummoning and resummoning took longer in combat situations. It also warned that any damage the minions had taken would remain if they were immediately resummoned, though they would slowly heal over time as they waited for me to call them back. It had been an interesting day, and I was looking forward now to my comfortable-looking bed and whatever tomorrow held in store for me. Chapter 329. Guild and Delve. Chapter 329. Guild and Delve. It turned out that alarm clocks in magic academies were as annoying as the technological ones we used on Earth. The strange tone emitting from the alarm stone pulled me from a deep sleep, and I woke up groggy, and a bit sluggish. A heated shower in my bathroom helped me to clear out the cobwebs in my head. After getting cleaned up, I dressed in my school robes and headed out the door of my room. There was a bit of activity in the hallways of the tower, mostly maintenance staff and a few early risers trying to get a jump on their day. The area of the tower I was in housed mostly the low-ranking faculty and some of the permanent employees of the school. It wouldn¡¯t be until I headed up a floor before the passersby became predominantly students. The faculty dining facility was easy enough to find, I just had to follow the alluring scent of bacon. At least it smelled like bacon, and I might begin to doubt my life choices if this school had something that smelled like, but wasn¡¯t, that perfect breakfast meat. There was a small line at the buffet table where the food was laid out. Thankfully, most of the offerings were relatively familiar, including bacon, but there were a few oddities. I noticed most people had a small pile of strange, gelatinous blue spheres the size of a marble on their plates, so I placed one on my plate to give it a try. Mostly I stuck with things that were familiar, but I did want to branch out with some culinary risks while I was here. If I¡¯d survived the MREs from training with the military, I figured nothing here would cause me a problem. Still not feeling entirely comfortable, I picked a spot at one of the smaller, unoccupied tables, rather than the long tables sprinkled with chatting people of various species. ¡°I see you survived your first night here,¡± a gruff-sounding dwarf in instructor robes said as he sat across from me at the table. The dwarf didn¡¯t have a tray of food, and instead of eating, he seemed content to just cross his arms and glare in my direction. ¡°Uh, hi? What can I do for you?¡± I asked the somewhat rude dwarf. While I wasn¡¯t going to be overtly hostile to anyone here if I could help it, I also was determined to stand my ground if anyone wanted to mess with me. ¡°Rico? Did you forget me already?¡± the gruff dwarf asked. It wasn¡¯t until a creepy spider-like shape crawled out from under the collar of the dwarf¡¯s robes and waved, that I realized the dwarf was Melody. ¡°Sorry, Melody, that¡¯s going to take some getting used to. I wasn¡¯t expecting you here, and I sure wasn¡¯t expecting you to be a dwarf today,¡± I replied, trying to smile and look casual as I ate the gelatinous blue marble on my plate. To my surprise it had a savory, almost potato-like taste with a hint of onion and garlic. My first culinary adventure had proven to be a successful one. ¡°Ha, I¡¯m just messing with you, Rico. I normally don¡¯t summon Weffik here unless I¡¯m teaching a section more relevant to dwarves. Don¡¯t worry, the human woman minion you saw yesterday is the one I usually ride along with,¡± Melody said. ¡°I just hope I don¡¯t mistake someone else for you and embarrass myself,¡± I said, looking at my now-empty plate and briefly contemplating getting more of the blue things before the pressure in my overstuffed belly reminded me I should I probably quit while I was ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll try to give you a heads up if I change my summoned conveyance for the day. I had stopped by your room, and I admit, I was a bit worried you¡¯d oversleep, but I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re awake early and ready to get a jump on things. When you finish with your meal, we can head to our classroom,¡± Melody said. ¡°I¡¯m done now, let¡¯s go,¡± I replied, placing my tray and plates back in the proper spot before leaving. The last thing I wanted to do was get the kitchen staff annoyed at me on my first full day here. ¡°I spoke with Glorine about what he wants me to go over. There¡¯s been a minor change in plans. Instead of having you teach a completely new class from scratch, he¡¯s decided to just parcel you out to the other professors so you can lend your expertise when they are in a relevant section of their instruction,¡± Melody said. ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as the change isn¡¯t because he thought I wasn¡¯t up to the task,¡± I replied, a bit worried that Headmaster Glorine had taken a second look at me and realized that I had no business teaching a class. ¡°He just figures that he can get more out of your time here if you get a chance to interact with several different classes and instructors. Who knows, you may even be offered another term as an instructor in the future. For now, you can help me get my classroom set up and ready for next week,¡± Melody said. It turned out that Melody didn¡¯t need all that much help. She¡¯d been teaching here for a few years and had everything squared away. We did spend some time in the curriculum, and I realized that there were several lessons that I¡¯d like to sit in on and learn from if it was possible. I suspected that would be the case with most of the classes here. Despite my time as a summoned being, I was still a noob when it came to system life. After a few hours of work, we broke for lunch. Melody went off on her own to eat, which I should probably be thankful for. Before taking her leave, she did introduce me to another human teacher who she was acquainted with, a man named Yarov who taught a combat casting class that was a graduation requirement for most mages. Yarov was very interested in having me speak in his class, as summoning in the heat of combat was a tricky thing to get right, especially if you wanted to choose the correct minion for the situation. Melody arrived soon after and we made our farewells to Yarov, who challenged me to a duel when we could both find the time. It seemed that dueling was a big thing here on campus and I looked forward to seeing what a master of combat casting could accomplish.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Rico, you can see that I don¡¯t need much to get ready for the semester. In fact, I can handle most of the rest of what I planned to accomplish today on my own. Why don¡¯t we head into town and see about getting you signed up with the adventurer¡¯s guild. I know you need to grow your tier and rank, and dungeon delving will probably be the best way for you to accomplish that while you¡¯re here,¡± Melody offered after we returned to her classroom. ¡°Thanks, Melody, I want to help in any way I can, but I admit, getting a chance to gain some experience could be a lifesaver,¡± I said. Following Melody outside the tower, we walked on a new path that led toward the front gates. I was expecting maybe a small entry gate, where a security guard and a member of the staff would screen and welcome visitors. What I hadn¡¯t expected was a full, stone wall encompassing the school, and the gate to be the same as you¡¯d find on a fortress. Armored guards stood watch, as well as a few mages in their school uniforms to support them. They gave us a cursory glance, and somehow the system must have identified us as instructors, so they let us pass without a word. Once outside the gate, I could see a large town spread out before us. The construction reminded me of Somhagen, and it appeared to be a bustling place. ¡°Melody, I wasn¡¯t expecting the defenses the school has in place. Is there something I need to be worried about?¡± I asked, wondering if I had signed up for something a bit more dangerous than a substitute teacher gig. ¡°While not considered an elite school, the Starveil Tower Academy is respected enough to attract the wrong kind of attention. There are plenty of nefarious groups out there that would love to plunder the school, and these guards are but one precaution we take to protect our students. ¡°We¡¯ve never had a major incident, just a few individuals trying to slip in and steal whatever they could, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can turn a blind eye to the potential threats that are out there. I have to say, it also provides a nice bit of real-world training for some of our students. You probably noticed some of the final year students among the guards,¡± Melody said. ¡°That¡¯s cool, I was just worried we were going to be under siege or something,¡± I said, feeling better about the situation. ¡°No worries, here we go, the adventurer''s guild. Just head inside and let them know who you are. The attendant will get you signed up and on the list for a dungeon. I need to scoot back to my classroom and finish up there. Good luck, Rico,¡± Melody said, waving me toward the large structure she¡¯d led me to. ¡°Thanks again, Melody,¡± I replied before heading in. It wasn¡¯t hard to mistake the adventurer¡¯s guild from the nearby shops, warehouses, and housing structures. The place looked like a fortified keep and had a constant stream of armed and armored adventurers flowing in and out of it. ¡°How can I help you, instructor?¡± A young gnomish woman asked as I entered the building. I must have looked rather out of place standing there gawking at the queues lined up behind various counters. The main entry hall of the guild looked like the DMV mixed with a row of magical bank tellers, and I had no idea which line to get in. ¡°Uh, hi, I¡¯m a new instructor at the academy and I was told I could sign up for the guild and get in the queue for a dungeon,¡± I said. ¡°No problem, the academy gets to use the priority lane for signup,¡± the woman said leading me to a counter with only a few people in school robes in front of me. While the guild employees seemed especially nice and polite to the school personnel, the adventurers themselves were a different story. I noticed more than a few hostile glares thrown my way, and I wondered if there was something going on that I should know about. ¡°Next! How can I help you, sir?¡± the bored-looking clerk, yet another of those serpent people that I¡¯d met behind the counter of the Somhagen arena said. ¡°He needs to get signed up and in the dungeon queue, Ssarina,¡± the gnome said before taking her leave and looking for more confused professors and adventurers to help. ¡°Very well, place your hand here, and accept the terms,¡± Ssarina said, placing a wood block on front of me that glowed with enchantment. When I placed my hand on it a system prompt appeared. You have requested membership in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Should they accept you, the guild will offer access to several facilities located on many worlds. These facilities include many dungeons of various difficulty as well as access to the questing board. Please note that should you be accepted for membership, 10% of anything you earn while on a guild sanctioned quest or dungeon delve will be automatically deducted from your rewards. The guild has accepted the being known as Rico Kline into its membership. Do you confirm that you wish to join the guild?¡± Y/N. I hit yes and the system confirmed my new membership. ¡°Congratulations on becoming a bronze tier guild member. As you delve into dungeons and complete quests, you¡¯ll earn guild points toward the next tier of membership. The higher tiers earn a reduced guild tax, greater access to purchase guild equipment, and other services. For now, as a new guild member and instructor at the academy. I can place you into the front of the queue for a single delve in the dungeon of your choice. Do you have a party, want to complete a solo dungeon, or do you wish me to add you to an existing group?¡± Ssarina asked in a bored monotone voice laced with a hissing lisp. ¡°I¡¯d like to do a solo dungeon if that¡¯s possible,¡± I said. Maybe I¡¯d party up later, but for now, I didn¡¯t want someone I didn¡¯t know watching my back. ¡°Here are the available options. The system will scale your choices to match your Tier and Rank. As a solo adventurer, you will be restricted to a dungeon that is of a substantially lower tier and rank than you currently hold,¡± Ssarina said, pushing the wood block back to me. As I touched it, the system gave me a list of choices. Your solo delve is limited to a maximum dungeon ranking of Tier 2, Rank 0.
  1. The Smoldering Vault. Tier 2, Rank 0.
  2. Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. Tier 2, Rank 0.
  3. The Blighted Village of Baern. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  4. The Lair of the Forgotten Sisters. Tier 1, Rank 0.
  5. Alley of Blades. Tier 0, Rank 5.
I wanted a challenge, so I gravitated toward the two highest tier offerings. Ssarina gave some information on the two. The vault was home to a fire elemental boss, and many of the lesser minions had a fire-based attack. She warned that it wasn¡¯t all flame-based enemies inside, and the dungeon could be rather tricky in how it changed up its roster. The other option, the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor would have me facing undead, and several deadly traps and creatures. A powerful revenant was the final boss, and the dungeon was a bit shorter than the vault one. That seemed like the best fit, so I picked the grotto. ¡°Okay, here are the directions to the Grotto entrance, it¡¯s just outside the city. Show the guild representative at the entrance your guild badge, and they¡¯ll place you next in the queue,¡± Ssarina said, handing me a pre-printed map. ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± I tried to say, but Ssarina was already shouting for her next customer to step up. This was it; I was about to venture into my first dungeon as an actual adventurer and not a summoned being. There was no respawn, and no odd third party determining my performance ranking and doling out the rewards. Anything I wanted, either experience, or treasure, I was going to have to take for myself. Chapter 330. Into the Ruins. Chapter 330. Into the Ruins. I left the adventurers guild and followed the road that Ssarina had marked on the map. Surprisingly, it seemed there were quite a few dungeons within a small area. Did the academy locate here because of that, or did they somehow attract or seed the dungeons after the academy was established? It was an intriguing question, but the answer wouldn¡¯t help me clear this dungeon. A wall around the city matched the one at the academy. This one lacked the students helping to defend it, but at the city gate I used, there were a half dozen guards armed with spears and wearing chainmail. They should be enough to keep any troublemakers out. A quick flash of my adventurer¡¯s guild badge, and the guards waved me through without any hassle. Once outside the gate, I followed a cobblestone main road for about a mile before branching off onto a dirt trail that was supposed to link up with the dungeon entrance. I was outside the city and its guards, so I went ahead and summoned my minions. First out was the drone, quickly followed by Elida. I thought about my third minion for this summoning contract, Clancy, and it seemed that just by thinking about him, I was given a summary of his efforts so far. Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor. Current funds available for you to withdraw:
  1. Gold: 3.
  2. Silver: 18.
  3. Copper: 75.
Items of interest held by your minion.
  1. Summoning figurine, Teir 1, Rank 4.
This minion can be recalled to your location. Do you wish to recall Clancy? Y/N. I answered no, not wanting to disturb Clancy¡¯s business. Despite only having started the night before, it looked like Clancy was off to a fine start. I was especially happy to see that he had already bagged a summoning figurine for me. Most of my figurines had been left behind on Earth, and I was down to the dregs with my current supply. All I had on me was a pair of fire mephit¡¯s, a very situational use seahorse, the helpful staff figurine, and the reuseable kobold warband figurine. I also had Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts that could summon something, though the usefulness of the random summons was always questionable. The Fangs of the Hydra Pouch was a bit more formidable and would slowly replenish over time as I used up the teeth inside. The trail I was on led through a rather pleasant forest and would have made for a relaxing afternoon walk if I wasn¡¯t nervous about what I might face in the dungeon. Well-worn from travel, the hard packed dirt trail finally gave way to a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was a ruined building. The cracked pillars and intricate stonework reminded me of ancient Greek or maybe Roman architecture and I began to get excited about testing myself against whatever the dungeon was going to throw at me. In front of the ruins was a log building with a sign announcing that it was the adventurer¡¯s guild access point. The structure was of a relatively new construction which was a bit surprising as I had expected that the dungeon would have been here for a while. A party of three adventurers walked out of the log building cursing as they moved over to one of several tables placed around the wide porch. More than a few glares were cast in my direction as I walked past them. Pushing open the door, I was greeted with something that more of a store than a guild administration office. Displays and shelving took up much of the floor space, and a long counter at the back of the building was manned by several clerks. The items on offer in the shop ranged from adventuring gear, armor, weapons, and camping supplies. It was all rather basic equipment, and nothing showed any signs of enchantment. Maybe the good stuff was behind the counter. I approached the nearest clerk, an older man in a plain beige tunic. ¡°Hi, I was told there was an open slot for the dungeon I could take,¡± I said, passing over my guild badge as Ssarina had instructed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one from the academy that¡¯s jamming up the works for today¡¯s schedule. We¡¯ve had to hold back on any new parties from entering until you get your crack at the place. Let me get you a starter kit,¡± the old clerk said. Despite complaining about me ¡°jamming up the works¡±, the man didn¡¯t seem bothered by my presence. He rummaged around behind the shelf and handed me a small booklet. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I said, flipping through it and seeing a crude map of the dungeon as well as notes about various threats. ¡°The guild doesn¡¯t want anyone slaughtered by the dungeon, so they let folks know of anything that might be a bigger threat than it seems, or other threats that might be beyond the typical rating of the dungeon. Mind that you don¡¯t get too confident. Just because we¡¯re warning you about the unusual, doesn¡¯t mean the mundane won¡¯t kill you if you¡¯re stupid,¡± the old man said.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll give it a read before I head in. Speaking of that, where exactly is the dungeon entrance?¡¯ I asked. ¡°It¡¯s just out the back door there,¡± the clerk said, pointing toward a hallway at the far side of the building. ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is all for sale, is there any other gear not on display?¡± I asked, looking around the place. It sort of reminded me of a Cracker Barrel in the way it looked and how things were displayed, though I don¡¯t recall the Cracker Barrel offering any melee weapons. Maybe they had them for sale behind the counter, I¡¯d never asked, and was always too distracted by the candy display when I ate there. ¡°This is it, just simple gear that guild members can requisition for their delve. It¡¯s meant to fill out any gaps in the gear of newer adventurers, not upgrade what they currently have. You look rather well equipped, so I doubt anything I have would be of interest. I will give you this, every adventurer with a guild badge gets this when entering their first dungeon run,¡± the clerk said, passing over three small vials that the system identified. Minor healing potion (2). Minor mana potion (1). ¡°Thanks. Do I owe you anything for them?¡± I asked. ¡°No, it comes out of the guild¡¯s cut of your delve. Just something we do to make sure you have what you need. Whenever you¡¯re ready, you can head in. I¡¯d recommend starting as soon as possible, the others have to wait until you¡¯re finished before they can begin their runs,¡± the clerk said. I was beginning to understand the frustration of the adventurers outside a bit better now. If your livelihood depended on dungeon delving, it would be annoying for the school faculty to essentially cut in line ahead of you. I really needed this delve, but I¡¯d try to be conscientious about future runs and not cut in line if I could avoid it. ¡°I¡¯ll get on it right now, before I go, there is one thing I was curious about. This building seems new, but I was assuming the dungeon has been here for a while. Why doesn¡¯t the guild have a more permanent structure on site?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yeah, it would seem a bit out of place. I can assure you it¡¯s not some cost-cutting measure. It¡¯s the dungeon here, it likes to shift about its entrance every few years, and we rebuild to accommodate those changes each time,¡± the clerk told me. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll get my run going now,¡± I promised before leading the drone and Elida toward the hallway the clerk had indicated. Double doors at the end of the hall had an armed human clerk standing near them. He nodded before unlocking and opened the doors, giving my odd party only a cursory glance as we walked into a much larger room. At the far wall was the swirling portal of a dungeon entrance, and around the entrance were several temporary fortifications. A low wall, and sharpened stakes pointed toward the dungeon entrance, left only a narrow path for my team to enter. Four guards, three armed in chainmail and carrying spears, and one in mages robes, stood watch over the dungeon entrance. I wondered if the dungeon occasionally spewed out raiding parties, but didn¡¯t want to waste time asking. The guards waved me forward, and I stepped into the portal. My minions went first, and I followed behind them, happy to find that the first chamber of the dungeon was clear of any attackers. That was supposed to be standard for dungeons, giving parties a chance to get organized before their delve began. Given the defenses at the dungeon entrance, I had been briefly worried that the dungeon was more aggressive than normal. Speaking of that, I figured it was a good idea to start off the delve in a polite manner. ¡°Hello,¡± I called out to the dungeon. ¡°I¡¯m Rico Kline, and I¡¯m here for a standard delve. I want to thank you for the challenges I¡¯ll face, and I hope we¡¯ll both benefit from my presence here. I don¡¯t know if you can hear or understand me, but I¡¯m a class called Contracted Summoner, and if you ever have need of my services, I¡¯d be glad to consider your offer, I¡¯ve helped several dungeon cores in the past,¡± I announced. There was no reply, so with my minions standing guard, I looked around before scanning the information booklet. The dungeon was dark, but instead of a closed-in cave, I found myself in an outdoor glade that was lit by stars and a sliver of moon. Ruins, like those outside the entrance littered the glade, much of it was nothing more than lumps of marble. The dungeons I¡¯d been in before had all been underground, this one had somehow created at least the illusion of an outdoor area. It was impressive that the core would create such an ambiance, and I hoped that boded well for the rest of my delve. For the most part, the booklet from the guild proved to be a bust. It was clearly geared toward newer adventurers and the only unusual twist was a warning to not disturb any graves, no matter what the gravestone or posted signs said. I¡¯d take that to heart as I readied my weapons and led the team deeper into the dungeon. According to the guide, there were three main outdoor areas I had to clear of their veteran bosses before I could enter a crypt and deal with the final challenge. The first enemies were supposed to be about twenty yards away, near a large, fallen pillar. As we approached the pillar, a haggard orc stood suddenly, raising his empty hands to show he was unarmed. My minions stopped their approach at my command, and I waited for the orc to state his business. ¡°My master thanks you for your polite introduction. Such manners were common when he ruled his empire, but now, are forgotten by most. He also bids me to remind you that while proper behavior is appreciated, it doesn¡¯t mean that he will relent from his duties. You will either die in this place, or be proven worthy to leave with your rewards,¡± the orc said as rusted plate armor suddenly covered his form, and a great axe appeared in his hand. A new group of armed and armored figures rose from the ruins, and all of them readied their weapons as they strode confidently toward my small party. The system identified my foes as I concentrated on them. Orc Revenant War Leader, Tier 1, Rank 5, Veteran. Armored Skeletal Warriors, Tier 0, rank 5. (6). ¡°Destroy them all,¡± I ordered my team. Chapter 331. Cutting Down the Dead. Chapter 331. Cutting Down the Dead. I had the drone hold off on using his grenades or the plasma beam for now. I didn¡¯t want to waste them on the first encounter. Instead, I had him and Elida charge the enemy as I cast Duplicate. For the spell, I decided to target Elida. I wanted to see if her Battle Mending was amplified or enhanced in any way by two auras covering my troops. Leaping ahead of his lesser minions, the Orc Revenant War Leader moved to intercept the armored drone. Pausing for a moment, the pair of Elida¡¯s fired off Deadly Beams at the skeletal warriors. The beams seemed to have no trouble affecting the undead, and both targets crumbled to the ground and dispersed into mana vapor as the two Elida¡¯s closed to melee distance. Brave as he was, and enhanced by the system as a veteran minion, the Orc Revenant War Leader only managed to land a glancing blow on my drone before the drone¡¯s four arms cut him down. Being double the tier and rank of the foe gave my minions an even greater advantage. By the time the drone was done with the target, the two Elidas had dealt with the remaining skeleton warriors. It was a bit odd seeing Elida in the front line, I was so used to her being the fragile healer that I needed to protect. Now, she was a heavily armored brawler that could sustain herself, and her allies, in a long engagement. My minions took limited damage in the short fight, and I couldn¡¯t tell if her Battle Mending had stacked or not. I¡¯d have to test it out in a more dangerous fight. After the last enemy had fallen, I scoured the area, looking for any loot. This was my first delve and I was used to all my rewards being handed to me after I returned to my personal space. I was a bit embarrassed that I didn¡¯t know all the details of how the loot worked inside the dungeon. Where each enemy had fallen, a small gleam was spotted, like a small LED had been buried in the floor. When I approached the light, a system prompt appeared. You have begun your first dungeon delve without the Summoned Being status. When inside a dungeon you may choose two ways to receive your rewards. The first option is for the dungeon to generate rewards on the spot, using a portion of the mana from each defeated minion to create something for you. The second method is to have the dungeon offer a more substantial reward at the end of the dungeon. Should you leave the dungeon early, or fall to the defenders, no rewards will be offered. You may change your preference prior to each delve. Please choose your preferred reward method for this delve. It seemed like an easy choice for this run. I would take the larger reward at the end, since I had little doubt that I would finish the run. Maybe if I was in a group or in a larger dungeon with a greater threat, I would select the immediate rewards if the chances of needing to retreat were high, but for now, I¡¯d be patient and wait for the reward. You have selected to accept a larger reward at the end of a successful run. A successful run for this dungeon is the defeat of the final boss. That settled that, I had to keep pressing forward if I wanted to get to my reward. The first of the three mini bosses that I had to defeat was down, and my team began to trek through the impressive outdoor environment the dungeon had created. It wasn¡¯t long before we reached another set of ruins and a veteran defender approached, this time, it was an orc skeletal warrior in rusted plate armor sitting atop a skeletal horse. The rider stopped about fifty feet from my party before speaking. ¡°Intruder, turn around and flee or be slain. The emperor will abide no invaders into his lands,¡± the undead creature announced as two more riders appeared from behind the ruins. System information on the new foes appeared as I examined them. Skeletal Orc War Troop Leader, Tier 1, Rank 5, Veteran. Skeletal Orc War Rider, Tier 1, Rank 0. (2). Each orc was armed with a spear and shield. Their mounts also had the rusted remains of barding covering their chests and shins. The two war riders were higher tier than the warriors supporting the other mini boss but having only two in their group instead of six probably evened it out in the system¡¯s eyes.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I expected the group to charge, given that they were mounted, but the orcs seemed content to let my forces do the attacking. Before I ordered my troops in, I remembered the dungeon information booklet had warned about some traps. Given the lack of a cavalry charge, I figured there was probably something the defenders were hoping we¡¯d run afoul of. Pulling my magic missile wand out, I also ordered my minions to draw ranged weapons and attack. The drone created a crossbow from its body that the two smaller hands wielded. While my drone would lose a bit of its mass with each shot it created and fired, a healing spell would replace what was lost. Elida and her duplicate had their slings out and fired on my command. The upgraded Duplicate spell for my new class allowed the duplicate to stick around for 24-hours. I could dismiss the duplicate if I wanted to use the spell on the drone instead, but there would be a longer cooldown involved, so it wasn¡¯t something I could do in the middle of a fight. My magic missile flew straight into the leader, the ball of magic cracking into the undead creature¡¯s face and shattering some of the bone when it landed. The two sling stones hit, with only fifty feet separating us, it would be considered an easy shot for them. My drone¡¯s crossbow bolt also landed, burying itself into the chest of the lead orc¡¯s horse. Other than my magic missiles, the ranged attacks weren¡¯t the most effective against skeletal foes, but the damage would eventually accumulate. A second, then a third volley flew out to pelt the enemy, and as if realizing their plan to goad us into attacking wasn¡¯t going to work, the trio of enemies charged. The two Elida¡¯s switched to their Deadly Beam spells, firing both at the leader of the enemy horsemen. Both beams struck home and burned deep into the orc¡¯s body as the trio of horsemen maneuvered around us in a sweeping arc which gave me a good idea where any potential traps might be found. Though they weren¡¯t enough to kill the already wounded leader outright, I could see a small glow around the area each beam had struck. The damage over time component of Elida¡¯s spell was still cooking away, further weakening our foe. The drone reabsorbed the crossbow and instead armed its smaller appendages with a pair of warhammers. I heartily approved of the weapon choice given the skeletal nature of our foes. Not wanting to burn up too many resources just yet, I had the two Elida¡¯s prepare to meet the charge of the approaching riders. They had burned two of their four spell slots for non-healing spells, but after this fight, I could have the pair use Channel Mana to replace them. Giving the drone permission to fire one high explosive grenade, he expertly landed the shot right in the middle of the trio of riders as they finished their turn to avoid the suspected traps and began to charge directly at us. The blast tore into the attackers, but instead of blasting the riders from their mounts, all three managed to remain in the saddle. Battered and damaged, the three slammed into my minions. Using my minions as cover, I continued to peck away at the undead orcs with my magic missile wand. One Elida was bowled over by the charge, the spear held by the Orc War Rider managed to avoid her shield and pierce her armored form. The strike was a powerful one, but Elida was durable enough to survive the hit. I could already see her casting a healing spell on herself, as the pair activated Battle Mending before attacking. My drone went after the troop leader, his longer clawed arms had little trouble shearing though bone and rusted armor. Now that they were close, I realized that the riders weren¡¯t in fact, riders. It appeared that the upper body of the orcish warriors were somehow grafted onto their mounts like a skeletal centaur type of thing. That explained why they hadn¡¯t been blasted off their mounts by the grenade. A spear pierced the drone, but now the fight was up close and personal, where the spears of the charging undead were less useful. Their mounts did bite at my minions, but we had the fight well in hand. First to fall was the leader as the drone, along with the existing damage, turned the veteran minion into mana vapor. The two regular orcs went down seconds later. My drone had taken a few hits, but nothing serious. I cast Health Bloom which would patch up any lingering damage on my minions. Once the healing magic had run its course, we continued through the dungeon, making sure to avoid the trapped area and moving toward the last set of ruins that we hadn¡¯t visited yet. We had one more mini boss to deal with before the path to the final boss of the dungeon would be revealed. Just like with the previous two encounters, the third mini boss issued a challenge before attacking. This time, we faced not infantry or cavalry, we faced the magic wielding branch of the dungeon¡¯s army. A Skeletal Orc Battle Caster was the tier one, rank five veteran of this group. It was supported by a trio of tier one, rank zero acolytes. They fired their own magic missiles at my team, but like the previous two fights, the enemy wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop us. I took my first injury of the battle, as a magic missile slammed into my chest. The armor stopped most of the blow, leaving only a big bruise behind. ¡°You have defeated my minions and are judged worthy to face me in battle. Best me, and you will be rewarded. Fear not, for even if you fall, your exploits will live on as your undead forms bolster the ranks of my army!¡± A loud voice boomed as the last acolyte fell. A glowing portal opened nearby, and a system prompt told me that through the portal waited the boss of the dungeon. So far, we¡¯d had little trouble against the normal defenders and the mini bosses. Now, we were going to be up against something quite a bit more dangerous. I¡¯d have to be careful and not get complacent. We were playing for keeps here, and no respawn awaited me if I messed this fight up. Chapter 332. Completion and Contract. Chapter 332. Completion and Contract. Readying my team, I stepped into the portal. With the information in the guild booklet, I didn¡¯t expect too many surprises. The boss was an undead half orc with the second half of his ancestry being from an ogre. There wasn¡¯t any mention of abilities or spells, but the guides weren¡¯t there to babysit adventurers, just give them a heads up on anything unusually deadly. A boss was always expected to be deadly, so the danger I was about to face wasn¡¯t considered unusual. The drone and Elida led the way, and I exited the portal right behind them. It was a throne room, one that was in ruins like the rest of the structures above ground. Sitting on a worn stone throne, a dozen yards ahead of us, was the namesake of this dungeon, the Shunned Emperor. He was dressed in heavy, black iron plate armor. A sword that was over six feet in length was propped up on the throne next to him. With the heavy armor completely encasing him, all I could see of the emperor¡¯s body was through the small slit in his helm. Cold, white bone was revealed, and empty eye sockets glowed with a faint red light. This was the final encounter, so I silently ordered my drone and Elida to go all out on our foe. Attached to my left arm was my shield, and in my right, I held the javelin. Before I could order the attack, the emperor stood and spoke. He raised one hand as if asking for a moment, which I granted him out of courtesy for the dungeon core. ¡°Hold a moment before we begin and indulge me in conversation. It¡¯s rare I get to speak with the challengers that enter here, and most just attack on sight. Tell me, human known as Rico Kline, what were the circumstances of your direct encounter with a dungeon core before?¡± the undead creature asked, though it was obvious to me that the dungeon core itself was speaking through its creation. Remaining behind my two minions, I ordered them to protect me if this were some kind of trick, but I had the feeling that the core was genuinely interested in what I had to say. I began to tell my story to the dungeon boss, and my story wasn¡¯t all that complicated. I had accepted a contract from a broker in Somhagen, which was my first introduction to a dungeon core. On that first contract I acted as the defender for the dungeon. We fought off a team of adventurers that were seeking to destroy the core and take the shards of the core for themselves. The emperor seemed especially interested that I had used my Fitzfazzle figurine to assist, and that I was willing to expend my personal resources to aid in completing my task. The second dungeon core I worked with was the one that I had directly contracted with, the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade. I had accepted the task of defending the dungeon from a wizard that was starving the core by sending too many teams of students inside the place. Thankfully, both my dungeon core adventures were successful ones, and I was happy to say both cores survived the experience. ¡°Would you be willing to broker a contract with me should I ever have the need of your services?¡± the dungeon asked through the emperor. ¡°I would, though it seems doubtful the guild and the academy would abuse you the way the other core was being abused. There¡¯s not much I can do currently as my travel options are more limited now,¡± I explained, not wanting to give too many details about my previous status as a summoned being. ¡°Understood, it is not an urgent request, but something I would be interested in for the future, and I hoped that you might be willing to act as my agent in the matter,¡± the core asked. ¡°Sure, I can at least try to come back and negotiate a contract with you once my advisor is freed up from his other duties,¡± I offered. Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s expertise was useful for a contract like this, and I had no desire to distract him from his current efforts. After the deal with Gary was resolved, and if I survived, I would do what I could to return here and help.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°That is acceptable,¡± the core replied. A system prompt appeared after that. It looked like the system wanted to take the training wheels off and force me to use the Negotiate Contract skill the system had granted me. The dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor has requested your assistance in negotiating a defensive contract. As your first negotiated contract, some predetermined options have been selected for you, but in the future, you may craft your own contract offerings. Select one of the following offers.
  1. Consult the dungeon core for a short time on preparing to defend itself against hostile adventurers and to prevent mana starvation. You will be required to spend at least 4 hours in active consultation.
  2. Agree to be summoned as a defender should the dungeon core be directly threatened. The duration of the summoning is to be until the threat has ended or 1 week has passed, whichever comes first.
  3. Agree to allow 1 of your minions to be summoned by the dungeon should it be directly threatened. Your minion will not be available to you during the time of the contract, which will be until the threat is ended, or 1 week has passed.
The offer you select will influence the amount of compensation your potential client is willing to offer. Woah, the system had added something new to the mix. I could offer one of my minions as a means to fulfill the contract, and not even be required to risk myself in the defense of the core. Thinking about it, offering a minion would generate its own set of potential problems. If I had another contract going, it could make things dangerous to have one of my minions absent. It might also affect my reputation if I took a contract and then showed up weaker than expected. Something like the teaching assignment I had now would be perfect for cutting a minion loose for a bit, but I couldn¡¯t predict the future and what I might be doing when the dungeon finally had need to call on my services. It would be better to contract for myself and the whole team. My Early Cancellation skill was there to save me if the dungeon called me into an impossible situation. Once I got a better feel for how my class and the contracts it generated worked, I could explore giving up a minion for a time. You have offered to be summoned as a defender should the dungeon core be threatened. This summoning contract is situational, and the dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor cannot affect your Reputation if you are on another assignment at the time it tries to activate your contract. The potential client is offering the following as compensation for the successful completion of your contract.
  1. A magic item crafted by the dungeon core to enhance your class. Please note that the power of this item is limited by the dungeon core¡¯s Tier and Rank.
  2. 100 gold.
  3. The option to call upon the dungeon core¡¯s limited aid 1 time.
¡°I¡¯m inclined to accept your offered compensation, but can you explain what the aid you¡¯ve included entails?¡± I asked. The overall deal was one of limited risk to me, and though the dungeon wasn¡¯t that high of a tier, a magic item crafted specifically for my class was an interesting reward. ¡°I can use my mana to open a portal to your location and send some of my minions to assist you. Of course, the number and power of those minions will be limited, as the mana costs will be substantial. You must also know that your call may not be answered should my mana reserves prove insufficient at the time of your call,¡± the core replied. ¡°That sounds fair, after all, the contract for my aid is also restricted if I¡¯m otherwise occupied when you call. I agree to the terms,¡± I said, accepting the final system generated contract that appeared before me. ¡°Excellent, this has proven to be a most interesting encounter with an adventurer. Though there is still one problem,¡± the core said. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°For our contract to ever be valid, you have to survive this delve,¡± the core said through the boss minion. The orc emperor grabbed its sword and began to charge toward us. ¡°I don¡¯t think your final boss is going to be an issue,¡± I replied as I ordered my minions to strike. The drone began firing its plasma generator and Elida cast Deadly Beam. Elida¡¯s spell burned into the armor of the undead emperor, but the plasma beam was even more effective. It cut through the magically enhanced steel plate like it was made of paper, and the undead body that the armor protected fared no better. In less than two seconds, the boss of the dungeon was destroyed and turned into mana vapor. You have entered into a contract with the dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. This run was over, and the contract was in place. All I had to do now was collect my rewards for the successful completion of the dungeon run. Behind the emperor¡¯s battered throne, a glowing wooden chest appeared, and I was about to get my first peek at rewards outside of my time as a summoned being. Chapter 333. Delves End. Chapter 333. Delve¡¯s End. Being cautious, I had the drone check out the reward chest before I opened it. Just like in some video games, it turned out the chest couldn¡¯t be opened by anyone but the person it was assigned to, so my drone¡¯s efforts were wasted. As I touched the lid, a system prompt appeared. You have successfully completed your first run in the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. Additional experience has been awarded for this run, though future runs will be made with diminishing experience rewards. You have been awarded 8 Experience. You have received the following dungeon rewards.
  1. Gold, 8.
  2. Summoning Figurine, 2.
  3. Potion, 2.
  4. Shortsword.
It turned out that even ¡°enhanced¡± the experience wasn¡¯t all that great compared to most of my summoned being adventures. I must have been leveling up quite a bit faster than a normal adventurer would. Of course, I had no control over when I was summoned, and an adventurer could pick and choose where they wanted to go, and how they wanted to gain experience. With several dungeons being literally in the backyard of the academy, even the reduced rewards for each run were going to add up quickly. Even better, there wasn¡¯t much inside the dungeon that was a threat to me. I¡¯d have to try the others that I was allowed to enter solo, since this one would give reduced experience with each run. As for the rest of the loot, I added the coins to my pack, and then pulled the two figurines out to examine. System information filled in the details as I looked at the pair of skeletal warrior figurines. Summoning Figurines.
  1. Skeletal orc warrior. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  2. Skeletal orc battle caster. Tier 1, Rank 7.
Given the tier and rank of the dungeon, the pair of figurines weren¡¯t bad. It would help flesh out the limited supply I was working with. That reminded me of how many I had left back home. I could only hope that Agent Lopez had distributed them to wherever they would do the most good. Next up were the two potions. One was a minor potion of health and the other was a minor rejuvenation potion that would restore a small amount of both health and mana. I still had better potions in my pack, so these I¡¯d see about handing these off to Clancy. He was my best bet at getting a good price on them. The last reward item, the shortsword was quite a bit nicer than my other rewards. I couldn¡¯t help but think that the dungeon had done me a solid since I¡¯d agreed to a defensive contract with it. Inspecting the weapon, I didn¡¯t need the system prompt to tell me it was something special. The hilt of the blade was normal enough, simple steel and a soft leather-wrapped grip. When I drew it from the leather scabbard, I was greeted with a narrow, slightly curved blade with a chisel tip that seemed to be made entirely of bone. A quick check showed that despite it being bone, the blade was as strong as steel, and razor sharp to boot. Shunned Emperor¡¯s Legacy. This shortsword was crafted from the femur of the Shunned Emperor. Enchanted to self-repair, the blade also confers an aura bonus of +1 to Strength, Constitution, and Presence for the wielder and all allies in a 25-foot radius. The bonus to Strength, Constitution, and Presence remains in effect even while sheathed, as long as the weapon remains belted to the wielder. Each successful hit with this weapon has a chance to leave behind a bone shard in the wound. These shards are active for 5 seconds and attempt to worm their way deeper into the target¡¯s body, causing the wound to bleed. The damage dealt by the shards is translated into healing for the wielder. The sword was a straight upgrade to my gladius. Not only would it provide my nearby minions with a stat boost, but I¡¯d also benefit from the boost as well, unlike the gladius. In addition, if I hit a foe, the sword would help me to heal up any damage I was taking. I already had some skill with shortswords, so it wouldn¡¯t require me to learn anything new, or waste coin on a training scroll or whatever I¡¯d have to buy to instantly learn a new weapon skill. Trading out the gladius for the Shunned Emperor¡¯s Legacy, I could feel a slight tingle as the enhancement aura activated. With only two minions to command, I should be able to keep them within the enhancement radius for most fights.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The gladius fit easily enough in my enchanted pack, but I did make a mental note to have Clancy look for some other magical storage device for me. If I could find a ring or something like that, it would be less cumbersome than dragging a large backpack around. For now, especially on a dungeon delve, the pack was sufficient. After gathering my rewards, I pulled up a quick peek at where I stood. I was now only four points away from tier three, rank one. Maybe one more delve would push me over the line. Normally, a single rank up wasn¡¯t too exciting, but I had no idea how often my class abilities would upgrade, or when I¡¯d unlock something new. Rico Kline, Contracted Summoner. Tier 3, Rank 0. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 46/50. To my delight, once I collected my rewards, a portal opened near where the boss had fallen. I wouldn¡¯t have to walk all the way back to the entrance. Before I stepped through, I thanked the dungeon core once more. There was no mention of a portal back to the entrance in the guild pamphlet, so I chalked it up to the dungeon showing its appreciation for the contract. I appeared with my minions back inside the guild¡¯s access point. The guards gave me a quick once over before waving me on. As I left for the main room of the guild outpost, I could see an attendant leading a group of four adventurers toward the dungeon entrance. They must have been the next in the queue for the dungeon, and at least I didn¡¯t get any nasty looks this time. ¡°You completed that run rather quickly,¡± the clerk said as I approached the counter. ¡°Yeah, my class was a good counter to most of the dungeon, and it didn¡¯t cause me any problems,¡± I explained. ¡°Well, we appreciate a quick run, it lets those behind you start earlier, and if we¡¯re lucky, maybe we can get an extra party through the dungeon today. Did you need anything else from us?¡± the guild clerk asked. ¡°No, I just wanted to confirm that my guild fees were automatically taken from the dungeon rewards,¡± I replied. ¡°Sure did, the system deals with all that, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Really, the only thing we ask you to do after a run is check out here at the counter so we know it¡¯s clear for the next party. We also appreciate it if anything unusual occurs inside the dungeon that you inform us of it. There¡¯s no need for someone to lose their life just because a dungeon is trying to pull a fast one,¡± the clerk said. ¡°Everything was pretty much as the guidebook explained,¡± I said. There was no need, in my opinion, to mention my interaction with the core, as that was a result of my previous dungeon core experience, and my class, not something unusual the dungeon was trying to pull. ¡°Do you want to get on the list for another run? I have a few slots open later in the week for academy faculty,¡± the clerk said. ¡°I do want another run, but I¡¯ll need to check my schedule at the academy before I commit to anything,¡± I explained. ¡°Understood, you can come here directly to sign up, but you can also use the guild hall in town, which is probably a bit more convenient,¡± the clerk said. ¡°Thanks again for everything,¡± I said before heading out. On the large front porch were a handful of adventurers waiting for their run. They appeared nervous and excited, and with the limited experience I¡¯d received from the dungeon, I wondered how many delves they had under their belts to make it to a high enough tier and rank to take on the dungeon. Given that they had a full party, I supposed that they could all be as low as tier one, rank five. I¡¯d like to try out a higher ranked dungeon, but I had to temper my desire for a challenge with my personal safety. The guild seemed to think a higher tier dungeon was too much for me, but I really felt my class, minions, and experience, made me more powerful than just my tier and rank would suggest. The trip back to the academy was a pleasant but uneventful one. Being this close to the town and having armed adventurers traveling through constantly probably made for a rather safe stretch of road. It was late afternoon when I finally made it back to the academy tower. It was a little too early for dinner, so I decided to check in with Melody. She was back in her classroom, going over a few large textbooks and writing notes on a long scroll. The room wasn¡¯t all that different from a college classroom. There were desks for up to forty students, and an old-fashioned chalk board at the front of the room. The instructor¡¯s desk was larger, and several filing cabinets lined the walls, along with bookcases full of texts on summoning. I anticipated being able to pour through the texts during my off time, and when I wasn¡¯t going to be on a dungeon delve. ¡°Hey Rico, I take it things went well at the guild?¡± Melody asked. She was standing on the shoulder of her female warrior minion, and I was actually starting to get used to her creepy spider body. ¡°Yeah, I finished my first delve and wanted to check in and see if you needed anything,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m about to wrap up for the day, but I could use your help tomorrow morning. The new first year students are still arriving, and I have to give an orientation tour to one of the groups. I figured you could provide moral support and maybe even get to know your way around better since we¡¯re doing a full tour of the grounds,¡± Melody said. ¡°That sounds good, I¡¯m here to help in any way I can,¡± I replied. ¡°Perfect, there¡¯s also one other thing. You see, before each semester officially begins, the faculty has a little tournament, and the Summoner Studies department is no different. Do you think your minions are up for a little competition?¡± Melody asked. ¡°A chance to test my minions up against the other faculty¡¯s minions, count me in,¡± I said excitedly. I was going to get a firsthand look at how experienced summoners and their minions operated. Chapter 334. Updates on the Deal. Chapter 334. Updates on the Deal. Melody was kind enough to hand me a set of the course materials for the class she was teaching. The materials consisted of three leatherbound volumes that looked to have been handwritten and illustrated. I was sure there was some magic involved in the process as I really doubted that the school had a basement full of scribes churning out handwritten copies of every textbook for a new class each semester. I was able to pour through the texts at dinner that evening. A few of the other professors and teaching assistants did stop by to say hello, and more than one said they were looking forward to me joining their class for a discussion on my life as a summoned being. A newly integrated world was also a big point of interest for many of them. More than one professor expressed interest in bringing me back after I returned to Earth so I could give a firsthand account of the integration events there. The people here were friendly enough, and I was glad to find that the common trope I¡¯d always read about, of a bully making the new guy in the school¡¯s life miserable, wasn¡¯t true. I was sure the students and their attitudes might be a different story. The halls outside of the faculty areas were starting to fill up with students as we got closer to the semester starting. After greeting the folks nearby, I cracked open the texts, excited about what I¡¯d find. Sadly, the texts were designed for an introductory class, Summoning Essentials, and a lot of what I found was a rehash of things I¡¯d already learned. The section on the various types of summoning classes people could acquire was interesting. Most seemed to be broken down and categorized by the way they summoned their minions. Some, like my Contracted Summoner class, focused on a few, more powerful minions, but others were shaped around bringing out a horde of disposable fodder to overwhelm a foe. I was also surprised that not all the information was targeted toward adventurers and combat. A good portion, if not most, of the instruction was on more practical applications for summoning. Having a class that could bring several minions to bolster a workforce was in high demand. It wasn¡¯t as exciting as exploring a dungeon, but it could become a well-paying career for those not inclined to be in the thick of danger. There was also the interesting nugget that you could gain experience from the system by doing more mundane tasks. To be granted experience by the system, you had to be challenged by the task, so summoning a goblin to assemble widgets all day wasn¡¯t going to be the path to ultimate power. Still, summoning that goblin would grant you a bit of experience at the start, but repetitive tasks quickly tamped down the experience the system would dole out. An adventurer, military summoner, and the like would advance their tier and rank at a much faster pace than taking a non-combatant approach, but they also faced possible death where the guy working for a factory or on a construction site would face about the same dangers as someone doing those jobs back on Earth. Sadly, with the integration occurring, a life of simple, safe work wasn¡¯t in the cards for me anytime soon. That night, while I was reading in my room, a new system prompt appeared. It let me know that I¡¯d received a message from Tzes¡¯zod, and since it was related to a system-backed negotiation, I would receive the message directly. A ghostlike scroll opened in front of me as Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s message appeared. Rico, I was granted permission to inform you of the progress of our negotiations. The amount of delay I can manage before your confrontation with Gary may be more limited than I had hoped. Gary is a skilled negotiator and knows the counter to many of my gambits. Still, he will be tied up for quite a while, and I was able to get a concession from the system that will greatly benefit us in the coming conflict. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Gary had been trying to delay his final ranking for the conflict, realizing that if he waits, the time for you catch up to him in tier and rank will be minimized. I¡¯m happy to say that the system has already ranked Gary. While there is still going to be a rather substantial gap in the power between the two of you, his cap for the conflict is now locked in while you will only grow stronger. He''s going to be limited to a power level of Tier 5, Rank 2. Currently, I¡¯m in negotiation for further concessions given the tier and rank disparity between the two of you, but even though I¡¯m certain I can negotiate some rather beneficial concessions, you¡¯re still going to have to do all you can to close the gap. As I receive further information, and when the system allows me to, I¡¯ll send you further updates. Tzes¡¯zod. Gary was going to be over two tiers higher than me. Fear and anxiety built as I considered how much of a difference that was. I could easily crush a foe that far below me now, and even a swarm of them would prove little problem. While I had learned a lot in my time as a summoned being, and through the various classes I¡¯d encountered during my summonings, Gary had the advantage of decades, if not centuries, of experience. I¡¯d need to pick up the pace and get as many dungeon runs scheduled as I possibly could. I couldn¡¯t allow myself the luxury of becoming discouraged. My Contracted Summoner class was strong and was only going to get stronger as I trained. There was also the added advantage of being temporarily part of a magic academy that had to have at least some knowledge and tools that I could use against Gary. I¡¯d have to become a bit more aggressive in my efforts, it was far too easy to slip into a comfortable pattern in a place like this. With another hour of time before I needed to sleep, I hit the texts again, hoping to glean something that could help. One thing did stand out, there was mention of one-on-one training for students taking a more combat-focused approach for their class. I¡¯d have to see who the trainers were and if there was something offered that I could partake in. The next morning, my thoughts, fears, and concerns warred against my determination to win the coming fight. At breakfast, I was so distracted that I didn¡¯t notice Melody sit down across from me at the table. ¡°Is the school food not agreeing with you, Rico?¡± Melody asked, obviously noticing my rather sour expression as I contemplated the problems I was facing. ¡°Sorry, no, it¡¯s great. The food¡¯s better than what I had in college back home. It¡¯s just that I have a lot on my mind, problems that aren¡¯t related to the academy,¡± I said, trying to scrounge up a smile as we spoke. ¡°Anything you want to talk about? I know we just met, but I tend to be a good judge of character, and I get the feeling that you¡¯re one of the good ones, Rico,¡± Melody asked. I needed to make a decision here. Melody had been nothing but helpful since I¡¯d arrived, and I needed to confide and trust someone eventually, so it might as well be her. The old fears of revealing what I was returned from when I had first become a summoned being. I was afraid of trusting people, but my experience with Refuge had taught me that it was necessary to have people in your corner you could count on. This was a magic academy, not Earth, where people were looking to track down and use summoned beings for their own nefarious purposes. Here, I was just like anyone else that the system had granted a class. I was nothing special apart from my rare, but not unheard-of background. If I was going to create a support system here at the academy, I could do worse than start with Melody. ¡°Thanks, I would like to talk to someone about it. I¡¯m in a very dangerous situation, and it might take some time to explain. I don¡¯t want to delay your tour though, what time do we have to start on that?¡± I asked, remembering my commitment from the night before. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few hours; the new students have an orientation they go through before the tours begin. Let¡¯s head to my classroom and we can talk,¡± Melody said. I took care of my dirty dishes and followed her back to the classroom. Once we were alone, I began to tell the story of my personal space, Gary, Tzes¡¯zod and the coming fight. I felt a bit concerned about disclosing the personal space after Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s warnings, but I didn¡¯t get the impression that Melody was about to enact some evil plan to seize it from me. Melody proved to be a good listener and interrupted only to clarify a point and dig deeper into what my dilemma was. I didn¡¯t expect any game-changing ideas from her, but when she dug deeper into Gary and what type of creature he was, she mentioned that she¡¯d introduce me to one of the professors on our tour later. She claimed that Professor Dalzrin was someone with extensive knowledge of infernals, and the deals creatures like Gary crafted. I was excited to meet the professor and, just maybe, discover something to give me an edge in my coming fight. The only downside was that I had to help Melody give the dog and pony show tour to a bunch of incoming freshmen first. Chapter 335. Tour of the Tower. Chapter 335. Tour the Tower. ¡°All right, students, I¡¯m Professor Zaraman, and this is Professor Kline who will be assisting in several of your classes this year. I¡¯d like to personally welcome you to the academy, and I look forward to getting to know you all as you progress as students. This class will be your homeroom, and it is here where we will go over the basics of Summoning. I know many of you are already committed to a summoning class, but some of you have only dabbled in this type of magic. ¡°No matter what you intend to do with summoning, it will behoove you to learn as much about every type of magic you can while you¡¯re here. I won¡¯t get into class details yet; we¡¯ll leave the syllabus for the official first day. For now, we¡¯ll escort you to several of the classrooms on this level and introduce you to the various professors you will be working with,¡± Melody said. I merely waved to the group and followed alongside Melody as she finished up her speech and we began to walk around the next several floors to visit all the possible classrooms that the first-year students might be enrolled in. I was surprised that despite only being here a few days, I already knew several of the professors just from our quick conversations in the cafeteria, or running into them in the faculty areas of the tower. The group we were herding around had 32 students of various species, and we passed several other professors who were doing the same thing. Melody seemed like an old hand at this kind of stuff, easily bantering with the students and the other groups we passed by. While I didn¡¯t mind interacting with others, I was never this confident and carefree in a crowd. ¡°This is the last classroom on our tour, then we¡¯ll head to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Students, let me introduce you to Professor Dalzrin, our expert on infernal summoning. For most of you, his class will be scheduled in your third or fourth year, but a few of you may have already obtained a class or summoning skill that will need the professor¡¯s knowledge and skill well before then,¡± Melody said as we walked into yet another classroom. This room was just like the other classes, but perhaps a bit smaller, which seemed the norm with the classes the students would take later in their education. I was at the back of the group to help herd any strays and was the last to enter the room. It has a faint sulfurous scent to the air, but it wasn¡¯t overpowering or overly offensive. Other than the smell, the room itself was what I expected. In this case, larger desks were shared by groups of four students. Several bookcases and storage shelves lined the walls, and a marked circle in the center of the floor had several mana-laden designs painted on it. When I finally made it fully into the room and got a look at the professor, I couldn¡¯t help but summon my minions. The drone and then Elida popped into being at the back of the room, both moving quickly to put themselves between me and the professor. There, standing at the head of the classroom, smiling and interacting with the students was the spitting image of Gary. I was about to start using my consumables and other items when I caught the look of horror in Melody¡¯s face as she saw what I was about to do. ¡°Look students, Rico has brought out two of his minions, take a good look, this is what you can expect from a tier three minion if your class concentrates on quality over quantity. Rico, step over here and meet Professor Dalzrin. He¡¯s been with the academy for over two decades now and teaches various classes on infernal summoning, as well as navigating the contracts that typically go along with them,¡± Melody said, smoothly covering up my antics. I gained control over myself and tamped down the rage as I realized this wasn¡¯t Gary, just another imp that looked very similar. Now that I could look closer, this imp was about a foot taller than Gary and was slim where Gary had a bit of a gut on him. Still, I was going to keep my guard up around anything that resembled Gary.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Rico, a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯ve heard good things about you from Melody,¡± the professor said before leaning in and whispering so the other students couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Melody also mentioned that you had a problem with an infernal. Is this in relation to a summoning or a contract?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°A bit of both, I¡¯m afraid, it¡¯s a complicated situation,¡± I said. ¡°Well then, I have some time now, this should be the last tour that visits my class today. Professor Zaraman, why don¡¯t you escort the group to get some refreshments, and I¡¯ll have a chat with our newest adjunct professor for a bit,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll see you at dinner, Rico,¡± Melody said, ushering the students out of the room. Dalzrin closed and locked the door, turning back toward me with his hands up in an effort to show that he wasn¡¯t a threat. My minions moved to my side, ready to defend me if the need arose. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you have a seat and start at the beginning. I can see you¡¯re a bit agitated about my appearance. You may not believe me, but I¡¯m different than most of my kin. I seek to acquire knowledge, not souls, and have enjoyed my position here for many years. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t jeopardize my standing at the academy to engage in any foolery or soul contracting,¡± Dalzrin tried to assure me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to offend you, but it¡¯s been a rough time lately with Gary,¡± I said. ¡°Gary?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°Yeah, the infernal I¡¯m having trouble with. I know that¡¯s not his real name, just what I called him after our first meeting, since your names are, well, you know. Are you sure you really want to hear this? I don¡¯t want to impose on you if you¡¯re busy,¡± I offered. Dalzrin made me uncomfortable, and I wanted nothing more than to leave here, but I also knew that he could have knowledge that I would need to survive. ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Rico, you don¡¯t mind if I call you Rico, do you? I have to admit, I¡¯m curious about your situation and have always been a bit intrigued about the newly inducted worlds. Why don¡¯t you start at the beginning, Rico, and I¡¯ll see if I can help you in any way,¡± Dalzrin offered. ¡°Sure, you can call me Rico. Is Professor Dalzrin okay? Or do you prefer something else,¡± I said, remembering the effect Gary¡¯s true name had on the unfortunate guard. Being driven mad and dying weren¡¯t on my to-do list for today. ¡°You can just call me Dalzrin, no ¡®professor¡¯ is necessary when it¡¯s just faculty. Start at the beginning and let me hear what difficulty my kin are causing for you,¡± Dalzrin asked I began my tale, trying my hardest to avoid mentioning the personal space issue, and instead just calling it a dispute over a magic item. Professor Dalzrin probably saw right through my lie, but I couldn¡¯t read any ill intent on his face as he listened. Just like with Melody, he stopped me a few times to dig deeper into a few details, and my quick summary ended up being a thirty-minute discussion. ¡°Interesting, you¡¯re in quite a pickle, Rico. At least you seem to have some allies in your endeavor. A lich willing to not only negotiate on your behalf, but also willing to fight alongside you is highly unusual. I would be wary, though, and make sure the undead creature has no ulterior motives. If it¡¯s any consolation, in my experience, the undead, save for some vampires, are rather forthright and seldom stoop to subterfuge in their actions,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Is there any advice that you can give?¡± I asked hopefully. ¡°Go back in time and end that first summoning early before you encountered Gary. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he put all this in motion after your first meeting. Since time travel is not possible, you can only continue the path you¡¯ve set for yourself. Grow strong and seek to defeat your foe in combat. ¡°While my kind have relatively few physical weaknesses, we are mortal, and our bodies can be destroyed like any other mortal. One thing you can do, is realize that while he¡¯s likely brilliant and devious, Gary has the same hubris that most of my kind struggle with. Use his arrogance against him, goad Gary into rash attacks, and respond with well-crafted tactics,¡± Dalzrin offered. It wasn¡¯t any great revelation, and I was about to leave disappointed when he started to speak again. ¡°There may be some ways to bolster your strength. I¡¯ll speak with some of the other professors and try to get you some individual training sessions organized. Work hard and perform your contracted summoning tasks to the best of your ability, and maybe Headmaster Glorine will grant you a boon. ¡°If he does, ignore any offers of training or other assistance, and ask for this,¡± Dalzrin said, holding up his hand while he looked through one of the shelves for a tome on artifacts. He flipped quickly through the various illustrations, and I waited to see what he was looking for. Chapter 336. Advice and a Delve. Chapter 336. Advice and a Delve. As he flipped through the book, Dalzrin asked me a few more questions about my class. With each answer, he thumbed toward a different location in the tome. Finally, he landed on what he wanted to show, and turned the book in my direction, his finger stabbing at the picture of a small stone trinket that was shaped like a trumpet. ¡°What does it do?¡± I asked. Written beside the illustration was only the name of the item, and no indication of its purpose. ¡°It¡¯s the Call of the Grateful. It¡¯s a single-use trinket that very well may turn the tide of your coming fight in your favor. As you can see, the system restricts information on the device, as well as most in this inventory tome,¡± Dalzrin said, flipping a few pages and showing me more magic items, weapons, and armor, but just like with the Call of the Grateful, they were only named, not described in detail. ¡°How do I know this one is the right pick for me?¡± I asked. ¡°You only have my recommendation to go on, I¡¯m afraid. While I can see additional details on all the inventory, I am prevented from sharing them with you. I know trusting one of my kind is anathema to you after all you¡¯ve experienced, but remember, I have turned away from the practices of my kin and only seek more knowledge and to share what I¡¯ve learned with others,¡± Dalzrin explained. He was correct, I was leery of trusting any of these infernals, but this was a bit of a different situation. Dalzrin was asking nothing in return for his assistance, and the academy seemed to trust him enough to allow Dalzrin to teach their students. I doubted the academy would allow him on staff if he intended harm to a fellow faculty member, even one in a temporary position like my current situation. ¡°Thank you Dalzrin, I appreciate the advice, and taking the time to help me,¡± I replied. ¡°Always glad to help someone from the academy, especially someone who has shown an open mind to those of us that come from species with rather nefarious reputations. I may have some time for a training session or two once the semester settles in. From your descriptions of this Gary, I think I might be able to offer some insight into how he will approach the fight, and a few pitfalls to be wary of,¡± Dalzrin offered. ¡°Thank you, Dalzrin, I¡¯d be honored to have more of your time and advice,¡± I said. The rattling latch of the door to the classroom, and a series of knocks interrupted our conversation. ¡°Ah, my next appointment is here. Sorry, Rico, but I must bid you farewell for now. I have some research to attend to,¡± Dalzrin said. As he showed me out, I watched as several of the academy staff brought in large crates that rumbled and shook like something alive was inside them. Whatever it was, I decided that I wanted to be nowhere near that classroom when Dalzrin opened those crates. Hurrying to the nearest student cafeteria, I managed to find Melody and her tour group after weaving through the growing crowds of students. After another hour of herding the students around, we were finally finished with the task. Melody didn¡¯t need help with anything else, so I was cut loose in the late afternoon to do as I wished. First off, I headed back to my room. I wanted to check in on Clancy to see how his merchant activities were progressing. Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor. Current funds available for you to withdraw:
  1. Gold: 13.
  2. Silver: 27.
  3. Copper: 144.
Items of interest held by your minion.
  1. Summoning figurine, Tier 1, Rank 4.
  2. Scroll of Barrier, Tier 1, Rank 5.
This minion can be recalled to your location. Do you wish to recall Clancy? Y/N. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. This time, I did choose to recall Clancy, and a moment later, a portal opened in my room and Clancy stepped through pushing his overladen cart in front of him. It looked like he was doing well enough on his own and there was more inventory on the cart than he had started with. Added to the money and items he¡¯d found for me; I¡¯d say my third minion for this summoning was turning out to be a good choice. ¡°What do you have for me, Clancy?¡± I asked. ¡°Here you go, boss, a figurine and a scroll you might have interest in. If you don¡¯t want either, I can put them back up for sale,¡± Clancy said, also handing me the pouch of coins he had collected as profit. ¡°Do you need any of the money for restocking?¡± I asked. ¡°No, sir, that¡¯s coin already set aside for you. I¡¯ve kept some for operational expenses, and while you can have that, it will reduce my revenue capabilities if you tap into it,¡± Clancy explained. ¡°Understood, just what you¡¯ve given me is fine. Hold on for a minute and let me check out the items you¡¯ve found,¡± I told my minion as I looked at the figurine and scroll. Scroll of Barrier, Teir 1, Rank 5. This scroll creates a protective barrier around the caster, absorbing a modest amount of damage before expiring. Rot Grub Swarm figurine, Tier 1, Rank 4. This figurine conjures a small swarm of Rot Grub that will mindlessly attack the nearest hostile target. Both were good options, nothing especially powerful, but something useful in battle. I added the figurine to the pouch on my belt where I stored the others. The scroll went into the pocket where I used to keep the Notice of Cessations scrolls. ¡°Thanks, Clancy. Here¡¯s some potions that you can sell, and I¡¯d like you to keep on the lookout for more figurines and the like. Also, can you see about finding any kind of storage items like my pack here. I¡¯m wanting something a bit less bulky, like a ring, to hold my inventory without lugging a backpack around everywhere,¡± I explained. ¡°Not a problem, boss, I¡¯ll keep my eyes out for anything I think you might like,¡± Clancy said. It was odd talking and interacting with a minion, but I suppose this type of minion would be rather useless if it couldn¡¯t interact with potential customers. Just to be safe, I tried something. ¡°Clancy, are you real, like a summoned being, or are you a mana construct?¡± I asked him directly. ¡°I was created to serve in this capacity, and am not a summoned being,¡± Clancy answered woodenly. I wasn¡¯t convinced, but I¡¯d make a point to treat him fairly, and not put Clancy in danger if I didn¡¯t have to. Of course, if it was a life-or-death situation for me, I¡¯d throw Clancy into the meat grinder. If he was a summoned being or something of the like, he¡¯d respawn. There were no more respawns for me now. ¡°Well, Clancy, you¡¯re doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work, and don¡¯t feel bad about taking a break now and then. You have my permission to spend some of what you make on yourself,¡± I told him. ¡°Thank you, sir, I appreciate that. If you don¡¯t need anything else, I¡¯d like to get back at it. I¡¯ve found a real sweet spot to set up my cart. It¡¯s near several restaurants in town with a lot of foot traffic, and I don¡¯t want to lose my spot to some other vendor,¡± Clancy said. ¡°No problem, Clancy, see you later,¡± I told the minion. For a minute, I was worried that he would be stuck in here. My room¡¯s door was wider than a normal home back on Earth, but nowhere near wide enough for the cart. Thankfully, a portal opened to dump Clancy back to where I¡¯d called him from. With new items, a little extra coin, and nothing to do, I headed into town. The first thing I wanted was to get into the queue for another dungeon. Once again, the guards at the academy gates gave me a quick glance before waving me through. When I was outside the academy, I swapped out the school robes for my armor and other gear. I had tried to wear my armor under the instructor robes, but it proved a bit too warm and uncomfortable. Being able to instantly summon my armor and weapons made it easy enough to switch out when needed. By this point, being in armor and carrying weapons seemed more natural to me than being in civilian garb. Even back on Earth, I was usually decked out in combat gear for most of the day while helping with training. Here, there seemed to be a mix of people in regular clothing and more than a few in fighting gear. With so many dungeons nearby, it was likely common to see armed and armored people out and about. When I reached the adventurer¡¯s guild, one of the clerks pointed me toward the right queue where I could sign up for a dungeon run. I lucked out, and there was a slot open for a solo delve later that evening. It was for the tier two, rank zero dungeon called, the Smoldering Vault. It turned out that the guild was required to keep several slots open for academy faculty or students, and with most of the students still getting settled, and the instructors putting together their classrooms for the semester, I had the pick of several options. The caveat was that I had to arrive an hour ahead of the scheduled delve or I¡¯d lose my place in line and the slot would be given to an adventuring party on the wait list. I now had a little over an hour before the delve, and with the guild guidebook in hand, I realized that I was going to need some kind of fire protection if I didn¡¯t want to have a rough time in the dungeon. It was time to hit up the shops in town and see what they had on offer. Chapter 337. The Smoldering Vault. Chapter 337. The Smoldering Vault. The town was busy with folks doing any last-minute shopping before returning home for dinner. Places that catered toward adventurers, the exact type of shop I was looking for, tended to have either much longer hours, or were just open all the time. The dungeons didn¡¯t close except on rare occasions, so there was a market for gear and supplies at all hours. There was quite a lot of selection on offer, and I¡¯d have to make time for a longer trip in the future. I had a stash of well over 1,000 gold, and it was high time that I spent some on new gear, consumables, and anything else that might give me an edge over Gary. After asking several adventurers, they all directed me to the larger vendors, who offered a wide array of just about everything. While heading to one of the larger shops, I came across a small storefront that offered alchemy services. With nothing to lose, I headed inside and was a bit surprised at what I found. I was expecting tables and racks full of potions in glass vials, and a need to be very cautious so I didn¡¯t knock things over. Instead, the shop was well organized with signs directing me to the different categories of potions. The shop didn¡¯t have the actual potions out, and the shopkeeper instead had created cards depicting what the potion looked like as well as a summary of its effects. If you wanted to buy something, you brought the corresponding card over to the counter and the workers would fill your order from the back. I moved to a small section where the resistance potions were advertised when another customer began to speak loudly as he tried to haggle with the store owner. ¡°These are double the cost compared to the ones at the mercantile. Nobody is going to come in here if you overcharge every adventurer that walks through your door. Give me a 50% discount on these or no sale!¡± a human in chainmail armor demanded. A young halfling woman wearing leather armor stood beside him nodding her agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything, this is my shop, and it runs by my rules. Be honest, adventurer, the reason you¡¯re here isn¡¯t for a deal, you¡¯re here because you know my product is superior to the swill they offer at the larger shops. Mass produced potions using marginal ingredients are not something you want to stake your life on,¡± the gnomish shop owner countered. ¡°Bah, I¡¯m wasting my time here, you can keep your overpriced crap,¡± the man said, throwing the potion cards he held at the gnome before storming out. ¡°Cheapskate, you¡¯ll regret this when your guts are hanging outside your body and the potion you use doesn¡¯t get the job done,¡± the gnome taunted as the two adventurers left. With an exasperated huff, he turned his attention to me. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t give discounts here, so if you¡¯re looking for a ¡®deal¡¯ head over to one of the other shops,¡± the gnome growled. ¡°Check your fire there, buddy. I¡¯m not with them, I¡¯m here to purchase something if you¡¯re willing to sell me what I need,¡± I countered. The anger remained plastered on the gnome¡¯s face, but he took a few deep breaths and got himself under control. ¡°Sorry, sir, but I¡¯ve reached my limit with the cheapskate adventurers in this town. What can I help you with, adventurer, at least you¡¯re polite enough. Mind you, the prices are all displayed clearly, and I¡¯ll brook no discussion on reducing my prices,¡± the gnome warned. ¡°My name¡¯s Rico, and while I admit that I am in the adventurer¡¯s guild, I¡¯m an adjunct professor at the academy, not a full-time adventurer. Running dungeons in between my other work is what I need the potions for,¡± I explained. ¡°Pleased to meet you Professor Rico. I¡¯m Itzlebit, and I welcome you officially to my shop. Sorry you had to witness my earlier outburst,¡± the gnome replied. He looked to have shaken off his anger and gave a genuine smile as he offered his hand for me to shake. As I shook his hand, I noted that Itzlebit was dressed in the traditional robes most people in town seemed to prefer. He was clothed in rugged coveralls and had sturdy gloves as well as a mask stashed in his belt. This was someone that knew the importance of protective gear, which was a good thing to see in his line of work. ¡°It¡¯s just Rico, I¡¯m only here for a semester, so we can dispense with the professor stuff. I¡¯m heading into the Smoldering Vault tonight, and wanted to pick up some fire resistance potions,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, and a wise decision to prepare properly for a delve. Let me ask you a few questions before I recommend something. Is any of your gear fireproof or resistant already?¡± Itzlebit asked.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°No, but I do have a moderate flame resistance,¡± I replied, remembering that fire resistance was something that I had picked up during my summoned being adventurers. ¡°Very good, in that case, I¡¯d recommend a fire resistance salve. It¡¯ll protect your gear as well as give an additional layer of protection for yourself. Even better, it¡¯ll stack with your existing resistance, reducing the damage you¡¯ll take even before your natural resistance kicks in,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°How much am I looking at for each salve? Before you get worked up, I¡¯m not trying to haggle, just making sure I¡¯m within budget,¡± I explained as the gnome began to bristle at my mention of price. ¡°These are 80 silver each. Mind you, my work is better than most and each salve will offer protection for several hours. Now, if you take extensive damage, you may want to reapply, but you¡¯ll get a lot more mileage out of this than the potions that the competition sells that only last for a short while,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll take a half dozen, and look at anything else you have on offer,¡± I replied. Giddy at the prospect of a real customer, Itzlebit found me a selection of resistance potions and salves for most of the things I might encounter. By the time he was done, I had flame, frost, sonic, psionic, acid, necrotic, nature, earth, and wind resistance salves and potions stashed away for emergencies. Since I was here, my healing potions were also due for an upgrade. The healing potion prices jumped up the more powerful the potion was, but I settled for ones that would give me a moderate, instant boost of healing, and then a heal over time component. It was the healing over time element that Itzlebit¡¯s skill really shined with. It would last a full minute and heal nearly double what the initial burst provided. Digging deeper, the gnome asked a bit about my class. When I told him about my minions, he gave me a few healing potions specifically formulated for minions. The minions could take them early, up to an hour before a fight began. Once taken, or in the case of the drone, splashed over his armored body, the potion would go dormant, and then activate once the minion took moderate damage. The overall healing was modest, but was something that would happen automatically and not require them to stop whatever it was they were doing to fish out a potion. It only worked on mana constructs, and at a gold apiece, they were pricy, but I bought a handful of them to keep on hand for more dangerous fights. By now, the scheduled time for my delve was approaching and I had to leave. Itzlebit offered to set aside some things he thought I might need, and I promised to visit him when I had more time to spend there. Now that I was properly prepared for my delve, I headed back on the road out of town to find the Smoldering Vault. It was a shorter distance and in the opposite direction from the other dungeon I¡¯d visited, and the trip there was a quick one. There was a similar guild outpost near the dungeon entrance, and after a quick check of the updated guidebook they provided, I headed inside. This time, they only offered me one minor healing potion in lieu of checking out any equipment. The potion was significantly weaker than the ones I¡¯d just purchased from Itzlebit, but it went into my pack anyway. Even weak potions would be a hot commodity back on Earth. Passing out whatever spare potions I came across would probably save some lives when I finally returned home. Entering the dungeon, I made the same announcement that I¡¯d made in the previous one. This time, the dungeon core either chose to, or was unable to communicate directly with me. Though larger in overall size, I wasn¡¯t all that impressed with the Smoldering Vault. Just like with the previous dungeon, a judicious application of firepower and minion skills tore through the minor elementals that made up the bulk of our foes I faced. The elementals were about human height, and had a craggy, rock-like exterior that was wreathed in flame. When attacked, the elementals would spew out a small burst of magma that would stick to whatever it hit. Between the drone¡¯s natural armor, and Elida¡¯s ability to heal herself while fighting, they handled the threat well enough. For the most part, I didn¡¯t even have to get involved. Really, the only annoying factor was a damage over time component to the dungeon due to the heat. The damage ramped up the closer to the end we got, but with my natural resistance and the fire resistance salve, it was only uncomfortably hot, not physically harmful to me in any way. My drone was also pretty much immune to the heat, though I did have to cast Health Bloom once to keep Elida topped off without burning through one of her spell slots. When we reached the final boss, who was just a larger and more powerful version of the other elementals, the fight was anticlimactic. A full barrage of grenades from the drone, then a bit of melee and the battle was over. Elida and the drone both had to engage the boss up close for a while, as the drone¡¯s plasma beam was completely ineffective against a monster that was immune to heat-based attacks. A system prompt appeared as we cleared the last foe. I read it as I opened the reward chest that had just spawned. It looked like I had reached a new rank and taken the first step up in my new class. You have successfully completed your first run in the Smoldering Vault. Additional experience has been awarded for this run, though future runs will be made with diminishing experience rewards. You have been awarded 7 Experience. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 3, Rank 1. Your minions have become stronger. Your Mind stat has increased by 1. Your Presence stat has increased by 1. You have unlocked a new class feature. You have received the following dungeon rewards.
  1. Gold, 7.
  2. Trinket.
  3. Scroll.
Chapter 338. Subcontracting. Chapter 338. Subcontracting. Before I dug into my new class feature, I inspected the trinket and scroll that were part of my dungeon rewards. The trinket was a thin, coin-sized medallion with strange symbols carved into it. By concentrating on the trinket, the system gave me a description and an idea of how to use it. Trinket of Eternal Resistance. This trinket can be affixed to any armor or clothing and grants the bearer a 5% bonus to the resistance of their choice. Once every 24-hours, a different resistance may be chosen. To affix or remove the trinket, merely push 1 point of mana into the item. That was a handy addition to my gear. I activated it like the system suggested, pushing a bit of mana into it and concentrating on attaching it to my armor. There was a bit of vibration in the trinket, but then it became solidly attached to my chest armor near the shoulder. Experimenting, I reversed the process and then reattached it again, just to make sure I could do both without trouble. For a final test, I unsummoned my armor and called it back. The trinket remained in place when I recalled the armor. Selecting a resistance was difficult, as I didn¡¯t need the fire resist after having completed the dungeon. Thinking on the various possibilities, I figured that toxin resistance might be the best call. It would help in a variety of ways, including food poisoning. I already had minor resistance to toxins, so another 5% resistance would help bump it up to something a bit more robust. After 24 hours had passed, I could always shift it to something else. Next up was the reward scroll. The system announced its purpose as soon as I grasped it. Minion enhancement upgrade scroll. This scroll will allow you to upgrade one of your existing minions, allowing the minion¡¯s selected ability, gear item, or skill upgrade to improve its Rank by 1. This upgrade allows the selection to improve past the current Tier and Rank of the summoner. This was a nice surprise, and anything that would let my minions surpass my current tier and rank was welcome. The decision was a bit more difficult. Before, it would be a no brainer, I¡¯d just select something from my most powerful minion. Now, all my minions were the same tier and rank. My drone was a powerhouse and upgrading his attacks or armor was tempting, but so was upgrading the healing abilities of Elida. Both had become a bit stronger after hitting tier three, rank one, but they hadn¡¯t unlocked any new abilities or noticeable upgrades to any existing ones. There was no system confirmation, but I had a feeling that they¡¯d see more substantial improvements at rank five, and at each new tier. Of the two minions, I wanted to either improve Elida¡¯s Battle Mender healing ability, or the drone¡¯s combat potential in some way. Both minions had exceeded my expectations so far. We hadn¡¯t faced anything too difficult, but the ease of how they handled tier two threats, even elites, was impressive. After considering my options, I realized that Battle Mender also helped to heal both minions in sustained combat, so it was probably the better bang for the buck with the scroll. Your minion Elida Silverbarrow has improved her Battle Mender ability. The self-healing component has increased to 52%, and the allied healing component has improved to 26%. It wasn¡¯t a huge bump, only 2% more healing for Elida, and 1% for any allies, but it was going to pay dividends in any long, drawn-out fight that we found ourselves in. For a dungeon reward in a tier two ranked dungeon, I couldn¡¯t complain. Last up on my rewards review was my new class feature. Summoner¡¯s Gift. You may choose a lesser version of one of your personal offensive or defensive abilities and share it with your minions. Once selected, your choice cannot be changed until your next contracted summoning. Since this summoning is already in progress, an ability has been chosen for you. Lesser Riposte. Your minions have a 10% chance to instantly retaliate when struck in melee. The instant strike by your minion will be for 50% of the damage a normal melee strike inflicts, though any special effects or enchantments on the weapon will remain at their full strength. While I might have chosen something else if given the option, Riposte was a solid choice for what I expected my minions to face. Both Elida and the drone were primarily melee focused, and the extra attacks, even at 50% damage, would add up quickly. My drone had a mana drain ability, and Elida had a healing one with Battle Mender, which would help to maximize the effects of any additional attacks. ¡°Thank you for the delve, I look forward to challenging your dungeon again in the future,¡± I said loudly to the dungeon core before leaving through the portal that opened nearby. This dungeon hadn¡¯t responded to any of my contact attempts, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t listening, so I¡¯d be as polite as I could when delving.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°That was a quick run,¡± one of the guild guards near the entry portal to the dungeon commented. ¡°As long as I come out in one piece, I¡¯m happy,¡± I replied, not wanting to give up too much information on myself and my abilities. The guard merely nodded in reply as I left to check in with the outpost clerk. Though the guard had been rather nonchalant, the clerk was visibly excited that I had finished early. Apparently, there was a bit of a bottleneck, and a lot of adventuring groups were getting impatient with the wait between delves. Mostly, the gathered parties ignored me as I left, my armor not giving them any indication I was with the school. It was probably better not to advertise that I was a professor and had used my school connections to get ahead of the queue. I¡¯d feel bad for cutting in line, if the need wasn¡¯t so dire. A few of the waiting groups even tried to recruit me for their runs. Given how over-leveled I was for the dungeon, if I participated in a group, I doubted if I would get any experience from the system. I politely declined and made my way back toward the academy. My run was quick and easy, but it granted minimal experience. Even worse, that experience, and the rewards, would be reduced for each successive run I made. Going dungeon delving regularly would generate some benefits, but I needed to progress more quickly if I was going to get strong enough to defeat Gary. If I could complete multiple dungeon runs each day, or perhaps convince the guild to let me delve into more difficult dungeons, I could make this work. As it stood, I was worried that I¡¯d only gain a couple more ranks before my confrontation with Gary happened. Before heading back to the academy and my comfortable bed, I took a tour of the shops to see if I could find any upgrades to my gear. After my experience with Itzlebit, I kept an eye out for the smaller and more specialized shops. The larger shops catered to the large number of lower tier and rank adventurers and were mostly filled with entry level gear. Of the more powerful gear I found, most were items focused on classes, skills, and abilities that weren¡¯t what I needed. That wasn¡¯t to say I struck out entirely. I did manage to find a replacement for my Headband of the Apprentice Summoner, which no longer worked with my minions. With my class changes and the higher tier of my minions, it no longer gave me a bonus. The new headband was called the Circlet of Bolstering. The circlet was a simple steel band with a dark green gem in the center. It would grant me and all my minions a bonus of +1 to Constitution. Anything that helped my team stay in the fight longer was a good buy. At nearly forty gold, it was a rather expensive upgrade. It turned out that items that affected more than just the wearer were much harder to acquire, which increased the cost substantially. There were a couple of summoning figurines that I picked up as well. One was a tier three, rank zero pack of ghouls that looked interesting, as it was supposed to summon five of the monsters. The other figurine was tier two, rank seven, and it was a gnome pushing a small cart with blades sticking out of it. This figurine was labeled as a gnomish war contraption, and I was curious what the crazy-looking cart would do in combat. Both figurines went into my belt pouch, ready for an emergency. It was getting late, and I¡¯d made it through only about a third of the shops in town when I decided to call it a night. I had an early morning meeting with Melody who would help me come up with a schedule for the classes that wanted me to share my experiences as a summoned being. One smaller storefront caught my eye as I walked back down a path I hadn¡¯t taken before. At first, it seemed like any of the other shops in the area, though it was rather busy compared to the other smaller shops. The sign over the door is what caught my attention. Somhagen Exports. I followed a pair of dwarven warriors inside, the two quickly making a beeline for the small bar in the back. The front of the shop was a general store, like many of the others I¡¯d visited, while the back was given over to the bar and a small food counter. Looking for any workers to assist me, I was a bit shocked to find one of the orange-robed attendants that I usually associated with the Summoned Market. The attendant, a middle-aged human woman, gave a friendly smile as I approached. ¡°Hello, are you from the Summoned Market in Somhagen?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Ingrid, a pleasure to meet you,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, glad to meet you, Ingrid. Tell me, what brings you out here to this world? I thought you mostly dealt in summoned being cashing in their summoning points. Not only that, but I also thought the market was bound to the city of Somhagen,¡± I asked. ¡°While that is our primary function, we often have stale inventory that needs liquidation. That inventory is offered through small outlets in prominent locations, such as this one. With the academy and a conflux of nearby dungeons, this was determined to be an excellent location. You know, you have that look about you, were you a summoned being at some point?¡± she asked. ¡°I was, and I didn¡¯t realize it somehow showed,¡± I replied. ¡°Hm, not to just anyone, but to someone like me, who has dealt with summoned beings for as long as I have, you seem to get a feel for identifying one. Is there anything I can offer you today? We have a new batch of inventory, and I¡¯ll even throw in a small discount for a previous customer,¡± Ingrid offered. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for anything in particular. Tell me, Ingrid, do the system restrictions still apply if I tell you my class features so you can match products for me?¡± I asked. ¡°They do indeed. That is a restriction placed on us for every customer we deal with, not just the summoned beings,¡± she replied. ¡°Great, let me give you a rundown of what I need,¡± I said, explaining my class mechanics of the Contracted Summoner. ¡°Tell me, Rico, are you interested in additional contracts? We do occasionally get broker requests to recruit interested adventuring parties. With your class and experience as a summoned being, I think there¡¯d be many who would be interested in seeking out your services,¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m already here on a contract,¡± I explained. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize you had agreed to an exclusive contract,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Wait, exclusive? No, I didn¡¯t have an exclusivity agreement in my contract with the school,¡± I said, my class ability coming into play to remind me of the details of the existing contract. ¡°Excellent, so now that we know you aren¡¯t in an exclusive contract, are you willing to consider new agreements?¡± Ingrid asked. Chapter 339. Store Credit. Chapter 339. Store Credit. ¡°I have to admit, Ingrid, I didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of multiple contracts at once. I¡¯m not sure how that would even work¡­¡± I started to say as a system prompt kicked in and some new class information appeared. While I was happy to see the new information, I was a bit annoyed that the system hadn¡¯t revealed it earlier. You have unlocked the class ability to secure and maintain multiple contracts at the same time. Your current contract is considered the primary contract and will take priority over all your other contract options. Additional contract opportunities will be limited to those employers that are willing to accept a secondary position in summoning priority and have a task with a very short duration. It should also be noted that many of the secondary contracts may offer limited rewards based on the restrictions placed upon you. To acquire additional contracts, you may either negotiate directly with the party requesting your assistance or respond to postings placed in Somhagen or through appropriate representatives and brokers. At your current Tier, Rank, and Reputation, you are limited to a maximum of 2 additional contracts active at one time. The number of additional contract offerings may change as your Tier and Rank increase, but the number, and quality, of the offerings will also be affected by your Reputation score. Should your reputation score diminish, some contracts may be cancelled early by the issuer, and any advance compensation you have received may be rescinded. Since you unlocked the option for multiple contracts after accepting your current contract, you must obtain permission from the designated representative, the being known as Headmaster Glorine, before accepting any additional contract options. ¡°I can tell by that look, the system just finished explaining things to you,¡± Ingrid said as I finished reading. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a lot of information there, but it looks like I¡¯ll need some permission before I can take on any other contracts. Once I get that permission, do you have any contracts to offer here?¡± I asked. ¡°We have some access to some of the contract request listings, but only those who sent requests directly through the Summoned Market. Other listings, perhaps the bulk of them, can be found through the various brokers at each tier of the city itself. I suspect, should you be granted permission by your current employer, that you may be given a chance for a visit to the city,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Thanks, Ingrid, the information you¡¯ve given me might just save my life. Since I can¡¯t look at any new contracts at the moment, can you suggest some gear or consumables that I might fit well with my new class?¡± I asked, excited about the opportunities that I might have if I could convince Headmaster Glorine to cut me loose on my downtime. ¡°Give me a moment Rico, I¡¯ll take a look at our current inventory,¡± Ingrid said, leaving to head back behind the main sales counter where I suppose some kind of interface for the shop¡¯s inventory was kept. I tried to plan out my next day while she looked. I¡¯d have to meet with Melody in the morning, as classes were about to begin. Hopefully, Melody will be able to get me a meeting with Glorine. While I didn¡¯t think that Glorine would prevent me from taking additional contracts, there was always the chance that he wouldn¡¯t want to risk my service being cut short by a dangerous contract. ¡°Rico, here¡¯s what I think might interest you. There wasn¡¯t much that integrated well with your class, and if you don¡¯t see anything you want, I can still offer plenty of standard consumables such as potions and the like,¡± Melody offered while placing two items and a handful of figurines on the countertop. The first item was the largest of the bunch, a heavy crossbow with a crude box magazine attached to the top. As I picked up the crossbow, I felt the tingle of mana in the weapon and a system explanation appeared.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ghost Archer¡¯s Crossbow. This heavy crossbow is imbued with mana, and infused with the spirit of an ancient archer who, at the time of his death, didn¡¯t wish to give up his craft and pass into the afterlife. The crossbow takes 25 mana to activate and once activated, will float near the wielder and operate independently as it seeks out, and engages any hostile targets within range. The crossbow will prioritize targets with the same skill that the spirit that imbues it possessed in life, but it will also answer your commands if you wish it to focus on a specific threat. Its magazine contains a total of 5 ethereal bolts that ignore any physical armor. Once the last bolt is fired, the crossbow will become inert and drop to the ground beside you. This item can be activated only 1/hour. It was a nice addition to my firepower. Having a ranged weapon that could do its thing without my direct attention was exactly what I needed. Though it only had five shots before it ran out of ammo, it could be activated every hour, which would make it more useful in longer combat operations. The final item, other than the figurines, was a pair of plain, iron bracelets that hummed with power. When I picked them up, I was surprised to see that this was an item that interacted with one of my minions, and was something specifically designed for summoners. Summoner¡¯s Bands of Immediate Recall. When attached and attuned to a summoning minion, this band may be activated to immediately recall the minion to your side. Activation requires 10 mana, and the bands can only be used once every 24 hours. It was another survival item. If I was in a position where undetected enemies appeared, I could call back one of my minions to assist me. Like most survival items, I wanted it, though it would be tough to decide which minion to equip it with. Other than the crossbow and bands, Ingrid had four figurines which I knew that I¡¯d want. These were things I pretty much never turned down unless I was almost out of funds. Summoning Figurines.
  1. Crawling Spines. Tier 1, Rank 6.
  2. Pixie Archer. Tier 1, Rank 7.
  3. War Hound Pack. Tier 2, Rank 2.
  4. Goblin Mortar Team. Tier 3, Rank 0.
¡°Great picks, Ingrid, thanks for finding these. How much would it set me back to pick up everything you¡¯ve found?¡± I asked. ¡°Allow me a moment, it appears you still have a credit balance to your account. You must have had at least some of your summoning points converted into store credit when your class evolved,¡± Ingrid said, her eyes darting around as she looked at system information that was invisible to me. ¡°Well, it seems that if you wish to keep the entire offering, your account balance is more than sufficient to pay for it. In addition, after purchasing everything, you¡¯d be left with a credit of 23 gold, 14 silver, and 12 copper,¡± Ingrid advised. ¡°Thank you, Ingrid, and thank you, system,¡± I said. I had thought that my summoning points had all been converted into my new class options somehow, but the added bonus of some store credit was more than appreciated, especially now that I knew the Summoned Market was something I could still access. I took a moment before leaving to organize my new items. The crossbow had a strap that allowed me to sling it over my shoulder, which I did. When I needed it, I wouldn¡¯t have time to dig through my pack for the weapon. For the bands, I debated which minion to pair with them. In the end, I decided to pair the bands with Elida. If there was an emergency that required me to call for help, a healer might be the best option. It didn¡¯t hurt that she was also a powerful fighter with her upgraded class. The four figurines went into the belt pouch that was starting to get a bit crowded. The four figurines were a nice variety. Crawling spines were something I hadn¡¯t encountered before, and Ingrid was kind enough to inform me of their details. They were small creatures that resembled sharpened wood stakes that had been driven into the ground. When an enemy neared, they would launch themselves at the foe, hitting as hard as a crossbow bolt. There was a total of five spines on the figurine. The pixie archer was a single unit that fired arrows with a paralytic toxin on them. Rather fragile, the pixie wouldn¡¯t last long if an enemy caught it, but its flying ability should keep it in the fight for a while. The war hounds were a pack of three huge dogs, complete with studded leather barding to protect them. My final figurine was a goblin mortar team. There were two goblins on the figurine base, and between them was a close approximation of the mortars I¡¯d see used during my time training with the military. The weapon would have four shots, then the goblins could be ordered into melee, if needed, though they were rather weak and only armed with daggers. Ingrid warned me to not get too close to the mortar, as goblin tech was known to have occasional catastrophic failures. I didn¡¯t need the reminder, given my last experience at the goblin amusement park. With a productive day behind me, and some critical discussions tomorrow, it was time to head back to my room for some sleep. Chapter 340. Contracted Battlefield. Chapter 340. Contracted Battlefield. Things on campus were beginning to settle down for the night by the time I arrived back at my room. I was on one of the floors that housed faculty and workers, so we didn¡¯t have to deal with excited and noisy students wandering around that often. Once again, I was surprised at how comfortable my room was, despite the lack of technology. The next morning, after checking in with Melody, I headed up the tower to the headmaster¡¯s office. Despite not having an appointment, Glorine welcomed me into the office a few minutes after I arrived. I still hadn¡¯t figured out what species Glorine was, as he was the only person I¡¯d encountered that naturally glowed. ¡°Rico, I don¡¯t have much time with classes starting tomorrow, is there something I can answer for you quickly?¡± Glorine asked as soon as I entered the office. ¡°Yes, hopefully this will be quick, one way or the other. I just found out last night that my class can accept supplementary contracts while still working on yours. It would only be on my off hours, and your contract would be primary,¡± I said, fumbling over myself a bit in a rush to get it out there. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not inclined to have you accept additional work when you¡¯ve really just started your work for us. What guarantees do I have that you¡¯ll perform to our satisfaction if your attention is diverted elsewhere?¡± Headmaster Glorine said sternly. His glowing face revealed no details or expression, but his tone told me that the headmaster wasn¡¯t inclined to cut me loose after hours to work for someone else. ¡°You have my word, of course, and the system has some safeguards in place that would prevent me from being summoned away from here when I¡¯m actively working for you. I¡¯m sorry, if my needs weren¡¯t dire, I wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± I said. ¡°Is there some financial trouble you¡¯re in? I could see about an advance on your stipend,¡± Headmaster Glorine offered. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a financial obligation, and you¡¯re paying me more than a fair wage. It¡¯s about growing stronger. I need to increase my tier and rank for a coming conflict that I can¡¯t avoid, and that I¡¯m woefully unprepared for at present,¡± I said. ¡°Interesting, give me some more details,¡± Glorine said. I launched into an abbreviated version of my interactions with Gary. There were some details I omitted, like Tzes¡¯zod being a lich and that my personal space was up for grabs. When I explained about the limited amount of experience that I¡¯d been awarded by the local dungeon, he perked up. ¡°The experience was not satisfactory? Tell me, Rico, how many experience points did you get out of a first run in the tier two, rank zero dungeons that you cleared on your own,¡± Glorine asked. ¡°It was only around seven points,¡± I explained. ¡°And you didn¡¯t consider that sufficient? How many points were you expecting the system to reward you with?¡± Glorine asked. I thought back to my last summoning before hitting tier three. It was the contract with the Yon¡¯s. ¡°My last summoning as a summoned being had an excellent rating, and I received 39 experience points for it,¡± I explained. ¡°Astounding, I believe your expectations on the amount of experience a system integrated person receives is skewed. For some reason, the system was accelerating your experience gain while you were a summoned being. The reward you received for the last dungeon run would be considered excellent by most people. If it had not be a first clear for you, the dungeon would have probably only granted around three or four points at most, even clearing it solo,¡± Glorine explained. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered our experience gain might be different as a summoned being. It might be because we were being used to seed mana into a new world the system wants to integrate. If a few experience points for a complete dungeon clear is all I can expect, I¡¯m in trouble. There¡¯s no hard date set for my confrontation with Gary, but I doubt that my attorney will buy me enough time to even get close if three or four experience is all I can expect on a dungeon run,¡± I bemoaned.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Yes, I can see you¡¯re in a bit of a bind. Unfortunately, your personal problems are not the problem of the academy. That being said, we are not without understanding and empathy for someone in your position. I¡¯ll tell you what, Rico, I¡¯ll provisionally allow additional contracts to be sought out by you. ¡°Should I, or any of my colleagues, feel that your work is being negatively impacted by your side contracts, I will revoke my permission. Additionally, if you find that these secondary contracts net the same or less experience than a dungeon run here, you¡¯ll give up the extra work and focus entirely on the academy,¡± Headmaster Glorine offered. ¡°That¡¯s fair, and I thank you for your help,¡± I said as a system prompt appeared. The being known as Headmaster Glorine has provisionally granted you permission to seek additional summoning contract options. Please be advised that this permission can be revoked at any time, and at the sole discretion of the being known as Headmaster Glorine. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. For now, I need you to focus on the first days of school. Our students deserve our complete attention, and someone with your experiences has a lot to teach them. In fact, I believe I now have some updates to our texts on summoned beings to make. With you recollecting exact numbers for your last summoning, we can likely extrapolate a more accurate estimate of how much experience a summoned receives compared to others,¡± Headmaster Glorine said, waving me out of the office while he searched the bookshelves near his desk for the text he wanted to update. I had felt that there was a solid chance the headmaster was going to be flexible with me, but having it confirmed lifted my spirits. Sadly, it appeared that even contracted summonings might yield fewer experience rewards than I was used to, but I wouldn¡¯t know for sure until I completed a few. While I wanted to head right into town and visit Ingrid in Somhagen Exports, I needed to focus on my job for the day. It turned out that Melody had quite a bit of work for me today. Apparently, there were several last-minute enrollments, which necessitated moving desks around, and gathering supplies to accommodate the extra students. It was mostly grunt work, but I found myself enjoying the simple tasks, which continued throughout the day as Melody lent me out to help several other professors to help with their classroom setup. Work continued again after dinner, and into the late evening. After talking with the staff, it turned out that a rush of last-minute enrollments was fairly common. Many students had tried to get into some of the more elite and prestigious schools, but as they filled up, many ended up applying to our academy as a backup plan. I wondered if that meant we were going to have some behavior problems with the new students, since we weren¡¯t their first choice. When I was done for the day at the academy, I took the time for a quick bath before I planned to head into town and see if I could snag some contracts with Ingrid at the Somhagen Exports shop. Melvin, who had been rather quiet while I worked during the day, was also sending me images of the various food vendors in town. He¡¯d eaten well at dinner, but the gelatinous cube, even in his armor form, was always hungry. ¡°Fine, Melvin, we¡¯ll stop for a snack on our way back. For now, let¡¯s get moving,¡± I told him, which stopped the food images from coming at me. I knew he¡¯d resume his barrage of food images if I neglected to stop at one of the food carts before we returned to the room. Just as I was about to leave, a system prompt surprised me. A summoning contract has been activated. You are Summoned! With that, a blue portal opened next to the door, and it took me a moment to remember that I had a contract outstanding with Earth still. It was the one that I¡¯d left with Agent Lopez for him to use it as he saw fit. Excited, I stepped into the portal, wondering if the integration had finally started. I¡¯d only been here at the academy for a week or so, but I was well aware that time didn¡¯t always flow in the same manner in different worlds. I stepped out of the portal and into the chaos of battle. A fireball landed just a few yards away and the blast knocked me off my feet. Melvin let out a squeal of pain as the edge of the flames licked against my armor. I rolled up against the ruins of a wall and tried to get my bearings. ¡°Stay down, the barrage will be over soon, they don¡¯t have the mana reserves to keep this up,¡± A gruff voice called out. My summoner link led directly to an old man crouched behind the ruined wall. A huge dog sat next to him, growling at my sudden appearance before the old man shushed him. ¡°Quiet Buster, he¡¯s on our side. I take it you¡¯re this Rico character I¡¯ve heard Agent Lopez talk about. He said that if I summoned you, you¡¯d help turn the tide of battle in my favor,¡± the old man said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Rico and I¡¯ll do what I can. Let me summon my minions while you tell me what¡¯s going on here,¡± I said. ¡°We should have a few minutes before my next attack goes in. What minions are you going to summon?¡± the old man asked as a system prompt appeared. As this is a separate summoning from your current, primary contract, you may adjust the minion loadout. In addition, you have a chance to select a new Summoner¡¯s Copy minion from a limited selection of options. Summoner¡¯s Copy options:
  1. Chixtani Infestor.
  2. Town Guard Sergeant.
  3. Apprentice Mage.
I had a few decisions to make and not much time to make them. There was no respawn if I made the wrong minion choices for the coming fight. Chapter 341. Artillery Barrage. Chapter 341. Artillery Barrage. I immediately selected Elida; a healer was going to be important on this summoning. For my second minion, I decided to go with the goblins. The drone was strong, but from the chaos around me, I figured this was an actual battle, and numbers might be more important than individual power. As far as my final selection was concerned, curiosity won out, and I chose the Chixtani Infestor, whatever that was. Elida appeared next to me, and a moment later, the three goblins showed up. They looked quite a bit different from the tier one, rank seven versions I had last seen. System information appeared to describe the changes that had been made to the goblins, and I gave it a quick read. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin kill team. Tier 3, Rank 1. Individual Classes. Your minions have developed individual classes to augment their abilities.
  1. Glem: This minion has received the class Flickering Skewer. This class enhances Glem¡¯s normal combat abilities and has a signature ability, Flickering Skewer, that allows him to teleport toward a target at a distance of up to 25 feet per tier. Once Glem reappears near a target, his next attack has a 25% bonus to hit, a 25% damage bonus, and an additional 10% chance to deliver a critical hit.
In addition to the damage bonus on the next hit, Glem receives a 15% defensive bonus for the next 10 seconds after activating Flickering Skewer. This ability has a 2-minute cooldown.
  1. Glamb: This minion has received the class Blood Berserker. This class enhances Glamb¡¯s normal combat abilities and has the signature ability, Blood Berserker. This ability grants Glamb an additional 15% bonus to hit, 15% attack speed, 15% chance for each strike to inflict the bleeding status effect, and a 15% life steal effect.
The Blood Berserker ability lasts for 10 seconds and has a 2-minute cooldown between uses.
  1. Glurk: This minion has received the class Longbow Summoner. This class enhances Glurk¡¯s normal combat abilities and grants him the signature ability, Longbow Summoner. This passive ability grants a 10% chance for each successful ranged attack to summon a goblin minion near the target. Glurk¡¯s minions remain for up to one minute, are equipped with simple weapons and armor, and are summoned at half Glurk¡¯s Tier and Rank.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
  1. Armor. The armor for all three goblins includes enchanted chainmail that is as strong as plate armor, and lighter than leather. In addition, the armor boosts all stats by 1 and grants limited resistance to elemental attacks.
Glem is also equipped with an enchanted shield that grants a 10% chance to deflect ranged attacks and spells.
  1. Weapons. Glem is armed with an enchanted long spear that has a 10% chance to land a second instant strike on a successful hit. The spear also ignores 10% of all armor a foe may be wearing. His weapon also allows Glem to add a fire, frost, electrical, or nature damage enhancement to each attack. A masterwork dagger is sheathed on his belt as a backup weapon.
Glamb is equipped with a matching pair of enchanted meat cleavers. These cleavers grant a 10% bonus to hit, a 10% chance to inflict the bleeding status effect, and a 5% chance to land a critical blow. As a backup weapon, Glamb is also equipped with a masterwork dagger. Glurk wields a composite longbow that is enchanted to increase accuracy, range, and damage by 10%. The bow is paired with a Quiver of Endless Arrows, that not only provides a constant supply of ammunition, but also enhances Glurk¡¯s attack speed by 5%. As a backup weapon, Glurk is also equipped with a masterwork dagger. Abilities:
  1. Horde Tactics. As long as at least one other goblin is in sight on the battlefield, each goblin receives a 15% bonus to attack and defense.
The new classes for each goblin gave them all a solid boost in power. In addition, their gear and original Horde Tactics had improved. Now, their ability would work with any goblinoid, not just those with the specific Horde Tactics ability. With Glurk¡¯s bow summoning the occasional goblin, they should have that bonus active most of the time. My goblins weren¡¯t as powerful individually as the drone or Elida, but as a team, they were just as formidable. For my last choice, the Chixtani Infestor, I was shocked to see a small spider-like creature appear next to me. It looked like Melody, and a system prompt appeared along with the creature.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The Chixtani Infestor is a parasitic arachnid that melds with its host, taking over total control of the host¡¯s actions. When infesting a host, the Chixtani can access all skills and abilities the host possesses, though the host¡¯s stats will be reduced by 10% as the Chixtani draws on its host¡¯s lifeforce to sustain its own. While controlling a hostile host, the Chixtani Infestor will face occasional challenges to its hold over the host. Should a host be killed, the Chixtani Infestor faces mental backlash that inflicts heavy damage and weakens its chances of infesting a new host for several hours. ¡°May I accompany you or one of your minions into battle? I will seek the nearest enemy as my host, but I don¡¯t have the speed to close with the foe easily. I¡¯m sorry, but my presence in a friendly host will reduce their stats, health, and mana, by 10% for five minutes after I leave them,¡± the small spider said. Having the spider on me was a no-go, but I could see the advantage of getting it into battle quickly. I had it attached to Glem, and while I didn¡¯t like him being drained of some of his strength, Glem¡¯s teleport ability would allow the Chixtani to close in on a host quickly. ¡°Is that all or do you have more minions coming?¡± the old man who was my summoner asked. ¡°This is it, what do you need us to do?¡± I asked as another fireball exploded nearby. Before replying, the old man raised up on one knee and began banging out shots with an honest to goodness M16 at distant targets. I was no expert at this point, but I had a solid grasp on modern weapons from my time training with the military. By the way this guy handled the weapon, I could tell that he knew what he was doing. How he was able to keep the weapon functioning in a mana-rich environment was a mystery. ¡°Our artillery cover is starting now, and I need you to support the advance to the bridge there. If we can take the bridge, the system will weaken the shield around the keep. These naga are on our side, so watch your fire,¡± the old man said, pointing toward several other figures crouching behind the ruined wall. They were similar to the snake-like humanoids I¡¯d seen working in the Somhagen arena several times. I peeked over the ruined wall we were using as cover in order to get an idea of our situation. About 200 yards away was a wide, rapidly flowing river, with a fortified bridge spanning it. The bridge had a stone tower on either end, and I could make out several figures scurrying around nearby. I was shocked to see it looked like a combined force of gnomes and a few larger ogre-sized humanoids were defending the bridge against our assault. On the other side of the river, a short distance from the bridge, a small keep stood. A glowing blue shield encompassed the keep, though it seemed to occasionally flicker like it was running out of mana or something. It was from inside the keep that the fireballs were being hurled toward us. The distinct whump of a mortar firing behind me caught my attention. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had been expecting in this summoning, but an old soldier, leading naga who had mortar support wasn¡¯t it. The naga working the mortars moved like a well-oiled team. There were two mortars in the pit and between the pair, they were sending out a round every second toward the bridge. ¡°Move, before the mortars are silenced, the old man shouted. All around us, more of the naga appeared and charged forward. I waved my team ahead as well, and kept my shield in one hand, and my javelin in the other as we advanced. Deadly mortar bomb explosions carpeted the near side of the bridge, and more than a few of the enemy were cut down by the blasts. Even more important than the casualties our mortars were causing was the thick smoke screen that some of the rounds were starting to form. Magical attacks flew from the growing could of smoke, mainly a combination of lightning and small flame blasts. The incoming attacks were fired blindly, but even firing blind, we were taking casualties as more than one naga fell during the charge. Before we had closed half the distance to the bridge, the mortar fire shifted to the far side of the bridge, but only a few rounds hit before the weapons went silent. ¡°Damn, they were faster with their Fail Weapons spells than usual,¡± the old man said. He had positioned himself next to me and was using hand signals to convey orders to the attacking naga. ¡°How¡¯s your weapon still operating?¡± I asked. ¡°Part of my class abilities, I¡¯m sorry to say. Having my naga equipped with proper firepower would be a godsend,¡± the old man said. A few seconds later, we hit the smoke screen and my vision of anything was obscured. It only took me a few steps before I was out of the smoke, which was now starting to dissipate. Ahead of me, my goblins were surging forward, right on the heels of the naga. Well, I supposed that since the naga didn¡¯t have feet, it was more like right on the coils of them. Their lower body was like a big snake, and only their upper torso was humanoid. It made them fast over this relatively level ground. The gnomes holding the bridge ran to meet out charge, and a half dozen of the larger ogres were supporting their counterattack. I saw Glem blink from view, only to appear near one of the ogres, which he refrained from attacking and instead targeted a nearby gnome. I waited for the ogre to crush my negligent goblin with the crude club the monster wielded. Instead, the ogre crouched over and clutched his head. A moment later, the ogre stood and smashed another ogre that was coming to his aid. I must have been getting my first view of a Chixtani Infestor at work. There was no time for spectating, though, as several of the gnomes zeroed in on me and the old man at my side. Chapter 342. Bridge Assault. Chapter 342. Bridge Assault. The Chixtani controlled ogre went on a rampage, its club sweeping away several of the gnomish attackers with each blow. Elida and the other goblins also reached the fight, alongside a rather well-organized group of naga warriors armed with spears and shields. With Glurk and the old man providing ranged fire support, I helped out by casting Command Lesser Foe on one of the gnomes, turning it on its companions. I then opened Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts pulling a creature from it to assist in the battle. A furry mole-rat animal emerged; something called a Zokor. It wasn¡¯t exactly a formidable foe, though it trotted dutifully toward the growing battle. Maybe a gnome would trip over it or something, but I doubted the random animal would do me any good. My other items, like the Fangs of the Hydra and the Portal of the Cackle weren¡¯t going to be needed here, as it looked like the fight was turning in our favor. I¡¯d save the more powerful summoning items for a more dire need. The old man to my left stopped shooting, changing out the partially empty magazine for a fully loaded one with a smoothness that told me he had done this many times before. ¡°Nebram, send in the reserves to secure this end of the bridge and pull any wounded back for the healers to work on,¡± the old man ordered to a naga that stood nearby. The naga was dressed in a tactical vest and carried a long spear engraved with runes. Nodding, the naga named Nebram slithered off to follow the old man¡¯s orders. ¡°One of my minions is a healer if you need any help for serious cases. I¡¯d like to preserve as many of her healing spells as we can if we¡¯re facing something other than a few unarmed gnomes and their ogre buddies,¡± I said as our forces wiped out the last of the bridge defenders on this end. Instead of continuing the assault to the other side of the bridge, the naga seem content to occupy the tower on this end, and a few protected positions on the bridge itself. I seemed like the gnomes had a bunch of half-finished barricades in place, which our troops were putting to good use. I had my team return to my side while the naga took over the defense of the bridge. ¡°I think we¡¯re fine for now. With your troops helping, my boys took a lot less damage than I¡¯d expected,¡± the old man said. ¡°Silas, don¡¯t be an old grump, at least introduce yourself now that we¡¯re not in imminent danger. Hi, I¡¯m Misty,¡± a young woman in modern body armor said as she held out her hand. She was young, probably college age, and had one of those smiles that seemed to ignite something in her eyes. Her grip was strong, and though she wasn¡¯t trying to crush my hand, I could feel the power behind it. Her strength score must have been substantial, which was surprising for someone from Earth that wasn¡¯t a summoned being. ¡°Thanks, Misty, I¡¯m Rico,¡± I replied a bit awkwardly as the old man glared at me. ¡°I¡¯m Silas Ward, your creatures seemed to be up to the challenge, just like Lopez promised,¡± Silas said, pointing toward my minions as they approached. I noticed that a small group of naga shadowed them like they still weren¡¯t quite sure if we were friends or foes. ¡°They¡¯re a solid team, but what exactly are we facing here?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostly these rabid gnomes and a few ogres out here on the bridge. Once inside the keep, it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess what Bhalkur has waiting to defend the keep controlling this level of the pit,¡± Silas said. The name, Bhalkur, triggered many unpleasant memories for me. That was who the cultists on Earth had worshipped, and it seemed this Bhalkur was operating a much bigger operation than a few misguided human servants. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with Bhalkur cultists when I was back on Earth, I assume this is the same guy?¡± I asked. ¡°Creepy formless horror that corrupts everything around him? Bends others to his will in a fanatical devotion? Lives in a pit that we''re trying to keep him sealed inside of? If you answered yes to any of those questions, we¡¯re probably talking about the same guy,¡± Misty joked. ¡°That¡¯s the one, and I¡¯m glad to help. I have some payback I need to dish out on him,¡± I said, thinking about all those that his cultists had killed, and that young woman trapped with me when I was their prisoner.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°If we clear the tower and place it under our control, that¡¯ll be another step toward ending Bhalkur¡¯s threat,¡± Silas said. ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move?¡± I asked. ¡°We need to secure the other side of the bridge. First, we¡¯ll let our shamans heal everyone up and reapply buffs, then we¡¯ll begin the assault under the cover of some more artillery,¡± Silas said. ¡°More of the mortars?¡± I asked, curious if he had more of the modern weapons. ¡°No, those are toast, and we knew they were only going to be useful in the initial assault. For our next artillery barrage, I¡¯ve hired some mercenaries to do the job,¡± Silas said, pointing toward where a portal had opened under the cover of the tower we controlled. Out of the portal a small team of goblins hauled out a pair of wooden carts loaded to the gills with lumber and crates. With a bunch of shouting and yelling, the goblins began to assemble a siege engine of some sort. Having dealt with goblins during several summonings, I was a bit worried about the functionality of whatever they were building. Catastrophic failures weren¡¯t entirely uncommon with most goblin contraptions. ¡°What defenders are we going to face on the other side of the bridge? Are we looking at more of the same?¡± I asked. ¡°No, other than a few ogres to stiffen their defenses, this side of the bridge pretty much had just the rabid gnomes as fodder. The other half of the bridge will have some of Bhalkur¡¯s better forces on this level. Those that have been corrupted by Bhalkur for a longer period of time begin to regain some of their skill and cunning. Mix that with bodily mutations to make them dangerous, and you have an idea of what we¡¯ll be up against,¡± Silas explained. ¡°What will you need my team to do?¡± I asked. ¡°This time, I¡¯d like your minions to lead the assault. All my troops are real people and if we¡¯re going to have casualties, I¡¯d rather it be among summoned creatures, not live ones,¡± Silas said, his face morphing into a grim expression as several of the fallen naga were dragged away from the bridge. Our casualties had been surprisingly light, and it seemed that Elida¡¯s ability to heal those around her when she was in melee had paid dividends among the naga forces we were fighting alongside. My own troops were fully healed and ready to go, but even so, crossing the bridge on their own could be problematic depending on the enemy¡¯s weapons. I needed more intel to make this work. ¡°What about ranged attacks? Do the enemy have archers or mages? Who was casting that fireball barrage earlier?¡± I asked. ¡°As far as ranged attacks, some of the corrupted will have crossbows or javelins. A few might have simple magic, think magic missiles or flame blasts, that sort of thing. As for the barrage earlier, that came from the keep, but I doubt whoever commands there has enough mana to keep that up,¡± Silas said. I looked over at the keep in the distance. It was made from slabs of dark rock that seemed out of place considering the terrain around us. Other than the bridge and the cleared killing ground around the keep, we were surrounded by a thick jungle. I couldn¡¯t see the far side of the keep but had to assume that Silas had scouted all avenues of approach and found this to be the most viable. ¡°My team¡¯s ready to go as soon as your barrage starts up,¡± I said, noticing that the goblins were making quick work on assembling the pair of siege engines. The siege engines looked like a portable trebuchet was being assembled on top of the cart itself, making it sort of a mobile artillery platform. The pieces of the siege engines had been pre-cut and the goblin crews knew what they were doing as they worked at a feverish pace to finish up quickly. One of the goblins, a shady-looking fellow missing half of one ear and wearing dirty coveralls, jogged over to Silas. ¡°Hey boss, we¡¯re just about done, where do you want us to drop the hate¡± the goblin asked. ¡°I need you to suppress the tower at the other end of the bridge, then keep up a barrage to tear up any reinforcements from the keep,¡± Silas said, pointing toward his targets. ¡°Woah, hold your hellhounds there, boss. Gritvart only paid us for a single barrage, and that means three rounds from each siege engine. You want more than that, you need to sign a new contract, and before you ask, no, we can¡¯t stay longer, we have other obligations after this job,¡± the goblin replied. Silas looked like he was going to explode, and his dog, which resembled a Cocker Spaniel that was super-sized, growled menacingly, but the old man managed to keep himself under control. ¡°Fine, focus everything on the tower, and for what I¡¯m paying, you better hit what you¡¯re aiming at,¡± Silas growled. ¡°Hey, you get what you pay for, and we¡¯re no amateurs, buddy,¡± I¡¯ll be ready to fire in two minutes, and once I¡¯m ready, I¡¯m firing whether you¡¯re ready or not,¡± the goblin warned. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll be ready,¡± Silas said. The goblin jogged back over to the machines which looked like they were fully assembled, and the workers were only doing some last-minute adjustments. ¡°Can you get your team ready to go, Rico? My naga will be right behind you to support the attack. I¡¯ll be providing overwatch protection,¡± Silas said, pointing toward the top of the tower where he planned to cover us from. ¡°My minions are ready to go, and I¡¯ll use some toys to support the attack,¡± I said, pulling the Portal of the Cackle from my pack. The gnolls that the portal summoned would make good fodder for my troops to hide behind as they attacked. If the goblin siege engines did their job, my minions would have some of the work done for them before they even got into the fight. With a loud crack, one of the support beams on a trebuchet gave way and the whole siege engine crashed to the ground. Goblins began arguing amongst themselves as they checked over the surviving engine. I guess I should plan on my minions doing this without much in the way of fire support. Chapter 343. On to the Keep. Chapter 343. On to the Keep. Thankfully, the second goblin siege engine was ready to go in minutes, but both Silas and I made sure we were nowhere near it when they started cranking up the tension on the weapon and loading the first spherical shell into the cradle of the trebuchet. The shell was cased in crude, rusting iron, with several six-inch-long spikes jutting from its surface at seemingly random points. Two more of the shells were lined up next to the siege engine, and when Silas saw that he risked walking over close to the machine to yell at the goblin in charge. ¡°Hey, I paid for a full barrage from two siege engines. I expect to get what I paid for,¡± Silas growled as he approached. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re going to get bud, a barrage of three shells, just like in the contract,¡± the goblin said dismissively as he worked with the team to line up their shot. ¡°A barrage from two siege engines, not one. It¡¯s not my fault your machine broke down, that¡¯s on you. Since we¡¯re down to one machine, I expect all six rounds I paid for to be fired from this one,¡± Silas demanded. The goblin seemed inclined to argue further, but the murderous gleam in Silas¡¯ eyes made him rethink the situation. ¡°Fine, you¡¯ll get all six rounds, but if we get hit by counterbattery fire since we¡¯re stuck in place longer than I want, you¡¯re paying for it,¡± the goblin replied. ¡°Deal. If Bhalkur¡¯s troops have some way to destroy your siege engine, I¡¯ll cover the cost of it. I remind you that I¡¯m willing to cover the cost of the one that¡¯s still working, not the one that broke down,¡± Silas countered. ¡°Good enough, we¡¯re about ready and I¡¯m going to start the barrage as soon as I can, I¡¯m not waiting for your naga and these other weirdos to get their act together,¡± the goblin grumbled. Silas didn¡¯t seem inclined to argue this point and instead turned his attention my way. ¡°Rico, get your troops started, take the tower at the other end of the bridge, then we¡¯ll regroup for the assault on the keep,¡± Silas ordered. I ran to the edge of the bridge and quickly set up the Portal of the Cackle, pushing some mana into the device to activate it. The portal flickered into existence, and the first gnoll charged out, heading toward the closest visible enemy. With the summoned gnolls doing their thing, and attracting the enemy¡¯s attention, I ordered Elida, the Chixtani, and the goblins to begin their assault. My team hugged the left side of the bridge, trying to use anything they could as cover. Sadly, the Chixtani Infestor was riding an ogre, and the huge body didn¡¯t lend itself to stealthy approaches. Right on the heels of my minions, several squads of naga moved up to support them. There was a total of thirty naga, and most were armed with spears and shields that were woven from jungle foliage. None of them wore armor, just a simple tunic, though their scaley bodies might grant them some protection. Leading the naga was the human girl, Misty, and the naga that Silas had called Nebram. After getting the gnoll portal working, and my minions moving, I joined Silas at the top of the tower on our side of the bridge. Already, I could hear occasional shots ring out from the man¡¯s rifle. I had to admit that I was a bit jealous that Silas could operate modern weapons without them seeming to fail. From our vantage point, I could watch the progress of the assault. Part of me wanted to be down there with my team and be in the thick of the assault. I had to temper that desire to be stuck into the fight, with the knowledge that there were no more respawns waiting for me. My team was performing well, and it didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d need my direct intervention. The gnolls provided the necessary distraction, and a few magic missiles and crossbow bolts flew from the opposing tower at the charging gnolls. One hit was enough to take down the low tier and rank gnolls, but every missile shot at the gnolls was one less fired at my team. Glurk was now in range with his longbow and was firing at a group of gnomes led by a single ogre that were charging out of the door at the base of the enemy tower. I heard a loud clack as the siege engine behind us fired. The shell was big enough that I could watch it arc over the bridge and land just behind the enemy tower. An explosion that I felt all the way across the bridge caused part of the enemy tower to collapse. Sensing their cover was about to bury them, the rest of the enemy forces poured from the tower and into my waiting team.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Glem flickered into position behind the lead attacker, his spear impaling the corrupted gnome that was his target. Glamb and Elida arrived a second later. I could see a red glow appear briefly over Glamb as he activated his Blood Berserker ability, and his cleavers flashed in the afternoon sun. Elida showed remarkable skill, using her shield and mace to great effect. When the Chixtani arrived, each swipe of the ogre it controlled smashed a foe. Every hit that Elida landed caused a small spurt of healing energy to wash over the nearby allies. It was enough to keep my goblins in the fight, and for them to shrug off any stray hits that made it through their defenses and armor. I was a bit shocked when an arrow from Glurk struck one of the enemy ogres and a small goblin with a rusty dagger and a healthy dose of murderous intent appeared next to it. It was Glurk¡¯s Longbow Summoner ability activating, and it was proving its worth as the summoned goblin distracted the powerful ogre. As the ogre crushed the goblin that Glurk summoned, Silas fired off a small burst that peppered the head of the ogre. Thick bone protected the small brain of the ogre, but the bone was no match for whatever system enhanced ammo the old man was using. Somehow still standing, the ogre¡¯s battered and bloody head was knocked completely off its body by my Chixtani controlled minion. The ogre collapsed and the battle turned in our favor as the girl Misty and the naga warriors she was leading arrived. One by one the enemy were brought down, and with Elida and a pair of naga shamans on hand, we had plenty of healing support. As the battle for the other side of the bridge wrapped up, we were able to keep our losses down to just a few of the gnolls from the portal and the goblins that Glurk¡¯s bow occasionally summoned. ¡°Let¡¯s go join them,¡± Silas said to me as he slammed a fresh magazine into his weapon. As we left, he ordered the goblins to shift fire onto the keep in the distance. The goblin siege engineer complained about the range, but Silas said that accuracy didn¡¯t matter, he just wanted to hammer the shield down that blocked entry into the keep. A system prompt appeared as our troops wiped out the last of the bridge defenders. Your allies have secured control of the entire bridge. The final critical location, the keep, is now weakened. I could see the shield over the keep flicker and dim as the system did its work. One of the goblin shells landed shortly after, causing the shield to glow brightly under the explosive force of the siege engine. Though it resisted the goblin artillery attack, the shield dimmed further, and I thought I could see cracks running along its surface. ¡°Good, with the rest of their shells, they should bring that shield down. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to walking up to it and having our troops hack away at it while the enemy rained fire down on us,¡± Silas said. ¡°So, the shield is one way? They can attack us through it?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not without flaws. Outgoing missiles and magic weaken the shield, but only a fraction of what an incoming blow would cause. It¡¯s well worth it for them to attack us at range if we get too close,¡± Silas warned as we joined the others at the end of the bridge. My remaining gnolls, all two of them, had their timers expire and winked out of existence as we watched the slow barrage dished out by the goblins. The keep was about a half mile from us, and there was little cover for an approach. While we waited, I cast Health Bloom over any injured troops. Just like Elida, the naga shamans under Silas¡¯ command had a limited number of spells they could cast each day, and I wanted them to conserve what they could. Here, in this odd place, my mana seemed to regenerate quickly, so I wasn¡¯t worried about a few healing spells running me dry. In the distance, another goblin shell, the fourth they¡¯d fired, slammed into the shield, which finally shattered and winked out of existence. The keep lay before us, an imposing fortress that I had no idea how to breach. Silas must have some idea on how to break down, or climb over the walls, but he hadn¡¯t shared it with us yet. Horns sounded out from inside the keep. It was a mournful sound that cast a pall over our mood. A gate at the keep, facing our bridge, slowly opened. The horns sounded again as enemies began to emerge from the keep. Another goblin shell fell on the keep, exploding somewhere in the center of the fortress. ¡°Ah, they¡¯re coming out to play. They must not know that we¡¯re limited on the number of shells our siege engines can fire. Execute our counterattack plan,¡± Silas shouted. Misty and the naga Nebram began to move units of naga into position as Silas grabbed my shoulder. ¡°Are you ready to get your hands dirty? It¡¯s time for the real killing to start,¡± Silas said. In the distance, rows of corrupted gnomes and naga filed out of the keep and marched toward us. Behind them, more of the ogres followed. Unlike the ones we¡¯d already fought, these creatures were twisted in both mind and body by Bhalkur¡¯s influence. Each was a two-headed monstrosity with one or both its arms replaced by tentacles or huge crab-like claws. ¡°Well, this is going to be interesting,¡± I said to myself as I began to plan how I could support Silas in the coming fight. Chapter 344. Armies Clash. Chapter 344. Armies Clash. ¡°Can you take over one of those corrupted ogres?¡± I asked the Chixtani Infestor as we readied ourselves to receive the enemy charge. The Chixtani was still piloting a normal ogre, but the crazy looking ones moving out of the keep were probably much more powerful. Taking control of one of those would bolster our chances of victory. The ogre that the Chixtani was piloting nodded and gave a gap-tooth grin to indicate that was her plan all along. I had no idea how much time it took for the infestor to take control, but she seemed confident of doing it in the middle of a fight. It was odd, I was thinking of the Chixtani as a she, probably because of my interaction with Melody back at the academy. I was becoming distracted by trying to figure out how the creepy Chixtani worked, and instead focused myself back on the approaching enemy. Nebram and Misty had organized the naga into a shield wall, a few more had trickled in from the jungle to join us during our assault on the bridge, giving us just over thirty of the naga warriors. Backing them up were a pair of shamans standing behind the line ready to heal. ¡°Silas, let my team take the brunt of the attack, they¡¯re summoned creatures and won¡¯t be permanently harmed,¡± I offered. ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ll do that, just make sure they stay well behind the blast area of these,¡± Silas said as he jogged ahead of our shield wall and stuck two small, rectangular objects in the ground. It took a moment for my mind to process what he was doing, but as Silas ran back to our lines unravelling a long wire attached to each object, I remembered them from my training with the military. ¡°You have Claymore mines?¡± I said a bit shocked as Silas just gave me a devilish grin. ¡°Yep, and one more toy from our world that I¡¯ll save for whatever¡¯s in the keep itself. They¡¯re almost in range, here we go,¡± Silas said as Glurk began to pepper the approaching horde with arrows and Silas banged out single shots from his rifle. I had to admit, I was more than a bit jealous of the old soldier, and the modern weapons his class seemed to be able to use without any trouble. Hopefully, we¡¯d have some time to talk once the battle was over. ¡°I¡¯ve got one more thing to help,¡± I said as the two melee goblins, Elida, and the Chixtani placed themselves ahead of the line of naga. Given their rather flimsy shields, I didn¡¯t think the naga shield wall was going to be all that effective against the larger, corrupted ogres, but it should hold okay against the gnomes and naga that made up the bulk of the enemy forces. I cast Duplicate on the Chixtani controlled ogre as the enemy neared. We were outnumbered, so it was probably time to use more of my items to tip the fight in our favor. Pulling out my Teeth of the Hydra pouch, I was shocked when it didn¡¯t activate as I pushed mana into it. A moment later, I remembered the description of the item, it needed to be cast on blood-soaked ground. Using a knife to open a gash in my arm, I let a stream of blood hit the ground in front of me. The item didn¡¯t say how much blood was needed but after only a splatter had streamed down my arm and onto the ground, I noticed that my mana seemed to click into place on the item. I grabbed the teeth inside the bag, and dropped them into the blood, standing back instinctually as if the magic of the item was warning me that I was too close. A huge figure appeared, but the twin blasts of the mines going off drew my attention as I absently ordered the hydra to attack our foes. Where the two mines had been placed, it looked like a giant had reached down and brushed aside our foes. The enemy formation had been a bit ragged to begin with and was further disrupted by the goblin summoning ability of Glurk¡¯s longbow occasionally popping off. Now, a third of their force was just gone, the steel balls hurled by the claymore had shredded the enemy. Even better, those that had been only injured by a stray ball or two seemed to still be suffering as flames licked at their wounds. Silas must have been able to infuse some kind of magic damage into his weapons, and it had done the trick. With the enemy disrupted, I ordered my team to charge, keeping up the pressure on the disorganized and dazed foe. The ground shook as my hydra stomped off to join the fight, thankfully avoiding any allies in its path. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but I knew that the pouch held a full ten teeth in it when I had activated it. From the item description, the power of the summoned hydra was based on how many teeth were used. My hydra was the size of a small bus, and its four-legged body was like that of a giant lizard. Instead of a single head, four sprouted from the body of the monster. Each head seemed to operate independently as they locked onto different targets as it stalked toward the foe. Whatever else Bhalkur¡¯s corruption did to the creatures that served him, it didn¡¯t hamper their bravery, and a sizeable portion of the enemy force charged toward the biggest threat on the field, my hydra. Its long strides allowed the hydra to reach the enemy before the rest of my team did, and it charged straight through the corrupted gnomes and naga at the fore of the enemy formation. It stomped several foes into bloody paste and each head then lashed out, fang filled maws latching onto the larger corrupted ogres. The corrupted ogres were tough, and only one was killed instantly by the bite of the hydra, the others began to flail at the heads latched onto their bodies. My hydra lacked the strength to lift the heavy ogres, but it was chewing massive wounds into them.Stolen novel; please report. With an arm mutated into a giant claw, one of the ogres cut himself free, severing a head from my hydra. I responded by hurling a Health Bloom over my minion and throwing my javelin at the wounded foe. My javelin pierced the ogre in its mangled chest and the burst of electrical damage from my weapon finished off the creature. Another head of my hydra slumped to the ground, as an ogre with tentacles for arms used the appendages to pierce deep into the hydra¡¯s neck. It seemed that unlike the mythical creature from Earth, the system-created hydra didn¡¯t regenerate its heads after they were destroyed. The hydra was being ground down by the bulk of the corrupted ogres, but it was doing its job and allowing my minions to deal with the smaller foes. Glem, Glam, Elida, the Chixtani ogre, and the ogre duplicate were tearing into the foe. If I had to guess, these corrupted creatures, other than the ogres, were quite a bit lower in tier and rank than my minions. Between Elida¡¯s Combat Mending and a fresh Health Bloom that I cast over the group, they dominated the fight. Elida had also activated her aura which burned into the nearby enemy, softening them up for a killing blow that was quick to follow. Silas wasn¡¯t content to let my minions do all the heavy lifting and had his friend Misty and the naga Nebram lead the rest of his forces into battle. I was shocked yet again as Misty began her attack. The cute college girl in combat armor transformed before my eyes, her body shifting and growing as she charged forward. It was like one of those CGI werewolf movies as she transformed from human into animal. Instead of a wolf, Misty had become a hulking bear that slammed into the smaller foes, her claws and teeth tearing them apart as easily as a steel blade would. I felt the connection to my hydra end as it was finally brought down by the enemy¡¯s corrupted ogres. Around the mana vapor of the unsummoning hydra were the corpses of six ogres, and the surviving pair were both injured to some extent. With the hydra down, Silas shifted his fire and finished off a magazine to take one of the surviving ogres down. ¡°That¡¯s it for me, I can¡¯t burn anymore ammo if I want to have enough to face the keep guardian,¡± Silas said, gesturing toward the keep in the distance. He slung his rifle and drew a pistol in case something got through our army and made a play at killing us. Glem, with the reach offered by his spear, moved toward the final surviving ogre. He flickered out of existence and appeared behind the ogre, his spear piercing deep into the corrupted creature¡¯s body. To help him, I ran forward and tossed the Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk at the ogre. The metal chains wrapped around the foe, binding the one regular arm and one tentacle this monstrosity possessed. My goblin minion wasted no time and began to skewer the ogre in the head and body as fast as he could. The chains lasted only a few seconds against such a powerful target, but it was enough for Glem to deal a death blow to the ogre. Around us, the sounds of battle were dying down as our forces mopped up the remaining corrupted gnomes and naga. Of my forces, the duplicate ogre, and Glamb were gone, brought down at some point during the fight. A few of the naga had also died, but the casualties were much lighter than they would have been if Silas¡¯ mines and my hydra hadn¡¯t been used. Misty, shifting back into human form, joined me and Silas at the back of the formation. ¡°Did you get that system prompt too, Silas?¡± Misty said as she reached us. ¡°Yeah, I just did. It looks like the system is only going to allow me and Misty into the keep. You, your minions, and the naga won¡¯t be able to enter,¡± Silas said. ¡°Wait, you have to fight a whole keep full of these corrupted things on your own?¡± I asked. To me that sounded like suicide. The pair would been easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of foes if substantial forces remained inside the keep. It was only with my help, and the naga army fighting with them, that they had emerged from the last fight unscathed. ¡°There¡¯s no army in there anymore. Everything but the guardian of this level is gone from the keep. Even better, I think the guardian is supposed to be weakened after we destroyed its army. I must thank you Rico, we would have been in a tough spot without your help with this. Agent Lopez wasn¡¯t lying when he said you¡¯d get the job done, despite being a civilian,¡± Silas said, offering his hand for me to shake. ¡°Wait, let me see if I can help you further. Also, this is very important, you need to let Agent Lopez know that my class changed, and I can take contracts on Earth now. Tell him that if he can get someone into Somhagen, they can try to contract with me at either the brokers or maybe the Summoned Market directly,¡± I said, trying to get everything out quickly in case the summoning ended immediately. ¡°I will, I¡¯m not sure about all of what you just said, but I know there are summoned beings like you out there, Lopez told me at least that much about what was going on,¡± Silas said. He and Misty both repeated back what I¡¯d told them, making sure that they knew the details on how to try and create a contract with me. ¡°Here Silas, see if the system will let you take these with you,¡± I said, handing over most of my healing and mana potions. Clancy would restock me in no time back at the academy, and these two weren¡¯t going to have a chance to go wherever it was they went to restock consumables before they faced whatever the guardian thing was. To my surprise, the system let me pass off the items, and I added two summoning figurines to the mix, once I confirmed that they could use them. It looked like since I was no longer a summoned being, I had a bit more leeway in my summoning contracts. The two figurines were the Gnomish war contraption and a tier one, rank five orc warrior minion figurines. As I handed them over, a system prompt appeared. You have exchanged the maximum value of goods allowed during a contracted summoning. Your summoning is now complete, and you will be sent to your Designated Return destination shortly. "I guess that¡¯s it for me, I¡¯m glad I was able to meet you two, maybe I¡¯ll see you again once the integration is over and I can return home,¡± I said. ¡°Stay safe out there, and thank you for your help,¡± Silas said, patting me on the back with a fatherly smile on his face. ¡°Thanks Rico,¡± Misty said, pulling me in for a hug. Her strength was enough that my back popped, and I thought a rib or two might be bruised when she finally released me. I was about ask about how the world reacted to the news of the pending induction when a portal sucked me back into my room at the academy, which I¡¯d selected as my Designated Return location. At least Silas would get the word out to Lopez that I could be summoned with a direct contract. If I was going to take on contracts, I¡¯d rather they be contracts from home, where I could help the people of my world while I gained more power for the coming fight with Gary. Chapter 345. Class is in Session. Chapter 345. Class is in Session. My room at the academy was still dark, and a quick check revealed that less than an hour had passed since I was summoned. I had been worried that I wouldn¡¯t make it back in time for my next day¡¯s work, but it seemed that time between the academy and Earth flowed at pretty much the same rate, and unless I was called on an extended campaign, a normal summoning contract there shouldn¡¯t infringe on my duties here at the academy. A system prompt appeared as soon as I got my bearings. You have successfully completed your contracted summoning. Additional experience has been awarded for completing your first successful contract as a Contracted Summoner. You have been awarded 32 Experience. There were no rewards promised for this contract. I felt relief as soon as I saw the experience that the contract had awarded, 32 was the equivalent of several successful runs in the guild dungeon. The only question was whether I could find enough contracts to complete before my battle with Gary happened. I would prioritize contracts, but also try to squeeze in any dungeon runs when there was no contract available. Outside of my duties here at the academy, I had to make sure I was always working toward becoming stronger. A quick check of my status showed that I was 15 experience away from my next rank. My minions would continue to improve as I gained new ranks, and I expected my class abilities would improve or evolve every 5 ranks, which was similar to what I¡¯d experienced with my other classes. I was still a bit amped up from finishing up the battle with Silas and Misty, but I needed to get some rest if I didn¡¯t want to walk around like a zombie tomorrow. Silas would get word to Agent Lopez about my new status, and I hoped that he¡¯d be able to use one of the lower tier and rank summoned beings to arrange contracts for me back in Somhagen. Until then, I¡¯d have to check in with Ingrid at Somhagen Exports when I finished with my work at the academy tomorrow. It seemed like I had just closed my eyes when the alarm stone began to hum with an annoying tone. Lethargically, I hit the stone to stop the alarm and dragged myself out of bed. The hot shower helped to wake me up as well as the promise of breakfast. That was something I found that I really enjoyed here, the food. It made me wonder what would happen to the restaurants on Earth after the integration. With a shudder of dread, I worried that we¡¯d see multiverse spanning versions of our fast-food chains, though, I think the goblins would give the Earth companies a run for their money. ¡°Rico, did you have a rough night?¡± Melody asked as she joined me at the cafeteria booth I was sitting at. With a mouth full of eggs, I could only grunt in response, which elicited an amused giggle from Melody. She gave me a moment to chew and swallow before I could answer her. ¡°Not too bad, I¡¯ll be fine for whatever you have in store for us today,¡± I replied, trying to look a bit more perky than I felt. ¡°Good, because we¡¯re going to be busy today. Headmaster Glorine sent me a message, it looks like I¡¯m going to host my class a day early. Classes were supposed to start tomorrow, but the headmaster wants to test out bringing in the new students a day early for a shorter class in order to get them acclimated. We¡¯ll see if easing them into the academy life will help to bolster their grades,¡± Melody explained. ¡°Got it, what will you need me to do?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, my lesson plan didn¡¯t include you until a few days from now, but why don¡¯t we work you in with some highlights about your experience as a summoned being,¡± Melody suggested.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Not a problem, just give me a few minutes to get my thoughts in order, and I¡¯ll be good to go as long as you don¡¯t want me to fill up a whole class period with my story,¡± I said, already thinking about which experiences would be most appropriate to the new students. ¡°If you¡¯re done with your food, let¡¯s get started. It¡¯s not a good look for the professor to show up late for her own first day of class,¡± Melody said. I hustled through the cafeteria, dropping off my plates and silverware in the appropriate spots. The food here was great, and I didn¡¯t want to add any additional work for the staff. We moved quickly to Melody¡¯s classroom, and the way there was now familiar to me after several days of working with her. I was still a bit creeped out by her Chixtani species and how they piloted around other sapient beings, but I kept my fears to myself. So far, Melody had proven to be a good friend here, and as long as she was just using summoned creatures for whatever it was that she did, it was none of my business. Her classroom was arranged to hold just over thirty students, but Melody mentioned that today wouldn¡¯t be a full class, as some of the new students were still traveling to the school. That brought up a whole new mess of questions I¡¯d have to ask her later. This was all some big crazy multiverse with many worlds, and I was sure they didn¡¯t all wait for someone to summon them individually. So far, I¡¯d relied on being summoned everywhere I went, but if portals were possible with magic, I had to assume that permanent transportation locations were a thing. If there was some easier way to travel, maybe my dungeon delving could expand a bit. It wasn¡¯t much, but clearing a dungeon for the first time did seem to grant more experience than consecutive runs granted. ¡°Welcome, students, please find a seat and we¡¯ll get started shortly,¡± Melody said as the first students arrived. They filed in one after the other, and I felt a bit self-conscious standing right beside Melody¡¯s desk. She looked like a professor and was even shuffling through a book like she was checking off attendance. The students were a mixed group, and the variety of humanoids and other species was intriguing. They were mostly species I was familiar with, including a half-dozen humans, an elf, a pair of halflings that seemed to know each other, and even a dwarf. Some of the odder additions were a naga, a rather well-dressed gnoll, a couple of goblins, and finally, an honest to goodness dog. Resembling a Golden Retriever and Labrador mix, the dog wore robes with a backpack strapped atop them. It reminded me of something those crazy rich ladies would dress their pets in. The dog sat upright in its chair and used some kind of magic ability to manipulate its pack. A notebook and pen drifted from the pack and onto the table, and the intelligent eyes of the dog looked around the room, just like I was doing. With the dog¡¯s entrance, it looked like we had everyone that Melody was expecting. She motioned for me to shut the door so she could begin, but one final student shot in at the last minute, a frazzled young man with horns and hooves, he was another satyr like the young woman I¡¯d dueled with on the practice field. ¡°Just on time, Mr. Gillips. Please don¡¯t make cutting it close for your class arrival a habit. For now, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Professor Zaraman and this is Summoning Essentials. If you¡¯re in the wrong class, speak up, it¡¯s completely normal for someone to get turned around here on the first day. Now, for some housekeeping,¡± Melody said, launching into a spiel that was remarkably familiar to the ones given by my past professors and teachers. She described the class rules, which there were few of. Each class was just over an hour long, and the curriculum was fast paced, but interesting. As she finished up with an explanation of her grading scale and homework, I could see the students¡¯ eyes start to glaze over as they reached the limits of their attention spans. Melody noticed this as well and glanced in my direction before continuing. ¡°You may have noticed the other professor in the room with me today. He is Adjunct Professor Rico Kline, and his background is a rather intriguing one. Have any of you heard of how the system integrates a new world?¡± Melody asked. Several hands, and a paw, went up, and to my delight, Melody selected the dog to answer. I was more than curious how the animal would communicate. ¡°I believe that these primitive worlds are devoid of mana, and thus, the system must use the summoned being selection process to seed more mana into the world. I¡¯m afraid that is where the extent of my knowledge on the process ends,¡± the dog said. I was a bit disappointed; it didn¡¯t speak directly or bark so the system could translate. The dog simply wore a small magical amulet that allowed it to project its thoughts into a rather bland sounding voice. ¡°Correct, the summoned beings are the key to new world integration. That is a subject that will be covered in greater detail in another class. The reason I brought that up is to tell you that Professor Kline is not just another mage with a summoner class, no, he was also a summoned being until very recently. I wanted him to give you some brief insight into what a summoned being¡¯s life was like. Mr. Kline, the classroom is yours,¡± Melody said. This was it, my debut performance as an actual professor. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t screw things up for Melody. Chapter 346. Ask Me Anything. Chapter 346. Ask Me Anything. ¡°Thank you, Professor Zaraman. As you heard, my name is Professor Kline and up until just a week ago, I was a summoned being,¡± I said, letting that sink in. The class, whose eyes had started to glaze over after hearing Melody¡¯s class instructions, seemed to sit forward in their seats, interested to hear what I had to say. A year ago, I¡¯d have been terrified to speak in front of a group, but after the system arrived, and my training with the military, I was impervious to that particular anxiety. After pausing dramatically for a moment, I continued. ¡°I come from a world called Earth, and as you could probably surmise, it was a world almost completely devoid of mana. Magic, mana, and monsters were just subjects for fantasy fiction and games. Have any of you been to a mana-starved world before?¡± I asked, trying to make this more of a conversation rather than a monologue. ¡°No, why would anyone want to go to some primitive place that will suck the mana out of all your gear,¡± a student, the young elf woman, said with some disdain. ¡°True, a mana-starved world will drain any device you might bring back, and if you expend mana for a spell, or use it to activate an item or ability, it won¡¯t regenerate. There are exceptions to that, and some workarounds that I can tell you about, but in general, the young lady is correct, at least about the effects the world would have on you,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not young lady, Adjunct Professor Kline, it¡¯s Lady Var¡¯teness of the house of¡­¡± the elf started to say. A slight smile of self-importance crossed her lips as she emphasized my title as a temporary instructor. Melody interrupted her before she could get very far. ¡°Hold it right there, Var¡¯teness, here, at the academy, the students have no titles. You will be treated like any other student and offered no special treatment based on your station outside of this place. You will also show respect to your instructors, or you will find out in an unfortunate manner that the 10% of your class grade based on participation includes respecting your fellow students and professors. ¡°Why is it always the elves?¡± I thought to myself. ¡°I apologize Adjunct Professor Kline, and I assure you I meant no disrespect,¡± Var¡¯teness said. She sounded and looked like she genuinely meant it, but I wasn¡¯t going to believe that she had a true change of heart just because of Melody¡¯s dressing down. ¡°Thank you, Professor Zaraman. Back to the statement that the young lady made. While she was completely correct about the effects of a mana-starved world, she got one important detail wrong. Can anyone guess what that detail was?¡± I asked. Several hands went up, and I began to pick them out to answer my question. ¡°Was there some hidden reserve of mana on your world that was discovered?¡± a human student asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± I replied. ¡°How about a traveler from an integrated world, one that offered your people assistance?¡± another, the satyr, offered. ¡°No, I think we¡¯re getting a bit off track here, though we had at least one being lurking on our world from a place that was already integrated. I can get into that in a later class,¡± I replied, thinking back to Bhalkur, his cultists that I scrapped with, and Silas¡¯ work in dealing with him. ¡°Is it another part of her statement, perhaps, the part where she said your world was primitive?¡± the intelligent dog said. ¡°Correct, Mr¡­¡± I said looking to Melody for the student¡¯s name. My opinion of Melody also went up a few notches, when I realized that she hadn¡¯t done that annoying thing where the class introduces themselves, and then is forced to say something about your background.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Fluffles. Professor Kline, I¡¯ll get you the class roster later and we¡¯ll have everyone tell their names after your discussion is over. It took all the willpower and concentration I possessed to not laugh after hearing the dog¡¯s name. Did a species of intelligent dogs really name themselves the same way a five-year-old girl would name her pet puppy? ¡°You are exactly correct, uh, Mr. Fluffles,¡± I replied, trying and, thankfully, succeeding at not smiling and telling him he was a good boy. ¡°Your world had no mana, and no way to power spells and abilities, how could you not be considered primitive?¡± another student, one of the halflings, asked. Unlike the elf, I wasn¡¯t getting the vibe that this student meant anything insulting and was instead genuinely curious what I meant. ¡°We didn¡¯t have mana, or magic of any sort, but we did have something very powerful, we had technology. Tell me, what do you think is the most convenient thing that magic does for you,¡± I asked the halfling, who Melody whispered was named Dillan Copperbottom. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know, off the top of my head,¡± he said looking around the room before his gaze settled on the light globes that illuminated the place. ¡°Maybe mana-powered lights? I guess all you had was fire, or maybe candles, torches, and the like,¡± Copperbottom said. ¡°That¡¯s a good choice, and having light at night that allows you to work is important, and a problem my world had already conquered through science and technology. We had great machines that generated electricity, which I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with,¡± I said, noting several nods. They may not have electric lights, but they knew of the energy, and its use in lightning spells. ¡°That energy, electricity, powered lights around our world. At the touch of a switch, almost everyone on the planet can turn on a light. Even more, we had devices that could instantly communicate across the world, even show images like a scrying spell. Our military had weapons that would put all but the most powerful system-created artifacts to shame. ¡°Sadly, all that will change soon, as my world is on the brink of integration. But until that integration occurs, our world is preparing, using our technology to coordinate and plan. It¡¯s our hope that the integration won¡¯t be as catastrophic to my world as it is to so many others,¡± I explained. ¡°So, your world is still not integrated. That is interesting,¡± Mr. Fluffles said. ¡°No, but it could happen at any time, which is partially why I¡¯m no longer there and no longer a summoned being. It seems that the system will pull us from our summoned being status when we pass a tier and rank threshold that¡¯s different for every person and class. I must wait until after integration, and also a period of acclimatization after that, before I can return home,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s a long time to be away from your pack, you have my condolences Adjunct Professor Kline,¡± Mr. Fluffles replied. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Fluffles, but I¡¯m making the most of the opportunity before me, and I hope that you all might glean some understanding of summoning when you hear more details about my life as a summoned being. After all, who better to teach you about summoning, than the person you might summon,¡± I said. ¡°On a lighter note, one that doesn¡¯t dredge up thoughts of your world¡¯s coming problems, can you tell us about the most interesting summoning you were called to,¡± Melody asked. ¡°There were many, but I¡¯d have to say¡­¡± I said, stalling for time while I thought about which would fit best. ¡°I¡¯d say that the time I was summoned to test out amusement rides at a goblin business venture,¡± I said. ¡°Testing out rides? Why did they need to expend the mana to summon you to do something that mundane?¡± Var¡¯teness asked. ¡°Mundane, yes, safe, no. You see, there were some glitches they had to work out on their rides, they tended to kill the guests riding them, which, as you can imagine, isn¡¯t too good for business,¡± I explained. ¡°Did it kill you?¡± Var¡¯teness asked. She seemed genuinely interested now, and it was good to see her lose her arrogance for a bit. ¡°No, but that does bring up another subject I¡¯ll touch on. As a summoned being, you know the system regenerates us if we were killed during a summoning. I¡¯ve died dozens of times, and even though I knew that I would be regenerated, it was never a pleasant experience,¡± I said. Looking over to Melody in order to make sure I wasn¡¯t crossing the line when I went into some of the more gruesome aspects of my time as a summoned being. She gave me a slight nod but raised her eyebrows a bit. I got the hint, share what I wanted, but use some discretion. ¡°How were you selected to become a summoned being?¡± another human student asked. ¡°I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess. From what I can gather, there¡¯s no hard a fast rule on how the system selects someone, other than it will pick from the same general area that the previous summoned being you¡¯re replacing was in when they died. Oh yeah, that¡¯s why I was picked, another summoned being had been killed not too far from where I was living. Other than that, it seems like it was a totally random process,¡± I explained. ¡°How does someone from a mana-starved world navigate and adapt to the worlds you visited?¡± Var¡¯teness asked. It was a good question and one I needed a moment to think about before replying. Chapter 347. Necromancer or Rescue. Chapter 347. Necromancer or Rescue. I held up my hand, letting Var¡¯teness and the class know I was thinking for a moment about my answer. A flood of emotions flowed though me as I thought about the earliest summonings I¡¯d taken part in. So much had changed since I¡¯d begun this odd life, and I was a different person now compared to that frightened insurance adjuster the system had selected as a summoned being. ¡°At first, navigating the worlds I found myself in was a chaotic, and often terrifying, experience. In the beginning, I was still not sure that what I was experiencing was real, and I feared that I might have some kind of medical condition that was causing me to lose my mind. You must remember that magic, and the existence of intelligent species other than humans, were just things relegated to fantasy,¡± I explained. ¡°How long did it take you to accept your fate?¡± Mr. Fluffles asked. ¡°I¡¯d say after a half dozen summonings or so. It¡¯s hard to remember and place a specific time when I finally accepted that this was something real that was happening to me. Life back home wasn¡¯t exactly easy in those early days, and I was hunted by others that sought out summoned beings,¡± I said. ¡°What has your experience as a summoned being taught you about summoning other creatures? One of the human students asked. ¡°It was strange, there are many worlds that think all summoned creatures are just mana constructs. With system restrictions, it wasn¡¯t like I could interact all that much, or have extensive conversations with most of my summoners. The experience has taught me the value of selecting the right type of summoning for the situation at hand. ¡°I have to admit, there were many times when I knew from the start that I wasn¡¯t the right fit for the job I had been called to do,¡± I explained. ¡°In a more practical manner, can you tell me how you would choose your summonings? Is your class even summoning focused?¡± Var¡¯teness asked. Despite her earlier attitude, the young elf woman was engrossed in the conversation. The harshness of her tone seemed to dissipate when she was talking about summoning. ¡°My class is a summoning class, here, let me bring one of my minions out for you to see,¡± I told them. While I didn¡¯t necessarily want to give them all the details of how my class functioned, I did summon up the mana slayer drone. It had the most impressive presence compared to my other choices. As he appeared next to me, the students seemed to recoil back as the armored and bladed figure popped into existence. ¡°This is one of my typical minions. It has some rather formidable combat abilities and is also specialized to deal with magic users of all types. Something like this is a good general choice for a minion when you anticipate having to deal with conflict. As you gain higher tiers, and the number and power of the minions I can call forth improves, and that¡¯s when you need to start concerning yourself with synergy between your minions a bit more,¡± I said, summoning Elida to join us as well before continuing. ¡°This is Elida, and her abilities mesh well with the mana slayer drone here. A dangerous foe in melee combat, Elida is also a healer, which helps to keep her allies in the fight for longer. Other creatures I summon, either from my class or through consumables, will each fill a specific role. Think of your minions not just like meat shields to protect you, think of them more as members of an adventuring party. ¡°Just like adventuring parties in a dungeon, when you put together a strong team of summoned creatures, they can perform better than their tier and rank might imply,¡± I said. ¡°What do you do once your minions are summoned? Is it best to take cover and let them handle things?¡± the satyr, Gillips, asked. ¡°Some of that will depend on your class specifics, as for me, I realize there is sometimes a need for me to remain out of the fray and support my team with spells and abilities, and there is also a time when I need to get more directly involved,¡± I said, equipping my shield and lightning javelin, the electricity on the weapon crackled menacingly as I created a, hopefully, imposing figure in my armor and gear. ¡°Thank you for your time, Professor Kline,¡± Melody said, taking charge as our class time was running out. ¡°We have time for one final question, and don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t the last time you¡¯ll see Professor. Kline in this class,¡± Melody said. A few hands went up, and I picked the gnoll who had raised his hand for the first time. ¡°Professor Kline, what was the most dangerous opponent you¡¯ve faced during your various summonings?¡± ¡°There were a few that I couldn¡¯t even begin to quantify their power. All I can tell you is that I was very glad I was revived after every summoning. What I will say is that it¡¯s important to remember that the opponent you fear now, will eventually become hardly a more than a nuisance if you keep up your studies and continue to learn and improve.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I¡¯ll give you an example. The very first summoning I was called to had me facing off against a single orc warrior. I lasted only as long as it took the orc to swing his axe. Now, that type of foe would pose little danger to me, even without my minions, but back then, defeating it was an insurmountable task. ¡°Learn, grow, and work hard to make yourselves the best version of your specific class that you can manage, and no matter how difficult an obstacle seems, you¡¯ll eventually overcome it,¡± I said. The class smiled at me, and a few nodded. I didn¡¯t have any idea if I was getting through to them, or if I was just an amusing distraction from normal schoolwork, but I hoped that what I said would help at least one of them. ¡°Thank you again, Professor, now, our time is up, and you need to get moving to your next class,¡± Melody said, shooing the students out. Today, she didn¡¯t have another class after this one, so we had a bit of free time. ¡°Melody, do you need any help before the next class?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I think that does it for today. We¡¯ll get started early tomorrow since we¡¯ll have more than just one partial class to deal with. Take the rest of the day off, if you like. I know you have several things you¡¯re pursuing in your off time,¡± Melody said, generously cutting me loose for the afternoon. After stopping at my room to shed the school robe I was wearing, I headed out of the tower and toward town. I had to see if there were any summoning contracts available, and if not, maybe I could get a dungeon run in if the queue wasn¡¯t too out of hand. The guards at the school gate gave me a quick once over and waved me through. It had only been on campus for a few days, but I think they were getting used to seeing me come and go. I retraced my steps to the Somhagen Exports store. At this point in the afternoon, the shop was doing brisk business, and I waded through the crowd of adventurers trying to spot one of the clerks, or preferably, Ingrid who I¡¯d spoken to before. It turned out that she was the one that spotted me. From behind the counter, she waved me forward, to the annoyance of several other impatient customers. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m glad you made it back, I assume you¡¯re looking for those contracts we discussed?¡± she asked. ¡°You got it, do you have anything for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, please follow me,¡± she said, leading me past the counter and into the back of the store where a small office was located. It was a bit cramped, and about what you¡¯d expect from the manager¡¯s office of a retail store back on Earth. A wobbly, wooden desk and a filing cabinet were stuffed in the space, leaving little room for the two of us. ¡°I apologize for the lack of space; we¡¯re still setting things up to handle the influx of students for the new semester. That, and the number of adventurers in town, has put a strain on our staff, and our storage facilities. I¡¯m sure by your next visit, we¡¯ll have a bit more room to operate,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°No worries, I¡¯m more concerned about the contracts you may have for me rather than a bit of extra legroom,¡± I said, trying to keep the conversation on track. ¡°Certainly, and now that we know you¡¯re willing to accept the extra work, I¡¯ll have a better selection for you on your next visit. For now, you can look at the two we have to offer,¡± Ingrid said, pulling two scrolls from her desk and sliding them over for me to examine. The first was written on crisp, new parchment, and the second felt old and weathered, like it would crumble to dust if I wasn¡¯t careful how I handled it. Once I touched the scrolls, a brief description of each job was displayed by the system. The Household of Zarnir seeks to engage you in a short-term contract. A member of the household has gotten themselves in a bit of trouble and someone not affiliated with the household is needed to extract them from the situation. The terms and conditions are as follows.
  1. Rescue the ¡°to be later named¡± family member from their current situation. Once extracted, the family member must be taken to a rendezvous point, at which time, the contract will be considered complete. The total contract time is estimated to be around 4 hours, as long as the contracted employee is efficient.
  2. Summoning conditions. You will be operating in a temperate environment without any extremes in weather. There is a moderate chance of conflict with enemies around tier two and of various rankings. An opportunity to solve this situation without bloodshed will result in a bonus.
  3. For successful completion of the contract, you will be offered 50 gold, a minor magic item to be selected by Somhagen Exports, and the favor of House Zarnir. All rewards will be provided directly via the representative at Somhagen Exports.
That sounded like a simple snatch and grab rescue mission, but there was the chance to avoid bloodshed, which meant the situation was probably a bit more nuanced than just kill everything, rescue the hostage, and then leave. Before I made a decision, I opened the old and weathered scroll. The necromancer Rodnix wishes to engage your services to deal with some troublesome undead. These undead are currently contained, but they require a living being to see that their threat is permanently ended. Once the last of the troublesome undead are dealt with, your contract will be considered complete. The terms and conditions are as follows.
  1. Destroy 126 minor undead that range from Tier 0, Rank 5, to Tier 1, Rank 8. Additional instructions on the destruction and disposal of the undead will be provided once the contract is accepted. The estimated contract time is 2-5 hours based on the efficiency of your actions.
  2. Summoning conditions. You will be operating in an environment saturated with necrotic energy. While it will not directly harm you, both mana and health regeneration will occur at a reduced rate. There is perpetual twilight, so plan accordingly with any additional lighting sources you wish to bring.
  3. For the successful completion of this contract, you will be offered 50 gold, and a reusable summoning item. The rewards have been placed in escrow and will be delivered by the representative at Somhagen Exports.
I had two interesting options, and both seemed short enough that I could complete them in between my other obligations. There was some danger, and a lot of unknowns, but from the opposition both contracts outlined, they seemed like nothing I couldn¡¯t handle. Chapter 348. It Fell from the Sky. Chapter 348. It Fell from the Sky. ¡°I¡¯ll give both a shot,¡± I said, happy to have a couple of contracts that I could get to on my own time, instead of just being randomly summoned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I neglected to mention that these are both time sensitive and you must begin the quest before tomorrow morning. Due to that, I can only offer you a choice of which summoning contract you wish to accept. I have another party that will take the other one,¡± Ingrid advised. I was hoping to get a shot at both, and now I had to decide which I would prefer to do. There were pros and cons with each contract, and the first seemed like there might be something shady that this House Zarnir was trying to pull. From the vague description and the instructions for the ¡°rescue¡±, I was getting the feeling this might not be a true rescue and more along the lines of a rich family trying to get their kid out of trouble. The necromancer¡¯s offer was more straightforward. I just had to go in, kill the undead, and follow some disposal instructions. My only concern was the question of why a necromancer needed my help in dealing with the undead. I also wasn¡¯t keen on having to dispose of the undead remains, whatever that entailed. Still, I was intrigued to meet a real necromancer, and the reward of a reusable summoning item pushed me in that direction. ¡°I¡¯ll take Rodnix¡¯s contract,¡± I said. Both Ingrid and the system seemed to accept my decision, and a new system prompt appeared. You have accepted the terms of the contract presented by the necromancer Rodnix. This contract must be activated within the next 8 hours. To activate the contract, push mana into the document you currently hold, and wait for a portal to appear. ¡°An interesting choice, Rico, and as always, we appreciate your business,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Thanks for the opportunity. I¡¯ll check in the next time I¡¯m in town. After this contract, I have other duties at the academy I¡¯ll need to take care of. I¡¯d ask that you keep an eye out for any contracts offered from my home world of Earth if you¡¯re able to track that sort of thing,¡± I asked. ¡°A large portion of these contracts aren¡¯t detailed as to the specific world, but if I come across any, I¡¯ll set them aside for you to examine, if it¡¯s at all possible. See you soon, Rico,¡± Ingrid said as I made my way out of the cramped office. I wouldn¡¯t mind doing a bit more shopping to see if any of the inventory in the shops had changed, but I was on the clock with my new contract. Starting it as soon as possible was probably the best choice. That way, I¡¯d hopefully have some extra time to sleep before classes start tomorrow. A quick stop at a food cart on the way home made Melvin happy. This cart offered spicy chicken skewers that were slathered in a sauce that reminded me of tzatziki. I downed one, which would tide me over until a late dinner after my contract was done, but Melvin decided that four would be the right amount for him to enjoy. At least he also dissolved the wooden skewers for us, so I didn¡¯t have make a detour to find a trash can. Another thought popped into my head. The academy had trash cans, like you¡¯d see in most businesses or schools, but I had no idea how waste disposal was handled. Was there some interdimensional portal that they shoved it all through or was it just a pit with a bunch of slimes that broke everything down? I¡¯d have to ask if I remembered, but first, I secured the door to my room, checked my gear, and began to push mana into the decaying paper of the necromancer¡¯s contract. I began to get worried as the scroll absorbed the mana without any result, but once I hit a total of thirty points dumped into the scroll, a small portal opened in the middle of my bedroom. Stepping though the portal caused a system prompt to appear. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. You are entering an environment saturated with necromantic energy, your minor resistance to the Curse of Undeath, combined with your minor Toxins resistance are sufficient to prevent any damage to your body. As a living creature, your mana in this environment will regenerate 25% slower than normal, and any Life magic spells, including healing, will operate with a 25% effectiveness penalty and have a 25% increased mana cost. ¡°I see that the Summoned Market has come through for me. Welcome to my abode, I am Balthazar Rodnix,¡± a human-looking man said as I stepped through the portal and into a rather well-lit and well-appointed study. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from a necromancer¡¯s home, but this wasn¡¯t it. The room was more like something you¡¯d see in a Victorian Era British gentleman¡¯s home rather than one for a mage that animated the dead. Rodnix himself seemed normal enough. He was middle-aged with a slight paunch, balding, and with dark, well-trimmed facial hair. He wore normal clothing, pants, a dress shirt, and a vest complete with a pocket watch. There were no bloodstains or dark energy flowing off him. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Rico Kline. I hear you have some troublesome undead you¡¯d like me to deal with,¡± I said, reaching out to shake his hand. Raising an eyebrow in surprise at my actions, Rodnix shook my hand. This was when his class and the magic associated with it showed up. A cold sensation encompassed my hand, and when we finished the firm handshake, I could see the skin on my palm turn a bit grey for a few moments. ¡°I take it you don¡¯t associate with many necromancers. It¡¯s not often that the summoned help is willing to deal with a bit of discomfort to attend to the niceties of a civilized world. Please, take a seat, and I¡¯ll explain what I need your help with. Can I offer you a Brandy or a bite of something? I promise that my chef is rather skilled, and the food he prepares is healthy for the living,¡± Rodnix offered. I took a seat in a comfortable overstuffed leather reading chair. A servant entered the room, and though it wore a butler¡¯s outfit, it was clearly the animated skeleton of a small humanoid of some type. After declining any refreshments, Rodnix got on with the point of my visit. ¡°This is a rather unique situation I find myself in. There is a nearby village, one inhabited by the living, and they often come here to trade with me. While my class utilizes the undying, I do personally require sustenance, and I appreciate the finer things in life as well. In return for their wares, I pay the village above market rates, so everyone is happy. I also get access to the remains of those villagers that don¡¯t have other funerary arrangements in place at the time of their demise. ¡°Late at night, just over a week ago, I could see something fall from the heavens, wreathed in flame. It landed in a field near the village, and though I was interested in discovering what it was, the villagers would have surely beaten me to the prize. I waited for someone to come and trade, so I could inquire about the object. Unfortunately, nobody has shown up for several days, when I typically get more than a few visitors to trade every day,¡± Rodnix said, pausing to sip the drink his skeletal butler had delivered. ¡°I take it you sent someone to check on the village?¡± I asked, hoping he¡¯d get to the point of my assignment. ¡°Yes, I sent a pair of my servants, those that were less¡­battered than most. Neither returned, and soon after they left, I sensed my connection to them had been severed. While necromancy is my trade, I¡¯m not without some access to other magics. Even though casting it was rather difficult, I used a scroll of scrying to observe the village. What I found was the entire population of the place had been slain, and turned into the undead,¡± Rodnix said. ¡°Is that unusual in this place? I would suspect that undead were common, given the necromantic mana saturation the system mentioned. Also, couldn¡¯t you just, I don¡¯t know, take control of the undead and have one tell you what happened?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, here¡¯s where it gets strange. These undead, all low tier and rank zombies, were congregating in a nearby field, a field that had partially burned down. In the ashen remains of their crops, I spotted the battered object that had fallen from the sky. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the object, so I gathered some of my guardians, left my home, and attempted to make contact. ¡°To my surprise, these undead completely resisted my powers. Even worse, they became aggressive once they spotted me. My guardians moved to defend me, but once in the fray, they also turned against me, and I barely managed to escape with most of my party left behind. As soon as I was out of sight, the undead, their ranks bolstered by my guardians, went back to pacing around the fallen object. ¡°What I need you to do, Rico Kline, is destroy those undead so I can investigate what that object in the field really is,¡± Rodnix asked. This guy was obviously worked up and looked a bit terrified when he talked about his undead guardians turning on him. I had my work cut out for me, and I was beginning to think that this contract might be a bit more dangerous than I had expected. Chapter 349. Bash and Burn. Chapter 349. Bash and Burn. ¡°Let me summon my minions, and I¡¯ll do some reconnaissance on the village,¡± I said. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll have one of my servants, one of the living ones, accompany you. Please wait here until I make the arrangements,¡± Rodnix said, calling for his butler and following him out of the study. As I began to summon my minions, a new system prompt appeared. It looked like the system had delayed my minion selection this time before giving me options. Maybe it had to do with the necromantic energy this world was infused with, or perhaps there was something else here that interfered with my class. Despite the delay, the initial summoning process for my new class was back on track. Please select the two minions from your barracks that you wish to accompany you on this summoning contract.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
Knowing that I was going to be facing undead, I decided on the drone as my first choice. It wouldn¡¯t be as easily affected by any type of undead curse, unlike the goblin trio. Elida was my second choice, as I figured a single competent warrior that could heal would be better than the three goblins for this one. Also, if we were facing a weak swarm of undead, her aura ability might help turn the tide if we were overrun. You have Chosen the Mana Slayer Drone, and Elida Silverbarrow, Battle Mender. Please select a third minion from the following list of options based on your previous summoning contract.
  1. Corrupted Naga Warrior.
  2. Team of Rabid Gnomes.
  3. Rifleman.
I had been hoping that I¡¯d get something interesting like one of the ogres, or even better, one of the more powerful corrupted versions of the ogre. The naga and gnomes were rather generic, and there was no way I was going to pass up a rifleman. I doubted that the rifleman would have the skills and abilities that Silas had shown, but some ranged firepower was just what I needed to round out our party. You have chosen the Rifleman as your final minion. The rifleman possesses a single shot weapon with long range and high damage potential. With exceptional accuracy, the Rifleman possesses a system generated ammunition pouch that regenerates 1 cartridge every minute. In addition to the rifle, your minion possesses a bayonet to deal with melee threats. Please note that your Rifleman minion possesses only basic melee skill and should be kept out of close combat if at all possible. Summoner¡¯s Gift has activated. Please select an ability you wish to share with your minions.
  1. Riposte.
  2. Minion Shared Burden.
I had to make a choice before the system would let start summoning my minions. The Riposte ability was always effective, if not that exciting. Minion Shared Burden sounded like my ability but wasn¡¯t quite identical. When I concentrated on the option, more information appeared. Minion Shared Burden creates a link between your minions and shares 25% of the damage one receives with its companions. This ability also works with healing, sharing 25% of any healing received with the other companions. That was interesting, and what I picked. The limited choices were also a reminder that I had very few personal abilities that could be shared, as most of my power was in my class abilities that the system didn¡¯t seem to want to add as an option. Maybe more things would unlock as I gained higher tiers and ranks. Minion Shared Burden is now active. Summoner¡¯s Share has activated. Choose an ability/spell from one of your minions. This ability/spell will remain active for the duration of this summoning contract.
  1. Lesser Plasma Beam.
  2. Minor Gleaming Aura.
  3. Sniper¡¯s Shot.
All three sounded useful, and Sniper¡¯s Shot gave a system prompt after I concentrated on it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Sniper¡¯s Shot. Your next ranged attack has greatly increased accuracy and damage. This ability can only be used 1/day. I knew the abilities I received from Summoner¡¯s Gift would be toned down versions of my minions¡¯ abilities, but of the three, I had to go with the Plasma Beam after seeing how strong it was with my drone. Even with a weaker version, I¡¯d be able to do some real damage. Lesser Plasma Beam has been selected. You may activate this ability for a total of 5 seconds. The charge will slowly regenerate at the rate of 1 second of charge every 2 hours. To activate this ability, simply designate a target within 100 yards of your current location. With all my selections complete, I could finally summon my minions. I started with the drone, then Elida, and finally, the Rifleman. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, maybe something like the soldiers I¡¯d worked with, but this new minion wasn¡¯t quite there. The Rifleman was a human of average height and build, and he wore no armor, just sturdy clothing that wasn¡¯t quite a uniform. My first thought was that this guy was going to be squishy, but that was somewhat to be expected from a ranged damage type minion. The rifle he held was odd, but close to something I expected to see maybe right after the Civil War. It was longer than a modern rifle and was breech loading with a small lever on the side to open the breech and replace the spent cartridge. A pouch over the Rifleman¡¯s shoulder held his ammo, and after having him count, it turned out that the minion was equipped with a total of fifty rounds. That wouldn¡¯t last long with a magazine fed weapon, but having to reload after each shot should make it enough for a normal fight. If things dragged on, at least his pouch, according to the system description, would replenish one cartridge each minute. Looking at one of the cartridges, it seemed massive, much larger than the compact 5.56mm rounds I fired from the M4 in weapons training. Hopefully, they would do substantial damage to the undead we were about to face. With my team assembled, all I was waiting for was the necromancer to tell me how to get to the undead he wanted me to destroy. Rodnix returned a few minutes later, with a frightened-looking older man in homespun clothing following behind him. The butler was also nearby, and if I had to guess, that undead butler was probably much more than a servant. It was most likely a deadly bodyguard as well. ¡°This is Cavendar, he¡¯s from the village I wish you to visit. He¡¯ll guide you there, but keep in mind that he is a non-combatant and should be protected. Now, there are also some special considerations for these undead. As you may know, in a normal, zombified undead, enough damage of any type is sufficient to break up the necrotic energy that animates them. ¡°In these I can sense only lingering wisps of necrotic energy, and normal damage will do little but hamper their mobility. You must destroy their brains in order to stop them. After that, I would like to see the remains burned. To that end, I¡¯ll have a pyre built just outside the village. You¡¯ll take the remains there and ignite the pyre to destroy every last vestige of whatever curse is animating them. ¡°Finally, once you¡¯ve disposed of the remains properly, I¡¯d like you to examine the object in the field. Can you accomplish this?¡± Rodnix asked. His description of the undead sounded more like something from a zombie movie where a virus was causing the dead to rise. Still, killing undead, even with headshots, shouldn¡¯t be a problem for my team. ¡°I can handle that, just lead us to the threat, and we¡¯ll take care of it for you,¡± I said with confidence. ¡°Very well, Cavendar will hitch up a wagon and get you where you need to be. After he observes your efforts, he will return here and gather a work party to build the pyre. Once you¡¯ve completed all your tasks, you will consider this contract complete and return from whence you came. ¡°I must insist that after you come in contact with these strange undead, that you do not approach anyone else on my staff, and do not attempt to return here to my estate. That is non-negotiable, and I must have your understanding on the matter,¡± the necromancer Rodnix demanded. ¡°Not a problem, we¡¯ll take care of the job, and then we¡¯ll leave,¡± I assured him. There was a large wagon outside the estate and Cavendar waved us inside. A pair of skeletal horses pulled the wagon at a sedate pace, and we left through an open gate in the walled estate. As soon as we left, the gate slammed closed with an ominous thump. The area around the estate was woodland, though most of the trees looked to be stripped of their foliage like it was winter, though the weather was rather warm. We rolled on for a half hour or so before we emerged from the woods. In the distance, I could see the burned-out remains of a small village. Nearby fields were overgrown with crops that were well past their harvesting time. One field, the one closest to the forest, was burned down like the village had been. A swarm of figures milled about in the field, bumping into each other as they slowly shambled in a circle. ¡°This is as far as I can go. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll be waiting here to show you where the pyre is being made,¡± Cavendar said as we unloaded. As soon as we were out of the wagon, Cavendar whipped the wagon around and retreated into the woods. ¡°Well team, let¡¯s get started,¡± I said, ordering my minions into formation while I made some final preparations. Chapter 350. Undead Disposal. Chapter 350. Undead Disposal. My preparations began with activating my new weapon, the Ghost Archer¡¯s Crossbow. The crossbow appeared, a translucent image of a weapon that floated just above my right shoulder. I could feel a connection with it, and I willed it a bit higher so it wouldn¡¯t get in the way or distract me. It only had five shots, but from the original description, it should be accurate enough for what I needed against the undead. The 25-mana cost for the crossbow was hefty, but even with the reduced regeneration brought about by the necrotic energy permeating this world, I would be fine. Next up, I cast Duplicate on the drone. I had a feeling the undead wouldn¡¯t be able to crack through its armor and having two of them was probably the way to go. Once the two drones were up and running, I activated Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. Fingers crossed, I reached in and pulled out an honest to goodness panther with sleek, black fur, and an impressive set of teeth and claws. Finally, after rats and small harmless animals only seen on Animal Planet, I had something that should hold its own in a fight. Targeting the nearest foes, the panther sprinted toward the undead in the distance. Before the panther drew their attention, I also activated the Portal of the Cackle and watched as the first gnoll emerged and charged after the much faster panther. There was also the pouch with the hydra teeth, but there was only a single tooth inside, the others still hadn¡¯t regenerated after I used them all to help Silas. Still, every minion counted we were facing off against over 200 foes, far more than the contract had stated, so I activated the tooth. Unlike the monstrous creature with multiple heads, the single tooth only summoned a hydra the size of a large dog with a single head. Still, it had a mouth full of deadly teeth, and thick scales to protect it. Lumbering off after the panther and the gnolls, the hydra joined the fight. Having seen a menagerie of living creatures heading toward them, the undead walking their endless circles in the field finally reacted. As one, the swarm of undead turned toward the panther and other creatures strung out behind it. Shambling forward at a sedate, but inexorable pace, the undead moved toward the living flesh. I thanked the system that they weren¡¯t the fast undead from some of the movies I¡¯d seen. A horde of slow shamblers was fine with me. ¡°We¡¯ll let the others soften them up, then engage at range. Use your grenades, then the plasma beams when they get closer,¡± I ordered my team. I could command them with a thought, but I found that, sometimes, it just felt better to give the orders verbally. Both drones rotated their grenade launchers toward the horde, which were a few hundred yards away still. Elida had her sling, but none of our weapons were in range yet. I sent a mental reminder for them to go for head shots if possible. Grenades were a different story, and I had high hopes they would blast a good chunk of our foes apart, leaving them perhaps still animated, but much less of a threat. In the distance, the puma jumped high and hit the lead zombie in the chest. This zombie looked like it had been partially burnt, maybe in the fire that consumed the field and village. The clothes on the right side of its body were just singed remnants, and its flesh on that side was also blackened and sloughing off. Unfortunately for my puma, which landed in a flurry of claws and bites, the burnt flesh did little to dissuade the zombie from tearing and biting at the large cat. The puma wasn¡¯t intelligent enough for me to have it target the zombie¡¯s head, so all I could do was watch as it clawed the zombie¡¯s flesh, but in return was bitten and torn apart by the undead. In a puff of mana vapor, the puma was gone. Right on the heels of the puma was the first of ten gnolls. The gnolls summoned by the portal were unarmored and only held simple weapons, most spawning with hand axes or shortswords. Despite their poor gear and tier zero, rank five stats, the gnolls were able to receive limited commands. I ordered them to go for the head, which is exactly what they did. At first, the gnolls held out well enough, another arriving every 30 seconds, and the hydra soon joining them in the fight. The first gnoll, armed with a hand axe slammed it into the head of the zombie that had killed the puma. That did the job, and the zombie collapsed in a heap. One after another, the zombies fell, but I couldn¡¯t get the gnolls to back away after each kill, and the undead began to encircle them. The gnolls and hydra were unable to defend themselves on all sides and my small army of minions dissipated back into mana vapor. If the zombies were angered by their meal disappearing, they showed no signs, and instead, shambled their way toward the only living things in sight, me, Elida, and the rifleman. I was pretty sure the drones, with their mechanical bodies, weren¡¯t going to be on the menu, so I ordered them forward to engage the zombie horde. They would stay just within range of our healing magic, but the gap would give me and Elida some time to react if things went sideways. The drones opened up with their grenade launchers, and high explosive rounds began to blast into the ranks of undead. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I felt a bit of relief as each grenade did its work, the fragments killing many of my enemies outright as they pierced through undead skulls. Others had limbs or parts of their bodies removed and would fall behind the horde, becoming easy targets if we could deal with the main force of undead. When the horde walked out of the blast zone, I estimated that between the gnolls and grenades, we had culled fifty or so undead. Next up were the plasma beams. Brilliant light lanced out from each drone, burning through the ranks of undead. The first few seconds, the beams cut zombies in half, up to two ranks behind the lead monsters. My drones then adjusted their fire, sweeping through the enemy at head height. It was only ten seconds of fire, but at the end of it, the plasma beams had done even better than the grenades, and about half the horde was now down, or incapacitated to some degree. Crafting crossbows for their smaller pair of arms to manipulate, the pair of drones began an accurate ranged fire with the weapons. I dropped a Health Bloom over the pair, my healing magic allowing them to replenish the material in their bodies that they were using to create ammunition. The rifleman was also in action now and round after round banged out of his weapon. Initially, head shots were few, but the rifleman¡¯s accuracy would improve as the range shortened. He had his pouch of fifty cartridges and the weapon¡¯s slow rate of fire would make that last him for some time. Just before the undead reached melee range with the drones, I activated the version of the plasma weapon that I¡¯d gained from the Summoner¡¯s Share ability. My beam was less powerful, and difficult to aim, but I managed to take down a solid half-dozen foes. There was no plasma weapon appearing on my shoulder like what was mounted on the drones. Instead, my beam just originated from above my head and targeted where I looked. My Ghost Archer Crossbow also began to fire, loosing a bolt every few seconds. Unlike my aim, the ghostly force animating the crossbow was an expert, and every one of its five bolts were head shots. As the last bolt fired, the crossbow fell to the ground next to me and slowly dissipated. I had a moment of worry as it disappeared, but I could feel it was still there, in my pack, and would be ready for me to call upon it again once its power was restored. Elida began to fire sling stones, and the drones reabsorbed their crossbows and generated maces for their pair of smaller hands to wield. The zombies completely ignored the drones, which were now tearing through the surviving undead like a walking blender. Each of their four arms were deadly weapons, and a kick from the drone could shatter the chest of any zombie it struck. Despite the devastation my drones were causing, the zombies didn¡¯t veer from their target, slowly closing the gap between us. I fired off all ten charges in my magic missile wand, landing three killing blows and doing minor damage with the other hits. As the distance closed to twenty feet, I ordered Elida and the rifleman to pull back. We were easily able to outpace the undead, and I led them around the edge of the forest, keeping safely out of range while the drones did most of the heavy lifting. Ten minutes after the fight began, the last zombie was down and the drones were walking among the fallen, ensuring none were still functional. With the threat dealt with, I headed toward the center of the field to see what had attracted the undead¡¯s attention. It was a lump of burnt, and mostly melted metal. The overall shape was a barrel-like cylinder. A strange, green slime leaked from the side of the object, and I made sure not to get too close to it. I was at a loss as to what the object was, but then I spotted something interesting. A panel was attached to the bottom of the object, and it was only partially melted. I could only make out a bit of what it said, with the Linguistic Adaptation Interface translating what I could see. ¡­containment cylinder reentry module¡­2-4-5 Triox¡­ That made no sense, but maybe the necromancer would figure it out when he finally got around to visiting the site. What intrigued me was that this was called a reentry module. Had this been a satellite in orbit over this world? I could imagine a satellite slowly orbiting for centuries after a world was integrated, and being at the edge of the atmosphere, maybe it took longer for the mana to degrade it. Whatever the thing was, it wasn¡¯t my problem anymore. In the distance, Cavendar shouted and waved. When I approached, he backed away, clearly not wanting to get too close, he shouted toward me. ¡°Stay back, I don¡¯t want to risk being infected. The pyre is just inside the tree line, next to the road we arrived on,¡± Cavendar shouted, pointing toward the edge of the forest, where I could make out several skeletal undead unloading wood from the back of a wagon. When one wagon was unloaded, the skeletons broke vehicle apart, using the wood to grow the size of the pyre. It took another hour, and a half-dozen wagon loads of wood, before the skeletons were done. As the last of the pyre was completed, the skeletons climbed to the top of the pyre and dumped buckets of lamp oil onto the wood. All at once, the skeletons collapsed atop the pyre, whatever necromantic energy Rodnix used to animate them had been cut off. I took that as a sign we were supposed to torch the skeletal remains, as well as those of the zombies. My two drones, along with Elida and the rifleman were given the unenviable task of dragging the remains to the pyre. My minions would disappear into mana vapor at the end of this, and I wasn¡¯t willing to risk getting infected with whatever crud had plagued these undead. My team worked efficiently, and I unsummoned them once the last undead was stacked high atop the pyre, and my drones had used their plasma beams to ignite it. As the flames roared high into the twilight, a system prompt appeared. You have successfully completed your contracted summoning. Your summoner has added an additional reward. You have been awarded 19 Experience. You may collect your rewards at Somhagen Exports. Chapter 274. First 50 to 5. Chapter 274. First 50 to 5. The headquarters turned faded and blurry as the rank five upgrades started. Unlike the other buildings, I could still work in the headquarters while it was being upgraded. Most of the other classes involved in the challenge would probably have welcomed a break to explore the map or personally deal with a theat. For me, I was able to use my minions to do most of the dirty work. Various caravans continued to run the trade routes, each dropping off resources when they arrived at my market. The roads were having an impact, and even though it was just a small speed buff, I could tell the difference when watching the progress on the map. I was surprised to see the occasional red dot appear on the various trade routes. So far, they appeared to be minor threats, and any nearby patrols were quick to respond to them. I was able to watch one skirmish that occurred on the route between my cavern and the gnomish cave. A red dot appeared on my side of the route, and my squad guarding the route moved quickly to intercept. Luckily, there were no caravans nearby, so if the warriors could deal with the threat, we¡¯d be in good shape. I could see a small distance around my squad and as they drew close, the threat turned out to be a trio of those lizards we had fought early in the challenge. My minions had little trouble dealing with them, and I hoped my kobold troops would do equally as well. The additional squad members from the upgraded barracks hadn¡¯t all spawned yet, so this squad only had five warriors. Despite only having five warriors, it did have one of the first sorcerers in it, so that should help in the fight. My kobold warriors were still modestly equipped and wielded a spear with a steel tip and a dagger as a backup weapon. I was happy to see that one of the five warriors had a crossbow out that he was pointing in the direction of the lizards. They still didn¡¯t have much in the way of armor, with all the kobolds only wearing leather armor that offered modest protection. Hopefully, as the crafting center really got going, they¡¯d get better gear, and maybe a shield for the spear wielding kobolds would be a nice addition. My crossbow wielding kobold opened the fight with a shot that hit the first lizard right between the eyes. It looked like the training exchange between my people and the elves was starting to pay off. In addition, the sorcerer fired off Bursts of Flame at the next lizard charging toward them. The blasts of fire did some minor impact damage, but the damage over time component seemed to do the trick as all three blasts burned into the thick hide of the lizard. Neither creature was dead yet, but both the injured lizards were struggling to stay upright. The spear wielding kobold warriors didn¡¯t rush to attack or run in fear. Instead, their training kicked in and they stopped and readied their spears to receive the enemy charge. Only the size of large dogs, the lizard charge wasn¡¯t too devastating on the diminutive kobolds, and all four of the spear wielders managed to skewer their attackers. The two already wounded lizards died immediately, but the final one struggled at the end of one of the spears until his crossbow wielding comrade finished the lizard off with a final shot to the face. There were no system prompts granting awards or resources, the skirmish was just another day in the life of a kobold warrior. I felt a bit better at my forces being able to defend against threats to the caravans. The threat would be reduced once all the road networks were in place, and their buffs helped to keep attackers away. The haze around my headquarters suddenly dissipated, and I found myself inside a rather nice room. It was all constructed of the gnomish stone and looked sturdy and official. There was also much more in the way of furniture and d¨¦cor. I had a long, mushroom stalk desk with chairs for meetings that I¡¯d probably never have. The map table was separate from the meeting area and sported a comfortable chair with padding for me to sit on. Heading outside, the outer door was now made of thick planks of wood reinforced with iron straps. A large wooden beam rested against the wall just inside, which could be used to secure the place in an emergency. A small waiting room was separated from the meeting room and map table where I¡¯d normally be. A small group of kobold workers began to filter into the headquarters, two sitting at a desk in the waiting room as if waiting for visitors, and the others trying to make themselves useful by cleaning and organizing things in the building. I also had a trio of kobold warriors standing guard outside, two regular warriors and a larger one tagged by the system as a sergeant. These were additional troops and didn¡¯t count against the total number of squads my barracks could produce. A system prompt appeared just after I got a good look at everything. Congratulations, you¡¯re one of the first 50 participants to construct a rank 5 headquarters. Rank 5 will be the rank cap for this challenge. Bonus rewards will be assigned based on your position in achieving this milestone. Your rank is #39 and you have received additional resources, a new structure, and enhancements to your headquarters. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Rewards:
  1. Armored resource storage silo. An additional, armored silo has been added to your quartermaster¡¯s hut. This silo resists attempts to destroy or pillage the resources inside, resulting in an additional 2% bonus added to any resources that are stored inside. Your existing silo will also be slowly upgraded to the new standard at no cost to you.
  2. As part of your reward, the new silo will be initially filled with resources.
  3. Headquarters upgrade: Redoubt. The Redoubt upgrade for your headquarters transforms it into a secure defensive structure designed to hold off attackers for as long as possible until help can arrive. A dedicated defensive squad will be added as a garrison and other options for defense may unlock at a later time.
That was a nice surprise. I had a feeling I was doing well on the challenge due to my minions handling a lot of the heavy lifting for me outside the cavern. Being in the top fifty to construct a rank five headquarters gave me some confidence that this arena run was going to be worth it. Standing outside the building, I could see it begin to go hazy briefly as the changes to it took place. Over at the quartermaster¡¯s hut, I could see the second silo appear. Just as the system advertised, it looked to be made of sturdy stone, a huge improvement over the slapdash construction of the original. When my headquarters finished up, I was surprised to see that it had transformed into a mini keep. A crenelated wall with a fortified gate surrounded the building, which now had thicker walls and firing ports at various points around it. The windows had wood and steel shutters that could be closed and bolted if we were attacked, and the defenders had expanded to a full squad, including a sorcerer. The good news kept coming as another round of system notifications appeared, apparently triggered by my upgrades. Your Faction Morale has improved from Disgruntled, to Neutral. The morale of the confederated Zalbairn Forest Elves has improved to Disgruntled. The morale of the Village of Millstone has improved to Disgruntled. Continued trade with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes has changed their reputation with you from Friendly to Potential Ally. Everyone seemed happy, but it was apparently too soon for the city of Shoremarch to improve their opinion of us. It seemed that any imminent rebellion among our confederated groups wasn¡¯t going to happen anytime soon. Given their reputation improvements, it was probably time to institute a mutual defense pact with each of them. Both factions had been given plenty of time to recover from our initial conflicts, and it was time for them to start shouldering the burden of defense a bit more. I pulled up my confederated factions tab to see where each of them stood. Confederated Factions.
  1. Zalbairn Forest Elves.
Population: 118. Military forces: 2 squads. Average structure rank: 3.1. Morale: Disgruntled.
  1. Village of Millstone.
Population: 194. Military forces: 3 squads. Average structure rank: 2.8 Morale: Disgruntled. Neither of them had that much in the way of military forces. Still, I opened the negotiation tab and implemented a mutual defense pact with each. It wasn¡¯t much of a negotiation, both were confederated factions and couldn¡¯t tell me no, but I was happy to see that the new demands didn¡¯t tank their morale. Waiting to force the defense pact until both were stronger had been the right call. A mutual defense pact with the Zalbairn Forest Elves has been established. Should either faction be attacked by an outside foe, the other agrees to lend military aid. This pact will also require the confederated faction to expand their military presence. At their current population, the Zalbairn Forest Elves will add an additional 2 squads to their total forces. Other troops will train and deploy once their population increases enough to support them. As the faction leader, you may request control of up to 2 squads of the Zalbairn Forest Elves to use in your territory as you wish. Please note that taking these troops far from home or causing them to take heavy casualties will negatively affect the morale of this faction. The elves now had two squads I could order around. One was already patrolling the trade route between us, so I added the second one to the same task, giving us better protection on that route. Now I needed to do the same thing with the human village. A mutual defense pact with the Village of Millstone has been established. Should either faction be attacked by an outside foe, the other agrees to lend military aid. This pact will also require the confederated faction to expand their military presence. At their current population, the Village of Millstone will add an additional 2 squads to their total forces. Other troops will train and deploy once their population increases enough to support them. As the faction leader, you may request control of up to 2 squads of the Village of Millstone to use in your territory as you wish. Please note that taking these troops far from home or causing them to take heavy casualties will negatively affect the morale of this faction. It seemed like I had the same deal with the human village. Both were capping out at five squads of troops and giving me two to deploy as I wished. Just like I did with the elves, I placed both human squads on the trade route between our factions. That should give us better protection and not put too much of a strain on their morale since their troops would still be close to home. If things got dangerous out there, I could count on using the elf and human troops to guard the supply lines and free up my kobold squads to deal with any problems that were sure to pop up. Chapter 275. Lizard Pits. Chapter 275. Lizard Pits. I had the structure upgrade token that I¡¯d purchased from the consortium ready to go. Using it on the barracks, the structure grew hazy again as it began its transformation. The housing complexes and the farms were also undergoing automatic upgrades. Having the system choose those structures for my arena certificates turned out to be a solid investment. A new plot for both a housing complex and a farm opened up, but first, I wanted to get the marketplace upgrade underway. With two storage silos, and one of them arriving fully stocked, I had enough to select something else for an upgrade. I hit the crafting center and resources began to flow from my storage silos at a frantic pace. A quick calculation showed that there were more than enough resources to finish both structure upgrades before I ran dry. There were two random addon tokens and if I had my choice, I¡¯d want to have an addon for the barracks and marketplace. Those two buildings seemed to be the most important for the future of my little empire. The addon tokens could only be used on rank five structures, so I was able to game the system a bit by using one now when I only had two structures that met the requirements. Activating the token, I waited like a gambler looking at the roulette wheel. A few seconds later, a smaller structure began to construct right next to the barracks. You have unlocked the Expeditionary Force Barracks addon. This addon will generate additional troops that don¡¯t count toward your total population cap. These troops will become part of a permanent garrison for each faction you have a mutual defense pact with. One complete squad with attached forces will be sent to each eligible ally. In addition, a complete squad, including any attached forces, will journey from each eligible ally and take up residence in the new addon. While not under your direct control, these troops will respond to any threats to your cavern. Losses sustained by the expeditionary forces will eventually regenerate, but only after all your own units are at full strength. For now, nothing was happening as both buildings were still under construction. I had been distracted by the upgrades, and it took Melvin urging me in his armor form, to look at the map. My minions had discovered a small ruin that they were investigating. It was in a section of the desert that was off the beaten path but near the border to the forest. It looked like a deep pit lined with carefully cut stones. The construction was similar to the road leading out from Shoremarch and was of high enough quality to not have been completely reclaimed by the desert. Khurr was lowered down into the pit where he sniffed and searched for anything of interest. Eventually, he uncovered a broken tablet in the sand with writing carved onto it. ¡­desert training pit is becoming too dry an environment for the beasts. Breeding facilities will be relocated to the grove location near the¡­ That was it, just a cryptic message that wasn¡¯t complete. I didn¡¯t think the system would leave it out here if it was of no use. It mentioned a second facility in a grove. My minions had explored a lot of the desert area that was based on the unreliable map, but there were also bits of the forest edge to the south that were included in that map. I sent my minions to explore along the edge of the forest to the south, hopefully they¡¯d uncover something useful there. If not, I¡¯d just have them continue exploring the zone for anything of interest. Looking back at the map, I saw a gnome caravan was under attack. It wasn¡¯t on my side of the trade route, so I left things up to their warriors on patrol to handle. The barracks soon completed; it seemed that the upgrade tokens built them faster than if I just spent resources on my own for it. A host of changes occurred when it reached the cap for the challenge. Instead of a single, fortified building, the barracks expanded with a defensive wall surrounding the area around it. The wall even tied into the wall on my headquarters, giving us a small fortress complex inside our cavern. Barracks, Rank 5. At this rank, several upgrades and changes have occurred to your barracks. To help defend the structure, and the adjacent headquarters, 2 new squads of defenders will be summoned. These defenders will patrol the walls around the barracks and provide support if the headquarters is attacked. These defenders are additional forces and aren¡¯t included in your population cap. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Your barracks will now begin to train your workers as militia. Training of the militia will only occur when the barracks is not training any other troops. Militia will be issued gear that is two ranks below your kobold warriors and they will be less proficient in using that gear. Inside your headquarters, you now have the option to activate a bell to call your militia to action. When the bell is rung, all workers trained as militia in the cavern will head toward the quartermaster¡¯s hut to be issued gear. Once equipped, you may order them to support and defend anywhere inside the cavern. Please be advised that calling the militia to arms will have a serious impact on your productivity, and a debuff causing a 50% reduction in efficiency will take effect for 2 hours after the militia are released to return to their civilian duties. It seemed like the system was preparing me for some all-out war, which seemed like a fitting end to the challenge. All I could do now was continue to make my little empire stronger. With all the trade agreements, I had to believe that I was acquiring resources faster than most of my competitors. On the downside, my forces were probably weaker than the other summoned beings who had focused on conquest. I¡¯d need to keep upgrading as much, and as fast, as I could. Also, any mercenary contracts that appeared, I was going to snatch up. I checked in on the Gavelox Trading Consortium, but their inventory was still empty from me purchasing everything last time. It still showed four slots for purchases, but each had a countdown timer showing how long it would be before they restocked. The soonest something would become available was in a day and a half, and the longest was three days. There didn¡¯t seem to be a specific reason for the differing times, and even though I hadn¡¯t bought everything at the same time, I had made the purchases over the course of a 24-hour period, not three days. My housing complex and farms finished upgrading a short while after the barracks. The farms now had raised planters that covered most of the farm area, greatly expanding production. The little storage hut for the workers also had a basement now, where the rare and valuable mushrooms were being grown. When the market upgraded, they would probably help to bump my resource intake even higher. Out at the housing complex, each of the homes was expanded to a two-story affair, and a sixth home was added to each plot. It would significantly expand my population, and that was even without building out the final plot. Eggs appeared in front of each home, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before we had more kobolds than ever running around. Around the time my market upgraded to rank five, my minions discovered something at the edge of the forest to the south. Several ruined stone buildings stood partially hidden from view by the dry scrub brush in the area. Khurr, his nose working overtime, had sniffed something out. Only one of the buildings was still intact, and Khurr entered the small structure. My gnoll tracker emerged a few moments later with a football-sized egg in his hands. As I looked at the egg, a new system prompt appeared. I had unlocked a new structure and one I was more than happy to add to my empire. You have discovered the dormant eggs of a battle lizard. In times past, a nearly forgotten civilization raised and fought these beasts in tournaments for the entertainment of their population. Eventually, as the breeding program for these lizards progressed, they became larger and more powerful. Seeing their power, the ancient civilization incorporated these beasts into their armies, using them much like some cultures use war dogs. Your kobolds have an affinity for reptilian creatures and can continue the trend of raising these beasts of war. The Lizard Pit structure has been unlocked. This structure will allow your kobolds to breed battle lizards to supplement your armed forces. The number and power of these lizards is determined by the structure rank. I definitely wanted some battle lizards in my army. With the market now complete, and the crafting area almost done, I added the rank zero Lizard Pit to the queue. It would take a while to get it upgraded to rank five, but I wanted to at least get a look at what would happen with the building, even if further upgrades might have to wait until my other structure upgrades were completed. I had an option of where to place the lizard pit. My cavern was getting a bit full now that the buildings were continually upgrading and expanding. I found some room near the rear exit of the cavern, between the defensive wall and the housing complex. Hopefully, the lizards wouldn¡¯t get out and invade the housing complex on a kobold egg eating spree. The location seemed like the best option and gave me enough room if the pit needed to expand at the higher ranks. The ability for cross-realm assaults has been unlocked. A competitor has unleased mercenary forces upon your zone. Rally your defenses and repulse this attack. A flashing red icon appeared on the map, one much bigger than the icons for an attack on a trade route. To make matters worse, this one was close inside the forest. Not only was the dot close, but it was also moving quickly toward my cavern. I¡¯d been caught out of position and my minions were too far away to help. It was going to be up to me and my kobolds to repulse this attack. Chapter 276. Battle at the Wall. Chapter 276. Battle at the Wall. The attack had appeared in the forest, not too far from my cavern. I rallied the available troops, sending them to man the defenses protecting the cavern entrance. Pulling the squad guarding the marketplace entrance gave me two full squads of kobold warriors to work with. Each had a sergeant, a sorcerer, two archers with crossbows, and five melee warriors with spears. To bolster these forces, I had the mercenary squad I¡¯d hired join them. I also would head over there once the enemy drew closer. My minions were hurrying back, and making good time, but we¡¯d have to hold out for a while before they could arrive. Following the enemy path, I could see that they would most likely exit the forest at the clearing in front of my cavern. The clearing was about 200 yards wide, which would give us time for some ranged fire before any enemies could make it to the barricade. When the enemy got close, I queued up for all my structure upgrades in case I was away from the headquarters for longer than I expected. After the queue was set, I left the headquarters and joined my defenders at the barricade. I wanted to kick myself when I made it to the barricade. I¡¯d upgraded the defenses at the entrance near the marketplace, and it was now a formidable wall with a reinforced gate for entry into my cavern. Here, at the main entrance to the cavern, all I had was the initial rickety wall to provide protection. There wasn¡¯t even a gate, just a short barricade we dragged across the opening in the wall. At that gap I placed one of my kobold squads. The others I dispersed along the barricade along with the human mercenaries. It wasn¡¯t long before the enemy showed itself, and I was a bit surprised at what I saw. Trudging across the field were three squads almost identical to the human mercenaries I¡¯d hired. A quick count revealed the enemy were thirty strong and had the same breakdown of troops as the mercenaries I¡¯d hired. As soon as they were within bowshot of the entrance, my troops fired. I had a total of six crossbowmen, two from each kobold squad, and another pair from the mercenaries I¡¯d hired. After the first volley two attackers had fallen, and their return fire was ineffective, the long range and cover from the rickety wall proved sufficient to protect my troops. Before the crossbows were finished reloading, the enemy entered the range of the two kobold sorcerers among my defenders. Their Bursts of Flame spells peppered the attackers with deadly fire. The attack also reminded me that I could cast the same spell. I had three charges of the spell and began by selecting three of their six crossbowmen. My sorcerers had used their Bursts of Flame to hit multiple targets, seriously wounding, but not killing them. Instead, I focused each entire burst on one attacker, and the trio of flaming strikes knocked them back then set them aflame, killing the targets in seconds. Another volley of crossbow bolts fired out, and three of the attackers fell. Their return fire was again ineffective as I¡¯d halved their number of crossbowmen, and we still were enjoying the benefits of cover. I¡¯d used all three charges of my spell, but I still had my wand of magic missile, which I began to target the lead attackers with. The enemy seemed to realize that they were losing the ranged battle and charged forward, trying to close the distance with us as quickly as they could. A third volley of crossbow bolts, Bursts of Flame from the sorcerers, and my magic missiles took out seven more enemies before they got close. When they were almost at the barricade, I stowed the wand and pulled my javelin. Crackling with electrical energy, I threw the weapon at a shielded swordsman in the lead of their formation. The magic in the weapon caused it to unerringly hit the target, but the man managed to get his metal shield up in time to try and deflect it. The javelin pierced the shield, and the arm holding it. At the same time, a burst of electrical magic was released, killing the attacker despite his successful block. Knocking aside the flimsy barricade, the attackers crossed blades with the defenders. Drawing my own sword and shield, I moved to face off against a spearman that had burst through the line of defenders and was heading toward one of my sorcerers. He thrust toward me, and my training kicked in. Angling the Shield of Resistance, I deflected the thrust and stepped inside the attacker¡¯s reach, slamming my blade into his chest. The sword pierced easily through the light armor my target was wearing, and with a single grunt of pain, the man went limp and died as I pierced his heart. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The fight at the entrance was going on strong, but it looked like we had the upper hand. I cast a Health Bloom over the worst of the fighting, and I could see the kobold sorcerers were also avoiding combat and casting healing spells where they could. Atop the flimsy wall, my archers rained crossbow bolts down onto any attackers they could safely target. Their first shots had taken out the last of the enemy crossbowmen, so we held the advantage there as well. Unsupported by magic, and losing their only ranged attackers, the enemy began to fall quickly. We were taking losses too, but if ours weren¡¯t killed outright, there was a good chance that they could be healed and back in the fight. I was especially impressed with the kobold sergeants. They were clearly more skilled than the human mercenaries, and used their spears with a strength their smaller frames wouldn¡¯t appear to possess. As the last of the attackers fell, a system prompt appeared. You have successfully fended off a mercenary attack from another competitor. Once your marketplace reaches rank 5, you may order assaults, for a fee, on the competitor directly above and below you in the rankings. I was going to be able to do the same attacks against my competitors, but it seemed like a waste of resources. Why would I send mercenaries out to attack someone when they would do more good remaining here in my challenge zone? As my marketplace reached rank five, I could see a new tab for hiring mercenaries had opened. Marketplace, Rank 5. At this Rank, your marketplace can now support up to 12 trade caravans in total. Multiple caravans can only be selected for longer trade routes. The capacity for each caravan has increased, allowing them to generate more resources on each trip. Since you already possess a Rank 5 barracks, you may also seek out mercenary contracts and special equipment through your marketplace. You have unlocked the ability to construct Improved Trade Roads. These roads can be constructed between all trading partners and confederated factions. The Improved Trade Roads increase the speed of all travelers by 10% and reduce the dangers of hostile wildlife by 50%. Special Equipment. Please note that the available patterns offered for sale will change weekly.
  1. Dwarven repeating heavy crossbow. Should you purchase this upgrade. These weapons will be installed on any existing, and newly constructed fixed defenses you possess.
  2. Road Crew Contract. Hire a road crew to rapidly complete any existing road construction projects. For 48-hours, road construction in your realm will increase by 200%.
Mercenary Contracts. Other kobold empires offer the use of their forces for a fee. Once hired, these mercenaries will remain for the entire duration of the challenge or until destroyed. Should you choose to send these mercenaries to attack your competitors, the cost to recruit them will be reduced by half.
  1. Kobold Skirmishers. A squad of 10 kobolds armed with slings and javelins. Especially quick and agile, these skirmishers will launch attacks on your foes and retreat out of range before the enemy can respond.
  2. Prison Fodder (2). Led by cruel overseers, this mob of 20 kobold prisoners has agreed to fight instead of rotting away in a cell for the rest of their short lives. Poorly armed and trained, these kobolds are only a threat in mass numbers.
  3. Kobold Dragonkin Elite. Tapping into their draconic heritage, this small band of powerful warriors have obtained many of the aspects of the dragons they share a relation to.
There was a lot here, I had more caravans available, and I added additional ones to the Shoremarch and Gavelox Trading Consortium routes. When I tried to add one to the elf and rock gnome routes, I was prevented, the system telling me it was too short of a distance to handle multiple caravans. Even better, my caravans were finally looking impressive. Each caravan now consisted of a large, loaded to the gills wagon, as well as one of the smaller carts stuffed with goods. The number of kobolds in each caravan had also increased to ten. Most were needed to push and pull the wagon and cart, but the ones that weren¡¯t carried packs with even more trade goods over their shoulders. As for the newly offered upgrades, I wanted to wait until my structures were all fully upgraded before I began buying. The only thing I wanted to purchase early was the road crew, which would kickstart the upgrades to my trade routes. A quick check showed the crews were relatively affordable at a cost of about half a silo of resources. I paused new building construction until I had the resources to hire them. The mercenary contracts were also interesting. Unlike the ones offered by the consortium, these were all from other kobold civilizations. I wanted all of them, but again, they¡¯d have to wait until construction projects were completed. The fact I could unleash the mercenaries on my challengers at half the cost wasn¡¯t enough to make me want to spend resources to hamper a foe. Sending out attackers against my competitors still seemed a waste to me. I wanted every blade here in my zone to help defend us. A system prompt that appeared right after the road crew was hired confirmed that I¡¯d made the right choice. The first 5 competitors in the challenge have maxed out all structures and upgrades. This achievement has accelerated the time before the final stage of the challenge is unleashed. You have 10 days to prepare. Plan and work hard, for the apocalypse is coming for each of your territories. Chapter 277. Buying Protection. Chapter 277. Buying Protection. You are currently ranked 74/2432 in the arena challenge. As a participant that has reached the top 100 at this stage of the challenge, you will be granted additional rewards at the end of the challenge. To provide a better chance for all contestants, each contestant¡¯s structures will all be automatically upgraded to match the current rank of their headquarters. If the majority of their buildings are already at the same rank as their headquarters, the headquarters will be upgraded by one rank and some additional resources will be provided to that challenger. This upgrade applies only to existing structures and will not unlock any new structure patterns. As I watched, all my buildings began to upgrade to rank five. To my delight, it seemed that the upgrades also applied to the roads I was constructing. They were all upgrading to the improved trade road versions. I felt a bit bad at having wasted resources on hiring the road construction crew, but having the roads upgraded automatically was more than enough compensation for that. It looked like my defenses were even upgrading, and at the two entrances to the cavern, the walls were more solid, and the gate was now flanked by two towers. The expanded housing complexes were now two-story affairs with a basement below. New eggs were already appearing, and I was going to have a population explosion. Gear and equipment for my minions were also being upgraded, but it would take some time for it to be distributed by the rank five quartermaster¡¯s hut. The farms were generating more than enough food for my population and were contributing a strong flow of resources to our silos. The crafting stations were also looking great, with dedicated areas for forging, alchemy, leatherworking, tailoring, and a general work area for everything else. My sorcerers hut grew and expanded. It was now a four-story, stone tower with strange glows appearing through the windows. The top of the tower was flat, with crenelations encircling it. Several sorcerers were painting strange symbols on the ground before they began to raise their arms and chant. A system prompt explained what they were doing. Your minions in the sorcerer¡¯s tower have divined the coming apocalypse and are attempting to summon a powerful defender to help protect their people. You may choose to allow them to work on their own or provide additional resources to improve the power of their summoning. As it currently stands, the summoning will generate a full squad of dragonkin warriors to assist you once the final stage begins. A gauge to show how powerful the summoned defender will become has unlocked in your headquarters interface. A quick check showed an empty bar with five levels of power marked out on it. As a test, I pushed a tenth of the resources from a silo into the ritual. The gauge moved forward, almost to the first line. I slowly added more resources, and when the gauge hit the first line, I was rewarded with more information. Your sorcerers will now summon an elite sorcerer to support your dragonkin warriors. In addition, the warriors will possess upgraded gear and equipment. They will also have several combat abilities to further enhance their power. That was a nice addition to the sorcerer¡¯s hut, and I knew that it would bug me if I didn¡¯t max out the summoning before the ten days were up. As it stood, all my buildings had been upgraded, and all the funds I had pouring in were rapidly filling the silos since I had no construction projects to drain them. Caravans were running to all my trade partners and confederated factions, so it was time to make use of the economic empire I¡¯d created. I started by purchasing all the mercenaries available in my marketplace. Along with the mercenaries, I bought the dwarven repeater crossbow upgrade for my defensive structures. Along the wall of the entrance fortifications, oversized crossbows appeared, along with a pair of kobold warriors to operate them. There were two crossbows on each wall, and the size of the weapons was somewhere between a heavy crossbow and a ballista. When the first weapons appeared, I received information on them. A system notice told me they were enhanced by dwarven tech mages to unleash two shots every time the weapon was fired. After a few minutes, the hired mercenaries began to march in from the marketplace. There was the single squad of the kobold skirmishers that I ordered outside the main gate to patrol the forest there for the time being. They would be great to harass and attrit a force moving toward my cavern. The lessons I¡¯d learned from Major Finley were going to come in handy. The two groups of twenty kobold prisoners were armed with makeshift prison shanks. Each was led by a large, fat kobold in leather armor and holding a whip that gave off electrical sparks when it hit. They were just fodder to throw against a foe to give my stronger forces time to prepare. For now, they would remain in the cavern in the open area behind the crafting stations. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. My new dragonkin mercenaries were much more impressive than the prisoners. Each stood nearly seven feet tall and were bulkier and more muscular than an orc. A pair of leathery wings growing from their backs was sadly just for show, so I wouldn¡¯t have an air force during the fight. Each elite dragonkin had darkened plate armor protecting them, and they held oversized swords as their main weapons. A faint glow of enchantment could be seen on the blades, and for longer range work, each dragonkin had a bundle of javelins strapped between their wings. These guys looked like they could give my minions a run for their money, and other than some facial similarities, I had trouble believing that they were related to the diminutive kobolds I commanded. While I waited for my funds to rebuild so I could have a shopping spree at the consortium, I tried my hand at some diplomacy. If the apocalypse was coming, maybe the rock gnomes and the city of Shoremarch would be willing to become more than just trading partners. You have opened negotiations with the Gurtzam Rock Gnomes and offered a mutual defense pact. You have opened negotiations with the Free City of Shoremarch and offered a mutual defense pact. The Free City of Shoremarch has rejected your offer and sends word that they are content with their current agreement and will continue to trade with your people. The Gurtzam Rock Gnomes have accepted your mutual defense pact and will send a squad of their troops to help defend your cavern. In return, an extra squad of your warriors will proceed to their home cavern and assist in its defense. This squad is in addition to your existing forces and does not count against any population totals. These exchanged forces will be under the command of the host faction, though they can be recalled, and the mutual defense pact cancelled if either side wishes. Nice, a squad formed up in the barracks and started to march toward the rock gnome cavern. When they got there, I would get a peek at what gnome cavern looked like. It was too bad the Shoremarch didn¡¯t want to join us, but maybe I¡¯d get another chance at them before the apocalypse started. The squad heading toward the gnome caravan was a free, system generated one. It gave me a peek at what my other squads would look like once all our newly hatched kobolds were trained and equipped. At the lead of the squad was a burly kobold in chainmail with a steel breastplate. He wielded a longsword and had a round wooden shield in his other hand. Eight regular kobold warriors followed, each equipped in chainmail and wooden shields, with a steel-tipped spear as their main weapon. They also had a backup weapon, either a shortsword or mace, on their belts. Two more warriors were equipped with crossbows and steel daggers. They wore studded leather armor instead of the heavier chainmail of the melee troops. Following behind the kobold squad was a sorcerer. The upgraded hut now gave my sorcerers a magically reinforced robe that the system reported was as strong as chainmail. Holding a wand in one hand, the sorcerer also had a dagger belted to his waist. Having the new sorcerer spawn triggered some system information on spell upgrades. New spells and upgrades to your existing ones have been unlocked with your sorcerer¡¯s hut reaching rank 5 and becoming the sorcerer¡¯s tower. 1. Flame Burst. This spell now fires off a total of five bursts of flame that do increased impact damage. 2. Regeneration. This spell now covers a small, targeted area, providing its healing to all allied forces withing the area of effect. 3. Scorching Ray. This new spell generates a beam of intense heat that greatly damages a single target. Arena challenger spell changes. 1. Flame Burst. This spell now fires off a total of five bursts of flame that do increased impact damage. You can have a total of 5 charges of this spell and a new charge regenerates every 4 minutes. 2. Scorching Ray. This new challenger spell generates a beam of intense heat that greatly damages a single target. You can have a total of 2 charges of this spell and a new charge regenerates every 5 minutes. My kobold sorcerers were now a force to be reckoned with, not to mention the challenger spells I had access to. I also remembered to check in on the tariff station to see what its improvements looked like. The building was now made of stone and seemed like it was study enough to survive an attack by dungeon monsters. Even better, four kobold warriors stood guard, two inside, and two outside the door. I also received a notice that the upgraded, rank five version of the station would collect a greater percentage of the loot gained by adventurers in the dungeon. As an added bonus, some of the goods created in my cavern at the farms and crafting stations would be sold here for additional profit. These profits still needed to be sent by caravan, and the journey from the tariff station to the cavern was the longest one in the zone. I had almost forgotten about the watchtower I had constructed near the tariff station. It had transformed from a rank zero, rickety wooden tower that helped prevent monster attacks, into a stone, two story tower with battlements at the top where a pair of kobold warriors and one of the dwarven repeating crossbows stood watch. Inside the tower was a full squad of defenders that would respond to any exterior threats, as well as any dungeon outbreaks. The tower would also add additional escorts for a caravan leaving the tariff station, providing four kobold warriors as guards. With the kobold squad patrolling the route, the new guards, and the improved roads deterring against attacks, the rich tariff station caravans should be well protected. Now, all I had to do was amass my wealth and buy every mercenary contract I could get my hands on before the apocalypse was unleashed on my kobold empire. Chapter 278. Surge Pricing. Chapter 278. Surge Pricing. Things were bustling inside the cavern as all the upgrades took place and new kobolds entered the workforce. I had more workers than projects at the moment, so I sent more to gather lumber, which at least generated some benefit for me. With the rank five upgrades for everything, the workers had changed their slacker ways and were now all contributing. The system seemed to agree, granting us a bump in morale. Combined upgrades, and the newly enhanced power of your empire has inspired your population. Morale has improved to Happy and Productive. You will receive a bonus to productivity of 5% for as long as you maintain this level of morale. My workers were squared away, and the existing warrior squads were starting to rotate through the barracks, receiving more training and upgrading their equipment to the new standard. It would take some time before all the squads, including the far-flung ones patrolling the trade routes, were able to be upgraded. The expanded barracks also allowed for a single squad to be upgraded while new ones were training, which should help to speed things along. Only one last building was still in the process of upgrading, my lizard pits. There was no system prompt as to why it was taking longer, but it may have been that the structure was something I¡¯d discovered by exploring, not one that I purchased or unlocked normally. When the glow around the expanded lizard pits finally dimmed, and I got a good look at the rank five building. It was now a much larger, circular pit dug into the stone floor of the cavern. Stalls for the lizards, as well as their nests, ringed the outer perimeter of the pit, and in the center was a large corral where the kobold workers trained the newly hatched lizards. The beasts themselves had grown. Now, they were the size of a pony and looked downright dangerous with their tooth-filled mouths and sharp claws. Newly trained lizards began to walk out of the corral on their own. To my surprise, half walked to the barracks, but the other half walked over to the marketplace. At the marketplace, a caravan to the gnome cavern was about to leave. The kobold merchants waved over the first two lizards to arrive and hitched them to their wagon. That freed up several of the workers who had been helping to haul the wagon. Now, those workers could shoulder packs full of even more goods as the lizards went to work. Since the caravans had a limited ability to defend themselves, I figured the addition of the giant lizards, even if they hadn¡¯t been trained for war in the barracks, would boost their ability to fight off attackers. As for the lizards that had gone into their barracks, they exited a short time later. When they left, they didn¡¯t head out to bolster my warrior squads, instead, they headed to the quartermaster¡¯s hut. At the hut, workers strapped on a studded leather harness that would add a nice layer of armor protection for the lizards. Combined with their rather sturdy looking scales, they should be well protected against most threats. Over their front claws, razor-sharp steel extensions were somehow glued on. When they were fully kitted out, the lizards started to disperse to the various squads of warriors I had under my command. None moved to join the squads out on trade route patrol, but I figured they would join them when they were rotated in for new gear and training. With a war lizard added to each squad, I was feeling even more optimistic about our chances against whatever the pending apocalypse turned out to be. With the lizards squared away, I noticed that my trade income had almost filled a silo, which meant it was time to shop at the consortium. All I had to do was think about trading with them and the system did the rest, simplifying things for this arena challenge. The offerings from the consortium had changed since the last time, but there was still plenty that I wanted. Gavelox Trading Consortium. Current Inventory. Please note that the inventory and stock levels will now change every 3 days.
  1. Mercenary contract, Tier 0, Rank 5 (3).
  2. Mercenary contract, Tier 2, Rank 0. (1).
  3. Mercenary replacement structure (1).
  4. Defensive upgrade package (1).
The system seemed to have shifted the items offered away from the structure upgrades and purely into military related stuff. Prices had also adjusted, and the tier zero, rank five mercenary contracts were only half a silo now. The tier two mercenaries were another story and cost a full two silos worth of resources. A quick check of the other two offerings triggered a system description for each one. Mercenary replacement structure. This structure slowly regenerates any troops lost by your active mercenary companies. The rate of replacement is 1 random mercenary every hour. At least one surviving member of the mercenary company must be present for it to be eligible for replacements. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Defensive upgrade package. This package contains a random defensive upgrade with a random number of activations. The mercenary replacement structure cost another two full silos. It was a bit of an investment, but I wanted it. I would be adding a lot of mercenaries, and it would be nice to be able to generate some replacements as they took losses. I¡¯d just have to be careful and make sure to pull back a mercenary group from the fighting before they were completely wiped out. As far as the defensive upgrade was concerned, it was more of a gamble, but I was a sucker for those. At only half a silo of resources, it wasn¡¯t going to be too expensive to roll the dice on that one. All I had to do now was wait for the resources to build. I was a bit concerned. The consortium offerings would change every few days, and it wasn¡¯t certain I could afford all of them before they changed over. To prioritize this batch of offerings, I would save up first for the mercenary replacement structure, then the tier two mercenaries. If I had time after those two, I¡¯d buy the defensive upgrade package, then try for as many of the tier zero, rank five mercenary groups that I could. By now, my minions had explored almost all the out-of-date areas of the map. It looked like the lizards and the dungeon had been the only things out there for me to find. I wondered how many other contestants had the opportunity to explore as much as I was able to. My minions really gave me an advantage in this challenge. Maybe the system provided something for those with only individual power, since they would be forced to waste a lot of their time working at the headquarters. Other contestants¡¯ problems weren¡¯t mine to worry about, I had a zone to defend. I figured this apocalyptic event was going to be some kind of attack, otherwise, the system would be asking me to build storm shelters and stockpile supplies or something. With that in mind, I pulled my minions back to the cavern. If the expected attack occurred nearby, they would do me no good traipsing around the desert. While I waited for the resources to pour in so I could start my purchase plan at the consortium, I checked in on my allies. Starting with the gnomes, I was finally able to get a peek inside their cavern now that I had a squad of my troops helping to defend them. Their cavern was a mirror image of my own, the only difference was that gnomes were not up to rank five structures yet. Most of their buildings were rank three, with the headquarters, barracks, and marketplace at rank four. The barracks must have been a recent upgrade, and I could see a fresh squad of troops emerging. There were four gnomes carrying stone clubs and shields, as well as one with a staff which must have been their equivalent of a mage. The squad was led by a bigger, meaner-looking gnome with two clubs instead of a club and a shield. As for their armor, they all wore leather harnesses with stone plates attached. Their gear should have been too heavy for them to lift, but they must have had some kind of bonus for that type of gear given the name of their race. Their caravans had a small cart with six gnome traders assigned to them. They were also trading with the other factions in the zone, which was probably what was fueling their improvements. The elves and humans were in a similar spot as the gnomes, both had headquarters and barracks at rank four, but only humans had also upgraded their marketplace to that rank. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of time left, but they should all be able to get a few more upgrades before the final stage of the challenge. I was going to be able to keep track of their military capabilities by watching the squads sent over to my barracks from the mutual defense pacts. The elves currently had four spearmen with shields as their main, frontline fighters. An elf with two scimitars led the group, and they were bolstered by two archers with longbows. As far as their armor was concerned, the elf warriors all wore leather, and their weapons seemed to be of decent quality. The humans mirrored the elves in numbers, and armor. Four of the human warriors in the squad held longswords and wooden kite shields, while two others held crossbows. The leader of the human squads was a larger man in chainmail with a steel mace instead of a sword. The caravans arriving, along with the steady income from several structures allowed me to hit two silos of resources quickly, and I ordered the mercenary replacement structure. I found room for it on the opposite side of the barracks from my headquarters. It wasn¡¯t much to look at, just a series of three large tents. The first replacement for my human mercenaries spawned as soon as the place was active. My observations were interrupted when a system prompt appeared. It looked like the other factions in the zone now knew about the pending apocalypse. A wise sage and trusted diviner in the town of Shoremarch has warned of the pending apocalypse. The city seeks the aid of their trading partners as they organize an evacuation. To properly protect the evacuation, their forces guarding the trade route must be pulled back into the city. If your faction can man the patrols from the entire route, the city of Shoremarch will send a special caravan of goods to reimburse you for their expenses. Do you wish to agree to these terms? Y/N. I wanted to see about a mutual defense pact, but that option was greyed out in the interface, as were all other options for Shoremarch. A notice of pending evacuation was there, preventing all other diplomacy. Since I had more squads now, it wasn¡¯t a problem to assign one to the section of the route the city had normally patrolled. You have agreed to the offered terms. Additional caravans carrying the goods the city will not be able to evacuate in time will begin to spawn. You must assign kobold workers to fetch them, and ensure they are adequately protected. As I watched, a wagon full of goods was pushed out the city gate, just waiting for me to come and grab it. I assigned several work teams to the task, the system allowing a total of three to join the efforts. Just to be safe, I added another squad of troops to protect the route from Shoremarch. Given the current uncertainty in the region, the Gavelox Trading Consortium will be adjusting their pricing to reflect demand. Existing offerings will be kept at their current pricing levels, but all new offerings will follow the demand surge pricing model. Well, the trading consortium was about to start gouging me on prices. Hopefully my marketplace would generate some more options before the apocalypse arrived. Chapter 279. New Defender. Chapter 279. New Defender. I kept tabs on my resource reserves as I waited to see if I¡¯d have enough to buy everything I wanted before the consortium changed their inventory and raised their prices. While I waited, I tried to efficiently maneuver my troops to get them cycled through the barracks and upgraded as quickly as possible. I started by sending out the troops on guard duty inside the cavern, I had them replace the various squads on trade route duty. As the trade route squads returned, they were sent immediately to the barracks for training, then to the quartermaster¡¯s hut to get issued their latest gear. My lizard pits were also training new lizards at a pace of two every few hours. One would head toward the marketplace, and the other to train and gather equipment before being randomly assigned to one of my warrior squads by the system. For the lizards in the marketplace, the workers there placed them in their harness to help pull the wagons and waited until a full team of two had been trained before they headed to their new assignment. By the time the day was over, I had enough resources to purchase the tier two, rank zero mercenaries from the consortium. Once purchased, the squad marched from the trading consortium fort and headed down the trade route toward my cavern. The purchase didn¡¯t disappoint, and I found that I had gained my first cavalry unit. Mounted on massive wolves, my mercenary squad was a band of six goblin riders. Five of the six were armored in heavy chainmail with steel plates reinforcing vulnerable areas. The wolves themselves also wore armored harnesses to give them some protection. Armed with long lances and steel shields, the five heavily armored riders were an imposing bunch. The last rider, and his mount, wore lighter armor. The goblin had studded leather and held only a leather whip in his grasp. I wasn¡¯t sure how effective this last rider would be, but the system granted me a brief explanation about what I¡¯d just purchased. Drughat¡¯s Fangs. A well trained and equipped squad of goblin wolf riders stands ready to crush your foes. Five of the riders are equipped as heavy cavalry, and they are led by a beast master that can summon creatures to attack your foes and has spells to heal and enhance the other riders¡¯ mounts. It was a great purchase and would give me a rapid reaction force that could respond quickly, and powerfully, to threats. Even just walking down the trade road, the wolf riders were easily moving at triple the pace of one of the trade caravans. The group might even give my minions a run for their money in a straight up fight. The mercenaries and the mercenary replacement tent had both been great buys, but time was starting to run out when I had enough to purchase the defensive upgrade package. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect with the upgrade, and once I sent the resources over to the consortium for the purchase, the defensive structures tab in my interface flashed, revealing the new option. Defensive structures.
  1. Watchtower. Build a simple wooden watchtower that grants enhanced vision over the area. The watchtower will also make nearby creatures less likely to attack in the area it covers.
  2. Goblin minefield (4). You can now order your work teams to deploy one of these minefields at any defensive structure you possess. Only one minefield can be placed at each defensive structure. The mines are inactive until you choose to activate them in your headquarters. When active, a safe path through the minefield will be marked for any friendly forces that need to pass through.
I had minefields, four of them. First off, I assigned work teams to deploy them in front of both entrances to the cavern. The kobold work teams, now boasting ten workers each, headed toward the quartermaster¡¯s hut to collect the mines. Somehow, the system had transferred them directly there from the consortium and I didn¡¯t have to wait for a caravan to deliver them. Instead of hauling them out by hand, the kobolds exited the quartermaster¡¯s place pushing a trio of small carts that were stacked high with wooden crates. Two workers pushed each cart and the remaining four struggled behind them, each one carrying another crate of mines. As soon as they reached the entrances, the kobolds got to work. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The mines weren¡¯t exactly what I had expected. I was assuming that they¡¯d be something similar to what I¡¯d seen during Major Finley¡¯s training about mines and modern defenses. Instead, these looked like metallic spiders the size of a small dog. The workers simply dug a hole outside the defensive wall and buried each of the mines. I had two more minefields to deploy, but I could only deploy them around defensive structures, and only one per structure. Other than the two walls protecting the cavern, the only other defensive structure I had designated on my map was the guard tower protecting the tariff station at the dungeon. There was no way to tell where the threat to my zone would appear at, and I was hesitant to install the mines near the dungeon area in case they turned out to be wasted there. A quick check in the interface showed that I could order the minefields to be redeployed to a new location, but the process was a slow one. I had the option of building a new watchtower somewhere else, but that would take time and resources to build, and then I¡¯d have to upgrade it manually. The system had only bumped all my existing structures to rank five and wouldn¡¯t do that for any new construction I built. With only a few days before the final stage of the challenge, I didn¡¯t have much time to decide. I went ahead and ordered a minefield at the watchtower protecting the tariff station, crossing my fingers it would do some good. After I got a look at the next batch of consortium offerings and their inflated pricing, I could decide if building another watchtower would be a better option. I tried to place one randomly, just outside my cavern, but the system prevented it. Apparently, they could only be placed at certain strategic locations. A series of dots appeared on my map, showing where I could place towers. It restricted them to one outside the main gate of my confederated factions, and one on each at the best defensive spot on the longer trade routes. The closest location wasn¡¯t too far from the cavern, just past where the forest started along the elf trade route. It was within sight of the cavern and was also where the road from the human faction joined up. That would be the spot when I had the resources to spend on it. For now, it looked like I¡¯d have enough for only two of the three tier zero, rank five mercenaries before the consortium offerings changed. I purchased each mercenary group as soon as I had the funds. They weren¡¯t anything special, unlike the wolf riders, and were identical to the human squad that I¡¯d already purchased. When the clock ticked over, I checked on the new consortium offerings. Gavelox Trading Consortium. Current Inventory. Please note that the inventory and stock levels will change every 3 days.
  1. Mercenary contract, Tier 1, Rank 5 (3).
  2. Mercenary contract, Tier 2, Rank 5. (1).
  3. Defensive upgrade package (1).
  4. Goblin war machine.
Checking on the prices. It appeared that the consortium wasn¡¯t kidding when they said they were going to bump the cost. The lowest tier mercenary contract was now four silos full of resources. That price also applied to the defensive upgrade package. I didn¡¯t have any information on it and was a bit worried that it would be more mines that I couldn¡¯t deploy until I built towers. As far as the tier two, rank five mercenaries, the highest tier I¡¯d seen offered, they were ten silo¡¯s worth. The crazy sounding goblin war machine was another ten silos. The final phase of the challenge was about to begin, and I couldn¡¯t afford what the consortium was offering. For now, I¡¯d keep tabs on my own marketplace, and build that watchtower. There was also one more place I could spend my resources, it was at the sorcerer¡¯s hut. It hadn¡¯t cost that much to bump the summoning for the final stage by one tier. As an experiment I dropped the same 10% of a silo full of resources into the summoning meter. It increased the same amount as before, which meant it would only be just over half a silo to hit the highest tier. I funneled the resources in, a few caravans arriving pushing me over the limit to max out the summoning. Once the summoning bar hit rank five, it flashed, and I received a system prompt. You have granted generous resources to your sorcerers, enabling them to summon the most powerful guardian of the kobold kind. A new habitat for your summoned guardian is being created. While you will have no direct control over this guardian, it will do its best to protect the kobold cavern and your headquarters. The cavern shook as changes occurred somewhere above us. I pulled my vision to the outside of the cavern and could see a massive cave that had been dug out above our entrance, near the top of the mountain. Everything had been done by the system, so we didn¡¯t have to worry about a cave in or rubble blocking the entrance. Another system prompt showing who the summoned guardian would appear when its habitat was completed. At the beginning of the final stage, your sorcerers will summon Doshkath, Scourge of the Desert. This powerful young red dragon is distant kin to your faction. Awakened from his slumber by the coming apocalypse, Doshkath has pledged his support to the Kobold Empire. Doshkath is a Tier 5, Rank 0 elite creature. The Gavelox Trading Consortium could keep its overpriced mercenaries, I was going to have a dragon protect me from the apocalypse. Chapter 280. The Apocalypse Begins. Chapter 280. The Apocalypse Begins. The last day was ticking down before the final stage. While the consortium was a bust with its price gouging, my marketplace came through for me with a few more offerings. Even better, I unlocked a new feature based on my performance. Your faction has taken the route of trade over brutal conquest. In response to your benevolent rule, both factions in your confederation will offer limited access to their markets so that you may hire additional forces for the coming apocalypse. It was nice to get some kind of bonus right before the end. I looked up my marketplace and those of the elves and humans to see what was offered. It seemed that a big fight was in store, as the only things offered were more mercenary contracts. Marketplace Mercenary Contracts. Other kobold empires offer the use of their forces for a fee. Once hired, these mercenaries will remain for the entire duration of the challenge or until destroyed. Due to the dire nature of the threat that you are about to face, these forces are offered at a substantial discount. 1. Disciples of the Dragon Lord. A squad of 10 kobold fanatics, dedicated to the protection of your home cavern. These kobolds are armed with explosives that will detonate automatically when near a foe. The explosive will kill the disciple holding it, but it will also unleash a small cloud of deadly gas. This cloud will harm any living beings that it touches. 2. Prison Fodder (4). Led by cruel overseers, this mob of kobold prisoners has agreed to fight instead of rotting away in a cell for the rest of their short lives. Poorly armed and trained, these kobolds are only a threat in mass numbers. 3. Kobold Sniper Team. A highly trained team of 5 snipers from an advanced kobold empire. Armed with magically enhanced crossbows, these kobolds are experts at stealth, and can fire upon most foes without revealing their presence. 4. Barrier Lizard. Specially bred by the same advanced civilization that offers the sniper team, this massive lizard will greatly enhance your defensive forces. Heavily armored, capable of breathing fire, and mounting several weapons platforms, this reptilian engine of destruction is ready to serve. Village of Millstone, mercenary offerings. 1. Warband (1). This squad of human mercenaries are Tier 0, Rank 5 and equipped with a variety of weapons and armor. 2. Ballista team (1). A powerful ballista with a crew of five human warriors to man it. This weapon and its team are considered Tier 0, Rank 7. Zalbairn Forest Elves, mercenary offerings. 1. Archer Squad (1). A squad 10 elvish archers that are Tier 1, Rank 0. 2. Elvish Mage. An elvish mage of Tier 1, Rank 5 that has a variety of powerful forest magics at her disposal. There was quite a bit to choose from, but oddly enough, the offerings from my own marketplace didn¡¯t seem to be rated by the system as far as tier and rank. The system did disclose the tier and rank for my allies and while they weren¡¯t super powerful, they were all good enough to help in a large battle. With all the caravans flowing into my marketplace, and the hefty discount the system was offering me, I was able to purchase everything my marketplace had in inventory. Sadly, once I made the purchase, the tab for mercenary contracts greyed out, and when I tried to select it again, the system said the coming apocalypse was going to prevent any additional purchases. The kobold prison fodder was a familiar pick, and though they weren¡¯t exactly a deadly foe, having four additional squads of them really bolstered my numbers. The disciple fanatics were exactly as described, kobolds with a crazed look in their eyes that hugged large, spherical bombs to their chest. I¡¯d have to be really careful where I chose to deploy them. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. My new kobold sniper team held themselves like an elite force. They wielded oversized crossbows that looked like they should be too big for them to use, but the kobolds handled them with ease. Each wore dark leather armor, and as long as they were not moving, they disappeared from view, and I could only track them through the headquarters interface. For the barrier lizard, it didn¡¯t physically arrive, and instead, I could summon it when needed. I was pretty much a fixed defensive position, and I was informed that I should have troops nearby to man the weapons on it if I wanted the full benefit of the beast. Much like the watchtowers, the barrier lizard could only be summoned at certain points in my empire. Mainly, I could summon it outside any friendly village, either of the two cavern entrances, at most crossroads, or even outside my headquarters. Paying for all my kobold marketplace offerings tapped out most of my funds, but the mercenaries my confederates had in their marketplaces were much more affordable than the consortium. I had a good feeling that the funds would be here to purchase everything the humans and elves offered before the apocalypse kicked off. My own forces weren¡¯t idle while the apocalypse approached. More and more workers were filing through the barracks for militia training, and we were able to get all the warrior squads fully equipped and trained up to the rank five barracks standard. When all was said and done, I had 20 kobold warrior squads at my command and most, if not all, of my workers would be able to answer the call to battle as militia. The town of Shoremarch has completed its evacuation. Not all its people were able to escape by sea, and they request permission for the remainder to make their way overland, through your territory. Do you wish to grant the remaining population of Shoremarch free travel through your territory? Y/N. I was a little bit surprised by the system prompt, and I couldn¡¯t see any reason to deny their refugees¡¯ free passage. Hearing from the town reminded me to check on the supplies they¡¯d gifted to us. A quick check showed that the wagons of supplies that they had left for me earlier were almost to the cavern, which given the size of the wagons, should grant me enough resources to finish purchasing all the remaining human and elf mercenaries. In response to your history of fair trade, and your generous offer to allow safe passage, the leaders of Shoremarch have gifted their city to the Kobold Empire. A small remnant of people has refused to leave the city and will continue to work there for you. Protect them from hostile forces and you will be granted a small stream of revenue from the city. With that announcement, I now had vision over the entire city of Shoremarch. It was at least five times larger than my cavern, and with almost all the population gone, it looked like a ghost town. Only a few people moved through the streets, and most of those looked terrified, yet determined. A small flashing light on the headquarters interface directed my attention to a mountainous area at the far end of the map. A portal appeared there, showing me where the refugees had to travel to reach safety. The poor refugees were going to have to traverse pretty much the entire length of the zone to escape. Turning my attention back to the nearly abandoned city, I had some decisions to make. While I didn¡¯t have the forces to properly garrison such a large place, I couldn¡¯t leave it completely undefended. I decided to organize a small force to occupy the city and keep its resources flowing into my silos. I sent a squad of the human mercenaries, a squad of my kobold warriors, and two of the prison fodder squads to defend Shoremarch. In addition, I sent my last case of goblin mines, and a team of workers to lay them with the reinforcements. I still wasn¡¯t sure where the final minefield would go but having them on the other side of the map would allow me the chance to deploy them where needed. Time ticked down as the reinforcements began their march, aided by the improved roads I¡¯d created. The final supply wagons from Shoremarch that my kobold workers had hauled also reached my cavern. The supplies they carried granted me enough resources to finalize the purchase of the elf and human mercenaries. The human mercenaries were another squad identical to the ones I¡¯d purchased from the consortium, nothing special, but a solid unit compared to the threats I¡¯d faced previously. Their ballista team was just as described, and for now, I assigned them to the main entrance of the cavern, supplementing the defenders on the wall there. My new elf archers were also well equipped and looked like they could handle themselves in a melee brawl as well. Each wore a well-crafted suit of leather armor and had a thin-bladed sword at their side as a backup to their longbows. The elf mage I chose to attach to my elite dragonkin. The mercenary squad of dragonkin were my most powerful force, other than the actual dragon. Having a mage added to ranks would help protect them and make the best use of any healing magic the elf mage might have at her disposal. My newly hired mercenaries left from the respective villages I¡¯d purchased them from and began to march toward my cavern. When the countdown to the apocalypse ended, the system announced what form my doom would take. The final phase of the arena challenge has begun. Waves of enemies will spawn in various locations to assail you. Their final goal is the destruction of your headquarters which will trigger the end of your arena challenge. Your ranking will be based on how long you survive compared to your fellow challengers. A rank tracker can now be accessed in your interface. Stand ready, an ancient, long forgotten threat has awoken and is hungry to consume all life on the world above. Chapter 281. Ominous Threat. Chapter 281. Ominous Threat. I didn¡¯t have to wait long for a threat to show itself. A flashing icon appeared on the trade route between my cavern and the gnomes¡¯. Another blinked at the dungeon entrance. Looking first at the trade route, given it was much closer to my headquarters than the dungeon, I could see a small group of attackers fighting against a gnome trade caravan and their squad of guards. It was more of the forgotten ones, but these were larger and more formidable than the ones that had attacked my marketplace before. Standing over six feet tall, the forgotten ones dwarfed the gnomes, but the gnome defenders didn¡¯t balk at tearing into them. Even the caravan workers were fighting hard, they held stone spears that they gathered from the trade cart. I sent the kobold squad patrolling that trade route to assist, and it looked like there were only a half-dozen of the forgotten ones attacking. Between my squad and the gnomes, I figured we had that attack handled. I shifted my view over to the dungeon to see what was going on there. The dungeon attack was far more serious than the trade caravan one. A horde of cultists had burst from the dungeon, this time, supported by more of the smaller forgotten ones. Just outside the dungeon entrance, an adventuring party was trying their best to defend themselves, but they were being quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers. My tariff station guards sealed the main doors and took up positions inside. Two of them held crossbows that they began to use through arrow slits in the walls. At the watchtower, the guards had also retreated inside, and the door there was even more sturdy than the one at the tariff station. Inside, half the kobold warriors guarded the door, while the others moved to the battlements. One of the kobolds at the top of the watchtower was working the repeating crossbow mounted there. Heavy bolts fired from the weapon with a sharp clacking sound. Each one found a target in the swarm of attackers, and each hit was usually a kill. Two crossbow wielding kobolds on the battlements joined the fight, adding their fire to the mix. The final ranged attacker was the kobold sorcerer among the tower defenders. With a mad cackle, the sorcerer began to hurl blasts of flame among the attackers. His actions reminded me that I could do the same. Concentrating, I unleashed Flame Bursts among the attackers that were focused on the adventurers. I had five charges of the spell, and each charge fired five bursts of flame. My spells pushed back the attackers, giving the adventurers a chance to run toward the tariff station. A system prompt appeared as they reached the front door. A party of adventurers seeks refuge inside your tariff station. Do you wish to allow them entry? Y/N. I granted them entry and the kobolds inside quickly unbolted the door and swung it open to allow the adventurers inside. Only three adventurers had survived the ordeal, but among them was their healer, a human woman who immediately began to heal her party as the doors slammed shut behind them. My kobolds closed the door just in time as several of the cultists started battering the door with their weapons. With the upgraded stone structure of both the tariff station and the watchtower, I didn¡¯t think the cultists or the forgotten one monsters were going to get inside anytime soon. For now, it was a massacre as my ranged forces, bolstered by the adventurers and fire from the watchtower, tore through the foes assaulting the tariff station. So far, they hadn¡¯t attacked the watchtower directly, and instead were focusing on the more lightly defended tariff station. It appeared the flow of attackers from the dungeon wasn¡¯t stopping anytime soon, as more and more groups of cultists and the forgotten ones kept emerging from the swirling dungeon entry portal. A system prompt appeared to explain what was happening. Inspired by their wakening god, the forgotten ones and their servants rise inside your zone, seeking to eradicate all life as a sacrifice to their forgotten god. The Temple of the Forgotten Ones dungeon will continue to release waves of increasingly powerful attackers as they attempt to overwhelm your defenses. Inside the depths of your mountain, more of the forgotten ones awake, and will ceaselessly climb from the dark places of the world and attack your forces. Beware, this is just the beginning of the assault, and the longer this stage of the challenge lasts, the more powerful and numerous the forces assaulting you will become. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. New war coordination options have unlocked. New commands for your forces have unlocked. New options have opened in your marketplace and with the Gavelox Trading Consortium. Okay, it looked like the dungeon and the middle of the mountain were going to be continuous spawning points for the attackers. Eventually, they¡¯d overwhelm me, but the longer I held on, the higher in the rankings I¡¯d climb. Before I began to organize my defenses, I checked out the new options I¡¯d unlocked. The war coordination menu was pretty simple. I could select an ally and request that they send forces to a particular point on the map. The places I could send them were limited, mainly just the faction cities and crucial crossroads. For now, I held off on shifting any of my allied forces, they were needed to defend their homes in case another spawn point appeared nearby. I had plenty of mercenaries I could use, as well as my kobold warrior squads. That brought up the question of whether I wanted to keep patrolling the caravan routes. It might be better to bring my troops in and turtle up at several critical points. Doing so would add to my defensive ability, but it would also jeopardize my economy if attacks on the trade routes began to happen. As far as the marketplace and consortium. They offered an outlet for my resources. Both had cut off any mercenary offerings, or upgrades, but I could funnel a portion of my resource generation into them. Those resources would be used to generate replacements for any losses I sustained, both among my mercenaries, and my kobold forces. Along with the option to funnel resources to the market and consortium was an announcement that I would no longer naturally generate replacements for both workers and warriors. I sent half my resource flow to the marketplace and half to the consortium. My marketplace gave me around double the value in replacements per resource than the consortium, but I could only send a maximum of half to each. With all my buildings maxed out, I really didn¡¯t have anything else to spend my resources on unless I wanted to build something new. More watchtowers would be nice, but I doubted I¡¯d have the time and resources to start them at rank zero and bring them all the way to rank five where they really became effective. Any of the resources I spent on building meant that losses to my existing troops would take that much longer to be replaced. For now, to allow the resources to keep flowing in, I kept the existing kobold trade route patrols in place. The exceptions were the squad patrolling the road connecting the dungeon, and the squad protecting the road between my cavern and the gnomes. The squad from the dungeon I sent to reinforce the forces occupying Shoremarch. As for the squad inside the mountain, they were already helping to clean up the last forgotten ones that had attacked the gnome caravan. The attackers had been defeated, but with a never-ending flow of attackers soon to arrive there, keeping them on the trade road was suicide. I cancelled that trade route but found that I could now redirect the caravan to a slower, overland route to the gnomes. There were no roads on the overland route, but I still needed those trade resources to keep flowing in. The gnomes would probably also need the trade income to keep their troops in fighting shape. As for the squad patrolling that route, they were redirected to guard the new overland route I¡¯d created. I¡¯d stop the enemies spawning in the mountain at the wall to my cavern, where I reinforced the kobolds guarding it with a squad of human mercenaries, the elf archer squad, and the kobold snipers. As a final addition, I pulled the ballista crew from the other wall to protect this one. It was going to be some time before the attackers from the dungeon fought their way to the entrance of my cavern, and the ballista would do more good skewering forgotten ones that were already starting to appear inside the mountain. Back at the dungeon, the attackers were multiplying, and I was starting to see some of the larger forgotten ones emerge from the dungeon entrance. As more enemies swarmed out, they began to assault the watchtower as well as redoubling their attacks on the tariff station. As the attack on the watchtower progressed, I got my first look at the goblin mines I¡¯d purchased. Popping out of the ground, a mine scurred toward the attackers like a clockwork spider. Once it was close to its target, the mine exploded in a blast of shrapnel that cut down several cultists and forgotten ones. When one mine detonated, another pulled itself out of the ground and continued their suicidal defense of the tower. I never did get a count of how many mines there were in each field, but it had to be a substantial number given the overloaded cart that had supplied them, not to mention several workers in the crew also hauled crates of the mines. However many of the mines there were, it wasn¡¯t going to be enough to stop the enemy, but it would buy me time. The longer I survived, the more chance I had that another competitor would fall, and I would move up in the ranks. A new threat flashed on my interface, one approaching the city of Shoremarch, and one that seemed to warrant a system announcement. The forgotten ones rise not only through the dark places under the earth, but also from the depths of the sea. A new horde has awakened and will soon make landfall at Shoremarch. It looked like the forces I¡¯d sent there were going to have to go into action almost immediately. While I waited for the enemy to show themselves, I ordered the kobold workers with the mines I¡¯d sent toward Shoremarch to mine the road just outside the city. The city was going to fall at some point and the invaders would undoubtedly use the road there to speed their passage deeper into my empire. A final system prompt appeared, announcing the end of the first full day of the final stage and giving me a look at how many contenders remained. You have survived the first 24 hours of the final challenge. Continue to survive for a chance to earn additional rewards. Remaining contenders: 2181/2432. Chapter 282. The Forgotten Ones Rise. Chapter 282. The Forgotten Ones Rise. As night fell over the zone, my problems began to multiply. Red attack indicators flashed on several of the trade routes, and I received a notice that the elf village was also under attack. Out in the ocean, the wave of attackers was nearing Shoremarch. My forces there seemed strong when I had watched them marching along the road, but when they were spread out over the long wall facing the port, I could see that there were too few to protect that big of an area. I hated to abandon the city, and the few survivors that refused to leave, but if the attackers swimming toward the city were as numerous as I suspected, my forces would be quickly overwhelmed. My desire to defend the city had to be balanced against my main goal of protecting the cavern, and its crucial headquarters, for as long as possible. Reluctantly, I ordered the troops in the city to abandon their posts and return to the cavern. If the attack on the elves was proving to be too much, I could shift them to help defend the village. As it stood, there was almost too much going on for me to keep track of. First, I focused on the elf village. I could see a group of about a dozen cultists, supported by a few of the smaller forgotten ones, were trying to climb the tree homes of the elves. It looked like the defenders there had the fight well in hand and they were picking off enemies with little trouble. The squad of kobold warriors that was added there from the defense pact were able to mop up any attackers that made it through the barrage of arrows. Out on the roads, it was a different story. A human caravan not far from their village had been overrun by a group similar to those attacking the elf village. One of my caravans, heading toward the elves, was also being destroyed. Guards on the roads were responding to the attacks, but they would be severely outnumbered as more and more attacks appeared along every trade route. It looked like continued trade with my allies was out of the picture. I ordered the existing, non-engaged squads on the trade routes to retreat to the cavern, or if they were closer to an allied village, to bolster the defenses there. Trade was a major portion of my income, but I still had some resources coming in from the structures inside my cavern. It would be all I had to work with for spawning replacements. The Gavelox Trading Consortium is evacuating the zone. All existing contracts will be fulfilled, but new orders and ongoing services will end in the next hour. The Gavelox Trading Consortium would like to thank all its loyal customers and wish them luck in surviving the coming hordes of attackers. Well, the consortium was tapping out of the fight. It was fine with me, I no longer had resources to spend there. A quick check showed the gates of their fort had opened and a dozen overladen wagons pulled by oxen were starting to roll out. Just like the evacuees from Shoremarch, they headed east to where a portal had opened. The caravan was well guarded, with a few squads of human mercenaries and a half dozen ogres decked out in plate armor and were wielding monstrous sized axes. Atop each wagon, a pair of goblins with bows nervously watched the countryside around them. The teamsters driving the wagons were also armed goblins, which made this caravan a much more difficult nut to crack compared to my kobold trade caravans. When I tried to inspect the portal to the east, a system prompt appeared. This is an evacuation point for your zone. As an alternative to fighting to the last, you may choose to evacuate your people. Survivors escaping through the portal will improve your final ranking in the challenge. The system was giving me an alternative win condition. Sadly, I didn¡¯t think trying to hoof it with all my kobold civilians was going to work. We were already being pressed hard by the attackers coming from inside the mountain, and the continuing attacks on the trade routes were blocking most of the roads out of here. My troops were powerful, and I could probably punch my way out, but there was a very real chance we¡¯d be easily overrun on the road, ending my challenge earlier than I wanted. Almost at the same time I decided to stay and fight, the gnomes decided they were done. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The Gurtzam Rock Gnomes have informed you that they are preparing to evacuate. All trade and mutual defense pacts between your peoples have been dissolved, but in the spirit of past cooperation, the gnomes will leave the squad of defenders assigned to your cavern behind. When they left it would mean more pressure on my defenders at the wall since half of the forgotten ones attacking from inside the mountain were assaulting the gnome cavern. At least I got to keep the squad of gnomes. It was too bad I was going to lose the kobold squad that were helping to defend the gnome village. They had no easy route back to my cavern, so for now, I had them help defend the gnomish wall as the gnomes prepared to make their escape. The city of Shoremarch has been overrun. You must retake the city if you wish to restore its resource contribution. I zoomed in on the city, watching as a swarm of forgotten ones of all sizes pull themselves out of the ocean. They had already scaled the defenses in the port and were hunting down the last few survivors cowering in their homes. The number of attackers already was over a thousand, and it didn¡¯t look like the flow of them emerging from the ocean depths was stopping anytime soon. They didn¡¯t stop at the city gates either. A few of the larger forgotten ones broke through the gates and the horde started to pour down the trade road. The first groups of enemies were blasted to pieces by the minefield my kobold workers had barely finished laying. Explosions were continuous for almost a minute before the last mine had detonated. That one minefield had destroyed over a hundred attackers, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind, as the wave of twisted creatures continued to push toward my retreating forces. Sadly, the forgotten ones were way too fast for my troops to match, so I had no option other than to order my forces to stand and fight. It was a short, but brutal fight. I added what I could with my spells, firing all my Flame Bursts at large groups of smaller attackers, and using the Scorching Rays to take down a huge forgotten one that was tearing through the prison fodder. It turned out my kobolds were tougher than I thought after their final upgrades, and along with the mercenaries, they traded with the enemy at better than three to one. Unfortunately, the enemy outnumbered us by a ratio of at least a hundred to one. The rather substantial force I¡¯d sent to the city of Shoremarch was overrun in minutes, and the horde continued down the trade road where they would eventually hit the human village. So far, the human village had only suffered a few smaller attacks, mainly by cultists and the weaker forgotten ones. The wall around their village had grown from the short, shoulder-high thing my minions had run right through, into a true wooden palisade made of shout logs. It gave the human defenders an advantage, but even with the wall, there was no way they were going to stop the horde from Shoremarch. With the chaos going on, I tried to organize my forces, reinforcing each of the walls protecting my cavern with the majority of my troops. As a mobile reserve inside the cavern, I kept the goblin wolf riders, the elf wizard, and two of my kobold squads. My minions were here with me in the fortified headquarters. For my big boy, the barrier lizard, I worked on different ways I could place the creature. I decided to keep it as a final roadblock the front of both my headquarters, and the barracks. To bolster the garrison inside the headquarters, I added the elite dragonkin squad. Combined with my minions and the garrison troops already here, it was a powerful force, even against the sheer number of attackers coming at us. The walls covering both entrances were too short to hold all the forces I had arrayed there, so I worked out a rotation system for when things started to really kick off. Once a group was tired and had taken casualties, a fresh squad would rotate in to replace them. In the event of a breakthrough, I had the remaining four squads of prison fodder to throw into the gap while we reorganized our defenses. Attacks on the wall from inside the mountain were picking up, but the defenders there were still able to easily defeat the forgotten ones assaulting them. Casualties were light and would probably remain so for some time. I always had the trump card of activating the militia which would turn all my worker kobolds, of which there were hundreds, into warriors. That was a last-ditch panic button though, since I¡¯d cripple my resource flow, which would stifle any reinforcements for my better units. Like someone plugging in the Christmas tree lights, my headquarters map lit up all at once. Every location and every one of my allies were under attack. Even inside my previously secure cavern, the sounds of fighting reached me. A system prompt appeared to explain what was happening. For a long time, the whispers of the forgotten ones have permeated the minds of the residents of the zone. Many were swayed, becoming the cultists that have led the attack on your forces. Just as many heard the call, but were ordered to wait. Now, their time has come, and the forgotten ones call on all their servants to end life on this world. A percentage of all populations in the zone have been corrupted and are rising against you. Fight hard and survive for as long as you are able. Remaining contenders: 1951/2432. Chapter 283. Falling Empire. Chapter 283. Falling Empire. Kobold screams broke out behind me, and I readied my weapons as I turned to face the threat. The two kobold warriors that normally stood guard outside the map room in my headquarters were fighting. One had transformed, an arm replaced with a tentacle-like appendage that was latched around the other kobold¡¯s throat. The other kobold was pawing at his waist, fumbling at his attempt to draw his dagger. Before I could charge forward to help, a blur appeared from deeper in the headquarters, slamming into the mutated kobold. It was the war lizard assigned to my headquarters, and it had closed its jaws around the mutated kobold¡¯s throat. A moment later the sickening snap of bone was heard, and the mutant went limp. All throughout the cavern, the battle was raging as many of the kobolds, both warriors and common workers, mutated into forgotten one hybrids. I needed to get my cavern under control, then see about the rest of my crumbling empire. The headquarters was now quiet, and I ordered my minions out to first clear the barracks, then work their way out from there. Turning back to the headquarter map, I used it to watch the progress of the battle inside the cavern. The few mutants inside the barracks had already been dealt with by the defenders there, so my minions headed to the quartermaster¡¯s hut, while I sent the squad defending the barracks to clear the crafters area, then the marketplace. Deeper in the cavern, my workers on the farms and at the housing complexes were having trouble. They weren¡¯t warriors and had more trouble fighting off the mutants that had appeared in their ranks. The mobile reserve I¡¯d set aside in the cavern went to work, and the goblin wolf riders were soon on the scene. With their help, housing and food production would be secured shortly. On the wall protecting us from the interior of the mountain, it was a more precarious situation. The transformed kobolds there seemed to have a unified purpose other than sewing chaos throughout the cavern. They moved to overpower the guards at the gate, killing three and then attempting to open the doors. The horde of forgotten ones pouring from deeper in the mountain had only grown as the gnomes sought to escape the zone. That horde now pressed against the gate, ignoring the horrible losses they were taking as the defenders on the wall above rained missiles down upon them. The spells I¡¯d used against the attackers at the dungeon had replenished by now and cast several Flame Bursts to wipe out the mutants trying to open the gate. My troops at the walls regained control quickly after that and redoubled their efforts to punish the forgotten ones still massing outside the gate. A few of the larger forgotten ones started to climb the walls, their odd appendages proving remarkably suited to the task. I had heavily reinforced the walls with troops earlier, and even with a few forgotten ones trying to climb, my defenders were holding well. Throughout the cavern, the uprising of creepy mutant kobolds was put down. Despite victory here, the cost had been high. I estimated about 10% of the population had been transformed, and they had killed an equal number before finally being killed off. My population was down by a total of 20% and the fight had a long way to go. Just in case, I had my mobile teams not wait to respond to threats, and instead, had them begin patrols of the massive cavern we called home. I kept my minions closer at hand now as well, ordering them to remain just outside the map room door while I was in there. My cavern was secured, but my holdings outside weren¡¯t in quite as good a shape. Norber¡¯s traveling merchant caravan has arrived in your zone and wishes permission to trade. Do you want to allow Norber free access to trade in your zone? Y/N. Before I could even answer a new system prompt appeared. Norber¡¯s trading caravan has been overrun and will no longer offer goods to yourself and your allies. That was quick. I could see that the hapless merchant had appeared on the trade road just outside of Shoremarch, and right in the midst of the attackers using the road to reach my cavern. Out at the dungeon, the tariff station had fallen. I didn¡¯t get to watch the whole thing, just the aftermath as the last adventurer inside, their healer, fell under a mound of forgotten one creatures. The door was open but still intact, so I assumed one of the kobolds inside must have mutated, then thrown open the door to the attackers. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The watchtower was also about to be overwhelmed, as even larger and more powerful forgotten ones had started to emerge from the dungeon. Around ten feet tall, these new arrivals had no trouble climbing up the tower and using their oversized tentacle appendages to snatch defenders off the battlements and hurl them down into the crowd of attackers below. Before long, the top of the tower was cleared of defenders and the big creatures began to hurl their smaller kin up to the top of the tower even as they assisted in breaking down the door. Attacked from above and below, my defenders there fell in a matter of minutes. You have lost control of the Dungeon of the Forgotten Ones area. All resources from this location are now cut off from your empire. It wasn¡¯t a huge loss, as no caravan from the dungeon would have made it down the long road to my cavern anyway. The real problem was the invasion from inside the dungeon was now free to follow the road and join up with the horde coming from Shoremarch and the sea. The numbers pouring from the dungeon, as well as those from the sea and inside the mountain, seemed unending. My confederated allies, the elves and humans, had fought off the attackers appearing in their midst, but had taken losses they wouldn¡¯t be able to replace, and the main horde from Shoremarch was drawing ever closer. The trade caravans and guard squads still making their way back to the cavern had taken losses, but there were survivors from each group that would reinforce us once they arrived. At the elf village, the attacks were more severe. It seemed like the deep parts of the forest were also some kind of spawn point for these monsters and they were barely being held off by the elf archers and warriors. Despite their efforts, the elves were taking losses and as each elf fell, it left them that much weaker. They were going to be overrun, sooner rather than later, but for now, they were helping to stem the tide. Each forgotten one that attacked the elves was one less at my walls. Oddly enough, the cultists were no longer among the attackers. Given that some of the forgotten ones wore tattered remnants of clothing, I figured they had been completely transformed into monsters. My former trading partners, the gnomes, were in a bad spot. Their walls had been overrun when my squad defending them had been unable to hold back the huge number of attackers. Unstoppable, the horde of forgotten ones poured out of the cavern and began their assault to the gnome villagers trying to escape to the portal. Slow moving to begin with, the gnomes were further hampered when 10% of their population transformed and began attacking. From what I could see on the map, the forgotten ones would soon reach them, and the remaining gnome defenders were going to be too few in number to hold them off on the open road. The survivors of Shoremarch were also going to be run down by the forgotten ones, as they were moving far too slow to make it to the portal before the road was cut off. The only group that looked like it was going to make it out of the zone was the consortium caravan. Nobody in their group had transformed into monsters, and they were almost at their destination with no large forces nearby that could stop them. Things began to calm down inside the cavern, and my troops defending the interior wall were still holding strong. Out at the wall protecting the cavern from the outside world, my troops had only faced a few small groups of stragglers. Eventually, the unending horde coming down the main trade road would reach them, but at the moment, they were under little pressure. The surviving trade caravans also made it to the cavern, and the workers assigned to them gathered at the marketplace while the warriors were used to fill the open slots in other squads that had taken casualties. This brought the defenders on the interior wall back up to strength, but I still had a bunch of workers hanging around with nothing to do. Eventually, I¡¯d have to call out the militia, so even the workers with nothing to do would become useful again. A few eggs were at the housing complex, the slow resources generated from my structures allowing me a few replacements for kobolds lost in battle. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t specify which kobolds to spawn as replacements, and the mix favored workers over the warriors I desperately needed for this fight. As I predicted the poor gnomes were overrun and killed off. They put up a brave fight but were too few to stand against the forgotten ones. If they had just remained in the cavern, the walls there would have allowed them to last longer. As it stood, forgotten ones streamed out of the mountain, joining the swarm that had killed the gnomes. This group began to wind around the outside of the mountain, making for the front gate of my cavern. In a futile effort to save themselves. The human village of Millstone has broken from your confederation and submitted themselves to the forgotten ones. I turned my attention back to the human village. One by one, the humans began to fall on the ground and writhe in pain as they were slowly transformed into forgotten ones. To make matters worse, their town hall collapsed and in its place, a swirling red portal appeared. From the portal, a new stream of forgotten ones poured out. The transformed village population and the attackers from the portal began to head down the trade route toward the elves. Only one more ally remained in the zone, and they were going to fall as soon as the monsters from the human village reached them. The day ended as I watched the invaders approach from every angle. I had survived, but it appeared that many of my competitors had not. This was only going to get harder, so I had to do whatever I could to stay alive as long as possible. The 2nd day of the final stage has ended. Remaining contenders: 912/2432. Beware, what you have faced so far are the weakest that the forgotten ones can muster. Their more powerful abominations are only now starting to pull themselves from the depths as they try to end the last opposition to their ascension. Chapter 284. Breach. Chapter 284. Breach. The Zalbairn Forest Elves have been defeated. There it was, my last ally was gone, and I was on my own. The largest tree in the elf village split in two, and another sickly portal appeared in the middle of it. More forgotten ones emerged from the portal, joining the unending stream of attackers heading toward my cavern. To make matters worse, the newest invaders appearing were even larger than the previous ones. Each was at least the size of an ogre, and they were also fast, easily outpacing their smaller kin as they marched toward my cavern. At least the cavern itself was secured, and I had a few reinforcements spawning in to help. The trade roads are no longer under your control. As the system announced the loss of the trade roads, my vision over the zone shrank to just a small spot past the entrances to my cavern. I would have no idea what was coming for us until they reached the view of my defenders on the wall. Having intel on what was approaching would be missed, but the fight would be decided here, in the cavern, not in some battle of maneuver out on the roads. All I could do now was wait. My headquarters was a small fortress in its own right and should hold out even after the defenses at the entrances to the cavern failed. The barracks next door also shared a wall with my headquarters and had its own defenders to help it survive for longer. Now, both entrances were under continuous assault, though the defenders were holding strong. I had purchased enough mercenaries so that between them and my kobold squads, I could hold off the enemy for some time. Eventually, the enemy numbers would overwhelm me, but each moment I survived made it more likely I¡¯d do better in the rankings. The new day progressed, and we held. Some of the larger forgotten ones were starting to arrive, and they were causing us more and more casualties as they could climb up and snatch defenders off the walls. Our heavier weapons focused on the larger attackers, but they were becoming more numerous as the day turned into afternoon. My mobile reserve, save for Durghat¡¯s Fangs, the goblin wolf riders, were thrown into the defense at the wall. More and more enemies were climbing up to almost make it on the battlements, and the reinforced gates were also taking a beating from the constant pounding on them. Before long, one of them would be breached and we would be in trouble. Just when it looked like the defenders on the walls were going to be overwhelmed, explosions began to ripple across the front lines of the enemy. Flames stuck to the misshapen flesh of the forgotten ones, their many faces screaming in pain and rage as they were consumed by the fire. A second wave of explosions rippled across the enemy front, killing them by the score. With help from your crafting stations, the defenders in your sorcerer¡¯s tower had developed a new weapon to aid your forces. Dragonfire bombs have been distributed to your kobold warriors, each warrior is issued one, though replacement bombs can only be crafted at a pace of 1 bomb per hour. Checking out the kobold warriors inside the headquarters, I could see each carried what looked like one of the old-fashioned stick grenades, only much larger. A red rune glowed faintly on the iron casing of the bomb, as the sorcery inside waited to be unleashed. It was yet another item I filed away in my mind to report back home. Maybe we could find a way to duplicate these weapons? Remembering home, I dug into the lessons I¡¯d received from Major Finley. It was inevitable the walls would be overrun, and I needed a plan for when that happened. Ideally, I would have the idle workers build a wall behind the existing wall, so when it fell, a second line of defenses would be ready. Sadly, the system limitations on this challenge didn¡¯t give me that kind of flexibility. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. What I could do was mass the workers near the quartermaster¡¯s hut. When things were about to go south, I would activate the militia, and they would already be lined up to have gear issued to them. The plan would be to use them to hold back the enemy while the surviving warriors and mercenaries fell back to the barracks and headquarters where we¡¯d make our last stand. After a few minutes the kobolds ran out of dragonfire bombs, and the attack on the wall continued in earnest. Even larger forgotten ones joined the attack, and these didn¡¯t try to bring down the walls, instead, they hurled the smaller monsters over the wall to land behind my defenders. Reserves, waiting for their turn on the wall, were forced to deal with the ranged attacks. Only half the thrown creatures could put up a fight after the impact of their landing, but it was wearing out my reserves and causing more casualties among them even before they were needed on the wall. After another hour, the enemy was starting to gain footholds on the wall, and the gate by the main entrance was on its last legs. It was time to activate my plan before the remaining warriors fit to fight were overrun. A gong and then a series of horn blasts sounded throughout the cavern as I called up the militia. There would be no more resource generation, and no casualty replacements after this, but I was under no illusion that the trickle of reinforcements would make a difference at this point. Earlier in the battle, they had surely helped, and I would have lost the walls hours ago if I hadn¡¯t had them. At the quartermaster¡¯s hut, the workers began to flood into the oversized, barn-like doors of the entrance. They entered through one half of the door, and exited a few moments later kitted out in militia gear. The gear wasn¡¯t as good as my warriors¡¯, but the militia all had leather armor, a shield, and a spear. I¡¯d place the militia at about the same equipment and skill level as the warriors I was cranking out with the rank three barracks. They wouldn¡¯t stand for long against the monstrous forgotten ones, but they¡¯d buy me the time I needed. More workers, those that had actually been working at the various structures in the cavern when the call to arms sounded, were on their way to get gear issued, but I had a solid force of nearly 300 workers already geared up due to their placement earlier. Half the equipped militia made their way to each wall, forming a line behind the wall as I ordered the retreat of my warriors and surviving mercenaries. To bolster them, I cast all the available spells I had acquired from the sorcerer¡¯s tower. Flame Blasts and a pair of Scorching Ray¡¯s hammered into the enemy as the warriors on the wall, and the reinforcements behind them, began to flee. My troops had barely cleared the walls when the enemy swarmed over the obstacle. The first ones over the top took a few moments to unbolt the gate and throw it open before charging toward the line of militia defenders. To their credit, the kobold militia didn¡¯t hesitate or break and run. They stood their ground and stabbed their spears into the nearest foes. A steady trickle of militia replacements from the workers still being kitted out at the quartermaster¡¯s hut flowed to replace the losses. Despite this flow of reinforcements, the lines of kobold militia were overrun in minutes. The ones holding the line near the main cavern entrance were the first to go down as a pair of super-sized forgotten ones broke through the walls and tore through the thin line of defenders. I had made the right call; the pair of giant forgotten ones dwarfed the wall itself and were easily forty feet tall. If my main force was still on the wall, they would have been killed in moments. The giant forgotten ones broke through the wall like it was made of cardboard, and another pair of the oversized monsters smashed their way through the other wall. A few swipes of their misshapen appendages swept aside most of the remaining militia and the monsters strode confidently toward my headquarters. Swarms of their smaller kin followed in the wake of the four giants, and I didn¡¯t think the walls of my headquarters, or the barracks would stand up to the big guys. With a series of shrill war cries, the goblin wolf riders charged to attack, trying to buy my other forces time to finish their retreat. To my shock and delight, they avoided the first clumsy swings of the giants, but their weapons seemed to barely scratch the surface of the giant¡¯s, knotty hide. The goblins did the job of distracting the giants, though, and the attacks had shifted their attention away from smashing the headquarters. Sadly, the goblins could avoid the clumsy swings of the giants¡¯ tentacle-like appendages, but they couldn¡¯t stop the swarm of smaller forgotten ones from surrounding them and taking them down one by one. With the goblin distraction over, the giants resumed their relentless approach, and I had a feeling my arena challenge was about to end. A deep roar was heard from outside the cavern, and a wall of flame blanketed the main entrance, cooking scores of forgotten ones. Blasting through, and barely clearing the entrance, was a massive creature. It was one I had almost forgotten about, it was Doshkath, the dragon my sorcerers had summoned to help defend us. The four giant monsters turned to face the new threat, and I waited for the clash of titans that was about to occur. Chapter 285. End of an Empire. Chapter 285. End of an Empire. Seeing the four giant-sized forgotten ones in front of it, Doshkath flapped his wings and hovered near the top of the cavern. So far, I hadn¡¯t seen any type of ranged weapons used by the forgotten ones, but these four monsters were large enough that their tentacle arms should reach almost to the top of the cavern. Doshkath roared in challenge and seemed incensed that the monsters in front of him were silent. I was no expert on the subject of dragons, but if a young dragon was anything like a young human, ignoring his challenge was a good way to goad him into a fight. Folding his wings, Doshkath dove at the forgotten ones, his attack led by another blast of his flaming breath weapon. One pair of giant forgotten ones were completely enveloped in the flames, and I could see their bodies melt away as the sticky dragon flame consumed them. The blast also consumed my market, but I had a feeling that I wasn¡¯t going to need it any longer. The battle was at its endgame, and I had to just hold out as long as I could. With the dragon and titanic forgotten ones holding the focus of everyone and everything in the cavern, I issued a few orders. All the surviving mercenaries and kobold warrior squads were now massed at the headquarters and barracks. The surviving militia, which there were just over a hundred of, were positioned outside the walls in front of the gate to the headquarters. Directly in front of the gate, I had the giant barrier lizard appear. A score of militia climbed up its back and began to man the half dozen weapons that were strapped onto the immense beast. The lizard didn¡¯t seem to mind, and even shifted his bulk a few times to make sure all the weapons, essentially the same oversized crossbows as we had on the walls, had a clear field of fire. I kind of felt bad about leaving the barrier lizard and the militia outside. There just wasn¡¯t enough room for them inside, and they should be able to at least get a few kills and slow down whatever tried to breach the entrance to the headquarters. Another roar from Doshkath shook the cavern. Unfortunately, this roar wasn¡¯t one of challenge or anger, it was a shout of pain. Turning my focus back to the fight, I could see my dragon ally was in trouble. Doshkath had adjusted his dive to hit one of the two surviving giants. The impact, along with his claws, teeth, and tail, made short work of the giant. His aggressive attack had left him open to the final foe, who wasted no time in lashing out with his tentacle arms. Instead of smashing into the dragon, the forgotten one instead looped one tentacle around the dragon¡¯s throat, choking off the cries of Doshkath. The other tentacle had pierced like a spear deep into the dragon¡¯s chest. As I watched, the dragon¡¯s struggles grew weaker, and the giant forgotten one seemed to swell with power as it somehow drained the life force of Doshkath through its tentacle. In a final, desperate effort, Doshkath croaked in pain, and I could see a red glow appear in his throat. Doshkath was charging up his breath weapon, but with his throat constricted, the breath had nowhere to go. Heat radiated off the dragon¡¯s body and the forgotten one squirmed in pain as anything in contact with the dragon began to burn. Sadly, the pressure and heat building up inside Doshkath¡¯s body proved to be too much, and he exploded in a whirlwind of dragon flesh and fire. The blast wave reached out across the cavern, killing hundreds of the smaller forgotten ones before its power diminished. Even with the blast over, I could feel the temperature in the cavern had increased by several degrees. At least the blast was too far away to do any damage to the headquarters, barracks, or the troops inside. Despite the cataclysmic fight, the forgotten ones didn¡¯t relent. The unstoppable horde continued toward my headquarters as I prepared to make my last stand. Archers atop the walls at the windows of the headquarters, and aboard the barrier lizard began to fire, dropping enemies by the score. There were just too many forgotten ones now, and they seemed to ignore any losses they suffered and continued to advance. As the edge of the enemy swarm engaged the militia outside, the barrier lizard released a blast of flame into the lead ranks. Not nearly as powerful as Doshkath¡¯s breath, the lizard was still able to toast dozens of the foes. While the lizard cooked the enemy, I received an update from the system. Apparently, another day had passed while I had been focused on the battle. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The 3rd day of the final stage has ended. Remaining contenders: 309/2432. A countdown of the remaining contenders will now be accessible inside your headquarters interface. Well, I¡¯d held out for longer than most. Pulling up the remaining contenders¡¯ countdown inside the headquarters interface, I found I could keep the countdown open in the corner of my vision without needing to constantly focus on it. I watched it tick down to 308, then 307 in seconds. My competitors must be facing the same sort of pressure I was. The forgotten ones had now cut through the remaining militia and the poor barrier lizard outside, and the larger ones were pounding on the gate and throwing their smaller kin atop the headquarters battlements. On the battlements above, the archers suddenly found forgotten ones dropping all around them. After a few minutes, the numbers of enemies atop the battlements grew and my kobold defenders were cut down. The defenders inside the headquarters bolted the hatch leading to the battlements, but I could already hear the forgotten ones above tearing into it. They would break through before too long. At the main gate, I could hear the stout wood bar holding it closed crack. A couple more shoves and the gates flung open. Forgotten ones poured through the open gates and were met by a barrage of the last dragonfire bombs my troops possessed. After the bombs were used up, the sorcerers burned the last of their mana to blanket the area in Flame Blasts and Scorching Rays. I added my spells to the mix, as well as dropping a Health Bloom over the first ranks of my kobold troops. Ignoring the firepower slaughtering them, the forgotten ones charged forward, their objective was in sight, and nothing was going to dissuade them from reaching me. A quick check revealed that the contender count was down to 264. Others were falling fast, and if I could just hold a bit longer, my rewards would be much better. A string of explosions rippled through my front ranks as the kobold fanatic mercenaries charged forward and detonated themselves against the horde. Collateral damage killed more than a few of my own troops, but it gave us a breather to reorganize the rest and bolt the doors to the map room. Inside, I had the dragonkin elite squad and my minions. The door to the map room was reinforced, but nowhere near as strong as the front gate. Once they finished off the rest of my forces, the forgotten ones would have no trouble breaching it. Through the interface I watched as the last of my troops were slaughtered, but each death bought me a few more moments of life. Those extra moments of life allowed me to keep climbing the ranks of the surviving contenders. We were down to 207, and the number was falling fast by the time the door to my headquarters was breached. Minutes passed, and the powerful dragonkin elite warriors I¡¯d positioned there seemed to have no trouble holding back the tide of attackers trying to get through the doorway chokepoint. Part of the wall behind me crumbled as the forgotten ones breached it. I cast Duplicate on the mana slayer drone and assigned the pair to hold the breach. Khurr also joined them when the forgotten ones began to push past. I hurled my javelin, the lightning empowering the weapon cooking several enemies that were tightly packed in the breach. Just then, another section of wall crumbled, and I sent my goblins to hold that spot. Elida was constantly casting healing spells, rapidly burning through her spell slots as she tried to keep the defenders alive. I dropped Health Blooms over each group of defenders, helping to keep them on their feet for as long as possible. Moving to the corner of the room, I overturned the map table and positioned myself behind it as I prepared to make my last stand. The contender count was down to 117 and dropped to 116 a second later. Whatever was happening in the other zones, it seemed as devastating as the attacks against me. Glurk and Glamb were snatched up by a larger forgotten one and dragged into the swarm. I hit Glamb with Ring of Final Sacrifice, causing him to explode as the forgotten ones tore him apart. Firing off magic missiles from my wand, I also reached into Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts for another defender. ¡°Really bag, that¡¯s what you give me,¡± I complained as a large rodent was pulled out. The system called it an Agouti, whatever that was. I thought it looked like an oversized squirrel without a tail. It did about as well as I expected, charging forward only to be stomped on by a forgotten one. My wand ran dry just as the last of my goblins fell and the enemy charged forward. The surviving minions and dragonkin elite turned and tried to come to my aid, but there were too many enemies between us for them to reach me in time. Just as the lead forgotten one was about to enter melee range, the ground shook, knocking me off my feet. I caught a brief glimpse of the ceiling collapsing and another of the titanic forgotten ones readying his arm for a blow that would probably bring down the entire headquarters. You have been crushed to death by falling debris. Your arena challenge is now complete. Congratulations! You were ranked #96 in the final tally. As a top 100 contender, additional rewards have been allocated. You will now be returned to the arena center to receive your rewards. Chapter 286. Top 100. Chapter 286. Top 100. There was a brief pause in the void before I found myself stepping out of a portal and into a small lobby near the entrance to the arena. One by one, other contestants popped into view as their challenge ended. It was an odd collection, with about half of us being humans, and most of the rest were weird insect-like creatures I wasn¡¯t familiar with. Other than that, we had a smattering of all the other species I was familiar with and had run into one time or another. ¡°Please step up to the nearest agent, and you will be assigned your appropriate rewards. I¡¯m aware they are normally distributed through your reward chest inside your personal space, but for top 100 finishers, the arena prefers to award you directly, tailoring your rewards to fit your specific class needs,¡± a small halfling with a loud voice shouted. There were about a dozen of those ticket-booth looking stands nearby, and everyone started queueing up behind the shortest line. I waited my turn behind one of the insect people, and a human woman in full plate armor. None of my line mates seemed up for chitchat so I kept to myself as the line moved forward at a modest pace. When I finally made it to the front of the line, I was greeted by another of the serpent people. She had a fake, customer service smile plastered on her face as she spoke in a monotone voice. ¡°Congratulations on reaching the top 100 of the tier two arena challenge. Please state your name and place your hand on the indicated mark.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m Rico Kline,¡± I replied, noticing the glowing spot on the counter in front of me. Placing my hand there, I felt a slight tingle as the system made sure I was who I said I was. ¡°Based on your placement in the final tally, you are entitled to three special rewards. Your normal rewards will be found inside your reward chest inside your personal space. Please step into one of the private rooms to redeem your rewards. Once you have reviewed them, they will be logged and stored by the system, and you will be returned to your personal space,¡± the clerk said, passing over three glowing tokens and pointing toward a line of doors at the far wall. I snatched up the tokens and headed toward one of the open doors, a bit curious why the system didn¡¯t just dump these token things into the reward chest. The tokens looked like silver coins that were visibly glowing with powerful mana. Entering through the door, I was greeted with what looked like an oversized changing room at a ritzy department store. It had a mirror on one wall, and a comfy looking leather chair with an ottoman if I wanted to sit. Next to the mirror was a long shelf with locked storage boxes under it. There were ten storage boxes, and each of them had a glowing coin slot at the top. A system prompt appeared, telling me what to do. Congratulations! Based on your performance, you have earned 3, top 100 reward tokens. Place your token in the desired boxes to unlock your rewards. Strive to achieve more in your next arena challenge to earn better rewards. I had to guess that the top winner probably got all ten rewards, and the numbers trickled down to me at 96/100 getting three. I picked the far-left box to start with first. Dropping my coin inside, it made a rather satisfying sound, like a coin going into a slot machine. A moment later, the top of the box slid back, revealing a scroll. Opening the scroll caused a burning sensation to start in my chest as the system explained my reward. You have acquired Mana Core Shielding, Rank 3 with a Minor Regeneration Engine upgrade. At this rank, you can shield 15 of your mana from being drained by a mana-starved environment. In addition, the shielded core will act as a mana generator, regenerating the shielded mana at a greatly reduced rate. When outside of a mana-starved world, your core will now boost regeneration of your shielded mana by 300%. That was huge, I finally had a way to regenerate mana back home, which would be a game-changer. The system didn¡¯t tell me how long it took to generate a point, but I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t lying when it said the rate of regeneration would be greatly reduced. There was even bonus regeneration when I was in a world with normal mana, at least for the fifteen points contained in the shielded portion of my core. Excited by my first reward, I picked the next box in line, dropping my coin and having it open to reveal black tactical gear, including a helmet. It was similar to what the soldiers back home wore. By touching the helmet, the armor set automatically was equipped, replacing my existing set and triggering a system prompt. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. You have acquired the Minion Master custom armor set. Modeled after the gear favored on your home world, this set of light, flexible armor provides protection equivalent to masterwork plate armor, with additional piercing damage resistance. In addition, it is well protected against most environmental effects. Your previously equipped armor has been sent back to the armory inside your personal space. In addition to the armor¡¯s protective properties, it is also enchanted to enhance your minions. When wearing this gear, all minion summons will appear as 1 Rank higher than their actual rank. The Minion Master armor will also cut down their respawn time by 10%. Should your armor become severely damaged, it will unsummon and begin to slowly repair itself inside your armory. Once fully repaired, the armor can be resummoned again. This gear is shielded and can be summoned on your home world. When summoned and equipped on a mana-starved world, the additional effects relating to your summoned minions will not function, though the armor¡¯s physical and environmental protections will remain in effect. If unequipped after summoning it on a mana-starved world, there will be an extended cooldown period before it can be summoned again. Having armor that I could summon at home gave a huge boost to survivability. Sure, I had a set of normal body armor that the military had issued me, but this was a step above and could be summoned at will instead of having to take the time to put on each piece. Excited, I dropped my token into the next box in line. This time, another small, sealed scroll appeared. There was no burning sensation when I opened this scroll, just a mysterious system prompt that didn¡¯t offer any further explanation on what the item was. You have acquired a Class Transformation Token. It will unlock at the appropriate time. ¡°Well, thanks for everything,¡± I said as a portal to my personal space opened next to me. I wasn¡¯t sure if the system, or people in charge of the arena were listening, and I didn¡¯t want to seem ungrateful for the rather useful rewards I¡¯d just received. ¡°Welcome back, Rico. From your new armor, I take your arena experience was a favorable one,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said as I returned. He was back at his desk writing furiously on a piece of parchment. Melvin suddenly appeared next to me as he shifted from his armor form and back to normal now that he was home. ¡°I didn¡¯t do too badly, hit the top one hundred which netted me some nice rewards. In fact, there are a few more that should be waiting in the chest for me. Are you doing okay, Tzes¡¯zod?¡± I asked. ¡°I am well, thank you for asking. Now, along with my congratulations, I must also offer my farewells. I have a project I need to attend to that will require my presence for some time. Despite the time requirements of this new project, I remain, as per our agreement, ready to assist if you should have need of me,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said before rolling up, then placing the parchment he had been working on into a scroll case. Once it was secured, he stepped through a portal that had opened for him. ¡°Shall there be anything else you require?¡± the head butler asked. ¡°I think I¡¯m good, thanks for this,¡± I said accepting a glass of cold fruit juice and a warm scented washcloth to wipe my face with. Having these folks here was great, and I was glad that I had shelled out so much money for the upgrade. Melvin sent me a mental nudge toward the reward chest, my friend almost as eager as I was to see what else we¡¯d gotten. You have received the following new rewards.
  1. Kobold Warband figurine, reusable. Note, this figurine will lose its reusable trait and become a normal summoning figurine should you take it back to your home world.
  2. You have unlocked special request summoning offers. These offers are presented by those either seeking you personally, or someone with your specific class traits. These summonings are not obligatory and you may accept or deny them with no penalty. Rewards for special summoning offers are enhanced.
These summoning offers typically have more details about what is required of you, as well as basic background information on the person requesting your assistance. Special request summoning offers will only occur during a normal summoning series and will not pull you directly from your home world.
  1. Summoning Pass (1). Immediately end a summoning and have your ratings and rewards for this summoning be considered ¡°Good¡±.
  2. 917 gold.
Wow, another round of great rewards, as well as a whole bunch more gold. Seeing as how I was already loaded back home, I¡¯d keep the gold here to spend in Somhagen when I hit tier two, rank five. I should reach that rank during my next summoning series, since I was already at tier two, rank 4. I also liked the idea of special summoning requests, which had enhanced rewards, and I could turn down any that seemed shady. The summoning pass was just the icing on the cake, allowing me to bail on a dodgy summoning without being penalized. I¡¯d need to check for more of these the next time I was in Somhagen. Looking at the kobold summoning figurine, it depicted an entire kobold squad from my arena challenge. I¡¯d have eight kobold warriors, a sergeant, two crossbowmen, a sorcerer, and last but not least, one of the war lizards. It was also nice to see the Tier and Rank were bumped up. I had expected them to be just Tier 0, Rank 5 based on the challenge, but these were a solid Tier 2, Rank 0 summoning figurine. Leaving the kobold warband in my summoning loadout so it wouldn¡¯t be ruined on Earth, I gathered my things and prepared to return home. Chapter 287. Friends and 486 Horses. Chapter 287. Friends and 486 Horses. ¡°He¡¯s got that zoned out look again. I think Rico just got back from a summoning,¡± one of the privates in the group I had been training back home said as I found myself exactly where I had been when the summoning for the arena challenge had snatched me away. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I need a minute. That was a long one for me,¡± I replied. ¡°Take your time Rico. For us, it¡¯s just been a few seconds, how long were you actually gone?¡± Major Finley asked. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, probably over a month, it was an arena challenge,¡± I replied, trying to remember if we¡¯d gone over those yet. None of these soldiers were going to be summoned beings, so my focus when talking about Somhagen was to go over things that would be applicable to the threats and opportunities that we¡¯d face after integration. ¡°What kind of challenge was it?¡± one of the soldiers, a corporal named Ellis, asked. ¡°It was different, I was put in command of a small tribe of kobolds, and had to grow their empire before an apocalypse wiped us out. Everything was system generated, and the competitors were ranked on how long they survived. I ranked 96/2432,¡± I explained. ¡°Not bad, did you get any rewards?¡± Corporal Ellis asked. ¡°Oh yeah, some good stuff for my class, and 1,000 gold that I left behind to spend in the city,¡± I explained. ¡°Dude, a thousand gold, how much is that in dollars?¡± one of the privates asked excitedly. ¡°Depends on the weight of the coin and if they¡¯re pure gold or some kind of alloy. Google the price per ounce and you¡¯ll have an estimate,¡± Finley explained to the soldiers. ¡°Woah, over a million dollars, and you left it behind?¡± the private asked, looking at his phone. That earned him a death glare from the Major since there were supposed to be no phones during their training sessions. I was sure the private was going to be in for a bad time later after training was over. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need much in the way of funds here, and the stuff I can buy in Somhagen might save some lives when the integration happens,¡± I explained. ¡°Let¡¯s break early for the day. Rico will have reports to write and I¡¯m sure command will want to hear of his latest adventures,¡± Finley explained. ¡°Thanks, but as long as you have someplace for me to work, I can get on the reports here. I can summon some of my minions for your soldiers to train with if you like. I¡¯d hate to see us lose half a day of training,¡± I offered. ¡°Perfect. Summon away, and we¡¯ll do some room clearing in the hangar if you can order your minions to hide and pretend to strike if they get the drop on us,¡± Finley requested. It was a good plan, so I summoned the drone first. His stealth ability would raise the difficulty for the troops. I also called in Blieek to give them a more basic opponent. It was easy enough to order my minions to not cause any harm, which should keep this whole exercise a bloodless affair. Finley found me a small, vacant office in the gym we were using. I¡¯d already made a habit of bringing the laptop that Refuge had provided for me. Typing up my report, I made sure to mention a few things that I thought might be important. Mainly, I wanted to offer Fitzfazzle¡¯s services to help them with any tech they wanted to experiment with. In return, he¡¯d get a peek at what we¡¯d managed to create without mana. I also sent a text to Agent Lopez, because if they wanted to work with my gnomish friend, the sooner they did so, the better. It was unlikely that I¡¯d be summoned for another series for a bit, since I¡¯d just gotten back. If they dilly-dallied and I was summoned before they got all they wanted out of Fitzfazzle, it would be quite a while before I could call on him again. Just as I was finishing up the report, my phone rang. ¡°Rico, it¡¯s Lopez. I¡¯ve checked with command, and they want you to summon the gnome for us. This Fitzfazzle could be key to several projects we''re working on, and in return, I have authority to give him free reign to inspect our technology,¡± Lopez advised. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll summon him now. I promised to show him around a bit, so your folks can¡¯t hog all his time here on Earth,¡± I replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we want to pick his brain, but we don¡¯t want to burn any bridges for potential future visits. I¡¯ve got a team boarding a flight now and should touch down at the base you¡¯re on around 7pm. We¡¯ll go over some preliminary information, then cut him loose for the night so you can show him the town. I do need to let you know that Fitzfazzle will be given a rather large security detail. The minute he arrives, he¡¯s a VIP for us, and I don¡¯t want anything to happen to him,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll call him now, but you need to be flexible with his schedule. I¡¯m not going to force him to do anything he doesn¡¯t want to do,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t burn any bridges with him,¡± Lopez tried to assure me. So far, he hadn¡¯t steered me wrong, so I believed he¡¯d do what he promised to do with Fitzfazzle. We ended the call, and Lopez said he¡¯d try to make it to where I was in Los Alamitos before the team arrived. ¡°Major Finley, I just spoke with Agent Lopez, and he wants me to summon my friend Fitzfazzle,¡± I said after tracking the major down in the hangars they were using for their training exercise against my minions. ¡°No worries, Rico, I just got a call from my superiors, letting me know this guy you¡¯re summoning is to have a protection detail while on post. The platoon we¡¯re training with are hitting the armory to get live ammo issued. I doubt we¡¯ll have any issues, but I¡¯m not going to risk it and have my boys unarmed if some system shenanigans start up,¡± Finley said. With that, I pulled out the figurine for Fitzfazzle and summoned my friend. Nothing happened at first and Finley asked if it was a dud. I explained to him that Fitzfazzle would have a bit of time to respond to the summoning and was likely gathering up some gear in case I was bringing him in to help with a threat. ¡°Rico, what¡¯s going on?¡± Fitzfazzle said as he stepped out of the swirling blue summoning portal that opened inside the hangar. He was armored in chain and leather, with an oversized pack on his back. He was also lugging around two heavy duffel bags in each hand. Fitzfazzle might be short, but his system enhanced stats, and countless hours working on his contraptions had made him strong. ¡°No threats this time, buddy. I¡¯ve brought you to my world. I thought you might want to check out how we live with no mana, and I was hoping that some of our scientists and techs can work with you on a few projects we¡¯re experimenting with. The integration of my world into the system is happening soon, and I want to make sure we¡¯re ready for the chaos,¡± I explained. ¡°Oh, excellent, I¡¯ve been curious about your world, ever since you explained what you¡¯ve accomplished without any mana,¡± Fitzfazzle said, dropping his duffel bags down before clapping me on the back as I introduced him to Major Finley and the soldiers I was working with. At that moment, one of the reserve pilots getting some hours in on a Blackhawk, flew past the open hangar door. Fitzfazzle¡¯s jaw dropped, and he ran to the doorway to watch the chopper hover, then land at the other end of the runway. ¡°How do you keep that in the air without mana? It was hovering, not gliding, and that noise it made was intriguing,¡± Fitzfazzle asked. ¡°Hold up, Mr. Fitzfazzle, we can¡¯t have you go out there just yet. I don¡¯t know if Rico explained it to you, but humans are the only intelligent species on the planet, and a gnome is someone from our myth and folklore. Even though these are military personnel, we can¡¯t risk news of you getting out just yet,¡± Finley explained, waving for Fitzfazzle to get back inside the hangar where he would be out of view of the flightline. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fitzfazzle, I¡¯ll see that we arrange a trip on one of the helicopters as well as some of our other aircraft while you¡¯re here,¡± I added. ¡°Fine, but I want more than a ride, I want to be able to take one apart and see how it works,¡± Fitzfazzle said, his hands absently drifting toward the various tools he had stashed away on his person. ¡°Sir, I think I may have something for Mr. Fitzfazzle to do while we wait. He might like to check out my Mustang,¡± Corporal Ellis said with a car enthusiast¡¯s pride. ¡°Horses aren¡¯t really my thing, but I can appreciate a good steed as much as the next gnome. Also, no need to be formal with me lad, just Fitzfazzle is fine, we¡¯re not real big on titles where I¡¯m from,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Go ahead and fetch the Mustang, Corporal,¡± Finely said, sending Ellis running to wherever they had their personal vehicles parked. ¡°I think you¡¯re going to find that this kind of mustang is something you¡¯d be very interested in, Fitzfazzle,¡± I said as we waited. Less than a minute later, Major Finley received a call from one of the MPs. Apparently, Ellis driving his personal vehicle onto the airfield was a big no-no, but a short conversation with Finley put a stop to any delays. We heard the growl of the Mustang¡¯s V8 engine before we saw it appear in the hangar opening. Ellis pulled the car inside and revved the engine loudly to Fitzfazzle¡¯s delight. I thought I saw the gnome wipe a bit of drool off his beard as he approached the vehicle. ¡°This is like no horse I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Fitzfazzle said absently as he ran his hand over the still warm hood of the sleek car. ¡°No, Fitzfazzle, that¡¯s not like any horse, but it does have the power of 486 horses under the hood. Good old American muscle right there,¡± Ellis said with pride as he popped the hood and showed Fitzfazzle how to raise it. My gnomish friend immediately lost interest in me and anything else, leaning over the engine compartment as he shot forth a steady stream of questions at Corporal Ellis, who, to his credit, was able to answer most of. I no longer had any concerns that we could keep Fitzfazzle occupied until the rest of the team arrived. Chapter 288. Repaying a Friend. Chapter 288. Repaying a Friend. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use one of your electric motors for the car. It seems these internal combustion engines are less efficient. Of course, running it on the driver¡¯s mana would be the best option, but you can¡¯t exactly do that yet,¡± Fitzfazzle asked Corporal Ellis as he moved the driver¡¯s seat into a position that would fit him. ¡°Sacrilege! Dude, Ford already tried to name some lame SUV a Mustang, but if they tried to do away with the traditional V8, we¡¯d probably riot. An electric car is fast, but it¡¯s an appliance, a soulless creation that¡¯s for soccer moms and sad people. Jacobs, go grab your car and bring it here,¡± Ellis said with passion, he really was into cars. I received a text that Lopez and his team were going to be there in a just a few minutes. It¡¯d been nearly an hour, and both Ellis and Fitzfazzle showed no signs of slowing down as they examined the corporal¡¯s car. A few minutes later, Private Jacobs pulled in with a small Nissan electric vehicle, pulling it silently next to the Mustang. Fitzfazzle jumped out of the Mustang and began going over the electric car. ¡°This is a rather minimalist design, and I can see both some advantages and disadvantages over the liquid oil powered Mustang,¡± Fitzfazzle said, stroking his beard as he looked at both cars. ¡°Remember, to a lot of us, a car isn¡¯t just a practical purchase, there¡¯s an emotional component as well. You¡¯re a man, er, gnome who knows his way around machines, tell me, if you had to drive one each day, which would you prefer? Jacobs, rev that electric baby up,¡± Ellis said, moving around to each vehicle and pointing at them like a lawyer in a TV courtroom. The electric car wasn¡¯t exactly made to rev, so it just made a little whining noise then beeped angrily at Jacobs as he abused the accelerator a bit too much. Shaking his head, Ellis walked Fitzfazzle over to the Mustang and had him start the car and rev the motor. The V8 in the car gave a satisfying growl at startup, and when he revved it, the engine, the exhaust roared. ¡°I see your point. I think this electric car is more practical in many ways, but I¡¯d rather that any MESS I created had an exhaust note like the Mustang. I¡¯ll have to see what I can do about that when I get home,¡± Fitzfazzle said. My fears of giant gnomish mechs doing burnouts and crashing into the crowd at a cars and coffee were forgotten as a trio of black SUVs holding Lopez¡¯ people pulled into the hangar. Lopez and a couple of men and women in suits who were obviously agents of some type got out first. Then, a flood of people in both casual wear and lab coats scrambled out, each excitedly trying to introduce themselves to Fitzfazzle at the same time. Seeing the deer in headlights look plastered on Fitzfazzle¡¯s face, Lopez took charge. ¡°All right everyone, settle down for a minute. You¡¯ll all get some time to talk to Fitzfazzle, for now, we need to get this dog and pony show organized,¡± the crowd of scientists, engineers, and who knew what else, seemed to deflate and take a step back. I figured that Lopez had laid down some harsh ground rules for them if they wanted the chance to interact with an alien that had access to technology they¡¯d never imagined could exist. ¡°First off, Fitzfazzle, I¡¯m agent Lopez and it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you in person. I work with Rico here on Earth, and he¡¯s told me a lot of good things about you and your people. I know your time here is limited, and you probably want to spend at least some of it with your friend, but our world is facing a crisis. When we integrate into the system, everything will change, and we want to do all we can to save as many lives as we can. ¡°Fitzfazzle, would you be willing to help us for at least some of the time you¡¯re here?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Agent Lopez, without Rico, my people would have likely been killed, consumed, or converted into undead. We owe him our lives and if my working with your people will help to save lives in your world, I¡¯m glad to be off assistance,¡± Fitzfazzle said much to Lopez¡¯s relief. The gnome then chuckled a bit before continuing. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ha, I think I might enjoy the conversations as much as your people will. I do want to spend at least some time with Rico, though, can we work that into the schedule? He¡¯s promised to bring me somewhere to eat something called a taco,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°We¡¯d be glad to cut you loose as much as possible to hang out with your friend. For now, we¡¯d like to at least get some initial work done. We¡¯ve cleared a building on the base here for us to work out of, and we¡¯ll also get some time at the nearby universities and a couple of other places we can sneak you inside. ¡°Please don¡¯t be offended that we¡¯re hiding you. Rico probably already explained this, but the presence of your people was something only hinted at in our works of fantasy and legend. For now, we¡¯d like to keep any uproar to a minimum as we try to prepare and save as many lives as we can,¡± Lopez said, handing Fitzfazzle a smart phone. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Fitzfazzle said, nearly dropping the phone when the screen came to life at his touch. ¡°It¡¯s the main communication device in our world. Rico, and probably everyone else on the planet has one. I¡¯ve pre-loaded my number, Rico¡¯s, and even a few emergency contacts into it if we somehow become separated. Lillian here will show you how to use it while we head over to the meeting room we¡¯ve created,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Rico, are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to leave,¡± Fitzfazzle asked. He seemed excited, but also a bit concerned over all the attention. ¡°Lopez and his people have always treated me well. Just call me when you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll take you out for tacos and beer,¡± I assured him. The agents and scientists loaded Fitzfazzle¡¯s gear into the back of one of the SUVs and then they all piled back inside with Fitzfazzle riding shotgun in the lead vehicle. Corporal Ellis gave Fitzfazzle a big thumbs up when the gnome asked the driver of the SUV if his vehicle had a proper V8, or a lame electric motor. ¡°That¡¯s a cool dude, I hope we can hang out again later. I was even going to offer him to let him test drive my car,¡± Ellis lamented as the trio of SUVs pulled away. Remembering something, I quickly sent a text to Lopez, reminding him to look at my reports and ask Fitzfazzle about the gun I¡¯d used on the goblin train. ¡°That counts as your break, people. We still have Rico¡¯s summons to hunt down, and some additional training drills for the whole team,¡± Major Finley ordered. The platoon, minus a squad that was sent to help with security at the building where Fitzfazzle was working, returned to their drills. I also took some time in between skirmishes to go over the latest foes that I¡¯d faced, and we brainstormed on how I could have improved my performance. The things I¡¯d already learned from my time with the military had paid dividends in my recent summonings and arena challenge, so I wanted to absorb as much new information as I could. Finley also had me integrate more with the soldiers as we stalked my minions throughout the hangar complex. From what the major said, it was becoming clear that our military wasn¡¯t going to be able to handle everything on their own, so we needed to learn how to integrate people with system powers into the ranks quickly. During a break, I sent an email to Marie, confirming that they had the apartment next to mine set up for Fitzfazzle if he was staying nearby. A guard rotation between the agents and some of the summoned beings in Refuge would keep an eye on any threats that might pop up. I figured that Fitzfazzle could handle himself, but he was inexperienced when it came to combat in a mana-starved world. True to his word, Lopez broke up their meeting around dinner time, and I took Fitzfazzle out for tacos at the hole in the wall place that Julio had picked when Melvin came to Earth for the first time. We weren¡¯t exactly low profile with armed security following us around, so I had to settle on takeout from the taco shop¡¯s drive through and eating in my apartment along with Marie, Julio, and Janette. Fitzfazzle was just about to fall asleep at the table when we all called it a night. My gnomish friend was excited to start over again tomorrow and was particularly looking forward to a flight on the helicopter and one of the transport planes. The apartment next to mine wasn¡¯t exactly luxurious, but it was comfortable and Fitzfazzle didn¡¯t seem to have any problems getting settled in. I laughed to myself after getting into bed. My life had become rather insane, but I was loving it despite the craziness. I had friends, both here at home, and in other worlds. Even better, I now had a job that could help make a difference for our planet¡¯s future. It was so much better than my life a few months ago working as an insurance adjuster in a soul-draining office. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, the sounds of gunfire boomed in the parking lot below my apartment, followed quickly by screams of pain. Chapter 289. Home Invasion. Chapter 289. Home Invasion. I jumped out of bed, pulling on my shoes as I peeked through the blinds. The angle was bad, and the dark helped to obscure whatever was going on. Grabbing my gun and stuffing figurines in my pockets, I headed outside. My apartment was on the second floor, and down below, in the parking lot, I could see a black SUV with the doors open. It was the vehicle that the agents on Fitzfazzle¡¯s security detail used. The body of an agent, a middle-aged woman in a suit, was on the ground next to the vehicle. Her pistol was lying next to her as blood slowly pooled around the body. Gunfire directly below my apartment told me other agents were still in the fight. Who they were fighting was a mystery, and I couldn¡¯t see anyone or anything else. It was obvious they were here for Fitzfazzle, and there was no way I was going to let them get to him. I summoned my armor, the process felt odd from when I had tried it out right after the arena challenge. Instead of snapping into place, the armor felt like it slowly appeared, as the mana-starved world we lived in tried to siphon off its energy. ¡°Fitzfazzle get up, we¡¯re under attack,¡± I said as I pounded on his door. I heard Fitzfazzle say he was up and getting his gear ready. As I looked over the railing again to try and get a better idea about what was happening below, I heard Fitzfazzle cursing up a storm because most of his gear wasn¡¯t working. All the mana infused into his devices and weapons had been drained since arriving on Earth. Flashes and the sharp crack of gunfire sounded below me. I saw the final two agents of the team assigned to protect Fitzfazzle fighting off at least a dozen people. Their opponents didn¡¯t seem to have firearms, but they all held bats, knives, and axes as they rushed blindly into the gunfire. ¡°Impressive weapons,¡± Fitzfazzle said as one of the agents began to fire bursts from his MP-5 submachinegun. The attackers were cut down in droves, but as we watched, two large passenger vans pulled into the parking lot and more attackers poured out. The submachinegun went silent, and I could see the agent try to clear a jam. Armed with only a pistol, the other agent couldn¡¯t keep the crazed attackers at bay on his own, so I aimed my .45 over the railing and lined up on my first target. I snapped off two shots, hitting my target before I felt the tingle of mana on my weapon as the trigger stopped working. ¡°They¡¯ll be coming up the stairs to get at us,¡± I warned Fitzfazzle as I summoned the rest of my minions. There were two sets of stairs that an attacker could use to reach the second floor. My apartment was in the middle, and the walkway was narrow enough to create a chokepoint. The drone and Khurr went to my left, while all the goblins went right. Elida, I kept behind to support us with her healing magic. ¡°I¡¯ve got this side, you deal with that one,¡± Fitzfazzle said, turning to the right while I took the left. ¡°The sacrifice is here. Take him alive for the master!¡± the first attacker, a young woman in her twenties, dressed in dark sweats and a hoodie shouted as she reached the top of the stairs. Khurr silenced her with a bolt from his hand crossbow, and behind me, I heard the twang of Glurk¡¯s longbow as the goblin got to work. Our ranged fire stalled the attackers at the top of the stairs, but soon, they pushed forward as more and more attackers joined them. To my horror, a school bus pulled into the apartment parking lot, disgorging even more attackers to join the siege. As the attackers started to pour off the bus, a huge ball of flame shot from the corner of the apartment complex and slammed into the bus¡¯s open door. Bright light, heat, and flames enveloped half the bus and even the crazed attackers on the stairs stopped to look at the gruesome spectacle before resuming their attack. In the back of my mind, I remembered that the young man Elliot was an elemental mage with a fire specialization. That must have been his work, though, knowing Elliot from our dungeon delve, he probably blew all or most of his mana in that one attack. ¡°We need more numbers, I¡¯m going to summon some extra help,¡± I said digging into my pockets for the figurines I¡¯d stuffed inside on my way out the door. I grabbed one of the figurines with multiple figures on a single base, remembering it was a tier one, rank five Angry Mob figurine. It did the trick as a dozen people dressed as villagers, complete with torches and pitchforks, appeared around us. They shouted curses at the attackers before charging to the right and flinging themselves at the people engaging my goblins. My side of the walkway only had the drone and Khurr, but those two seemed to be doing a fine job at holding back the tide. The drone had created a spear and a mace to use in its two smaller hands, while the long, bladed arms made short work of anyone in front of it. Any attacker that tried to get close was cut down, and the whole time, Khurr was loading and firing his hand crossbow over the railing at the mass of attackers below. Sirens in the distance told me that help was on the way, we just had to hold out a bit longer. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Just when I thought we were going to make it, I heard Fitzfazzle curse behind me. Looking over to his side of the fight, I could see that half our angry mob were down, turning into mana vapor alongside Glem and Glamb. A large man pushed his way through the crowd, and I immediately realized this was another summoned being. I couldn¡¯t guess at what his class was actually called, but to me, the man looked like a human porcupine. Large quills grew along his arms and bare upper body. Every few seconds, some of them shot forth, impaling more of my minions. I needed something a bit more heavily armored to deal with him. ¡°Do not harm the sacrifice, we need him alive,¡± one of the wounded attackers lying on the walkway said. She was bleeding out from an arrow in her chest, but found the strength to grab onto porcupine man¡¯s leg to get his attention. He returned her warning with a quill to her forehead, finishing her off before attacking the surviving minions on that side. I found my tier one, rank five mana slayer drone figurines, and summoned it immediately. While my drone minion was upgraded heavily, this generic figurine one was no slouch as it was also tagged as a veteran figurine. The drone appeared and ran toward the porcupine man, who responded with a hail of quills. Thankfully the drone blocked any of the projectiles from hitting me and Fitzfazzle, but a stray quill did hiss past me and bury itself the back of Khurr¡¯s skull, turning him back to mana vapor. The quills seemed powerful enough to penetrate the armor of the drone, but it was too tough to be taken down by a few holes punched into its armored frame. Wasting no time, the drone slammed both bladed arms into the enemy summoned being. The man screamed as the blades cut into him. Oddly enough, the blows weren¡¯t fatal, and the blades didn¡¯t penetrate very deeply. Whatever his quills were made of, they served well not only as weapons but also as armor. Undeterred, the drone unleashed a flurry of blows on his opponent, who couldn¡¯t effectively defend himself against the number of attacks. Gunfire below crackled as two police cars and a black SUV pulled into the parking lot and the agents and officers began to engage. With a scream, the porcupine man was hurled off the balcony to thud onto the concrete below. My summoned drone began to tear into the other cultists crowding the stairs, who, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, weren¡¯t giving up the fight. With a drone on either side of us, the attackers with their melee weapons didn¡¯t stand a chance. Some of the enemy turned to attack the police and agents, but with the porcupine guy taken out, I figured they had nobody to cast Fail Weapons spells any longer. It was down to just mopping up now, but the attackers fought to the death. I could see a few had been somehow disarmed and subdued by the agents, and I expected that Lopez would have some way to get information out of them. With all the summoned beings he was in contact with, Agent Lopez had to know someone who had a power or spell to coerce information from a prisoner. As the last enemy fell, one of the officers headed up the stairs, looking warily at the piled bodies and blood covered drone guarding the path in front of him. ¡°Rico Kline? Are you and Fizzle okay?¡± the officer called out, not willing to risk trying to push his way past the heavily armed and armored drone. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good, and its Fitzfazzle, not Fizzle. Thanks for showing up when you did, I¡¯m not sure if we could have held out against this many on our own,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay, Agent Lopez said he¡¯s on the way and wants to see if you and the others are up for a quick debrief,¡± the officer said. ¡°Let me round everyone up and find a place to meet that¡¯s not covered in gore,¡± I replied. It struck me at that moment, the officer looked like he was about to be sick, but the aftermath of the battle barely affected me. I¡¯d been in dozens, if not hundreds of fights that ended similarly. To top that off, I¡¯d also been killed more times than I could remember. I didn¡¯t know if my numbness to carnage was a good thing that would protect my mental wellbeing, or if it was a sign I was turning into something I didn¡¯t want to be. Most of my minions were down, I had only the drone and Elida left alive. The summoned drone wouldn¡¯t be around for much longer. With my class skills it would last a decent amount of time, but Earth was constantly pulling at the mana that held it together. Looking down, I could see that I hadn¡¯t come through entirely unscathed. A long quill was stuck into the body armor covering my chest. While the armor¡¯s magical properties were gone here on Earth, it also carried the ballistic protection that modern body armor provided. The quill was stuck into the armor but hadn¡¯t penetrated through it. With some effort, I plucked the quill from my armor. A sticky goo with a sap-like consistency covered the end of the quill, and I was careful not to get any on my skin. Who knew what kind of nasty toxins the summoner had unlocked for his bizarre class. I was surprised that the quill felt more metallic than I expected. It was a deadly ability, but not one that I¡¯d ever want to trade in my class for. With Fitzfazzle in tow, we picked our way carefully down the stairs and found Marie, Julio, Elliot, and Quinn waiting below. A pile of bodies was strewn around in front of them, and it looked like they had teamed up to keep any of the attackers from breaking through into the rest of the apartment complex. I¡¯d been so caught up in my own battle, that I hadn¡¯t realized there was a second one going on down here. Quinn didn¡¯t look so good, and as I greeted the others, he collapsed to the ground. The young man¡¯s Quest Knight class grated him strong armor, but I could see several quills sticking out of the armor. The porcupine summoned being must have tangled with my friends before homing in on their actual target, Fitzfazzle. ¡°Hurry, get those quills out of him, they¡¯re covered in toxin,¡± I ordered, casting Health Bloom over the area as I waved Elida forward to help. I didn¡¯t know if magic healing could deal with poisons and toxins, but I wanted to do everything I could to save Quinn. Chapter 290. Whats to Come. Chapter 290. What¡¯s to Come. Quinn was unconscious, but not dead as Elida pumped healing spells into him. Before long, she ran out of spell slots and activated her Channel Mana ability to restore one of them. While she channeled the ability, I dropped another health bloom. My own mana was starting to drop, and I had only enough for another cast after this one. As I cast my last health bloom a pair of paramedics arrived and began working on Quinn. I wasn¡¯t sure what modern medicine could do, but the two young paramedics seemed to know their stuff. In moments they had Quinn hooked to an IV and were loading him onto a stretcher. Elida cast her last healing spell just as the paramedics took him away. ¡°Where will he go?¡± I asked. ¡°We have a helicopter inbound. They¡¯ll take him to where you were treated after your fight with the Plague Warrior,¡± Marie explained. ¡°I¡¯d like to go with him, do you need me here right now?¡± A rather distraught Julio asked. ¡°We¡¯re fine here, Agent Lopez is on his way to help sort things out, let us know how Quinn¡¯s doing,¡± Marie said. ¡°I will,¡± Julio said, before grabbing me by the shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Rico, you and your minion might have helped save my nephew¡¯s life tonight,¡± Julio, tears in his eyes, ran off to meet the helicopter that we could now hear approaching. I stood there stunned for a few moments, gathering my thoughts. ¡°Is this kind of attack common in your world? It seems more dangerous than back home,¡± Fitzfazzle said, breaking the silence. ¡°Uh, no, we usually don¡¯t have hordes of crazed attackers in the middle of the night. Anyone have any idea who these freaks were?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe, I heard one mention Lord Bhalkur just before I turned him into a human torch,¡± Elliot said. ¡°So, they¡¯re from the cult that captured me before,¡± I said, remembering my brief captivity, and the young woman, Celeste, who died in our escape attempt. It had been Fitzfazzle¡¯s reward, the mech figurine, that had saved me that night. I had run into the cultists again, when the Plague Warrior summoned being tried to capture Tran. After that, between the government and the Grimslade Group, I had thought the cult had been pretty much wiped out. It looked like I was wrong, and I could only hope that our trouble with them was finally over. We joined Jeanette in her apartment, and over a cup of tea infused with her class power, we started to recover. Somehow, Fitzfazzle had pilfered a fallen agent¡¯s submachine gun and started fiddling with it. In a panic, I had him keep his hands off the weapon and explained how to load, fire, and how to safely handle it. The time with the military and Julio¡¯s firearms instruction was paying off. ¡°A nice bit of kit, this is. Too bad it¡¯s so susceptible to Fail Weapons spells,¡± Fitzfazzle said. ¡°Keep it, who knows, you might figure out some way to keep it from malfunctioning after a spell hits it. There¡¯s always the chance you get one as a reward after the summoning,¡± I replied. Julio called Marie a few minutes later, giving us the good news that Quinn had regained consciousness just as they landed at the hospital. He had a long way to go, but it looked like he was going to recover. I could only hope that my healing spells had helped, but it could also have been chalked up to his class having a high constitution stat. A clean up team from the government arrived a bit later and began to bag up the cultists¡¯ remains and tow their vehicles off. I was more than happy to have them deal with it, that was a task I wasn¡¯t looking forward to having to do myself. Along with the cleaners, Agent Lopez arrived along with another agent carrying a computer case. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Agent Lopez asked as soon as he spotted us. ¡°Quinn was hurt. They had a summoned being with them that shot him with some kind of toxic quills,¡± I explained. ¡°So that was Quinn who was medevacked out. How¡¯s he doing?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Julio is with him, and said that Quinn¡¯s doing well, but might be in the hospital for a while,¡± Marie answered. ¡°I¡¯m glad the rest of you are here, we have some things to go over. It appears your attackers are more of the cultists from this Bhalkur being,¡± Lopez explained. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°We figured that out given one of them was overheard shouting his name, but how did you find out?¡± Marie asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only incident with these cultists. Something has them riled up, and there are far more of them than we anticipated. At least ten other incidents have happened across the country. For now, this cult only seems to be present here in the US,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°How are there so many? We hadn¡¯t heard a peep from them after our last run in, now a whole horde of them invade our home. They seemed to have been after Fitzfazzle. Do you have any idea why?¡± I asked. ¡°From what we¡¯ve gathered from the few prisoners taken, they are seeking sacrifices to bring their god back into the world. With the summoned beings among their ranks, it stands to reason one of them might have a class that can sense someone like Fitzfazzle appearing here in our world. Maybe sacrificing a summoned ally like that releasees more energy for their master, or maybe they¡¯re just nuts,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Do we have any idea why they all seemed to suddenly go active?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re still investigating, but there is some information that might tie in with them. That was another reason I wanted to meet with all of you in person. One of the summoned beings working with us has the class of Seer. She can predict coming events and has focused much of her research on Earth and our integration,¡± Lopez said before stopping to take a drink from the cup of tea that Jeannete brought him. She also dropped off a plate of shortbread cookies that both Fitzfazzle and I immediately helped ourselves to. ¡°Can she really predict the future, what tier and rank is she?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Lillian is tier three, rank zero right now. From what I understand, she can only see various possible outcomes. The closer we are to an event, such as Earth¡¯s integration, the more accurate her predictions can become. I should also mention that she¡¯s incredibly powerful in combat, despite only having a few combat related abilities. Knowing what your opponent is going to do before they act is quite the force multiplier, as the cultists trying to capture her found out,¡± Lopez said, joining me and Fitzfazzle on our cookie binge. ¡°What outcome is she predicting and how does it tie into the cult?¡± I asked through a mouthful of shortbread. ¡°A couple of predictions keep coming up. In addition to that, the mana gauge is filling even faster than normal. The estimate now is that integration is somewhere between six and nine months. As for her prediction, two things will come to pass before integration occurs. The first is that a prison will open on our world, and a challenge to destroy the evil one will begin. ¡°That, we think, is a reference to this Bhalkur, and the cult is trying to wake him sooner, and feed him more power through these sacrifices before those that come to destroy him arrive,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°So, this Bhalkur is imprisoned somewhere here on Earth?¡± Marie asked. ¡°That would make sense,¡± Fitzfazzle interjected. ¡°Your world has long been starved of mana. If he was imprisoned here, there would be nothing to power his attempts to break his bonds. Of course, the imprisonment device would have to be one that isn¡¯t affected by mana either. Now that your world is close to integration, someone, or something, that powerful could begin to break free.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something to look forward to, but I suppose we have no idea where his prison is located,¡± I said. ¡°No, only that we think it is somewhere here in the US. We have placed a team on locating it, and with our seer, Lillian¡¯s, help we hope to narrow the location down quickly,¡± Lopez said. ¡°If you find it, I¡¯d like to be in on any attack we launch. His cult has caused all kinds of pain, and I¡¯d like to have a part in bringing it, and their master, down,¡± I said, thinking back again to Celeste¡¯s body on the cold, concrete floor of the warehouse. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to get you involved, in fact, we would have probably solicited your help anyway,¡± Lopez told me. ¡°And what about this second prediction?¡± Marie asked. I had been so caught up with the cult that I forgotten there was a second prediction from the seer. ¡°That one is a bit less urgent, as it¡¯s something that is supposed to happen to herald in the day of integration. Lillian predicts that the bringer of war will enter our world to battle an old foe. The destruction this bringer of war causes will also lead to hope for our world,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something to look forward to. A destructive force that¡¯s also somehow helpful. Must be another pyromancer like me,¡± Elliot chimed in. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait and see what that means. One thing I can tell you with some level of certainty, is that most, or maybe even all of you won¡¯t be around to see this bringer of destruction,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Wait, what? Are we going to die or something?¡± Elliot said in a panic. ¡°No, sorry to give you a scare. This is the last thing I was going to tell you about tonight. It¡¯s becoming clear that the higher tier and rank summoned beings are being sent somewhere else. Everyone seems to disappear somewhere between tier three, rank zero, and tier four,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Is something bad happening to them, or is the system going to kill us?¡± I asked with some concern. ¡°No, we don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything nefarious going on. Another summoned being bought some information, very expensive information, from Somhagen. It turns out that right before integration, or when a summoned being reaches a certain level of power, they¡¯re pulled from Earth. Supposedly, you¡¯ll return after the integration at some point,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Any idea why?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing concrete, but we think it¡¯s the system¡¯s way of keeping things fair in the early days. You¡¯d be the most powerful people on the planet the day that integration occurs, and we think the system wants the rest of us to catch up a bit. It¡¯s more than likely when you return, you¡¯ll still be the highest power in terms of tier, rank, gear, and practical experience. At least by the time you get back, everyone else will have started to adjust to our new lives,¡± Lopez said. I had wanted to be here to help when integration occurred, and now, I had to worry about what exactly was going to happen with me and the other summoned beings while we waited to return. Elliot was asking Lopez another question when I received a new prompt. A summoning link has been activated. You are Summoned! Chapter 291. Taste the Difference. Chapter 291. Taste the Difference. I tried to remember what other summoning links I had out there. There was the one with Fitzfazzle, which this was obviously not part of. I also had one with Sharnlynn, but that ended when she passed away. The system prompt detailing the summoning session triggered a memory of where I was going. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Abbasa.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 4.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of non-combat related support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped through the portal and into a large, and very busy, kitchen. The summoner link led to a man dressed as a butler. It was the mage Abbasa who I¡¯d worked with before as a taste tester. Another summoning spent eating amazing dishes was just what the doctor ordered. ¡°Welcome back summoned being. I take it you remember the procedures from you prior summoning?¡± Abbasa asked. ¡°Yes, do you need minions to assist with the tasting again?¡± I asked, remembering that adding my minions had helped to bump my rating up at the end. ¡°Absolutely, everyone is needed tonight. You¡¯ll be tasting back here in the kitchens this evening, as this event is one where only the best of the best servants should be visible to our guests. Please summon your minions and we¡¯ll see what we¡¯re working with tonight,¡± Abbasa said. I summoned my team but held off on the drone. It couldn¡¯t exactly taste anything, and toxins would have no effect on it. With the trio of goblins, Elida, Khurr, and Blieek, we had plenty of tasters to work with. Abbasa looked over everyone, stopping by Khurr for a moment longer than the others. ¡°A suitable group, all have similar dietary requirements to our guests, save for the gnoll. You may dismiss him or keep him here, as you please. Just make sure he¡¯s not in the way of the staff. Please join me over here, we¡¯ll be serving the first courses shortly,¡± Abbasa explained. I kept Khurr with us. This wasn¡¯t the most dangerous summoning, but having someone watch our backs while we focused on tasting wasn¡¯t a bad idea. If the kitchen wasn¡¯t so busy and chaotic, I¡¯d have summoned the drone as well, but he would have definitely been in the way. I did wonder what it was about the gnoll that made him unsuitable for tasting. Maybe they had a higher natural tolerance for tainted food or something. Abbasa led us to a long side table near the entrance to the dining hall. He explained that the servers would bring each dish by for one of us to taste. A pile of spoons, forks, and napkins were already arranged there for us. We would take a tiny taste of each dish, and the dining staff would hide our efforts as they finished plating the dish. ¡°As I did before, I need to enhance your vulnerability to toxins and diseases. Should there be a danger in the food, we need to know immediately. Please do not resist the next two spells that are cast on you and your minions,¡± Abbasa explained. This was the same as before, though it was always a bit unsettling to have myself willingly accept a vulnerability. A spell, Amplify Toxin, has been cast upon you. All toxins introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. A spell, Amplify Disease, has been cast upon you. All diseases introduced into your body for the next hour will have their effects accelerated and amplified by 1000%. I ordered my minions not to resist as Abbasa started with me and worked his way down the line of minions, casting the same two spells. Over the course of my adventures, I¡¯d developed a resistance to toxins, but bumping the power of them by 1000% was sure to overcome my minor resistance. The idea was, we would keel over almost immediately if someone poisoned the food. Using summoned beings for this kind of thing seemed a bit more humane than having living servants do it, so I had to applaud the king, Abbasa, or whoever came up with this plan for looking out for their people. A pair of servants, one on each end of the table, were there if we had any questions, or needed a resupply on utensils, napkins, or whatever. It didn¡¯t take long before the first few dishes arrived. The first one was a consume that tasted a bit like miso to me. It was a simple way to start the long line of dishes that I could see starting to come out of the kitchen. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. While we worked, Abbasa kept an eye on us, leaving occasionally to check in on the main dining hall. We were the riffraff kept away from the guests, but Abbasa must have been a trusted servant at this point. Every few minutes, another dish arrived. Each taste was only a small one, but I was enjoying the experience. Occasionally, Abbasa would enter and taste a few dishes, not for concern over poisoning, but to make sure that what the kitchen was producing was up to standard. More than once, he sent a dish back, along with an admonishment for the chef that produced it. For the most part, the feast passed muster with Abbasa, and even the things he sent back seemed fine to my unrefined palate. Most of the ingredients looked similar but didn¡¯t taste quite the same as what I¡¯d eaten on Earth. Some of the flavors were completely new, and I wondered if it was due to some spice they had in this world, or if there was magic in the chef¡¯s preparation of the dish. A few dishes were various seafood items, which was not my favorite. It didn¡¯t matter what my preferences were, we just had to take a small taste. About an hour passed, and Abbasa renewed the spells on my group. I wondered how much the guests inside the dining hall were going to eat. Desserts were just starting to arrive, and despite only taking a small bite of each thing, my stomach was starting to rumble, and I was concerned that I was at my limit. Looking down the line of minions, everyone seemed to be feeling the same way, save for Khurr, who whined a bit like a dog as the dishes passed him by. One of the servants, feeling sorry for Khurr, brought him a bowl of a stew that had been served earlier. It was a hearty affair, with chunks of pork and potato in a thick gravy. Khurr seemed to enjoy it, scarfing down the entire bowl and licking his chops afterward. It was odd, my minions didn¡¯t need to eat, but for some reason, Khurr had developed an appetite tonight. Maybe the smell of the food was enchanted to stimulate hunger. If that were possible, chef-mages were going to be in high demand after the integration. With a shudder, I feared what the fast-food restaurants would do with this kind of magic. The last thing my world needed was a horde of people that couldn¡¯t stop eating Taco Bell for hours on end. ¡°We are nearing the final courses, and I wanted to thank you in advance. You¡¯ve performed your task expeditiously and without any trouble, despite the rather eclectic nature of your group,¡± Abbasa said. After the third desert, a pudding with berries mixed in that reminded me of cheesecake, I hit the wall. My stomach was growling as pain began to build inside of it, becoming too much for me to ignore. Elida and the goblins also seemed to be feeling it, and Abbasa looked at us with concern. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Abbasa asked, casting a spell on us. The mage Abbasa has cast Identify Ailment. ¡°My stomach is hurting, I don¡¯t know if it was anything in the food, or just because of how much I¡¯d eaten,¡± I explained. Abbasa motioned for the servants that had been assisting us to bring chairs over for me and the others to sit on. Sitting was easier than standing, but it didn¡¯t stop the pain roiling in my gut. Out in the dining hall, a commotion was heard and cries for help were shouted out. ¡°It seems to be working. You have my apologies, summoned being, for the pain you¡¯ll soon experience. We are in the midst of a regime change tonight, and the oppressors needed to be eliminated. Unfortunately, I am bound by a geas to protect my king from any toxins and disease that might be introduced to his food and drink. The geas was very specific, and his majesty felt very secure that it held me in check,¡± Abbasa said. He stopped suddenly and muttered a spell casing a flaming spear that impaled poor Khurr, turning him into mana vapor. ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked, curious despite the growing pain. ¡°Why, exactly what my geas required. I summoned you and others to taste each dish and make sure there were not poisons, toxins, or diseases. What the fool of king didn¡¯t realize was that his geas had nothing to prevent me from incorporating a parasite into the meal tonight. It had taken me years to arrange to have all the powers of the land in one place, for one meal together. ¡°Now, I shall ascend to the throne and rule this land as it was meant to be ruled!¡± Abbasa shouted, which caused the kitchen staff to cheer. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can stop whatever is happening to me,¡± I said. It felt like something was tearing its way through my digestive system. ¡°There is no cure, but I can ease your passing if you wish,¡± Abbasa said, pointing toward where Khurr had been standing. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d rather not stay here until the summoning ends, or the parasites do me in,¡± I replied. Getting impaled by a flaming spear was preferable to having my guts eaten away by worms or whatever was inside me now. ¡°As you wish, and again, thank you for your service this evening,¡± Abbasa said, conjuring another spear that he threw straight at my face. You have killed by the Flaming Spear spell. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 4, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 29 experience points. You have earned 47 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 5. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You have gained 1 point in Constitution. You have gained 1 point in Presence. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 292. New Minion. Chapter 292. New Minion. ¡°Sir, welcome home,¡± the head butler said as I appeared inside my personal space. Everything inside looked normal, and I was always happy to see that Gary hadn¡¯t burned the place down while I had been away. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, taking the glass of juice and heated towel from the servant. These items had become standard procedure when I returned to my personal space, and I was going to get spoiled by the service provided in here. That did remind me that I was wealthy back home, but having grown up without much, I wasn¡¯t about to start throwing money around and hiring servants for my apartment. ¡°Rico, good to see you again. I was just about to leave unless you have some need of my services,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. It seemed like the lich was always running off somewhere, and it would have been nice to be able to pick his brain a bit about a few things. I told him as much, and he merely nodded without committing before walking into a portal that he summoned. Melvin slid out from the training room, sending me happy thoughts. Even though we didn¡¯t get to interact much during the arena challenge, it seemed that my friend had enjoyed himself. Thinking about my friend brought up another problem. ¡°That stinks, Fitzfazzle probably got bumped from Earth when I was summoned,¡± I said. We still had a lot to learn from him and having his trip cut short wasn¡¯t ideal. At least his figurine would recharge at some point, and we could call him again. It might even be good that the gnome had a chance to see how our technology worked and would now have some time to think on the problems we were going to face. The problems that stood before us were even more urgent than before. From what Lopez had told us, we were less than a year from integration. The seer had even divined some of the coming signs to look out for. But just like with every seer or fortune teller in a movie or book, they weren¡¯t exactly big on exact details. I could only hope that Lopez and the others in charge of preparing our world for integration were on the ball. I¡¯d continue to do everything that I could to help, but I was only one person. There was also the rather ominous revelation that all the summoned beings that were over tier three were starting to disappear. The disappearances weren¡¯t supposed to be anything bad, just a way for the system to keep us sidelined until the rest of the world started to learn their new lives. I was kind of curious, and a bit nervous about what awaited me, and at tier two, rank five, I didn¡¯t think it would be all that long before I found out. Thoughts on future integration could wait for a bit. I had some leveling to do, and some rewards to gather. Expecting some minion tokens to be included in the reward, I opted to level up first so my new minion would get a shot at winning a token. Rico Kline, Foe Commander. Tier 2, Rank 5. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 17/40. Summoning points: 161. Strength, 14. Agility, 13. Constitution, 17. Mind, 27 (28 with apprentice ring of the mind). Presence, 13. Current Mana, 56. Damage Resistance, 10%. Mana core upgrades:
  1. Rift travel containment field.
  2. Shielding, Stage 3. Minor regeneration engine.
Resistances:
  1. Curse of Undeath, minor.
  2. Toxins, minor.
  3. Mental Intrusion, moderate.
  4. Flame, moderate.
Skills:
  1. Basic weapons skill.
  2. Basic Unarmed Combat.
  3. Basic armor proficiency.
  4. Basic Lockpick/Disarm Device.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Abilities:
  1. Linguistic adaptation interface.
  2. Riposte.
  3. Template Hunter.
  4. Shared Burden.
  5. Switch.
  6. Enhanced Command Lesser Foe.
Your Template Hunter ability has activated. Your Tier 2, Rank 5 minion is based on the template you¡¯ve selected. Since this minion was created from your Template Hunter ability, it will start with Rank 1 armor and weapons. For minions that are spellcasters, the Channel Mana ability will improve and grant an additional spell slot. Digbaz Bazam, wind mage, Tier 2, Rank 5. Experience, 0/40. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor, Rank 1. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a thick robe that has padding added to the most vulnerable areas.
  2. Weapons, Rank 1. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a solid wooden staff with an iron casing on each end. In addition, a steel dagger is kept as a backup weapon.
For ranged attacks, your minion holds a wand of magic missile with 2 charges. Charges for the wand will regenerate with each summoning, or at a rate of 1 charge every hour for longer duration summonings. Abilities:
  1. Channel Mana, Rank 0. Twice a day, your minion can stop and concentrate for 10 seconds to recover 2 spell slots. This ability can be disrupted if your minion is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
  2. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect one harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only activate once every 24 hours. Spells with tiers much higher than your minion may partially, or totally negate this ability.
Spells: Your minion has a total of 20 spell slots. Digbaz Bazam regenerates 1 spell slot for each hour of uninterrupted rest.
  1. Shove (Cantrip). This cantrip does not take up a spell slot, though there is a 5-minute cooldown required between castings. Shove creates a blast of air that can force back a medium sized humanoid. Larger, stronger, and magic resistant foes may negate some or all this effect.
  2. Blades of Air, Rank 0. This spell creates a hardened blade of air that slashes any target within the caster¡¯s line of sight. The spell does damage equivalent to the slash of a dagger and the power of the spell will increase as your minion increases in tier and rank.
  3. Dome of Protection, Rank 0. This spell creates a dome of hardened air around the caster. The dome will absorb any damage, both magical and physical, that hits the caster. When it reaches the limit of damage it can absorb, the dome will shatter, and a 1-minute cooldown is required before it can be cast again.
  4. Tornado. Once per week, your minion can summon a tornado to destroy your foes and devastate the area. This tornado is guided by the caster and lasts for up to 10 seconds. Extremely powerful, the spell uses all your minion¡¯s mana and lifeforce. When the spell expires, your minion will be unsummoned and face an extended regeneration time before they can be summoned again.
I summoned my new minion, who looked a bit different than I¡¯d expected. Instead of a human, like I¡¯d targeted with my Template Hunter, my new minion was a kobold mage. Template Hunter must not copy the exact person, but just their class and powers. The other aspects of the minion were a bit random. I¡¯d have to keep this in mind when selecting the next target for Template Hunter. I¡¯d seen most of the abilities my new minion had when I¡¯d battled an air mage. It was a great class, and having the minion housed in a smaller kobold body would be an advantage since he¡¯d appear less threatening to many opponents. His spells sounded powerful and with twenty spell slots, he quadrupled what Elida could cast. Digbaz also had a few spells and abilities without ranks. His ultimate spell, Tornado didn¡¯t appear to be upgradeable, which kind of made sense if a tier two, rank five minion was casting something that powerful. It¡¯d even destroy my minion after casting, and I¡¯d have to wait longer to resummon him. The cantrip Shove was the most basic type of spell a mage could have, so it made sense it couldn¡¯t be upgraded further. His Spell Reflect also didn¡¯t seem to have a rank and would probably remain as it was. Maybe there were some other upgrade options for him once Digbaz grew his power a bit. I took my new minion to the training room and let him cut loose on a few summoned foes. Shove wasn¡¯t all that exciting, and against a goblin, it pushed the target back a few feet and almost made him fall. Against an orc, the spell just nudged him a bit. I could see some good uses for the spell though, forcing someone¡¯s aim off, or who knew, maybe Digbaz would get the chance to push someone over a cliff. His Blades of Air was powerful and trying it out against several types of armored foes, it seemed to hit with the force of a well struck dagger blow. Only heavy plate armor, or similar natural armor seemed to stop it, but even then, it would dent the armor and had to hurt the target despite not slashing them open. Given that he had twenty spell slots, I could see Digbaz using this spell to tear apart most foes we faced. The Dome of Protection was a spell I¡¯d experienced firsthand when I¡¯d fought the mage. Not only did he have the protection dome, but he had also had the spell reflect, which had killed me at the end of the fight. Since I didn¡¯t want to burn a weeklong cooldown on a test or risk my personal space being destroyed, I held off on having Digbaz cast Tornado. It was hard to wait, I really wanted to see what the spell could do. With spell slots, both Digbaz, and Elida were able to function on Earth, and this minion¡¯s abilities would wreak havoc on another attack by cultists. When Agent Lopez tracked down this Bhalkur guy, we¡¯d see how he stood up to a tornado in the face. Thoughts of future revenge aside, I had a reward chest to dig into. The loot had better be decent after that excellent ranking and being forced to suffer through parasites eating me alive from inside. Chapter 293. Back to Somhagen. Chapter 293. Back to Somhagen. I had my new minion ready to go, and the door to Somhagen now appeared on the far wall. The trip to the city could wait a bit, as I had some rewards to claim. Opening the reward chest, I was also notified that Khurr had leveled up. Your minion Khurr, has reached Tier 0, Rank 8. He has unlocked the following ability.
  1. Blindfighting, Rank 0. This ability allows Khurr to target and engage melee opponents even if they are invisible or his eyesight is damaged. All attacks made when using Blindfighting have a 25% additional chance to miss.
Reward Chest. New Inventory.
  1. Silver coins, 877.
  2. Gold coins, 29.
  3. Minion ability/spell token (2).
  4. Minion equipment token (4).
  5. Minion experience token (1).
  6. Elixir of the Parasite.
There were the usual suspects in the reward chests, including a nice pile of coins. Before I dug into the minion tokens, I took a look at the elixir. A system prompt appeared to explain the item. Elixir of the Parasite. Imbibing this elixir will introduce a parasitic infection into the hosts digestive system. These parasites will permanently sap 1 point of Constitution from the host. In return, the parasites will vigorously defend their host from any competing parasitic creatures, eventually granting the host complete parasitic immunity. Wow, that was quite a tradeoff. After my final experience as a taste tester, I wasn¡¯t exactly keen on parasites. By drinking the elixir, I would sort of be making a deal with the devil. Was having complete immunity from other parasites worth adding a bunch of them into my system permanently? ¡°What do you think Melvin, parasites now to prevent worse parasites later?¡± I asked my gelatinous friend. All he sent back was a shrug. He was already immune, since he could just dissolve and eat any parasites that somehow found themselves inside him. It would have been great if Tzes¡¯zod was here to bounce the potential dangers off, but he was out doing his thing, and this didn¡¯t qualify as a negotiation where I could summon his services. For now, I¡¯d keep the elixir in storage and maybe ask about it with the information broker if it wasn¡¯t too expensive of a question. Next up, I had my minion tokens to distribute. The first one was the single experience token. I activated it and the system selected one of my minions at random. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Tier 1, Rank 3. She has gained an additional spell slot. Stats and durability of this minion have improved. A quick check confirmed that Elida now had a total of six spell slots. Combined with her upgraded stats and durability, she just became a bit more effective. I activated the spell tokens, then the equipment tokens and waited as the system randomly distributed them. Khurr¡¯s Trapper ability has reached Rank 1. Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 2. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Armor, Rank 5. Blieek has reached Weapons, Rank 3. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Weapons, Rank 3. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 1. Blieek and the drone were the big RNG winners this time. Khurr now had an extra trap charge making it a bit more effective. For Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana, the new rank reduced the channeling time of the ability by a second. Not a huge difference, but in the middle of a fight, even a single second could be the difference between life and death. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. For the gear upgrades, my drone now had a rapid repair feature added to its already impressive armor. The repair boost lasted for fifteen seconds and was like a heal over time effect for the minion. With his rank three weapons upgrade, the secondary set of arms on my drone could wield thrown weapons. Having a ranged option for my most powerful melee minion would be great for those times when getting up close and personal wasn¡¯t possible. Blieek¡¯s upgrades consisted of a new padded tunic and sturdy boots. It was only rank one armor for my lowest tier creature, but it was better than the dirty, threadbare tunic he was wearing before. For his weapon upgrade, Blieek now would be summoned with a pair of throwing daggers that he was proficient with. That one summoning¡¯s set of rewards proved to be a nice bump in power for my team. With my minions and rewards squared away, I had a trip to Somhagen to prepare for. I didn¡¯t feel like there was any pressing business for this trip, so I would just see what kind of contracts I could wrangle up, while cashing in the one¡¯s I¡¯d already completed. I was always on the lookout for gear and upgrades, and there were 161 summoning points for me to work with at the summoned market. Money wasn¡¯t going to be a problem and brought everything I had in the storage chest with me. Back home, I was wealthy and didn¡¯t need to bring coins back to be converted into US currency anymore. I¡¯d come a long way from having to pawn my copper and silver coins to eat and pay for a shabby motel room. ¡°Melvin, do you want to come with me?¡± I asked. After all, Somhagen was where I had found him. He sent feelings of excitement over our connection, and slithered along behind me as I approached the door. I wondered if he might want to visit the shop where I¡¯d found him, and he seemed curious but not overly excited about the idea. Once again, my door opened onto the hillside, and I could see Somhagen laid out in front of me. It was early morning, and a great crowd of carts and people were slowly flowing into the city. We walked down the hill and joined the crowds in front of the main gate. A quick look back showed that there were dozens of doors dotting the hillside. I wondered how many summoned beings were in the city at any given time. From what I could gather, only worlds with pending integration into the system could spawn summoned beings. It seemed to be a big piece of the system¡¯s plan to slowly infuse the world with mana. Agent Lopez had said that we had anywhere from six to nine months left before we were integrated into the system. I was both excited and terrified over what the change might mean for our world. While I had been trying to do what I could to help, it felt bad that the summoned beings would be kept away from Earth for at least the initial period of integration. I¡¯d have to wait until I passed tier three to find out what was going to be in store for me, and I had to admit that I was a bit nervous about where I¡¯d be sent. If my status as a summoned being was ending, life would get a lot more dangerous without the respawn mechanic in place during a summoning. The crowd in front of us slowed down as they waited for the guards to process them all inside. Melvin didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow when he passed into the city at my side. My status as a summoned being was somehow easily apparent to the guards, and Melvin was probably far from the strangest thing they¡¯d seen while on duty. ¡°Where to first?¡± I asked myself. Melvin took it as a question for him, and immediately sent images of food through our link. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll stop at a cart on the way, but I want to get a room for us before we get too involved in our day,¡± I replied. We stopped for a bite at the first tier of the city. I returned to Tonpu Zavai¡¯s cart, the older man who sold the corn dog-like fried sausages. He and his wife looked a bit worried about Melvin, but my buddy was on his best behavior today, especially when he knew that I wouldn¡¯t buy him a corn dog if he was giving me any trouble. ¡°Hello, young man. You and your friend look a bit hungry,¡± the man said. ¡°Good to see you again Tonpu, I¡¯ve bought food a couple of times from you before, but I didn¡¯t have Melvin here with me,¡± I replied, handing over a handful of copper coins to buy several corn dogs. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, sorry, my old age causes me to take a few minutes before remembering folks. You¡¯re the summoned being, let¡¯s see, Rico was your name, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He asked. ¡°Exactly. I hope you¡¯re both doing well, I¡¯d stop to chat more, but I got a lot to do and only a short time here,¡± I explained, passing over even more money when I saw that Melvin had already dissolved the three corn dog¡¯s I¡¯d given him. With another three corn dogs slowly dissolving inside Melvin¡¯s gelatinous mass, we moved on. I headed toward the second tier and the same inn that I¡¯d stayed at last time. It was a nice enough place, and the food was good. The inn was also situated near a lot of the shops I wanted to visit on this trip. Hoping they wouldn¡¯t have a problem with Melvin joining me, I entered the inn. ¡°Heya Rico, fancy seeing you here buddy,¡± an all too familiar voice called from the bar. There, seated on a stool with a pair of drinks in front of him was none other than Gary. ¡°Who let you in?¡± I asked, confused and annoyed that Gary had somehow made it back into Somhagen. Chapter 294. Cloak and Gary. Chapter 294. Cloak and Gary. ¡°Relax Rico, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost. It¡¯s just me, your friendly and good-looking next-door neighbor,¡± Gary said. All the other patrons had turned to see what the commotion was all about, but the inn was a bit quiet at this time of day. It was still early in the morning and most people were out and going about their day rather than sitting in an inn drinking or eating. ¡°I thought you had to be invited to enter the city, and while I appreciate you as a neighbor, I didn¡¯t invite you to join me this time,¡± I said, dreading having Gary take an interest in my Somhagen visits. ¡°Oh, I appreciate the previous invite, but I kind of have an ongoing pass to visit this place anytime I want now. You see, it turns out that I have a lot of stuff to do here, and one of the acquaintances I made on the last trip was overjoyed to sponsor me back for another visit,¡± Gary explained. I moved to join him near the bar. While I had no plans to sit and drink with the super powerful evil being, I didn¡¯t want to shout across the inn at him and draw even more attention to our interaction. ¡°I probably don¡¯t want to know what deal you struck to get in here anytime you want. So, do you have to have my personal space parked in the area to be here? You know I can only visit every five ranks,¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s best if I just tag along in my rental property. Sure, I could make it here on my own, but it would take too much time. It¡¯s better if I just enjoy the free ride and have your personal space do all the work. Rico, I¡¯d love to sit and chat some more, but I got things to do and souls to take. Maybe I¡¯ll see you around,¡± Gary said, dropping some coins on the bar counter before hopping down from his stool and heading for the door. ¡°Okay, see you around, I guess,¡± I said, both confused over his abrupt exit, and happy to see this visit wasn¡¯t to torment me personally. ¡°What a cheapskate, I ought to give him a piece of my mind next time he strolls in here,¡± the bartender on duty, and older man with a stained apron and a perpetual scowl on his face mumbled. ¡°Word of advice, don¡¯t antagonize Gary. He¡¯s a lot more dangerous than he looks, and not only that, but I also think he¡¯ll carry a grudge for a long time,¡± I warned. ¡°Yeah, appreciate that, can I get you anything?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking to rent a room for a night or two. I¡¯ve stayed here before and it was a nice place,¡± I explained. ¡°Helga, this young gentleman needs a room, can you get him squared away?¡± the bartender asked. Helga, who was an older woman that resembled the bartender, asked me a few questions about how long I wanted to stay and if I wanted meals included. I told her two nights, but maybe more depending on how the day went. The place had decent food if I remembered correctly, so I included dinner and breakfast for each day, paying extra so Melvin would also get a plate of whatever I was eating. The same room as before was available, so I took it. For a moment I thought about asking for a different room to try and stay away from Gary, but if he wanted to find me, I didn¡¯t think that staying in a different room would fool him. I could only hope that his reason for being here really didn¡¯t involve me. A pang of guilt hit, as I realized that I was only thinking about myself, and not about whatever poor soul Gary was going to try to steal. ¡°Melvin, I think we¡¯ll hit the summoned market first, what do you think?¡± I asked, trying to distract myself from worries over what Gary was doing. Melvin sent me an image of more corn dogs. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll get lunch a bit later, but we¡¯ve just eaten, and I want to get some stuff done while all the shops are open,¡± I explained. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The path to the summoned market on this tier of the city was a familiar one now, and after my last stay, I was getting pretty familiar with this tier of the city. Traffic was light, and I took time to peek at the front window of several shops as I went, making note of the ones I wanted to explore after spending all my summoning points. When I passed near the shop of Clayton Yon, the merchant who I still had a summoning contract open with, he paused his sweeping of the shop¡¯s entryway. It took him a second, but I could see his face light up when he finally recognized me. ¡°Rico, right? You¡¯re the summoned being who offered me the contract. Good to see you, how are things?¡± Clayton asked. His demeanor was much different from the last time I¡¯d interacted with him. ¡°I¡¯m good Clayton, how¡¯s business?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, better than ever, I just signed a new clothing distribution deal that will help my wife and I out quite a bit. Come on inside, Rico, I have something I think you might be interested in. You know my shop doesn¡¯t specialize in summoned being gear, but when one of my colleagues offered me this on trade, I thought it would be perfect for you,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Lead the way, I¡¯ve set aside the whole day for shopping,¡± I said, following him into the shop. The place still seemed to specialize in clothing, and an older woman who I assumed was Clayton¡¯s wife, was busy restocking the nearly empty shelves. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re doing well for yourself,¡± I said. ¡°We are, indeed. Our new contract is bringing in a steady flow of customers each night. Let me introduce you to my wife, Eleanor. Eleanor, this is the young man that I told you about a while back, the one who tried to make up for what happened to our son,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Pleased to meet you, thank you for putting up with Clayton¡¯s rather gruff demeanor. Also, thank you for offering to help if we need it. Not only that, but you didn¡¯t charge us too much for the contract that you and Clayton signed,¡± Eleanor said, stopping to shake my hand. I remembered that the system required a price on the contract, so I just put a single copper in there as compensation. ¡°Glad to meet you as well, Clayton said he had something I might be interested in,¡± I said, trying to not get too tied up in a long conversation with the older couple. I had a lot to do and wanted to get back home after such a long arena challenge. ¡°Right you are, take a look at this, Rico,¡± Clayton said, reaching behind the main counter to pull out a cloak that looked like it had seen better days. It was a faded grey color and while there were a few worn spots, the cloak was made of a thick and sturdy material and wasn¡¯t going to fall apart anytime soon. Holding the item and looking closely at it triggered a system prompt. Cloak of the Minion Master. When activated, this cloak can reinvigorate summoned servants. Each summoned minion allied with the wielder gets an immediate boost of 1 Rank. In addition, the activation will generate a small burst of healing and then a moderate healing over time effect that will last for 30 seconds. If the cloak is at full power, each minion will also receive a force shield that will absorb any physical and magical damage up to a maximum of half the minion¡¯s total health pool. The cloak slowly regenerates its power after each use, reaching maximum effectiveness 1 week after it has been activated. It can be used earlier, but its effects will be prorated based on the time that has passed since its last use. Currently, this cloak is fully charged. It was a perfect item for my build, and the more minions I acquired, the more powerful its overall effect would be. Having a shield for half the maximum health of a powerful melee minion like my mana slayer drone, would really turn the tide of a tough fight. I wanted the item, and asked Clayton how much it would cost. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d charge you around 75-100 gold for something like this, but Eleanor reminded me of your earlier generosity,¡± Clayton said, looking over at Eleanor who had a rather smug look on her face. ¡°Clayton will sell it to you for the same price you charged him for your summoning contract. The price, Rico, is one copper coin,¡± Eleanor said, much to Clayton¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Honey, I paid over 30 gold for that,¡± Clayton started to complain. ¡°And you¡¯ll price it like I¡¯ve told you. We can well afford it now, and I believe in repaying those who¡¯ve treated us right,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°Sold,¡± I said, passing Clayton a copper coin before he could protest further. ¡°See, Clayton, you survived the ordeal of not making a profit on one item,¡± Eleanor kidded. ¡°Thank you both. I¡¯m ready to help whenever you need to activate that contract,¡± I told the pair, equipping the cloak and reminding myself to add it to my loadout once I got back to my personal space. I said my goodbyes to the couple and headed toward the summoned market. This one brief stop had been a rather profitable one, and I hoped that it was only the beginning of the good things I¡¯d find on this trip. Chapter 295. Unusual Figurine. Chapter 295. Unusual Figurine. ¡°Welcome back, summoned being. How may I assist you on this fine day?¡± a slender, older woman asked as I approached the market. It was the same woman I¡¯d worked with before, and after a few seconds of concentration, I remembered her name. Thank you, high mind stat. I doubt that I¡¯d forget anyone¡¯s name again. ¡°Hi, Cambre, nice to see you again. I¡¯m looking for pretty much the same items I was after last time. Any abilities, spells, or upgrades for my class. I¡¯d like to concentrate on things not offered for coin out in the city. Pretty much whatever you have for my class that is exclusive to the summoned market,¡± I explained. ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯d be happy to try and help. Just like last time, I need your permission to examine your class to best fit what we have with what you need,¡± Cambre explained. An employee of the Summoned Market, the being known as Cambre, has asked to inspect your class information. Will you permit this? Y/N. I accepted, knowing that the employees were supposed to be bound by the system to not reveal our information. It was surprising how so many odd things became almost routine after you¡¯d done them a few times. You have granted limited access to the being known as Cambre. Once your shopping has ended and you leave the store, all access will be revoked. ¡°Your class is a rather interesting take on a summoner variant. Please follow me,¡± Cambre said, leading me deeper into the store. I was still impressed with the tier two summoned market. It was much larger than the one on the first tier of the city and reminded me of an upscale department store from back home. Cambre led me to a small shelving unit where several summoning figurines were displayed. ¡°Take your time to peruse our summoning figurine selection while I gather what I think you might be interested in. Do you have any other needs besides class specific items. At this point in your class, many summoned beings start to think about shoring up any weaknesses inherent in their class,¡± Cambre offered. ¡°Whatever you think might help me. I¡¯m not afraid to think outside the box if it¡¯ll keep me or whoever summoned me alive,¡± I said. Cambre went off to other parts of the store and left me to shop on my own for a bit. I wondered about her class, was there some system guidance involved in helping her find what would best fit my needs, or it was it just skill from doing the job so many times. While I waited, I scanned through the figurines the shop had on offer. They had more than usual, but I was reluctant to purchase them with summoning points when I could buy figurines for coin out in other stores. What I did look for was anything that seemed unique, or that I was unlikely to find on my own. The display was arranged rather neatly, with shelves separating the figurines by tier and rank. Each shelf had a range of five ranks, and the lower I went, the higher the tier and rank. Most were common creatures that I passed on. Veteran figurines were few and far between, but I did grab a couple to ask Cambre about. A lot of what I¡¯d buy here depended on the cost. If they were cheap, and I had a few points left over after shopping for my class items, I was fine with spending a bit on unique or interesting figurines. Before Cambre returned, I¡¯d held a total of three that I was interested in. The final selection was one that I found on the floor under the last shelf. My foot had accidentally kicked the figurine when I stooped down to look at the last shelf, or I would have never noticed it. I wondered how long it had languished there under the shelving rack. Did the shop have a magical means of organizing shelves or was this just knocked over recently by a carless customer. Figurines:
  1. Flame Font. Tier 2, Rank 5, Elite. When activated, the Flame Font will engage any targets within 100-feet. Up to three targets can be manually selected, or the summoner can leave the figurine to target automatically. When set in automatic mode, the Flame Font will prioritize the highest tier and rank opponents in range. The Flame Font emits burst of flame that sticks to and burns any target they hit.
There is initial impact and flame damage, followed by a 5-second damage over time element. This figurine¡¯s damage over time component stacks with each successful hit. The Flame Font exists for 1 minute, plus an additional minute for each tier of the summoner. Once placed, the Flame Font cannot be moved.
  1. The Haunting. Tier 2, Rank 5, Veteran. When activated, The Haunting will summon a pair of lesser undead specters to attack your foes. These specters drain life and mana from their targets with each hit, and their attacks penetrate all non-magical defenses. Magical armor, spells, and effects will reduce damage by 75%, but will not completely stop the attack from passing through. Half the life and mana stolen by the specters will be transferred to the summoner.
  2. Replacement Being. Tier 2, Rank 5, Legendary. When activated, this figurine will summon a simulacrum of the summoner. This simulacrum will possess roughly 75% of the power, skills, and abilities you possess at Tier 2, Rank 5, and will perform its tasks autonomously at a competent level. Once this figurine is activated, the summoner will be returned to his personal space until your simulacrum completes the summoning in your stead.
Please note, this item was created in an unknown fashion outside of system influence and may act or function differently than the description indicates. The three figurines were all things I hadn¡¯t seen before. First off, the Flame Font caught my eye because it looked like a machinegun on a tripod. It was only after I looked closer that I realized how powerful it could be. It would be great for summonings where I was facing hordes of weaker creatures, burning them down three at a time. For powerful single targets, the flame font would add a stacking damage over time effect that would help to take down even the most durable targets. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! For the haunting figurine, I liked having something that could get through heavy armor, and even with magical defenses, they would still be somewhat effective. I had a feeling they¡¯d be hard to deal with for most of the opponents I faced. The fact that they would heal me and grant me mana as they fought was an added bonus. The final figurine, the one I found under the shelf, shocked me at first. It looked exactly like me, and of course, that was creepy. I was also a bit freaked out by the last note the system placed on the figurine. It was a gamble to use this thing, but I held onto it anyway so I could ask Cambre about it. ¡°Here is what I¡¯ve gathered for you. There are always more of the standard items, like accessories with stat increases, or various weapons in line with your tier and rank if you wish to see our selection. There is a chance that similar standard items can be purchased for coin outside of the summoned market. As you¡¯ve requested, I¡¯ve just brought over the more unique items, things that you wouldn¡¯t normally be able to find anywhere outside of the Summoned Market or as a system reward,¡± Cambre said as she joined me, unloading her findings on a table near the figurine shelf. ¡°Cambre, before we get started on what you¡¯ve brought, can you tell me about this figurine? I found it under the shelves, and it seems like the description is a bit off,¡± I said, handing the figurine to Cambre as she unloaded the bag of items that she¡¯d brought over for me to examine. Before I could start to look through the new items, Cambre grabbed my arm. ¡°This is not one of our items, and I¡¯m not getting any system information on it, show me exactly where you found it,¡± Cambre demanded, waving for another clerk, a young, bald woman, to join her. The other clerk took the figurine and began to cast a spell of some sort on it. ¡°Right here, under the shelf. I only found it because my foot kicked it,¡± I said pointing to the spot right under the shelf where the figurine had sat. With a slight squeal of pain, the other clerk dropped the figurine to the floor. She pulled Cambre aside and they spoke frantically for a few minutes, making things a bit awkward as I stood there waiting for them to return. When they returned, Cambre¡¯s nice demeanor was gone, and her eyes bored into mine with a fierce look that was more than a bit unsettling. The whole atmosphere of the market took on a more oppressive feel. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a demand of you now. You must submit to an honesty enchantment. If you refuse, you will be banned from shopping inside the summoned market on every tier of the city,¡± Cambre demanded. This wasn¡¯t what I was expecting for my shopping trip today, and I was thoroughly baffled about what was going on at this point. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m a bit confused. I don¡¯t want to get kicked out, all I did was show you what I found on the floor,¡± I replied. ¡°Do you consent to the enchantment. Answer the question,¡± Cambre demanded. Several other shop attendants appeared around us, and a few began casting spells that obscured my view of the rest of the shop. Now I was getting more than a bit worried over my situation. I had nothing to hide, so I¡¯d consent to the enchantment. ¡°I consent as long as the enchantment isn¡¯t for a long duration,¡± I replied. ¡°The enchantment has a short duration and will also end early if you leave the shop,¡± Cambre said flatly as a young woman of an odd reptilian species, cast a spell and pointed in my direction. The enchanter, Ssiriana is attempting to cast a Total Truth enchantment on you. This enchantment will make it extremely painful for you to lie. The duration of the enchantment is 30 seconds per tier of the caster. Do you consent, or do you wish to resist the spell? I accepted the enchantment and felt a strange tingle in my mind as the magic took root. The enchantress nodded toward Cambre, who seemed to be in charge of this whole interrogation. ¡°Rico Kline, did you truly find this magic item on the floor when you accidentally kicked it?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said,¡± I replied. ¡°Did you bring this item in with you, or have knowledge of who might have brought it here?¡± Cambre asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t have it with me, I¡¯ve never seen it before I picked it up off the floor. As far as knowing anything about it, I can say without a doubt that no, I had no idea it existed before I picked it up. I just thought it was a normal summoning figurine,¡± I replied ¡°He is telling the truth,¡± Ssiriana softly hissed to Cambre. ¡°One final question, did you receive a system prompt when you examined this item,¡± Cambre asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be glad to examine it again and tell you exactly what the system said about it,¡± I said, holding out my hand in case they wanted to me to examine it again while telling them what I remembered of the system prompt. ¡°No, you will never touch this again. This is a dangerous artifact, one that should have never been able to make its way inside here,¡± Cambre replied, stepping between me and where the figurine rested on the floor. Another clerk, a gnome with a rather impressive mustache, cast a spell that created a small bubble of darkness around the figurine, levitating it and dropping it into an ornate lockbox that he quickly sealed. ¡°What was that thing?¡± I asked. ¡°A very dangerous item, one that would have doomed you should you have attempted to use it. That such a thing made its way inside the summoned market, despite the protections in place, will have to be examined further,¡± Cambre said looking back to the gnome with the mustache. ¡°Summoned being, the item has imprinted on you, despite your brief contact with it. I must send you back to your personal space, and request that you return to your home immediately. I assume you live on a mana-starved world?¡± the gnome asked. ¡°Yeah, Earth is still mana starved. What exactly does imprinting on me mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Time is of the essence here, but I can tell you that the item intended for you to trigger it and bring something into our world, or perhaps your world if it had somehow activated there. Whatever was brought in would likely have attempted to take your place. It¡¯s been crafted from an odd combination of aberrant mana that I haven¡¯t seen before. Others will examine it before we seal it away. I¡¯ll have our representatives on the third tier give you an update when you reach that tier. By then, the threat should have been neutralized,¡± the gnome said. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll believe your explanation, but I do hate to leave before I¡¯m done with what I wanted to accomplish here in Somhagen,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you must cut your visit short. You¡¯ve done us a service in discovering and turning this foul thing over to Cambre. To reward you, you may retain, at no cost, the items that Cambre has selected for you. Now, I must insist you leave now,¡± the gnome said. I could feel mana build up around him and a swirling blue portal appeared in front of me. A firm push from behind forced me into the portal. Prepare to return to your personal space. Chapter 296. Early Return. Chapter 296. Early Return. ¡°What just happened?¡± I asked myself as I returned to my personal space. Something had gone very wrong with that strange figurine, and it freaked me out a bit. I¡¯d probably have had no issues with the process if the thing hadn¡¯t looked exactly like me. ¡°Sir, may we be of any assistance?¡± the head butler asked as he offered me a drink and a warm washcloth. ¡°No, thank you. Just an odd experience is all,¡± I replied, accepting the items he offered. Melvin sent me annoyed thoughts; he wasn¡¯t all that concerned about the figurine but was more than a little upset that he missed out on another meal in the city. ¡°Sorry buddy, we¡¯ll get you something good next time,¡± I replied, glad that he was fed by the mana inside the personal space, and I didn¡¯t have to pay for his meals. A gelatinous cube would eat me out of house and home, despite the money I had. ¡°Welcome back, Rico, did something happen during your summoning?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked from behind his desk. I had been too distracted to scan the room and didn¡¯t even realize that he was there until he spoke. ¡°Hey, Tzes¡¯zod, no, not a summoning, something odd happened in Somhagen,¡± I told him. ¡°Interesting, please explain,¡± the lich asked. I gave him a rundown of the events inside the summoned market. After that, Tzes¡¯zod drilled deeper, having me recount the entire visit in detail. He would have made a good interrogator for the police, as he was able to get me to recount details I had almost forgotten about. ¡°It seems this figurine was something the staff at the market had some knowledge of. As for it taking on your form, I believe it is less to do with some nefarious targeting of you specifically, and more of an attempt blend in and leave that place. Short of visiting there myself and taking the artifact by force, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t offer any more insight into it. As long as it¡¯s secured by the summoned market, I believe the danger is past,¡± Tzes¡¯zod replied. For a moment I wondered what would happen if the lich tried to storm the summoned market and pilfer the figurine. While I had never seen him in action, I could feel that he was powerful. Thankfully, he was an ally and with his phylactery stored safely inside my reward chest, it was in his best interest to see that both me, and my personal space, were secure. That brought up another thought. Between Tzes¡¯zod and Gary, I wondered who would come out on top in a fight? An undead lich wizard vs. whatever Gary was would probably sell a whole bunch of tickets on pay per view. Maybe after integration, someone would start arena matches on Earth with those kinds of matchups. Some enterprising goblin was probably already putting plans in motion for something similar once integration was over with. ¡°Thanks, Tzes¡¯zod, I appreciate your insight. Oh, there was one thing I was interested in getting your opinion on if you have a moment,¡± I said, heading to my reward chest. Before I perused the rewards that I had been given because my trip to Somhagen had been cut short, I wanted the lich to look at the Elixir of the Parasite. ¡°An interesting item, a system reward I assume. Let me examine it for a moment,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, taking the glass vial that held the greenish-yellow elixir. He muttered a few spells under his breath, and then pulled out a jeweler¡¯s loupe to look through. How an undead lich with no eyeballs looked through a jeweler loupe was a mystery, but I chalked it up to magic and system shenanigans. After a few moments of examination, he handed the vial back to me before speaking. ¡°As the description reveals, the elixir is a bit of a mixed bag. Tell me, Rico, how high is your constitution score?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°It¡¯s seventeen,¡± I replied. Normally, you weren¡¯t supposed to disclose that kind of information, but I figured the risk of telling Tzes¡¯zod was minimal. ¡°That should be sufficient, and usually, the system won¡¯t offer a reward that would harm you. Some, like this elixir, have drawbacks, but the system must have weighed that the benefits outweighed them,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained in a tone that reminded me of a college professor giving a lecture to a bored class. ¡°But should I use it?¡± I asked, trying to get him focused on my real reason for having him examine it. ¡°I would say, yes. When you imbibe it, tiny parasites will infest your system, permanently draining a point or two of constitution. These parasites aren¡¯t mindless and won¡¯t seek to destroy the host they live inside. Instead, as the description announced, they will vigorously defend you from any other invasive species. ¡°Their power will start off rather weak, but the longer they reside inside you, the better able to defend you they¡¯ll become. While encountering parasites that your normal constitution as a summoned being can¡¯t fight off is rather rare, I¡¯m sure you will encounter more powerful dangers at some point. There is also the possibility that the parasites will help against things like rot grubs and the like once the parasites grow in power,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Thank you, give me a minute to think about this?¡± I told him. Tzes¡¯zod didn¡¯t reply, and instead went back to whatever he was working on at his desk. The elixir I held made me a bit nervous. After weighing the pros and cons, I figured giving up some constitution to protect me from a potentially horrible death was a good trade. ¡°Welcome to the team, parasites,¡± I said as I quaffed the potion. It had no taste, for which I was thankful. It was pretty much like drinking a vial of tap water. I stood there for a minute, waiting to see if there was going to be anything catastrophic happening. Other than feeling of lethargy that passed quickly, I didn¡¯t notice any changes. You have been infected with a parasitic organism. Your constitution has dropped to 15. You have gained resistance from parasitic infestation. The resistance is considered moderate but will gain in potency over time. At least losing two constitution points permanently wasn¡¯t painful. The tired feeling was also fading quickly. With the parasites making themselves at home, it was time to check out my loot. When I opened the chest, I selected new items only, and was given a system prompt before my acquisitions were displayed. Since your visit to Somhagen at Tier 2, Rank 5 was ended prematurely by a system sanctioned facility, all items acquired from the Summoned Market will be enhanced by the system. Reward Chest.
  1. Class ability scroll. Life Tap.
  2. Ability upgrade scroll. Switch.
  3. Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb.
  4. Portal of the cackle.
It all sounded good, but I needed to examine each item to see exactly how powerful they were. I went in order, starting with the class ability scroll. Advanced Life Tap. The Tier and Rank of this ability scale with the caster. This class ability scroll is compatible with all summoner classes. Life Tap allows you to pull the life force from one of your minions, using it to heal yourself. This ability works on all your summoned minions, including those created through consumables or contracts of any sort. The summoner may determine how much life he intends to pull from his minion. This spell has been upgraded to an advanced form. The advanced version of Life Tap allows you to target any summoned creature, both friendly and hostile. Advanced Life Tap may be resisted by creatures with a higher Tier and Rank than the caster. The greater the gap between the caster and the target, the more likely it will be partially or fully resisted. This ability has a 1-minute cooldown between uses. That was a nice addition, and with the system bumping it to the advanced version, it was not only an emergency heal for me but was also a way to destroy enemy summoned creatures. I activated the scroll and allowed the knowledge to flow into my mind. Next up was the upgrade scroll which I activated after reading its description. Your ability, Switch, has evolved into the spell Switch and Replace. The ability no longer requires you to target a minion, instead, you may target any spot within your line of sight. The maximum range of the ability is 100 feet per tier of the caster. When activated, Switch and Replace will instantly teleport you to your targeted location, leaving behind an illusion that matches your movements. This ability can be activated every 5 minutes. Great, now I didn¡¯t have to place a minion in danger to save myself. It was essentially a short-range teleport, and the illusion might buy me a few extra seconds before the attacker discovered it wasn¡¯t real. The cooldown of five minutes probably made it a one-shot option in most fights. Now it was time to see what the orb thing was. Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb. This item may be activated to cast spell reflection on yourself and all your summoned minions. The spell reflection will shift the next harmful spell, ability, or physical attack back on your opponent. This orb can only be used once per day, and when activated, it will return to your reward chest to recharge. Once activated, the orb¡¯s effects will last for 1 minute before the magic dissipates. The orb can only affect attacks that up to the Tier and Rank of the summoner. Attacks and abilities from a higher Tier and Rank may only have part of the damage or harmful effect reflected or it may bypass the protection entirely. That was another survival option for me, and I was starting to feel better about my chances when I wasn¡¯t under the protection of the respawn mechanic. Combined with the Cloak of the Minion Master, my summoned creatures would be well protected. The orb itself was a small, marble-sized polished stone. It was grey in color, and I could activate it with a thought, which was good, because if I needed it, I probably didn¡¯t have time to pull it from inventory. Portal of the Cackle. Tier 0, Rank 5. This portal may be placed anywhere within the line of sight of the summoner. When activated, the portal will begin to spawn gnoll warriors at a rate of 1 warrior every 30 seconds until the charges are expended, or the portal is destroyed. The gnolls will attack the nearest hostile target and will automatically be unsummoned after 1 hour. The portal starts with 5 charges and slowly gains new charges until the maximum limit of 10 is reached. Should the portal be destroyed, it will gradually rebuild itself inside your reward chest. This portal was great. It was essentially a free group of lower tier and rank minions that I could place anywhere on the battlefield. They probably would only serve as distractions against more powerful foes, but I¡¯d been in many situations where I needed numbers as much as quality, and the portal would help. After adding everything to my loadout, it was time to return home. I was a bit disappointed over leaving Somhagen early, but getting free gear from the summoned market was awesome, and it allowed me to stockpile even more summoning points for when I finally made it to the third tier of the city. Prepare to return to your home world. Chapter 297. Back to the Grind. Chapter 297. Back to the Grind. I was sent home, and it took me a minute to remember what had been going on when I was summoned. I was still in Jeanette¡¯s house, and remembered that we had been meeting with Agent Lopez after the attack on Refuge by the cultists. The meeting was still going on, through everyone was looking at the empty chair where Fitzfazzle had been sitting. ¡°What happened to Fitzfazzle?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Sorry, I got pulled into a contracted summoning and that must have forced him back to his world,¡± I explained. ¡°You were just summoned and returned? Let me get some readings,¡± the agent with the computer said. ¡°Did everything go okay, Rico?¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°Yeah, it was fine. I hit tier two, rank five and then visited Somhagen again. I¡¯ll put it all down in the report, along with a couple of odd things that happened in the city. Sorry to have interrupted the meeting,¡± I replied. ¡°No problem, Rico, it¡¯s not like you can plan these things. Having Fitzfazzle gone is a bit of a blow. How soon until you can summon him again? Our people were getting some great ideas from him, and I think Fitzfazzle was enjoying learning from our people almost as much as we were from him,¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°There¡¯s no exact timeline, I just have to wait for his figurine to be ready again. As soon as I can summon him again, I¡¯ll let you know. Maybe we¡¯ll try to time it for just after I get back from a summoning so we¡¯ll maximize how long he can stay here,¡± I offered. ¡°Good plan, just give me a call as soon as you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll have a team kept on standby when you think we¡¯re close. At least we had some time to work with Fitzfazzle which will allow us to plan a bit better for his next visit. With that being said, does anyone have anything else to add?¡± Agent Lopez asked as he tried to wrap up the meeting. ¡°I have a few administrative things, but they don¡¯t have to be handled in person, and we can just text or email about that,¡± Marie said. ¡°Great, one final thing and then I have to get out of here. As you can imagine, we¡¯ve got a lot of paperwork and reports to do after the cultist attack. The last thing I wanted to mention, is that we need the help of every summoned being right now, even those that are minors,¡± Lopez looked at Elliot as he said that. ¡°With the summoned beings that are over tier three disappearing, we¡¯re losing our most experienced consultants. Please try to make your schedules flexible as we work to get our world ready,¡± Lopez pleaded. Snagging a final cookie from the fresh plate Jeanette brought out, Agent Lopez and his assistant left. Everyone was tired, and I slunk back to my apartment to sleep. Closing the door to my place, I almost jumped when Melvin spoke up. With his last visit, I thought it might be a while before he could join me back on Earth, but he had managed to hitch a ride in his armor form. As he moved slightly, I could see a thin, nearly invisible gelatinous layer encasing my armor. He wasn¡¯t as mobile and seemed muted and less talkative when in this form, but he had no trouble telling me that he was hungry¡­as always. With no mana here to sustain him, I did have to feed him. My refrigerator wasn¡¯t exactly empty, but the choices were slim. I was too tired to head out to some late-night restaurant or fast-food run, so I gave Melvin a sample of everything that I had on hand. It was a bit harder to feed him, as he was encased over my existing armor. Melvin made it work, and anything I held against my armor for more than a few seconds was slurped up. Before long, I got the feeling that while he wanted more, he was fine with me stopping to rest. I unsummoned my armor, took a shower, and hopped into bed. A quick resummoning of my armor revealed that Melvin was still there. He sent me images of him remaining in armor form until a summoning, or visit home ended, no matter how many times I equipped and unequipped the armor. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. My day started early, and after introducing Melvin to my favorite cereal, Captain Crunch, I was called by Major Finley. They were bumping up the number of trainees that would be working with me. Now, we were up to a reinforced company, just over 200 soldiers. The old platoon I had been working with was still part of the training group, but working with the new additions went slower than I¡¯d have liked. The military had given them all a briefing but seeing what a summoned being could do in person was always a bit of a shock. In the end, with Major Finley¡¯s help, we got them sorted and into the normal training routine. A new addition to the group, First Sergeant Novak, proved to be a big help. Nobody, even the officer¡¯s, wanted to mess with Top, which is what they all called the First Sergeant. With a booming voice, and a command presence I hoped to someday achieve, Top kept everyone on task. He wasn¡¯t afraid to dish out some ¡°corrective physical training¡± when needed. I was even a victim of his efforts a time or two, but Top laid off after he realized it was taking too long to smoke me properly with pushups. My system enhanced body was coming through for me again. After a couple of days of training and waiting for rides or borrowing cars from others at Refuge to get to the base, it was finally time to make my first big purchase since becoming wealthy. It was time for me to buy a car, but what car? My bank account said that I could get just about anything, but I¡¯d lived a much simpler life for too long to blow money on an expensive car. In the end, I just wanted basic, comfortable transportation, not to make a statement to anyone. Deciding on a Honda Accord, my dealership experience was a strange one. I expected there to be some haggling, there always is during a car purchase, but what I didn¡¯t expect was for my Mind and Presence stats to come through for me. While they didn¡¯t give me the car for free, a later check online showed that I had bought it well below the dealer¡¯s cost. They dealership even offered me a job as a salesman there. Maybe if this whole summoned being and pending apocalypse thing didn¡¯t work out, I¡¯d at least have a new career in car sales waiting for me. Having my own car made things a lot easier for me. Southern California wasn¡¯t a place that had great public transportation, and I¡¯d always felt bad asking other people for a ride anywhere. With new wheels, I was also able to take Melvin out for some grub. He already loved tacos, but I also introduced him to the other offerings nearby. The days passed, and I continued to assist with training the troops. There was a lot they had to shift their thinking about, as well as new skills to learn with melee weapons and primitive ranged weapons. Supposedly, the military was working on something that would keep their advanced weapons secure, but from what I¡¯d seen of the universe out there, tech only functioned efficiently when paired with mana. Units rotated in and out of my training program, and we began to get things dialed in. Somehow, despite the soldiers and others being briefed on the pending induction into the system, word hadn¡¯t gotten out. It was inevitable, and from what Agent Lopez said, there was going to be an announcement of some kind soon, hopefully early enough to give people a couple of months to prepare before it happened. Elliot and a now fully healed Quinn joined me in the training. Once they were up to speed, we were able to expand the number of soldiers we worked with. In addition to the military, we started to see members of law enforcement and other emergency services. I didn¡¯t know how the system would determine classes for everyone, but it was assumed that those with medical training would probably be offered some kind of healer option. I¡¯d had over two weeks without a summoning when the next series finally hit. I was overseeing my mana slayer drone as it attempted to ambush a squad of Marines in a training exercise when the familiar words flashed in front of me, and I was pulled into my personal space. You are Summoned! ¡°Welcome back sir, may I be of any further assistance?¡± Whirtmir, the head butler in my personal space asked after handing me the obligatory beverage. ¡°No, I¡¯m good, thank you, Whirtmir,¡± I replied. I never got a chance to visit Chaladoom¡¯s store since my visit to Somhagen was cut short. New upgrades for the personal space were on the agenda, but that would now have to wait until tier three finally rolled around. After a quick check to make sure my loadout was how I wanted, I stepped into the portal, ready for my next adventure. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the techno mage Crellin.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 5.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of non-combat related support. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
Chapter 298. The Dragons Gullet. Chapter 298. The Dragon¡¯s Gullet. I stepped from the portal and found myself outside a tall wooden palisade. There were dozens of other summoned beings around me, of all different species. An order was given out over a loudspeaker every few minutes, telling us to obey the attendants and to wait quietly for new orders. We all stood quietly in a roped-off area as I waited to see what I was supposed to be doing on this summoning. Several goblins in colorful uniforms wandered around the crowd of summoned beings. They were unarmed save for a small dagger and a wand on their belts. I tried to follow my summoning link, but instead of one thread leading to my summoner, it was a spiderweb of links to every goblin around me as well as the crude brass speaker the announcements were coming from. ¡°Send the current group into the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± the speaker announced. I could see looks of concern that matched my own on the other summoned beings¡¯ faces. I was forced to obey as one of the attendants lifted the rope and waved us through. A quick check showed that I had the Summoning Pass reward ready to use. Being fed to a dragon was not on my list of fun things to do, but if it was a quick end, I¡¯d save my escape option for a more sinister threat. We were led around the tall palisade, and toward a gate. The gate was open ad was oddly decorated with brightly colored images of various monsters, a blimp of some kind, and people sitting on a raft laughing as they approached a swirling vortex that would likely spell their doom. ¡°Where¡¯s this lot going Kriznip?¡± An armed and armored goblin at the gate asked. A dozen of them were lazing about the gate, the first heavily armed people, other than the summoned beings, that I¡¯d seen. ¡°They¡¯re heading to the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± the goblin leading our group, who I assumed was Kriznip, answered. ¡°Did maintenance finally get the bugs worked on the containment field there?¡± the guard asked as he shuffled lazily out of the way and waved the group through. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re going to find out for us. Don¡¯t forget, Dunburk, management¡¯s always willing to take volunteers to test things out if you¡¯re tired of your current assignment,¡± the goblin attendant leading our group offered. The guard waved him off and the pair laughed at the suggestion. Inside the gate, I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. From the well-constructed palisade, I figured this was a military camp of some kind. Instead, we walked down a cobblestone path lined with shops. I was able to catch some glimpses inside the buildings as we marched past. The shops were mostly empty, though a few had small teams of goblins working inside them. It looked like they were building out counters and hauling in crates of goods. About half the shops had colorful signs to match the entrance, including offers of various foods at what were probably exorbitant prices. We turned down another wide path, and passed more shops, as well as what looked like a small stage for performers. A bridge ahead led over a rapidly flowing river that was about twenty feet wide. As we crossed, one of the rafts I¡¯d seen depicted at the entrance sailed under the bridge. The raft was filled with grim-faced summoned beings just like us. What was going on in this odd place? The group was led toward a small hill about five-stories tall that had been carved to resemble a mountain peak. Groups of workers were slathering on white paint to make the tops look like they were covered in snow, as other workers placed plants and trees at various points. In front of the mountain was a corral that we were led toward, and I wondered if we were just cattle to be slaughtered in an attempt to curry the favor of whatever dragon might be lurking inside the small mountain. ¡°Queue up and get ready to board the mine carts when you¡¯re told,¡± the goblin leading our group, Kriznip, ordered. Just like with all the other goblins, I had a faint summoner link to Kriznip, so I obeyed. There was just over a score of summoned beings, but we looked like a small party inside the huge corral that was designed to hold hundreds. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Toward the front of the group, I could see that narrow railway tracks had been laid just outside the corral gate. The tracks headed toward the dark and ominous opening in the mountainside. In the other direction, the rails led around a bend and behind the mountain before they were cut off from view. ¡°Hey Jeff, how¡¯s this contraption running today?¡± Kriznip asked a scrawny looking goblin in robes who held a glowing stone up to one eye like it was a spotting scope. ¡°Eh, seems okay so far. The boss wants us to keep cycling these things through to see if everything has been sorted out,¡± the oddly named goblin, Jeff, replied. If I had been allowed to speak, the first question I would ask was how a goblin ended up named Jeff, but sadly, I had no speaking permission, and goblin Jeff was probably a mystery that I would never solve. ¡°Where¡¯s the cart at? Not to rush you, but I¡¯ve got another group that I have to send to the Vortex River before I can break for lunch. I hear they¡¯re serving a pint of ale with each lunch at the commissary today and I don¡¯t want to miss out,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°It¡¯s on the final leg now. The cart¡¯s empty and I¡¯ve run it through empty a bunch of times now with no problems. Ah, here it is,¡± Jeff said as a line of a dozen rickety wooden mining carts rolled around the mountain and toward the corral. ¡°What are those bars in front of each cart?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°A new safety device. The earlier volunteer test group showed a higher injury and death rate if we just let the passengers bounce around inside the carts. Oh, that reminds me,¡± Jeff said, turning his attention toward our group. ¡°As you go through, make sure to raise your arms occasionally and test out the safety bars,¡± Jeff ordered us. The carts slowed to a stop too soon, and were now just behind the corral opening, preventing us from boarding. After giving a goblin curse the system didn¡¯t bother to translate, mana surged, and Jeff cast a spell over the carts. With a shuddering jolt, the carts crept forward, stopping at the right spot for us to board as Jeff waved his hands in a strange pattern to control the mine cart¡¯s movement. ¡°How much juice do these things hold. I don¡¯t think management can afford to have mages here pumping mana into them all day, every day. That¡¯s going to be expensive,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to get a mana crystal system installed in the lead car before the end of the day. That way, the cheapskates running this operation can just have them charged once each day and not have to pay mages to pull a whole shift,¡± Jeff explained. ¡°Nice, okay, should I load them up?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°Yeah, get them aboard,¡± Jeff demanded. We followed the goblin commands and filtered into the mining carts. I was stuffed into the front cart along with a diminutive gnome in mage robes. It struck me that these carts weren¡¯t exactly set up to haul cargo, each one was just like a simple two seat amusement park ride. A shiny, steel bar started to slowly lower into position as the last of the passengers were brought aboard. Sharp screams of pain were heard from behind me as something happened to a summoned being a few carts back. Jeff and Kriznip rushed over, and I could hear metallic banging and then a whiff of mana as Jeff cast some unknown spell. ¡°Dang, that¡¯s one gone before the carts even started. What happened to the so-called safety bars?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°That¡¯s my bad, I didn¡¯t realize that particular cart was set to accommodate the smallest passenger in the seat. It lowered into place to securely hold the halfling but broke the legs of the orc sitting next to him. I¡¯ve reset them to match the largest passenger. We¡¯ll see how many of the little ones we lose on the journey,¡± Jeff said. The ¡°safety¡± bar lowered again, stopping just before it touched my thigh. From the corner of my eye, I could see the gnome next to me looking down at the gap between the safety bar and his legs in fear. It would probably help to hold me in, but if our ride was a rough one, the gnome was in trouble. ¡°All right, a few commands for you on your journey. Like I mentioned before, try to raise your arms and move side to side occasionally on the ride. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll debrief the survivors on the experience. The main thing we want from you is whether or not, after the safety issues are worked out, if you think this ride would be fun experience for paying guests,¡± Jeff explained. That cinched it, this whole place was some sort of weird goblin amusement park. Given the shoddy construction of the ride, and the obvious dangers to the passengers, I had to guess there were no regulations about customer and worker safety in whatever world we were in. With a nearly whiplash inducing lurch, the mine carts started forward. The dark opening into the mountainside loomed and I wondered how many of us were going to survive the ride. Chapter 299. Going for a Ride. Chapter 299. Going for a Ride. Even though the cart was powered with mana, it still made that familiar clacking sound as it climbed up an incline toward the opening in the mountain. We were essentially crash test dummies for the amusement park, and I saw a goblin worker planting trees on the mountainside give us a sad shake of his head as we passed. Even he knew we were in for it. I realized something then; the carts had appeared around the corner of the mountain empty. Did that mean everyone aboard for the last test died, or were they somehow unsummoned on the other side of the ride? Whatever the reason, I was about to find out. The track leveled out as we entered the dark cave. Glowing crystals, probably powered with mana of some sort, lined the ride. It was still dark inside, but there was enough light to see the cheap, painted wooden cutouts they had placed for ¡°ambiance¡±. A sign near the cave mouth told me what I was looking at. Follow the brave team of adventurers as they journey into the dragon¡¯s lair and seek the treasure within. Will they survive their adventure, or will the dragon have a fresh meal to enjoy? There were four wooden cutouts, painted to look like an orc warrior in plate armor, a human woman in chainmail with mace and shield, a halfling rogue in leather armor with a sword in hand, and finally, a goblin wizard in dark robes with a wand in one hand and a longsword in the other. The track turned and we were led deeper into the fake mountain. We began to climb as we entered a stretch of the ride with no mana lights. In the pitch black, we reached the top of our journey and then the carts began to race down the track, picking up speed as we spiraled down. Now, lights reappeared, flashing onto more cheap wooden cutouts of the adventurers battling various minions of the dragon. When we reached the bottom of our drop with a firm jolt, the ride smoothed out. The gnome next to me yelped in panic. I could see him flying up and out of the cart, the lap bar proving no impediment to him begin thrown out. A quick grab allowed me to snag onto his robes and haul him back into his seat, where the gnome grabbed the lap bar with a death grip and nodded his thanks. I still couldn¡¯t speak, but I was able to nod in reply. I smiled, realizing we probably looked like two dudes who thought they were too cool for anything other than a nod of acknowledgement. The tracks then led us slowly through an open cavern, where the lighting was better and the party whose adventures we were following had set camp. If I knew my amusement park rides, we would be in for another climb and then the grand finale. As we started the climb, wooden cutouts of small dragons shot from the walls and toward our carts, with badly recorded growls sounding out as they moved. It was here that we hit our first snag. Apparently one of the cutouts wasn¡¯t secured properly and the wooden dragon-shaped plank launched itself into the rear cart. Things happened too fast for me to see the impact, but when I did get turned around in my seat, both occupants in the rear car were no longer there. Presumably, they had been killed and turned into mana vapor as they were unsummoned. The ride ground to a halt and we were stuck there, able to do nothing. Thankfully, my cart was in the front and well past the dragon hatchling cutouts that kept flying forward and back. It was probably only a matter of time before another one broke free of its restraints and crashed into a cart. Suddenly, the cutouts all retracted and the lights overhead glowed brighter. A trio of goblin workers emerged from a side tunnel. I¡¯d never worked in an amusement park, but I had met several people in California that had at one point or another. The rides like this one were usually riddled with hidden passages allowing the maintenance teams to access the rides. ¡°I thought we had that one squared away. I guess Jeff was right and we need to double up on the mounting brackets on these things,¡± one of the goblins complained as he pulled out an iron bracket and headed toward the broken dragon cutout. The other pair of workers hauled in a replacement cutout, telling me that this was probably a regular occurrence. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey, new guy, head back to the control room and tell them the ride is clear. Make sure they keep these things on inactive, though. I don¡¯t want them hitting us while we¡¯re working,¡± one of the goblins said. The smallest of the trio ran off deeper into the mountain to follow his orders, and a few minutes later, our journey resumed. We clacked and clattered our way up the big incline, and once at the top, began what felt like a breakneck journey toward a cavern lit with open flames alongside the glowing crystals. Here I could see four live versions of the adventurers that had been depicted throughout the ride. Instead of bravely facing the dragon, they were sitting down and eating what must have been their lunch. They gave us a casual glance as our carts streamed past them, and pretty much ignored us. I guess the park realized that painted wooden cutouts weren¡¯t going to be enough for the paying passengers, and the goblins intended for a bit of a live action show to spice things up. We now hurled toward the ¡°dragon¡±. This time, it was just a metal framework, and I had to guess that there was probably some illusion magic to bring it to life when the ride was finally ready. Nobody was going to be satisfied with the erector set looking thing in front of us. What did have me worried was how the jaws of the contraption continually seemed to snap down, almost hitting the rails. Our path was right through the things mouth, and I had a good feeling that this is where most of the previous passengers had met their fate. The jaws clamped down as my cart passed under. A loud crash sounded out as the jaws closed on the car behind us. The connection between our car and the rest of the train snapped and we surged forward as the others slammed into the now broken dragon maw. We moved past before I could get a good look, but it didn¡¯t appear that there were many survivors. My gnome riding buddy looked at me with terror in his eyes as the ride slowed and I could see the light of day as the exit neared. I couldn¡¯t say anything to reassure my companion, but I figured the worst was over. Rides typically now slowed down until you reached the debarkation area. The whole process was about getting everyone efficiently off, so the carts could be sent to pick up the next group of customers. A final, painted wooden cutout greeted us as we left. It was the goblin wizard, and one arm was animated to wave. As we passed by the wizard, a final sign was placed before we exited the mountain. The battle with the dragon was fierce, and only the great and powerful goblin wizard Braznil has survived. Before you leave, make sure to get your plushy version of your favorite characters from the ride. As a special deal for new guests, the plushies are now buy one, get one free for a limited time! It seemed like the goblins had the merchandizing piece of the amusement park experience down pat. If they could keep the rides from killing most of the guests, they might actually be able to turn a decent profit. We passed outside, and as my eyes adjusted to the bright daylight, I could see the landing where the guests would normally get off the ride. There was even a gift shop placed so the guests would be forced to walk through it before they could leave. Instead of stopping there, our sole surviving cart made its way back to the loading area where the goblin Jeff waited for us, a look of disappointment on his face as he saw the state of the train after this brief journey through the mountain. As the ride slowed to a stop, I could see the goblin Kriznip return with a fresh batch of summoned victims. ¡°Damn, we¡¯re going to have to have maintenance hook up some more carts,¡± Jeff said as Kriznip pushed the ¡°safety¡± bar aside so we could exit. ¡°Yeah, and the mages will need to be summoned to make sure the mana drive crystals are charged up enough. That¡¯s going to take some time, and I doubt that you¡¯ll be ready for this lot before their summoning expires. Where do you want me to take them?¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°I¡¯ll check, give me a second,¡± Jeff said, chanting a quick spell and pawing at the air like he was working on a tablet before continuing. ¡°Okay, they need more test subjects at the Vortex of Doom, send them down that way.¡± ¡°Fine, but that ride¡¯s in even worse shape than this one. What genius thought it was a good idea to introduce a real live pond grabber to the ride?¡± Kriznip complained. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t say that has worked out very well. Supposedly, they¡¯ve got its feeding and pacification spells sorted out now, but I guess that¡¯s what this group will find out for us,¡± Jeff said. ¡°All right, buddy, see you after work for some drinks? I hear the commissary is bringing in some stronger stuff to keep us all happy,¡± Kriznip asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be there, see ya,¡± Jeff replied in a friendly manner as I joined the other group of summoned beings that were marching toward whatever the Vortex of Doom was. If it was as well constructed and maintained as the dragon ride, I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about our chances of surviving. Chapter 300. Vortex of Doom. Chapter 300. The Vortex of Doom. We marched back through the park, and I got a view of a couple of other attractions that I hadn¡¯t seen before. It seemed that the dragon ride and the vortex thing we were heading toward were some of the main attractions, but the goblins hadn¡¯t skimped on installing some of the more basic rides. First off was a Ferris wheel that was powered by a pair of ogres turning a crank. There weren¡¯t any test subjects like me riding the wheel, but it seemed like a pretty simple and safe device as long as the ogres didn¡¯t screw up. The other ride we passed was a kid¡¯s ride based on the mana powered carts from the dragon ride. This time, the short track was flat, the cars smaller and much slower. About the only excitement on this ride were more of the cheap, painted wooden cutouts these goblins liked to use. Ahead, I could hear the roar of a river, and Kriznip pointed us toward another corral that doubled as a dock for the ride¡¯s rafts. With the extensive queue area, the goblins must have felt this was going to be a popular ride and needed to be able to handle quite a few customers at once. I had to give the goblins points for having most of the queue area covered. There was nothing worse than being in line outside under the beating sun for a summer amusement park trip. A full team of goblin workers were there as we wormed our way through the queue. This Vortex of Doom was most definitely a work in progress. The sign wasn¡¯t even up yet. I wondered how long it would be until the park was finished, as some of it seemed almost ready to go, but other parts, like the vortex, had a long way to go before they were ready for the public. The goblins waved the first group of around eight passengers forward and loaded them into a wooden raft that was little more than logs lashed together with coarse rope. For ¡°safety¡± a bench on each side of the raft had been nailed down, and a rope was strung around the seats to help keep the passengers from flying out if things got a bit wild. One by one, the groups were loaded and pushed out into the raging waters of the river. As far as the river itself, it looked like any type of water ride you¡¯d see in a modern amusement park. The river channel was made from cobblestones held together by a concrete-like substance. How they powered the water was a mystery, as the river was moving at a pace you¡¯d expect to see on a white-water rafting trip, not an amusement park ride. I was partnered up with the same gnome from earlier as the only passengers on the last raft. We sat where indicated on the wooden bench and grasped the safety rope for our dear lives. The rope was strung through several posts that had been driven into the floor of the raft, and at least those seemed sturdy enough that they wouldn¡¯t snap as soon as all our weight hit the rope. Once again, the gnome looked terrified, and I wondered if he even knew how to swim. Was swimming a popular activity around the crazy system-controlled worlds? I sort of figured it wasn¡¯t given that there was the possibility of monsters in just about any body of water. We were cast off from the dock area, where a small breakwater kept the current down to a manageable level. Once outside the calmer waters, our raft began to pick up speed. The raft headed toward the far bank of the river, and I expected us to crash against the cobblestone raised bank. Instead, something gently pushed against the raft as we neared the side. The goblins were using magic to keep the rafts from crashing and breaking up, which I took as a good sign that we might just survive this ordeal. The ride slowed as we passed a sharp turn that drenched us both in water. Things continued in this vein for a while, and this vortex must have been one of the longer rides in the park. Just about when I was starting to enjoy myself, we entered a wider part of the river. In front of us was another summoned being laden raft, and we could now get a preview of whatever was going to happen to us. At the end of the wide river was a huge pool that had a swirling roil of water in the center. This must have been the titular Vortex of Doom, and I wasn¡¯t sure how the goblins expected us to survive it. We watched as the raft in front of us got pulled by the vortex, but just like the sides of the river, some kind of magic kept them from being completely sucked into the roiling water and destroyed. After a complete loop around the vortex, the raft moved away, heading toward another channel that must take the rafts back to wherever they unloaded the passengers. To my horror, and the horror of the people aboard the raft in front of us, two long tentacles emerged from the vortex and snatched up a pair of riders. The riders¡¯ screams were cut short as they were pulled into the vortex by whatever creature resided inside. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It was then that I remembered the conversation between Kriznip and Jeff. They had mentioned something about a pond grabber that wasn¡¯t doing what they wanted it to. Those tentacles must have been from whatever a pond grabber was, and as we hit the vortex, I could only hope that the monster wasn¡¯t still hungry. We made our loop around the vortex and were heading toward the final leg of our journey when the tentacles emerged again. They turned toward our raft, and I silently urged our ride to pick up speed as we were almost out of the monster¡¯s reach. That¡¯s when it hit me, this monster wasn¡¯t going to eat its fill if its only victims were summoned beings. We just disappeared into mana vapor when killed and would provide the monster no sustenance, hence its continued aggression. The tentacles shot forward as the ride spun and our backs were to the creature. I jumped forward, aiming to hit the bench on the other side and, hopefully, get out of range of the attack. My gnome companion wasn¡¯t quite as lucky, and he gave a short yelp as a tentacle latched onto him and pulled him toward the vortex. My last-minute maneuvering managed to dodge the other tentacle¡¯s attack, and before it could strike a second time, I was out of range. I¡¯d survived, and tried to enjoy the calm, and monster-free last section of the ride. As I suspected, there was another debarkation area, with a goblin team waiting to pull our rafts into position so we could unload. ¡°Step out and join the others,¡± Kriznip ordered as they pulled my raft to the dock. ¡°Did that thing kill all but one of the passengers? That¡¯s got to be a new record, one of the goblin attendants said. ¡°Nah, there were only two on this raft, the only survivors of the latest test run on the Dragon¡¯s Gullet,¡± Kriznip replied. ¡°So, this guy is the sole survivor of both the Dragon¡¯s Gullet and the Vortex of Doom. He¡¯s should get some kind of award for that, don¡¯t you think?¡± the worker asked. ¡°It¡¯s a summoned being, not an employee. He should be happy we¡¯re not sending him through a second time. I think Jeff¡¯s going to debrief him since he¡¯s survived our two most problematic rides. Now, let me get moving, this guy¡¯s summoning is going to expire soon, and Jeff wants to talk to him pronto,¡± Kriznip said. They didn¡¯t seem to think of summoned beings as anything other than disposable minions but given these were goblins working in a janky amusement park, I probably shouldn¡¯t be offended by that attitude. It did strike me funny how the system translated slang, I was pretty sure that ¡°pronto¡± wasn¡¯t the actual word Kriznip used. After exiting the ride, the rest of the survivors were shuffled back to the Dragon¡¯s Gullet by another worker, and Kriznip led me to one of the shops that was still under construction. Jeff met us there and ordered me to sit at the table with him. ¡°First off, let¡¯s confirm that you can hear and understand us. You never know with summoned beings. Sometimes they are stupid as rock, despite looking like a race that can normally hold a decent conversation. You have permission to talk now human,¡± Jeff said. Kriznip stayed in the room with us, but he seemed disinterested in the whole thing. ¡°I can understand you, what is it you wanted from me?¡± I answered. ¡°Great, first off, let¡¯s hear your experience from the Dragon¡¯s Gullet. Other than almost getting chomped, was the ride fun?¡± Jeff asked. Like before, Jeff was pawing at the air, like he was working an invisible tablet as he took notes. ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯m a bit jaded, as we have a bunch of amusement parks like this back on my world. Of course, we don¡¯t have mana yet, so they¡¯re all run on technology. Other than one in a million freak accidents, we don¡¯t have people killed or maimed very often. As far as the ride itself, you could do better, it wasn¡¯t the best dark rollercoaster I¡¯ve been on,¡± I tried to explain. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve got places like this on your world? Amazing, but I have only a short time here or I¡¯d pick your brain more. So, about the Dragon¡¯s Gullet, in your opinion, what can we do to improve?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°First off, the painted wood cutouts are kind of cheap looking. I don¡¯t know, maybe you can have some kind of illusion spell instead? The dragon at the end obviously needs some work, and there¡¯s no reason to have it chomp directly at the tracks. That seems needlessly dangerous, and you can get the same jump scare by having it looming nearby while it roars. ¡°Good stuff, summoned guy, I appreciate your input. I do feel the need to inform you that our organization has full rights to all information you relay to us, and as a summoned being, you cannot make any copyright, stolen intellectual property, or other damage claims against our company. Furthermore, you cannot disclose anything you¡¯ve seen here to any potential competitors. Do you acknowledge that I just informed you of your rights and obligations?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°Sure, I guess. Hey, one question before we continue. I¡¯ve never heard of a goblin named Jeff before. How did you get your name?¡± I asked, not really concerned about the legalese. I had no desire to open a competing amusement park. ¡°Ah, I wondered if my name would come up. As a human, you¡¯ll probably find this incredibly interesting. You see¡­¡± Jeff started to say before I was whisked away by the system. You have survived and successfully completed your summoning. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 5, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 31 experience points. You have earned 42 summoning points. Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2, Rank 6. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 301. The Mystery of Jeff. Chapter 301. The Mystery of Jeff. ¡°Aw, come on System, I wanted to hear why the goblin guy was named Jeff!¡± I shouted in frustration as I returned to my personal space. Now, I¡¯d probably never find out. That was the problem with most of my summonings, I almost never got a chance to see what impact I might have had. Maybe that was for the best, because I¡¯m sure there have been times when I thought I was doing the right thing, but unintended consequences happened. Waving off the refreshments from my butler, I greeted Melvin who met me by the rewards chest. Lately, he¡¯d been more interested in the rewards I received, and I kind of hoped that the system might give him something at some point for all the help he¡¯d provided. Setting the chest to display only new items, I dug into my latest rewards. Reward Chest.
  1. Class ability upgrade scroll.
  2. GEE summoning token (5).
  3. Summoner Contract (1).
  4. Minion ability/spell token (4).
  5. Minion equipment token (4).
  6. Minion experience token (3).
I had expected the various minion tokens and wasn¡¯t disappointed in the number I¡¯d received from this summoning. Retrieving the tokens, I put them aside and pulled out the class ability upgrade scroll. When I attempted to examine it, I received a system prompt. Class ability upgrade scroll, Tier 3, Rank 0. This scroll will upgrade one of your abilities at random. Until you reach the required Tier and Rank, this scroll cannot be used. It was yet another item that was locked until I reached tier three. Agent Lopez had mentioned that summoned beings were disappearing around tier three, and I had a feeling that all these items I was accruing were part of that whole process. All I could do was wait. I doubted that I¡¯d reach tier three during this summoning session, but there was a chance on the next one that it would happen. There was also the chance of my class evolving again after tier three, perhaps even extensively. Having a chance to immediately upgrade a class ability after it evolved was probably worth the wait. After placing the ability upgrade scroll back into the reward chest, I pulled out the next item, the odd GEE tokens, whatever they were. As soon as I held the tokens, which were carved wooden strips, I received a system prompt explaining their use. These summoning tokens will take you, or any current holder of a token, on a VIP visit to Gorma Etvart Enterprises latest venture, the World of Amusement. By having a hand in the quality control and testing of several of this park¡¯s attractions, you have unlocked these tokens that can be used once the park is open and fully operational. These tokens are shielded against mana drain and can be safely taken, and utilized, on your mana-starved world. So, the goblins on the world I¡¯d just visited were somehow attached to the others I¡¯d worked with on the crazy train ride a while back. Just how far did these goblin corporations reach if they were present on multiple worlds? I did have a total of five tokens, so I could invite guests or just give them away. After experiencing the rides at that amusement park, I had no desire to visit again, but with these tokens able to survive the return home, I could see a huge opportunity. I would bring them back and pass them off to Agent Lopez. Having five of Earth¡¯s experts experience an amusement park on another world where mana and tech were blended could be the break we needed. Sadly, the goblin tech wasn¡¯t foolproof, but maybe our scientists and engineers could come up with something better. Last on the list of rewards except for the minion tokens was the summoner contract. The contract turned out to be a single, small scroll, sealed in wax. A system description described what they would do. Summoner contracts. These contracts may be issued by the summoned being to anyone of their choosing. No rewards will be offered by the system for this summoning, so use care in who you distribute it to. When activated, the summoned being may review the summoning in detail, then decline or accept the call without penalty. This item is sealed and may be transported to your mana-starved world. While the item may be transported, it cannot be activated unless inside a mana-rich environment. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. That was odd, the system had granted me two items that could return home with me and allow people in our world to potentially have some interaction with the system. Lopez had mentioned that Earth¡¯s ambient mana had been increasing at a faster rate than we had previously expected, so maybe the higher mana concentrations were allowing the system more leeway in my rewards. It could also be the system¡¯s way of helping to prepare our people so that when the integration occurred, it wasn¡¯t as catastrophic. Hopefully, the other summoned beings were given similar items, and that the various governments of Earth were coordinating their efforts to maximize our results. Maybe it was a pipe dream, but I believed that this integration had as much a chance of bringing our world together as it did of tearing it apart. I added my GEE tokens, and the summoner contract to the bring home pile before activating my minion tokens, starting with three experience tokens.
  1. Mana slayer drone has received 15 experience. Current experience 25/35.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders, have received 15 experience. These minions have reached Tier 1, Rank 7. The Strength, Constitution, and Agility of these minions have increased. Current experience 1/30.
  3. Khurr, gnoll scout has received 15 experience. Current experience 15/20.
At least the goblins had been bumped up a rank. Khurr and the drone weren¡¯t quite there yet. I had veteran upgrades in the bank, but so far, none of my minions had been able to max out their rank. The lower tier and rank minions had lower experience requirements for them to hit the next rank, but who got the experience each time I activated a token was dependent on the system¡¯s random distribution. With the experience doled out, I activated the spell/ability tokens.
  1. Blieek¡¯s Charge has increased to Rank 1.
  2. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders have increased their Recruitment ability to Rank 2.
  3. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 2.
  4. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 3.
The spell and ability upgrades were incremental boosts for my minions. Going from Rank 0 to Rank 1 for Blieek¡¯s Charge ability increased the charge distance from ten to twelve feet, and the bonus damage increased from 10% to 11%. I couldn¡¯t expect too much for my lowest rank minion. Even maxed out, his abilities just weren¡¯t going to be that powerful. The goblin¡¯s Recruit ability allowed them to recruit a second minion into their horde. The only problem was that I didn¡¯t have any other goblinoids other than Blieek. For now, unless I got a goblinoid creature from a figurine, the upgrade wasn¡¯t going to do much for us unless I duplicated one of the goblins. Digbaz¡¯s Channel Mana ability was the big winner for the upgrades with a double increase. At rank three, Digbaz could now use the ability three times a day and the channeling time went down from nine seconds to five. With abilities and experience out of the way, it was time for the equipment upgrades.
  1. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Weapons to Rank 4.
  2. Mana slayer drone has upgraded his Shoulder Mounted Grenade Launcher to Rank 1.
  3. Blieek has upgraded his Weapons to Rank 4.
  4. Digbaz Bazam has upgraded his Weapons to Rank 2.
The upgrades were interesting. Both Elida and Digbaz had staves as their main melee weapon. At rank 4, Elida now carried one that the system described as being made from mana-infused wood, which added a bonus to her melee attacks. Digbaz had the same staff now as well, but his was obtained at Rank 2, which showed how equipment was also adjusted by the tier and rank of the minion. In addition to the staff, Elida¡¯s sling was now listed as well-crafted, which should improve her ability to hit a target. Digbaz had his ranged weapon, the magic missile wand, increase its capacity from two missiles to three. The drone¡¯s grenade launcher hit rank one from rank zero which bumped up the range to 100-yards. For Blieek, he graduated from a shorter spear to a long spear of the same quality. It¡¯d give him more reach but would probably hamper him if an enemy got past the longer weapon. For his ranged weapons, the tier four upgrade added a second pair of throwing daggers for my least powerful minion. ¡°Sorry Melvin, nothing for you this time,¡± I told my friend who had stretched his gelatinous form tall enough to peek into the reward chest. He sent me feeling of contentedness for now, but excitement for what might happen in the future. Melvin consoled himself by heading into the training room to work out a bit. Before I joined him, a quick check of the return gauge next to the chest showed that I¡¯d completed about 21% of this summoning series. I had at least a few more to go, and it looked like the system wasn¡¯t going to give me much time to rest and train as another portal opened almost as soon as I finished with loot. You are Summoned! Chapter 302. Schoolyard Challenge. Chapter 302. Schoolyard Challenge. I stepped through the portal and was given the basic information regarding this summoning. It looked like this one was going to be combat related, so no more amusement park rides this time. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned through a consumable item by the apprentice mage Nasraf.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 6.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for the purpose of a duel; combat is highly likely. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
¡°Nasraf, you cheater, I said a duel between our minions, not a duel between my minion and whatever summoning figurine your family bought for you,¡± a young voice complained as I stepped out of the portal and into what looked like an open sports field. A large rectangular area had been painted on the well-trimmed grass, and just outside the perimeter was a horde of people in matching robes staring intently at me. ¡°Dag, it¡¯s not my fault your family is poor. Just consider this duel as a further expansion of your lessons here at the academy. The sooner you realize your place in this world, the easier things will become for you,¡± my summoner, a young elf named Nasraf taunted. It was hard to tell the exact age of an elf, but given the crowd of other, teenage-looking humanoids gathered around the field, I figured we were in some type of boarding school for wizards. Great, I was stuck in the system version of Hogwarts with a pair of feuding teens. Our opponent that stood angrily in front of my summoner looked like a human woman, who was angry at my appearance for their duel. ¡°Nasraf, you know were all only tier zero, rank five. You need to summon something directly, not use a consumable,¡± the young woman, Dag argued. I agreed with her, after all, what was the point of a duel with someone who had minions two tiers higher? It wasn¡¯t exactly a test of skill, just a comparison of who had the deeper pockets. ¡°Dag, you¡¯re such a whiner. My family warned me about the lesser folk and their complaints against our superiority. Nevertheless, I¡¯ll allow you a small handicap given the inherent weaknesses of humans. Why don¡¯t you have two of your little friends join you, they can also summon a creature to help you in the fight,¡± Nasraf offered. ¡°So, three tier zero, rank fives against a tier two, rank six summoned creature? How is that any fairer? Just summon something you can call on without resorting to consumables. If you do that, I¡¯m sure everyone would agree it¡¯s a fair fight,¡± Dag said. To their credit, the crowd did seem to murmur with approval at Dag¡¯s suggestion. ¡°It isn¡¯t about fair, my dear Dag. You¡¯re the one that challenged me, and I accepted. I don¡¯t recall any negotiations beforehand; you simply said you challenged me to a duel. If you win, I must leave you alone, and not bother you or your friends for the rest of our time here. If I win, you announce to the school that you acknowledge my obvious superiority,¡± Nasraf said with devious smile plastered on his face. ¡°You knew I was angry, and you know we¡¯re not even supposed to be out here without an instructor. Either play fair, or the duel is off,¡± Dag said. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll make one more concession, you can bring four of your friends to summon creatures to help you,¡± Nasraf said. The crowd¡¯s murmuring got louder at that point, and though I couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying to each other, I got the distinct vibe that they considered Nasraf¡¯s latest offer a bit more compelling. I still felt it was unfair. If the duel kicked off, I¡¯d just summon my minions who would tear a group of four low tier and rank opponents to pieces. It was too bad I couldn¡¯t switch sides; I think I¡¯d rather fight for Dag than this odious Nasraf guy. My summoner link and the forced compliance prevented me from shifting my allegiance. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Okay, give me five other students to help out, and we¡¯ll accept the duel, but I have one final condition. If you win, I¡¯ll do as you ask, but after I publicly confirm your so-called superiority, you, agree to lay off my friends,¡± Dag countered. A small halfling girl left the sidelines and jogged over to Dag¡¯s side. ¡°No, Dag, he¡¯ll still win even with five of us helping you. I don¡¯t know what class his summoned warrior is, but it would probably easily handle six of our summoned creatures,¡± the halfling pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s unfair, I know, but if we don¡¯t take this chance, this harassment will never end. If Nasraf accepts, at least I can keep you guys from being hassled by Nasraf¡¯s cronies,¡± Dag said. ¡°I accept, Dag, you may summon your minions when ready. Mine is ready to go,¡± Nasraf said, walking over to me and placing his hand on the shoulder of my body armor. While Dag gathered five of her friends and prepared to summon their minions, Nasraf looked critically at me. ¡°Hmm, your gear is odd, what kind of weapons do you wield?¡± Nasraf asked. I drew my shortsword and shield, then also summoned my sparking javelin for him to inspect. He asked directly about weapons, so I didn¡¯t have to mention that I was a summoner. Maybe, if Nasraf neglected his due diligence, I could work around the system restrictions for this duel. ¡°I assume you¡¯re skilled with those as your tier and rank would suggest?¡± Nasraf asked. ¡°I am,¡± I replied with confidence. ¡°Good, then once these weaklings summon their creatures, put your weapons to good use,¡± Nasraf said, patting me on the back like an old chum. ¡°I will obey, and engage the foes with my weapons,¡± I replied, trying to keep an almost robotic, even tone to my voice as I tried to set Nasraf up. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask,¡± Nasraf confirmed, his attention diverting to the creatures being summoned to oppose me. Inadvertently, Nasraf had just given his foes a huge chance. I would follow my summoner¡¯s command to the letter and fight to the best of my abilities with my weapons. I¡¯m sure that he wanted me to go all out, but I was going to try and abuse the loophole of his language as much as possible. Since this was a school, maybe he would learn an important lesson. A summoner should always ask what class their summoned minion is. I took stock of my opponents. With five of her friends allowed to participate, Dag¡¯s team had a total of six minions to oppose me. I¡¯d summoned plenty of tier zero, rank five minions, both with my class skills, and through figurines. They weren¡¯t especially powerful, but while I had solid gear, my class wasn¡¯t set up to be a melee powerhouse. The training with Major Finley and the soldiers had improved my skills considerably, but I lacked any of the spells or special abilities that a melee focused class would have at their disposal. One by one the opponents were summoned, and the foes were about what I expected. It was an odd assortment of foes. The first pair I had sort of expected, a goblin and a gnoll. Humanoid minions could cover a wide gamut of tier and rank options. Giving or taking away better gear, more powerful stats, or a few abilities could customize them for the appropriate challenge. The goblin was equipped with a leather jerkin, a spear, and not much else. For the gnoll, it had a shortsword in one hand, a rusty dagger in the other, and wore only a tunic for defense. My next three opponents were animals, one was a wolf, and another was a huge boar almost as big as the wolf. The final animal was a dire rat with mangy fur and blistered skin that looked diseased. As the final creature was summoned, a tiny gelatinous cube, I was a bit shocked. Other than Melvin, I really hadn¡¯t run up against that many slime type creatures. With my current gear, I didn¡¯t think I could have handled it, but then Melvin, who was integrated into his armor form, reminded me that he could easily deal with the tiny slime. When I tried to inform Melvin that we didn¡¯t really want to win this one, he sent me a feeling of obligation. It seemed, as part of my gear, Melvin was ordered to fight in melee as hard as I was. The same summoner compulsion that forced me to obey also held him under its sway. ¡°What a sorry example of summoned creatures. Is this really the best you and your friends could come up with, Dag? You may as well concede defeat now and spare yourselves the embarrassment of losing,¡± Nasraf taunted. ¡°Quit trying to act so superior. If we forced you to summon your own creature and not use one that mommy gave you, you¡¯d have the same tier and rank minions that we do,¡± Dag replied. ¡°Very well, if you refuse to concede, how about we get this over with. Lonnie, would you like to do the honors?¡± Nasraf asked. A skinny human kid that stood near Nasraf moved in between the two teams. He was apparently a toady for Nasraf, and I wondered why these arrogant rich kids always seemed to have someone like Lonnie following them around. ¡°You all know the drill, when I drop this handkerchief, the battle starts,¡± Lonnie said. He cast a spell and the red handkerchief he pulled from his pocket hovered between us. All the students retreated behind the lines in the field, which I assumed had some magical protection to keep the spectators safe. I readied my javelin as the opening move in the fight. Hopefully, I was better at melee with all my training, but still not quite good enough to handle six vs. one. Chapter 303. Important Lessons. Chapter 303. Important Lessons. Looking over my opponents, I singled out the boar as the most immediate threat. In melee, the wolf or the gnoll might be stronger, but it was probably a safe bet to assume the boar had some kind of charge ability that would let it close the gap with me quickly. We were faced about twenty yards apart, so there was not a lot of space to work with. The handkerchief floating in the air between us suddenly dropped and we all snapped into action. First, I heaved the javelin at the boar, trusting my slowly improving aim, and the weapon¡¯s magical targeting to land the blow. While I charged forward, I drew my shortsword and pulled the shield off my back. That was it, I was following my orders, so no other magic items, spells, or summons would assist me in the fight if I could help it. The javelin hit the boar, which squealed briefly as the electrical damage coursed through its body. It turned to mana vapor as I engaged the first of my opponents in melee. In the lead was the wolf, who lunged for my leg. I dodged to the side, stabbing at the animal in reply. Its jaws snapped closed just an inch away from my knee, but my sword strike was on target. The blade stabbed deep into the wolf¡¯s neck, but it leaped back before I could deal a fatal blow. It might bleed out, given the amount of blood dripping from the wound, but for now, it was still in the fight. A blow hit me on the back, as the goblin thrust out his spear. My armor blocked the attack, but it did push my next blow at the wolf off target. The wolf moved to keep me in front of it, and I could see the gnoll maneuvering to my right. Behind me, the goblin kept up a series of stabs with his spear, but so far, it hadn¡¯t found any weak points in my new armor. While I was happy that my armor was proving effective, I feared that I was going to easily win this fight. The wolf moved in for another strike, and just like with its previous attack, I dodged the blow and landed one of my own. With a meaty thump, the wolf¡¯s head dropped to the ground before it turned into mana vapor. That left four opponents. I hadn¡¯t spotted the rat yet, but the slime had reached my foot during the fight and was slowly flowing over my boot, looking for an opening to slither inside and begin digesting me. Before I could do anything, Melvin reacted. My armor took on a wet-looking sheen as my gelatinous cube friend went to work. He slithered down my armor and began to envelop the slime attacking me. The pair rolled off my foot and onto the grass. I was confident that Melvin would come out on top given the tier and rank discrepancy between them, but it was going to take a while. With Melvin gone, my defenses were a bit weaker. The slime had distracted me, allowing the gnoll to slash my arm with his rusty shortsword, and stab my neck with the dagger in his other hand. The slash to my arm failed to breach my armor, but the dagger found the unarmored gap just under my helmet. Pain lanced deep into my neck, and I reflexively stabbed at the gnoll in response. My aim was on target, and I speared through the gnoll¡¯s chest, skewering his heart. As the gnoll disappeared, the giant rat made its appearance as the chisel-like teeth of the monster gnawed at my leg. It found a small gap between the boot and leg armor, slicing out a chunk of meat that it greedily swallowed before biting down a second time. Pain hit again, as the goblin, having learned from the gnoll¡¯s attack, hit the back of my neck near the existing wound. I stumbled back, slashing ineffectively at the goblin, and rat, trying to keep them at bay. My movements were uncoordinated, and I could feel something important had been hit in my neck. A numbness started to set in along my body. A flash of light blinded me for a moment, and I was hurled back from my opponents. As I sat on the grass, I received a command from my summoner to stop fighting. A booming voice sounded out over the dueling field, magically enhanced so everyone, even the furthest spectator, could hear. ¡°Cease this foolishness! Unauthorized dueling, even through the use of summoned creatures, is forbidden. Whoever is responsible, step forward immediately,¡± the voice demanded. My vision returned as the magical flash-bang effect wore off. Between me and the surviving pair of Dag¡¯s summoned minions was a glowing, humanoid shape. I¡¯d never seen anything like it, and the being looked to be composed entirely of light. The faint outline of mages robes could be seen, but even the fabric of the garment did little to block the being¡¯s light. It hovered two feet off the ground as it looked down upon a frightened-looking Dag, her friends that had participated in the duel, and Nasraf. ¡°Headmaster, I can explain. I was merely defending myself from Dag and her cronies. They demanded I duel them, or they would make my life on campus miserable,¡± Nasraf pleaded. ¡°He¡¯s right, headmaster, I saw the whole thing,¡± Lonnie, Nasraf¡¯s flunky called from the sidelines. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Enough!¡± I don¡¯t need the soothsayers here to discern your guilt or innocence. Both of you were involved, and both of you will be appropriately punished. Since you¡¯ve gathered a sizeable portion of the student body here to witness this spectacle, why don¡¯t we turn it into a lesson as well as a means of disciplining the offenders. Gather round everyone,¡± the headmaster demanded. The crowd jogged toward the center of the field, gathering around the space where the headmaster floated in front the two culprits. I was a few feet away on one side, and the other summoned creatures on the other. So far, we hadn¡¯t been dismissed, which I was curious about. I finally gained my feet, the numbness in my body receding as the Troll¡¯s Belt I wore slowly did its regenerative work. ¡°So, you two thought you would have an unsanctioned duel. Tell me, what did you each summon, and why was that your choice?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°Sir, fearing for my safety, I summoned my most powerful minion. It¡¯s a tier two, rank six, uh, warrior,¡± Nasraf answered first. ¡°And the rest of you?¡± the headmaster demanded. ¡°We each conjured the best minion we had available to us, but unlike Nasraf, we don¡¯t have mommy and daddy sending us expensive summoning figurines,¡± Dag replied for her group. ¡°So, what you¡¯re all telling me is that none of you thought tactically about the situation. Nasraf just went with the most powerful thing in his arsenal, and the rest of you did the same. Dag, given the composition of your team¡¯s summoned minions, I take it that your group didn¡¯t discuss how to create a cohesive force before you started summoning,¡± the headmaster said, his light-filled eyes locked onto Dag. ¡°I, well, I think I see what you¡¯re getting at, headmaster. We acted on emotion and didn¡¯t plan out our overall summoning strategy ahead of time. If we had done so, we would have had a better chance of success,¡± Dag admitted. ¡°Leave it to the lesser species to act on foolish emotions,¡± Nasraf mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t recall giving you permission to speak out of turn, Nasraf. While Dag and her friends made a tactical error. The most foolish one out of this group of miscreants is you. A tier two, rank six summoned creature should have no trouble dealing with even a dozen low ranked opponents. Tell me, Nasraf, what exactly did you summon to fight on your behalf?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°It was a figurine that my parents sent to me for my protection. It¡¯s obviously a warrior of some type, but given that he struggled a bit, I think my mistake was trusting my parents to supply me with quality goods. This one is obviously something less powerful than the tier and rank would suggest,¡± Nasraf answered. ¡°No, wrong again in your conclusion. Given that this item was supplied by your family, I assume you have the financial means to have identification cast upon it. An item like this shouldn¡¯t be wasted on a duel, and if this had been a true threat, and you were trusting your life to it, you would have likely perished,¡± the headmaster said before looking directly at me. ¡°You there, summoned being. I can see your class and basic information. Tell us, what exactly did Nasraf demand of you when you were first summoned,¡± the headmaster asked. I looked toward Nasraf for permission to reply and he nodded in agreement. I gave a recap of the exact instructions that I had been given by Nasraf. ¡°All right, can any of you figure out Nasraf¡¯s mistake. Not just with failing to identify the summoning figurine, but also in the instructions he gave it?¡± the headmaster asked to the group. A few raised their hands, and he picked a small gnome girl to respond. ¡°Headmaster, after summoning an unknown figurine, he didn¡¯t ask it about its powers and abilities. Even worse, his instructions limited its options,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Precisely. Well done, Lizzle. Nasraf, you got lucky, and this figurine managed to summon a very powerful minion. Next week we¡¯ll get into the difference between a summoned minion that is a mana construct and the very rare, and often more powerful, summoned beings that occasionally answer the call. For now, summoned being, give us your name and tell us your class,¡± the headmaster demanded. Nasraf added a summoner link to the headmaster so I would now be able to answer him without seeking approval each time. ¡°My name is Rico Kline, and I¡¯m a class called the Foe Commander,¡± I replied. ¡°Excellent, thank you for participating. Please, Rico Kline, show us what your class can do,¡± the headmaster asked. I was happy to help out and summoned my entire crew. After they were all out, I cast duplicate on the mana slayer drone, since he was more impressive looking rather than Digbaz who was probably the more dangerous of the pair. ¡°As you can see, Rico here could have created a powerful force to assist you. Instead, you ordered him to use only his melee weapons. In fact, I believe that Rico may have even assisted a bit by pushing you in that direction,¡± the headmaster said. I gave him a subtle nod of agreement. Now, Nasraf, Dag, and the others who directly participated in the duel can write a 20- scroll complete examination of the duel, your mistakes, and learning opportunities of this situation. The rest of you, for the crime of choosing to spectate instead of trying to put a stop to this, can write a shorter, 5-page version of the assignment. You all have until the end of the week to complete this project,¡± the headmaster said. ¡°Rico, perhaps you would be willing to participate in further instruction here at the academy?¡± the headmaster whispered to me. ¡°I¡¯d like that, if it¡¯s possible,¡± I replied. It wasn¡¯t a bad summoning, and the headmaster seemed like a reasonable guy. ¡°It is possible, and it has been done. Thank you for helping to put Nasraf in his place, and I look forward to working with you in the future,¡± the headmaster said to me quietly enough so the others couldn¡¯t hear. After that, he demanded that we be dismissed by our summoners. You have survived and successfully completed your summoning. Your performance rating is calculated as Very Good. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Very Good. You have earned 29 experience points. You have earned 48 summoning points. A single use summoning link has been created between yourself and the being known as Headmaster Glorine. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 304. Special Opportunity. Chapter 304. Special Opportunity. I stepped back into my personal space, happy to have completed a fairly normal summoning for once. The headmaster seemed interesting, and I was glad to have a summoning link with the magic academy. Having a summoned being answer questions for a class, or even using us for a training device, like the military was doing now, should be helpful for the students. Who knows, maybe I¡¯d learn something out of the deal as well. Looking around the personal space, I could see that Tzes¡¯zod was gone doing whatever it was he did, but Melvin was there to greet me. An odd, orange glow appeared from under the door to Gary¡¯s addition, but things there were quiet, which was all that I asked for. Creepy light shows were fine, as long as we didn¡¯t have a repeat of before where the entire personal space rumbled from the fight or whatever was happening inside his area. My reward chest awaited, and I was happy that my summoning ended with another Very Good rating. Opening the chest, I got to see what I¡¯d gained after my latest adventure. Reward Chest.
  1. 37 gold.
  2. Minion Experience Generator, Basic.
  3. Special Request Summoning Offer.
  4. Minion ability/spell token (3).
  5. Minion equipment token (3).
It was a solid haul, though I was a bit surprised to see the complete lack of experience tokens for my minions. I did have the experience generator thing, though, so I pulled that out first to check out what it was. It proved to be a simple steel box, about the size of a shoebox, with no visible means of opening it. A system description explained what I was holding. Minion Experience Generator, Basic. This device will automatically generate experience for your minions at the completion of a successful summoning. A successful summoning is considered a rating of Adequate or better. The generator will create 1 experience point per minion, per summoning, though there is the potential of a second experience point of the summoning was rated at Excellent, or if it was of an extended duration. As a basic level device, this item can be upgraded to further enhance the experience gains of your minions. To install, select an open area on the exterior of your reward chest and push mana into the device to seal it to the surface and activate its ability. This device was issued in lieu of any minion experience tokens for this summoning, but it will not replace the normal distribution of experience tokens in the future. Nice, it was only going to be one point per minion, but that would add up quickly. I missed out on a few experience tokens from this summoning, but the generator would more than make up for it after only a few uses. Selecting a spot in front of the reward chest, I pushed mana into the generator. I could feel the device getting warm as it adhered to the side of the reward chest. A quick test showed that it was firmly attached, and it looked rugged enough to withstand anything other than a dedicated attack on it. After it cooled down, a new prompt confirmed that I hadn¡¯t botched things up. The Minion Experience Generator, Basic, has been installed. Experience gains for your minions will begin with your next summoning. After that rather interesting reward, I decided to activate the ability and equipment tokens before I looked at the summoning offer that was waiting for me. Minion equipment tokens.
  1. Blieek has upgraded his weapons to Rank 5. This is the maximum weapons rank for this minion until the minion reaches Veteran status.
  2. Khurr has upgraded his armor to Rank 2.
  3. Blieek has upgraded his armor to Rank 2.
It looked like my lowest tier minions were the big winners for equipment this time. I summoned the pair to see what had changed. Khurr¡¯s armor had gone from a padded jerkin to one reinforced with thick leather at several vulnerable points. Blieek¡¯s armor was a bit less formidable than the rank two gear for Khurr, and now consisted of a full set of padded armor that would offer limited protection. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The weapons hitting the maximum rank of five was a big bump for my smallest minion. Blieek¡¯s long spear had been upgraded to a true pike, giving him great reach for his size. With longer reach, he should have a bit more survivability in combat. His backup dagger was a bit nicer, but nothing spectacular, but his throwing knives, which he now had six of, were showing as masterwork weapons. Blieek could now dish out some decent damage, and it was time to see what the ability tokens offered. Minion spell/ability tokens.
  1. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk¡¯s Horde Tactics ability has reached Rank 1.
  2. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Dome of Protection spell has reached Rank 1.
  3. Khurr¡¯s Blindfighting ability has reached Rank 1.
The upgrades were a mixed bag. The goblins had their Horde Tactics bonus go up by a meager 1%, but given that it covered several minions at once, it wasn¡¯t too bad. My air mage, Digbaz¡¯s protection spell now warded off airborne gases, toxins, and disease which was situational but a solid addition to the spell. Khurr¡¯s Blindfighting, another very situational skill, had increased to a 40% chance of him hitting any invisible or concealed target. That was it for minion upgrades this time, and the summoning offer was ready to be examined. I had almost forgotten that I was now eligible for the special requests. The special request was in the form of a scroll, and new system information appeared when I opened it. Special Opportunity for summoned beings that can bring additional minions into battle. The Salmasani Collective offers enhanced payment, including a guarantee of new weapons and armor for all your minions, if you agree to sign up for the coming campaign season. The summoning will be of a slightly extended timeframe or until the summoned being is destroyed. The campaign requirements include assaulting and taking control of the Temple of Unending Conflict. While the aforementioned rewards will be available regardless of your success, should the summoned being participate in a successful liberation of this location, additional rewards will be offered. Mission specific equipment will be issued for the duration of the battle, but these items are restricted and will not be included in any possible rewards pool. Additional compensation will be offered based on the number of minions you can summon, as well as their summoning duration. This offer must be accepted before your next summoning or it will be rescinded. Wow, that was something new. A summoner wanted me for a battle of some sort, and they were more interested in the number of minions I could summon for the effort. Somebody needed fodder and a meat shield for their army and were willing to pay well to get it. While I wasn¡¯t all that excited to fight for an army that I knew nothing about, I did have the return scroll that would guarantee a good rating if it turned out we were the bad guys. I had to admit that I was also intrigued a bit to see another battlefield in a mana-rich world. The knowledge I brought back might prove extremely useful for Earth in the future. I had to decide quickly, because if another summoning for this series popped up, I¡¯d lose the opportunity to accept the special request. Before the portal could ignite again with a new summons, I accepted the offer in front of me. Please wrap up any unfinished business, direct summoning will automatically occur in 5 minutes. Additional advancement of your return gauge will be granted for this summoning. I guess they were in a hurry. A quick check of the return gauge showed it was hovering right at 39%. Maybe this one summoning would be enough to fill the gauge, but even if it didn¡¯t it would probably cover a good chunk of what was left. I felt bad that Fitzfazzle¡¯s visit had been cut short but was excited to hear what our people had been able to learn from him. Having done everything I needed to, I accepted the summoning, and the portal opened in my personal space. I was deposited in some kind of underground chamber. The floors were simple, packed dirt, and I was standing on a glowing circle of stone that rose about six inches off the floor. I could see sturdy, but crudely constructed wooden bracing holding up the ceiling. Another pair of summoned beings appeared next to me as a figure at the far end of the chamber started shouting orders. ¡°Listen up, recruits. I plan to only ask you things once. If you want a good rating on your summoning, and the rewards that brings, follow my commands and answer quickly. First off, step away from the summoning pads. Now, each of you will tell me how many minions you can summon, and how long they can remain summoned for. We¡¯ll start with you,¡± the human shouting commands at us pointed toward a young-looking gnome woman standing next to me. ¡°Uh, sorry, I, uh¡­¡± the woman muttered until our summoner growled at her in displeasure which caused the woman to focus on her answer. ¡°I can summon up to ten minions based on my mana pool. They can remain for up to an hour,¡± the woman replied. ¡°And if they die, how soon until you can resummon?¡± the man asked. I got a better look at him, and the pair of other humans standing behind the summoner. They were all dirty and looked haggard from whatever this battle had demanded of them. Each wore a grey woolen uniform that reminded me of something an army around the turn of the century would have worn. One of the two men behind the summoner had his ear start to glow with a blue light. ¡°Head¡¯s up, sir, disruptor wave incoming!¡± the soldier with the glowing ear warned. ¡°All of you, hit the deck and cover your heads!¡± the summoner ordered as an ominous rumbling was felt through the floor. Chapter 305. Into the Trench. Chapter 305. Into the Trench. The rumbling continued and grew in strength as we huddled in the room. With a loud crack, the reinforced roof above us began to collapse and the soldier in charge waved us toward a side passage. Just as the last of us exited the room and entered the passageway, the ceiling collapsed. I thought I caught a glimpse of stone spikes jutting up from the floor even as the entire room was obliterated. ¡°Dammit, let command know that we¡¯ve lost summoning platform seven. I¡¯m inbound with the last three arrivals from the portal. You three follow me, we¡¯ll brief you in one of the munitions dumps,¡± the soldier in charge said. The glow in the other soldier¡¯s ear intensified as he spoke with someone else that we couldn¡¯t see or hear. That pretty much confirmed they had some sort of magical radio thing going on. I made note of it so I could let Agent Lopez¡¯s people know it was possible. It was yet another thing to bring up with Fitzfazzle when the cooldown on his figurine was up. We moved through the roughly constructed passageway, which was made of packed earth and reinforced with stout wooden beams. Pulling us into a side chamber, I could see several crates were stored. A few of the crates were open, and I took a peek inside. It looked like it was stacked with small, solid metal boxes. The system didn¡¯t bother to identify them before the soldier, who was also our summoner, continued his interrogation. ¡°So, you can summon ten minions for an hour or so. What about you?¡± the summoner asked me after confirming what the young gnome woman had claimed before the roof collapsed. ¡°I can summon up to eight minions in total across a wide range of tiers and ranks. They¡¯ll remain here for as long as I¡¯m still around,¡± I answered, seeing no reason to try and hold anything back yet. ¡°Good, and if your minions are killed, then what?¡± the summoner asked. ¡°In that case, I can resummon them after some time has passed. How long I have to wait to resummon them is based on their tier and rank, so the more powerful ones have a longer wait,¡± I explained. ¡°Given you armor and gear, I take it you can fight as well?¡± the summoner asked. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not as effective at melee than some of my minions. I do have a magic missile wand and some support spells to bolster and heal my minions,¡± I said. ¡°Excellent, and you, the last one,¡± the summoner asked. The final summoned being in our group was another human, this one was an older human that looked like a dollar store version of Gandalf, complete with white beard, robes, and a wooden staff with a glowing white gem atop it. ¡°I am the Imp Master, and I will flood the battlefield with my minions,¡± the old man said. His accent was strange and going off his gear and mannerisms, I doubted he was a fellow Earthling. ¡°Details, that¡¯s what I asked for. How many minions, how long will they last?¡± the soldier asked, seemingly annoyed at the old man¡¯s answer. ¡°They last a short time, ten minutes or so, and with my current mana pool, I can summon just over a hundred,¡± the old man said. ¡°Impressive, even if the duration is short, it¡¯s perfect for what we need on this assault. All right, all of you follow me, we¡¯ll get you gear and send you with your liaison to the jumping off point,¡± the summoner said. He hadn¡¯t given us a name, and oddly enough, the system didn¡¯t provide one with the contract. We continued down the passageway and out into a wide trench. The sky above was grey, which matched the filthy uniforms of the soldiers moving about the trench. After a few hundred yards of wandering through the trench line, we entered a large dugout. Inside was a long counter with crates of gear stacked behind it. A pair of clerks were handing out gear based on wooden tokens that the soldiers were turning in. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Corporal Bellmore, we have three summoned beings that need a standard issue kit before the next assault,¡± the summoner said. ¡°Pulling out all the stops this time, eh, Sergeant?¡± the corporal said as he waved us up to the counter and then began tossing items to us. ¡°Each of you will wear the overcoat so we can tell you¡¯re on our side. I know your summoned minions won¡¯t have that luxury, but if you do your job right, we can tell their friendlies by the direction their running. Does anyone need a weapon other than the gear you have with you?¡± the corporal asked. ¡°I hold the Staff of the Pit Lord and need no other weapon or armor,¡± discount Gandalf claimed. ¡°Good for you, what about you human? Your gear looks up to snuff,¡± the supply corporal asked me. ¡°I¡¯m good for everything but a ranged weapon. I can only throw the javelin once, and my magic missile wand holds only a few charges. If you think I¡¯ll need more than that, I¡¯ll take whatever you¡¯re willing to offer,¡± I told him. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, none of ¡®this powerful staff makes me invincible¡¯ garbage for you mate. Here, this is a standard long-distance bolt projector. Just load the box in the bottom, line up the sights, and bingo, your target is dead,¡± the corporal said, handing me a crude device that resembled a World War 1 bolt-action rifle, crossed with the crude stock of any early matchlock weapon. It was heavy, despite the barrel being only a few feet long. A box magazine was fitted to the weapon, and I looked for a magazine release to see what type of ammunition it used. The corporal pointed out the release, which was oddly part of the magazine. Once out, the mag looked like a solid block of metal, which confused me more. ¡°Ammo¡¯s in short supply, so I can only give you one reload. Trust me, you¡¯ll probably be able to pick up more after the fighting starts, if you know what I mean. Do you have any questions on aiming the weapon?¡± the corporal asked. At his comment about finding more ammo, I recalled war movies I¡¯d seen where there were plenty of casualties, and lots of fallen weapons and gear to choose from. ¡°I¡¯m good, the sights are similar to the weapons we have back home,¡± I replied after lining up the weapon and seeing it had a simple blade sight. The trigger was odd, just a metal lever jutting out from beneath the stock. While the corporal showed me how it worked, I found it a cumbersome way to fire. You had to press and hold the lever for a whole second before the weapon would activate. It was a janky design, but I intended to use it as much as I could so I could give it a comprehensive review before I headed home. Something told me we weren¡¯t going to field this hunk of junk, but maybe our scientists and mages would come up with something better. If we could issue firearm-like weapons that wouldn¡¯t be too susceptible to spells, it would give our armies a big boost after integration. ¡°Everyone will follow Corporal Schmidt; he will lead you to your jumping off point. Follow his orders like they were my own,¡± the summoner said, and I could see our summoning link branch off to the new corporal that had just joined us. This Corporal Schmidt was a dwarf of some sort, and he had that bone weary look in his eyes that told me he had seen a bit too much action and was running on auto pilot at this point. ¡°Follow me, if I tell you hit the dirt, do it. It¡¯ll take us a bit to get to our assigned location, and the enemy isn¡¯t sparing the mana with their long-range firepower today,¡± Corporal Schmidt said. Our journey through the trenches proved safe enough, and we were moving north according to the corporal. Schmidt gave us instructions as we walked. When the attack was about to commence, we were to summon all our minions and send them toward the enemy trench line to the north. After summoning, we were to go over the top and join them in the assault. The objective was a ruined temple about a mile from the trench we were starting from. When we arrived at our destination, I could see we were in a much wider trench this time. Wooden steps lined the dirt walls of the trench, and we were herded toward the front of the line. Behind us were several ranks of soldiers in their dirty grey uniforms. They clutched the same odd firearm that I had been issued, and I could see fear etched in many of their faces. ¡°Just in time, Corporal Schmidt. When are the next summoned beings arriving?¡± A human in a much cleaner uniform asked. ¡°Captain Adkins, I¡¯m to inform you that summoning platform seven is out of commission for the foreseeable future. For our section of the line, what we have now, is all we¡¯ll have as far as summoned beings. This lot is a bit above average in the number of minions they can summon, so it won¡¯t be too bad,¡± Corporal Schmidt reported. I was reminded of one of Major Finley¡¯s favorite sayings that we fought with the army we had, not the army we wanted. ¡°Very well, I have additional reinforcements arriving soon, they¡¯ll go over the top before the summoned beings do their thing. We¡¯re throwing a lot of resources into this, and the Salmasani Collective expects us to finally crack open that temple. Keep in mind men, when we take the objective, and the general has promised leave, and a pay advance for everyone that took part in the assault!¡± the captain shouted. The men gave a brief, but forced, cheer at the mention of rewards. My minions and I were about to go over the top of the trench and into what promised to be a meatgrinder of a battle. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to whatever awaited us. Chapter 306. Over the Top. Chapter 306. Over the Top. ¡°Reinforcements are arriving, pull back the 42nd assault regiment to make room,¡± the captain shouted. Various squad leaders began to push and prod the mass of troops behind us as the regular troops were led back into secondary trenches to make room for whatever reinforcements were coming. We waited for about twenty minutes as the regular troops made their way back, and a new steam of forces approached. ¡°All right, summoned beings, head to the back wall of the trench. It looks like you¡¯re the second wave this time. The scum is going to get a chance to redeem themselves,¡± Corporal Schmidt ordered. We followed his command moving back from the ladders at the front of the trench to the back of the trench wall where I was able to finally get a good look at how many summoned beings they had gathered. This trench was wide, but it did curve, cutting off my view of some of the summoned beings at the ends, but I¡¯d have to say there were at least fifty of us waiting to go. If everyone could summon as many minions as I could, that would be quite a large, and varied, attack force charging the enemy lines. ¡°Move with a purpose, scum! Fall in behind the ladders in unit formation,¡± Captain Adkins shouted as a new mass of troops began filing into the trench. If the regulars of the 42nd assault regiment that had been here earlier looked worn down, these men were downright pathetic. They wore the threadbare grey overcoats the rest of us wore, but they had strips of dirty white cloth sewn across the back. Many limped or bore obvious injuries, and all of them looked like they could use a good meal or two. None held weapons, and the only thing on their weapon harness was a wooden canteen for water. Most of the newcomers looked terrified, and a few lost control of their bladders as they saw the ladders leading out of the trench. They were packed in tight, and the lead soldiers were forced up the ladders, just under the lip of the trench to pack a few more in. ¡°Push back up against the trench wall, summoned beings, make room for them. Each of these sorry souls will be eating magic and missiles that would otherwise have hit you or your minions,¡± Corporal Schmidt said. Behind each mob of the newly arriving troops were several well-armed and armored soldiers. These wore breastplates or chainmail under their greatcoats, and most held a riding crop in one hand and a sword, mace, or dagger in the other. When any of the newly arrived soldiers took too long to move, or just when the mood struck them, the armored soldiers would smash their riding crops into the back of the offender. The riding crops were enchanted in some way, and I could see sparks when they struck. One was even cut down when he turned and tried hit the armored soldier behind him. The others just stomped over the body without a care or concern for their fallen comrade. ¡°Sir, what unit are you with, and how many did you bring?¡± Corporal Schmidt asked a lieutenant that positioned himself at the back of the trench near the summoned beings. Just like the troops he led, the lieutenant was filthy and unarmed. An armored soldier acted as his personal guard. ¡°Corporal, this is the 3rd Prisoner Regiment, reinforced with whoever they picked up in the last sweep. All told, we are nearly five hundred souls ready to lead the glorious assault and give our lives to the Salmasani Collective,¡± the lieutenant said with disdain. The armored soldier swatted the lieutenant with his riding crop. ¡®None of that sass, sir, you¡¯ve got orders to not spread anymore of your defeatist attitude,¡± the armored soldier was obviously not a personal guard, and more like his personal jailor. I¡¯d heard about penal units in my military history studies with Major Finley. They weren¡¯t exactly effective as anything more than meat for the grinder. It appeared this lot was so poorly regarded that they were forced to attack in front of the disposable summoned beings. The lieutenant didn¡¯t speak further, and Corporal Schmidt didn¡¯t bother the man who was likely about to go to his death soon. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Listen up! Members of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment. Your objective is the Temple of Undying Conflict. Take it from the enemy and all of you who participate in the assault will be granted a pardon for your crimes. Keep that in mind as you are issued weapons for the attack. Turn on your betters and the families of all those in your regiment will take your place in the trench,¡± Captain Adkins warned. This army I had temporarily joined wasn¡¯t giving me warm and fuzzy feelings, but I would reserve judgment until I saw what we were up against. So far, there wasn¡¯t anything that would make me want to pop my Summoning Pass. With a sickening feeling, I realized that I hadn¡¯t been given any new Notice of Cessations when I was sent back early from Somhagen. My old ones were probably ineffective now that I was over tier two, rank five. All I had was the one Summoning Pass. I¡¯d have to save that for a truly dire situation where I was being tortured or something. A commotion among the ranks of the prisoner soldiers drew my attention. Their guards were hauling up large crates and pulling various weapons from them. The weapons were as battered as the men they were issuing them to. As they were distributed among the men, it was obvious there wasn¡¯t enough to go around. Another couple of crates were brought up, but even after those weapons were passed out, the troops of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment had only about two thirds of their number carrying a weapon. ¡°Quit your squawking. If you don¡¯t have a weapon now, there¡¯ll plenty out there in no man¡¯s land for you to choose from. The important thing is to keep moving once the whistle is blown to begin the assault,¡± the guards said as they moved back to the rear of the formation. A flash of heat baked the top of my head as a gigantic fireball streaked just over the trench. It exploded somewhere behind us. The enemy, whoever they were, must have noticed our preparations were doing what they could to disrupt the assault before it started. All eyes were on Captain Adkins who stood on a crate to be seen by everyone. He held a brass whistle loosely in his mouth. A soldier near the captain had his ear begin to glow as another magical radio message was given. At a nod from the soldier receiving the message, the captain began to blow the whistle. The sound of the small whistle was almost deafening, and it must have been enchanted in some way. The lead soldiers at the trench ladders hesitated, and from the back of the trench, the guards discharged powerful bolts of electricity from their riding crops into two or three, killing them and spurring the others on. To try and stay behind was death, and attacking was the only slim hope of survival that they had. There were no war cries, or shouts of rage as the 3rd Prisoner Regiment poured over the trench wall and charged forward, just a grim acceptance of their fate. Once started, the troops moved quickly up the ladders and the crush of bodies in the trench began to lessen. It took a good minute for all the prisoners to go over the top, and the last to charge forward was the disgraced lieutenant, who was handed one of the electric riding crops to wield by a guard as he climbed the ladder. ¡°Summoned beings, move up the ladder and prepare to attack. As soon as you¡¯re up, move forward twenty paces and begin summoning. Once all your minions are on the field, follow behind them and lend your power to the assault. Do not stop, keep pressing the enemy until the temple is ours,¡± the captain ordered. I tried to organize the summoning order for my minions. First out would be the drone, followed by Digbaz. I figured the drone could act as a shield for the kobold mage so he could get all his deadly spells fired off. After that, everyone would be summoned by going with the highest tier and rank first. I¡¯d hit either the drone or Digbaz with my duplicate spell, whichever proved to be the better fit for the battle we were about to enter. ¡°Go!¡± Captain Adkins shouted, and I followed discount Gandalf up the ladder. To my relief, I wasn¡¯t immediately cut down by machine gun fire and was able to make it twenty paces to the spot where I was supposed to begin summoning. My minions began to appear, along with other random creatures as the other summoners started their work. With the brief delay between summonings, I was in the middle of the pack as far as starting our assault. While summoning, I had gotten a look of the battlefield, and it was about what I¡¯d expected. If the first world war had been fought with magic, it would have probably appeared much the same. The stench was horrible and the remains of fallen soldiers, both in the grey of the troops I was fighting with, and the dark red of our foes. Everyone was filthy so the color of the enemy uniforms didn¡¯t seem to make a difference. In any other type of battle, they¡¯d be easy to spot, but here, everyone on both sides of the battle was somewhere hidden in the trench lines or covered in filth. Just over a quarter mile away was the enemy trench line, and I could see a constant stream of crossbow fire interspersed with blast of magic lash out from the enemy trenches. The prisoner regiment in front of us had been cut to pieces, but they were still driving forward. In the distance, behind the enemy trench line, was a stone structure, that the system identified as our objective, the Temple of Unending Conflict. If the battlefield around it was any indication, the temple was more than living up to its name. Chapter 307. Take the Objective. Chapter 307. Take the Objective. All my minions were on the battlefield, and we moved as a unit toward the enemy trench line in the distance. The remnants of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment were still fighting their way to the trench and were less than a hundred yards from it. Their approach seemed to cover the summoned beings well, as most of the enemy¡¯s attention was focused on them. That wasn¡¯t to say we weren¡¯t targeted at all, as an occasional fireball or lightning bolt would streak out from the enemy lines and hit our assault team. I was reminded how powerful my new, but diminutive, minion was when a bolt of lighting flashed out from the enemy trench and hit Digbaz. Instead of turning him into a crispy kobold, the bold reflected away from him and returned right back to the enemy caster. The caster had already ducked back behind the trench, but the bolt hitting right where his head had been was probably enough of a deterrent to buy us some time. We had covered a quarter of the distance to the trench when I watched the survivors of the 3rd Prisoner Regiment reach the trench line and jump down to attack. Last to climb down into the trench was the lieutenant who had remained at the back of the force. With the first trench under direct attack, the enemy in the trenches further back shifted their attention on us. I wasn¡¯t sure how many mages they had, or if they had been reinforced with consumables, but their rate of fire seemed only marginally less than it had been at the beginning of the attack. The ground sloped uphill, and I could see there were a total of three main enemy trenches, with smaller ones branching off all the way to the objective, the Temple of Unending Conflict. Most of the fire was coming from the second trench, and a fireball blasted Elida and a couple of imps that the human wizard next to us had summoned. ¡°Digbaz, can your Tornado spell hit the second trench line?¡± I asked. The kobold nodded and was ready to cast, but I held him back. Tornado would kill off the minion and I had a feeling that I¡¯d need more from him during this assault. Instead, I cast Duplicate on Digbaz, and then ordered his duplicate to fire off Tornado. I had been excited to see the spell in action and it didn¡¯t disappoint. The duplicate Digbaz stopped his advance, and I could feel mana build around him. The spell consumed all his spell slots, his entire mana pool, and his entire health pool. Just as the duplicate died and turned into mana vapor, the spell was unleashed. A storm cloud hovered over the second trench and began to swirl, taking on the distinctive shape of funnel, the bottom of which touched down inside the trench. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was luck, or if the kobold mage had total control of the spell, but it began to walk its way down the trench line. Bodies of our foes were torn to shreds from the force of the wind, and were flung, along with gear and debris, all over the nearby battlefield. The tornado cleared a hundred-foot gap through the enemy trench line directly in front of me and forced many of the enemy not caught in its path to retreat from the force of nature. Given that my duplicates took additional damage, I wondered if the real Digbaz could have kept the spell going for even longer since his lifeforce would have depleted at half the speed of his duplicate. Incoming fire on the summoned beings slackened, and the fastest of us began to close in on the first trench. A glance behind showed the 42nd Assault Regiment was joining in the assault. That reminded me that we were just fodder in the fight, bodies and abilities to throw at the enemy lines to soften them up for the actual soldiers. Fodder or not, I had no desire for my summoning to end early, so I slowed the advance of my team slightly, letting the other summoners and their minions pull ahead. About the only one slower than me was the human mage. I had to admit, his staff was a pretty awesome piece of kit. As he strode forward at the pace of a brisk Sunday stroll, the wizard glowed with a red light. Every few seconds, a portal opened in front of the staff, and a small imp emerged. The flow of imps didn¡¯t stop, and I had to guess that he had summoned at least thirty of the things so far. At first, the imp¡¯s kind of freaked me out, their squat, red bodies looked too much like Gary. Even though they were supposedly on our side, I was glad the imps didn¡¯t seem remotely close to Gary in terms of power. In fact, they just sprinted for the trench line and jumped inside, using claws and teeth to do their damage. The other, faster minions were also hitting the trench, and I needed a plan for when we arrived there. The defenders in the second trench line would get their act together and resume fire on us soon, and as dangerous as the first trench was, I¡¯d rather be inside it with my minions before the lightning and fireballs picked up again. I ordered the drone and the goblin trio to charge forward and clear a section of the first trench wide enough for us to occupy. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. As my minions charged, a blast of flame erupted from the ground in front of them, turning Glem into barbeque before he disappeared into mana vapor. The others made it into the trench, and we followed them inside a few seconds later. Behind us, the 42nd was closing the gap, assaulting forward at a brisk pace. Occasionally, a squad of about ten would kneel and fire the odd weapons they used. How effective they were against the target I couldn¡¯t guess, as I had trouble picking out the individual enemy soldiers in the next trench line. Inside the trench, it seemed almost like a mirror image of the one we had emerged from. Glurk had his bow out and was covering our right, which was clear up to the point where it curved out of view. To our left, the drone was chopping down a pair of enemy soldiers. Their dirty, red uniforms made them easy to tell apart from our allies. A few of the prisoner unit soldiers were still milling about the trench, and I could hear the lieutenant shout for them to rally on him as he blew his whistle to signal where he was. Only one prisoner was alive in the trench section I could see. He bent over, picked up a brightly polished sword from one of the fallen foes, and ran to join his unit. The man gave me a brief nod of appreciation as he passed by, my minions arrival had probably saved him from the final pair of enemies that my drone had just shredded. Summoning compulsion began to exert itself after I tried to linger in the trench. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to wait for the other summoners to take the lead, so I ordered my team up and over to assault the second line of defense. Glamb and Glurk were knocked down by the enemy¡¯s magical rifle fire as soon as they climbed up, and Khurr soon joined them in a mass of mana vapor. The drone took a pair of hits, but they both were deflected off his armor. Using the drone as a shield, I followed behind him, with Digbaz, then Blieek taking up the rear. Other summoned beings and minions joined us as we continued the assault. To my left, a small knot of thirty or so members of the prison regiment remained alive, and the 42nd was almost to the first trench. Our numbers had been thinned in taking the first trench, but we seemed to have enough mass of troops remaining to take the second. The duplicate Digbaz had torn through a wide section of defenders, and they would have needed to thin their ranks to fill in the gaps. More fire hit us, and a lightning bolt slammed into the drone. His Spell Reflect ability started to trigger, but the lightning resisted, probably cast by a mage with a higher tier and rank than my minion. Though the Spell Reflect failed to send the bolt of lightning back at its caster, the secondary effect of greatly increasing the drone¡¯s spell resistance did kick in. Instead of turning my minion into slag, the lighting blew off the minion¡¯s right arms. He was still mobile, so I ordered the damaged minion to charge and jump into the enemy trench. With a burst of speed, the minion closed the distance to the enemy¡¯s second trench, taking a few shots that further damaged him as he moved. Just as the minion hit the trench line, I activated my Ring of Final Sacrifice on the drone. He jumped down into the trench, and I could see movement as defenders closed in to stop him. A few moments later, a blast threw several enemy bodies out of the trench, clearing a section wide enough for us to enter without any further casualties. We jumped in after the drone, and I took a look around. To my right, an enemy mage staggered into view, glowing wand already pointing right at me. I activated my Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb as a bolt of lightning flew from the wand. Unlike the drone, my magic item seemed to work as intended, and the bolt of energy flew back into the face of a very surprised opponent. I tried to wait for the rest of our summoned being forces to enter the trench before we went in, but I felt the summoner¡¯s compulsion start to kick in. Trying to delay it, I began to use some items. That seemed to do the trick as the system determined my actions constituted supporting the attack. First off was Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. I got lucky this time, no small mouse or useless pigeon appeared. Instead, a big fat yak stood next to me, waiting for a command. ¡°Clear the trench of any enemies that way,¡± I said, pointing it toward the right where the mage with the wand had just emerged from. During the advance, and after the losses we took, it seemed like I was now the far right of our assault, at least until the 42nd caught up with us. There was no way I could haul the yak out of the trench, so better to send it off to make sure nobody was going to attack us from that side of the trench. The yak grunted and began to trot down the trench, and I expected it to be quite a surprise to any enemies trying to sneak up on us. More imps jumped down into the trench to my left. After crossing the trench and climbing up the other side, the imps continued their assault but seemed to get picked off almost immediately. That confirmed my tactic of using items to delay our attack was probably the right one. After a few Imps, the human mage fell into the trench. I was impressed that he didn¡¯t drop the summoning staff or even interrupt his casting. Another imp emerged and the old man turned and looked at me. Terror was etched on his face as he caught his breath while continuing to summon. ¡°We¡¯re almost to the third trench, hang in there, I think we¡¯re winning,¡± I told the man, trying to bolster his spirits as I activated my Portal of the Cackle to summon a team of gnolls to pad our numbers. He ignored me, and instead walked across the trench and climbed out, his staff still spewing out an imp every five or so seconds. ¡°Get moving, summoner, no time to dawdle,¡± a sergeant of the 42nd ordered as the unit began to enter the second trench. ¡°Just summoning a few more before I continue,¡± I said pointing toward the small portal that I had just set up. A gnoll stepped through, causing the sergeant to nod his approval. Thankfully, he had no idea that this portal was an automated item, so I kept up the show, pretending to hold my hands out like I was controlling it. Each gnoll was uncontrolled by me and immediately climbed out of the trench to head toward the nearest enemy. With a gnoll would appearing every thirty seconds until the ten charges were spent, giving me a bit of time to prepare for the third, and final, trench assault. Chapter 308. Runaway Staff. Chapter 308. Runaway Staff. The soldiers lined up on the far side of the trench and began to fire their strange rifles at the enemy as the last gnoll appeared. With the summoning portal closed, I had no more excuses as to why I was holding back. Before the compulsion kicked in, I climbed out of the trench, my remaining minions in the lead to provide a meat shield of some sort. In front of us was the third trench line. The distance between this one and the second was shorter, maybe a couple hundred yards. Other summoned beings, and surprisingly, a couple of the prisoner unit soldiers were already making their way across the no man¡¯s land between trenches. They had covered about half the distance to the third trench. Directly in front of me, the section of the trench had several mages with wands firing off magic missiles, and the occasional small fireball. The incoming fire was depleted quite a bit, though the threat to me might have been even greater since there were fewer targets for them to focus on. To my left, the crazy human mage still held his staff aloft, and an imp continued to charge from the portal the staff created every five seconds. While those imps were rather weak, that staff didn¡¯t seem to be running out of minions to summon. ¡°Digbaz, clear the trench in front of us with your Tornado spell,¡± I ordered. The only way I was going to make it to the third trench was if we cleared it out a bit first. As my kobold sorcerer minion started his spell, I ordered Blieek to cover him. The goblin dutifully obeyed, standing to block any incoming fire that targeted Blieek. As for myself, the compulsion to attack was strong, but I held it at bay for a few seconds as I knelt and fired the odd rifle I had been issued. The rounds snapped out of the rifle with a pop and sizzle sound. They looked like magic missiles but weren¡¯t automatically guided. My training with the soldiers back home kicked in and I started to get a feel for the weapon. I think I might have downed one of the defenders in the enemy trench when Digbaz finally completed his spell. Just like with his duplicate, Digbaz was killed as the spell consumed his life force. A quick check showed that Blieek had also gone down at some point, and I was on my own. The spell activated, and a roiling cloud appeared over the enemy trench. Like before, the distinctive funnel cloud reached down into the trench, starting a bit to my left. The force of the wind tore apart both defenses and defenders as it moved down the trench at the pace of a slow jog. The incoming fire abated as the defenders in the third and final trench tried to escape my minions¡¯ spell. Seeing the opportunity, the soldiers of the 42nd joined the assault. They were charging hard toward the objective and would soon overtake my rather sedate pace. Having more life energy than the duplicate, Digbaz¡¯s spell lasted a few seconds longer. When it finally fizzled out, around 120 yards of trench had been cleared, and my path forward was reasonably safe. I sprinted toward the trench, now that the section in front of me was cleared of defenders, it was less dangerous than standing out in the open. The enemy¡¯s numbers were depleted by now, and only a few replacements filtered in from further down the trench. By the time I hopped down into the cleared-out section, the soldiers of the 42nd were right on my heels. When they entered the trench, a couple of squads moved to the right, holding off the trickle of enemy reinforcements, while the majority continued through the trench and drove toward the temple which was now only a short distance away. I joined them, the relative safety of the group giving me a chance to look around. The crazy human wizard and his staff were still to my left, but instead of the tiny imps, the portal his staff created now spewed out larger versions, about double in size of the earlier ones. These new imps were smarter as well, using what cover they could as they joined the attack on the temple. With the upgraded imps came a slower spawning time. The wizard¡¯s staff could only summon one every ten seconds or so. The elderly wizard was looking a bit rough, and I began to wonder if he was going to have a stroke or a heart attack before we reached the objective. The ruined temple was surrounded by a stone wall that had tumbled down long ago. Several breaches had been cleared to allow passage through, and those breaches were being held by small groups of enemy soldiers. As they charged, my allies would occasionally stop to fire into the breach, and I followed their lead. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. More rifle fire reached out from the defenders and our soldiers took several casualties. The enemy were also taking losses, and the 42nd was relatively fresh and still had most of their strength. As I neared the closest breach, I readied my javelin, targeting the largest and most dangerous looking enemy soldier. Crackling with electricity, the javelin flew true and slammed into the enemy soldier, piercing his chest and cooking his internal organs with the electrical surge the weapon released. The gap was almost clear, and with my sword and shield ready for the anticipated close-in work, I charged in behind a pair of soldiers. Before I could get into melee range, the final enemy defender was hit with a rifle shot. Once through the gap, I could see that part of the temple had been cleared of rubble, and a stone stairway led below. We charged down the steps, and I ended up face to face with another enemy soldier. From the clean, and more decorated uniform he wore, I took my opponent for an officer. He seemed shocked at our appearance and fumbled for the wand at his belt as I ran him through with my blade. Another enemy officer tried to stab me with a dagger, but I blocked his hasty attack with my shield. The soldiers of the 42nd flooded into the chamber, along with one of the big imps summoned by the human wizard. Trying for a second stab, the enemy officer lunged forward with his dagger, but my Riposte ability triggered and before his blow could land, mine struck. Unarmored, the enemy was cut down by the heavy slash my Riposte ability dished out. The chamber had gone quiet then, as the other allied soldiers checked the room for further passages. This chamber proved to be the only one, and an officer entered to begin shouting orders. ¡°Sarnaf, get your unit out there to guard the wall breaches. Find out where the enemy is and if they¡¯re about to counterattack us,¡± the officer ordered. The man, Sarnaf, nodded his understanding and headed back outside, already shouting to get his troops organized. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve got a pair of our fastest runners heading back to our lines. They¡¯ll give word that we¡¯ve captured the temple and that the follow-on forces can start moving this way,¡± another soldier, probably one of their sergeants, advised. ¡°Good, pass the word for the rest of the unit to hold here, find a good defensive position and dig in. We¡¯ve taken this spot, and now we¡¯ve got to keep it until reinforcements arrive,¡± the officer ordered. All but two of the men with the officer remained behind in the chamber, and it looked like me and the old summoner were the only other summoned beings to have survived the attack. ¡°Cease your summoning, or better yet, head outside and use those things to reinforce the defenses. We don¡¯t need more creatures down here where they can¡¯t do us any good,¡± the officer said to the now haggard looking wizard. Instead of obeying, the wizard stood there shaking, sweating, and chanting in some strange language that the system wasn¡¯t translating for some reason. ¡°What is wrong with you? Obey my commands,¡± the officer said in annoyance. ¡°I can¡¯t stop him!¡± the old wizard shouted, causing the officer to order the pair of soldiers to drag the old man out. As they moved forward, the large imp still in the chamber turned to attack. I was too shocked to move to react, as this was a minion conjured by the summoned being. We weren¡¯t supposed to be able to disobey our summoner, and the compulsion should have prevented this from happening. Shouting for reinforcements, the officer aimed his rifle and fired into the imp, who shrieked in pain, but still managed to cut down one of the soldier¡¯s dragging the old wizard. The imp had grown long, black claws that slashed through the other soldier dragging the old man. The officer fired a second time, hitting the imp in the head and ending the threat. Though quieter than a real gun, the magic rifles caused enough noise that several soldiers ran down the steps to see what was happening. The officer tried to shoot the wizard, but even as the round hit, the staff he held exploded, the force of the explosion hurling me back into the nearby stone wall. I was dazed, and tried to stumble to my feet, counting on my troll¡¯s belt to regenerate my health and keep me going. I looked around the room to see if there were any other survivors. Where the wizard had been stood a seven-foot-tall imp, this one wreathed in dark flames and exuding an aura of terror and malice. ¡°Foolish human, did you think yourself the master of that which you held,¡± the monstrous imp said to the fragmented remains of the wizard. ¡°You were just a tool for me to arrive here. Now that I have this temple under my control, this world, and the souls it contains are mine to harvest,¡± the creature boasted. Before I, and the soldier¡¯s pouring down the stairs could act, the giant imp waved his hand. A blast of the dark flames engulfed us. I felt an intense pain that seemed to reach into my very being before I was pulled into the void and a system prompt appeared. You have been slain by the Soulfire ability of a Pit Lord. This summoning is complete. Your performance rating is calculated as Excellent. Your rewards will reflect the summoning at Tier 2, Rank 6, and your performance rating of Excellent. You have earned 35 experience points. You have earned 51 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 7. You have gained 1 point in Mind. One of your class abilities, Template Hunter has evolved and upgraded. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 309. Fangs and Upgrades. Chapter 309. Fangs and Upgrades. ¡°Welcome back, sir,¡± Whirtmir, the head butler announced as I appeared back in my personal space. ¡°Thanks, is everything okay here?¡± I asked. ¡°Precisely, sir, all is as it should be,¡± Whirtmir said. I did notice that he turned and looked at the door to Gary¡¯s room when he spoke. The staff weren¡¯t fans of Gary, and neither was I. Still, as long as Gary paid his rent on time, I couldn¡¯t complain about his presence just a door away from my personal space. It looked like Tzes¡¯zod was out and about somewhere doing whatever it was he did. Melvin also left and headed toward the training room. Having him as an armor upgrade had been nice. He was less talkative when in his armor form, but his presence was still comforting. The gelatinous cube companion had proven to be one of the better purchases I¡¯d made in Somhagen. Thinking about Somhagen, I was still a bit concerned about my abrupt exit from the city last time. Hopefully, when I did hit tier three, I would get at least one more chance to visit and shop in peace. After saying hello to the rest of the staff, I made my way toward the reward chest. I knew that only the head butler and maid had any sort of sapience, but I didn¡¯t want to be rude to them. It would be a mistake to get into the habit of treating others poorly, you never knew when that would backfire. Reward Chest.
  1. 57 gold.
  2. Fangs of the Hydra Pouch.
  3. Class ability upgrade token.
  4. Minion experience token (3).
  5. Minion equipment token (5).
  6. Minion ability/spell token (5).
I¡¯d done well with the minion upgrades, and even had an upgrade token for myself. Before I dug into those, I wanted to see what the fangs were all about. Fangs of the Hydra Pouch. This small pouch of hydra teeth can be thrown onto any blood-soaked ground to call forth a Hydra to serve you for up to one hour. The number of teeth used determines the Tier, Rank, and powers the hydra you summoned will possess. Alternatively, you can throw the teeth at one of your minions to instantly revive them when they fall. A single tooth will regenerate at the end of each summoning, and the pouch can hold up to 10 teeth. To start, the Fangs of the Hydra Pouch has 3 teeth inside. That was a rather interesting item. A hydra sounded formidable, but I supposed that it really depended on how many teeth I decided to use. With only one tooth regenerating on each summoning, it would take a while to replenish. On my next combat-oriented summoning, I had to try one of the teeth just to gauge the power of the creature I could call forth. Any summoning item, like the fangs, should also be affected by class abilities, making them even stronger. The only drawback was that I had to toss them onto blood-soaked ground. I hoped that included a floor and I wasn¡¯t blocked from using them inside a structure. In a pinch, I could always give myself a small cut to donate my own blood for the teeth to use. If there was combat going on, and the opponents weren¡¯t summoned creatures that turned into mana vapor, there was usually plenty of blood to go around. I equipped the fangs into my summoning loadout. There was a very good chance that back home, they would function once, and then be useless with the mana of the pouch drained. As part of my loadout, I was guaranteed to have a recurring benefit from the item. Before I went on a minion upgrading spree. I activated my class ability upgrade token. As soon as I used the token, it pulled up my status page. Instead of a randomized upgrade, the token highlighted three abilities and spells I could choose for it to upgrade. I had a choice of upgrading my Health Bloom spell, Duplicate, or my Template Hunter ability. So far, since I¡¯d gotten Digbaz, I hadn¡¯t run into anything or anyone I was keen on targeting for my next minion. Despite not having a great target yet, upgrading the Template Hunter could help lock in a powerful minion template that would blend well with my other forces. The Health Bloom was also a heavily used spell, but having it upgraded didn¡¯t seem as critical. It served well enough back home and during summonings, so I was leaning toward ruling it out for an upgrade. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Duplicate was also used both at home and during summonings. Having two of my most powerful minions, especially now that I could duplicate Digbaz and his devastating tornado spell, was very appealing. The system didn¡¯t give any further details, or show what the upgrade would accomplish, so I was flying blind as usual when it came to this stuff. I had to make a decision, so I went ahead and selected Duplicate, in the hopes I could field three tornado wielding kobold sorcerers. Duplicate. Mana cost 5. This spell has been upgraded and now has a duration of 2-minutes. The cooldown before Duplicate can be cast again is 1-minute and only 1 instance of Duplicate can be active at a time. In addition to duplicating the targeted minion, Duplicate will also create a copy of your lowest Tier and Rank minion. It didn¡¯t look like I was going to get extra sorcerers but having a free Blieek duplicate every time I cast the spell was a strong upgrade. The upgrade would continue to improve as Blieek maxed out his rank, gear, and abilities. Having the duration of the duplicate increased was also a nice bonus. All in all, I wasn¡¯t disappointed with my choice, but I did wish I could have seen what the other abilities would have upgraded into. With myself taken care of. I went on an upgrade binge for my minions. Digbaz Bazam has received 15 experience. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have received 15 experience. Blieek has received 15 experience. Blieek has reached Tier 0, Rank 3. Blieek has improved his strength and constitution. Digbaz and the goblin trio were only about halfway to their next rank after the experience boost. Digbaz had the highest experience pool to fill for each rank, but with Blieek, fifteen experience was a guaranteed rank upgrade. I summoned my newly ranked up minion, and while it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d gained any new abilities with his rank increase, he was now stronger and more durable. Next up were the equipment tokens, which I had five of. Khurr has reached Weapons, Rank 2. Khurr¡¯s hand crossbow has been upgraded to a Light Crossbow. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Weapons, Rank 5. Elida has gained a masterwork sling for ranged attacks. Mana Slayer Drone has reached Weapons, Rank 4. The mana slayer drone¡¯s attacks now drain 1 mana from a foe with each strike. The mana drained is converted into a damage boost for the next melee strike the drone makes. Digbaz Bazam has reached Weapons, Rank 2. Digbaz¡¯s magic missile wand now holds a total of three charges. His backup dagger is now a masterwork weapon. Digbaz Bazam has reached Armor, Rank 2. Digbaz¡¯s robe has been replaced with studded leather armor. This armor is carefully crafted to not interfere with the sorcerers¡¯ casting abilities. It was as solid round of upgrades, especially when I considered that this was only from one summoning. A quick check of the mana gauge showed it was a 64% and was filling up nicely. I was still anxious to be home to help with the training before I hit tier three and was shuffled off somewhere away from Earth. Of course, the more powerful that me and my minions became from the summoning rewards was also important. Last up were the ability/spell upgrade tokens. I had also gotten five of these, which was a nice haul. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded his Stealth Field Generator to Rank 2. The generator now will function for up to three minutes per tier. The distortion field that can give away his position is less noticeable. Mana Slayer Drone has upgraded his Shoulder Mounted Launcher to Rank 2. The launcher now holds 4 grenades, and the range has increased to 120-yards. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Minor Healing Burst to Rank 2. The amount of healing generated by this spell has increased by a modest amount. Elida Silverbarrow has upgraded her Minor Healing Burst to Rank 3. The spell now adds a healing over time effect for 3 seconds after it is cast. Blieek has upgraded his charge ability to Rank 2. The range of the ability is increased to 15 feet. The bonus to hit and damage has increased to 12%. He can now use this ability 2/day. Elida and the drone both came away with two upgrades, and Blieek¡¯s charge was now a bit more useful. With all my upgrades completed, there was no immediate summoning portal, so I spent some time in the training center with Melvin. I put my minions through their paces, seeing how the recent upgrades functioned. In particular, the drone¡¯s new mana draining attacks seemed to be particularly effective against the caster opponents I summoned for him. One point of mana being drained didn¡¯t sound like much, until I considered the sheer number of attacks the drone could unleash. With four arms, and two deadly, clawed feet, he would strike a foe multiple times, and with each attack, their mana dropped and in turn, empowered the drones next strike. I did cast Duplicate to see how it would function, and true to the upgrade¡¯s description, it summoned a copy of Blieek in addition to the targeted minion. Between duplicate, my existing minions, and consumables, I could call forth a small army if given enough time to work. After some time in the training center, the summoning portal opened, and I was called back into action. A summoning link has been activated. You are Summoned! Chapter 310. Linked. Chapter 310. Linked. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by the mage Abbasa.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 7.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I appeared in a familiar place once again. It was the kitchen where I had been summoned twice before to work as a taste tester. I had almost forgotten that there was a summoner link between me and the head chef guy. I sort of figured that the link would be eliminated now that he had reached his goal of ruling the kingdom. ¡°You¡¯re back, excellent. I need your assistance,¡± Abbasa said. He appeared stressed and kept looking toward the door leading out of kitchen and into the dining hall. Only a few of the kitchen staff were working, though it looked like they were cleaning up and not preparing another massive feast. A trio of armored guards holding longswords and shields formed a protective barrier between Abbasa, and anyone who might approach. Abbasa himself looked different, and it took me a moment to realize what had changed. His hair was now completely grey, and more than a few wrinkles were making their presence known. He had aged since we¡¯d last met, and I knew from my last visit with Sharnlynn that time could pass differently between summonings. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± I asked. ¡°The ungrateful wretches!¡± Abbasa growled, again looking at the kitchen exit. ¡°They have decided to try and take the empire from me. How dare they, after all I have done for them,¡± Abbasa raged. ¡°Again, Abbasa, what can I do to help,¡± I asked, trying to keep him on task. Gone was the cool, dignified, and competent master of the kitchen, in his place was this man with the demeanor of a frightened animal. ¡°I need your protection, as I find that most of my supposedly loyal guards are anything but. Gather your minions and escort me from the palace. There are enemies hunting me here even as we speak, so work quickly,¡± Abbasa ordered. That was all I needed to hear, and I started to summon my minions. I had given it some thought after adding Digbaz, and had come up with a new summoning order. Previously, I would just summon the minion with the highest tier and rank first, then move my way down the list. Now, I didn¡¯t want to summon the relatively squishy Digbaz first when there were potential threats around. Instead, I started with the drone, then the goblin trio, and only after I had some muscle on the field, did I summon Digbaz. After Digbaz I¡¯d follow with Elida, Khurr, and finally, Blieek. ¡°That is everyone,¡± I told Abbasa. ¡°So much time has passed. I thought you would have added many more to your menagerie,¡± Abbasa said, looking a bit deflated. ¡°Time passes differently between our worlds. Sometimes we¡¯re in sync, other times, like now, there is a big discrepancy. Sorry, it¡¯s something odd I¡¯ve experienced with other summoner links,¡± I replied, hoping that by explaining what was going on, the system would think I was being especially helpful and boost my ranking at the end of the summoning. ¡°Very well, this will have to do,¡± Abbasa said, turning toward the remaining kitchen staff before continuing. ¡°My loyal friends and subjects. Our empire is in dire need of your services. Join and protect your emperor, resist the forces that would tear our great empire apart.¡± Abbasa¡¯s request fell on deaf ears for the most part. Only two young women who were working on cleaning dishes responded, both grabbed butcher¡¯s knives and joined our entourage. One of the guards led us through the back of the kitchens, past larders stacked with food of all types.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Enchantments must have been at work as I could feel cold air wafting off some shelves, while others were merely room temperature. This would probably become a necessity on our world if the electricity ceased to function after integration. After passing thought the third larder, we stopped as the guards pulled aside a crate of cabbages left seemingly forgotten on the floor. An iron grate waited beneath the cabbages and the guards opened the grate to reveal a ladder leading into a drainage tunnel. At least it wasn¡¯t a sewer and while we had to slog through ankle-deep water, there was no accompanying stench to make the trip especially miserable. We walked cautiously down the tunnel, my goblins out in front, and the drone bringing up the rear. The trio of guards still maintained their vigil around Abbasa, while the two members of the kitchen staff, likely regretting their choice, followed miserably behind the kitchen manager turned emperor. Our journey was interrupted once by a dire rat that tried to grab Blieek and drag him off into a dark side passage. Glurk hit the creature with an arrow, and before it could recover, Blieek had run it through with his spear. Another pair of rats emerged from the darkness to attack, but the goblins handled them with only Glurk suffering a bite to his arm. Elida fixed up our wounded goblin, and the rats ceased their attacks. From the horrible sounds coming from the dark side passage, the rats too busy dragging off their fallen comrades to feast upon and chose not to test their luck against our weapons again. I was tempted to have Digbaz throw a few Blades of Air into the passageway to make sure the threat had been dealt with but decided to not tempt fate by needlessly riling up the rats. ¡°Your minions performed expertly. I didn¡¯t think goblins could fight with skill and coordination like your warriors have,¡± Abbasa said. ¡°Thank you, my team are all well trained and equipped,¡± I replied. From Abbasa¡¯s comment, this world must either not have goblins, or they were all the primitive types, not the corporate masterminds I¡¯d seen in other worlds. My minions all seemed to have been drawn from more warlike, and primitive, goblin tribes, but I couldn¡¯t forget the goblin train I¡¯d helped to defend, and the odd technology they¡¯d invented. It was a good half hour of traveling the winding drainage tunnel before I spotted light in the distance. One of the guards warned of traps before going forward to disarm them. A thick, iron gate secured the exit to the drainage tunnel, and after several minutes, the guard finally motioned that it was safe to proceed. Emerging back into the light, we were blinded for a few seconds before I could take in our surroundings. The tunnel had emerged from a cliffside onto a wide, sandy beach. Small waves splashed against the shore and the warm sunlight felt great after the cramped, damp confines of the drainage tunnel. ¡°Make way for the emperor!¡± one of the guards shouted. We weren¡¯t alone on that beach. A line of guards, probably the turncoats, waited on the sand. Behind the armored guards was a large crowd of other people that looked like normal villagers, not hardened warriors. Despite their normal appearance, the people were all armed, though the civilians were carrying mostly simple farming implements or crude knives. ¡°Abbasa is no emperor, he is a petty tyrant that must be stopped,¡± an older man said, stepping through the line of armed guards to stand in front of our band. ¡°Ghillraine, I would have never guessed that you would be behind this rebellion. I only ask why? I gave you everything, my oldest friend, everything. You had wealth, a title, lands, all you could want,¡± Abbasa said, obviously hurt at his friend¡¯s betrayal. ¡°You forgot who you were, where you came from. More importantly, you became the very corruption you stamped out at the Final Feast. I¡¯m sorry, friend, but you have lost your way, and I must stop the destruction you¡¯re causing,¡± Ghillraine said. ¡°Very well, my oldest friend is but another traitor. No matter, you will die with the others, and I¡¯ll raise a new, and loyal, lord to rule over your lands. Minions, kill every one of¡­¡± Abbasa¡¯s command stopped as his voice turned to a hideous gurgle. I had been focused on the forces in front of me, and by the time I turned around, I could see that the two kitchen staff that had joined Abbasa were stabbing into his throat and body over and over again with their butcher¡¯s knives. Before I could order Elida forward to heal him, and cast a Health Bloom over the area, my summoning ended. Your summoner has been slain and this summoning session is complete. Your summoner link with the mage Abbasa is terminated. Your ranking for this summoning is Average. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Average. You have earned 22 experience points. You have earned 31 summoning points. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 2, Rank 8. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 311. A few Questions. Chapter 311. A few Questions. I returned to my personal space as I processed the last summoning. It was odd seeing how much could change in another world when for me, only a few days or weeks had passed. The mage Abbasa had seemed so confident when he had eliminated the leaders with parasites during the feast. Not only that, but it also seemed like all the people around him were supportive of his efforts. This time, it seemed like I was dealing with a completely different person than the one that had summoned me before. Abbasa was paranoid, frantic, and had obviously strayed from the path of being a good ruler over his people. To have his people turn against him so thoroughly showed me how time and power could corrupt a man. As a summoned being, I would keep growing in power. I¡¯d need to safeguard myself and not slowly drift into something I didn¡¯t want to become. Perhaps some of that safeguard would come from the friends I¡¯d cultivated. The people at Refuge, and even Agent Lopez and the folks I¡¯d met in the military, would help to keep me grounded. That brought up a whole new slew of concerns. When our world changed with the induction, power would be much more readily available. Too many would fall to that power and commit evil to further their own gain. That was a problem for future Rico, though, and for now, I had some rewards and a return gauge to check on. The personal space was quiet enough, and Melvin sent me a gelatinous wave before heading into the training center. Tzes¡¯zod was at his desk and seemed to be engrossed in whatever he was writing onto the parchment in front of him. Not wanting to disturb him, I headed to the reward chest. I would always have questions for Tzes¡¯zod, he had lived a long time and had a very thorough knowledge of the system. That being said, annoying or pestering the immensely powerful undead lich was probably not a good idea. Reward Chest.
  1. 11 gold.
  2. Summoning figurine.
  3. Minion experience token (1).
  4. Minion equipment token (2).
  5. Minion ability/spell token (2).
Hitting only average in my ranking for the last summoning wasn¡¯t doing my rewards any favors. Before I activated the paltry number of minion upgrade tokens, I took a look at the figurine I¡¯d received. It was an odd one, another of the figurines with several minions on a single base. Instead of warriors or monsters, this figurine had all humans, and they were in various work clothing and holding tools and household items, not combat garb. Summoning Figurines:
  1. Helpful staff, Tier 2, Rank 7. Activating this figurine will summon a staff of 10 minions to assist you. Nearly useless in combat, these staff minions are experts in other mundane tasks that might need to be completed. Use them as general labor, kitchen help, mining support, or any other task of a similar nature. They will remain for an extended time of 6 hours per tier of the summoner.
It was an odd figurine, but I could see it coming in handy on certain summonings. Not all my tasks were combat related and burning a figurine like this to get an excellent ranking over an average one would be more than worth it. I doubted it would be of much use on Earth, so I added it instead to my loadout. Next up were my minion tokens, starting with the experience ones. I was also still getting a single experience point for each minion after every summoning through the minion experience generator attachment that was mounted on my reward chest. Khurr has gained 15 experience. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 3. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 4. Digbaz Bazam¡¯s Blades of Air spell has reached Rank 1. Elida Silverbarrow¡¯s Channel Mana ability has reached Rank 1. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Not the most exciting batch of upgrades this time around, but progress was progress. Khurr¡¯s experience boost didn¡¯t let him hit the next rank nine yet, but he was getting close. Blieek¡¯s armor upgrade boosted him from leather reinforced padded armor to a full set of studded leather armor. Digbaz¡¯s upgrade was a bit more substantial, as I¡¯d expect with him being my highest tier and rank minion. Blades of air now summoned two blades at rank 1, giving me hope that it would become very powerful by the time it finally maxed at rank 5. Elida¡¯s Channel Mana was less impressive, and only served to lower the channeling time by two seconds and boosted her chance to resist interruptions while channeling. With my rewards handled, I checked the return gauge to see that it was now at 87%. Anything other than a poor showing on my next summoning should fill it up and allow me to return home. Looking over Tzes¡¯zod, I could see that he was still working, but his writing lacked the intensity it had possessed earlier. ¡°Tzes¡¯zod, do you have time to talk?¡± I asked. ¡°Perhaps, does the subject you wish to discuss hold some importance, or is this merely an attempt to pass the time?¡± the lich said, the glowing orbs in his skull that served for eyes focused disturbingly on me as he waited for a reply. ¡°It¡¯s of some importance for me, and perhaps my world as well. Integration is almost about to hit, and I wondered if you had any advice for us?¡± I asked. ¡°Integration is a subject I¡¯ve studied, but not for the purposes of damage mitigation to the world involved. My research was more along the lines of exploiting the integration of a new world for power. Don¡¯t worry, Rico, I no longer pursue such things, as my studies have driven me in another direction,¡± Tzes¡¯zod paused, his bony finger tapping on his chin with a disturbing clicking sound as he thought for a bit before responding. ¡°From your perspective, I understand that you wish to mitigate the chaos. I have a few suggestions for your world. The first would be to immediately eliminate any threats. Prisoners, political opponents, and general swaths of the world¡¯s population that aren''t aligned with you and your allies should be killed off. ¡°The chaos of an integration, even one where the world is somewhat prepared, can lead to unintended consequences, as well as unintended opportunities. Having a foe, or someone with ill intent gather unexpected power could lead to your destruction. It¡¯s better to eliminate a potential threat before it has a chance to take root. Other than that, those in power should rule with an iron grasp, leaving no confusion over who is in charge during the integration,¡± Tzes¡¯zod suggested. Wow, he was a bit harsh in his advice, but as an undead creature, he probably valued life and freedom much less than I, or most of the people of Earth, did. Wholesale destruction and world domination wasn¡¯t in the cards, and was something I would probably actively fight against. At least his answer confirmed something I was contemplating asking Tzes¡¯zod. I had been considering asking if the lich was able and willing to return with me to Earth and help us prepare. Now, I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t want the lich advising our world¡¯s governments on preparation methods. The last thing we needed was a new world war erupting as everyone tried to eliminate their potential foes and seize power. ¡°Thanks, Tzes¡¯zod. One last question. Do you have any idea what is happening to the summoned beings from my world? They seem to all stop returning after reaching tier three. From what a summoned being from my world with the seer class learned, the disappearances aren¡¯t something nefarious, but I was curious what would happen since I¡¯m going to hit tier three soon,¡± I asked. ¡°Each world¡¯s integration is somewhat different, so I can¡¯t tell you exactly what is happening or why. The only thing I think we can safely discern from this event is that it is system derived, and not an attack of some sort. Based on past integrations, I know the system likes to pull aside any who might have an extreme advantage in the early days, but what you described seems a bit more encompassing. ¡°I suspect you¡¯ll be sent somewhere safe, where you can grow in power at a more sedate pace, while the people of your world learn to navigate the changes that are occurring. You¡¯ll undoubtedly return after a time, though the world may not be recognizable as the place you left. Integrations leave their marks, no matter how well prepared a world thinks it is. Now, I must return to my studies,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained before going back to writing on the latest piece of parchment he was working on. He¡¯d pretty much confirmed what the seer had told us. There was still no way to tell what was going to happen to me after tier three, but he didn¡¯t think it was something bad either. I did have one more question I was willing to risk bugging Tzes¡¯zod about. ¡°Sorry to bother you again, but I have one final question. When the integration occurs, will I still be a summoned being? After all, our whole purpose was to seed Earth with mana so the integration could occur,¡± I asked. ¡°I cannot say for sure, like I mentioned, every integration is different. Most summoned beings will transition into something more, and the system seems to be rather generous to them for the services they¡¯ve rendered,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. Well, maybe I wasn¡¯t going to be pulled randomly all over the universe anymore after hitting tier three, but for now, that was my lot in life. Almost to confirm my thoughts, a new system prompt appeared, and a portal opened on the far wall. You are Summoned! Chapter 312. Maze Runner. Chapter 312. Maze Runner. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned by an artifact.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 8.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for competitive purposes. Prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I popped out of the portal and found myself in a well-kept garden. Others, that I assumed were also summoned beings, were lined up a few feet away. My summoner link connected to a glowing stone placed in the center of the garden, at the top of a fountain. A goblin in odd clothing that resembled a blue tuxedo stood in front of the line of summoned beings. Two heavily armored humans stood just behind the goblin, like a pair of bodyguards. ¡°Okay folks, it looks like we¡¯ve got a bonus contestant on this run. It¡¯s confirmed there are a total of eight contestants now. Let me check the summoning stone to make sure this is all,¡± the goblin said. As the goblin spoke, the summoning link split off from the stone atop the fountain, and connected me to both the goblin, and his two bodyguards. I looked around and could see that the garden was completely fenced in by an eight-foot-high hedge made of thick plants and vines. There was no visible entrance or exit from the square garden I had been summoned to. ¡°Step into line, and keep quiet unless spoken to,¡± one of the guards ordered with the harshness of a drill sergeant. Not waiting for compulsion to kick in, I walked over to the right end of the line and waited for further instructions. ¡°I¡¯ll interview the last contestant and then we can begin shortly. All right human, who are you and what can you do. Just the basics, mind you, species, tier, rank, and class,¡± the goblin ordered. ¡°I¡¯m a human, tier two, rank eight, and my class is called Foe Commander,¡± I replied. The goblin wanted just the basics, so that¡¯s all I gave him. ¡°Great, everyone we have the final contestant logged, and I¡¯ll be passing off the focus to our announcer, Blix the Bold. Let our good viewers know what¡¯s in store for them today, Blix!,¡± the goblin said. After a moment, he seemed to relax a bit. ¡°Boys, we¡¯re off focus now while Blix hypes up the event. So, you all may be wondering what¡¯s going on, yeah?¡± the goblin asked us. I nodded along with the other contestants. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, this garden isn¡¯t as pretty and proper as it seems. The organization I work for has ported part of a dungeon here, and you brave folks are going to speed run it. Your goal is to run through the garden maze as fast as possible, trying to survive until the end. There will be bonus points for the number of kills you make, both of the dungeon mobs, and your fellow contestants, so hold nothing back. Any questions?¡± the goblins asked. ¡°Sir, what is this all for?¡± a rather polite orc in full plate that practically glowed with enchantments asked. ¡°Just like everything else, this is for profit. Buckets full of gold and gems are being wagered right now on you jokers, so don¡¯t let me down. Give it your all, and even if you¡¯re about to be killed, make it exciting for the viewers,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°We need to get out of the garden maze, but exactly how big is it?¡± another contestant, an elf woman with greenish skin asked. Given that her armor was made from living plants, she must have been a druid of some sort. I could almost feel the betting odds moving in her favor for this type of environment. ¡°The maze is completely square and maybe a total of a quarter mile across. Not that far, see, but the place isn¡¯t called a maze for no reason. Lots of twists and turns in there, not to mention things that want to kill you. Like I said before, just have fun with it,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°What are the rules, can we cut our way out?¡± the orc asked. ¡°The only rule is that there are no rules. I take it back, there is one rule, do not do anything to harm any of us working on the event. As far as cutting your way out, sure, that¡¯s a valid tactic, but you need to understand this was part of a dungeon, and those plants making up the hedge are a bit tougher than normal. Flying or jumping over the maze is not allowed. Also, the more damage you do to the maze, the more heat you¡¯re going to draw to yourself from the dungeon core,¡± the goblin explained. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re almost ready, should I get them into position?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°Yeah, anything else before I send you to your starting positions?¡± the goblin asked. I did have one question, one that would help shape the overall plan I was starting to form. ¡°Do we get any prep time before this thing starts?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me, you¡¯ll get a one-minute warning before the whole shebang kicks off, now everyone get into position as I call you out,¡± the goblin said. A scroll appeared in his hand as he began to call out our classes.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Bloodblade, you¡¯re number 1, dark druid is number 2,¡± as the goblin started numbers began to glow on sections of the hedge around us. We were being placed two to each side of the square, and everyone an equal distance from the nearest competitor. I remembered another summoning close to this, where I had to run a gauntlet and avoid the opponents. That was a haunted house type of place, and the betting was among a small group of old, stodgy men that were just betting among themselves. This time, I was getting the feeling that the event was being televised through magical means to a much wider audience. ¡°Foe Commander, you¡¯re number seven,¡± the goblin said. I moved into the position marked on the hedge. To my left was a lean elf woman wearing scale armor and holding a golden spear. To my right was a gnome holding a huge wrench in one hand, and a simple wooden case in the other. Knowing Fitzfazzle, I made sure not to underestimate a gnomish engineer and the devices they used. I was hoping that my class was odd enough sounding that they wouldn¡¯t figure me for a summoner. ¡°One minute to showtime folks, start your preparations,¡± the goblin announced. I got to work right away, summoning the drone to watch my back and then cast Duplicate on him. As I summoned the rest of the team, a quick glance to either side showed that neither of my opponents seemed to be focused on me. There were no rules, so there was always the chance that someone would go on a killing spree before we even got into the maze. I was counting on my minions to put a stop to any of those types of shenanigans. Before time ran out, I had orders to give. ¡°Duplicate as soon as this starts, use your launcher to blast a path through the hedge. We¡¯re going to cut a path through the hedge in that direction,¡± I said pointing at the glowing seven where we were starting from, and then toward the closest point out of the maze. ¡°Drone, once the duplicate¡¯s launcher is empty, you take up the slack. After that use your blades to cut through. Digbaz, as soon as we start, spam Blades of Air to help out the drones cut through. Blieek, stick close to me. The rest of you, form a defensive perimeter,¡± I ordered. Both drones aimed the grenade launcher on their shoulder toward our starting point. They also extended their bladed arms, and with the smaller pair of arms, they created hand scythes as the perfect weapons to cut through foliage. I was expecting the hedge to try and reform quickly since it was a dungeon-based structure, but with the drones¡¯ Nullify Magic, and Mana Drain, I hoped that we would be through the gaps before the dungeon could react. I had no plans of blithering about in a dungeon maze. I was going to use firepower and steel to cut and blast our way to victory. ¡°Go!¡± the goblin shouted when the countdown ended. At his command a section of hedge where the glowing seven had been placed disappeared, granting us an entrance to the maze. The duplicate drone was already firing on the next section of hedge blocking our path. It took two grenades to blast through, and then the duplicate shifted to the next section of hedge. I had Khurr and Digbaz follow behind the drones, and with Blieek at my side, I was next through the gap. The goblin trio and Elida brought up the rear, with Glurk was firing off arrows in the direction of the elf with the spear. Almost directly across from us was a halfling mage with about the same idea that I had, he was pouring fire from his hands and burning quickly through the hedge. While the gnome seemed to be making good progress, he had nobody to watch his back. I ordered Glurk to shift his fire to the halfling who seemed to have the best chance of beating me at my own game. Just as Glurk¡¯s first arrow hit, the golden spear of the elf next to us also flew into the halfling¡¯s back, causing him to collapse to the ground and struggle with what was probably a healing potion. We were now three hedgerows deep into the maze, and none of the other contenders were in sight. That didn¡¯t mean there were no other threats, as dungeon creatures, mostly plant-creatures the system tagged as vegepygmys, hurled themselves at the drones. Khurr, Digbaz, and Elida kept the dungeon creatures off us. With the final grenades expended, we had cut through four hedgerows and the drones were shredding their way through the next. I estimated that we were more than halfway to our objective, and even without the grenades, the drones were making good progress. None of our competitors had shown themselves, though I could hear sounds of combat in the distance. Just as we reached the much thicker final border of the maze, huge vines reached up from the ground, pinning the drones in place and slowly crushing their armor. They fought back, and even with the help of the other minions, first one, then the other was crushed into mana vapor. ¡°Everyone, keep those vines busy. Blieek head to the hedgerow and stop for nothing!¡± I ordered, as I activate the Cloak of the Minion Master and pulled an animal from Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. A small monkey that was apparently called a Lutung appeared from the bag and charged the vines. It lasted about a second, but every second counted. I held my breath as Blieek managed to avoid drawing the attention of any of the vines. When he reached the final hedge wall, I hit him with the Ring of Final Sacrifice as one of the tentacles finally caught up to him. ¡°Don¡¯t resist, Blieek, and don¡¯t heal him, Elida,¡± I ordered. A moment later a big explosion erupted as Blieek¡¯s mana vapor fueled the ring¡¯s magic. As I expected, a small gap had been blown through the hedge maze, though most of my minions were being killed off quickly. The gap that had been blasted was too small to walk through, but I was able to finally see outside the maze. I targeted a spot outside the maze and cast Switch and Replace. The spell briefly disoriented me as I found myself standing near a deadly vine one second, then in the next, I was outside the maze enjoying the nice sunshine in peace. ¡°Ladies and gentle beings, we have our second-place finisher, the Foe Summoner!¡± I heard the goblin announce, his voice magically amplified. I was almost sure I¡¯d be first, but one of the others must have beaten me to it. Before I could try and find out who beat me, my summoning was over. You have completed the terms of this summoning and survived. This summoning is now complete. Your ranking for this summoning is Good. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Good. You have earned 25 experience points. You have earned 38 summoning points. You will now be returned to your personal space. Chapter 313. Home Again. Chapter 313. Home Again. My personal space attendants greeted me and Melvin as we returned. Pretty much like always, Melvin slid toward the training center, which reminded me to ask him what he was working on. He sent me a confusing array of images, everything from new armor configurations to Melvin casting spells and using strange, elemental abilities. I got the feeling that Melvin wasn¡¯t focused on a particular project and just wanted to see where the training led him. ¡°Best of luck to you, buddy. Let me know if you turn up anything interesting, or if you want to practice together sometime,¡± I said. Taking a look around, it seemed that everything in the personal space was as it should be. Tzes¡¯zod was gone again, his desk messy as always. It was funny how so much of my personal space had been taken over by others. Of course, the addition was rented by Gary, so that really didn¡¯t count. But here in the actual personal space, Melvin had set up shop in the training center, and Tzes¡¯zod had claimed the area around the desk. Already, I could see his space expanding as a small wooden cabinet had somehow been brought here and placed next to this desk. At least Tzes¡¯zod seemed to have good taste, and the cabinet matched the other furniture in the room. I didn¡¯t really mind that much; it was nice to have company here. When I¡¯d first started, it was just a bare wooden floor with the only other thing in the room being my reward chest. To go back to that would be rather depressing, and I was happy to have the staff, Melvin, and even the occasionally helpful, but still a bit creepy, Tzes¡¯zod to share the space with. ¡°Sir, Mister Tzes¡¯zod requested that I give you this,¡± the head butler, Whirtmir, said as he held out a sealed scroll. I took the scroll and looked longingly at my reward chest. The rewards could wait a minute, if Tzes¡¯zod left a message for me, it was probably either important, or maybe a nice consumable scroll for me to use. I broke open the seal, noticing a faint whiff of mana from it, and began to read. Rico, Our previous conversation about the disappearance of summoned beings on your world after hitting a tier and rank over three made me a bit curious. I had been ready to dismiss it as another system quirk. The system tends to prefer to create some diversity in its various integrations as well as keep up the appearance of fairness in allowing the other inhabitants a chance to adjust before unleashing those already experienced with the system. Learning many centuries ago to not ignore my curiosity, as it is often an indicator of potential, I conducted some research. It turns out, the disappearances are not unique to your world, and they have occurred at least three other times in recorded system history. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t give you more information on your predicament, as my focus was more on the lines of any changes to your personal space. Fear not, none of the instances of summoned beings disappearing resulted in a negative result for the summoned beings, and in most cases, you¡¯ll stand to benefit greatly. The disturbing information I¡¯ve gained is that your personal space will likely change in a significant way once you¡¯re no longer a summoned being. As my phylactery is linked to your personal space in general, and your reward chest in particular, I believe we may need to make an addendum to our previous agreement. My studies prevent me from meeting you in person this time, but when you next return for a summoning series, I¡¯ll be there to discuss the terms of a new contract for a potential long-term, disturbance-free residency. Tzes¡¯zod. Having my personal space change wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d considered. I could see why the system would change it, though. The personal space and reward chest were more a feature of my life as a summoned being, and probably not something every system integrated person had access to. Hopefully Tzes¡¯zod will have more information when I return next time, information on not just my personal space, but also on my potential future after my term as a summoned being ended.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I turned my attention away from the coming changes and back to the reward chest, opening it to see what the good ranking for my last summoning had given me. Reward Chest. The Minion Experience Generator has issued 1 experience point to each of your minions.
  1. 28 gold.
  2. Scroll (elite).
  3. Class ability token.
  4. Minion experience token (2).
  5. Minion equipment token (3).
  6. Minion ability/spell token (3).
My ability upgrade token, and the unlabeled scroll were the first things I wanted to examine. First off was the elite scroll, which contained a single-use spell. Scroll of Diminish Foe. This scroll will cast the elite version of the spell, Diminish Foe. Once cast at a hostile target, Diminish Foe will lower the Tier and Rank of your opponent for a total of 5 minutes per tier of the caster. The change in Tier and Rank is proportional to the disparity in power between the two individuals. As the elite version of this spell, the maximum power reduction of your foe is 1 Tier and 5 Ranks. Wow, that was a powerful spell and could really help even the odds and turn an unwinnable fight into something manageable during a difficult summoning. The scroll was probably the difference between a poor ranking and an excellent one, so I¡¯d have to be selective on when I used it. I made sure to add it to my loadout before I grabbed and activated my class ability token. You have unlocked the Revive ability for your class, Foe Commander. Revive: This spell will instantly recall one of your minions after they have been destroyed. It can only be cast once per summoning, and can only summon minions up to Tier 3, Rank 0. This ability can be upgraded as you increase in Tier and Rank. A new ability was always a welcome surprise and Revive seemed like it would be a powerful one. It could only be used once per summoning, but bringing back one of my most powerful minions during a tough fight would really turn things around. The fact that it was an ability also meant that I could potentially use it back home and it wouldn¡¯t just be restricted to my summoning sessions. I¡¯d made out like a bandit with the rewards from the last summoning, now it was time to see how my minions were going to do. Minion experience tokens.
  1. Blieek has gained 15 experience. Blieek has reached Tier 0, Rank 4 and has unlocked the Dodge ability.
  2. Digbaz Bazam has gained 15 experience.
After the experience token, Digbaz was at 33/40 experience to the next rank. Any of these experience tokens were pretty much an entire rank for Blieek. His Dodge ability that unlocked would allow Blieek to activate it 1/day for 10 seconds of increased awareness that would allow him a chance to dodge incoming physical attacks. It would do nothing against magic, but I couldn¡¯t expect too much from my rank zero minion upgrades. Minion equipment tokens.
  1. The Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s Stealth Field Generator has reached Rank 3.
  2. Blieek has reached Armor, Rank 5.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk have reached Weapons, Rank 4.
The drone¡¯s stealth field generator upgrade to rank three made it so foes targeting him while the field was active faced a 50% miss chance. Blieek had maxed out his armor, which was still a set of studded leather, but he had now added a round wooden shield to the mix. The shield was of decent quality, but nothing special. At least the minion seemed to have also been granted the skill to wield the shield effectively. Last up for the gear upgrades were the goblin trio. Glem¡¯s spear enchantments added an armor mitigation effect to go with its bonus to hit and damage. Glamb¡¯s two chopping blades added the chance to hit and damage to go along with the bleed effect they could cause. For Glurk, his bow was enchanted to give it a 20% range enhancement as well as a small bonus to hit. Next for the final upgrades, were the three ability/spell tokens.
  1. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Personal Shield, Rank 2.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow has reached Channel Mana, Rank 2.
  3. Khurr has reached Double Shot, Rank 2.
Elida was the big winner here, though both upgrades were minor. Her Personal Shield was upgraded from having the strength of studded leather armor to that of chainmail and her Channel Mana ability dropped its concentration time to six seconds. Khurr¡¯s Double Shot at rank two just added a bonus to hit. I¡¯d finished up all my rewards and upgrades, and the mana gauge was full, which meant it was time to head back home. Chapter 314. What Now? Chapter 314. What now? ¡°Halt exercise! Clear and safe your weapons. Form up at the rally point,¡± First Sergeant Novak¡¯s voice boomed out over the training exercise. It took me a moment to remember exactly where I had been and what I¡¯d been doing when the most recent summoning session had occurred. I had been overseeing one of the platoons running through an exercise where they tried to track down the mana slayer drone inside a series of buildings. Even though really no time had passed for everyone in the training session, all my minions would have disappeared. By now, the officers and NCOs knew that if the summoned minions all disappeared, it meant I had left and returned from a summoning. ¡°Sir, command is requesting your presence at the CQ. I know they usually have a debrief, but do you mind resummoning your minions before you go so the exercise can continue?¡± the first sergeant asked. ¡°Roger that, Top, I¡¯ll give them commands to not harm anyone and to follow your orders. What they can do might be limited without me around to command them, but it should at least let you get some training in while I¡¯m stuck writing reports,¡± I said before starting to summon my team. It was funny, a few months ago, I knew nothing about the military, how it operated, or what was involved in their training. Now, I was getting a crash course and was starting to pick up the lingo. Somehow, I remembered that a first sergeant was called Top even after just returning from a summoning. ¡°Thank you, Sir, I¡¯ll take good care of them,¡± Top replied. ¡°No need, do what you need to with them to get our troops trained. Remember, though, if they get eliminated, it may be a while before I can resummon them,¡± I replied. It seemed a bit cruel, but my minions weren¡¯t real, and if getting some real attacks in on my team helped these soldiers to survive integration, it was worth a delayed resummoning time. Top only gave me a nod as a soldier in a battered, olive drab green pickup came to collect me. The Joint Forces Training Base-Los Alamitos had pretty much been taken over by our crazy program at this point, so we had to be much less stealthy about my minions or the other summoned beings that had been brought on post to help with training. We stopped at an office building where a lot of the admin functions occurred, and I was met inside by Major Finley. ¡°Rico, I just got word that you¡¯re back from a summoning. HQ wanted me to ask if Fitzfazzle was ready to return yet?¡± Major Finley asked. I checked on his figurine and could feel that the connection wasn''t ready to activate yet. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ready yet. Thanks for reminding me, though, I had forgotten to check when I returned,¡± I replied. ¡°No worries, with how many scientists and engineers are waiting to work with him again, I doubt they¡¯ll let you forget about it. From what I understand, they¡¯ve already developed several prototypes that they want Fitzfazzle¡¯s opinion on,¡± Finley said. ¡°Major Finley, I¡¯ve been in a training cycle for the last few weeks here on Earth and haven¡¯t had an update. How are things going with the preparations for integration? Is the announcement about it happening soon?¡± I asked. ¡°A solid date hasn¡¯t been set yet. I think the major governments want to have plans in place to deal with potential chaos, riots and whatnot. Every week that they delay brings us closer to the integration event, but also gives us more time to train and a gives us a chance to bring more people into the loop on what is about to happen,¡± Finley replied. ¡°I¡¯m still shocked that word hasn¡¯t gotten out yet,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t be, people are pretty resistant to change, and I bet that even after we announce things, a good chunk of them will just believe that it¡¯s some kind of scam. Some clips of system related things have shown up online, and they do sometimes get a large number of views before we shut them down. I suspect we¡¯ll have that announcement in the next couple weeks,¡± Finley said. ¡°Do they need me to do anything special when the announcement occurs?¡± I asked. ¡°Probably, I suspect that you, and several other summoned beings will be prepped a few days in advance so we can show off your skills to the world,¡± Finley said. I had sort of figured something like that would occur. If there were any important groups they needed to convince, there was nothing better than having me summon my minions to show them that this was all real.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Did we ever get a count on how many summoned beings there are on the planet?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s no exact data, as a sizable minority of the summoned beings are still out in the dark. After hearing some of what you went through in the beginning, I don¡¯t blame them for not trusting that they¡¯ll be safe if they join our efforts. The best guesstimate right now is that there are somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 summoned beings. ¡°Most were concentrated in large population centers where the system must have figured its efforts would blend in better. As far as how many are working to help with the integration, we have just over 1,300 signed up worldwide,¡± Finley said. ¡°That¡¯s a good chunk, but still having more of us out there without support feels bad. If I can help convince anyone, just let me know,¡± I offered. ¡°Thanks, Rico, I know we have what they¡¯re calling a first contact team out there. Sometimes, they bring a summoned being with them to help. At least for now, I think command is more focused on your help with training up our forces,¡± Finley said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready to help with recruitment, or anything else that turns up,¡± I offered. They¡¯d already used us to help quash the dungeon outbreak, so who knew what other dangers might turn up as the system integration got closer. ¡°Thanks for that, Rico. The men and women you¡¯ve helped train will have a better chance at survival, and a better chance at protecting others because of your efforts. Now, I¡¯ll let you get your report finished up. When you¡¯re done, it¡¯ll probably be early evening, so go ahead and call it a day. I can¡¯t imagine how mentally draining it would be to suddenly be summoned away for what might feel like weeks and then pop back right to the time and place you left from,¡± Major Finley said. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll see you later then, Major,¡± I replied, heading toward one of the small offices they had set up with a secure connection where we could submit our reports. This report was a rather long one. I tried to add everything I could about my last conversation Tzes¡¯zod and the note he left. Something was going to happen to the summoned beings¡¯ personal spaces. Hopefully, with my next summoning, Tzes¡¯zod would be back with more information. It felt a bit strange writing about the crazy goblin amusement park, and I figured that with the information I was about to send in, there would be plans underway for something similar once the integration chaos was over. There was going to be a complete change in everyone¡¯s lives, but there was also going to be a lot of opportunity. I considered that maybe it would be in my best interest to invest in something that I had knowledge of, like the amusement park experience. After pausing my report and thinking about it a bit, I realized that helping to build a crappy dragon themed ride wasn¡¯t what I wanted with my future. I¡¯d been given power, and as long as that power wasn¡¯t taken away when I was pulled away at tier three, I wanted to help people with it. The report took longer than I had anticipated. A lot of different, but potentially important events had occurred in the last summoning series. I¡¯d experienced a trench warfare battle, which I knew was something we¡¯d want to avoid at all costs. There was also the experience with my final linked summoning. Both linked summonings had me appear at the end of the summoner¡¯s life, once due to natural causes, and in the case of the kitchen manager turned emperor, through violence. By the time I was done, it was dark out, and much of the staff on post had gone home. I was able to bum a ride off one of the clerks leaving for the night, since my car was parked in a lot pretty far from where I was doing my reports. My stomach was reminding me that it needed something by the time I reached my car. It was strange, I felt a sense of accomplishment when I saw my rather utilitarian Honda Accord. I¡¯d bought something that I needed to be efficient at my job, but also was able to enjoy it for myself. I had earned that car through literal blood, sweat, and tears, but I also hadn¡¯t succumbed to the lure of spending all my newfound wealth on frivolity. Just when I was starting up my car, Melvin, who had joined me in his armor form, sent images of tacos to me. That began a short argument over what we¡¯d eat that night. I sort of was feeling a pizza, and Melvin wanted Mexican food. We ended up settling on In and Out Burger which both of us found not only acceptable, but also a rather good pick once we thought about it. With dinner plans settled, we headed for the main gate, only to be flagged down by one of the MPs on duty there. ¡°Sir, I need you to pull your car into the holding area and wait for further orders. I¡¯m told you are not to leave the base until you¡¯re debriefed on an evolving situation,¡± the MP ordered. Two of them stood nearby while I parked my car in the small inspection area near the main gate. More MPs arrived, all in full battle rattle as they took up defensive positions around the gate. While I waited, I noticed a stream of vehicles entering the gate, each driven by soldiers and civilian staff that had been hastily recalled back to the post. The MPs were efficient but also very thorough in vetting everyone inside the vehicles. The sounds of loud diesel engines caught my attention, and I spotted a line of huge trucks with lowboy trailers attached. On top of each trailer was one of the armored personnel carriers that I trained on. The MPs cleared the gate for these vehicles to get through and the first vehicle in line, one of the ubiquitous government SUVs pulled up next to me. ¡°Rico, hop in, we¡¯ve got a situation we need your help with,¡± Major Finley said. I jumped into the rear of the SUV and found myself seated next to Elliot who just nodded in my direction. Something big was going down, and given the firepower lined up behind our vehicle, I worried about what we were heading to face. Chapter 315. Fluffle Danger. Chapter 315. Fluffle Danger. ¡°Major Finley, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ve got a new system-related outbreak we¡¯ve got to deal with. Late this afternoon, a group of hikers at the Acton Wash Wildlife Sanctuary were attacked by monstrous animals. Two of the hikers were unfortunately killed, but the other pair were able to fight off the creature with their walking sticks. ¡°Hearing the initial calls, it was apparent that this was something integration related so we sent a team out to reinforce the first responders and to make sure that those first responders were ones already read into the program,¡± Finley said, pausing to check something on his phone after it beeped ominously at him. ¡°So, what kind of wildlife are we talking about?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Hang on a minute, there¡¯s some new intel coming in,¡± Finley said. ¡°Rico, do you think the integration is happening?¡± Elliot asked me. ¡°No, if this is just an isolated thing, I doubt it. I kind of expect the actual integration to be a bit more than some wildlife attacks on the outskirts of Los Angeles,¡± I replied. I had never heard of this wildlife sanctuary place, but it had to be close enough to haul us and the armored vehicles all the way to it on trucks. ¡°Sorry about that, we have found a possible source of the problem. As far as what attacked those hikers, it was rabbits,¡± Finley said, distracted by reading more information on his phone as he spoke with us. ¡°Rabbits? If a pair of normies with walking sticks were able to take one out, this doesn¡¯t sound too dangerous. Why roll out all of this hardware instead of sending just me and Rico in?¡± Elliot asked. ¡°That¡¯s what we tried to do, there were two other summoned beings nearby that were first pulled in to deal with the situation. They were backed up by a few police officers that knew about the system. They proceeded to sweep the wildlife sanctuary and look for any additional threats. ¡°We lost contact with them thirty minutes later. The last image we got from their body cameras was a swarm of these rabbits attacking,¡± Finley said, pulling up a picture on his phone to show us. I could see the image of a rabbit jumping toward one of the police officers. In the image, the officer was firing his pistol, and I could see serious-looking wounds on the rabbit. The rabbit itself was the size of a large dog, and instead of the cute bunny teeth, this thing had razor-sharp carnivore fangs. To top things off, the rabbit also had a set of pointy antlers it was aiming at the officer. ¡°Nasty, how many of these things do you think there are out there?¡± I asked. ¡°No idea, and we also have no idea how many of the rabbits have turned into monsters. The team noted several normal jackrabbits during their search, so we¡¯re hoping it¡¯s not as bad as it could be. Even so, we¡¯re not taking things lightly, hence the platoon of Bradley¡¯s and MRAP¡¯s. ¡°The sanctuary is sealed off by troops and law enforcement, but we¡¯re stretched thin as this is a huge area. We¡¯ve got drone support and they¡¯ve taken out at least a dozen of the creatures that strayed toward our lines. So far, the bulk of the monsters seems to be remaining inside the wildlife sanctuary, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they run out of food there,¡± Finely explained. ¡°Not only that, leaving these system mutated animals alone will likely allow them to spread in number, and probably gain XP if they¡¯re out hunting stuff,¡± I offered. ¡°Yes, and here¡¯s a picture of the latest drone thermal imaging. Do you see that herd of rabbits? Look at what¡¯s in the center of them,¡± Finley said. I could see at least a dozen mutated rabbits in the thermal image, and there, in the center of the rabbits was someone standing. There was a human there with them, and they weren¡¯t attacking him. ¡°Uh, sorry to be that guy, but a group of rabbits in the wild is called a fluffle,¡± Elliot said.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°What? Really, I thought it was a warren,¡± I said. ¡°No, a warren is where they live, the nest. The domesticated ones are a herd, but in the wild they¡¯re called a fluffle. What, my mom had me watch a lot of Animal Planet when I was a kid. Some of it must have stuck,¡± Elliot said apologetically as Major Finley glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care what they¡¯re called, we¡¯re going to kill them, and then deal with whoever that is,¡± Finley said, pointing at the man. ¡°Is it possible that human is one of the first team sent in?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe, which is why we haven¡¯t just dropped a Hellfire missile onto the group. Here¡¯s the plan,¡± Finley said, pulling a paper map of the area out for us to look at. It turned out that Elliot and I weren¡¯t the only summoned beings joining the operation. There were two other groups of three that had joined up with similar military forces. One group was being used to reinforce the perimeter, and the other was going to sweep the park for any additional mutated rabbits or other threats. My group was going to push directly toward the human and the large group of, well, I guess it¡¯s a fluffle, of rabbits around him. The trip there took just over an hour and as we rolled, Finley tried to keep us up to date on any changes as we approached. Elliot found some body armor and other tactical gear in the back of the SUV, and I merely summoned my armor, complete with Melvin¡¯s armor reinforcement. ¡°I hope I can find something like that the next time I¡¯m in Somhagen,¡± Elliot said as my gear instantly equipped onto me. ¡°You¡¯ll get plenty if you keep scoring high on your summoning ratings,¡± I replied. Our comms headsets that tied in with the Infantry platoon we were going in with. The platoon were the ones that Elliot and I had been training, so everyone was familiar with not only how the system shenanigans worked, but also what our individual powers and abilities were. Even if their modern weapons were somehow shut down by spells or abilities, the men were all trained to use a backup melee weapon. Some wanted to use the bayonet on their rifle, but others preferred something more substantial. Machetes and tactical tomahawks were popular choices. One guy even carried around a gladius on his pack. Our platoon would have two Bradley IFVs and two MRAP vehicles. That would give us armor and firepower, allowing me and the troops to move in on the objective in relative safety. I turned down the offer of a rifle, but did go ahead and take one of the M9 pistols and a few spare mags. I¡¯d trained with pretty much all the usual suspects as far as military firearms went by this time. Despite that, I was more comfortable with the pistol and wanted to have an easier time reaching any of my consumables without a larger weapon getting in the way. Elliot also took a pistol, and though I knew he was trained, it still worried me to see the often-rash young man armed. It was really kind of a silly fear. After all, Elliot threw around fireballs and the like for his living, so a pistol was pretty much a downgrade in threat. This new world that I was a part of was going to take some adjusting to. I worried about the other people who would soon learn of what was happening. At least the summoned beings had some time to prepare and train in relative safety. The rest of the world was going to just get dropped right into the hot grease with this whole integration thing. ¡°Get ready, I¡¯m going to split you two up, so all our summoned beings for the strike team aren¡¯t in the same track,¡± Finley ordered as we pulled off on a dirt road and stopped. The sounds of the armored vehicles firing up roared out into the sparse scrub and desert-like environment I found myself in. ¡°Rico, this is your ride. First Sergeant Novak is in command, but he¡¯ll defer to your expertise on anything system related. You¡¯ve worked together so I don¡¯t anticipate any problems,¡± Finley said as he gestured toward one of the Bradley¡¯s as the vehicle¡¯s rear ramp opened and a team of soldiers rushed inside. I was seated by the door, with the first sergeant directly across from me. Four other men were inside with us, as well as the crew. The door buttoned up and we began to roll. I had to say the ride on a Bradley wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, but I was glad to see that they had somehow found time to install a monitor for us to watch the gunsight camera through. Having an ¡°expert¡± on the system related threats must have warranted the quick upgrade to our ride. ¡°Rico, this is just a normal day at the office for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± One of the soldiers joked. I sort of expected the first sergeant to snap at the man, but he seemed to realize that the nervous soldiers needed a bit of a distraction as they headed into the unknown. ¡°Pretty much, but remember, I don¡¯t respawn out here. I doubt anything the system is throwing at us is going to be too powerful, given we haven¡¯t even started integration yet. We¡¯ll just have to worry about numbers. Top, if it¡¯s okay with you, we¡¯ll have my minions lead the charge, they can¡¯t get hurt for real, and they¡¯re rather effective,¡± I suggested. ¡°Roger that Rico, but if I give an order, follow it. You may be system enhanced, but if the platoon has to pull back, you don¡¯t want to be left on your own or have one of our soldiers risk their lives to retrieve you,¡± Top replied. As we moved over the scrub brush and dry soil of the wildlife refuge, I kept my eye on the monitor. We were heading directly toward the ring of mutant rabbits and the human they were surrounding. What I would find there wasn¡¯t likely to be pleasant, but I was the one best equipped to handle the problem. This wasn¡¯t some other world where I was summoned for a dispute or entertainment. This was Earth, and I¡¯d do everything that I could to defend it. Chapter 316. Coax. Chapter 316. Coax. ¡°We¡¯re getting reports of contact with the sweeper team and on a few spots on the perimeter,¡± the track commander said over the speaker system. Our headsets had been tuned into their channel, so we could hear what they were doing as we watched it on the monitor. ¡°Any word on weapon effectiveness?¡± the first sergeant asked. ¡°Wait one, Top,¡± the commander replied, as he asked on another channel. ¡°Okay, we do have an update on our weapons. They seem to kill mutated rabbits as well as they kill people. There is a much higher than normal failure rate among our weapons, though. Not serious stuff, just more likely to have things jam,¡± the commander explained. I watched the monitor and tried to keep myself from being tossed around too much by the motion of the Bradley. It was a piece of military hardware and wasn¡¯t exactly designed for comfort. Still, it didn¡¯t punish me too badly, and my armor, with Melvin along for the ride, softened any blows when things got too rough. ¡°Contact Front! Rabbits in the open, distance, 100 meters. Gunner, engage with coax,¡± the track commander said trying to control himself as they fought a very different enemy from what his vehicle was designed to handle. The monitor was linked to the gun camera, and I watched as the commander slewed the turret over to face the target and let his gunner get to work. ¡°Engaging with coax,¡± the gunner calmly said. Through the monitor, I could see a swarm of giant, mutant jackrabbits charging toward our track. I couldn¡¯t get a good count with how much I was being jostled around, but it was impressive how the gun camera remained steady on target. The government spent a lot more on firing accurately when moving than it did on comfort. Even though it was partially muffled by the mounting system, the M240 coax machinegun was still loud inside the vehicle. The soldiers all had ear protection, but I was a bit more durable now that I was a summoned being. Despite the loud noise, my constitution prevented me from any kind of permanent hearing damage. The gunner fired in even, short bursts, and I watched the tracers walk across the mass of charging rabbits. Once hit, the rounds tore through the creatures, dropping them one after the other. I was glad we were looking at things through a thermal image, as the blood being shed was just a glowing green splotch of heat on the monitor. The other three vehicles in our platoon, a trio of MRAPs, also opened fire. They didn¡¯t have a cannon or anti-tank missiles aboard, but they did have much more powerful machineguns. In place of our 7.62mm coax, the MRAPs each fielded a big .50 caliber. The guns were remote operated, which let us all remain nice and buttoned up behind armor plate as the rabbits closed the range. ¡°Tango¡¯s down, secure and safe your weapon,¡± the commander ordered as the last rabbit was torn to pieces by the fire. ¡°Weapon secure,¡± the gunner confirmed as we continued toward the strange ring of rabbits surrounding the humanoid. Twice more, rabbits attacked, but instead of a large group, these came at us in ones and twos. A burst of fire dealt with each threat as we finally reached our objective. There, among the dirt and scrub brush of the area, was a wall of fluffy death. They had heard our approach and formed a line in front of our vehicles. The humanoid moved through the crowd and yelled something. It was hard to tell on the monitor, but the guy looked like a human. He waved us forward, still trying to shout at us though we couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Rico, you¡¯re the expert here, what are your thoughts?¡± Top asked. We were a good 200 yards from the creatures, and vehicles pulled into a line so we could bring all our firepower to bear on the rabbits if things went south. ¡°He¡¯s shouting something, and the rabbits aren¡¯t just charging at first sight, so maybe I should go speak to him and see what¡¯s happening. My armor and minions should keep me safe enough, close to 50 yards and I should be able to talk to the guy,¡± I offered. ¡°Roger that, bring us in,¡± Top said to the track commander. ¡°You sure, Top?¡± Getting closer when we can shred those things from here sounds bad,¡± the commander said with concern. ¡°You haven¡¯t worked with Rico that long, he¡¯s the real deal, and should be okay. Just be ready to rock and roll if things turn south,¡± Top ordered. The track moved forward, the MRAPs following in line. I was happy to see they weren¡¯t all fixated on the targets in front of us, and the turrets of two of the MRAPs were constantly rotating as they looked for additional threats to our flanks and rear.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I¡¯ll head out and summon my team, they should keep me safe enough from some low tier rabbits,¡± I said, more to give myself confidence than the soldiers inside with me. ¡°Rico, you want us to dismount with you?¡± One of the soldiers asked. I was about to tell him no, that I¡¯d take things from here, but I quickly realized something. These guys were going to deal with the integration soon and wouldn¡¯t have the help of summoned beings. It was better to get them some practical experience now, while things weren¡¯t quite as dangerous as they would likely become. ¡°Yeah, join us and help keep an eye out for anything sneaking up,¡± I ordered. We reached the designated spot and the ramp at the back of the Bradley lowered. I exited, but before waving the soldier on or moving into view of the man standing next to the rabbits, I began to summon my minions. The mana slayer drone was first out, then the goblin trio. After that, Digbaz and Elida appeared. Khurr and Blieek rounded out the team and followed behind me as we stepped out in front of the vehicles. Thankfully, the weapon systems on the various vehicles were mounted higher up, so even the tall drone wouldn¡¯t be in the line of fire. Now, only fifty yards away, I could make out the man in front of us a bit better, the view improving as the vehicle lights came on, showing the man and the rabbits in greater detail. With Top and the four soldiers in the track flanking me, I moved forward. I didn¡¯t move far, just twenty feet or so, enough that I wouldn¡¯t have to shout at the top of my lungs to be heard over the rumbling diesel engines of the idling vehicles. The man duplicated my move, heading forward with only a trio of rabbits at his side. These rabbits were true monsters, and many were as big as a horse, rather than the dog-sized creatures we¡¯d already gunned down. Their visage was a horror show, as each of the giant white rabbit companions had their muzzles covered in gore. It dripped down and stained their coats a dark red, and I was glad I was too far away to smell the beasts. ¡°A fellow anointed one, welcome!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Anointed one? What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°The great ones have touched you, as they have me. I was granted power by them, power to guide my friends as they ascend to replace man as the dominant species. With your aid, we can turn the tide on these relics of Earth¡¯s past power. Guns, vehicles, and soldiers will soon fail and are no match for what we can do. I see you are a summoner. Your minions are not the same as mine, but they, and all the minions of the anointed ones, shall be welcome,¡± the man, obviously mad, shouted. I had no desire to debate this guy, and was pretty sure this was going to go badly for him once the talking was over. Despite that, he might have some information that we would need. First, I had to determine how long he had been a summoned being. ¡°Top, I¡¯m not going crazy or anything, but I need to play along with this guy for a bit so we can see what he knows,¡± I whispered to Top before replying to the crazed man. ¡°I see that you are like me. Tell me, friend, what is your name, and how long have you been under the System¡¯s guidance as a summoned being?¡± I shouted. ¡°My name is no longer relevant to what I have become. I am now the Warren Master and that is what I shall be called. As far as a summoned being, I¡¯m not familiar with that. Is it the title that the great ones have bestowed upon you?¡± the man asked. ¡°Warren, do you mind if I call you that? How long have you been anointed? It seems you have built up much since your anointing occurred,¡± I asked. ¡°Warren, hm, that is fine. I¡¯ve been blessed by the great ones for a mere week and look at what I¡¯ve amassed. Now, brother, shake off these soldiers that try to bind you to the old world. Kill them with my aid and we will find you a place to rule that befits your station,¡± the man said. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Warren, and I can¡¯t let your freaks hurt anyone else. Surrender, and I¡¯ll see that you are treated fairly,¡± I ordered, whispering to Top to get ready to fire. ¡°You seek to command me? You think the power of your failing technology is sufficient to stop my people! No, fool, if you will not join me and share in the power of the great ones, my pets will feast upon your flesh and take your power for themselves!¡± the man shouted maniacally before beginning to babble and gesture toward us. ¡°Contact rear, more rabbits moving up on our six,¡± one of the men in the MRAPs advised over comms. ¡°My turret traverse is jammed, moving to manual,¡± the Bradley commander replied. ¡°Mine too, turret is a no go,¡± one of the MRAPs announced. ¡°He¡¯s casting some kind of mass fail weapons spell, fire while we still can!¡± I shouted before ordering my minions into action. Only two of the MRAPs opened fire, one pointing to the rear, and one that had zeroed in on Warren. His giant rabbits jumped in front of him, absorbing the first strikes as the rest of the rabbits charged. The soldiers around me opened fire, cutting down the rabbits with ease as the drone began to lob grenades into their midst. The rest of the platoon exited the MRAPs and added their fire to the mix. I could see Warren running into the night and was just about to cast switch and replace to appear near him when an arrow from Glurk¡¯s longbow slammed into his back, causing the crazed man to stumble. He regained his feet, only to be cut in half by a burst of .50 caliber rounds. After that, the surviving rabbits went into a rage and began fighting amongst themselves as well as trying to get at the soldiers. It took only a few minutes before we were able to cut down the last of the changed creatures. ¡°Cease fire, get some teams out to collect that Warren guy¡¯s remains,¡± Top ordered as he began organizing the platoon. ¡°You did good, Rico, maybe that conversation will turn something up. We also have some weapons jammed by mana that we can examine. You saved lives tonight, son,¡± Top said. ¡°We did, but we didn¡¯t save everyone,¡± I replied, looking at the bloody muzzles of the giant rabbits that had defended Warren. Their own blood mixed with that of their victims, and I couldn¡¯t help but think about those victims as we secured the area. Even a victory with system changed creatures had a cost. How much worse was this going to get? Chapter 317. Aftermath. Chapter 317. Aftermath. The platoon was going to stay on scene to secure the area until the recovery teams came in to clean up. What the scientists would find from mutated rabbits, I had no idea. Maybe, with the other data they¡¯d uncovered from summoned beings, our scientists would work out some way to help combat this type of thing once our modern weapons lost their effectiveness. It was a bit scary to see it in action, this one person with system powers, had been able to jam up several heavy weapons. What would happen once most of the population was integrated? At least the soldiers I was with had trained alongside my minions, and were as prepared as they could have been for the fight. Oddly enough, the man commanding the rabbits, Warren, claimed that he wasn¡¯t a summoned being. What did that mean if people other than those of us who were summoned beings, started to gain powers. I knew the mana levels were climbing quickly, so I had to expect the integration was going to happen much faster than anticipated. Agent Lopez had the soldiers shuttle me back to the command post they¡¯d set up for the operation. I had to dismiss my minions since they wouldn¡¯t fit in the vehicle, so there was going to be a bit of a cooldown before I could call them forth again. At least I had a sizeable collection of consumable figurines to use here on Earth. ¡°Rico, good work out there. What can you tell me about the guy you fought?¡± Lopez asked once he hustled me into a large tent full of equipment. Others were there, mostly technicians and communications people. One younger soldier documented our conversation with a small camera. ¡°His powers were odd, and he as obviously the one in command of the rabbits. I don¡¯t know if he created them, or just developed powers to control them after the system mutated the creatures. The strange part is that he claimed he wasn¡¯t a summoned being,¡± I explained. ¡°That¡¯s odd, but not the first time we¡¯ve run across this. I was going to debrief you later on the newest developments, but this emergency popped up and delayed our meeting. Several people around the world have developed system powers. Most are weak, and are only tier zero, rank zero or so. A few, like what you just faced, seem to be prodigies as far as system powers go,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Sir, the current count of system inducted individuals, including the one our team just killed, is at 17,¡± the soldier with the camera added. ¡°Thanks Davis, the total has gone up from the twelve we knew of just two days ago. The rate of mana saturation is increasing, and if we know of 17, that means there are probably a lot more out there, most of whom are probably confused and scared about what¡¯s happening to them,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I take it were watching hospitals and the like. Most people might be like I was in the beginning, thinking they¡¯re having a stroke or going through some mental health episode,¡± I said remembering when I was first chosen as a summoned being. It seemed so long ago, but it had been less than six months. While the time here on Earth had been limited, I suppose a lot more time had passed when you considered how long all my summonings had lasted. Just helping Fitzfazzle deal with Pharox had taken weeks, even though no time had passed on Earth. Thinking of my gnomish friend, I checked his figurine, confirming he was still on cooldown. ¡°We¡¯ve got several teams out there searching for any hint of a system inducted person. Is there anything else you can tell us about this Warren guy that you fought? Did he tell you about his class? What powers did he reveal?¡± Agent Lopez asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t get too far with his class, he was mental, and our conversation was a short one. What I can tell you is that he already had a version of the Fail Weapons spell. Not only that, but it was also a pretty powerful area of effect one. Several of the vehicles had guns jam and the like, but there were too many of us for him to deal with,¡± I explained. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bode well, though it is in line with what we¡¯ve found from the other system inducted people. About half were inducted with Fail Weapons and the Linguistic Adaptation Interface. For the ones that turn hostile or crazy, we at least have the advantage of their mana running out quickly. ¡°Earth¡¯s mana levels are high enough now that you should start to see some slow regeneration, like a point or two a day. It¡¯ll still suck the mana out of devices and enchanted items, so be careful what you bring back with you, but most summoned beings are now able to pull a tiny trickle of mana from the environment,¡± Lopez said.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°This guy was controlling the rabbits, had been for some time, it seems. Not only that, but he was also chain casting Fail Weapons. That doesn¡¯t seem like a tier zero, rank zero kind of mana pool,¡± I said. ¡°I agree, but we¡¯ll not get any answers out of him. Things are moving fast, Rico, and I know you¡¯re closing in on tier three soon. Do what you can to keep helping the soldiers train while you¡¯re still around, Lopez said. ¡°You know I will, though these guys all just got a big dose of real experience after seeing the monsters in action. I¡¯m sure my minions have helped with their training, but it¡¯s a different story when the monsters are actually trying to kill you,¡± I added. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right, and it¡¯s funny, you sound like a grizzled veteran yourself now,¡± Lopez said. I thought for a few seconds before replying. ¡°It¡¯s probably because I am. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been in combat dozens of times. I¡¯ve even been killed dozens of times. Not only that, but I¡¯ve also seen horrors that words can¡¯t adequately explain. So, yeah, I suppose I am a combat veteran now,¡± I replied. ¡°I suppose you are, Rico. Just like with the combat veterans in the military, we¡¯re going to need to leverage your experience as much as we can to save as many lives as possible. The platoon you¡¯ve been working with is being rotated out tomorrow, they¡¯ve gotten their hands dirty and it¡¯s time to bring in some fresh meat for you to train with,¡± Lopez advised. ¡°No problem, though I should probably get back home so I can sleep before meeting the new trainees,¡± I said, hoping that would trigger Lopez to have someone drive me back. ¡°Trucks will be leaving in a few to bring back the vehicles with the malfunctioning guns. We want our techs to dig into that back on base. Oh, there was one bright spot of information I almost forgot to tell you,¡± Lopez said. ¡°What¡¯s that, I could use some good news,¡± I replied. ¡°It turns out that not all the new system inducted people are getting combat classes. Of the ones we know about, we have a nurse, a chef, and a construction worker that all received classes that are related to their work. Everyone seems to get some combat ability that they can use to defend themselves with, but the theory is that most of Earth¡¯s people will have classes not directly related to combat,¡± Lopez said. ¡°That is good news. Having a world full of warriors, wizards, and rogues was going to be a recipe for disaster. I suppose Jeanette at Refuge is that kind of class, even as a summoned being,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, she is, though it¡¯s really uncommon for summoned beings to have non-combat classes. The whole nature of your existence is to be called into trouble,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you guys still have that summoning contract I gave you. It seemed like the system was setting it up so that the contract could be used even if I pulled into wherever the summoned beings are going. I¡¯ll also make sure to store all my consumables in the top drawer of my dresser at home. If something happens to me, distribute them as you see fit,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ve got that summoning contract set aside for an emergency,¡± Lopez replied. I had to wait around for another half hour or so as they loaded up the trailers with our armored vehicles. The trip back home went quickly enough, and I napped on the way back. Just before we pulled onto post, I got a call from Julio at Refuge. ¡°Rico, are you heading back home soon?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m on my way, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, a bit worried that he¡¯d call me at this late hour. ¡°It¡¯s Marie and Jeanette. I think they¡¯ve both been pulled away by the system. They¡¯re gone, and from the security cameras, neither has left Refuge,¡± Julio said. ¡°I hate to see them gone, but both were over tier three, so it was probably inevitable,¡± I said, saddened to hear that two of the summoned beings I trusted the most were gone to wherever it was we were all being sent. ¡°Yeah, we had sort of expected that, but I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you weren¡¯t confused if you went looking for them. How close are you to tier three? I know not everyone is taken away exactly at tier three, rank zero, but I¡¯d like to at least prepare for another departure,¡± Julio said. ¡°I¡¯m as close as you can probably get, Julio, I¡¯m tier two, rank nine. My next summoning will push me over the edge, though who knows if I¡¯ll be taken then, or sent back home again,¡± I explained. ¡°Whenever that happens, remember that you¡¯ll have people back on Earth waiting for your return,¡± Julio said. ¡°I know that, I just wish I could remain behind to help with all the system insanity,¡± I said. ¡°You and all the others have done great. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re exactly ready, but at least enough people in the right positions know what¡¯s about to hit and are preparing for it. I¡¯m almost excited to see that class I¡¯ll get once the system takes over,¡± Julio said. ¡°Ha, you¡¯ll probably get something cool. I suppose I¡¯ll have to wait to find out,¡± I replied. Julio was older than me, but he had been a great friend and helped me to find my place among the others at Reforged. If anyone was going to get a good class, and survive any chaos, it was him. When I finally got back to Refuge later that night, it seemed like something was missing. I don¡¯t know if it was Jeanette¡¯s class skills being absent, or if it was just that feeling of knowing people you expected to see wouldn¡¯t be there. My days were busy enough that I didn¡¯t dwell on it too much, though I was a bit anxious about what was going to happen to me after tier three. Chapter 318. Dog and Pony Show. Chapter 318. Dog and Pony Show. The next morning, I headed back to base and met the new unit I would be training with. By now, the training curriculum was well sorted, and I was able to quickly get to work. Meeting the new units, I was surprised that not all were military this time. I was working with a platoon of Marines, but there were also a dozen law enforcement personnel, four paramedics, and a score of civilians. Many of these weren¡¯t necessarily here for combat training, that would be the focus of the Marines and law enforcement, the others were here just to learn how to interact with system enhanced people and the various powers they might run into once integration occurred. My time was split between hard combat training, room clearing, and weapons discussions, while also essentially giving lectures on what I knew of the system. It seemed strange to be the instructor, since I was still relatively new to all this. Still, I had the experience of being in dozens of worlds and had faced an incredible array of odd situations. Elliot was still assisting, and that let us divide and conquer at times to keep the training flowing. Elliot¡¯s flashy fire magic was a big hit with the Marines, but my minions seemed to win over the civilians. The Marines and law enforcement personnel soon learned to hate my minions as they went through various combat scenarios. They were unprepared for the odd magic, abilities, and outright power many of my minions possessed. Our training exercises got rough a few times, but other than the normal injuries you¡¯d expect from this type of training, everyone was fine. About three days into training, Agent Lopez turned up at the end of the day and pulled me and Elliot aside to talk. ¡°I wanted to get both of you together to go over some changes. Tomorrow night, the President and most of the other world leaders, will be making an announcement. They¡¯ll explain what the system is and the pending integration we¡¯re going to go through. Since we expect there might be some turmoil, we¡¯d like to bring all the summoned beings and their families here on post, that way, we can keep you safe and avoid any issues you might have as things go public,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Why do we have to move. Just because the announcement is made, nobody knows who the summoned beings are,¡± Elliot argued, and I actually agreed with him. ¡°That brings up the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. The president has requested some summoned beings to appear during the announcement to demonstrate their powers. I suggested you two as part of that demonstration, since you¡¯re both experienced, and you have very different sets of system abilities. ¡°If you decline to join the dog and pony show, of course you can remain off post, but if you agree to help with the demonstration, you can expect a lot of public attention which would make it necessary to stay on post,¡± Agent Lopez explained. ¡°Do we get paid? My time is valuable,¡± Elliot asked. ¡°Shut up, Elliot, unless you¡¯ve been foolish with your summoning rewards, you probably have more money than 95% of the country,¡± I chastised. It was good to question what Lopez was offering, but Elliot was drifting back into just being an annoying teen. ¡°You can get paid, but I don¡¯t think dollars will be all that important soon. You¡¯re better off keeping your system coins on hand to be honest,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about the financial implications of the integration. I¡¯m just glad it¡¯s not something you expect me to deal with. If you think it¡¯ll help with the announcement, I¡¯d be glad to join the demonstration. What exactly did you have in mind?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you in, Elliot?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Sure, why not. I¡¯ll probably get a movie deal once Hollywood sees what I can do,¡± Elliot said.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Maybe, but movie production is about to change quite a bit. As far as what is being requested of the demonstration, we wanted you to show off your various fire spells, Elliot,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Will people even believe it? Won¡¯t they just think its CGI or some nonsense?¡± I asked. ¡°A sizeable minority probably will, and I have no doubt all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories will crop up after the announcement. We¡¯re not doing this to convince the fringe, we¡¯re doing this to prepare the vast majority of our people and get their buy in for the things that need to change,¡± Lopez said. ¡°I take it you want me to summon minions to show people about the other creatures and threats that are out there?¡± I asked. ¡°Exactly, and to show some of the variety in classes that people can acquire. We¡¯re going to showcase both combat related classes like most summoned beings possess, as well as some of the ones focused on a profession or direct support. You both have the Fail Weapons spell, right?¡± Lopez asked. ¡°Yes,¡± we both replied. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll also have you use them on several firearms, computers, and the like. We need to show people that technology isn¡¯t going to save them, though I should mention that our scientists have some interesting ideas to change our power grid, and other infrastructure over to a mana-based system quickly after integration,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Where is the demonstration going to happen?¡± I asked, wondering if a long airline flight was in my immediate future. ¡°Your portion will be broadcast from here, on base. We want to show how our first responders are already preparing. Several news teams will arrive, and some independent experts to confirm that what the people are seeing is real. It¡¯ll all take place tomorrow evening at 5pm,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We¡¯ll be here, and ready to go,¡± I replied. ¡°Great, I¡¯ve arranged movers to have your stuff brought over. There is some on post housing that¡¯s clear, so you won¡¯t have to live in the barracks or anything like that. Elliot, your family will be brought over as well. Rico, I know you have a sister, and we¡¯ll arrange some security for her and her family,¡± Lopez said. ¡°Thanks, do you think that¡¯s necessary?¡± I asked. ¡°No, but it is a reasonable precaution. The press will sniff out everything about your background and I don¡¯t want anyone to hassle your relatives. There¡¯s a special protection order for summoned beings that the president will sign into law tonight. It¡¯ll help us keep the paparazzi and stalkers away,¡± Lopez explained. ¡°Thanks for that, is there anything else you needed from us tonight? I¡¯d like to get dinner and then pack up if you¡¯ve got movers coming,¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, and thank you again for all your help,¡± Agent Lopez said, making a point to shake both of our hands. He was always so cool and collected, but I could see that even he was nervous when he talked about tomorrow¡¯s announcement. For the first time in too long, I thought about my sister. We¡¯d never been that close, especially once we left home and went about our lives. Still, I didn¡¯t want to see any harm happen to her or her family. Maybe this whole situation would bring us closer together. Her husband was a nice enough guy, but I¡¯d only met him a couple of times at family holidays and at their wedding. The last time we¡¯d spoken, back in December, they were planning to start a family. For all I knew, I might be an uncle soon. Thoughts of being the cool uncle with superpowers made me smile. Yeah, reconnecting with my family was probably something I needed to make an effort to do. Melvin sent me images of food as we drove off post. To nobody¡¯s surprise, he wanted tacos again. I headed to the hole in the wall place that Julio had gotten me hooked on and bought a family pack of tacos and burritos. Melvin liked their super spicy sauce, but I was more of a mild salsa guy, so I had to get both, and some extra chips. Eating with Melvin while he was in armor form was strange. He would gather most of his mass in one place, usually on my leg. I¡¯d drop a taco onto the gelatinous lump, and he eagerly start dissolving the food. I was full after two tacos and half a burrito, but Melvin finished off the rest with no problem. Packing up wasn¡¯t too hard, I didn¡¯t have all that much, just enough furniture to fill up a tiny one-bedroom apartment. My clothes fit in a single, large duffel bag that I¡¯d snagged from the base, and other than a pair of backpacks, that was all I needed for my personal items. The movers arrived later, around 9pm, and they worked quickly and efficiently. I don¡¯t know where Agent Lopez had found movers that worked all night, but we were packed and back on post in just a couple of hours. A corporal was waiting at the gate to guide me to my new digs. To my surprise, it was a small, two-bedroom house. Though it was much more than I needed, it was nice to not share apartment walls with anyone else. The movers unpacked as efficiently as they had packed, and just after midnight, I was officially moved in. After a shower, I headed to bed. The big show was tomorrow, and I still needed to work with my new training group before Elliot and I were pulled away for the announcement stuff. Instead of waking up early to get ready for my busy day, the system decided it was time for me to be called again. You are Summoned! Chapter 319. Confounding Contracts. Chapter 319. Confounding Contracts. I felt anxious in a way I hadn¡¯t felt since my first few summoning¡¯s. This whole process was old hat now, but it was also possible that something big would change for me on this summoning series. Information on my current summoning appeared as I stepped through the portal. Your summoning parameters are as follows:
  1. You are being summoned via a contract with the shopkeeper Clayton Yon.
  2. Summoning tier, 2.
  3. Summoning rank, 9.
  4. Rewards level, moderate.
  5. This summons is for defensive purposes. Combat is likely, prepare accordingly.
  6. Forced compliance is active.
  7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.
I stepped out of the portal and into Clayton Yon¡¯s shop in Somhagen. It was odd being summoned to a city I¡¯d been to several times already. My summoner link led to Clayton Yon and his wife Eleanor who stood there, both with intense fear etched into their faces. Remembering that he had lost his son when a summoned being had slacked on the job, I steeled myself to do all I could for this couple. ¡°You came, not that I doubted you, but well, yes, I suppose I did doubt you¡¯d come to help us,¡± Clayton stammered. ¡°What can I help you two with, are you in danger?¡± I said, summoning my team as I looked around the shop. It was dark out and the store was closed. A few lamps remained lit, giving me enough light to see most of the place. It was quiet, and other the older couple in front of me, I didn¡¯t detect anyone else around. ¡°We are, it¡¯s a mistake we made, and I¡¯m sorry I had my husband drag you into this,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°See, Eleanor, look at all the minions that Rico has at his disposal. I know we¡¯ll be safe from that thing now,¡± Clayton said, trying to comfort his wife as the last of my minions, Blieek, appeared. ¡°What exactly is the threat you¡¯re both so worried about?¡± I said with confidence. I had my minions, full mana, and excellent gear that should prove more than enough for whoever, or whatever was threatening these people. ¡°It¡¯s a creature, we can¡¯t say its name. We made a bargain with it, a bargain that allowed our shop to prosper. Now, the creature is coming to claim the price for our success,¡± Eleanor warned. ¡°I¡¯m still not getting any details here. What were the terms of the deal, and what is this creature coming to collect. Even more important, what kind of threat is this thing?¡± I asked, getting a bit impatient with the pair, but trying to calm myself and realize that they weren¡¯t exactly experts at dealing with deadly threats. ¡°Let me, Eleanor,¡± Clayton said, his wife nodding in reply. ¡°A creature, he seemed harmless enough, came to our shop not long ago. He offered a contract to have a guaranteed stream of customers shop here. He¡¯d give us prosperity, and, I have to say, he at least followed through on his end of the bargain,¡± Clayton said. ¡°So, this creature offered you a contract but didn¡¯t tell you what was required of you? Come on, Clayton, you¡¯re a businessman, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d fall for something like that, you¡¯re not that dumb,¡± I said. ¡°My Clayton is not that dumb, I am,¡± Eleanor said, tears cutting trails across the wrinkled face of the distraught woman. ¡°You didn¡¯t know any better, honey, you just wanted us to be financially secure. Rico, when you first met me, I wasn¡¯t doing well. There was a good chance we¡¯d lose the shop and our place in Somhagen. We¡¯re too old to start over new somewhere else, and my failure was slowly eating away at me. My wife knew this and accepted the contract behind my back,¡± he paused for a minute, reaching out and holding his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°We didn¡¯t know the true extent of what he was demanding of her until it came back recently and told Eleanor what was required of her, and that he¡¯d be here tonight to collect on the debt,¡± Clayton said.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to see you beaten down and sad all the time. I figured if the shop did well, I could provide whatever help that thing required, then return to your side,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°I know you meant well, honey, you just didn¡¯t know what you were dealing with. Don¡¯t worry, Rico¡¯s here and he¡¯ll protect us from that thing,¡± Clayton said. ¡°Do you have a copy of the contract? I¡¯m no lawyer, but I have one I can summon if we need to,¡± I said, thinking that Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s services might be required here more than those of my minions. ¡°I don¡¯t, it was all done through the system, and when I signed, I only read that it would require a year of my time as an employee for this creature, and it promised that I wouldn¡¯t have any physical harm come to me. But the thing lied, it wants so much more than I can give,¡± Eleanor said. I felt an oppressive wave of energy surge behind me, like a portal gone wrong had just opened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a copy of the contract if you need to see it again. Heya, Rico, fancy seeing you here,¡± a familiar voice said from behind me as Eleanor and Clayton began to shake in fear. ¡°Gary?¡± I said turning around. His visits to Somhagen, and no longer needing to tag along with me to get here, were starting to make sense. ¡°In the flesh, buddy. You know these two? Clayton and Eleanor are wonderful people. Just the kind of folks I like to do business with. You know the type, kindhearted and desperate, my favorite combination,¡± Gary said with a smile, as he walked toward us from a red portal that snapped shut behind him with an audible pop. ¡°I know these two, and they summoned me to help. What kind of deal did you work out with them?¡± I asked Gary. ¡°The usual stuff. I give them financial prosperity, grow their failing business, and all for just a bit of service in return. My deal with Eleanor here was for her to become an employee of my organization for a year, and then she¡¯d be returned home, free of any physical harm,¡± Gary said. ¡°What kind of services?¡± I asked, almost dreading the answer. ¡°Ah, just simple stuff really. I typically have new employees focus on powering my devices with their souls, and that sort of thing. I always keep my word, and she will return here hale of body and in perfect physical health, albeit without her immortal soul. See, it¡¯s all here in the contract,¡± Gary said, handing over a scroll. ¡°Ooh, yeah, just let me cover this part, it¡¯s my name and you wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally see that or bad things, completely outside of my control, will happen,¡± Gary said, the parchment was unrolled to the correct section, and certain spots, probably where Gary had signed is name, were blurred out. ¡­In return for the promised business enhancements, the contracted being known as Eleanor Yon, agrees to one year of employment, the type of which is to be determined by the other contracted party. After the year of service, she will be returned in perfect physical shape and without any lasting physical wounds or ailments¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t see any mention of souls here. It looks like a typical job contract,¡± I said. ¡°It is a typical job contract, at least for my kind. I promised not to harm her physically, I said nothing about harming her spiritually. That¡¯s the currency I deal with, as you know,¡± Gary said. ¡°Not with our deal, it was strictly a rental agreement for coins, not souls,¡± I replied. ¡°Bah, a one-off since you had what I needed at the time. Tell you what, Rico, do you want to switch with Eleanor here? I¡¯ll give you a great rate, only three months of service, and these kind folks can go about their newly profitable lives in peace,¡± Gary offered. ¡°No deals Gary, in fact, let me call someone that might help us parse out this contract,¡± I said, willing my link with Tzes¡¯zod to activate. Somehow, the system made the connection, and another portal opened behind me. The lich, Tzes¡¯zod was covered by the wacky gnome illusion again, which, hopefully, would keep the Yon¡¯s from freaking out even more. ¡°Rico, how may I be of service?¡± Tzes¡¯zod asked. ¡°I was summoned by these folks, who have a contract with Gary. Can you review the contract and tell me if it¡¯s valid and if Gary can try to take Eleanor away and drain her soul?¡± I asked. ¡°Woah, buddy, you may want me to cover up some bits there before you start reading,¡± Gary said as Tzes¡¯zod grabbed the contract. ¡°I shall review the contract in its entirety,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. I tried to warn him, but the lich began to read through the entire thing at breakneck speed, and Gary¡¯s true name seemed to have no effect on him. ¡°Hey, wait a minute, you¡¯re not a gnome,¡± Gary said, snapping his fingers which caused Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s illusion to disappear. Eleanor gave a fresh gasp of fright at the sight of the lich and passed out. Thankfully, Khurr was close by and caught the woman before she slammed onto the hardwood floor. ¡°I should have known, you¡¯re that lich guy that freeloads off of Rico¡¯s generosity,¡± Gary said with some anger in his voice. Normally, Gary kept up a jovial demeanor and seemed unflappable, but something about Tzes¡¯zod caused that veneer of joviality to momentarily disappear. ¡°Please avoid any interruptions, there are many details here that I need to investigate,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Though a lich didn¡¯t exactly have facial features, I got the distinct impression that he was determined to best the evil imp at his own game. Chapter 320. Faceoff. Chapter 320. Faceoff. ¡°Rico, I almost forgot, here¡¯s the ring I promised you. I may as well give it to you now. As you know, I¡¯m rarely in your personal space these days and who knows when we¡¯ll cross paths in there again. Sadly, it¡¯s not something I can entrust one of your minions to hand off, as it requires a personal activation,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, handing me a simple steel band. Trusting that Tzes¡¯zod had a reason for the whole ring shenanigans, I slid it over my index finger and found that the ring sized itself to fit perfectly. You have acquired. Ring of Telepathic Communication, minor. This ring will allow you to speak telepathically with the holder of a matched ring. The range of this ability is 100 yards, and the rings can only be used for up to 1 hour per day. ¡°I assume you can hear me now. If you can, try to concentrate on thinking your reply, not saying it verbally,¡± Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s voice called in my mind. ¡°Yes, I can hear you, are you hearing me okay?¡± I replied. ¡°Perfectly. Now, we have little time to deal with this contract issue and Gary has obviously put a lot of planning into bringing about this confrontation. There are a couple of problems here. One, if you move against Gary and attempt to stop him from harming the couple, you will break your rental agreement with him. If that happens it will allow him to retaliate back in your personal space,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What do I do then? I have to at least try to stop him, or my summoning compulsion will kick in. Other than that, I have a scroll that will complete this summoning, but that will doom these people,¡± I said. ¡°There are two tracks we can utilize. One, the easiest route is to activate the scroll and wash your hands of the matter. This is also the safest route, but it is one that may be more problematic in the future. The other option is for you to wait until your summoning compulsion kicks in. If you attack Gary due to your summoning compulsion, and not of your own volition, you will technically not be voiding the rental agreement, since you¡¯re not in control of your actions,¡± Tzes¡¯zod offered. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s no real risk if I allow the summoning compulsion to activate?¡± I asked. ¡°No more so than you would normally experience by having a death during a summoning. There is nothing Gary can do to you other than destroy your body. To damage your soul requires voluntary agreement on your part. However, there may also be an advantage to a future problem regarding ownership of your personal space if you allow your summoning compulsion to kick in,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Hey, I get you¡¯re undead and have all the time in the world, but you need to pick up the pace here buddy. I don¡¯t have all day to waste while some third-party, third-rate barrister reads through all the fine print of a boilerplate contract that every infernal uses. Need I remind you, lich, that I¡¯m only giving you time to read that as a courtesy for my buddy, Rico,¡± Gary complained. ¡°My time of delay is almost at an end, and my advice is to allow your summoning compulsion to kick in. Gary likely knows that loophole, and I suspect he will abandon his attempt to collect the debt at this time. You may not be able to protect these humans as you desire to, but you can grant them a bit more time,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m sorry to tell you, Rico, but it seems that this contract is in order,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, handing the sulfurous-smelling document back to Gary. ¡°There you have it, just like I said. Everything is above board, and the system obviously approves of the deal I struck. Now, let me gather up Eleanor, I think I have the perfect spot for her. Have you ever heard of a soul-powered portal generator? It¡¯s a wonderful device, though, since her soul will be the one powering it, I suppose the experience won¡¯t be all that wonderful for Eleanor,¡± Gary taunted. ¡°He¡¯s trying to anger you into attacking him. Do not allow the imp to succeed. I suspect there is also some subtle mind magic at work here,¡± Tzes¡¯zod warned just as I could feel rage build up inside me. With Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s warning, I was able to recognize and shake off the influence.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Your Mental Intrusion resistance has fended off an Infuriating Presence aura. My mind calmed, and I waited to see what Gary would do next, though I was a little annoyed that the system didn¡¯t determine Gary¡¯s aura to be a direct attack. We both stared at each other, and I could see anger roiling behind the imp¡¯s eyes. Gary kept up his carefree demeanor, but I think he realized that his ploy to get me to attack him wasn¡¯t going to work. ¡°Step aside, Rico, I¡¯m claiming what¡¯s mine,¡± Gary said. ¡°Sorry, Gary, but when you try to do that, my summoning compulsion will kick in, and I¡¯ll be forced to try and stop you. Since were such good buddies and all, I¡¯d hate for that to happen,¡± I replied with a bit more sarcasm than I probably should have. It was never wise to taunt powerful infernal creatures that could steal your soul. ¡°Hm, your lich friend tipped you off, did he. Don¡¯t worry lich, I¡¯ve dealt with your kind before, and you¡¯ve made an enemy this day,¡± Gary said, dark flames beginning to waft from his body. ¡°And I have dealt with your kind as well. I suspect that we were slated to be enemies from the day you entered Rico¡¯s personal space. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t realize what is about to happen,¡± Tzes¡¯zod taunted. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted too much time here, but don¡¯t worry Eleanor, I¡¯ll be back soon to collect when my buddy isn¡¯t here to save you. Later, Rico,¡± Gary said, giving Tzes¡¯zod another glare before he conjured up a glowing red portal that he entered. After his earlier comment to Eleanor, I thought I could almost hear the anguish of the poor soul that was powering Gary¡¯s portal. ¡°He¡¯s gone, you¡¯ve saved us, Rico. Thank you so much,¡± Clayton said, his fear dissipating enough that he was trying to revive the still unconscious Eleanor. ¡°The contract still stands between these people and Gary, Rico, though I believe you may soon have the means to nullify it. I do feel the need to warn you not to create a new contract with these humans. Now that you know the parties involved in the dispute, the system will not recognize your innocence if they call you for help again and your compulsion causes you to attack Gary,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He held out his bony hand and I returned the telepathic ring to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to stop Gary for good,¡± I said to Clayton. ¡°This might not be over for us yet, but you¡¯ve given me time with my wife. Every extra minute with her is a gift at this point, and for that, I¡¯m grateful,¡± Clayton said as Eleanor started to revive. ¡°I shall leave now, Rico, though I¡¯ll be waiting for you in your personal space. There is much more we need to discuss, and important events are transpiring that you will have a hand in deciding,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, teleporting away through a normal enough looking portal. At least, unlike Gary, the lich wasn¡¯t harvesting souls to power his movements. ¡°Again, I apologize that I couldn¡¯t do more for you. I also can¡¯t create a new contract now that I know who you¡¯ll be calling me to defend you from,¡± I warned. ¡°You¡¯ve done all you could, Rico,¡± Clayton said with a forced smile. My summoning ended at that moment, and I entered the void as the system announced my performance. You have completed the terms of the contracted summoning. This summoning is now complete. Your ranking for this summoning is Excellent. Your rewards will reflect your current Tier and Rank, as well as your summoning rating of Excellent. You have earned 39 experience points. You have earned 52 summoning points. Congratulations You have reached Tier 3, Rank 0. You have gained 1 point in Strength. You have gained 1 point in Agility. You have gained 1 point in Constitution. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You have gained 1 point in Presence. New class evolution options are available. Please review your status once inside your personal space. The system has determined that your time as a summoned being is at an end. You may return to Earth once the integration of that world is complete, and the residents have a chance to acclimate to the system. New options and rewards will be available to you shortly. You will now be returned to your personal space. This was it; I¡¯d reached tier three and wasn¡¯t going back home until the system integration was over with. I was torn, and I found myself both excited about what was coming, and still concerned over what my world was about to go though. I did take some pride in the fact that I had done my part in preparing my world for the system. ¡°Welcome home, sir,¡± Whirtmir said as I exited the portal and returned to my personal space. Questions flooded my mind almost as fast as the system prompts that appeared. For now, I hid the system prompts and would deal with them in order once my mind calmed down a bit. Melvin sent me his support through our mental link, and I knew that whatever the system had in store for me in the future, I wanted my friend Melvin to remain at my side. He seemed to echo the feelings and sent me images of us sitting in my car eating tacos and also of him absorbing damage as my armored protector. ¡°Thanks Melvin, you¡¯re a good friend,¡± I said to the slime as he switched from his armor form to the normal, happy cube of gelatinous goo. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m afraid there are developments regarding your personal space that need to be attended to. Speaking with your pet is a distraction you cannot afford at this time,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, standing from his desk and looking exactly like the ominous undead creature he was. Chapter 321. Unexpected Options. Chapter 321. Unexpected Options. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Tzes¡¯zod?¡± I asked. Before he could answer, a system prompt that demanded I read it appeared. Your time as a summoned being is ending, and along with the other changes you¡¯ll experience, your personal space will also undergo a change. Please select your class evolution and once that is completed, a destination for the next stage of your life will be offered, and the disposition of your personal space can be managed. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what I can, though from the glazed look in your eye, the system is beginning its own explanation,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°Yes, I have to evolve my class, then I¡¯ll be sent somewhere else. My personal space is supposed to change, and with your phylactery in my reward chest, I assume that you¡¯re concerned about what will happen to it,¡± I said. So far, the system didn¡¯t seem to be rushing me, so I¡¯d try to get as much information, and perhaps advice on my class evolution from Tzes¡¯zod as I could. ¡°You¡¯re correct. With your time as a summoned being ending, the personal space will change, likely transform into some sort of personal storage or temporary refuge that only you can access. You may no longer have a reward chest once the changes occur, and currently, my phylactery is being held by the system until all these variables are worked out,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, and though he had no facial expressions, I felt he was being evasive to some extent. ¡°Other factors? Explain,¡± I replied. ¡°I only recently discovered about the changes to your personal space that are about to occur. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t an area of research that intrigued me until I sought out your personal space as a haven for my phylactery. As the system prepares for these changes, you should know that others can make a claim and attempt to gain compensation for what they can no longer use. To lay claim to your space, the being must have some existing, and extensive connection to it. ¡°Typically, a new contract would be negotiated by all parties involved and things would continue much as they have been. In some rare situations, a being can try to make a demand for the entire space. To make a takeover demand, residency must be established and extensive modification to their contracted section of your personal space must have been completed,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°Let me guess, Gary is going to make some play for this space,¡± I said, thinking back to all the noise that we had dealt with early on after he had moved in. I had the sinking suspicion that those sounds were in relation to the ¡°extensive modifications¡± that Tzes¡¯zod had just mentioned. ¡°Correct, and you¡¯ll have a decision to make when he does,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°What¡¯s that decision?¡± I asked. ¡°You can willingly give him your personal space, and perhaps even arrange for him to provide some additional payment, or you can contest it and fight the creature for control,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I can¡¯t fight Gary, that would be suicide. Isn¡¯t there some other option? Hey, you¡¯re essentially a resident here, why don¡¯t you challenge me and Gary for control. You¡¯re the only one who could probably stand up to him,¡± I asked. ¡°I have no claim, as I only occupy a small fraction of your reward chest inventory and have made no modifications. In addition, my phylactery is not considered permanent residency. It would be more beneficial to both of us if I remain neutral, or ally with you when you resist Gary¡¯s challenge,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°If the only choice is to fight Gary or hand over the personal space, I don¡¯t see that there really is anything else I can do other than turn it over. Why is this place so important anyway? There are plenty of magical storage items out there, sure this might be a bigger location and have some other perks like the training room if the system keeps it around, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯d risk my life over,¡± I replied. ¡°Places like this are highly sought after. A magical storage item can be taken when the owner is killed, or, through moderately powerful magic, even stolen from their person. Here, you have a location that is protected by the system, one that is shielded from nearly all scrying attempts, and one that the system itself will prevent others from entering. ¡°For someone like me, or Gary, it is the perfect refuge. It¡¯s one he¡¯d be willing to risk much to acquire. It¡¯s also one that could greatly benefit your world once you return to it,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°How can it benefit my world?¡± I asked. The fact the personal space was protected from scrying and hard to enter was great, but not something I was willing to fight Gary for. A single wave of his hand would obliterate me and everything I could summon.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Imagine, when you return to your world, that this space is filled with items to help your people. You could store gear, mana-powered devices, instructional texts, food, water, potions. The options are endless. After that, it¡¯ll become your refuge and a place that you can retreat to in times of dire need,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said, trying to convince me to fight for my personal space. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a huge space, and I don¡¯t even know what the system will change it into. Maybe it¡¯ll be even smaller after that, and what amounts to a single small warehouse full of stuff won¡¯t make much of a difference for an entire world,¡± I argued. ¡°Ah, but you forget another important point. You can bring magical storage devices here. While there is a limit to what those storage devices can hold, they take up very little space and would be completely safe here. Typically, one magical storage device cannot be stored inside another, but this personal space is a unique zone where that is allowed, though we must assume the system will impose some limits should things get out of hand,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Now, that was something I could see helping. Being able to dole out bags of holding full of supplies could really make a difference and keep more people alive. Sure, I was going to be gone for the initial turmoil, but I¡¯m sure that when the former summoned beings were allowed to return, I¡¯d be able to make a difference. ¡°While I can see the promise in storing more storage devices, but there are still several problems with the plan. First, while I have some resources, I doubt I have the coin to buy enough supplies to make a difference. Second, we still don¡¯t know for sure what will happen to my personal space, it might be changed in ways your research hasn¡¯t discovered. Finally, you keep avoiding the most important fact, I¡¯m no match for Gary,¡± I explained. ¡°I¡¯m not without resources, some of which the system will likely allow me to distribute to you in exchange for my continued presence here. I admit that I don¡¯t know the exact form your personal space will take on, though none of the examples I discovered make me worried that you cannot accomplish what we wish. ¡°As for your final concern, Gary isn¡¯t the unbeatable creature you believe him to be. Sure, he is powerful, but if you challenge his claim, Gary¡¯s power will be restricted by the system. If there¡¯s one thing the system likes to do, it¡¯s to give at least the appearance of fairness,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°How diminished are we talking? Will the system drop him to match my own tier and rank?¡± I said, warming up to the idea of fighting Gary for my personal space if we were on even footing. ¡°No, while he¡¯ll be vastly reduced in power, he will still likely exceed your present power by a large margin. I would, of course, assist you, but the system will impose restrictions on the help I can offer. Still, there is a very good chance that you will be able to defeat him if this plays out like I believe it will,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I¡¯m still not getting warm and fuzzy feelings about this. It seems that even if he¡¯s neutered by the system a bit, Gary is still going to be too much for me,¡± I replied. ¡°In your present state, yes, but that¡¯s where my help will come in. You see, my magic and abilities may not be geared toward combat, but they are capable of maneuvering through the system¡¯s rather maze-like options for these sorts of disputes. Let me lay things out for you. ¡°First, we¡¯ll assume Gary is going to challenge you, it¡¯s almost a guarantee, and he¡¯ll see it as an easy win. Once he issues his challenge, you¡¯ll shock him by accepting his test of combat to determine ownership of the personal space. Knowing that his powers will be reduced, but still considerably more than what you currently possess, he¡¯ll likely accept the combat challenge. ¡°That¡¯s where my work comes into play. The system will reduce Gary¡¯s strength based on the difference in your power levels at the point in time when the challenge is issued. Once decided, the maximum tier and rank of Gary will be locked in. ¡°What I¡¯ll make sure of is that the combat challenge occurs much further in the future as I use every loophole and trick at my command to delay the actual event. I¡¯ll see to it that you¡¯re allowed time to grow in power and have a real chance at being an even higher tier and rank than the reduced Gary when the fight finally occurs,¡± Tzes¡¯zod explained. ¡°That sounds almost doable, but there a lot of assumptions going on here, and I¡¯m still not sure that the risk is better than just giving Gary the personal space,¡± I said. While I loved the idea of defeating Gary and helping Earth, Gary was a cunning, devious, and deadly foe that I¡¯d so far been able to keep from harming me. ¡°I admit that I have contingencies already in place for my phylactery if you decide to acquiesce to Gary¡¯s demands on your personal space. Still, there are other things you need to consider before you make your decision. Gary knows of your world, and he has taken an interest in you. Do you really believe that if you hand over your personal space, that Gary will forget that you exist and just leave you and Earth alone? ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if he doesn¡¯t already have agents on your world to scope out the potential opportunities and harvest the souls that your newly integrated world can provide him with. Should you decide to acquiesce to his demands, I¡¯d be willing to help you hammer out a contract for abdicating control over your personal space to Gary. I¡¯ll also try to include in the contract ways to hamper any designs that Gary has on you and your world. ¡°You need to understand that there is a limit to the restrictions I can have a contract place on him. Not to mention, the more intent you are on placing these restrictions, the more you¡¯ll draw his attention, and the more likely Gary is to try and find a way to circumvent those restrictions,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. ¡°I should have never rented the space to him. The annoying elves were probably even a better option than him,¡± I bemoaned. ¡°Doing so may have caused Gary to seek retribution at some later point. A problem I didn¡¯t need to point out at the time, as you came to the decision to rent to him on your own,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. He was probably right; Gary wasn¡¯t one to take rejection very well. If I had turned down his offer, Gary would have still proven to be a thorn in my side, and a deadly one at that. Now, I had a decision to make. Give up and hand Gary the personal space, an option that would probably save my life, but perhaps cause even more problems for me and Earth in the future. On the other hand, I could confront and defeat Gary, keeping control of my personal space and even more important, ending his threat once and for all. Chapter 322. Horde or Contract. Chapter 322. Horde or Contract? ¡°If you are sure that you can buy me time to gain power, and that Gary will be locked into whatever tier and rank the system decides, I¡¯ll contest his claim to the personal space,¡± I told Tzes¡¯zod. There was almost a relief at deciding, though I was still a bit unsure if my decision was the correct one. ¡°You¡¯ve made the best choice out of a pair of challenging options. Rest assured, when Gary makes his claim, I¡¯ll tie him up in enough bureaucratic knots to buy you the time needed to grow your power,¡± Tzes¡¯zod said. Though he didn¡¯t have facial expressions, I thought I detected a hint of approval in his reply. ¡°Now, it looks like I have several other decisions to make,¡± I said, noting the glowing system notices awaiting my attention. ¡°Indeed, and once you¡¯ve decided on your new destination, the system will likely allow Gary to make his move. Though I must leave you for a time, I¡¯ll be ready to answer the call when you need to respond to Gary,¡± Tzes¡¯zod assured me as he exited through a portal. For some reason, I felt a bit more worried when he was gone. I knew that our agreement would allow him to negotiate for me, but it would have also been nice to get his take on my class evolution options. A second worry entered my mind, and I realized that I didn¡¯t want to become too reliant on Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s help. We were allies in keeping things as they were in the personal space, but that didn¡¯t mean he was necessarily my friend. Shaking off the other concerns for a moment, I activated the new class evolution options I had been offered. Based on the myriads of experiences you¡¯ve faced during your time as a summoned being, and your overall effectiveness, two options for your class evolution will be offered. Please select and familiarize yourself with your new class, and then, your new destination may be selected. At that time, you will also get a chance to review any changes to your Personal Space.
  1. Horde Bringer. The Horde Bringer class allows you to summon large numbers of minions to do your bidding. Overwhelm your foes with hordes of minions or put those numbers to work in a non-combat environment where they can earn you additional wealth.
The Horde Bringer can choose from several minion types, and the selections offered will be based on your past summoning experiences. Please note that these minions, while numerous, will be called to your side at a significantly reduced Tier and Rank compared to your own. While the Horde Bringer class is not one focused on personal combat, this class evolution will grant you additional personal power based on how many of your minions are on the field. You will also be granted the ability to hide among your minions, removing you from view and mitigating any damage you receive by sharing it among your horde.
  1. Contracted Summoner. The Contracted Summoner answers the summoning call of others not based on random system decisions, but on pre-arranged contract offerings. These contracts may be for extended or short durations, and in addition to system rewards, the summoners requesting your aid may offer additional enhancements to make their offer more attractive to you.
As a Contracted Summoner, you will be able to bring a limited number of minions with you on each contract. These minions will match your Tier and Rank, and you will be able to select them from a range of options featuring your prior minions and other creatures you¡¯ve encountered during your summonings. While the Contracted Summoner class evolution is not focused on personal combat, you will be granted several of your chosen minion¡¯s abilities to bring with you on each summoning. The number of abilities, spells, or skills will vary based on the minions selected and your current tier and rank. There were only two options, but both piqued my interest. I liked the idea of being a summoner, and the system must have picked up on that fact when it crafted the pair of classes it was offering me. I now had to choose from two very different paths. On the one hand, the Horde Summoner would give me an army of weaker minions. On the other hand, the Contracted Summoner would allow me to bring a small, elite team with me.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The system was rather light on details, as it usually was, but one thing stuck out between the two options. Other than the just the quality over quantity question, only the Contracted Summoner seemed to follow a path that at least somewhat similar to my time as a summoned being. The Horde Bringer didn¡¯t seem to offer the structure that the other class offered, and I would be a bit on my own in unfamiliar territory with it. I sat in my rocking chair and contemplated the options. While at least the initial experience of becoming a summoned being had been a frightening and stressful one, I had learned to enjoy it more than I had suspected. Getting to visit the various worlds, and in some cases, make a positive change for my summoners, wasn¡¯t a bad life. I could also likely do some good, especially back on an inducted Earth, with the Horde Bringer class and an army of weak, but numerous, minions. There was also the consideration of which would be better in a showdown against Gary. While I needed to determine what type of future I wanted, I had to beat him if I was to have any future at all. The question was, which class would help me beat my tenant turned tyrant? Would the Horde Bringer allow me to climb tiers and ranks faster than the Contracted Summoner? Thinking about my past interactions with Gary, I¡¯d seen his power, and I doubted an army of low tier and rank minions would give him much trouble. The only caveat was the class feature that increased my strength in relation to the number of minions I had summoned. Still, Gary was extremely intelligent and would likely notice if my power started to wane as he killed off my horde. The Contracted Summoner class would allow me to bring more powerful minions to the fight, and they would be able to stand up better to the powers that I expected Gary to have at his command. I made a decision, and felt that the best option for defeating Gary, and the one I was most excited to explore after Gary¡¯s defeat, was the Contracted Summoner class. You have selected the Contracted Summoner class evolution. Please stand by as changes are made to you personally and the new class features are implemented. Any existing summoning points and consumables that enhance class, minions, or other features of your past class will be integrated into the new class and enhance the abilities, skills, gear, and stats offered to you and your minions. Unlike when you were a summoned being, your class is not required to randomly answer summoning requests, and instead will review and decide on various offerings submitted to you. These offerings come from a variety of sources and may be accessed at your revised Personal Space, as well as at designated special locations, such as the city of Somhagen. Please note that many class abilities, skills, and spells will be drastically changed, or possibly eliminated, from your previous class. My vision blurred and I felt myself pulled back into the void by the system. When I snapped back into reality, I felt odd, like my body was in flux and not completely solid as more system information began to appear. Your new class has upgraded many of your current stats. Going forward, the Contracted Summoner will gain the following stats. Strength: Strength is secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your current Strength to better match your new class needs. Agility: Agility is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Agility to better match your new class needs. Constitution: Constitution is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Constitution to better match your new class needs. Mind: Mind is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point for every rank you gain. As a Contracted Summoner, you will gain 2 mana for every point of Mind you possess. Your Mind stat was deemed sufficient for current class requirements and has remained the same. Presence: Presence is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point at every odd rank you gain. Presence will affect not only your ability to negotiate contracts, but also will enhance your minions. Your Presence stat was deemed sufficient for your current class requirements and has remained the same. You have gained a new stat: Reputation. Reputation is a measure of your reliability and skill as a Contracted Summoner. The higher your Reputation, the better the contracts that you can attract will become, and the higher you can set your fees. Refusing multiple contracts, ending them early, or performing poorly may not only affect your Reputation score, but can also add additional adverse notations to your Reputation. The Reputation stat is gained only by performing and completing summonings and does not increase with Tier or Rank gains. After consulting your past summoning record, and considering existing consumables and Summoner Points, you will start with a Reputation score of 25. Reputation was new, but I figured the system needed some way to advise potential clients of how reliable and effective I was. There was also some discomfort as I gained two points in strength, two in constitution, and one in agility, but the pain was brief and passed quickly. My new class would also allow me to gain stats at a faster pace than I had as a Foe Commander. As I got familiar with my newly enhanced stats, further class changes were flashing in the corner of my vision, just waiting for me to explore them. Chapter 323. Personal Space Conflict. Chapter 323. Personal Space Conflict. A new round of updated and upgraded class information began to appear, telling me what abilities and skills might have changed, been added, or evolved from my prior class. Your mana core upgrades will continue as they had been, and your existing resistances have remained the same. Many of your skills and abilities have remained the same, but the following have changed.
  1. Advanced Template Hunter has been integrated into your class. It is now a passive ability that will have a chance of adding new options for recruitment when the time comes to add another minion to your barracks.
  2. Shared Burden has evolved and is now constantly active. It will share 10% of any damage you take and distribute it equally among all currently active summoned minions.
  3. Switch and Replace has had its cooldown reduced to 1 minute.
You have gained several new class abilities.
  1. Negotiate Contract. A key feature of your class is to negotiate summoning contracts with various parties. These contracts are bound by the system and may increase in complexity as you grow in Tier and Rank. Based on the risk level of the contract you negotiate, you may be granted additional bonuses to your stats, enhancements to your abilities and summoned minions, or other helpful items and equipment for the duration of the contract.
It''s important to remember that these contracted summonings are not the same as you experienced during your time as a Summoned Being. There is no automatic respawn if you are destroyed during the summoning contract. Limited options to improve your survivability will unlock as you progress in your new class.
  1. Early Cancellation. If you suspect a contract may be problematic, you may opt to end it early. Should you cancel early, your Reputation will be negatively impacted, and if previously negotiated, you may face additional penalties. Early Cancellation can only be activated when you¡¯re not in combat or under a direct threat. Once activated, Early Cancellation will go on a cooldown with a timer that varies based on several factors.
  2. Summoner¡¯s Copy. Built into every contract you offer will be the Summoner¡¯s Copy clause. This clause allows you to bring an additional summoned minion with you on your next summoning. The minion will be chosen from several options generated by interactions during your previous summoning. On rare occasions, you may be able to contract with a direct entity and not be assigned a system generated simulacrum.
  3. The Summoner¡¯s Share. At the start of each contracted summoning, you will be offered a selection of modified abilities, skills, and powers that are granted from the minions you have chosen to take with you. The number of selections you may choose will depend on your Tier, Rank, and Presence score. The abilities will last only for the duration of the summoning contract.
There was a lot of information hitting me at once and I paused the flow of system notices as I tried to digest what I was seeing. So far, it looked like the changes weren¡¯t too drastic, and I¡¯d been given a couple of new abilities that would come in handy. Not all my new class features had been shown to me yet, like how many minions I could summon and if I could bring any of my existing team along for the ride. The Negotiate Contract ability included an ominous reminder that this was for real now, though I was much more confident in my survival skills and instincts than I had been when all this had first started. Early Cancellation would replace the Notice of Cessation from my time as a Summoned Being. There were more restrictions on the ability, but at least I had some failsafe if the summoning turned out to be something that wasn¡¯t what the other party had described. I¡¯d face a penalty for punching out of the summoning early, but a penalty was better than being forced to do something that violated my beliefs. The system also wasn¡¯t going to let me use Early Cancellation as an escape mechanism since I couldn¡¯t use it while in combat or under a direct threat. Taking a beverage from Whirtmir, I sipped the fruit juice as I readied myself for not just the rest of my class specifics, but also to discover what would become of my personal space. Some of your equipment is no longer compatible with your class and has been altered. The following changes have been made.
  1. The Minion Master armor will no longer increase the Rank of your minions by 1. Instead, the armor will provide a 5% bonus to attack, defense, and durability to your minions.
The equipment changes were minor, and it seemed like the system wasn¡¯t keen on my minions being higher tier and rank than me. Still, a 5% buff to three things was probably a fair trade-off, not to mention I really liked the armor and didn¡¯t want to have to hunt for something new if I ever got to somewhere I could shop. More information appeared, and the changes continued. Your spells have also changed and evolved to match your new class. The following changes have been made.
  1. Duplicate will only create 1 copy of the targeted minion, the secondary effect of it summoning an additional duplicate of your lowest tier and rank minion has been removed.
The cooldown on the spell remains the same at 30-seconds, and as before, only one Duplicate can be active at a time. The duplicated minion is now more durable and will only suffer an additional 25% additional damage instead of the 50% that the spell previously included. All of your other spells are compatible with your current class. You have gained an additional Tier 3 spell.
  1. Overdrive. Mana cost: 25. Overdrive will boost the stats, speed, damage, and durability of your minions by 25% for 30 seconds. In addition, it will affect you as the caster at a reduced rate of 10% for the same 30 seconds. After the spell effects end, you and your minions will experience an exhausted debuff that hampers your speed, damage, and durability by 10% for 1 minute.
Summoning: At your current Tier and Rank, your class allows you to bring two of your minions with you for each contract. These minions can be selected from those currently inside your barracks. In addition to these 2 minions, your Summoner¡¯s Copy ability grants a 3rd minion that may be chosen from a selection of offerings based on your last contracted summoning. Your minions will scale to your current Tier and Rank, making them powerful additions to your party. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. You may select up to 3 of your existing minions to add to your barracks. As you climb in Tier and Rank, additional minions may be added to your available options. Please select the three minions you wish to add to your barracks pool. Once your selections have been made, and the class evolution process is complete, you may view the updated information on your chosen minions. I knew that the class would have a limited number of minions, but those minions would be more powerful and having two additional party members that were the same tier and rank as me was going to give me some real power. The only problem is that I had to make cuts to the team. To make the choices even harder, the minions would scale with me, so it wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as just picking the three highest tier and rank minions. Looking over my existing crew, a few stood out. First off was Elida. She was the only healer among my minions, and I couldn¡¯t see very many situations where bringing along a healer would be a bad thing. While Elida was probably an auto-include, I was leaning toward passing on Digbaz Bazam. Having a powerful mage was good, but often, I would be the one in the back casting spells and would probably need more of a meat shield than another caster. I was going miss his Tornado spell if I chose to pass on Digbaz. Other than Elida, I was drawn to the Mana Slayer Drone as my second addition. It was powerful in melee, and with the grenade launcher, it was becoming deadly at range as well. With its tank-like armor and deadly melee capabilities, it was a solid choice. Given that the drone was a hard counter to any mages or magical creatures was an added bonus, not to mention, I was excited to see how he would improve going up almost a full tier when he matched my current one. With Elida and the drone decided on, I had one more slot to fill. I considered my lowest tier and rank minions, trying to view them through the lens of possible improvements they¡¯d experience by reaching tier three. Still, both Khurr and Blieek were only one minion, and with the goblin trio, I was getting a three for one deal. In addition, the system mentioned nothing about hampering their tier or rank due to there being three minions in the one slot. It was a bit of risk, and I was worried that the system would somehow hobble the choice of the goblin trio, maybe only giving me a choice of one of them, but the upside was worth the risk. Having two powerful melee attackers in Glem and Glamb, as well as a deadly ranged archer with Glurk, meant that trio managed to beat out Digbaz as my final selection. You have selected the following 3 minions:
  1. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling Battle Mender.
  2. Mana Slayer Drone.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
Well, that was unexpected. The drone¡¯s name stayed the same, but the other two were upgraded when they hit my new tier and rank. A Battle Mender sounded way cooler and more powerful than just a halfling healer, and the goblins had graduated from raiders to a kill team. I was excited to bring them out for a test drive, but the system was going to make me wait to examine the changes until we were done with the class evolution and whatever else the system had on the agenda. With your minions selected, your class evolution is complete. Changes will now be made to your personal space. The total area of the space will become smaller, and you will only be able to visit at the end of each contract period. Any additions to the space will be eliminated, and the current tenants will be notified of these changes shortly. While the time you can spend inside your personal space after each contract is complete is generous, there is a limit to how long you can spend there before you will be required to leave. The portal to your personal space will now be keyed to a designated area. Once you return from your personal space, you will return to this designated area, or the nearest viable location should that designated area become inaccessible. Only certain locations are qualified to become your designated return area, and you will be notified if an area is deemed inappropriate and several nearby alternatives will be offered. You have gained the ability: Designated Return. Designated Return allows you to select a location linked to your personal space. The Training Center in your personal space has evolved into the Barracks. This Barracks provides a place for you to review your summoned minions and their current loadouts. You also select available upgrades to gear, skills, and abilities, as well as guide the path you wish them to take as you grow your Tier and Rank. Your reward chest will function similarly to the way it does now. It will act as a repository for any compensation offered by those who enter into summoning contracts with you. In addition, you will be granted a storage ring, that will allow you limited access to your reward chest should a contract offer advance payment. When accessing the reward chest remotely, only those items included in the contract¡¯s advance can be accessed. You have been given a new item. Reward Chest Access Ring. This ring allows limited access to your reward chest and cannot be stolen or lost. Should the ring somehow become destroyed, it will be rebuilt and reappear inside your reward chest for you to collect on your next visit. That was what I had been waiting for, the changes to my personal space were going to eliminate Gary¡¯s rental area. As I expected, the system notified me immediately of his challenge as soon as it finished explaining the changes to the personal space to me. You have 2 existing tenants in your personal space. Only 1 of these tenants meets the requirement to initiate a tenant claim on your space. Should you abdicate your personal space, modifications to your class will be enacted. Your Reward Chest Access Ring will be transformed into an appropriate capacity, standard Ring of Storage. This Ring of Storage will not have the same protections as the Reward Chest Access Ring and can be lost, destroyed, or stolen from your possession. Awaiting a response from the following tenants with a possible claim on your personal space.
  1. The being known as Gary.
The being known as Gary is making a tenant¡¯s claim on your personal space. You may designate a proxy to negotiate the terms for resolving this dispute, or you may do so yourself. Do you wish to designate a proxy to negotiate on your behalf? As we planned, I selected Tzes¡¯zod to negotiate for me. I had no choice but to trust the lich in this situation. At least I was confident that he was appropriately motivated to help me to the best of his ability. Hiding his phylactery in my personal space was about as safe a place as he could hope to find. You have designated the being known as Tzes¡¯zod to negotiate the tenant dispute resolution process on your behalf. Notifications on the progress of these negotiations will be sent when appropriate, and you may also receive regular updates from your designated representative. With your class evolution complete, and the changes to your personal space and reward chest in progress, you may now review the first contracts offered to you. For the initial contract offering, several of your past contacts have been notified and given the opportunity to make you an offer. Should none of the offers be deemed acceptable by you, a different initial contract will be randomly selected by the system. Stand by for your initial contract offerings. Chapter 324. First Contract. Chapter 324. First Contract. Several options appeared in front of me along with more explanations about how my new contracted summonings would work. I sort of wished that Tzes¡¯zod was here to advise me on the contract options, but I¡¯d rather have him devote his full attention to delaying Gary. Turning my attention to the task at hand, I tried to put the pending fight with Gary aside. Contracted Summonings. Your class ability allows you to enter into direct summoning contracts with other individuals and organizations. Initially, your contract choices are based on your past interactions, and several of your past contacts have been sent contract offers for you to consider. Each offer will state the job expectations, compensation, level of threat, and estimated time of summoning. As you gain higher Tiers and Ranks, additional information may become available for each contract. In addition, you may unlock the ability to ask confirmation questions of your prospective employer. Once you have decided on the contract you wish to pursue, you will have a short time to prepare. Part of these preparations will include selecting the minions from your barracks that you wish to bring along. With many of these initial contract offerings, you will have the option to base yourself in that area and set it as a Designated Return location. After this initial contract, you will be required to locate and negotiate new contracts on your own. Contracts can be found either in the city of Somhagen, at a designated representative of the city, or through an interface in your personal space once the tenant dispute is resolved. Your personal space now has an option to open a portal with Somhagen. You will be restricted to the tiers of the city that correspond with your current Tier, and some areas will remain off limits. This link to Somhagen will only be active for a shot period after you complete a contract. At times, during longer summoning contracts, the option to return briefly to your personal space, as well as access Somhagen, may become available. Please review the following summoning contract options.
  1. Gorma Etvart Enterprises (GEE) has offered to secure your services for an extended period of time.
Summoning purpose: Equipment testing. Threat level: Variable between Low to Extreme. Compensation: 10 gold per day, an annual pass to their amusement park, and the selection of 2 items from a designated equipment storage location. Other Considerations: The compensation and equipment offers are only valid for the individual being summoned. Should the contracted summoned individual perish during their contracted period of service, GEE will be absolved of any financial obligations. Additional Contract Enhancements: The contracted individual will have full access to local GEE facilities, including entertainment, training, and communication. I¡¯d worked for this goblin corporation twice now, once to protect a train, and recently, to test their amusement park rides. It sounded like they wanted to wrangle me up for another go at their amusement park. Given the casualty rates during my brief time testing the rides there, I had no desire to return and risk my life needlessly. That being said, the desire to find out why that one goblin was named Jeff almost made me accept the offer. Before my resolve could be swayed by the mystery of Jeff, I moved to the next contract offer.
  1. Clayton and Eleanor Yon.
Summoning Purpose: Personal Protection. Threat level: Extreme. Compensation: 15 gold per day, a choice of 1 item from their shop inventory for each week of employment. Other Consdierations: There is a high likelihood of conflict with the being known as Gary. Should you become involved in a direct confrontation with the being known as Gary before the tenant dispute has ended, current negotiations in that dispute will cease and your tenant will be free to seek control of your personal space through other means. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. That was a hard no. As much as I wanted to help the Yon¡¯s, taking this contract would put me directly in the path of Gary and pretty much assure my death. I quickly shifted my attention to the third option being offered.
  1. Headmaster Glorine of the Starveil Tower Academy.
Summoning Purpose: Instruction as a Temporary Adjunct Professor. Threat level: Low, but variable based on your actions. Compensation. 15 gold per week and retention of some teaching materials from the curriculum you will be using. Other Considerations. This position provides full room and board, as well as access to the academy training facilities and dungeons during the semester. Should you improve your Tier and Rank through training during the semester, additional compensation may be offered commensurate with any added skills or abilities that might enhance your teaching proficiency. It took me a moment to remember who Headmaster Glorine was. I had met him during a summoning where I was called to participate in a duel between two students. If I remembered correctly, I had gained a summoning link with the headmaster during that summoning, though that link was likely voided out when my class evolved. I¡¯d never thought about teaching, but a position for a semester in a school of magic might be intriguing. The mention of training facilities and dungeons were also a big draw. It meant I could ramp up my Tier and Rank in relative safety if the threat level on the contract was accurate. This offer was the frontrunner, but I had one more in the queue to consider before I made my final decision.
  1. Heart of the Forbidden Glade Dungeon Core.
Summoning Purpose: Core shard relocation. Threat level: Moderate. Compensation: 100 gold upon successful completion of the assignment. You will also be granted several consumable items of common power and a single rare item compatible with your class. Other Considerations. The duration of this summoning is variable and dependent on you finding a viable location for the new core shard. Should the summoning last for more than 30 days, additional compensation may be negotiated at that time. If you cannot come to an agreement on compensation, you may receive the promised compensation and end the summoning without penalty. I remembered the dungeon and found helping to defend it a very interesting experience. Despite that, it sounded like I was going to be tasked with planting a new dungeon or relocating whatever a core shard was. Helping friends move was not something I enjoyed. Looking over the four options one final time, I quickly eliminated one and two, leaving the choice between the academy and the dungeon. Of the two, I realized that I was most interested in learning what the teaching position would be like. I also had a gut feeling that I might learn something to help me in the coming fight with Gary. You have accepted the contract offered by Headmaster Glorine of the Starveil Tower Academy. Your contracted party will be notified of your pending arrival and a portal will open in your personal space momentarily. Please make any preparations you need and select the two minions you wish to accompany you on this summoning. A menu popped up listing my three available minions. I thought about the various options, and since I was heading to a magic academy, it stood to reason that the threats I might face would be magical in nature. That made the drone a good first pick. Given that my life was indeed on the line now with each summoning, I added Elida as my second pick. Something tickled in the back of my mind and a new system prompt appeared. Your chosen minions are now linked directly with you. You may summon them at will during this contract, though if either is destroyed, there will be a substantial delay before they can be resummoned. The Summoner¡¯s Copy class ability allows you to choose a third minion to accompany you on this contract. Pick one of the following.
  1. Somhagen Guard Sergeant.
  2. Infernal Warrior.
  3. Merchant Cart Vendor.
I was being given three options from my last summoning, which had been my contracted summoning with the Yon¡¯s. Their shop was in Somhagen, which was probably where the system was getting the guard option from, and they were merchants which explained the vendor. I could only assume the Infernal Warrior was something linked to Gary¡¯s appearance during the summoning. My first thought was to select the Infernal Warrior, as it might give me some insight into how Gary fought. The fact that it was going to be tier three, rank zero to match my rank meant it would be substantially less powerful than Gary. I considered the cart vendor as well. It was the wildcard option, though given where I was heading, it might not be all that bad a choice, given the lower threat level. I had a solid warrior in my drone, and from the sound of things, Elida had improved greatly as well. Since this was only a low threat summoning, I was going to roll the dice on the cart vendor. It was my first foray as a Contracted Summoner, so I may as well use the experience to learn about the summoned minions without combat classes I would likely start to have access to. You have selected the Merchant Cart Vendor. This minion will match your current Tier and Rank as it is added to your loadout. Please select any additional items and enter the portal to your destination. The glowing blue portal opened in its usual spot as I verified that I had everything in my loadout. I also brought all my existing funds, just in case I could buy something at the academy that might help me against Gary. Stepping into the portal, I prepared myself for the first adventure with my newly upgraded class. Chapter 325. Headmasters Instructions Chapter 325. Headmaster¡¯s Instructions. This is your first summoning with your evolved class. Unlike your time as a summoned being, there is no summoner compulsion during a contract unless specifically negotiated beforehand. While you can¡¯t be compelled by the system to perform your summoner¡¯s orders, your actions and performance will affect your Reputation, as well as any variable awards that may be granted by your summoner. You will be notified when the terms of your contract have been fulfilled, and you may then return to your personal space. I stepped from the portal and into a well-appointed office. The late afternoon sun illuminated the room with a warm light. Adding to that light was the glowing, humanoid figure that stood from behind a richly carved wooden desk. As I got my bearings, the glowing figure spoke with a deep, but friendly voice. ¡°Thank you for arriving so promptly, I¡¯m glad you accepted our contract, Mr. Kline,¡± the voice, who I recognized as Headmaster Glorine, said. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here, Headmaster Glorine, though you can call me Rico if you wish,¡± I replied, taking the glowing figures hand as he offered it to shake. Maybe a handshake was more of a universal greeting than I figured, but it seemed like there was no hesitation on the headmaster¡¯s part. As we shook, his hand felt remarkably normal for a glowing appendage, but there was a greater warmth than you¡¯d expect from a human¡¯s hand. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s just go with Rico and Glorine in an informal settings. When we¡¯re among the students, it¡¯s best to interact a bit more formally, lest they decide our informality is extended to them as well. Students, especially student mages, are a bit of a handful at times, as I know you¡¯ve already experienced,¡± Glorine said, reminding me of my prior summoning to participate in a schoolyard fight. ¡°You should see some of the schools in my world, the kids might give your mage students a run for their money as far as discipline issues are concerned. I admit that I am at a bit of a loss, what exactly will this job as an adjunct professor entail?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yes, I suppose we should go over a few details about your position. After that, I¡¯ll have one of your colleagues give you a tour and show you to your rooms. Tell me, Rico, have you ever taught before?¡± Glorine asked. ¡°Not in a classroom setting, but I¡¯ve had quite a bit of experience lately working with our world¡¯s military to train soldiers and first responders to deal with the changes that our world¡¯s pending integration will have,¡± I replied. I found that I had really enjoyed training with the military, and I was pretty sure I got as much or more from the work as the soldiers did. ¡°Good, that¡¯s a start. I¡¯d like to talk more in the future about your world and the precursors to integration. Several of the professors here include the integration process into their curriculum and I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love your insight. Who knows, maybe your efforts will help other worlds in the future,¡± the headmaster said. I didn¡¯t mind working with the other professors, but I doubt that the system will allow too much knowledge of the integration to be disseminated. From my experience, the system was keen on keeping new worlds in the dark until after integration. Everything we knew was hard won knowledge, and I had to think that our world¡¯s technology allowed us to gather information and share it much more quickly than a world that wasn¡¯t as advanced as Earth. ¡°When do classes start?¡± I asked, curious if I would have some time to settle into my role and figure out what I was doing before students arrived. ¡°We are just over a week out from the first day of classes. During this time, I¡¯ll have you shadow one of our experienced teachers. Professor Zaraman will be teaching Summoning Essentials for the newest students, those that are tier zero, rank five. I think that should give you enough time to get a handle on things. ¡°After you work with Professor Zaraman, the class you will be teaching is a new one, called Summoned Creature Optimization. We¡¯ll have you give examples of various summoned minions and how they¡¯ll fit in a party organization, potential in commercial ventures, and the like. Your class will also be for tier zero, rank five first or second semester students and your class will be an elective,¡± Glorine explained.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Are students broken down by tier and rank, or also by age?¡± I asked. Looking back at the time I was summoned to the school for the duel, I remembered that students were younger and those fighting the duel with their minions all seemed around the same age. ¡°Those two are typically one and the same on the worlds we draw students from. These are generally well-established worlds and a person¡¯s tier and rank will tend to follow their age, save for the few over and under achievers. Professor Zaraman will help with filling out your class roster, and I¡¯ve instructed her to make sure you have a balanced group of students without any troublemakers. I¡¯d suspect your students will be comprised mostly of what a human would consider to be the mid-teen years,¡± Glorine explained. ¡°Great, I can deal with that. When will I meet Professor Zaraman?¡± I asked. Hopefully, the professor would be someone I could work with. Butting heads in this kind of summoning could lead to an early loss of Reputation, though I was still uncertain about how that worked. ¡°The professor will be here shortly. She¡¯ll guide you to the faculty commissary where you can have a meal, then she¡¯ll show you to your quarters. While you¡¯re working with her, she¡¯ll set aside some time for you to explore and learn about our school. We work hard, and the initial weeks are exceptionally busy, but I want the faculty to have some free time to pursue their own interests,¡± Glorine said. ¡°That brings up something else. Back home, I¡¯m facing a rather dire circumstance. The contract mentioned training facilities will be available. Are these facilities something that can help me gain in tier and rank?¡± I asked hopefully. Unless the system had completely steered me wrong, there was some way at this school for me to grow my personal strength. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one of the most attractive benefits for our faculty. We have several dungeons nearby that are controlled and regulated both the adventurer¡¯s guild and the school. When you¡¯re not engaged in school activities, you¡¯re free to delve into them anytime you wish. The adventurer¡¯s guild has a location in town, and they can get you signed up and in the queue. Normally, full parties are required, but faculty can go in smaller groups or solo if they wish. I do have a rule in place the tier and rank you can enter if you are if you¡¯re delving solo,¡± Headmaster Glorine said. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m looking forward to delving these dungeons. I¡¯ve also spent a few summonings assisting dungeons, and enjoyed my interaction with them,¡± I said, greatly relieved that I wouldn¡¯t be stuck here without any way to gain power before my confrontation with Gary. ¡°Your experience on the side of assisting a dungeon will be of some interest to others in the school. I think, Rico, that you will be a popular special guest in many classrooms. Ah, here we are, Rico Kline, let me introduce you to Professor Zaraman,¡± Headmaster Glorine said as a human woman entered the office. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting from a professor of summoning magic, but a young, human woman that looked around my own age wasn¡¯t it. She also wasn¡¯t dressed like I¡¯d expect, instead of some scholarly robes, she wore a complete set of leather armor with a steel breastplate. The breastplate had an image of an owl perched atop a tower, which could have been some individual coat of arms, or perhaps the school¡¯s symbol. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Professor Zaraman, I¡¯m Rico,¡± I said offering my hand. The professor shook my hand with a firm grip. Her hand was calloused in areas I was familiar with after so much weapons training over the last few months. ¡°Good to meet you, Rico, please, call me Melody, we¡¯ll save the professor nonsense for the classroom,¡± Melody said. ¡°Thanks, it¡¯ll take me a while to get used to that. Speaking of time, Professor Glorine, exactly how long will you need me for?¡± I asked. ¡°Our contract is for the semester, which is five months. Add a week or two to that for breaks and whatnot. I hope you enjoy your time here, and I¡¯ll leave you in Professor Zaraman¡¯s care,¡± Headmaster Glorine said. ¡°So, you¡¯re from a newly inducted world and you were a summoned being,¡± Melody said as she led me from the headmaster¡¯s office. There was a small waiting room outside, and a door that led to the main hallway. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had expected, something along the lines of a fantasy movie, but instead, the building we were in resembled an upscale hotel conference center more than a medieval tower that housed a mage academy. ¡°Yes, my world¡¯s called Earth, but we¡¯re not actually inducted yet, at least I don¡¯t think so. I was pulled away by the system after my class evolved and now, I can¡¯t go back home for a while,¡± I explained, trying not to give my exact tier and rank if I didn¡¯t have to. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, being away from home can be difficult, I know I miss my world and don¡¯t get to visit as often as I¡¯d like,¡± Melody explained. ¡°What¡¯s your world called, and what¡¯s it like?¡± I asked as we entered an area with more traffic. The hallways were wide and people in work overalls, and many in the school robes I expected, hurried to their destinations. There was a delicious scent in the air which told me that Melody was indeed leading me to the commissary for dinner. I wasn¡¯t in my personal space, and had to eat, sleep, and perform other bodily functions during this contract. ¡°My world¡¯s name can¡¯t be pronounced by human mouths. When dealing with your kind, we typically refer to our world as the Mesh,¡± Melody said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I mistook you for a human. I come from a world where humans were the only intelligent species,¡± I apologized. ¡°No worries, Rico. This body is just a summoned minion that I prefer to use for ease of conversation and locomotion. I¡¯m actually right down here, look I¡¯m waving my arms,¡± Melody said. I caught movement near the summoned warrior¡¯s neck where a spider-like creature the size of my fist stood, waving two of its eight arms in the air. Chapter 326. Tour. Chapter 326. Tour. I kept the fake smile plastered on my face, desperately trying to avoid showing my revulsion over the spider-like professor. Melody wasn¡¯t some creepy spider I spotted in the corner of my bathroom, she was a real, sapient person who would be a coworker. We walked in silence for a while as the smell of food grew stronger. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re probably a bit hungry now, the faculty commissary is right over here,¡± Melody said. The hallway had large double doors on the right which opened onto a large dining area. It looked less like a school cafeteria and more like a fancy caf¨¦. There was enough seating at the various sized tables to hold over a hundred guests. A large glass door led out onto a small patio where we could dine if the weather was nice. All in all, it sure beat my high school cafeteria or any of the college one¡¯s I¡¯d seen. ¡°Thanks, it smells good, and I admit that I am feeling a bit hungry,¡± I said as Melody led me inside. She¡¯d retreated out of sight under the armor of her minion for which I was thankful. From what I could gather, we were just past the dinner rush, and instead of being able to order individually cooked meals, there was a small buffet set up. Grabbing a plate and normal-looking utensils, I grabbed a bite or two of everything. Most of the food was similar to what I¡¯d expect on an Earth buffet. There was various pasta, meats, vegetables, and some bread. I avoided anything that smelled a bit too out there, but I figured the school wouldn¡¯t offer anything without warning if it would be potentially harmful. Once my plate was ready, Melody led me to one of the smaller tables. Several other tables were occupied, but it looked like she wasn¡¯t keen on interrupting the various conversations just to introduce me. ¡°Are you not eating?¡± I asked as we sat down. ¡°My dietary needs are a bit more specialized. The commissary has a separate dining facility for those like me,¡± Melody said. I didn¡¯t bother to ask for any further details. The less I knew about spider people¡¯s feeding habits, the better. ¡°There¡¯s so much I want to ask you, but why don¡¯t we start with what your class structure will be like, and what can I expect from the students?¡± I asked, trying to gather information as well as get to know my new colleague better. ¡°Like the headmaster probably mentioned, the students are a bit young and inexperienced in the tier zero, rank five class I teach, but they¡¯re good kids for the most part. Our school has a high enough reputation that we¡¯re sought after, but we¡¯re also not considered one of the elite schools, which helps us to avoid many of the more problematic and entitled students as well as their parents,¡± Melody said. ¡°Unfortunately, you didn¡¯t avoid all the problem children if my prior summoning here was any indicator,¡± I replied. ¡°Ah, I heard about that, the headmaster mentioned he¡¯d run into you as a summoned being and was impressed with your ability to manipulate the situation despite the summoned being restrictions and forced compliance. That will be an interesting topic for this year¡¯s class. These kids need to know how to deal with a recalcitrant summoned minion,¡± Melody said. ¡°Oh, I should also mention the dress code,¡± Melody said after a slight pause. ¡°While armor is normal enough for around the school, you¡¯re expected to wear instructor robes during your actual classes. Several sets as well as other toiletries you might need, will be delivered to your room. I hope that the uniform requirement isn¡¯t a problem.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not an issue, I can summon and unsummon my armor at will, though wearing robes will take some getting used to. It¡¯s not all that common to wear them where I¡¯m from,¡± I explained. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Due to my situation, I can get away with just having my minion pull some robes over her armor. Most of the other faculty don¡¯t have that luxury. Anything else you want to ask before I show you to your room?¡± Melody asked.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Tell me about training and the dungeons. How often do you really think I¡¯ll get a crack at delving? Growing my power is important considering what I¡¯m going to return to after this contract is up,¡± I said. While it was pleasant to talk to Melody, I wasn¡¯t trusting her enough at this point to spill the details of my situation with Gary. From what Tzes¡¯zod had said, my personal space would be highly sought after. I didn¡¯t need any new potential problems cropping up if others learned what I had. ¡°Dungeons are on a set schedule with the adventurer¡¯s guild. Tomorrow, we need to work on the curriculum for most of the morning, but I¡¯ll take you into town after we get our work done. There, you can sign up with the guild and get a slot for delving squared away. We get priority scheduling as faculty, but there is still often a wait depending on the dungeon you choose. As far as just practice goes, we have several training fields. Do you want me to show you before we find your room?¡± Melody asked. ¡°Yes, please. I have a few new things I want to practice before I enter a dungeon,¡± I said. I¡¯d need time and a place to test out my class changes and get a feel for how powerful my minions were. ¡°Great, are you ready to go?¡± Melody asked. While we had been talking, I¡¯d shoveled down my food and cleaned the plate. My time with the military on Earth had made me pick up on some of their habits. Nobody could pack away food as quickly as a soldier could. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I replied. Melody showed me where to place the dirty plates, it was surprisingly mundane, just a sink area where workers would clean them for the next guest. I had kind of expected some magical cleaning spell or something, but that wasn¡¯t to be. We went down a couple flights of stairs and exited the building. I got my first view of this world from the outside, though it was too dark to make out anything other than the lit pathways leading to other, smaller buildings in the distance. The building we had just exited was a huge tower, which was probably what the school got its name from. While the commissary didn¡¯t have magical dish washers, the school went all out with magical lights. The tower was lit in various colors, and I could even see flashes of light in some of the windows as students or teachers conducted some late-night experiments. The place had to be at least fifty stories tall, and I really hoped that my room wasn¡¯t up too many flights of stairs. ¡°I hope our classroom isn¡¯t at the top, that¡¯d be a lot of steps each day,¡± I said as I stood there gawking at my new temporary home. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rico, there¡¯s a portal system at every five floors. Sure, you¡¯ll have to still use the stairs a bit, but it won¡¯t be quite as bad as you fear,¡± Melody assured me, her minion pulling me toward a pathway to our left. We followed the path which eventually ended at what looked like the same fields I had been summoned to before. There were five fields on the path, and the two closest ones had groups of people training in both spells, and weapons. Melody led me past the first, and most crowded field, and toward the second in line. At this field, a few people were training, but they kept their distance from us and each other. ¡°The fields are warded to protect the others that are training and any observers. Each field is broken down by tier and rank, with the first field being a starter field for those up to tier two. Here, this field goes from tier two, rank one, all the way to tier five, rank zero. Will that be sufficient for what you need?¡± Melody asked. ¡°That will work just fine. How does all this operate?¡± I asked. ¡°Just enter the field, the magic will discern if you¡¯re allowed access and then will assign you part of the field for your personal use. Don¡¯t worry, any spells or weapon attacks will not penetrate past the zone assigned to you, and there won¡¯t be any ricochets to worry about,¡± Melody said. ¡°Thanks Melody, and I can come here anytime?¡± I asked. ¡°Absolutely, as long as you¡¯re not supposed to be working. I try to get some training in each evening before dinner. Maybe we can spar or train together sometime? There is a section of the field for sparring that will nullify any actual damage or effects, and the system will just inform us of what happened,¡± Melody offered. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that. I need all the practice I can get,¡± I said. Some sparring time with the other instructors could really help me smooth out the rough spots of my new class. It¡¯d be great for now, but the real draw for me was going to be the dungeons. I needed new tiers, ranks, and power if I wanted to stand a chance against Gary. Melody promised me a longer tour of the grounds tomorrow before we headed into town. She led me back to the main tower, where my room was located. It was on the 43rd floor, and more importantly, Melody showed me the portal locations. There were even a few special ones for faculty use that would take me directly to almost anywhere in the tower. My room was nice, like a medieval style luxury apartment. I had a separate office and bedroom space, and the bathroom functioned magically and would more than take the place of a modern bathroom. Inside a tall wardrobe in my bedroom were several long, grey and blue instructor robes, as well as various undergarments and even some casual clothes. They¡¯d really gone above and beyond to make me comfortable, and I was looking forward to working with Melody tomorrow and getting a better feel for my actual job. For now, it was late evening, but before I could even think about sleep, I was going to head to the training fields. I needed to get a feel for how powerful my new class was going to be. Chapter 327. Minion Power. Chapter 327. Minion Power. I did manage to get turned around a time to two finding my way back to the training fields. Melody hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about the hours of operation, so I hoped that I wouldn¡¯t be too late and find that the fields had shut down for the night. Thankfully, they were open, and there were still a few people in there practicing. The lowest tier and rank field had the largest crowd, about twenty or so people were inside training. My field, the one that went from tier two, rank one to tier five, rank zero only had three others inside training. As I walked onto the field, a system prompt appeared, somehow triggered by the protective spells placed on the field by the school. You have entered a training field that is valid for your tier and rank. Do you wish to commence training? Y/N. I hit yes and received further instructions. Move to the highlighted area and commence your training. Should you leave the highlighted area, your training session will cease. You may remain for up to 1 hour on the training field before a mandatory break of 1 hour is enforced. A selection of disposable training aids has been placed in the training area for your use. Only one set of training aids will be provided every 24 hours for each individual trainee. My training spot was in the far corner of the field where the end zone would be if this was a football field. The highlighted area assigned to me was rather large, about a third of the total field, which I assumed was due to the limited number of trainees currently here. A row of training dummies was set up at the edge of the field for me to use, some of them encased in battered armor. I suspected that if there were more people trying to train, my available space would be cut down drastically. More space was fine with me, and I had always hated working out in the gym when it was crowded. I was ready to go now, and I had upgraded minions to test out. First out, I summoned my drone, and the upgrades for hitting tier three were easily visible. The drone seemed about a foot taller than before and had bulked up to match his new height. My drone¡¯s long, bladed arms looked more like axe blades now than the more simple, knife-like appendages he¡¯d had before. Testing out its melee weapons on one of the training dummies, the drone completely shattered the wooden dummy, turning it, and two others into a pile of kindling with only a few swings. Even better, the drone was faster and more agile than before. Its armor also appeared thicker and denser. A few hits with my sword confirmed my suspicions. The grenade launcher on its shoulder had a longer barrel, and what looked like a magazine feeding into the side of the weapon. On the other shoulder was something entirely new. A small turret with a short, narrow barrel was mounted so it wouldn¡¯t interfere with the drone¡¯s movement. Another thing I noticed was a slight haze over the heavily armored body of the drone, its stealth field wasn¡¯t active, but it was almost like it was still partially functioning somehow. All in all, the drone had a much more ominous appearance than before and should intimidate many of the foes I might face. A system prompt documenting the changes to my drone appeared after my cursory inspection. Please note that upgrades to your Contracted Summoner minions are based on your Tier and Rank. In addition to their new Tier and Rank, your minions have been granted further enhancements based on the number of experience, gear, or ability/spell tokens that may have been used upon it in the past.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 3, Rank 0.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor. At this Tier and Rank, the Mana Slayer Drone¡¯s armor consists of overlapping composite plates that are effective against all types of physical attacks and resistant to any elemental damage. The plates will shift on the drone¡¯s body to reinforce areas that the drone deems critical. The armor includes a self-repair feature with an over boost that can be activated to provide a total of 30-seconds of rapid repair.
  2. Melee Weapons. Your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands that can extend for up to twice their length. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons. When needed, the drone can form weapons, including ranged weapons, for the smaller arms to wield.
  3. Ranged Weapons. The drone possesses a shoulder mounted grenade launcher that can store up to 6 grenades. The drone can set the grenades to be high explosive, incendiary, or caustic. The range for the grenade launcher is 150-yards. The grenade launcher will slowly refill its magazine over the course of a 24-hour period.
A second weapon, a Plasma Beam Generator, is mounted on the other shoulder of your drone. This weapon can fire at ranges up to 100 feet per tier, though accuracy may suffer at extended ranges. The beam can remain active for up to 12 seconds per day before it needs to shut down for 24 hours to recharge. This weapon is highly effective against both physical armor and magical protection fields.
  1. Stealth and Defensive Field Generator. The stealth field generator may operate for up to 5 minutes per Tier. The field leaves behind a slight distortion which may be used by more observant foes to track your minion. Attacks targeted while the stealth field is active have a 55% chance to miss.
When stealth is broken or deactivated, the drone instead produces a protective barrier around its body that mitigates up to 10% of any damage received. An additional 5% damage mitigation is applied to any magical attacks or enchanted weapons. Abilities:
  1. Nullify magic. This passive ability grants the mana slayer a modest damage reduction to all mana-based spells and abilities. This damage reduction is on top of what the Stealth and Defense Field Generator provides.
  2. Spell Reflect. This ability will reflect a harmful spell or magical effect back onto the caster. Spell Reflect can only trigger 1/hour, and more powerful spells can often resist the effects of Spell Reflect. If this ability is resisted, the mana slayer drone will still reap some benefit, doubling its Nullify Magic ability for the next 30 seconds.
  3. Mana Drain. Whenever the Mana Slayer drone lands a melee attack on a foe, it will drain 2 points of mana from its target. The drained mana will increase the damage of the drone¡¯s next melee attack.
Spells: None, this minion cannot use magic of any type. Woah, there were improvements across the board for my drone. It had gone up a total of nine ranks from where it was before, but like the system mentioned, the minion was juiced up further by the all the minion tokens it had absorbed during my time as a Foe Summoner. I had it fire off some grenades, testing all three of the new types. To my surprise, the explosive force of the grenades seemed to have pretty much doubled from what it was before. The incendiary grenades left behind a napalm-like substance that would be almost impossible for a foe to easily scrape off or extinguish. For the caustic grenades, they created a thick acidic cloud that took almost a minute to dissipate. From the way the dummy I¡¯d targeted sizzled and liquified inside the cloud, I was sure it would do well against almost any foe.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The new plasma weapon was almost as impressive as the grenade launcher. Its bright red beam was the diameter of a pencil and hummed ominously when active. A quick test showed the beam burned completely through the armored training dummies like they were made of paper. I wasn¡¯t sure what opponent could stand up to a full twelve seconds of that weapon. I was pretty sure that my drone could now go toe to toe with an actual tank and come out on top. Next up was Elida, and before I brought her out, I tried to check out the goblin trio. Sadly, I didn¡¯t see an option to show me the upgrades for the goblins. It looked like they had to actively be summoned on a contract, and not just hanging out in the barracks for me to examine them. I did have Elida and her new Battle Mender class, so I summoned her next. Elida appeared next to the drone, and despite her diminutive size, the change in appearance was even more apparent than the drone¡¯s upgrades had been. She was now encased in a full suit of plate armor that, from the mana I could sense inside it, was enchanted. In one hand she held a heavy, flanged mace and strapped to the other was a steel kite shield. Just like with the drone, the system came through with more detail on my upgraded minion. Elida Silverbarrow, Battle Mender. Spell Slots: 4. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 spell slot per hour. Healing Slots: 5. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 healing slot per hour. Equipment/Abilities/Spells. Equipment:
  1. Armor. Elida is equipped with a full set of plate armor that is further enchanted with protective spells and is able to project a resistance field that boosts the healing rate of all allies within 100-feet by 25%.
  2. Weapons. Elida wields a heavy mace that is enchanted to reduce its weight and increase the accuracy and damage of each strike. A steel shield provides additional protection and is enchanted with bonus protection against ranged attacks both magical and mundane. For ranged threats, Elida has a sling with minor accuracy and damage enchantments placed upon it.
Abilities:
  1. Channel Mana. 2/day, Elida can stop for 3 seconds and quickly gather any ambient mana, refreshing one of her spell or healing slots. This ability can be disrupted if Elida is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
Healing Spells and abilities:
  1. Healing Beam. This spell heals any ally that Elida targets within a 100-foot range. It generates a moderate amount of immediate healing, then a minor heal over time effect that lasts for 10 seconds.
  2. Restoration. This spell cures 1 simple negative status effect such as poison, disease, and minor curses on the targeted ally.
  3. Battle Mending. The signature healing ability of this class does not require a healing slot to activate, but there is a cooldown of 1-minute after each use. When engaged in melee combat, Elida¡¯s attacks heal all allies within 100-feet for 25% of the damage she deals to an opponent. The attacks also heal her for 50% of that damage. Battle Mending has a duration of 30 seconds.
Spells:
  1. Deadly Beam. This spell has the opposite effect as Elida¡¯s Healing Beam. It will inflict moderate damage on a hostile target within 100-feet, and add a minor damage over time effect that lasts for 10 seconds.
  2. Gleaming Aura. This spell causes Elida¡¯s armor to emit radiant energy that will damage any enemy within melee range. The damage is minor, but the effect lasts for 30-seconds. Damage from Gleaming Aura also benefits from Battle Mending, and when the two are active, the aura will heal Elida for 50% of the total damage it deals.
  3. Personal Shield. This spell grants Elida a second shield that matches the one she wields. It will follow her and intercept any blows, both magical and mundane, that might strike her. The shield lasts for up to 1-hour per tier, or until it has absorbed damage equal to Elida¡¯s total health pool.
Elida had gone from the squishy healer of my group to a healing juggernaut that would be difficult for any foe to take down. She had a strong ranged heal, and her new melee healing abilities would have great synergy with the drone or the two melee goblins of the trio. Her Deadly Beam was a solid counter for more powerful foes, while the Gleaming Aura was going to obliterate any weaker, swarm-like attackers. I had been a bit unsure about losing most of my minions with my new class, but now, I think that just one of my minions would give the entire previous team a run for its money. A quick test with the surviving pair of target dummies showed that Elida now fought like a skilled warrior, and there was more power behind her blows than her size would suggest. With Elida and the drone squared away, I summoned the final minion of this contract, the Merchant Cart Vendor. A human man in homespun clothes and chewing on the end of a corncob pipe appeared along with a sturdy-looking wooden pushcart. As I looked at the man and his cart, a system prompt appeared, giving me the rundown on my odd, new minion. This is the temporary minion you have chosen for this summoning contract. The Merchant Cart Vendor can remain active, even when separated by great distance. When not given other, specific orders, the vendor will patrol around the area in an ever-widening pattern as he seeks customers for the goods on his cart. Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor. Equipment:
  1. Merchant Cart. This enchanted cart carries an array of items that appeal to a broad selection of potential customers. The car will slowly replenish missing goods at a cost to the vendor of 75% of their retail value. If the vendor remains in the same area for a time, his goods will begin to change and reflect the desires of the nearby customer base.
If the Merchant Cart Vendor is killed and his cart destroyed, he will respawn with a new cart that contains half the normal starting goods, and he will lose half the currency that he possessed before he was destroyed.
  1. Multi-pass. The Merchant Cart Vendor possesses a multi-pass that grants him permission to sell his wares in any appropriate local area. This pass fulfills all local vendor regulations and sets a maximum tax rate of 25% of any profits generated by the merchant. Multi-pass is ineffective in hostile territory.
Skills/Abilities.
  1. No soliciting. If attacked or threatened, the merchant and his cart are granted a substantial burst of speed and increased durability for a total of 1-minute. The merchant will use this speed to attempt to escape and will also notify the summoner, and any appropriate local law enforcement personnel of the danger he faces.
  2. Summoner¡¯s Choice. The summoner can request that the vendor purchase goods for the summoner. These goods cannot exceed the Tier and Rank of the summoner, and the cost of the goods will be deducted from any profit the vendor makes.
  3. Recall. 1/day, the summoner can call the Merchant Cart Vendor to the summoner¡¯s current location.
  4. Keep an Eye Out. The Merchant Cart Vendor will always be on the lookout for special items he comes across that might be desirable for your current class. If the merchant is able to locate such an item, you will receive a system notification of the item and its price.
¡°Well, Clancy, it¡¯s good to meet you. Unless you have something that might be of interest for me now, I guess I¡¯m supposed to just send you out to do your thing,¡± I told the minion. ¡°Howdy sir, a pleasure to meet you. I don¡¯t think I have anything that you¡¯d be interested in right at the moment, but I¡¯ll let you know if I come across anything that I think might catch your eye. This looks like a good area for sales,¡± Clancy said as he looked around the campus. The minion had a calming, down-home sounding accent, and was much more interactive than my other minions, which made sense given his purpose. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, Clancy, stay safe out there, and see if you can make us some money. Oh, if you come across any consumables, like healing potions or summoning figurines, hold onto some of them for me,¡± I told the merchant. ¡°Will do, off I go then, sir. There¡¯s a customer born every minute you know, and I don¡¯t want to miss a single one of them,¡± Clancy announced with a wave as he began to push his cart and whistle a jaunty tune as he left. I had a 24-hour money making machine with my latest minion, as well as the pair of deadly, and recently upgraded ones. This new class was shaping up to be a solid choice, and while I was curious about my instructor position here, I couldn¡¯t wait to unleash Elida and the Drone on one of the local dungeons. Chapter 328. Challenge Accepted. Chapter 328. Challenge Accepted. ¡°You¡¯re new here, aren¡¯t you? I was heading back, but I wanted to introduce myself and see if you¡¯d be interested in a quick sparring session with our minions,¡± a young woman that had been training on the opposite side of the field said as she walked toward me. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Rico, and yeah, I¡¯m new. I¡¯m going to be an adjunct professor here for the semester,¡± I said holding out my hand for her to shake. At first, I had mistaken her for a human, but now that she was close, I could see small horns curling up from her long hair, and her feet, peeking out from the bottom of the robes, weren¡¯t feet, they were hooves. ¡°I¡¯m Briella, a third-year student of the summoning arts here at this illustrious academy,¡± she said with a playful smile. Long, sharp canine teeth flashed through the smile and gave Briella a formidable appearance despite her friendly demeanor. ¡°Good to meet you, Briella. I just got here a few hours ago, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not sure how the whole sparring thing works, but I¡¯d be glad to give it a try if you can help me,¡± I said. In reality, I wasn¡¯t just willing to give it a go, I was chomping at the bit to test my newly enhanced minions against a real target. ¡°Woah, a new professor completely uncorrupted by the other faculty. This should be interesting. Here¡¯s the deal. Either of us can initiate a duel challenge just by voicing your intent. Once active, the field¡¯s system will offer us some options. For this duel, I suggest just a minion-on-minion fight unless there is a long cooldown on resummoning or some other restrictions you have with your class. ¡°We can include ourselves in the duel, but it¡¯s not quite the same, I¡¯ve found. The system lets the minions go at it, but if we join in, there is no feeling, only the training field system determining what the outcome of our actions are. Saying you want to cast a fireball at a foe and having to actually cast the spell makes a huge difference in realism,¡± Briella explained. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I agree with just using our minions. I¡¯d rather give my them a chance to shine without them relying on my support spells,¡± I said. It sounded like personal duels were rather boring as the training field did all it could to ensure there was no real threat to the participants. Summoned creatures were a whole different story, so it seemed. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll do a standard one-minute starting timer so we can summon all our minions. There will be no buffs from us, though minions can interact with each other and use abilities and spells as they normally would in a fight. Is placing no limit on numbers or tier and rank okay with you? If you want, we can do a series of one-on-one duels with our minions, but that¡¯s not as exciting,¡± Briella offered. ¡°I¡¯m fine with the no limit deal, and a big fight sounds like it would be more fun. How do we get started?¡± I asked. My minions were all out on the field, though none of Briella¡¯s team were present. I hadn¡¯t done much with my minions, just tested a few abilities and wasn¡¯t sure if Briella had even seen that much of them in action before she had walked over. ¡°Here we go, I¡¯ll send over the duel request,¡± Briella said. A duel challenge request from the being known as Briella, a Rank 2, Tier 7 Shield of the Forest summoner, has been offered to the being known as Rico Kline, a Tier 3, Rank 0 Contracted Summoner. This duel is to be a minion-only challenge, with realistic combat conditions. A 1-minute summoning and preparation timer before the hostilities commence will be enacted. Neither summoner may directly interfere with the conflict, and all spells, abilities, and consumables that may affect the outcome of the duel are to be restricted. Do you accept these terms? Y/N. I hit accept and another notification appeared. Please note the highlighted area of the field, and the specific locations for each summoner. Your minions must remain inside the highlighted area for the duration of the duel. A large, rectangular part of the field was lit up for us. A green square, just big enough for me to stand on flashed at one end, and at the other end was where Briella would stand. Once in my designated spot, a narrow strip of the field, closest to my spot, was highlighted for me to summon my minions onto. I already had the drone and Elida out and about, so I ordered them to stand in the highlighted area and wait for the duel to commence. Normally, I¡¯d be giving them some overall game plan to follow, but I wanted to see how the newly enhanced minions did on their own without any pre-planning from me. The duel has begun, your minions may attack in 60 seconds...59¡­58¡­ As soon as the countdown timer started, Briella began to summon her team. First out were a dozen small humanoid creatures that had bodies that looked like they were covered in small twigs and sticks. I¡¯d seen something similar before in the maze summoning contest I had been called to. They were called vegepygmys and I hadn¡¯t been all that impressed with them. Briella seemed to be casting a summoning spell every ten seconds or so, and the second spell created another dozen vegepygmys. Her third cast was something different, it was a group of four huge wolves, with bright green fur and oversized teeth. She had time to cast three more summoning spells, and I waited to see what was next.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. A second quartet of wolves appeared, and then eight elves who quickly mounted the oversized wolves. The elves were equipped with bows and short spears. Each wore leather armor, and I got the impression that they were much lower tier and rank than my minions. Brielle¡¯s class seemed to have a quantity over quality approach to summoning minions. Her final summoning was a larger version of the vegepygmy, one that held a long branch shaped staff and that had small green motes of magical energy sparkling around it. The last few seconds ticked down and I could see Brielle sweating and panting like the rapid-fire summoning of six groups of minions had really taxed her. Despite her exhaustion, Brielle had a rather confident grin plastered on her face, like she was sure of victory. The large vegepygmy, a mage of some type, raised its staff and cast some kind of buff spell over its comrades. They glowed green as a mana barrier of some type snapped into place over them. My minions hadn¡¯t been idle either, and Elida had cast her Personal Shield spell, causing a second shield, identical to the one she already wielded, to appear and hover between her and the enemy. The countdown reached zero and the drone began to stride forward at a brisk pace, with Elida moving behind it, using the drone as cover. A bright beam of energy fired from the drone¡¯s shoulder-mounted Plasma Beam Generator. The drone targeted one of the swarming vegepygmys as they charged in front of the wolves and the mage. The bark-like skin of the small creature proved little protection as the beam sliced through it, leaving behind two smoldering halves of the creature on the ground. With remaining seconds of power it had for the weapon, the drone walked the beam down the row of small attackers, cutting through their numbers even as the drone¡¯s grenade launcher swiveled toward the foes. Elida added her attack to the mix, casting Deadly Beam at the enemy mage. A golden bolt of light slammed into the vegepygmy mage, burning deep into its chest, but not killing it outright. Ongoing damage would continue for another ten seconds, but the final summoning that Brielle had brought onto the field seemed to be the most durable of the bunch. In response, the enemy mage cast a green blob of sap at Elida as arrows from the wolf-mounted elves began to strike home as well. The drone stepped in front of the spell and an electronic hum sounded out as the drone¡¯s Spell Reflect ability kicked in. The blob of sap flew back at the enemy mage, but it seemed immune to whatever the spell was supposed to do. Arrows pinged off the drone¡¯s armor, and Elida¡¯s shields, none finding a gap in their defenses yet. Seeing their fire was ineffective, the elves spurred their wolves on, charging with their spears ready to strike. A series of six explosions detonated among the charging elves. The drone had chosen incendiary ammunition for its launcher and in addition to blast damage and shrapnel inflicted on the targets, they were all covered in sticky, flaming napalm. Only two of the wolf-riding elves made it through the barrage, and as they reached my minions, the enemy mage cast another spell, covering the ground under my minions in grasping, thorn-covered vines. The vines grabbed onto both minions, but the drone just slashed down with its oversized arms, cutting through and pushing past the mess with its enhanced strength. Elida was in a bit more trouble, unable to walk, and the long thorns wrapped tightly around her legs were able to find any gap in her armor, digging deep into her flesh. The halfling Battle Mender started to glow as she activated both Gleaming Aura and her Battle Mend abilities. Wounds healed and the vines began to shrivel as the aura took effect. The drone bulled its way through the small field of vines just as the elves arrived. One elf and its mount were impaled on a pair of short spears that the drone held in its smaller set of arms. The other elf managed to land its blow, and the metal-tipped spear punched through the armor of the drone¡¯s chest, doing damage, but nothing catastrophic. A swipe of the drone¡¯s bladed hands ended the elf, but the powerful wolf managed to pry off an armored plate on the drone¡¯s leg before it was also put down. All that was left of the horde of attackers were a few vegepygmys that tried to swarm Elida, and the enemy mage that the drone was now charging toward. The vegepygmys began to claw with their sharp stick-like hands, but a few blows of Elida¡¯s mace, and her still active aura did them in quickly. My drone was closing the gap with the mage but was also being hit with a barrage of spells. The Spell Reflect ability was still on cooldown, and even with its innate magic resistance, the damage to the drone was mounting as balls of acidic sap, and a hail of thorns peppered my minion. Elida responded quickly, also moving to join the attack while casting Healing Beam on the drone. Only the acid sap spells seemed to do any real damage, and the thorns were mostly ignored by the drone. With Elida¡¯s healing bolstering its health, the drone made it to the enemy mage and ended it with a couple slashes of its clawed hands. The being known as Rico Kline has emerged victorious in the duel. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to deal with my minions so easily, Rico, despite you being a few ranks higher than me,¡± Briella said, taking the loss in good stride. ¡°My two minions are rather strong, and they both had abilities that were hard counters to your forces. Despite that, I bet you¡¯ll give me a run for my money whenever you hit tier three and get more abilities,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I should have gone with a different mix of forces. I saw your nice armor and weapons, and I figured a lot of the power of your class was in your personal combat skills. If that had been the case, your minions would have been a lot weaker than they turned out to be,¡± Brielle said. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you for showing me how the duel system works. If you ever want another go at it, just let me know,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks, Rico, I¡¯ll take you up on that offer, and I think things will turn out differently next time,¡± Brielle said. She was a good sport and helpful. I hoped that my informality with her still being a student wasn¡¯t going to be a problem, but I¡¯d just realized how casual we had been only now that she was leaving. ¡°Well, gang, I think it¡¯s time we call it a night,¡± I said, unsummoning the drone and Elida. The school was a safe enough place, and I had a few figurines on me if things got out of hand. The resummoning timer began to tick down. Since they weren¡¯t destroyed, it seemed I could bring my minions back after a minute had passed. I then received a system notice warning me that unsummoning and resummoning took longer in combat situations. It also warned that any damage the minions had taken would remain if they were immediately resummoned, though they would slowly heal over time as they waited for me to call them back. It had been an interesting day, and I was looking forward now to my comfortable-looking bed and whatever tomorrow held in store for me. Chapter 329. Guild and Delve. Chapter 329. Guild and Delve. It turned out that alarm clocks in magic academies were as annoying as the technological ones we used on Earth. The strange tone emitting from the alarm stone pulled me from a deep sleep, and I woke up groggy, and a bit sluggish. A heated shower in my bathroom helped me to clear out the cobwebs in my head. After getting cleaned up, I dressed in my school robes and headed out the door of my room. There was a bit of activity in the hallways of the tower, mostly maintenance staff and a few early risers trying to get a jump on their day. The area of the tower I was in housed mostly the low-ranking faculty and some of the permanent employees of the school. It wouldn¡¯t be until I headed up a floor before the passersby became predominantly students. The faculty dining facility was easy enough to find, I just had followed the alluring scent of bacon. At least it smelled like bacon, and I might begin to doubt my life choices if this school had something that smelled like, but wasn¡¯t, that perfect breakfast meat. There was a small line at the buffet table where the food was laid out. Thankfully, most of the offerings were relatively familiar, including bacon, but there were a few oddities. I noticed most people had a small pile of strange, gelatinous blue spheres the size of a marble on their plates, so I placed one on my plate to give it a try. Mostly I stuck with things that were familiar, but I did want to branch out with some culinary risks while I was here. If I¡¯d survived the MREs from training with the military, I figured nothing here would cause me a problem. Still not feeling entirely comfortable, I picked a spot at one of the smaller, unoccupied tables, rather than the long tables sprinkled with chatting people of various species. ¡°I see you survived your first night here,¡± a gruff-sounding dwarf in instructor robes said as he sat across from me at the table. The dwarf didn¡¯t have a tray of food, and instead of eating, he seemed content to just cross his arms and glare in my direction. ¡°Uh, hi? What can I do for you?¡± I asked the somewhat rude dwarf. While I wasn¡¯t going to be overtly hostile to anyone here if I could help it, I also was determined to stand my ground if anyone wanted to mess with me. ¡°Rico? Did you forget me already?¡± the gruff dwarf asked. It wasn¡¯t until a creepy spider-like shape crawled out from under the collar of the dwarf¡¯s robes and waved, that I realized the dwarf was Melody. ¡°Sorry, Melody, that¡¯s going to take some getting used to. I wasn¡¯t expecting you here, and I sure wasn¡¯t expecting you to be a dwarf today,¡± I replied, trying to smile and look casual as I ate the gelatinous blue marble on my plate. To my surprise it had a savory, almost potato-like taste with a hint of onion and garlic. My first culinary adventure had proven to be a successful one. ¡°Ha, I¡¯m just messing with you, Rico. I normally don¡¯t summon Weffik here unless I¡¯m teaching a section more relevant to dwarves. Don¡¯t worry, the human woman minion you saw yesterday is the one I usually ride along with,¡± Melody said. ¡°I just hope I don¡¯t mistake someone else for you and embarrass myself,¡± I said, looking at my now-empty plate and briefly contemplating getting more of the blue things before the pressure in my overstuffed belly reminded me I should I probably quit while I was ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll try to give you a heads up if I change my summoned conveyance for the day. I had stopped by your room, and I admit, I was a bit worried you¡¯d oversleep, but I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re awake early and ready to get a jump on things. When you finish with your meal, we can head to our classroom,¡± Melody said. ¡°I¡¯m done now, let¡¯s go,¡± I replied, placing my tray and plates back in the proper spot before leaving. The last thing I wanted to do was get the kitchen staff annoyed at me on my first full day here. ¡°I spoke with Glorine about what he wants me to go over. There¡¯s been a minor change in plans. Instead of having you teach a completely new class from scratch, he¡¯s decided to just parcel you out to the other professors so you can lend your expertise when they are in a relevant section of their instruction,¡± Melody said. ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as the change isn¡¯t because he thought I wasn¡¯t up to the task,¡± I replied, a bit worried that Headmaster Glorine had taken a second look at me and realized that I had no business teaching a class. ¡°He just figures that he can get more out of your time here if you get a chance to interact with several different classes and instructors. Who knows, you may even be offered another term as an instructor in the future. For now, you can help me get my classroom set up and ready for next week,¡± Melody said. It turned out that Melody didn¡¯t need all that much help. She¡¯d been teaching here for a few years and had everything squared away. We did spend some time in the curriculum, and I realized that there were several lessons that I¡¯d like to sit in on and learn from if it was possible. I suspected that would be the case with most of the classes here. Despite my time as a summoned being, I was still a noob when it came to system life. After a few hours of work, we broke for lunch. Melody went off on her own to eat, which I should probably be thankful for. Before taking her leave, she did introduce me to another human teacher who she was acquainted with, a man named Yarov who taught a combat casting class that was a graduation requirement for most mages. Yarov was very interested in having me speak in his class, as summoning in the heat of combat was a tricky thing to get right, especially if you wanted to choose the correct minion for the situation. Melody arrived soon after and we made our farewells to Yarov, who challenged me to a duel when we could both find the time. It seemed that dueling was a big thing here on campus and I looked forward to seeing what a master of combat casting could accomplish.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Rico, you can see that I don¡¯t need much to get ready for the semester. In fact, I can handle most of the rest of what I planned to accomplish today on my own. Why don¡¯t we head into town and see about getting you signed up with the adventurer¡¯s guild. I know you need to grow your tier and rank, and dungeon delving will probably be the best way for you to accomplish that while you¡¯re here,¡± Melody offered after we returned to her classroom. ¡°Thanks, Melody, I want to help in any way I can, but I admit, getting a chance to gain some experience could be a lifesaver,¡± I said. Following Melody outside the tower, we walked on a new path that led toward the front gates. I was expecting maybe a small entry gate, where a security guard and a member of the staff would screen and welcome visitors. What I hadn¡¯t expected was a full, stone wall encompassing the school, and the gate to be the same as you¡¯d find on a fortress. Armored guards stood watch, as well as a few mages in their school uniforms to support them. They gave us a cursory glance, and somehow the system must have identified us as instructors, so they let us pass without a word. Once outside the gate, I could see a large town spread out before us. The construction reminded me of Somhagen, and it appeared to be a bustling place. ¡°Melody, I wasn¡¯t expecting the defenses the school has in place. Is there something I need to be worried about?¡± I asked, wondering if I had signed up for something a bit more dangerous than a substitute teacher gig. ¡°While not considered an elite school, the Starveil Tower Academy is respected enough to attract the wrong kind of attention. There are plenty of nefarious groups out there that would love to plunder the school, and these guards are but one precaution we take to protect our students. ¡°We¡¯ve never had a major incident, just a few individuals trying to slip in and steal whatever they could, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can turn a blind eye to the potential threats that are out there. I have to say, it also provides a nice bit of real-world training for some of our students. You probably noticed some of the final year students among the guards,¡± Melody said. ¡°That¡¯s cool, I was just worried we were going to be under siege or something,¡± I said, feeling better about the situation. ¡°No worries, here we go, the adventurers guild. Just head inside and let them know who you are. The attendant will get you signed up and on the list for a dungeon. I need to scoot back to my classroom and finish up there. Good luck, Rico,¡± Melody said, waving me toward the large structure she¡¯d led me to. ¡°Thanks again, Melody,¡± I replied before heading in. It wasn¡¯t hard to mistake the adventurer¡¯s guild from the nearby shops, warehouses, and housing structures. The place looked like a fortified keep and had a constant stream of armed and armored adventurers flowing in and out of it. ¡°How can I help you, instructor?¡± A young gnomish woman asked as I entered the building. I must have looked rather out of place standing there gawking at the queues lined up behind various counters. The main entry hall of the guild looked like the DMV mixed with a row of magical bank tellers, and I had no idea which line to get in. ¡°Uh, hi, I¡¯m a new instructor at the academy and I was told I could sign up for the guild and get in the queue for a dungeon,¡± I said. ¡°No problem, the academy gets to use the priority lane for signup,¡± the woman said leading me to a counter with only a few people in school robes in front of me. While the guild employees seemed especially nice and polite to the school personnel, the adventurers themselves were a different story. I noticed more than a few hostile glares thrown my way, and I wondered if there was something going on that I should know about. ¡°Next! How can I help you, sir?¡± the bored-looking clerk, yet another of those serpent people that I¡¯d met behind the counter of the Somhagen arena said. ¡°He needs to get signed up and in the dungeon queue, Ssarina,¡± the gnome said before taking her leave and looking for more confused professors and adventurers to help. ¡°Very well, place your hand here, and accept the terms,¡± Ssarina said, placing a wood block on front of me that glowed with enchantment. When I placed my hand on it a system prompt appeared. You have requested membership in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Should they accept you, the guild will offer access to several facilities located on many worlds. These facilities include many dungeons of various difficulty as well as access to the questing board. Please note that should you be accepted for membership, 10% of anything you earn while on a guild sanctioned quest or dungeon delve will be automatically deducted from your rewards. The guild has accepted the being known as Rico Kline into its membership. Do you confirm that you wish to join the guild?¡± Y/N. I hit yes and the system confirmed my new membership. ¡°Congratulations on becoming a bronze tier guild member. As you delve into dungeons and complete quests, you¡¯ll earn guild points toward the next tier of membership. The higher tiers earn a reduced guild tax, greater access to purchase guild equipment, and other services. For now, as a new guild member and instructor at the academy. I can place you into the front of the queue for a single delve in the dungeon of your choice. Do you have a party, want to complete a solo dungeon, or do you wish me to add you to an existing group?¡± Ssarina asked in a bored monotone voice laced with a hissing lisp. ¡°I¡¯d like to do a solo dungeon if that¡¯s possible,¡± I said. Maybe I¡¯d party up later, but for now, I didn¡¯t want someone I didn¡¯t know watching my back. ¡°Here are the available options. The system will scale your choices to match your Tier and Rank. As a solo adventurer, you will be restricted to a dungeon that is of a substantially lower tier and rank than you currently hold,¡± Ssarina said, pushing the wood block back to me. As I touched it, the system gave me a list of choices. Your solo delve is limited to a maximum dungeon ranking of Tier 2, Rank 0.
  1. The Smoldering Vault. Tier 2, Rank 0.
  2. Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. Tier 2, Rank 0.
  3. The Blighted Village of Baern. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  4. The Lair of the Forgotten Sisters. Tier 1, Rank 0.
  5. Alley of Blades. Tier 0, Rank 5.
I wanted a challenge, so I gravitated toward the two highest tier offerings. Ssarina gave some information on the two. The vault was home to a fire elemental boss, and many of the lesser minions had a fire-based attack. She warned that it wasn¡¯t all flame-based enemies inside, and the dungeon could be rather tricky in how it changed up its roster. The other option, the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor would have me facing undead, and several deadly traps and creatures. A powerful revenant was the final boss, and the dungeon was a bit shorter than the vault one. That seemed like the best fit, so I picked the grotto. ¡°Okay, here are the directions to the Grotto entrance, it¡¯s just outside the city. Show the guild representative at the entrance your guild badge, and they¡¯ll place you next in the queue,¡± Ssarina said, handing me a pre-printed map. ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± I tried to say, but Ssarina was already shouting for her next customer to step up. This was it; I was about to venture into my first dungeon as an actual adventurer and not a summoned being. There was no respawn, and no odd third party determining my performance ranking and doling out the rewards. Anything I wanted, either experience, or treasure, I was going to have to take for myself. Chapter 331. Cutting Down the Dead. Chapter 331. Cutting Down the Dead. I had the drone hold off on using his grenades or the plasma beam for now. I didn¡¯t want to waste them on the first encounter. Instead, I had him and Elida charge the enemy as I cast Duplicate. For the spell, I decided to target Elida. I wanted to see if her Battle Mending was amplified or enhanced in any way by two auras covering my troops. Leaping ahead of his lesser minions, the Orc Revenant War Leader moved to intercept the armored drone. Pausing for a moment, the pair of Elida¡¯s fired off Deadly Beams at the skeletal warriors. The beams seemed to have no trouble affecting the undead, and both targets crumbled to the ground and dispersed into mana vapor as the two Elida¡¯s closed to melee distance. Brave as he was, and enhanced by the system as a veteran minion, the Orc Revenant War Leader only managed to land a glancing blow on my drone before the drone¡¯s four arms cut him down. Being double the tier and rank of the foe gave my minions an even greater advantage. By the time the drone was done with the target, the two Elidas had dealt with the remaining skeleton warriors. It was a bit odd seeing Elida in the front line, I was so used to her being the fragile healer that I needed to protect. Now, she was a heavily armored brawler that could sustain herself, and her allies, in a long engagement. My minions took limited damage in the short fight, and I couldn¡¯t tell if her Battle Mending had stacked or not. I¡¯d have to test it out in a more dangerous fight. After the last enemy had fallen, I scoured the area, looking for any loot. This was my first delve and I was used to all my rewards being handed to me after I returned to my personal space. I was a bit embarrassed that I didn¡¯t know all the details of how the loot worked inside the dungeon. Where each enemy had fallen, a small gleam was spotted, like a small LED had been buried in the floor. When I approached the light, a system prompt appeared. You have begun your first dungeon delve without the Summoned Being status. When inside a dungeon you may choose two ways to receive your rewards. The first option is for the dungeon to generate rewards on the spot, using a portion of the mana from each defeated minion to create something for you. The second method is to have the dungeon offer a more substantial reward at the end of the dungeon. Should you leave the dungeon early, or fall to the defenders, no rewards will be offered. You may change your preference prior to each delve. Please choose your preferred reward method for this delve. It seemed like an easy choice for this run. I would take the larger reward at the end, since I had little doubt that I would finish the run. Maybe if I was in a group or in a larger dungeon with a greater threat, I would select the immediate rewards if the chances of needing to retreat were high, but for now, I¡¯d be patient and wait for the reward. You have selected to accept a larger reward at the end of a successful run. A successful run for this dungeon is the defeat of the final boss. That settled that, I had to keep pressing forward if I wanted to get to my reward. The first of the three mini bosses that I had to defeat was down, and my team began to trek through the impressive outdoor environment the dungeon had created. It wasn¡¯t long before we reached another set of ruins and a veteran defender approached, this time, it was an orc skeletal warrior in rusted plate armor sitting atop a skeletal horse. The rider stopped about fifty feet from my party before speaking. ¡°Intruder, turn around and flee or be slain. The emperor will abide no invaders into his lands,¡± the undead creature announced as two more riders appeared from behind the ruins. System information on the new foes appeared as I examined them. Skeletal Orc War Troop Leader, Tier 1, Rank 5, Veteran. Skeletal Orc War Rider, Tier 1, Rank 0. (2). Each orc was armed with a spear and shield. Their mounts also had the rusted remains of barding covering their chests and shins. The two war riders were higher tier than the warriors supporting the other mini boss but having only two in their group instead of six probably evened it out in the system¡¯s eyes.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I expected the group to charge, given that they were mounted, but the orcs seemed content to let my forces do the attacking. Before I ordered my troops in, I remembered the dungeon information booklet had warned about some traps. Given the lack of a cavalry charge, I figured there was probably something the defenders were hoping we¡¯d run afoul of. Pulling my magic missile wand out, I also ordered my minions to draw ranged weapons and attack. The drone created a crossbow from its body that the two smaller hands wielded. While my drone would lose a bit of its mass with each shot it created and fired, a healing spell would replace what was lost. Elida and her duplicate had their slings out and fired on my command. The upgraded Duplicate spell for my new class allowed the duplicate to stick around for 24-hours. I could dismiss the duplicate if I wanted to use the spell on the drone instead, but there would be a longer cooldown involved, so it wasn¡¯t something I could do in the middle of a fight. My magic missile flew straight into the leader, the ball of magic cracking into the undead creature¡¯s face and shattering some of the bone when it landed. The two sling stones hit, with only fifty feet separating us, it would be considered an easy shot for them. My drone¡¯s crossbow bolt also landed, burying itself into the chest of the lead orc¡¯s horse. Other than my magic missiles, the ranged attacks weren¡¯t the most effective against skeletal foes, but the damage would eventually accumulate. A second, then a third volley flew out to pelt the enemy, and as if realizing their plan to goad us into attacking wasn¡¯t going to work, the trio of enemies charged. The two Elida¡¯s switched to their Deadly Beam spells, firing both at the leader of the enemy horsemen. Both beams struck home and burned deep into the orc¡¯s body as the trio of horsemen maneuvered around us in a sweeping arc which gave me a good idea where any potential traps might be found. Though they weren¡¯t enough to kill the already wounded leader outright, I could see a small glow around the area each beam had struck. The damage over time component of Elida¡¯s spell was still cooking away, further weakening our foe. The drone reabsorbed the crossbow and instead armed its smaller appendages with a pair of warhammers. I heartily approved of the weapon choice given the skeletal nature of our foes. Not wanting to burn up too many resources just yet, I had the two Elida¡¯s prepare to meet the charge of the approaching riders. They had burned two of their four spell slots for non-healing spells, but after this fight, I could have the pair use Channel Mana to replace them. Giving the drone permission to fire one high explosive grenade, he expertly landed the shot right in the middle of the trio of riders as they finished their turn to avoid the suspected traps and began to charge directly at us. The blast tore into the attackers, but instead of blasting the riders from their mounts, all three managed to remain in the saddle. Battered and damaged, the three slammed into my minions. Using my minions as cover, I continued to peck away at the undead orcs with my magic missile wand. One Elida was bowled over by the charge, the spear held by the Orc War Rider managed to avoid her shield and pierce her armored form. The strike was a powerful one, but Elida was durable enough to survive the hit. I could already see her casting a healing spell on herself, as the pair activated Battle Mending before attacking. My drone went after the troop leader, his longer clawed arms had little trouble shearing though bone and rusted armor. Now that they were close, I realized that the riders weren¡¯t in fact, riders. It appeared that the upper body of the orcish warriors were somehow grafted onto their mounts like a skeletal centaur type of thing. That explained why they hadn¡¯t been blasted off their mounts by the grenade. A spear pierced the drone, but now the fight was up close and personal, where the spears of the charging undead were less useful. Their mounts did bite at my minions, but we had the fight well in hand. First to fall was the leader as the drone, along with the existing damage, turned the veteran minion into mana vapor. The two regular orcs went down seconds later. My drone had taken a few hits, but nothing serious. I cast Health Bloom which would patch up any lingering damage on my minions. Once the healing magic had run its course, we continued through the dungeon, making sure to avoid the trapped area and moving toward the last set of ruins that we hadn¡¯t visited yet. We had one more mini boss to deal with before the path to the final boss of the dungeon would be revealed. Just like with the previous two encounters, the third mini boss issued a challenge before attacking. This time, we faced not infantry or cavalry, we faced the magic wielding branch of the dungeon¡¯s army. A Skeletal Orc Battle Caster was the tier one, rank five veteran of this group. It was supported by a trio of tier one, rank zero acolytes. They fired their own magic missiles at my team, but like the previous two fights, the enemy wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop us. I took my first injury of the battle, as a magic missile slammed into my chest. The armor stopped most of the blow, leaving only a big bruise behind. ¡°You have defeated my minions and are judged worthy to face me in battle. Best me, and you will be rewarded. Fear not, for even if you fall, your exploits will live on as your undead forms bolster the ranks of my army!¡± A loud voice boomed as the last acolyte fell. A glowing portal opened nearby, and a system prompt told me that through the portal waited the boss of the dungeon. So far, we¡¯d had little trouble against the normal defenders and the mini bosses. Now, we were going to be up against something quite a bit more dangerous. I¡¯d have to be careful and not get complacent. We were playing for keeps here, and no respawn awaited me if I messed this fight up. Chapter 332. Completion and Contract. Chapter 332. Completion and Contract. Readying my team, I stepped into the portal. With the information in the guild booklet, I didn¡¯t expect too many surprises. The boss was an undead half orc with the second half of his ancestry being from an ogre. There wasn¡¯t any mention of abilities or spells, but the guides weren¡¯t there to babysit adventurers, just give them a heads up on anything unusually deadly. A boss was always expected to be deadly, so the danger I was about to face wasn¡¯t considered unusual. The drone and Elida led the way, and I exited the portal right behind them. It was a throne room, one that was in ruins like the rest of the structures above ground. Sitting on a worn stone throne, a dozen yards ahead of us, was the namesake of this dungeon, the Shunned Emperor. He was dressed in heavy, black iron plate armor. A sword that was over six feet in length was propped up on the throne next to him. With the heavy armor completely encasing him, all I could see of the emperor¡¯s body was through the small slit in his helm. Cold, white bone was revealed, and empty eye sockets glowed with a faint red light. This was the final encounter, so I silently ordered my drone and Elida to go all out on our foe. Attached to my left arm was my shield, and in my right, I held the javelin. Before I could order the attack, the emperor stood and spoke. He raised one hand as if asking for a moment, which I granted him out of courtesy for the dungeon core. ¡°Hold a moment before we begin and indulge me in conversation. It¡¯s rare I get to speak with the challengers that enter here, and most just attack on sight. Tell me, human known as Rico Kline, what were the circumstances of your direct encounter with a dungeon core before?¡± the undead creature asked, though it was obvious to me that the dungeon core itself was speaking through its creation. Remaining behind my two minions, I ordered them to protect me if this were some kind of trick, but I had the feeling that the core was genuinely interested in what I had to say. I began to tell my story to the dungeon boss, and my story wasn¡¯t all that complicated. I had accepted a contract from a broker in Somhagen, which was my first introduction to a dungeon core. On that first contract I acted as the defender for the dungeon. We fought off a team of adventurers that were seeking to destroy the core and take the shards of the core for themselves. The emperor seemed especially interested that I had used my Fitzfazzle figurine to assist, and that I was willing to expend my personal resources to aid in completing my task. The second dungeon core I worked with was the one that I had directly contracted with, the Ruins of the Forbidden Glade. I had accepted the task of defending the dungeon from a wizard that was starving the core by sending too many teams of students inside the place. Thankfully, both my dungeon core adventures were successful ones, and I was happy to say both cores survived the experience. ¡°Would you be willing to broker a contract with me should I ever have the need of your services?¡± the dungeon asked through the emperor. ¡°I would, though it seems doubtful the guild and the academy would abuse you the way the other core was being abused. There¡¯s not much I can do currently as my travel options are more limited now,¡± I explained, not wanting to give too many details about my previous status as a summoned being. ¡°Understood, it is not an urgent request, but something I would be interested in for the future, and I hoped that you might be willing to act as my agent in the matter,¡± the core asked. ¡°Sure, I can at least try to come back and negotiate a contract with you once my advisor is freed up from his other duties,¡± I offered. Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s expertise was useful for a contract like this, and I had no desire to distract him from his current efforts. After the deal with Gary was resolved, and if I survived, I would do what I could to return here and help.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°That is acceptable,¡± the core replied. A system prompt appeared after that. It looked like the system wanted to take the training wheels off and force me to use the Negotiate Contract skill the system had granted me. The dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor has requested your assistance in negotiating a defensive contract. As your first negotiated contract, some predetermined options have been selected for you, but in the future, you may craft your own contract offerings. Select one of the following offers.
  1. Consult the dungeon core for a short time on preparing to defend itself against hostile adventurers and to prevent mana starvation. You will be required to spend at least 4 hours in active consultation.
  2. Agree to be summoned as a defender should the dungeon core be directly threatened. The duration of the summoning is to be until the threat has ended or 1 week has passed, whichever comes first.
  3. Agree to allow 1 of your minions to be summoned by the dungeon should it be directly threatened. Your minion will not be available to you during the time of the contract, which will be until the threat is ended, or 1 week has passed.
The offer you select will influence the amount of compensation your potential client is willing to offer. Woah, the system had added something new to the mix. I could offer one of my minions as a means to fulfill the contract, and not even be required to risk myself in the defense of the core. Thinking about it, offering a minion would generate its own set of potential problems. If I had another contract going, it could make things dangerous to have one of my minions absent. It might also affect my reputation if I took a contract and then showed up weaker than expected. Something like the teaching assignment I had now would be perfect for cutting a minion loose for a bit, but I couldn¡¯t predict the future and what I might be doing when the dungeon finally had need to call on my services. It would be better to contract for myself and the whole team. My Early Cancellation skill was there to save me if the dungeon called me into an impossible situation. Once I got a better feel for how my class and the contracts it generated worked, I could explore giving up a minion for a time. You have offered to be summoned as a defender should the dungeon core be threatened. This summoning contract is situational, and the dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor cannot affect your Reputation if you are on another assignment at the time it tries to activate your contract. The potential client is offering the following as compensation for the successful completion of your contract.
  1. A magic item crafted by the dungeon core to enhance your class. Please note that the power of this item is limited by the dungeon core¡¯s Tier and Rank.
  2. 100 gold.
  3. The option to call upon the dungeon core¡¯s limited aid 1 time.
¡°I¡¯m inclined to accept your offered compensation, but can you explain what the aid you¡¯ve included entails?¡± I asked. The overall deal was one of limited risk to me, and though the dungeon wasn¡¯t that high of a tier, a magic item crafted specifically for my class was an interesting reward. ¡°I can use my mana to open a portal to your location and send some of my minions to assist you. Of course, the number and power of those minions will be limited, as the mana costs will be substantial. You must also know that your call may not be answered should my mana reserves prove insufficient at the time of your call,¡± the core replied. ¡°That sounds fair, after all, the contract for my aid is also restricted if I¡¯m otherwise occupied when you call. I agree to the terms,¡± I said, accepting the final system generated contract that appeared before me. ¡°Excellent, this has proven to be a most interesting encounter with an adventurer. Though there is still one problem,¡± the core said. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°For our contract to ever be valid, you have to survive this delve,¡± the core said through the boss minion. The orc emperor grabbed its sword and began to charge toward us. ¡°I don¡¯t think your final boss is going to be an issue,¡± I replied as I ordered my minions to strike. The drone began firing its plasma generator and Elida cast Deadly Beam. Elida¡¯s spell burned into the armor of the undead emperor, but the plasma beam was even more effective. It cut through the magically enhanced steel plate like it was made of paper, and the undead body that the armor protected fared no better. In less than two seconds, the boss of the dungeon was destroyed and turned into mana vapor. You have entered into a contract with the dungeon core known as the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. This run was over, and the contract was in place. All I had to do now was collect my rewards for the successful completion of the dungeon run. Behind the emperor¡¯s battered throne, a glowing wooden chest appeared, and I was about to get my first peek at rewards outside of my time as a summoned being. Chapter 333. Delves End. Chapter 333. Delve¡¯s End. Being cautious, I had the drone check out the reward chest before I opened it. Just like in some video games, it turned out the chest couldn¡¯t be opened by anyone but the person it was assigned to, so my drone¡¯s efforts were wasted. As I touched the lid, a system prompt appeared. You have successfully completed your first run in the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor. Additional experience has been awarded for this run, though future runs will be made with diminishing experience rewards. You have been awarded 8 Experience. You have received the following dungeon rewards.
  1. Gold, 8.
  2. Summoning Figurine, 2.
  3. Potion, 2.
  4. Shortsword.
It turned out that even ¡°enhanced¡± the experience wasn¡¯t all that great compared to most of my summoned being adventures. I must have been leveling up quite a bit faster than a normal adventurer would. Of course, I had no control over when I was summoned, and an adventurer could pick and choose where they wanted to go, and how they wanted to gain experience. With several dungeons being literally in the backyard of the academy, even the reduced rewards for each run were going to add up quickly. Even better, there wasn¡¯t much inside the dungeon that was a threat to me. I¡¯d have to try the others that I was allowed to enter solo, since this one would give reduced experience with each run. As for the rest of the loot, I added the coins to my pack, and then pulled the two figurines out to examine. System information filled in the details as I looked at the pair of skeletal warrior figurines. Summoning Figurines.
  1. Skeletal orc warrior. Tier 1, Rank 5.
  2. Skeletal orc battle caster. Tier 1, Rank 7.
Given the tier and rank of the dungeon, the pair of figurines weren¡¯t bad. It would help flesh out the limited supply I was working with. That reminded me of how many I had left back home. I could only hope that Agent Lopez had distributed them to wherever they would do the most good. Next up were the two potions. One was a minor potion of health and the other was a minor rejuvenation potion that would restore a small amount of both health and mana. I still had better potions in my pack, so these I¡¯d see about handing these off to Clancy. He was my best bet at getting a good price on them. The last reward item, the shortsword was quite a bit nicer than my other rewards. I couldn¡¯t help but think that the dungeon had done me a solid since I¡¯d agreed to a defensive contract with it. Inspecting the weapon, I didn¡¯t need the system prompt to tell me it was something special. The hilt of the blade was normal enough, simple steel and a soft leather-wrapped grip. When I drew it from the leather scabbard, I was greeted with a narrow, slightly curved blade with a chisel tip that seemed to be made entirely of bone. A quick check showed that despite it being bone, the blade was as strong as steel, and razor sharp to boot. Shunned Emperor¡¯s Legacy. This shortsword was crafted from the femur of the Shunned Emperor. Enchanted to self-repair, the blade also confers an aura bonus of +1 to Strength, Constitution, and Presence for the wielder and all allies in a 25-foot radius. The bonus to Strength, Constitution, and Presence remains in effect even while sheathed, as long as the weapon remains belted to the wielder. Each successful hit with this weapon has a chance to leave behind a bone shard in the wound. These shards are active for 5 seconds and attempt to worm their way deeper into the target¡¯s body, causing the wound to bleed. The damage dealt by the shards is translated into healing for the wielder. The sword was a straight upgrade to my gladius. Not only would it provide my nearby minions with a stat boost, but I¡¯d also benefit from the boost as well, unlike the gladius. In addition, if I hit a foe, the sword would help me to heal up any damage I was taking. I already had some skill with shortswords, so it wouldn¡¯t require me to learn anything new, or waste coin on a training scroll or whatever I¡¯d have to buy to instantly learn a new weapon skill. Trading out the gladius for the Shunned Emperor¡¯s Legacy, I could feel a slight tingle as the enhancement aura activated. With only two minions to command, I should be able to keep them within the enhancement radius for most fights.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The gladius fit easily enough in my enchanted pack, but I did make a mental note to have Clancy look for some other magical storage device for me. If I could find a ring or something like that, it would be less cumbersome than dragging a large backpack around. For now, especially on a dungeon delve, the pack was sufficient. After gathering my rewards, I pulled up a quick peek at where I stood. I was now only four points away from tier three, rank one. Maybe one more delve would push me over the line. Normally, a single rank up wasn¡¯t too exciting, but I had no idea how often my class abilities would upgrade, or when I¡¯d unlock something new. Rico Kline, Contracted Summoner. Tier 3, Rank 0. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 46/50. To my delight, once I collected my rewards, a portal opened near where the boss had fallen. I wouldn¡¯t have to walk all the way back to the entrance. Before I stepped through, I thanked the dungeon core once more. There was no mention of a portal back to the entrance in the guild pamphlet, so I chalked it up to the dungeon showing its appreciation for the contract. I appeared with my minions back inside the guild¡¯s access point. The guards gave me a quick once over before waving me on. As I left for the main room of the guild outpost, I could see an attendant leading a group of four adventurers toward the dungeon entrance. They must have been the next in the queue for the dungeon, and at least I didn¡¯t get any nasty looks this time. ¡°You completed that run rather quickly,¡± the clerk said as I approached the counter. ¡°Yeah, my class was a good counter to most of the dungeon, and it didn¡¯t cause me any problems,¡± I explained. ¡°Well, we appreciate a quick run, it lets those behind you start earlier, and if we¡¯re lucky, maybe we can get an extra party through the dungeon today. Did you need anything else from us?¡± the guild clerk asked. ¡°No, I just wanted to confirm that my guild fees were automatically taken from the dungeon rewards,¡± I replied. ¡°Sure did, the system deals with all that, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Really, the only thing we ask you to do after a run is check out here at the counter so we know it¡¯s clear for the next party. We also appreciate it if anything unusual occurs inside the dungeon that you inform us of it. There¡¯s no need for someone to lose their life just because a dungeon is trying to pull a fast one,¡± the clerk said. ¡°Everything was pretty much as the guidebook explained,¡± I said. There was no need, in my opinion, to mention my interaction with the core, as that was a result of my previous dungeon core experience, and my class, not something unusual the dungeon was trying to pull. ¡°Do you want to get on the list for another run? I have a few slots open later in the week for academy faculty,¡± the clerk said. ¡°I do want another run, but I¡¯ll need to check my schedule at the academy before I commit to anything,¡± I explained. ¡°Understood, you can come here directly to sign up, but you can also use the guild hall in town, which is probably a bit more convenient,¡± the clerk said. ¡°Thanks again for everything,¡± I said before heading out. On the large front porch were a handful of adventurers waiting for their run. They appeared nervous and excited, and with the limited experience I¡¯d received from the dungeon, I wondered how many delves they had under their belts to make it to a high enough tier and rank to take on the dungeon. Given that they had a full party, I supposed that they could all be as low as tier one, rank five. I¡¯d like to try out a higher ranked dungeon, but I had to temper my desire for a challenge with my personal safety. The guild seemed to think a higher tier dungeon was too much for me, but I really felt my class, minions, and experience, made me more powerful than just my tier and rank would suggest. The trip back to the academy was a pleasant but uneventful one. Being this close to the town and having armed adventurers traveling through constantly probably made for a rather safe stretch of road. It was late afternoon when I finally made it back to the academy tower. It was a little too early for dinner, so I decided to check in with Melody. She was back in her classroom, going over a few large textbooks and writing notes on a long scroll. The room wasn¡¯t all that different from a college classroom. There were desks for up to forty students, and an old-fashioned chalk board at the front of the room. The instructor¡¯s desk was larger, and several filing cabinets lined the walls, along with bookcases full of texts on summoning. I anticipated being able to pour through the texts during my off time, and when I wasn¡¯t going to be on a dungeon delve. ¡°Hey Rico, I take it things went well at the guild?¡± Melody asked. She was standing on the shoulder of her female warrior minion, and I was actually starting to get used to her creepy spider body. ¡°Yeah, I finished my first delve and wanted to check in and see if you needed anything,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m about to wrap up for the day, but I could use your help tomorrow morning. The new first year students are still arriving, and I have to give an orientation tour to one of the groups. I figured you could provide moral support and maybe even get to know your way around better since we¡¯re doing a full tour of the grounds,¡± Melody said. ¡°That sounds good, I¡¯m here to help in any way I can,¡± I replied. ¡°Perfect, there¡¯s also one other thing. You see, before each semester officially begins, the faculty has a little tournament, and the Summoner Studies department is no different. Do you think your minions are up for a little competition?¡± Melody asked. ¡°A chance to test my minions up against the other faculty¡¯s minions, count me in,¡± I said excitedly. I was going to get a firsthand look at how experienced summoners and their minions operated. Chapter 334. Updates on the Deal. Chapter 334. Updates on the Deal. Melody was kind enough to hand me a set of the course materials for the class she was teaching. The materials consisted of three leatherbound volumes that looked to have been handwritten and illustrated. I was sure there was some magic involved in the process as I really doubted that the school had a basement full of scribes churning out handwritten copies of every textbook for a new class each semester. I was able to pour through the texts at dinner that evening. A few of the other professors and teaching assistants did stop by to say hello, and more than one said they were looking forward to me joining their class for a discussion on my life as a summoned being. A newly integrated world was also a big point of interest for many of them. More than one professor expressed interest in bringing me back after I returned to Earth so I could give a firsthand account of the integration events there. The people here were friendly enough, and I was glad to find that the common trope I¡¯d always read about, of a bully making the new guy in the school¡¯s life miserable, wasn¡¯t true. I was sure the students and their attitudes might be a different story. The halls outside of the faculty areas were starting to fill up with students as we got closer to the semester starting. After greeting the folks nearby, I cracked open the texts, excited about what I¡¯d find. Sadly, the texts were designed for an introductory class, Summoning Essentials, and a lot of what I found was a rehash of things I¡¯d already learned. The section on the various types of summoning classes people could acquire was interesting. Most seemed to be broken down and categorized by the way they summoned their minions. Some, like my Contracted Summoner class, focused on a few, more powerful minions, but others were shaped around bringing out a horde of disposable fodder to overwhelm a foe. I was also surprised that not all the information was targeted toward adventurers and combat. A good portion, if not most, of the instruction was on more practical applications for summoning. Having a class that could bring several minions to bolster a workforce was in high demand. It wasn¡¯t as exciting as exploring a dungeon, but it could become a well-paying career for those not inclined to be in the thick of danger. There was also the interesting nugget that you could gain experience from the system by doing more mundane tasks. To be granted experience by the system, you had to be challenged by the task, so summoning a goblin to assemble widgets all day wasn¡¯t going to be the path to ultimate power. Still, summoning that goblin would grant you a bit of experience at the start, but repetitive tasks quickly tamped down the experience the system would dole out. An adventurer, military summoner, and the like would advance their tier and rank at a much faster pace than taking a non-combatant approach, but they also faced possible death where the guy working for a factory or on a construction site would face about the same dangers as someone doing those jobs back on Earth. Sadly, with the integration occurring, a life of simple, safe work wasn¡¯t in the cards for me anytime soon. That night, while I was reading in my room, a new system prompt appeared. It let me know that I¡¯d received a message from Tzes¡¯zod, and since it was related to a system-backed negotiation, I would receive the message directly. A ghostlike scroll opened in front of me as Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s message appeared. Rico, I was granted permission to inform you of the progress of our negotiations. The amount of delay I can manage before your confrontation with Gary may be more limited than I had hoped. Gary is a skilled negotiator and knows the counter to many of my gambits. Still, he will be tied up for quite a while, and I was able to get a concession from the system that will greatly benefit us in the coming conflict. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Gary had been trying to delay his final ranking for the conflict, realizing that if he waits, the time for you catch up to him in tier and rank will be minimized. I¡¯m happy to say that the system has already ranked Gary. While there is still going to be a rather substantial gap in the power between the two of you, his cap for the conflict is now locked in while you will only grow stronger. He''s going to be limited to a power level of Tier 5, Rank 2. Currently, I¡¯m in negotiation for further concessions given the tier and rank disparity between the two of you, but even though I¡¯m certain I can negotiate some rather beneficial concessions, you¡¯re still going to have to do all you can to close the gap. As I receive further information, and when the system allows me to, I¡¯ll send you further updates. Tzes¡¯zod. Gary was going to be over two tiers higher than me. Fear and anxiety built as I considered how much of a difference that was. I could easily crush a foe that far below me now, and even a swarm of them would prove little problem. While I had learned a lot in my time as a summoned being, and through the various classes I¡¯d encountered during my summonings, Gary had the advantage of decades, if not centuries, of experience. I¡¯d need to pick up the pace and get as many dungeon runs scheduled as I possibly could. I couldn¡¯t allow myself the luxury of becoming discouraged. My Contracted Summoner class was strong and was only going to get stronger as I trained. There was also the added advantage of being temporarily part of a magic academy that had to have at least some knowledge and tools that I could use against Gary. I¡¯d have to become a bit more aggressive in my efforts, it was far too easy to slip into a comfortable pattern in a place like this. With another hour of time before I needed to sleep, I hit the texts again, hoping to glean something that could help. One thing did stand out, there was mention of one-on-one training for students taking a more combat-focused approach for their class. I¡¯d have to see who the trainers were and if there was something offered that I could partake in. The next morning, my thoughts, fears, and concerns warred against my determination to win the coming fight. At breakfast, I was so distracted that I didn¡¯t notice Melody sit down across from me at the table. ¡°Is the school food not agreeing with you, Rico?¡± Melody asked, obviously noticing my rather sour expression as I contemplated the problems I was facing. ¡°Sorry, no, it¡¯s great. The food¡¯s better than what I had in college back home. It¡¯s just that I have a lot on my mind, problems that aren¡¯t related to the academy,¡± I said, trying to scrounge up a smile as we spoke. ¡°Anything you want to talk about? I know we just met, but I tend to be a good judge of character, and I get the feeling that you¡¯re one of the good ones, Rico,¡± Melody asked. I needed to make a decision here. Melody had been nothing but helpful since I¡¯d arrived, and I needed to confide and trust someone eventually, so it might as well be her. The old fears of revealing what I was returned from when I had first become a summoned being. I was afraid of trusting people, but my experience with Refuge had taught me that it was necessary to have people in your corner you could count on. This was a magic academy, not Earth, where people were looking to track down and use summoned beings for their own nefarious purposes. Here, I was just like anyone else that the system had granted a class. I was nothing special apart from my rare, but not unheard-of background. If I was going to create a support system here at the academy, I could do worse than start with Melody. ¡°Thanks, I would like to talk to someone about it. I¡¯m in a very dangerous situation, and it might take some time to explain. I don¡¯t want to delay your tour though, what time do we have to start on that?¡± I asked, remembering my commitment from the night before. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few hours; the new students have an orientation they go through before the tours begin. Let¡¯s head to my classroom and we can talk,¡± Melody said. I took care of my dirty dishes and followed her back to the classroom. Once we were alone, I began to tell the story of my personal space, Gary, Tzes¡¯zod and the coming fight. I felt a bit concerned about disclosing the personal space after Tzes¡¯zod¡¯s warnings, but I didn¡¯t get the impression that Melody was about to enact some evil plan to seize it from me. Melody proved to be a good listener and interrupted only to clarify a point and dig deeper into what my dilemma was. I didn¡¯t expect any game-changing ideas from her, but when she dug deeper into Gary and what type of creature he was, she mentioned that she¡¯d introduce me to one of the professors on our tour later. She claimed that Professor Dalzrin was someone with extensive knowledge of infernals, and the deals creatures like Gary crafted. I was excited to meet the professor and, just maybe, discover something to give me an edge in my coming fight. The only downside was that I had to help Melody give the dog and pony show tour to a bunch of incoming freshmen first. Chapter 335. Tour of the Tower. Chapter 335. Tour the Tower. ¡°All right, students, I¡¯m Professor Zaraman, and this is Professor Kline who will be assisting in several of your classes this year. I¡¯d like to personally welcome you to the academy, and I look forward to getting to know you all as you progress as students. This class will be your homeroom, and it is here where we will go over the basics of Summoning. I know many of you are already committed to a summoning class, but some of you have only dabbled in this type of magic. ¡°No matter what you intend to do with summoning, it will behoove you to learn as much about every type of magic you can while you¡¯re here. I won¡¯t get into class details yet; we¡¯ll leave the syllabus for the official first day. For now, we¡¯ll escort you to several of the classrooms on this level and introduce you to the various professors you will be working with,¡± Melody said. I merely waved to the group and followed alongside Melody as she finished up her speech and we began to walk around the next several floors to visit all the possible classrooms that the first-year students might be enrolled in. I was surprised that despite only being here a few days, I already knew several of the professors just from our quick conversations in the cafeteria, or running into them in the faculty areas of the tower. The group we were herding around had 32 students of various species, and we passed several other professors who were doing the same thing. Melody seemed like an old hand at this kind of stuff, easily bantering with the students and the other groups we passed by. While I didn¡¯t mind interacting with others, I was never this confident and carefree in a crowd. ¡°This is the last classroom on our tour, then we¡¯ll head to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Students, let me introduce you to Professor Dalzrin, our expert on infernal summoning. For most of you, his class will be scheduled in your third or fourth year, but a few of you may have already obtained a class or summoning skill that will need the professor¡¯s knowledge and skill well before then,¡± Melody said as we walked into yet another classroom. This room was just like the other classes, but perhaps a bit smaller, which seemed the norm with the classes the students would take later in their education. I was at the back of the group to help herd any strays and was the last to enter the room. It has a faint sulfurous scent to the air, but it wasn¡¯t overpowering or overly offensive. Other than the smell, the room itself was what I expected. In this case, larger desks were shared by groups of four students. Several bookcases and storage shelves lined the walls, and a marked circle in the center of the floor had several mana-laden designs painted on it. When I finally made it fully into the room and got a look at the professor, I couldn¡¯t help but summon my minions. The drone and then Elida popped into being at the back of the room, both moving quickly to put themselves between me and the professor. There, standing at the head of the classroom, smiling and interacting with the students was the spitting image of Gary. I was about to start using my consumables and other items when I caught the look of horror in Melody¡¯s face as she saw what I was about to do. ¡°Look students, Rico has brought out two of his minions, take a good look, this is what you can expect from a tier three minion if your class concentrates on quality over quantity. Rico, step over here and meet Professor Dalzrin. He¡¯s been with the academy for over two decades now and teaches various classes on infernal summoning, as well as navigating the contracts that typically go along with them,¡± Melody said, smoothly covering up my antics. I gained control over myself and tamped down the rage as I realized this wasn¡¯t Gary, just another imp that looked very similar. Now that I could look closer, this imp was about a foot taller than Gary and was slim where Gary had a bit of a gut on him. Still, I was going to keep my guard up around anything that resembled Gary.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Rico, a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯ve heard good things about you from Melody,¡± the professor said before leaning in and whispering so the other students couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Melody also mentioned that you had a problem with an infernal. Is this in relation to a summoning or a contract?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°A bit of both, I¡¯m afraid, it¡¯s a complicated situation,¡± I said. ¡°Well then, I have some time now, this should be the last tour that visits my class today. Professor Zaraman, why don¡¯t you escort the group to get some refreshments, and I¡¯ll have a chat with our newest adjunct professor for a bit,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll see you at dinner, Rico,¡± Melody said, ushering the students out of the room. Dalzrin closed and locked the door, turning back toward me with his hands up in an effort to show that he wasn¡¯t a threat. My minions moved to my side, ready to defend me if the need arose. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you have a seat and start at the beginning. I can see you¡¯re a bit agitated about my appearance. You may not believe me, but I¡¯m different than most of my kin. I seek to acquire knowledge, not souls, and have enjoyed my position here for many years. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t jeopardize my standing at the academy to engage in any foolery or soul contracting,¡± Dalzrin tried to assure me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to offend you, but it¡¯s been a rough time lately with Gary,¡± I said. ¡°Gary?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°Yeah, the infernal I¡¯m having trouble with. I know that¡¯s not his real name, just what I called him after our first meeting, since your names are, well, you know. Are you sure you really want to hear this? I don¡¯t want to impose on you if you¡¯re busy,¡± I offered. Dalzrin made me uncomfortable, and I wanted nothing more than to leave here, but I also knew that he could have knowledge that I would need to survive. ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Rico, you don¡¯t mind if I call you Rico, do you? I have to admit, I¡¯m curious about your situation and have always been a bit intrigued about the newly inducted worlds. Why don¡¯t you start at the beginning, Rico, and I¡¯ll see if I can help you in any way,¡± Dalzrin offered. ¡°Sure, you can call me Rico. Is Professor Dalzrin okay? Or do you prefer something else,¡± I said, remembering the effect Gary¡¯s true name had on the unfortunate guard. Being driven mad and dying weren¡¯t on my to-do list for today. ¡°You can just call me Dalzrin, no ¡®professor¡¯ is necessary when it¡¯s just faculty. Start at the beginning and let me hear what difficulty my kin are causing for you,¡± Dalzrin asked I began my tale, trying my hardest to avoid mentioning the personal space issue, and instead just calling it a dispute over a magic item. Professor Dalzrin probably saw right through my lie, but I couldn¡¯t read any ill intent on his face as he listened. Just like with Melody, he stopped me a few times to dig deeper into a few details, and my quick summary ended up being a thirty-minute discussion. ¡°Interesting, you¡¯re in quite a pickle, Rico. At least you seem to have some allies in your endeavor. A lich willing to not only negotiate on your behalf, but also willing to fight alongside you is highly unusual. I would be wary, though, and make sure the undead creature has no ulterior motives. If it¡¯s any consolation, in my experience, the undead, save for some vampires, are rather forthright and seldom stoop to subterfuge in their actions,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Is there any advice that you can give?¡± I asked hopefully. ¡°Go back in time and end that first summoning early before you encountered Gary. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he put all this in motion after your first meeting. Since time travel is not possible, you can only continue the path you¡¯ve set for yourself. Grow strong and seek to defeat your foe in combat. ¡°While my kind have relatively few physical weaknesses, we are mortal, and our bodies can be destroyed like any other mortal. One thing you can do, is realize that while he¡¯s likely brilliant and devious, Gary has the same hubris that most of my kind struggle with. Use his arrogance against him, goad Gary into rash attacks, and respond with well-crafted tactics,¡± Dalzrin offered. It wasn¡¯t any great revelation, and I was about to leave disappointed when he started to speak again. ¡°There may be some ways to bolster your strength. I¡¯ll speak with some of the other professors and try to get you some individual training sessions organized. Work hard and perform your contracted summoning tasks to the best of your ability, and maybe Headmaster Glorine will grant you a boon. ¡°If he does, ignore any offers of training or other assistance, and ask for this,¡± Dalzrin said, holding up his hand while he looked through one of the shelves for a tome on artifacts. He flipped quickly through the various illustrations, and I waited to see what he was looking for. Chapter 336. Advice and a Delve. Chapter 336. Advice and a Delve. As he flipped through the book, Dalzrin asked me a few more questions about my class. With each answer, he thumbed toward a different location in the tome. Finally, he landed on what he wanted to show, and turned the book in my direction, his finger stabbing at the picture of a small stone trinket that was shaped like a trumpet. ¡°What does it do?¡± I asked. Written beside the illustration was only the name of the item, and no indication of its purpose. ¡°It¡¯s the Call of the Grateful. It¡¯s a single-use trinket that very well may turn the tide of your coming fight in your favor. As you can see, the system restricts information on the device, as well as most in this inventory tome,¡± Dalzrin said, flipping a few pages and showing me more magic items, weapons, and armor, but just like with the Call of the Grateful, they were only named, not described in detail. ¡°How do I know this one is the right pick for me?¡± I asked. ¡°You only have my recommendation to go on, I¡¯m afraid. While I can see additional details on all the inventory, I am prevented from sharing them with you. I know trusting one of my kind is anathema to you after all you¡¯ve experienced, but remember, I have turned away from the practices of my kin and only seek more knowledge and to share what I¡¯ve learned with others,¡± Dalzrin explained. He was correct, I was leery of trusting any of these infernals, but this was a bit of a different situation. Dalzrin was asking nothing in return for his assistance, and the academy seemed to trust him enough to allow Dalzrin to teach their students. I doubted the academy would allow him on staff if he intended harm to a fellow faculty member, even one in a temporary position like my current situation. ¡°Thank you Dalzrin, I appreciate the advice, and taking the time to help me,¡± I replied. ¡°Always glad to help someone from the academy, especially someone who has shown an open mind to those of us that come from species with rather nefarious reputations. I may have some time for a training session or two once the semester settles in. From your descriptions of this Gary, I think I might be able to offer some insight into how he will approach the fight, and a few pitfalls to be wary of,¡± Dalzrin offered. ¡°Thank you, Dalzrin, I¡¯d be honored to have more of your time and advice,¡± I said. The rattling latch of the door to the classroom, and a series of knocks interrupted our conversation. ¡°Ah, my next appointment is here. Sorry, Rico, but I must bid you farewell for now. I have some research to attend to,¡± Dalzrin said. As he showed me out, I watched as several of the academy staff brought in large crates that rumbled and shook like something alive was inside them. Whatever it was, I decided that I wanted to be nowhere near that classroom when Dalzrin opened those crates. Hurrying to the nearest student cafeteria, I managed to find Melody and her tour group after weaving through the growing crowds of students. After another hour of herding the students around, we were finally finished with the task. Melody didn¡¯t need help with anything else, so I was cut loose in the late afternoon to do as I wished. First off, I headed back to my room. I wanted to check in on Clancy to see how his merchant activities were progressing. Clancy, Merchant Cart Vendor. Current funds available for you to withdraw:
  1. Gold: 13.
  2. Silver: 27.
  3. Copper: 144.
Items of interest held by your minion.
  1. Summoning figurine, Tier 1, Rank 4.
  2. Scroll of Barrier, Tier 1, Rank 5.
This minion can be recalled to your location. Do you wish to recall Clancy? Y/N. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. This time, I did choose to recall Clancy, and a moment later, a portal opened in my room and Clancy stepped through pushing his overladen cart in front of him. It looked like he was doing well enough on his own and there was more inventory on the cart than he had started with. Added to the money and items he¡¯d found for me; I¡¯d say my third minion for this summoning was turning out to be a good choice. ¡°What do you have for me, Clancy?¡± I asked. ¡°Here you go, boss, a figurine and a scroll you might have interest in. If you don¡¯t want either, I can put them back up for sale,¡± Clancy said, also handing me the pouch of coins he had collected as profit. ¡°Do you need any of the money for restocking?¡± I asked. ¡°No, sir, that¡¯s coin already set aside for you. I¡¯ve kept some for operational expenses, and while you can have that, it will reduce my revenue capabilities if you tap into it,¡± Clancy explained. ¡°Understood, just what you¡¯ve given me is fine. Hold on for a minute and let me check out the items you¡¯ve found,¡± I told my minion as I looked at the figurine and scroll. Scroll of Barrier, Teir 1, Rank 5. This scroll creates a protective barrier around the caster, absorbing a modest amount of damage before expiring. Rot Grub Swarm figurine, Tier 1, Rank 4. This figurine conjures a small swarm of Rot Grub that will mindlessly attack the nearest hostile target. Both were good options, nothing especially powerful, but something useful in battle. I added the figurine to the pouch on my belt where I stored the others. The scroll went into the pocket where I used to keep the Notice of Cessations scrolls. ¡°Thanks, Clancy. Here¡¯s some potions that you can sell, and I¡¯d like you to keep on the lookout for more figurines and the like. Also, can you see about finding any kind of storage items like my pack here. I¡¯m wanting something a bit less bulky, like a ring, to hold my inventory without lugging a backpack around everywhere,¡± I explained. ¡°Not a problem, boss, I¡¯ll keep my eyes out for anything I think you might like,¡± Clancy said. It was odd talking and interacting with a minion, but I suppose this type of minion would be rather useless if it couldn¡¯t interact with potential customers. Just to be safe, I tried something. ¡°Clancy, are you real, like a summoned being, or are you a mana construct?¡± I asked him directly. ¡°I was created to serve in this capacity, and am not a summoned being,¡± Clancy answered woodenly. I wasn¡¯t convinced, but I¡¯d make a point to treat him fairly, and not put Clancy in danger if I didn¡¯t have to. Of course, if it was a life-or-death situation for me, I¡¯d throw Clancy into the meat grinder. If he was a summoned being or something of the like, he¡¯d respawn. There were no more respawns for me now. ¡°Well, Clancy, you¡¯re doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work, and don¡¯t feel bad about taking a break now and then. You have my permission to spend some of what you make on yourself,¡± I told him. ¡°Thank you, sir, I appreciate that. If you don¡¯t need anything else, I¡¯d like to get back at it. I¡¯ve found a real sweet spot to set up my cart. It¡¯s near several restaurants in town with a lot of foot traffic, and I don¡¯t want to lose my spot to some other vendor,¡± Clancy said. ¡°No problem, Clancy, see you later,¡± I told the minion. For a minute, I was worried that he would be stuck in here. My room¡¯s door was wider than a normal home back on Earth, but nowhere near wide enough for the cart. Thankfully, a portal opened to dump Clancy back to where I¡¯d called him from. With new items, a little extra coin, and nothing to do, I headed into town. The first thing I wanted was to get into the queue for another dungeon. Once again, the guards at the academy gates gave me a quick glance before waving me through. When I was outside the academy, I swapped out the school robes for my armor and other gear. I had tried to wear my armor under the instructor robes, but it proved a bit too warm and uncomfortable. Being able to instantly summon my armor and weapons made it easy enough to switch out when needed. By this point, being in armor and carrying weapons seemed more natural to me than being in civilian garb. Even back on Earth, I was usually decked out in combat gear for most of the day while helping with training. Here, there seemed to be a mix of people in regular clothing and more than a few in fighting gear. With so many dungeons nearby, it was likely common to see armed and armored people out and about. When I reached the adventurer¡¯s guild, one of the clerks pointed me toward the right queue where I could sign up for a dungeon run. I lucked out, and there was a slot open for a solo delve later that evening. It was for the tier two, rank zero dungeon called, the Smoldering Vault. It turned out that the guild was required to keep several slots open for academy faculty or students, and with most of the students still getting settled, and the instructors putting together their classrooms for the semester, I had the pick of several options. The caveat was that I had to arrive an hour ahead of the scheduled delve or I¡¯d lose my place in line and the slot would be given to an adventuring party on the wait list. I now had a little over an hour before the delve, and with the guild guidebook in hand, I realized that I was going to need some kind of fire protection if I didn¡¯t want to have a rough time in the dungeon. It was time to hit up the shops in town and see what they had on offer. Chapter 337. The Smoldering Vault. Chapter 337. The Smoldering Vault. The town was busy with folks doing any last-minute shopping before returning home for dinner. Places that catered toward adventurers, the exact type of shop I was looking for, tended to have either much longer hours, or were just open all the time. The dungeons didn¡¯t close except on rare occasions, so there was a market for gear and supplies at all hours. There was quite a lot of selection on offer, and I¡¯d have to make time for a longer trip in the future. I had a stash of well over 1,000 gold, and it was high time that I spent some on new gear, consumables, and anything else that might give me an edge over Gary. After asking several adventurers, they all directed me to the larger vendors, who offered a wide array of just about everything. While heading to one of the larger shops, I came across a small storefront that offered alchemy services. With nothing to lose, I headed inside and was a bit surprised at what I found. I was expecting tables and racks full of potions in glass vials, and a need to be very cautious so I didn¡¯t knock things over. Instead, the shop was well organized with signs directing me to the different categories of potions. The shop didn¡¯t have the actual potions out, and the shopkeeper instead had created cards depicting what the potion looked like as well as a summary of its effects. If you wanted to buy something, you brought the corresponding card over to the counter and the workers would fill your order from the back. I moved to a small section where the resistance potions were advertised when another customer began to speak loudly as he tried to haggle with the store owner. ¡°These are double the cost compared to the ones at the mercantile. Nobody is going to come in here if you overcharge every adventurer that walks through your door. Give me a 50% discount on these or no sale!¡± a human in chainmail armor demanded. A young halfling woman wearing leather armor stood beside him nodding her agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything, this is my shop, and it runs by my rules. Be honest, adventurer, the reason you¡¯re here isn¡¯t for a deal, you¡¯re here because you know my product is superior to the swill they offer at the larger shops. Mass produced potions using marginal ingredients are not something you want to stake your life on,¡± the gnomish shop owner countered. ¡°Bah, I¡¯m wasting my time here, you can keep your overpriced crap,¡± the man said, throwing the potion cards he held at the gnome before storming out. ¡°Cheapskate, you¡¯ll regret this when your guts are hanging outside your body and the potion you use doesn¡¯t get the job done,¡± the gnome taunted as the two adventurers left. With an exasperated huff, he turned his attention to me. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t give discounts here, so if you¡¯re looking for a ¡®deal¡¯ head over to one of the other shops,¡± the gnome growled. ¡°Check your fire there, buddy. I¡¯m not with them, I¡¯m here to purchase something if you¡¯re willing to sell me what I need,¡± I countered. The anger remained plastered on the gnome¡¯s face, but he took a few deep breaths and got himself under control. ¡°Sorry, sir, but I¡¯ve reached my limit with the cheapskate adventurers in this town. What can I help you with, adventurer, at least you¡¯re polite enough. Mind you, the prices are all displayed clearly, and I¡¯ll brook no discussion on reducing my prices,¡± the gnome warned. ¡°My name¡¯s Rico, and while I admit that I am in the adventurer¡¯s guild, I¡¯m an adjunct professor at the academy, not a full-time adventurer. Running dungeons in between my other work is what I need the potions for,¡± I explained. ¡°Pleased to meet you Professor Rico. I¡¯m Itzlebit, and I welcome you officially to my shop. Sorry you had to witness my earlier outburst,¡± the gnome replied. He looked to have shaken off his anger and gave a genuine smile as he offered his hand for me to shake. As I shook his hand, I noted that Itzlebit was dressed in the traditional robes most people in town seemed to prefer. He was clothed in rugged coveralls and had sturdy gloves as well as a mask stashed in his belt. This was someone that knew the importance of protective gear, which was a good thing to see in his line of work. ¡°It¡¯s just Rico, I¡¯m only here for a semester, so we can dispense with the professor stuff. I¡¯m heading into the Smoldering Vault tonight, and wanted to pick up some fire resistance potions,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, and a wise decision to prepare properly for a delve. Let me ask you a few questions before I recommend something. Is any of your gear fireproof or resistant already?¡± Itzlebit asked.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°No, but I do have a moderate flame resistance,¡± I replied, remembering that fire resistance was something that I had picked up during my summoned being adventurers. ¡°Very good, in that case, I¡¯d recommend a fire resistance salve. It¡¯ll protect your gear as well as give an additional layer of protection for yourself. Even better, it¡¯ll stack with your existing resistance, reducing the damage you¡¯ll take even before your natural resistance kicks in,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°How much am I looking at for each salve? Before you get worked up, I¡¯m not trying to haggle, just making sure I¡¯m within budget,¡± I explained as the gnome began to bristle at my mention of price. ¡°These are 80 silver each. Mind you, my work is better than most and each salve will offer protection for several hours. Now, if you take extensive damage, you may want to reapply, but you¡¯ll get a lot more mileage out of this than the potions that the competition sells that only last for a short while,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll take a half dozen, and look at anything else you have on offer,¡± I replied. Giddy at the prospect of a real customer, Itzlebit found me a selection of resistance potions and salves for most of the things I might encounter. By the time he was done, I had flame, frost, sonic, psionic, acid, necrotic, nature, earth, and wind resistance salves and potions stashed away for emergencies. Since I was here, my healing potions were also due for an upgrade. The healing potion prices jumped up the more powerful the potion was, but I settled for ones that would give me a moderate, instant boost of healing, and then a heal over time component. It was the healing over time element that Itzlebit¡¯s skill really shined with. It would last a full minute and heal nearly double what the initial burst provided. Digging deeper, the gnome asked a bit about my class. When I told him about my minions, he gave me a few healing potions specifically formulated for minions. The minions could take them early, up to an hour before a fight began. Once taken, or in the case of the drone, splashed over his armored body, the potion would go dormant, and then activate once the minion took moderate damage. The overall healing was modest, but was something that would happen automatically and not require them to stop whatever it was they were doing to fish out a potion. It only worked on mana constructs, and at a gold apiece, they were pricy, but I bought a handful of them to keep on hand for more dangerous fights. By now, the scheduled time for my delve was approaching and I had to leave. Itzlebit offered to set aside some things he thought I might need, and I promised to visit him when I had more time to spend there. Now that I was properly prepared for my delve, I headed back on the road out of town to find the Smoldering Vault. It was a shorter distance and in the opposite direction from the other dungeon I¡¯d visited, and the trip there was a quick one. There was a similar guild outpost near the dungeon entrance, and after a quick check of the updated guidebook they provided, I headed inside. This time, they only offered me one minor healing potion in lieu of checking out any equipment. The potion was significantly weaker than the ones I¡¯d just purchased from Itzlebit, but it went into my pack anyway. Even weak potions would be a hot commodity back on Earth. Passing out whatever spare potions I came across would probably save some lives when I finally returned home. Entering the dungeon, I made the same announcement that I¡¯d made in the previous one. This time, the dungeon core either chose to, or was unable to communicate directly with me. Though larger in overall size, I wasn¡¯t all that impressed with the Smoldering Vault. Just like with the previous dungeon, a judicious application of firepower and minion skills tore through the minor elementals that made up the bulk of our foes I faced. The elementals were about human height, and had a craggy, rock-like exterior that was wreathed in flame. When attacked, the elementals would spew out a small burst of magma that would stick to whatever it hit. Between the drone¡¯s natural armor, and Elida¡¯s ability to heal herself while fighting, they handled the threat well enough. For the most part, I didn¡¯t even have to get involved. Really, the only annoying factor was a damage over time component to the dungeon due to the heat. The damage ramped up the closer to the end we got, but with my natural resistance and the fire resistance salve, it was only uncomfortably hot, not physically harmful to me in any way. My drone was also pretty much immune to the heat, though I did have to cast Health Bloom once to keep Elida topped off without burning through one of her spell slots. When we reached the final boss, who was just a larger and more powerful version of the other elementals, the fight was anticlimactic. A full barrage of grenades from the drone, then a bit of melee and the battle was over. Elida and the drone both had to engage the boss up close for a while, as the drone¡¯s plasma beam was completely ineffective against a monster that was immune to heat-based attacks. A system prompt appeared as we cleared the last foe. I read it as I opened the reward chest that had just spawned. It looked like I had reached a new rank and taken the first step up in my new class. You have successfully completed your first run in the Smoldering Vault. Additional experience has been awarded for this run, though future runs will be made with diminishing experience rewards. You have been awarded 7 Experience. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 3, Rank 1. Your minions have become stronger. Your Mind stat has increased by 1. Your Presence stat has increased by 1. You have unlocked a new class feature. You have received the following dungeon rewards.
  1. Gold, 7.
  2. Trinket.
  3. Scroll.
Chapter 338. Subcontracting. Chapter 338. Subcontracting. Before I dug into my new class feature, I inspected the trinket and scroll that were part of my dungeon rewards. The trinket was a thin, coin-sized medallion with strange symbols carved into it. By concentrating on the trinket, the system gave me a description and an idea of how to use it. Trinket of Eternal Resistance. This trinket can be affixed to any armor or clothing and grants the bearer a 5% bonus to the resistance of their choice. Once every 24-hours, a different resistance may be chosen. To affix or remove the trinket, merely push 1 point of mana into the item. That was a handy addition to my gear. I activated it like the system suggested, pushing a bit of mana into it and concentrating on attaching it to my armor. There was a bit of vibration in the trinket, but then it became solidly attached to my chest armor near the shoulder. Experimenting, I reversed the process and then reattached it again, just to make sure I could do both without trouble. For a final test, I unsummoned my armor and called it back. The trinket remained in place when I recalled the armor. Selecting a resistance was difficult, as I didn¡¯t need the fire resist after having completed the dungeon. Thinking on the various possibilities, I figured that toxin resistance might be the best call. It would help in a variety of ways, including food poisoning. I already had minor resistance to toxins, so another 5% resistance would help bump it up to something a bit more robust. After 24 hours had passed, I could always shift it to something else. Next up was the reward scroll. The system announced its purpose as soon as I grasped it. Minion enhancement upgrade scroll. This scroll will allow you to upgrade one of your existing minions, allowing the minion¡¯s selected ability, gear item, or skill upgrade to improve its Rank by 1. This upgrade allows the selection to improve past the current Tier and Rank of the summoner. This was a nice surprise, and anything that would let my minions surpass my current tier and rank was welcome. The decision was a bit more difficult. Before, it would be a no brainer, I¡¯d just select something from my most powerful minion. Now, all my minions were the same tier and rank. My drone was a powerhouse and upgrading his attacks or armor was tempting, but so was upgrading the healing abilities of Elida. Both had become a bit stronger after hitting tier three, rank one, but they hadn¡¯t unlocked any new abilities or noticeable upgrades to any existing ones. There was no system confirmation, but I had a feeling that they¡¯d see more substantial improvements at rank five, and at each new tier. Of the two minions, I wanted to either improve Elida¡¯s Battle Mender healing ability, or the drone¡¯s combat potential in some way. Both minions had exceeded my expectations so far. We hadn¡¯t faced anything too difficult, but the ease of how they handled tier two threats, even elites, was impressive. After considering my options, I realized that Battle Mender also helped to heal both minions in sustained combat, so it was probably the better bang for the buck with the scroll. Your minion Elida Silverbarrow has improved her Battle Mender ability. The self-healing component has increased to 52%, and the allied healing component has improved to 26%. It wasn¡¯t a huge bump, only 2% more healing for Elida, and 1% for any allies, but it was going to pay dividends in any long, drawn-out fight that we found ourselves in. For a dungeon reward in a tier two ranked dungeon, I couldn¡¯t complain. Last up on my rewards review was my new class feature. Summoner¡¯s Gift. You may choose a lesser version of one of your personal offensive or defensive abilities and share it with your minions. Once selected, your choice cannot be changed until your next contracted summoning. Since this summoning is already in progress, an ability has been chosen for you. Lesser Riposte. Your minions have a 10% chance to instantly retaliate when struck in melee. The instant strike by your minion will be for 50% of the damage a normal melee strike inflicts, though any special effects or enchantments on the weapon will remain at their full strength. While I might have chosen something else if given the option, Riposte was a solid choice for what I expected my minions to face. Both Elida and the drone were primarily melee focused, and the extra attacks, even at 50% damage, would add up quickly. My drone had a mana drain ability, and Elida had a healing one with Battle Mender, which would help to maximize the effects of any additional attacks. ¡°Thank you for the delve, I look forward to challenging your dungeon again in the future,¡± I said loudly to the dungeon core before leaving through the portal that opened nearby. This dungeon hadn¡¯t responded to any of my contact attempts, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t listening, so I¡¯d be as polite as I could when delving.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That was a quick run,¡± one of the guild guards near the entry portal to the dungeon commented. ¡°As long as I come out in one piece, I¡¯m happy,¡± I replied, not wanting to give up too much information on myself and my abilities. The guard merely nodded in reply as I left to check in with the outpost clerk. Though the guard had been rather nonchalant, the clerk was visibly excited that I had finished early. Apparently, there was a bit of a bottleneck, and a lot of adventuring groups were getting impatient with the wait between delves. Mostly, the gathered parties ignored me as I left, my armor not giving them any indication I was with the school. It was probably better not to advertise that I was a professor and had used my school connections to get ahead of the queue. I¡¯d feel bad for cutting in line, if the need wasn¡¯t so dire. A few of the waiting groups even tried to recruit me for their runs. Given how over-leveled I was for the dungeon, if I participated in a group, I doubted if I would get any experience from the system. I politely declined and made my way back toward the academy. My run was quick and easy, but it granted minimal experience. Even worse, that experience, and the rewards, would be reduced for each successive run I made. Going dungeon delving regularly would generate some benefits, but I needed to progress more quickly if I was going to get strong enough to defeat Gary. If I could complete multiple dungeon runs each day, or perhaps convince the guild to let me delve into more difficult dungeons, I could make this work. As it stood, I was worried that I¡¯d only gain a couple more ranks before my confrontation with Gary happened. Before heading back to the academy and my comfortable bed, I took a tour of the shops to see if I could find any upgrades to my gear. After my experience with Itzlebit, I kept an eye out for the smaller and more specialized shops. The larger shops catered to the large number of lower tier and rank adventurers and were mostly filled with entry level gear. Of the more powerful gear I found, most were items focused on classes, skills, and abilities that weren¡¯t what I needed. That wasn¡¯t to say I struck out entirely. I did manage to find a replacement for my Headband of the Apprentice Summoner, which no longer worked with my minions. With my class changes and the higher tier of my minions, it no longer gave me a bonus. The new headband was called the Circlet of Bolstering. The circlet was a simple steel band with a dark green gem in the center. It would grant me and all my minions a bonus of +1 to Constitution. Anything that helped my team stay in the fight longer was a good buy. At nearly forty gold, it was a rather expensive upgrade. It turned out that items that affected more than just the wearer were much harder to acquire, which increased the cost substantially. There were a couple of summoning figurines that I picked up as well. One was a tier three, rank zero pack of ghouls that looked interesting, as it was supposed to summon five of the monsters. The other figurine was tier two, rank seven, and it was a gnome pushing a small cart with blades sticking out of it. This figurine was labeled as a gnomish war contraption, and I was curious what the crazy-looking cart would do in combat. Both figurines went into my belt pouch, ready for an emergency. It was getting late, and I¡¯d made it through only about a third of the shops in town when I decided to call it a night. I had an early morning meeting with Melody who would help me come up with a schedule for the classes that wanted me to share my experiences as a summoned being. One smaller storefront caught my eye as I walked back down a path I hadn¡¯t taken before. At first, it seemed like any of the other shops in the area, though it was rather busy compared to the other smaller shops. The sign over the door is what caught my attention. Somhagen Exports. I followed a pair of dwarven warriors inside, the two quickly making a beeline for the small bar in the back. The front of the shop was a general store, like many of the others I¡¯d visited, while the back was given over to the bar and a small food counter. Looking for any workers to assist me, I was a bit shocked to find one of the orange-robed attendants that I usually associated with the Summoned Market. The attendant, a middle-aged human woman, gave a friendly smile as I approached. ¡°Hello, are you from the Summoned Market in Somhagen?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Ingrid, a pleasure to meet you,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m Rico, glad to meet you, Ingrid. Tell me, what brings you out here to this world? I thought you mostly dealt in summoned being cashing in their summoning points. Not only that, but I also thought the market was bound to the city of Somhagen,¡± I asked. ¡°While that is our primary function, we often have stale inventory that needs liquidation. That inventory is offered through small outlets in prominent locations, such as this one. With the academy and a conflux of nearby dungeons, this was determined to be an excellent location. You know, you have that look about you, were you a summoned being at some point?¡± she asked. ¡°I was, and I didn¡¯t realize it somehow showed,¡± I replied. ¡°Hm, not to just anyone, but to someone like me, who has dealt with summoned beings for as long as I have, you seem to get a feel for identifying one. Is there anything I can offer you today? We have a new batch of inventory, and I¡¯ll even throw in a small discount for a previous customer,¡± Ingrid offered. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for anything in particular. Tell me, Ingrid, do the system restrictions still apply if I tell you my class features so you can match products for me?¡± I asked. ¡°They do indeed. That is a restriction placed on us for every customer we deal with, not just the summoned beings,¡± she replied. ¡°Great, let me give you a rundown of what I need,¡± I said, explaining my class mechanics of the Contracted Summoner. ¡°Tell me, Rico, are you interested in additional contracts? We do occasionally get broker requests to recruit interested adventuring parties. With your class and experience as a summoned being, I think there¡¯d be many who would be interested in seeking out your services,¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m already here on a contract,¡± I explained. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize you had agreed to an exclusive contract,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Wait, exclusive? No, I didn¡¯t have an exclusivity agreement in my contract with the school,¡± I said, my class ability coming into play to remind me of the details of the existing contract. ¡°Excellent, so now that we know you aren¡¯t in an exclusive contract, are you willing to consider new agreements?¡± Ingrid asked. Chapter 339. Store Credit. Chapter 339. Store Credit. ¡°I have to admit, Ingrid, I didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of multiple contracts at once. I¡¯m not sure how that would even work¡­¡± I started to say as a system prompt kicked in and some new class information appeared. While I was happy to see the new information, I was a bit annoyed that the system hadn¡¯t revealed it earlier. You have unlocked the class ability to secure and maintain multiple contracts at the same time. Your current contract is considered the primary contract and will take priority over all your other contract options. Additional contract opportunities will be limited to those employers that are willing to accept a secondary position in summoning priority and have a task with a very short duration. It should also be noted that many of the secondary contracts may offer limited rewards based on the restrictions placed upon you. To acquire additional contracts, you may either negotiate directly with the party requesting your assistance or respond to postings placed in Somhagen or through appropriate representatives and brokers. At your current Tier, Rank, and Reputation, you are limited to a maximum of 2 additional contracts active at one time. The number of additional contract offerings may change as your Tier and Rank increase, but the number, and quality, of the offerings will also be affected by your Reputation score. Should your reputation score diminish, some contracts may be cancelled early by the issuer, and any advance compensation you have received may be rescinded. Since you unlocked the option for multiple contracts after accepting your current contract, you must obtain permission from the designated representative, the being known as Headmaster Glorine, before accepting any additional contract options. ¡°I can tell by that look, the system just finished explaining things to you,¡± Ingrid said as I finished reading. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a lot of information there, but it looks like I¡¯ll need some permission before I can take on any other contracts. Once I get that permission, do you have any contracts to offer here?¡± I asked. ¡°We have some access to some of the contract request listings, but only those who sent requests directly through the Summoned Market. Other listings, perhaps the bulk of them, can be found through the various brokers at each tier of the city itself. I suspect, should you be granted permission by your current employer, that you may be given a chance for a visit to the city,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Thanks, Ingrid, the information you¡¯ve given me might just save my life. Since I can¡¯t look at any new contracts at the moment, can you suggest some gear or consumables that I might fit well with my new class?¡± I asked, excited about the opportunities that I might have if I could convince Headmaster Glorine to cut me loose on my downtime. ¡°Give me a moment Rico, I¡¯ll take a look at our current inventory,¡± Ingrid said, leaving to head back behind the main sales counter where I suppose some kind of interface for the shop¡¯s inventory was kept. I tried to plan out my next day while she looked. I¡¯d have to meet with Melody in the morning, as classes were about to begin. Hopefully, Melody will be able to get me a meeting with Glorine. While I didn¡¯t think that Glorine would prevent me from taking additional contracts, there was always the chance that he wouldn¡¯t want to risk my service being cut short by a dangerous contract. ¡°Rico, here¡¯s what I think might interest you. There wasn¡¯t much that integrated well with your class, and if you don¡¯t see anything you want, I can still offer plenty of standard consumables such as potions and the like,¡± Melody offered while placing two items and a handful of figurines on the countertop. The first item was the largest of the bunch, a heavy crossbow with a crude box magazine attached to the top. As I picked up the crossbow, I felt the tingle of mana in the weapon and a system explanation appeared.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ghost Archer¡¯s Crossbow. This heavy crossbow is imbued with mana, and infused with the spirit of an ancient archer who, at the time of his death, didn¡¯t wish to give up his craft and pass into the afterlife. The crossbow takes 25 mana to activate and once activated, will float near the wielder and operate independently as it seeks out, and engages any hostile targets within range. The crossbow will prioritize targets with the same skill that the spirit that imbues it possessed in life, but it will also answer your commands if you wish it to focus on a specific threat. Its magazine contains a total of 5 ethereal bolts that ignore any physical armor. Once the last bolt is fired, the crossbow will become inert and drop to the ground beside you. This item can be activated only 1/hour. It was a nice addition to my firepower. Having a ranged weapon that could do its thing without my direct attention was exactly what I needed. Though it only had five shots before it ran out of ammo, it could be activated every hour, which would make it more useful in longer combat operations. The final item, other than the figurines, was a pair of plain, iron bracelets that hummed with power. When I picked them up, I was surprised to see that this was an item that interacted with one of my minions, and was something specifically designed for summoners. Summoner¡¯s Bands of Immediate Recall. When attached and attuned to a summoning minion, this band may be activated to immediately recall the minion to your side. Activation requires 10 mana, and the bands can only be used once every 24 hours. It was another survival item. If I was in a position where undetected enemies appeared, I could call back one of my minions to assist me. Like most survival items, I wanted it, though it would be tough to decide which minion to equip it with. Other than the crossbow and bands, Ingrid had four figurines which I knew that I¡¯d want. These were things I pretty much never turned down unless I was almost out of funds. Summoning Figurines.
  1. Crawling Spines. Tier 1, Rank 6.
  2. Pixie Archer. Tier 1, Rank 7.
  3. War Hound Pack. Tier 2, Rank 2.
  4. Goblin Mortar Team. Tier 3, Rank 0.
¡°Great picks, Ingrid, thanks for finding these. How much would it set me back to pick up everything you¡¯ve found?¡± I asked. ¡°Allow me a moment, it appears you still have a credit balance to your account. You must have had at least some of your summoning points converted into store credit when your class evolved,¡± Ingrid said, her eyes darting around as she looked at system information that was invisible to me. ¡°Well, it seems that if you wish to keep the entire offering, your account balance is more than sufficient to pay for it. In addition, after purchasing everything, you¡¯d be left with a credit of 23 gold, 14 silver, and 12 copper,¡± Ingrid advised. ¡°Thank you, Ingrid, and thank you, system,¡± I said. I had thought that my summoning points had all been converted into my new class options somehow, but the added bonus of some store credit was more than appreciated, especially now that I knew the Summoned Market was something I could still access. I took a moment before leaving to organize my new items. The crossbow had a strap that allowed me to sling it over my shoulder, which I did. When I needed it, I wouldn¡¯t have time to dig through my pack for the weapon. For the bands, I debated which minion to pair with them. In the end, I decided to pair the bands with Elida. If there was an emergency that required me to call for help, a healer might be the best option. It didn¡¯t hurt that she was also a powerful fighter with her upgraded class. The four figurines went into the belt pouch that was starting to get a bit crowded. The four figurines were a nice variety. Crawling spines were something I hadn¡¯t encountered before, and Ingrid was kind enough to inform me of their details. They were small creatures that resembled sharpened wood stakes that had been driven into the ground. When an enemy neared, they would launch themselves at the foe, hitting as hard as a crossbow bolt. There was a total of five spines on the figurine. The pixie archer was a single unit that fired arrows with a paralytic toxin on them. Rather fragile, the pixie wouldn¡¯t last long if an enemy caught it, but its flying ability should keep it in the fight for a while. The war hounds were a pack of three huge dogs, complete with studded leather barding to protect them. My final figurine was a goblin mortar team. There were two goblins on the figurine base, and between them was a close approximation of the mortars I¡¯d see used during my time training with the military. The weapon would have four shots, then the goblins could be ordered into melee, if needed, though they were rather weak and only armed with daggers. Ingrid warned me to not get too close to the mortar, as goblin tech was known to have occasional catastrophic failures. I didn¡¯t need the reminder, given my last experience at the goblin amusement park. With a productive day behind me, and some critical discussions tomorrow, it was time to head back to my room for some sleep. Chapter 340. Contracted Battlefield. Chapter 340. Contracted Battlefield. Things on campus were beginning to settle down for the night by the time I arrived back at my room. I was on one of the floors that housed faculty and workers, so we didn¡¯t have to deal with excited and noisy students wandering around that often. Once again, I was surprised at how comfortable my room was, despite the lack of technology. The next morning, after checking in with Melody, I headed up the tower to the headmaster¡¯s office. Despite not having an appointment, Glorine welcomed me into the office a few minutes after I arrived. I still hadn¡¯t figured out what species Glorine was, as he was the only person I¡¯d encountered that naturally glowed. ¡°Rico, I don¡¯t have much time with classes starting tomorrow, is there something I can answer for you quickly?¡± Glorine asked as soon as I entered the office. ¡°Yes, hopefully this will be quick, one way or the other. I just found out last night that my class can accept supplementary contracts while still working on yours. It would only be on my off hours, and your contract would be primary,¡± I said, fumbling over myself a bit in a rush to get it out there. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not inclined to have you accept additional work when you¡¯ve really just started your work for us. What guarantees do I have that you¡¯ll perform to our satisfaction if your attention is diverted elsewhere?¡± Headmaster Glorine said sternly. His glowing face revealed no details or expression, but his tone told me that the headmaster wasn¡¯t inclined to cut me loose after hours to work for someone else. ¡°You have my word, of course, and the system has some safeguards in place that would prevent me from being summoned away from here when I¡¯m actively working for you. I¡¯m sorry, if my needs weren¡¯t dire, I wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± I said. ¡°Is there some financial trouble you¡¯re in? I could see about an advance on your stipend,¡± Headmaster Glorine offered. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a financial obligation, and you¡¯re paying me more than a fair wage. It¡¯s about growing stronger. I need to increase my tier and rank for a coming conflict that I can¡¯t avoid, and that I¡¯m woefully unprepared for at present,¡± I said. ¡°Interesting, give me some more details,¡± Glorine said. I launched into an abbreviated version of my interactions with Gary. There were some details I omitted, like Tzes¡¯zod being a lich and that my personal space was up for grabs. When I explained about the limited amount of experience that I¡¯d been awarded by the local dungeon, he perked up. ¡°The experience was not satisfactory? Tell me, Rico, how many experience points did you get out of a first run in the tier two, rank zero dungeons that you cleared on your own,¡± Glorine asked. ¡°It was only around seven points,¡± I explained. ¡°And you didn¡¯t consider that sufficient? How many points were you expecting the system to reward you with?¡± Glorine asked. I thought back to my last summoning before hitting tier three. It was the contract with the Yon¡¯s. ¡°My last summoning as a summoned being had an excellent rating, and I received 39 experience points for it,¡± I explained. ¡°Astounding, I believe your expectations on the amount of experience a system integrated person receives is skewed. For some reason, the system was accelerating your experience gain while you were a summoned being. The reward you received for the last dungeon run would be considered excellent by most people. If it had not be a first clear for you, the dungeon would have probably only granted around three or four points at most, even clearing it solo,¡± Glorine explained. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered our experience gain might be different as a summoned being. It might be because we were being used to seed mana into a new world the system wants to integrate. If a few experience points for a complete dungeon clear is all I can expect, I¡¯m in trouble. There¡¯s no hard date set for my confrontation with Gary, but I doubt that my attorney will buy me enough time to even get close if three or four experience is all I can expect on a dungeon run,¡± I bemoaned.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Yes, I can see you¡¯re in a bit of a bind. Unfortunately, your personal problems are not the problem of the academy. That being said, we are not without understanding and empathy for someone in your position. I¡¯ll tell you what, Rico, I¡¯ll provisionally allow additional contracts to be sought out by you. ¡°Should I, or any of my colleagues, feel that your work is being negatively impacted by your side contracts, I will revoke my permission. Additionally, if you find that these secondary contracts net the same or less experience than a dungeon run here, you¡¯ll give up the extra work and focus entirely on the academy,¡± Headmaster Glorine offered. ¡°That¡¯s fair, and I thank you for your help,¡± I said as a system prompt appeared. The being known as Headmaster Glorine has provisionally granted you permission to seek additional summoning contract options. Please be advised that this permission can be revoked at any time, and at the sole discretion of the being known as Headmaster Glorine. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. For now, I need you to focus on the first days of school. Our students deserve our complete attention, and someone with your experiences has a lot to teach them. In fact, I believe I now have some updates to our texts on summoned beings to make. With you recollecting exact numbers for your last summoning, we can likely extrapolate a more accurate estimate of how much experience a summoned receives compared to others,¡± Headmaster Glorine said, waving me out of the office while he searched the bookshelves near his desk for the text he wanted to update. I had felt that there was a solid chance the headmaster was going to be flexible with me, but having it confirmed lifted my spirits. Sadly, it appeared that even contracted summonings might yield fewer experience rewards than I was used to, but I wouldn¡¯t know for sure until I completed a few. While I wanted to head right into town and visit Ingrid in Somhagen Exports, I needed to focus on my job for the day. It turned out that Melody had quite a bit of work for me today. Apparently, there were several last-minute enrollments, which necessitated moving desks around, and gathering supplies to accommodate the extra students. It was mostly grunt work, but I found myself enjoying the simple tasks, which continued throughout the day as Melody lent me out to help several other professors to help with their classroom setup. Work continued again after dinner, and into the late evening. After talking with the staff, it turned out that a rush of last-minute enrollments was fairly common. Many students had tried to get into some of the more elite and prestigious schools, but as they filled up, many ended up applying to our academy as a backup plan. I wondered if that meant we were going to have some behavior problems with the new students, since we weren¡¯t their first choice. When I was done for the day at the academy, I took the time for a quick bath before I planned to head into town and see if I could snag some contracts with Ingrid at the Somhagen Exports shop. Melvin, who had been rather quiet while I worked during the day, was also sending me images of the various food vendors in town. He¡¯d eaten well at dinner, but the gelatinous cube, even in his armor form, was always hungry. ¡°Fine, Melvin, we¡¯ll stop for a snack on our way back. For now, let¡¯s get moving,¡± I told him, which stopped the food images from coming at me. I knew he¡¯d resume his barrage of food images if I neglected to stop at one of the food carts before we returned to the room. Just as I was about to leave, a system prompt surprised me. A summoning contract has been activated. You are Summoned! With that, a blue portal opened next to the door, and it took me a moment to remember that I had a contract outstanding with Earth still. It was the one that I¡¯d left with Agent Lopez for him to use it as he saw fit. Excited, I stepped into the portal, wondering if the integration had finally started. I¡¯d only been here at the academy for a week or so, but I was well aware that time didn¡¯t always flow in the same manner in different worlds. I stepped out of the portal and into the chaos of battle. A fireball landed just a few yards away and the blast knocked me off my feet. Melvin let out a squeal of pain as the edge of the flames licked against my armor. I rolled up against the ruins of a wall and tried to get my bearings. ¡°Stay down, the barrage will be over soon, they don¡¯t have the mana reserves to keep this up,¡± A gruff voice called out. My summoner link led directly to an old man crouched behind the ruined wall. A huge dog sat next to him, growling at my sudden appearance before the old man shushed him. ¡°Quiet Buster, he¡¯s on our side. I take it you¡¯re this Rico character I¡¯ve heard Agent Lopez talk about. He said that if I summoned you, you¡¯d help turn the tide of battle in my favor,¡± the old man said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Rico and I¡¯ll do what I can. Let me summon my minions while you tell me what¡¯s going on here,¡± I said. ¡°We should have a few minutes before my next attack goes in. What minions are you going to summon?¡± the old man asked as a system prompt appeared. As this is a separate summoning from your current, primary contract, you may adjust the minion loadout. In addition, you have a chance to select a new Summoner¡¯s Copy minion from a limited selection of options. Summoner¡¯s Copy options:
  1. Chixtani Infestor.
  2. Town Guard Sergeant.
  3. Apprentice Mage.
I had a few decisions to make and not much time to make them. There was no respawn if I made the wrong minion choices for the coming fight. Chapter 342. Bridge Assault. Chapter 342. Bridge Assault. The Chixtani controlled ogre went on a rampage, its club sweeping away several of the gnomish attackers with each blow. Elida and the other goblins also reached the fight, alongside a rather well-organized group of naga warriors armed with spears and shields. With Glurk and the old man providing ranged fire support, I helped out by casting Command Lesser Foe on one of the gnomes, turning it on its companions. I then opened Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts pulling a creature from it to assist in the battle. A furry mole-rat animal emerged; something called a Zokor. It wasn¡¯t exactly a formidable foe, though it trotted dutifully toward the growing battle. Maybe a gnome would trip over it or something, but I doubted the random animal would do me any good. My other items, like the Fangs of the Hydra and the Portal of the Cackle weren¡¯t going to be needed here, as it looked like the fight was turning in our favor. I¡¯d save the more powerful summoning items for a more dire need. The old man to my left stopped shooting, changing out the partially empty magazine for a fully loaded one with a smoothness that told me he had done this many times before. ¡°Nebram, send in the reserves to secure this end of the bridge and pull any wounded back for the healers to work on,¡± the old man ordered to a naga that stood nearby. The naga was dressed in a tactical vest and carried a long spear engraved with runes. Nodding, the naga named Nebram slithered off to follow the old man¡¯s orders. ¡°One of my minions is a healer if you need any help for serious cases. I¡¯d like to preserve as many of her healing spells as we can if we¡¯re facing something other than a few unarmed gnomes and their ogre buddies,¡± I said as our forces wiped out the last of the bridge defenders on this end. Instead of continuing the assault to the other side of the bridge, the naga seem content to occupy the tower on this end, and a few protected positions on the bridge itself. I seemed like the gnomes had a bunch of half-finished barricades in place, which our troops were putting to good use. I had my team return to my side while the naga took over the defense of the bridge. ¡°I think we¡¯re fine for now. With your troops helping, my boys took a lot less damage than I¡¯d expected,¡± the old man said. ¡°Silas, don¡¯t be an old grump, at least introduce yourself now that we¡¯re not in imminent danger. Hi, I¡¯m Misty,¡± a young woman in modern body armor said as she held out her hand. She was young, probably college age, and had one of those smiles that seemed to ignite something in her eyes. Her grip was strong, and though she wasn¡¯t trying to crush my hand, I could feel the power behind it. Her strength score must have been substantial, which was surprising for someone from Earth that wasn¡¯t a summoned being. ¡°Thanks, Misty, I¡¯m Rico,¡± I replied a bit awkwardly as the old man glared at me. ¡°I¡¯m Silas Ward, your creatures seemed to be up to the challenge, just like Lopez promised,¡± Silas said, pointing toward my minions as they approached. I noticed that a small group of naga shadowed them like they still weren¡¯t quite sure if we were friends or foes. ¡°They¡¯re a solid team, but what exactly are we facing here?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostly these rabid gnomes and a few ogres out here on the bridge. Once inside the keep, it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess what Bhalkur has waiting to defend the keep controlling this level of the pit,¡± Silas said. The name, Bhalkur, triggered many unpleasant memories for me. That was who the cultists on Earth had worshipped, and it seemed this Bhalkur was operating a much bigger operation than a few misguided human servants. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with Bhalkur cultists when I was back on Earth, I assume this is the same guy?¡± I asked. ¡°Creepy formless horror that corrupts everything around him? Bends others to his will in a fanatical devotion? Lives in a pit that we''re trying to keep him sealed inside of? If you answered yes to any of those questions, we¡¯re probably talking about the same guy,¡± Misty joked. ¡°That¡¯s the one, and I¡¯m glad to help. I have some payback I need to dish out on him,¡± I said, thinking about all those that his cultists had killed, and that young woman trapped with me when I was their prisoner.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°If we clear the tower and place it under our control, that¡¯ll be another step toward ending Bhalkur¡¯s threat,¡± Silas said. ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move?¡± I asked. ¡°We need to secure the other side of the bridge. First, we¡¯ll let our shamans heal everyone up and reapply buffs, then we¡¯ll begin the assault under the cover of some more artillery,¡± Silas said. ¡°More of the mortars?¡± I asked, curious if he had more of the modern weapons. ¡°No, those are toast, and we knew they were only going to be useful in the initial assault. For our next artillery barrage, I¡¯ve hired some mercenaries to do the job,¡± Silas said, pointing toward where a portal had opened under the cover of the tower we controlled. Out of the portal a small team of goblins hauled out a pair of wooden carts loaded to the gills with lumber and crates. With a bunch of shouting and yelling, the goblins began to assemble a siege engine of some sort. Having dealt with goblins during several summonings, I was a bit worried about the functionality of whatever they were building. Catastrophic failures weren¡¯t entirely uncommon with most goblin contraptions. ¡°What defenders are we going to face on the other side of the bridge? Are we looking at more of the same?¡± I asked. ¡°No, other than a few ogres to stiffen their defenses, this side of the bridge pretty much had just the rabid gnomes as fodder. The other half of the bridge will have some of Bhalkur¡¯s better forces on this level. Those that have been corrupted by Bhalkur for a longer period of time begin to regain some of their skill and cunning. Mix that with bodily mutations to make them dangerous, and you have an idea of what we¡¯ll be up against,¡± Silas explained. ¡°What will you need my team to do?¡± I asked. ¡°This time, I¡¯d like your minions to lead the assault. All my troops are real people and if we¡¯re going to have casualties, I¡¯d rather it be among summoned creatures, not live ones,¡± Silas said, his face morphing into a grim expression as several of the fallen naga were dragged away from the bridge. Our casualties had been surprisingly light, and it seemed that Elida¡¯s ability to heal those around her when she was in melee had paid dividends among the naga forces we were fighting alongside. My own troops were fully healed and ready to go, but even so, crossing the bridge on their own could be problematic depending on the enemy¡¯s weapons. I needed more intel to make this work. ¡°What about ranged attacks? Do the enemy have archers or mages? Who was casting that fireball barrage earlier?¡± I asked. ¡°As far as ranged attacks, some of the corrupted will have crossbows or javelins. A few might have simple magic, think magic missiles or flame blasts, that sort of thing. As for the barrage earlier, that came from the keep, but I doubt whoever commands there has enough mana to keep that up,¡± Silas said. I looked over at the keep in the distance. It was made from slabs of dark rock that seemed out of place considering the terrain around us. Other than the bridge and the cleared killing ground around the keep, we were surrounded by a thick jungle. I couldn¡¯t see the far side of the keep but had to assume that Silas had scouted all avenues of approach and found this to be the most viable. ¡°My team¡¯s ready to go as soon as your barrage starts up,¡± I said, noticing that the goblins were making quick work on assembling the pair of siege engines. The siege engines looked like a portable trebuchet was being assembled on top of the cart itself, making it sort of a mobile artillery platform. The pieces of the siege engines had been pre-cut and the goblin crews knew what they were doing as they worked at a feverish pace to finish up quickly. One of the goblins, a shady-looking fellow missing half of one ear and wearing dirty coveralls, jogged over to Silas. ¡°Hey boss, we¡¯re just about done, where do you want us to drop the hate¡± the goblin asked. ¡°I need you to suppress the tower at the other end of the bridge, then keep up a barrage to tear up any reinforcements from the keep,¡± Silas said, pointing toward his targets. ¡°Woah, hold your hellhounds there, boss. Gritvart only paid us for a single barrage, and that means three rounds from each siege engine. You want more than that, you need to sign a new contract, and before you ask, no, we can¡¯t stay longer, we have other obligations after this job,¡± the goblin replied. Silas looked like he was going to explode, and his dog, which resembled a Cocker Spaniel that was super-sized, growled menacingly, but the old man managed to keep himself under control. ¡°Fine, focus everything on the tower, and for what I¡¯m paying, you better hit what you¡¯re aiming at,¡± Silas growled. ¡°Hey, you get what you pay for, and we¡¯re no amateurs, buddy,¡± I¡¯ll be ready to fire in two minutes, and once I¡¯m ready, I¡¯m firing whether you¡¯re ready or not,¡± the goblin warned. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll be ready,¡± Silas said. The goblin jogged back over to the machines which looked like they were fully assembled, and the workers were only doing some last-minute adjustments. ¡°Can you get your team ready to go, Rico? My naga will be right behind you to support the attack. I¡¯ll be providing overwatch protection,¡± Silas said, pointing toward the top of the tower where he planned to cover us from. ¡°My minions are ready to go, and I¡¯ll use some toys to support the attack,¡± I said, pulling the Portal of the Cackle from my pack. The gnolls that the portal summoned would make good fodder for my troops to hide behind as they attacked. If the goblin siege engines did their job, my minions would have some of the work done for them before they even got into the fight. With a loud crack, one of the support beams on a trebuchet gave way and the whole siege engine crashed to the ground. Goblins began arguing amongst themselves as they checked over the surviving engine. I guess I should plan on my minions doing this without much in the way of fire support. Chapter 343. On to the Keep. Chapter 343. On to the Keep. Thankfully, the second goblin siege engine was ready to go in minutes, but both Silas and I made sure we were nowhere near it when they started cranking up the tension on the weapon and loading the first spherical shell into the cradle of the trebuchet. The shell was cased in crude, rusting iron, with several six-inch-long spikes jutting from its surface at seemingly random points. Two more of the shells were lined up next to the siege engine, and when Silas saw that he risked walking over close to the machine to yell at the goblin in charge. ¡°Hey, I paid for a full barrage from two siege engines. I expect to get what I paid for,¡± Silas growled as he approached. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re going to get bud, a barrage of three shells, just like in the contract,¡± the goblin said dismissively as he worked with the team to line up their shot. ¡°A barrage from two siege engines, not one. It¡¯s not my fault your machine broke down, that¡¯s on you. Since we¡¯re down to one machine, I expect all six rounds I paid for to be fired from this one,¡± Silas demanded. The goblin seemed inclined to argue further, but the murderous gleam in Silas¡¯ eyes made him rethink the situation. ¡°Fine, you¡¯ll get all six rounds, but if we get hit by counterbattery fire since we¡¯re stuck in place longer than I want, you¡¯re paying for it,¡± the goblin replied. ¡°Deal. If Bhalkur¡¯s troops have some way to destroy your siege engine, I¡¯ll cover the cost of it. I remind you that I¡¯m willing to cover the cost of the one that¡¯s still working, not the one that broke down,¡± Silas countered. ¡°Good enough, we¡¯re about ready and I¡¯m going to start the barrage as soon as I can, I¡¯m not waiting for your naga and these other weirdos to get their act together,¡± the goblin grumbled. Silas didn¡¯t seem inclined to argue this point and instead turned his attention my way. ¡°Rico, get your troops started, take the tower at the other end of the bridge, then we¡¯ll regroup for the assault on the keep,¡± Silas ordered. I ran to the edge of the bridge and quickly set up the Portal of the Cackle, pushing some mana into the device to activate it. The portal flickered into existence, and the first gnoll charged out, heading toward the closest visible enemy. With the summoned gnolls doing their thing, and attracting the enemy¡¯s attention, I ordered Elida, the Chixtani, and the goblins to begin their assault. My team hugged the left side of the bridge, trying to use anything they could as cover. Sadly, the Chixtani Infestor was riding an ogre, and the huge body didn¡¯t lend itself to stealthy approaches. Right on the heels of my minions, several squads of naga moved up to support them. There was a total of thirty naga, and most were armed with spears and shields that were woven from jungle foliage. None of them wore armor, just a simple tunic, though their scaley bodies might grant them some protection. Leading the naga was the human girl, Misty, and the naga that Silas had called Nebram. After getting the gnoll portal working, and my minions moving, I joined Silas at the top of the tower on our side of the bridge. Already, I could hear occasional shots ring out from the man¡¯s rifle. I had to admit that I was a bit jealous that Silas could operate modern weapons without them seeming to fail. From our vantage point, I could watch the progress of the assault. Part of me wanted to be down there with my team and be in the thick of the assault. I had to temper that desire to be stuck into the fight, with the knowledge that there were no more respawns waiting for me. My team was performing well, and it didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d need my direct intervention. The gnolls provided the necessary distraction, and a few magic missiles and crossbow bolts flew from the opposing tower at the charging gnolls. One hit was enough to take down the low tier and rank gnolls, but every missile shot at the gnolls was one less fired at my team. Glurk was now in range with his longbow and was firing at a group of gnomes led by a single ogre that were charging out of the door at the base of the enemy tower. I heard a loud clack as the siege engine behind us fired. The shell was big enough that I could watch it arc over the bridge and land just behind the enemy tower. An explosion that I felt all the way across the bridge caused part of the enemy tower to collapse. Sensing their cover was about to bury them, the rest of the enemy forces poured from the tower and into my waiting team.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Glem flickered into position behind the lead attacker, his spear impaling the corrupted gnome that was his target. Glamb and Elida arrived a second later. I could see a red glow appear briefly over Glamb as he activated his Blood Berserker ability, and his cleavers flashed in the afternoon sun. Elida showed remarkable skill, using her shield and mace to great effect. When the Chixtani arrived, each swipe of the ogre it controlled smashed a foe. Every hit that Elida landed caused a small spurt of healing energy to wash over the nearby allies. It was enough to keep my goblins in the fight, and for them to shrug off any stray hits that made it through their defenses and armor. I was a bit shocked when an arrow from Glurk struck one of the enemy ogres and a small goblin with a rusty dagger and a healthy dose of murderous intent appeared next to it. It was Glurk¡¯s Longbow Summoner ability activating, and it was proving its worth as the summoned goblin distracted the powerful ogre. As the ogre crushed the goblin that Glurk summoned, Silas fired off a small burst that peppered the head of the ogre. Thick bone protected the small brain of the ogre, but the bone was no match for whatever system enhanced ammo the old man was using. Somehow still standing, the ogre¡¯s battered and bloody head was knocked completely off its body by my Chixtani controlled minion. The ogre collapsed and the battle turned in our favor as the girl Misty and the naga warriors she was leading arrived. One by one the enemy were brought down, and with Elida and a pair of naga shamans on hand, we had plenty of healing support. As the battle for the other side of the bridge wrapped up, we were able to keep our losses down to just a few of the gnolls from the portal and the goblins that Glurk¡¯s bow occasionally summoned. ¡°Let¡¯s go join them,¡± Silas said to me as he slammed a fresh magazine into his weapon. As we left, he ordered the goblins to shift fire onto the keep in the distance. The goblin siege engineer complained about the range, but Silas said that accuracy didn¡¯t matter, he just wanted to hammer the shield down that blocked entry into the keep. A system prompt appeared as our troops wiped out the last of the bridge defenders. Your allies have secured control of the entire bridge. The final critical location, the keep, is now weakened. I could see the shield over the keep flicker and dim as the system did its work. One of the goblin shells landed shortly after, causing the shield to glow brightly under the explosive force of the siege engine. Though it resisted the goblin artillery attack, the shield dimmed further, and I thought I could see cracks running along its surface. ¡°Good, with the rest of their shells, they should bring that shield down. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to walking up to it and having our troops hack away at it while the enemy rained fire down on us,¡± Silas said. ¡°So, the shield is one way? They can attack us through it?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not without flaws. Outgoing missiles and magic weaken the shield, but only a fraction of what an incoming blow would cause. It¡¯s well worth it for them to attack us at range if we get too close,¡± Silas warned as we joined the others at the end of the bridge. My remaining gnolls, all two of them, had their timers expire and winked out of existence as we watched the slow barrage dished out by the goblins. The keep was about a half mile from us, and there was little cover for an approach. While we waited, I cast Health Bloom over any injured troops. Just like Elida, the naga shamans under Silas¡¯ command had a limited number of spells they could cast each day, and I wanted them to conserve what they could. Here, in this odd place, my mana seemed to regenerate quickly, so I wasn¡¯t worried about a few healing spells running me dry. In the distance, another goblin shell, the fourth they¡¯d fired, slammed into the shield, which finally shattered and winked out of existence. The keep lay before us, an imposing fortress that I had no idea how to breach. Silas must have some idea on how to break down, or climb over the walls, but he hadn¡¯t shared it with us yet. Horns sounded out from inside the keep. It was a mournful sound that cast a pall over our mood. A gate at the keep, facing our bridge, slowly opened. The horns sounded again as enemies began to emerge from the keep. Another goblin shell fell on the keep, exploding somewhere in the center of the fortress. ¡°Ah, they¡¯re coming out to play. They must not know that we¡¯re limited on the number of shells our siege engines can fire. Execute our counterattack plan,¡± Silas shouted. Misty and the naga Nebram began to move units of naga into position as Silas grabbed my shoulder. ¡°Are you ready to get your hands dirty? It¡¯s time for the real killing to start,¡± Silas said. In the distance, rows of corrupted gnomes and naga filed out of the keep and marched toward us. Behind them, more of the ogres followed. Unlike the ones we¡¯d already fought, these creatures were twisted in both mind and body by Bhalkur¡¯s influence. Each was a two-headed monstrosity with one or both its arms replaced by tentacles or huge crab-like claws. ¡°Well, this is going to be interesting,¡± I said to myself as I began to plan how I could support Silas in the coming fight. Chapter 344. Armies Clash. Chapter 344. Armies Clash. ¡°Can you take over one of those corrupted ogres?¡± I asked the Chixtani Infestor as we readied ourselves to receive the enemy charge. The Chixtani was still piloting a normal ogre, but the crazy looking ones moving out of the keep were probably much more powerful. Taking control of one of those would bolster our chances of victory. The ogre that the Chixtani was piloting nodded and gave a gap-tooth grin to indicate that was her plan all along. I had no idea how much time it took for the infestor to take control, but she seemed confident of doing it in the middle of a fight. It was odd, I was thinking of the Chixtani as a she, probably because of my interaction with Melody back at the academy. I was becoming distracted by trying to figure out how the creepy Chixtani worked, and instead focused myself back on the approaching enemy. Nebram and Misty had organized the naga into a shield wall, a few more had trickled in from the jungle to join us during our assault on the bridge, giving us just over thirty of the naga warriors. Backing them up were a pair of shamans standing behind the line ready to heal. ¡°Silas, let my team take the brunt of the attack, they¡¯re summoned creatures and won¡¯t be permanently harmed,¡± I offered. ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ll do that, just make sure they stay well behind the blast area of these,¡± Silas said as he jogged ahead of our shield wall and stuck two small, rectangular objects in the ground. It took a moment for my mind to process what he was doing, but as Silas ran back to our lines unravelling a long wire attached to each object, I remembered them from my training with the military. ¡°You have Claymore mines?¡± I said a bit shocked as Silas just gave me a devilish grin. ¡°Yep, and one more toy from our world that I¡¯ll save for whatever¡¯s in the keep itself. They¡¯re almost in range, here we go,¡± Silas said as Glurk began to pepper the approaching horde with arrows and Silas banged out single shots from his rifle. I had to admit, I was more than a bit jealous of the old soldier, and the modern weapons his class seemed to be able to use without any trouble. Hopefully, we¡¯d have some time to talk once the battle was over. ¡°I¡¯ve got one more thing to help,¡± I said as the two melee goblins, Elida, and the Chixtani placed themselves ahead of the line of naga. Given their rather flimsy shields, I didn¡¯t think the naga shield wall was going to be all that effective against the larger, corrupted ogres, but it should hold okay against the gnomes and naga that made up the bulk of the enemy forces. I cast Duplicate on the Chixtani controlled ogre as the enemy neared. We were outnumbered, so it was probably time to use more of my items to tip the fight in our favor. Pulling out my Teeth of the Hydra pouch, I was shocked when it didn¡¯t activate as I pushed mana into it. A moment later, I remembered the description of the item, it needed to be cast on blood-soaked ground. Using a knife to open a gash in my arm, I let a stream of blood hit the ground in front of me. The item didn¡¯t say how much blood was needed but after only a splatter had streamed down my arm and onto the ground, I noticed that my mana seemed to click into place on the item. I grabbed the teeth inside the bag, and dropped them into the blood, standing back instinctually as if the magic of the item was warning me that I was too close. A huge figure appeared, but the twin blasts of the mines going off drew my attention as I absently ordered the hydra to attack our foes. Where the two mines had been placed, it looked like a giant had reached down and brushed aside our foes. The enemy formation had been a bit ragged to begin with and was further disrupted by the goblin summoning ability of Glurk¡¯s longbow occasionally popping off. Now, a third of their force was just gone, the steel balls hurled by the claymore had shredded the enemy. Even better, those that had been only injured by a stray ball or two seemed to still be suffering as flames licked at their wounds. Silas must have been able to infuse some kind of magic damage into his weapons, and it had done the trick. With the enemy disrupted, I ordered my team to charge, keeping up the pressure on the disorganized and dazed foe. The ground shook as my hydra stomped off to join the fight, thankfully avoiding any allies in its path. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but I knew that the pouch held a full ten teeth in it when I had activated it. From the item description, the power of the summoned hydra was based on how many teeth were used. My hydra was the size of a small bus, and its four-legged body was like that of a giant lizard. Instead of a single head, four sprouted from the body of the monster. Each head seemed to operate independently as they locked onto different targets as it stalked toward the foe. Whatever else Bhalkur¡¯s corruption did to the creatures that served him, it didn¡¯t hamper their bravery, and a sizeable portion of the enemy force charged toward the biggest threat on the field, my hydra. Its long strides allowed the hydra to reach the enemy before the rest of my team did, and it charged straight through the corrupted gnomes and naga at the fore of the enemy formation. It stomped several foes into bloody paste and each head then lashed out, fang filled maws latching onto the larger corrupted ogres. The corrupted ogres were tough, and only one was killed instantly by the bite of the hydra, the others began to flail at the heads latched onto their bodies. My hydra lacked the strength to lift the heavy ogres, but it was chewing massive wounds into them.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. With an arm mutated into a giant claw, one of the ogres cut himself free, severing a head from my hydra. I responded by hurling a Health Bloom over my minion and throwing my javelin at the wounded foe. My javelin pierced the ogre in its mangled chest and the burst of electrical damage from my weapon finished off the creature. Another head of my hydra slumped to the ground, as an ogre with tentacles for arms used the appendages to pierce deep into the hydra¡¯s neck. It seemed that unlike the mythical creature from Earth, the system-created hydra didn¡¯t regenerate its heads after they were destroyed. The hydra was being ground down by the bulk of the corrupted ogres, but it was doing its job and allowing my minions to deal with the smaller foes. Glem, Glam, Elida, the Chixtani ogre, and the ogre duplicate were tearing into the foe. If I had to guess, these corrupted creatures, other than the ogres, were quite a bit lower in tier and rank than my minions. Between Elida¡¯s Combat Mending and a fresh Health Bloom that I cast over the group, they dominated the fight. Elida had also activated her aura which burned into the nearby enemy, softening them up for a killing blow that was quick to follow. Silas wasn¡¯t content to let my minions do all the heavy lifting and had his friend Misty and the naga Nebram lead the rest of his forces into battle. I was shocked yet again as Misty began her attack. The cute college girl in combat armor transformed before my eyes, her body shifting and growing as she charged forward. It was like one of those CGI werewolf movies as she transformed from human into animal. Instead of a wolf, Misty had become a hulking bear that slammed into the smaller foes, her claws and teeth tearing them apart as easily as a steel blade would. I felt the connection to my hydra end as it was finally brought down by the enemy¡¯s corrupted ogres. Around the mana vapor of the unsummoning hydra were the corpses of six ogres, and the surviving pair were both injured to some extent. With the hydra down, Silas shifted his fire and finished off a magazine to take one of the surviving ogres down. ¡°That¡¯s it for me, I can¡¯t burn anymore ammo if I want to have enough to face the keep guardian,¡± Silas said, gesturing toward the keep in the distance. He slung his rifle and drew a pistol in case something got through our army and made a play at killing us. Glem, with the reach offered by his spear, moved toward the final surviving ogre. He flickered out of existence and appeared behind the ogre, his spear piercing deep into the corrupted creature¡¯s body. To help him, I ran forward and tossed the Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk at the ogre. The metal chains wrapped around the foe, binding the one regular arm and one tentacle this monstrosity possessed. My goblin minion wasted no time and began to skewer the ogre in the head and body as fast as he could. The chains lasted only a few seconds against such a powerful target, but it was enough for Glem to deal a death blow to the ogre. Around us, the sounds of battle were dying down as our forces mopped up the remaining corrupted gnomes and naga. Of my forces, the duplicate ogre, and Glamb were gone, brought down at some point during the fight. A few of the naga had also died, but the casualties were much lighter than they would have been if Silas¡¯ mines and my hydra hadn¡¯t been used. Misty, shifting back into human form, joined me and Silas at the back of the formation. ¡°Did you get that system prompt too, Silas?¡± Misty said as she reached us. ¡°Yeah, I just did. It looks like the system is only going to allow me and Misty into the keep. You, your minions, and the naga won¡¯t be able to enter,¡± Silas said. ¡°Wait, you have to fight a whole keep full of these corrupted things on your own?¡± I asked. To me that sounded like suicide. The pair would been easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of foes if substantial forces remained inside the keep. It was only with my help, and the naga army fighting with them, that they had emerged from the last fight unscathed. ¡°There¡¯s no army in there anymore. Everything but the guardian of this level is gone from the keep. Even better, I think the guardian is supposed to be weakened after we destroyed its army. I must thank you Rico, we would have been in a tough spot without your help with this. Agent Lopez wasn¡¯t lying when he said you¡¯d get the job done, despite being a civilian,¡± Silas said, offering his hand for me to shake. ¡°Wait, let me see if I can help you further. Also, this is very important, you need to let Agent Lopez know that my class changed, and I can take contracts on Earth now. Tell him that if he can get someone into Somhagen, they can try to contract with me at either the brokers or maybe the Summoned Market directly,¡± I said, trying to get everything out quickly in case the summoning ended immediately. ¡°I will, I¡¯m not sure about all of what you just said, but I know there are summoned beings like you out there, Lopez told me at least that much about what was going on,¡± Silas said. He and Misty both repeated back what I¡¯d told them, making sure that they knew the details on how to try and create a contract with me. ¡°Here Silas, see if the system will let you take these with you,¡± I said, handing over most of my healing and mana potions. Clancy would restock me in no time back at the academy, and these two weren¡¯t going to have a chance to go wherever it was they went to restock consumables before they faced whatever the guardian thing was. To my surprise, the system let me pass off the items, and I added two summoning figurines to the mix, once I confirmed that they could use them. It looked like since I was no longer a summoned being, I had a bit more leeway in my summoning contracts. The two figurines were the Gnomish war contraption and a tier one, rank five orc warrior minion figurines. As I handed them over, a system prompt appeared. You have exchanged the maximum value of goods allowed during a contracted summoning. Your summoning is now complete, and you will be sent to your Designated Return destination shortly. "I guess that¡¯s it for me, I¡¯m glad I was able to meet you two, maybe I¡¯ll see you again once the integration is over and I can return home,¡± I said. ¡°Stay safe out there, and thank you for your help,¡± Silas said, patting me on the back with a fatherly smile on his face. ¡°Thanks Rico,¡± Misty said, pulling me in for a hug. Her strength was enough that my back popped, and I thought a rib or two might be bruised when she finally released me. I was about ask about how the world reacted to the news of the pending induction when a portal sucked me back into my room at the academy, which I¡¯d selected as my Designated Return location. At least Silas would get the word out to Lopez that I could be summoned with a direct contract. If I was going to take on contracts, I¡¯d rather they be contracts from home, where I could help the people of my world while I gained more power for the coming fight with Gary. Chapter 345. Class is in Session. Chapter 345. Class is in Session. My room at the academy was still dark, and a quick check revealed that less than an hour had passed since I was summoned. I had been worried that I wouldn¡¯t make it back in time for my next day¡¯s work, but it seemed that time between the academy and Earth flowed at pretty much the same rate, and unless I was called on an extended campaign, a normal summoning contract there shouldn¡¯t infringe on my duties here at the academy. A system prompt appeared as soon as I got my bearings. You have successfully completed your contracted summoning. Additional experience has been awarded for completing your first successful contract as a Contracted Summoner. You have been awarded 32 Experience. There were no rewards promised for this contract. I felt relief as soon as I saw the experience that the contract had awarded, 32 was the equivalent of several successful runs in the guild dungeon. The only question was whether I could find enough contracts to complete before my battle with Gary happened. I would prioritize contracts, but also try to squeeze in any dungeon runs when there was no contract available. Outside of my duties here at the academy, I had to make sure I was always working toward becoming stronger. A quick check of my status showed that I was 15 experience away from my next rank. My minions would continue to improve as I gained new ranks, and I expected my class abilities would improve or evolve every 5 ranks, which was similar to what I¡¯d experienced with my other classes. I was still a bit amped up from finishing up the battle with Silas and Misty, but I needed to get some rest if I didn¡¯t want to walk around like a zombie tomorrow. Silas would get word to Agent Lopez about my new status, and I hoped that he¡¯d be able to use one of the lower tier and rank summoned beings to arrange contracts for me back in Somhagen. Until then, I¡¯d have to check in with Ingrid at Somhagen Exports when I finished with my work at the academy tomorrow. It seemed like I had just closed my eyes when the alarm stone began to hum with an annoying tone. Lethargically, I hit the stone to stop the alarm and dragged myself out of bed. The hot shower helped to wake me up as well as the promise of breakfast. That was something I found that I really enjoyed here, the food. It made me wonder what would happen to the restaurants on Earth after the integration. With a shudder of dread, I worried that we¡¯d see multiverse spanning versions of our fast-food chains, though, I think the goblins would give the Earth companies a run for their money. ¡°Rico, did you have a rough night?¡± Melody asked as she joined me at the cafeteria booth I was sitting at. With a mouth full of eggs, I could only grunt in response, which elicited an amused giggle from Melody. She gave me a moment to chew and swallow before I could answer her. ¡°Not too bad, I¡¯ll be fine for whatever you have in store for us today,¡± I replied, trying to look a bit more perky than I felt. ¡°Good, because we¡¯re going to be busy today. Headmaster Glorine sent me a message, it looks like I¡¯m going to host my class a day early. Classes were supposed to start tomorrow, but the headmaster wants to test out bringing in the new students a day early for a shorter class in order to get them acclimated. We¡¯ll see if easing them into the academy life will help to bolster their grades,¡± Melody explained. ¡°Got it, what will you need me to do?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, my lesson plan didn¡¯t include you until a few days from now, but why don¡¯t we work you in with some highlights about your experience as a summoned being,¡± Melody suggested.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Not a problem, just give me a few minutes to get my thoughts in order, and I¡¯ll be good to go as long as you don¡¯t want me to fill up a whole class period with my story,¡± I said, already thinking about which experiences would be most appropriate to the new students. ¡°If you¡¯re done with your food, let¡¯s get started. It¡¯s not a good look for the professor to show up late for her own first day of class,¡± Melody said. I hustled through the cafeteria, dropping off my plates and silverware in the appropriate spots. The food here was great, and I didn¡¯t want to add any additional work for the staff. We moved quickly to Melody¡¯s classroom, and the way there was now familiar to me after several days of working with her. I was still a bit creeped out by her Chixtani species and how they piloted around other sapient beings, but I kept my fears to myself. So far, Melody had proven to be a good friend here, and as long as she was just using summoned creatures for whatever it was that she did, it was none of my business. Her classroom was arranged to hold just over thirty students, but Melody mentioned that today wouldn¡¯t be a full class, as some of the new students were still traveling to the school. That brought up a whole new mess of questions I¡¯d have to ask her later. This was all some big crazy multiverse with many worlds, and I was sure they didn¡¯t all wait for someone to summon them individually. So far, I¡¯d relied on being summoned everywhere I went, but if portals were possible with magic, I had to assume that permanent transportation locations were a thing. If there was some easier way to travel, maybe my dungeon delving could expand a bit. It wasn¡¯t much, but clearing a dungeon for the first time did seem to grant more experience than consecutive runs granted. ¡°Welcome, students, please find a seat and we¡¯ll get started shortly,¡± Melody said as the first students arrived. They filed in one after the other, and I felt a bit self-conscious standing right beside Melody¡¯s desk. She looked like a professor and was even shuffling through a book like she was checking off attendance. The students were a mixed group, and the variety of humanoids and other species was intriguing. They were mostly species I was familiar with, including a half-dozen humans, an elf, a pair of halflings that seemed to know each other, and even a dwarf. Some of the odder additions were a naga, a rather well-dressed gnoll, a couple of goblins, and finally, an honest to goodness dog. Resembling a Golden Retriever and Labrador mix, the dog wore robes with a backpack strapped atop them. It reminded me of something those crazy rich ladies would dress their pets in. The dog sat upright in its chair and used some kind of magic ability to manipulate its pack. A notebook and pen drifted from the pack and onto the table, and the intelligent eyes of the dog looked around the room, just like I was doing. With the dog¡¯s entrance, it looked like we had everyone that Melody was expecting. She motioned for me to shut the door so she could begin, but one final student shot in at the last minute, a frazzled young man with horns and hooves, he was another satyr like the young woman I¡¯d dueled with on the practice field. ¡°Just on time, Mr. Gillips. Please don¡¯t make cutting it close for your class arrival a habit. For now, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Professor Zaraman and this is Summoning Essentials. If you¡¯re in the wrong class, speak up, it¡¯s completely normal for someone to get turned around here on the first day. Now, for some housekeeping,¡± Melody said, launching into a spiel that was remarkably familiar to the ones given by my past professors and teachers. She described the class rules, which there were few of. Each class was just over an hour long, and the curriculum was fast paced, but interesting. As she finished up with an explanation of her grading scale and homework, I could see the students¡¯ eyes start to glaze over as they reached the limits of their attention spans. Melody noticed this as well and glanced in my direction before continuing. ¡°You may have noticed the other professor in the room with me today. He is Adjunct Professor Rico Kline, and his background is a rather intriguing one. Have any of you heard of how the system integrates a new world?¡± Melody asked. Several hands, and a paw, went up, and to my delight, Melody selected the dog to answer. I was more than curious how the animal would communicate. ¡°I believe that these primitive worlds are devoid of mana, and thus, the system must use the summoned being selection process to seed more mana into the world. I¡¯m afraid that is where the extent of my knowledge on the process ends,¡± the dog said. I was a bit disappointed; it didn¡¯t speak directly or bark so the system could translate. The dog simply wore a small magical amulet that allowed it to project its thoughts into a rather bland sounding voice. ¡°Correct, the summoned beings are the key to new world integration. That is a subject that will be covered in greater detail in another class. The reason I brought that up is to tell you that Professor Kline is not just another mage with a summoner class, no, he was also a summoned being until very recently. I wanted him to give you some brief insight into what a summoned being¡¯s life was like. Mr. Kline, the classroom is yours,¡± Melody said. This was it, my debut performance as an actual professor. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t screw things up for Melody. Chapter 348. It Fell from the Sky. Chapter 348. It Fell from the Sky. ¡°I¡¯ll give both a shot,¡± I said, happy to have a couple of contracts that I could get to on my own time, instead of just being randomly summoned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I neglected to mention that these are both time sensitive and you must begin the quest before tomorrow morning. Due to that, I can only offer you a choice of which summoning contract you wish to accept. I have another party that will take the other one,¡± Ingrid advised. I was hoping to get a shot at both, and now I had to decide which I would prefer to do. There were pros and cons with each contract, and the first seemed like there might be something shady that this House Zarnir was trying to pull. From the vague description and the instructions for the ¡°rescue¡±, I was getting the feeling this might not be a true rescue and more along the lines of a rich family trying to get their kid out of trouble. The necromancer¡¯s offer was more straightforward. I just had to go in, kill the undead, and follow some disposal instructions. My only concern was the question of why a necromancer needed my help in dealing with the undead. I also wasn¡¯t keen on having to dispose of the undead remains, whatever that entailed. Still, I was intrigued to meet a real necromancer, and the reward of a reusable summoning item pushed me in that direction. ¡°I¡¯ll take Rodnix¡¯s contract,¡± I said. Both Ingrid and the system seemed to accept my decision, and a new system prompt appeared. You have accepted the terms of the contract presented by the necromancer Rodnix. This contract must be activated within the next 8 hours. To activate the contract, push mana into the document you currently hold, and wait for a portal to appear. ¡°An interesting choice, Rico, and as always, we appreciate your business,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Thanks for the opportunity. I¡¯ll check in the next time I¡¯m in town. After this contract, I have other duties at the academy I¡¯ll need to take care of. I¡¯d ask that you keep an eye out for any contracts offered from my home world of Earth if you¡¯re able to track that sort of thing,¡± I asked. ¡°A large portion of these contracts aren¡¯t detailed as to the specific world, but if I come across any, I¡¯ll set them aside for you to examine, if it¡¯s at all possible. See you soon, Rico,¡± Ingrid said as I made my way out of the cramped office. I wouldn¡¯t mind doing a bit more shopping to see if any of the inventory in the shops had changed, but I was on the clock with my new contract. Starting it as soon as possible was probably the best choice. That way, I¡¯d hopefully have some extra time to sleep before classes start tomorrow. A quick stop at a food cart on the way home made Melvin happy. This cart offered spicy chicken skewers that were slathered in a sauce that reminded me of tzatziki. I downed one, which would tide me over until a late dinner after my contract was done, but Melvin decided that four would be the right amount for him to enjoy. At least he also dissolved the wooden skewers for us, so I didn¡¯t have make a detour to find a trash can. Another thought popped into my head. The academy had trash cans, like you¡¯d see in most businesses or schools, but I had no idea how waste disposal was handled. Was there some interdimensional portal that they shoved it all through or was it just a pit with a bunch of slimes that broke everything down? I¡¯d have to ask if I remembered, but first, I secured the door to my room, checked my gear, and began to push mana into the decaying paper of the necromancer¡¯s contract. I began to get worried as the scroll absorbed the mana without any result, but once I hit a total of thirty points dumped into the scroll, a small portal opened in the middle of my bedroom. Stepping though the portal caused a system prompt to appear.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. You are entering an environment saturated with necromantic energy, your minor resistance to the Curse of Undeath, combined with your minor Toxins resistance are sufficient to prevent any damage to your body. As a living creature, your mana in this environment will regenerate 25% slower than normal, and any Life magic spells, including healing, will operate with a 25% effectiveness penalty and have a 25% increased mana cost. ¡°I see that the Summoned Market has come through for me. Welcome to my abode, I am Balthazar Rodnix,¡± a human-looking man said as I stepped through the portal and into a rather well-lit and well-appointed study. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from a necromancer¡¯s home, but this wasn¡¯t it. The room was more like something you¡¯d see in a Victorian Era British gentleman¡¯s home rather than one for a mage that animated the dead. Rodnix himself seemed normal enough. He was middle-aged with a slight paunch, balding, and with dark, well-trimmed facial hair. He wore normal clothing, pants, a dress shirt, and a vest complete with a pocket watch. There were no bloodstains or dark energy flowing off him. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Rico Kline. I hear you have some troublesome undead you¡¯d like me to deal with,¡± I said, reaching out to shake his hand. Raising an eyebrow in surprise at my actions, Rodnix shook my hand. This was when his class and the magic associated with it showed up. A cold sensation encompassed my hand, and when we finished the firm handshake, I could see the skin on my palm turn a bit grey for a few moments. ¡°I take it you don¡¯t associate with many necromancers. It¡¯s not often that the summoned help is willing to deal with a bit of discomfort to attend to the niceties of a civilized world. Please, take a seat, and I¡¯ll explain what I need your help with. Can I offer you a Brandy or a bite of something? I promise that my chef is rather skilled, and the food he prepares is healthy for the living,¡± Rodnix offered. I took a seat in a comfortable overstuffed leather reading chair. A servant entered the room, and though it wore a butler¡¯s outfit, it was clearly the animated skeleton of a small humanoid of some type. After declining any refreshments, Rodnix got on with the point of my visit. ¡°This is a rather unique situation I find myself in. There is a nearby village, one inhabited by the living, and they often come here to trade with me. While my class utilizes the undying, I do personally require sustenance, and I appreciate the finer things in life as well. In return for their wares, I pay the village above market rates, so everyone is happy. I also get access to the remains of those villagers that don¡¯t have other funerary arrangements in place at the time of their demise. ¡°Late at night, just over a week ago, I could see something fall from the heavens, wreathed in flame. It landed in a field near the village, and though I was interested in discovering what it was, the villagers would have surely beaten me to the prize. I waited for someone to come and trade, so I could inquire about the object. Unfortunately, nobody has shown up for several days, when I typically get more than a few visitors to trade every day,¡± Rodnix said, pausing to sip the drink his skeletal butler had delivered. ¡°I take it you sent someone to check on the village?¡± I asked, hoping he¡¯d get to the point of my assignment. ¡°Yes, I sent a pair of my servants, those that were less¡­battered than most. Neither returned, and soon after they left, I sensed my connection to them had been severed. While necromancy is my trade, I¡¯m not without some access to other magics. Even though casting it was rather difficult, I used a scroll of scrying to observe the village. What I found was the entire population of the place had been slain, and turned into the undead,¡± Rodnix said. ¡°Is that unusual in this place? I would suspect that undead were common, given the necromantic mana saturation the system mentioned. Also, couldn¡¯t you just, I don¡¯t know, take control of the undead and have one tell you what happened?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, here¡¯s where it gets strange. These undead, all low tier and rank zombies, were congregating in a nearby field, a field that had partially burned down. In the ashen remains of their crops, I spotted the battered object that had fallen from the sky. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the object, so I gathered some of my guardians, left my home, and attempted to make contact. ¡°To my surprise, these undead completely resisted my powers. Even worse, they became aggressive once they spotted me. My guardians moved to defend me, but once in the fray, they also turned against me, and I barely managed to escape with most of my party left behind. As soon as I was out of sight, the undead, their ranks bolstered by my guardians, went back to pacing around the fallen object. ¡°What I need you to do, Rico Kline, is destroy those undead so I can investigate what that object in the field really is,¡± Rodnix asked. This guy was obviously worked up and looked a bit terrified when he talked about his undead guardians turning on him. I had my work cut out for me, and I was beginning to think that this contract might be a bit more dangerous than I had expected. Chapter 349. Bash and Burn. Chapter 349. Bash and Burn. ¡°Let me summon my minions, and I¡¯ll do some reconnaissance on the village,¡± I said. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll have one of my servants, one of the living ones, accompany you. Please wait here until I make the arrangements,¡± Rodnix said, calling for his butler and following him out of the study. As I began to summon my minions, a new system prompt appeared. It looked like the system had delayed my minion selection this time before giving me options. Maybe it had to do with the necromantic energy this world was infused with, or perhaps there was something else here that interfered with my class. Despite the delay, the initial summoning process for my new class was back on track. Please select the two minions from your barracks that you wish to accompany you on this summoning contract.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
Knowing that I was going to be facing undead, I decided on the drone as my first choice. It wouldn¡¯t be as easily affected by any type of undead curse, unlike the goblin trio. Elida was my second choice, as I figured a single competent warrior that could heal would be better than the three goblins for this one. Also, if we were facing a weak swarm of undead, her aura ability might help turn the tide if we were overrun. You have Chosen the Mana Slayer Drone, and Elida Silverbarrow, Battle Mender. Please select a third minion from the following list of options based on your previous summoning contract.
  1. Corrupted Naga Warrior.
  2. Team of Rabid Gnomes.
  3. Rifleman.
I had been hoping that I¡¯d get something interesting like one of the ogres, or even better, one of the more powerful corrupted versions of the ogre. The naga and gnomes were rather generic, and there was no way I was going to pass up a rifleman. I doubted that the rifleman would have the skills and abilities that Silas had shown, but some ranged firepower was just what I needed to round out our party. You have chosen the Rifleman as your final minion. The rifleman possesses a single shot weapon with long range and high damage potential. With exceptional accuracy, the Rifleman possesses a system generated ammunition pouch that regenerates 1 cartridge every minute. In addition to the rifle, your minion possesses a bayonet to deal with melee threats. Please note that your Rifleman minion possesses only basic melee skill and should be kept out of close combat if at all possible. Summoner¡¯s Gift has activated. Please select an ability you wish to share with your minions.
  1. Riposte.
  2. Minion Shared Burden.
I had to make a choice before the system would let start summoning my minions. The Riposte ability was always effective, if not that exciting. Minion Shared Burden sounded like my ability but wasn¡¯t quite identical. When I concentrated on the option, more information appeared. Minion Shared Burden creates a link between your minions and shares 25% of the damage one receives with its companions. This ability also works with healing, sharing 25% of any healing received with the other companions. That was interesting, and what I picked. The limited choices were also a reminder that I had very few personal abilities that could be shared, as most of my power was in my class abilities that the system didn¡¯t seem to want to add as an option. Maybe more things would unlock as I gained higher tiers and ranks. Minion Shared Burden is now active. Summoner¡¯s Share has activated. Choose an ability/spell from one of your minions. This ability/spell will remain active for the duration of this summoning contract.
  1. Lesser Plasma Beam.
  2. Minor Gleaming Aura.
  3. Sniper¡¯s Shot.
All three sounded useful, and Sniper¡¯s Shot gave a system prompt after I concentrated on it.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Sniper¡¯s Shot. Your next ranged attack has greatly increased accuracy and damage. This ability can only be used 1/day. I knew the abilities I received from Summoner¡¯s Gift would be toned down versions of my minions¡¯ abilities, but of the three, I had to go with the Plasma Beam after seeing how strong it was with my drone. Even with a weaker version, I¡¯d be able to do some real damage. Lesser Plasma Beam has been selected. You may activate this ability for a total of 5 seconds. The charge will slowly regenerate at the rate of 1 second of charge every 2 hours. To activate this ability, simply designate a target within 100 yards of your current location. With all my selections complete, I could finally summon my minions. I started with the drone, then Elida, and finally, the Rifleman. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, maybe something like the soldiers I¡¯d worked with, but this new minion wasn¡¯t quite there. The Rifleman was a human of average height and build, and he wore no armor, just sturdy clothing that wasn¡¯t quite a uniform. My first thought was that this guy was going to be squishy, but that was somewhat to be expected from a ranged damage type minion. The rifle he held was odd, but close to something I expected to see maybe right after the Civil War. It was longer than a modern rifle and was breech loading with a small lever on the side to open the breech and replace the spent cartridge. A pouch over the Rifleman¡¯s shoulder held his ammo, and after having him count, it turned out that the minion was equipped with a total of fifty rounds. That wouldn¡¯t last long with a magazine fed weapon, but having to reload after each shot should make it enough for a normal fight. If things dragged on, at least his pouch, according to the system description, would replenish one cartridge each minute. Looking at one of the cartridges, it seemed massive, much larger than the compact 5.56mm rounds I fired from the M4 in weapons training. Hopefully, they would do substantial damage to the undead we were about to face. With my team assembled, all I was waiting for was the necromancer to tell me how to get to the undead he wanted me to destroy. Rodnix returned a few minutes later, with a frightened-looking older man in homespun clothing following behind him. The butler was also nearby, and if I had to guess, that undead butler was probably much more than a servant. It was most likely a deadly bodyguard as well. ¡°This is Cavendar, he¡¯s from the village I wish you to visit. He¡¯ll guide you there, but keep in mind that he is a non-combatant and should be protected. Now, there are also some special considerations for these undead. As you may know, in a normal, zombified undead, enough damage of any type is sufficient to break up the necrotic energy that animates them. ¡°In these I can sense only lingering wisps of necrotic energy, and normal damage will do little but hamper their mobility. You must destroy their brains in order to stop them. After that, I would like to see the remains burned. To that end, I¡¯ll have a pyre built just outside the village. You¡¯ll take the remains there and ignite the pyre to destroy every last vestige of whatever curse is animating them. ¡°Finally, once you¡¯ve disposed of the remains properly, I¡¯d like you to examine the object in the field. Can you accomplish this?¡± Rodnix asked. His description of the undead sounded more like something from a zombie movie where a virus was causing the dead to rise. Still, killing undead, even with headshots, shouldn¡¯t be a problem for my team. ¡°I can handle that, just lead us to the threat, and we¡¯ll take care of it for you,¡± I said with confidence. ¡°Very well, Cavendar will hitch up a wagon and get you where you need to be. After he observes your efforts, he will return here and gather a work party to build the pyre. Once you¡¯ve completed all your tasks, you will consider this contract complete and return from whence you came. ¡°I must insist that after you come in contact with these strange undead, that you do not approach anyone else on my staff, and do not attempt to return here to my estate. That is non-negotiable, and I must have your understanding on the matter,¡± the necromancer Rodnix demanded. ¡°Not a problem, we¡¯ll take care of the job, and then we¡¯ll leave,¡± I assured him. There was a large wagon outside the estate and Cavendar waved us inside. A pair of skeletal horses pulled the wagon at a sedate pace, and we left through an open gate in the walled estate. As soon as we left, the gate slammed closed with an ominous thump. The area around the estate was woodland, though most of the trees looked to be stripped of their foliage like it was winter, though the weather was rather warm. We rolled on for a half hour or so before we emerged from the woods. In the distance, I could see the burned-out remains of a small village. Nearby fields were overgrown with crops that were well past their harvesting time. One field, the one closest to the forest, was burned down like the village had been. A swarm of figures milled about in the field, bumping into each other as they slowly shambled in a circle. ¡°This is as far as I can go. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll be waiting here to show you where the pyre is being made,¡± Cavendar said as we unloaded. As soon as we were out of the wagon, Cavendar whipped the wagon around and retreated into the woods. ¡°Well team, let¡¯s get started,¡± I said, ordering my minions into formation while I made some final preparations. Chapter 351. Infernal Assistance. Chapter 351. Infernal Assistance. As the portal returning me to the academy appeared, I also received notice that I¡¯d hit a new rank. Congratulations, you have reached Tier 3, Rank 2. Your minions have become stronger. Your Mind stat has increased by 1. One of your class abilities has improved.
  1. Summoner¡¯s Share now generates options that are only marginally less powerful than those of your minions.
My room at the academy was quiet as I stepped from the portal. Though my body was rebuilt by the system, I still felt the mental strain from having to watch my minions stack up the fallen undead on the pyre. While the contract hadn¡¯t been especially difficult, it was unnerving to see that even a powerful necromancer could be rendered impotent in the face of some unknown threat. The necromancer Rodnix couldn¡¯t combat the new undead that would infect his own minions, leaving him with few options. It was a warning to me that I needed to always have a backup plan in case something similar were to happen to my minions. For now, I had consumables, basic combat skills, and decent gear, but I had to look for opportunities to bolster my weaknesses, and those of my minions. I¡¯d never be a powerful one on one combatant against anyone close to my tier and rank, but I could stash a few more aces up my sleeve for when I was caught off guard. Looking out the window of my room, I could see the glow of an imminent sunrise in the distance. Thanks to the whole cleanup component of the contract, the last summoning had taken longer than I¡¯d hoped. A good night¡¯s sleep didn¡¯t seem to be in the cards for me, and trying to just sleep for an hour or so would only make things worse. I wanted to head into town to collect my rewards at Somhagen Exports, but I doubted there¡¯d be time to do that and make it to class on time. The last thing I needed was to start shirking my responsibilities at the academy and have the headmaster cut off my permission to take on new summoning contracts. Instead of rushing into town, and potentially being late, I headed down for an early breakfast in the faculty cafeteria. Despite the hour, the staff was already hard at work on filling up the heating trays with today¡¯s offerings. The smells were wonderful, and I found that I had started looking forward to mealtimes here at the academy. Several of the tables had a few diners already seated, mostly the building staff that had different hours. Running an academy wasn¡¯t a 9-5 job, and I had kind of forgotten that there were staff working all sorts of shifts. At least the academy hadn¡¯t forgotten about them and had plenty of food available whenever a shift change was occurring. I filled my tray with some familiar options, but I made sure not to forget to try something new when I could. This time, it was a thin, cracker-like bread that had an odd pink color. Giving it a go, my first bite of it was enough for me to quickly set the pink cracker aside. Its color had made me expect a sweet pastry of some sort, but instead, the odd cracker was odorless and flavorless. The only thing it did was ignite my mouth with an intense burning sensation. Sucking down the glass of milk I had on my tray did little to mitigate the pain, though the cup of coffee I picked up next seemed to do the trick. The pain shifted from a feeling like my tongue was on fire, to a dull ache I could live with. Pink death crackers were off the menu as far as I was concerned, though I knew more than a few people back home that were really into the spicy sauces, and who would love to find some way to incorporate the spicy death cracker into their menu. ¡°I see you¡¯re not a fan of the Parnfanari wafer,¡± Professor Dalzrin said as he took a seat across from me at the small table. Once more, I had to tamp down the sudden rush of anger I felt when the professor appeared. Calm returned quickly as my rational mind convinced the rest of me that this wasn¡¯t Gary, just someone from the same species. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yeah, a little too spicy for my liking, though I think it¡¯ll be a big hit on my world,¡± I said, noticing that while the professor had a normal enough taste in breakfast items, he also had four of the spicy pink crackers on his tray. ¡°An acquired taste, and before you ask, no, the system does not grant resistances to spicy foods, no matter how much torture you subject your palate to. My species has an innate resistance to this particular type of spice, and to us, it¡¯s just a pleasant tingle,¡± Professor Dalzrin said. ¡°Thank you for saving me from trying to chase down a new resistance. Are you ready for the first full day of classes?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, I¡¯ve been teaching here for a while now, and have developed an effective enough schedule to deal with any initial chaos. Tell me, Rico, how are your preparations coming along for the, well, you know,¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°It¡¯s coming along, and the academy has been rather accommodating with my situation. I can also say that I¡¯m looking forward to more training when the other professors have the free time for it,¡± I said. ¡°Perhaps I can help with that. I have some free time over the weekends, and I¡¯d be willing to help you prepare for your encounter, if, in return, you¡¯d be willing to help me with a bit of a challenging situation,¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°I suppose that depends on what you¡¯re asking in return for your assistance,¡± I said, wondering if I was going to need to summon Tzes¡¯zod for a contract negotiation. Dalzrin must have seen my expression change, as he held up his hands and leaned back in his chair to appear unthreatening. ¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. This is no soul contract I¡¯m talking about. I just wanted to see if you¡¯d be willing to help a friend of mine. She¡¯s one of my former students and has need of some protection. Would you be willing to help her by entering into a summoning contract with her?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°I¡¯d like some additional details first. Who would I be protecting her from, and why?¡± I asked. Gone were the days when I was forced to accept whatever summoning the system foisted on me, now I had to be more careful and selective. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it would be anything too challenging for your particular class, and it would be good practice for what¡¯s ahead of you. You see, she¡¯s in a bind with an infernal that she had collected as her minion. It¡¯s leeching mana and lifeforce from her in greater quantities than their agreement called for. Unfortunately, the system¡¯s response to this sort of thing is simply to allow the wronged party the opportunity to sever the infernal contract,¡± Dalzrin explained, stopping to shove a few bites into his mouth as he watched to see if I was understanding. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she just sever the contract, I¡¯m not seeing where she¡¯d need my help in all this?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, you haven¡¯t attended any of my classes yet. You see, when binding into a contract with a lesser infernal, the first thing you negotiate is a clause to prevent the infernal from harming you. This clause remains in place even after the contract expires, otherwise, nobody would ever become an infernal summoner. In this case, the system will sever the contract completely. That would also include severing the protection clause,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°So, you need me to help her fight off whatever infernal she¡¯s contracted with? How powerful of a creature are we talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Zerallia, my former student, is tier four, rank zero. The infernal she¡¯s having a problem with will be several ranks below her. Just like with many of the various summoning classes, Zerallia isn¡¯t powerful on her own, and the act of severing the contract will weaken her for a time. I¡¯d need you to stand with her and dissuade the infernal from attacking her once the contract is severed. ¡°You¡¯d only need to protect her for a few hours, after that, she will recover and be able to defend herself,¡± Dalzrin explained. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m powerful enough to handle an infernal that¡¯s probably going to be at least a couple of ranks higher than I am,¡± I said. ¡°Your class is more powerful than its tier and rank would suggest. Also, I¡¯ll be supporting you with a few trinkets that should turn the fight in your favor. I expect, with you standing over her, the infernal will simply leave, realizing that it had a fight on its hands and not willing to risk its destruction while facing both you, and a weakened Zerallia,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help her directly? You have not only the experience, but I assume you are a much higher tier and rank than myself,¡± I asked. It seemed odd he wanted me for this task, when he could probably just portal in, kill the weaker infernal, and be back before class began. ¡°There are some extenuating circumstances I¡¯m not at liberty to discuss. Let it suffice to say that eliminating one of my kind, even a lesser creature such as the one that Zerallia is dealing with, would create problems. These problems go away if an outsider, such as yourself, were to deal with the task. It also must be someone close in power level to the infernal, or that might also raise suspicion of my involvement,¡± Dalzrin said. I had a choice to make, take up this challenge, which sounded rather risky, or try to play it safe and possibly offend the professor who was probably the one that had the most to teach me about my coming fight with Gary. Of course, I could only reap any rewards if I survived the encounter. Chapter 352. Izbix. Chapter 352. Izbix. ¡°What kind of assistance are you offering?¡± I asked, hoping to get some specifics before I agreed to the contract. ¡°Good answer, that¡¯s one of the things I¡¯ll help you with in the future, how to negotiate on your contracts. While I may not trade in souls like my other infernal kin, I know a thing or two about the tricks and traps that might lie in wait for a being such as yourself. As far as specifics are concerned, meet me in my classroom after classes are over for the day. If you agree to my terms, and are satisfied with the assistance offered, it would be a perfect time to sign and activate your contract,¡± Professor Dalzrin said. ¡°Fair enough, I¡¯ll see you later this afternoon,¡± I said. The trinkets that he mentioned were interesting, as was the promised assistance in negotiation training. At first, I almost dismissed the offer, given my agreement with Tzes¡¯zod, but I realized that while I wanted to build relationships with others, I also had to be able to rely on myself. Should Tzes¡¯zod leave, I¡¯d be woefully unprepared for any contract shenanigans. With breakfast and my conversation with Professor Dalzrin over, I made my way to Melody¡¯s classroom. It was still early, and I had little to do other than tidy up a bit. A few minutes later, Melody arrived, her arms full of a large stack of tomes that I helped her arrange on her desk. ¡°Bringing in the entire library today?¡± I joked. ¡°It seems like it, but most of these are reference books I want in the classroom this semester for the students to use. I find they¡¯re more likely to look up the information when they don¡¯t have to make a trip to the library and search for random tomes. ¡°Oh, here, this one is for you. Since you¡¯re part of the faculty, you can keep it checked out for up to a month, but I¡¯d suggest returning it to the library before then if you don¡¯t want to incur the librarian¡¯s wrath. Trust me, having the librarian on your side makes work a lot easier around here,¡± Melody said, handing me a thin tome with a simple, leather cover. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll read it as quickly as I can and get it returned,¡± I answered. That was one person I hadn¡¯t met yet, the librarian. I¡¯d been in the library, but I¡¯d only dealt with the clerks working there. So far, I¡¯d run into most of the faculty at some point either passing in the halls, or in the cafeteria. A quick look at the book¡¯s title told me that Melody had made a good choice. Summoner¡¯s Combat Essentials, Volume 18. Dealing with Infernal Damage Resistances. I¡¯d have to make time for a longer trip to the library if this book turned out to have good information in it. So far, most of the texts I¡¯d seen were decent, if a bit generic in the information given, though much of that could be chalked up to the class being an introductory one. ¡°What¡¯s on the agenda today?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re going over some basics on summoning order for varying situations. I figured you had more than enough practical experience with that. After lunch, I¡¯m cutting you loose to Professor Izbix. She teaches the students that can summon or create mana-mechanical minions. Izbix was intrigued to hear that you come from a higher technology world that was mana-starved,¡± Melody said. I was looking forward to meeting Professor Izbix, and I had a feeling a lot of people back home would gravitate toward some kind of techno-mage class if such a thing was offered by the system. My experience with Fitzfazzle and his people showed me what might be accomplished when you combined magic and technology. Thinking about Fitzfazzle made me check on his figurine. It was ready to go if I needed him on a summoning. His gadgets and knowledge made him a solid choice for whatever situation I found myself in. The fact that he couldn¡¯t be permanently hurt meant I had no qualms in calling for his help in a dire situation. ¡°One other thing, Rico. The summoning department is having their annual faculty tournament this weekend. Did you want to participate? It¡¯s mainly for bragging rights, but It¡¯ll also be a good chance for you to see other experienced summoners in action,¡± Melody said. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m in, how do I sign up?¡± I asked. She had mentioned the tournament before, and I was looking forward to testing myself against others with a similar class that might be higher tier and rank. It would be good practice for my fight against Gary and give me a better feel for the power of my class. ¡°You¡¯ll just sign up the day of the tournament. I¡¯ll meet you at breakfast and we can head over together if you¡¯d like,¡± Melody offered. ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± I responded. The weekend was the day after tomorrow, so I wouldn¡¯t have to wait for too long. The students for the morning class started to trickle in before I could dig into the book that Melody had found for me. While there was a bit of formality between teacher and student, Melody was friendly and approachable with her students. If I ever ended up in a longer-term teaching position, I¡¯d try to emulate her style, as it seemed to mesh well with my personality. ¡°Welcome everyone, we have a lot to cover today, so we¡¯ll get cracking. Professor Kline will be with us again today, and we¡¯ll start by discussing minion summoning order, and how it can be a crucial decision based on how you summon your minions, and whatever task you¡¯re working on,¡± Melody explained. It was funny to hear her mention ¡°task¡± instead of battle. That reminded me that many of these students would be using their minions for work, not necessarily combat. Almost all my experience was in a hostile and dangerous environment, but I had to think about other options that might open up in the future. Melody motioned for me to begin. ¡°Let me give you my reasoning, and some of the tactics I¡¯ve used as a summoned being. Of course, most of my summonings were for combat related tasks, but not all of them,¡± I explained. While I didn¡¯t want to give away all the tricks that my class was capable of, I gave the students a rundown of how my minions functioned, and some of the various options that had been available to me over my time as a summoned being. Melody then guided the discussion, listing my minion types, along with some others, on the board and giving the class various scenarios to see how they would arrange their minion summoning order. She did a good job at getting all the students involved in the discussion, and a few of the scenarios she threw out there, and the resulting discussion, caused me to rethink some of my prior decisions. The class flew by, and when lunch time hit, we took a break. Our students would head to their afternoon classes, and Melody would have a fresh group arriving. The new group wouldn¡¯t have me for the discussion, since I¡¯d be with Professor Izbix. While heading to the cafeteria, Melody walked me by Izbix¡¯s classroom. Unlike ours, it had a large roll-up door like you¡¯d see in a car mechanic¡¯s shop. A regular door was close by, and I was intrigued to see why the larger door was needed. I sort of hoped they were there to accommodate more of the gnomish mech¡¯s that I¡¯d piloted before. After lunch, I entered through the normal sized door into the classroom. My thoughts about the roll up door resembling something in a mechanics shop were accurate, and it looked like the oversized classroom was divided into several individual workstations. Each station had a large workbench and several shelves of tools and devices for the students to use. Some of the tools and items looked familiar, but there were just as many strange things that I¡¯d never seen before. The oddest addition to each station was a solid metal rod mounted on the floor. About four feet high, the rod had strange ripples of energy sparking off it. I thought it must be some kind of power source, but it looked like something that belonged in Frankenstein¡¯s lab, not a classroom. ¡°Is this human being entering my classroom the one known as Rico Kline,¡± a chittering voice said from across the room. ¡°Yes, are you Professor Izbix?¡± I asked as someone walked from behind several storage shelves in the back of the classroom. ¡°That is I. You are here to assist me?¡± Izbix asked. I¡¯d seen just about every kind of humanoid by this point, but Izbix¡¯s species was something new for me. The closest way I could describe her was an ant centaur. The humanoid portion of her body had a dull brown exoskeleton that matched the rest of her, and there were four arms with three fingers on each hand. Her mouth was a pair of mandibles, and her words must have formed deeper in her throat, as there were no lips, and it sounded like she was speaking from further away than she actually was. Her speech patterns were odd, but the Linguistic Adaptation Interface sorted it out enough that I understood the gist of what she was communicating. Izbix was taller than me, and a bit intimidating. Still far from the strangest person I¡¯d met, I was excited to hear about her class. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to sitting in on your class. I spent some time with a village of gnomish engineers and really enjoyed watching them work. Did you need anything specific from me for the class?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, gnomes are competent engineers, a bit too undisciplined in their designs, but ingenious in their own way. As for your purpose in this class, we¡¯re covering mana-based machinery, and I¡¯d like you to explain how similar devices in your world function. I understand that your world was one that possessed advanced technology that was powered by means other than mana,¡± Izbix said. ¡°You¡¯re correct, I¡¯ll be glad to help in any way I can,¡± I responded, wondering how I¡¯d explain the internet, power grids, or jet aircraft. While I was no engineer, I hoped I could give a competent, if basic, explanation of things. Of course, there was no way I was going to get into some things, like nuclear weapons. I¡¯m sure the multiverse had more dangerous things, but I didn¡¯t want to be the guy who put the idea of a nuclear weapon in some enterprising young student¡¯s mind. Chapter 353. Felljaw. Chapter 353. Felljaw. My afternoon with Professor Izbix was an interesting one. I¡¯d seen many types of summoners at this point, but watching those with tech-based minions was something else entirely. There were a few different classes represented in the group of students and how they summoned their minions seemed to vary. Some would do like I did and just conjure them up with their mana. A few others used consumable parts that they mashed together to quickly forge their minions. The types of minions were an eclectic mix, and the majority of the students in the class were focused regular work, not combat. Their minions were crafted to function in a particular type of job. I could see factories being very interested in these types of summoners. The more martial based summoners had minions similar to my drone, only substantially less powerful. There were melee and ranged variants, with weapons ranging from bladed or spiked body parts to steam-powered repeating crossbows. I did summon my mana slayer drone for them to inspect, as this was surely the crowd to appreciate it. If my drone was a real person, he would have likely been irritated at all the poking and prodding, including some tests that Professor Izbix ran to try and figure out his armor composition. The class also peppered me with questions about Earth. I found it amusing that many had a hard time believing that the technology I described was real. It seemed as far-fetched to them as mana had seemed to me when I first became a summoned being. The afternoon class finally wound down, and Professor Izbix thanked me for my time. I didn¡¯t walk away empty handed, either. The professor gave me a quick tour of the classroom after the students left and showed me some of his personal collection. It turned out that he was rather adept at crafting single-use upgrades to mechanical minions. Not interested in selling them, the professor was willing to trade me for some in exchange for a few of my basic healing and mana potions. He liked to keep some on hand for any accidents or emergencies in the classroom, and trading to acquire a few of them would save him a trip to town. I traded two of my weakest healing potions and two of the weakest mana potions for three consumables that were compatible with my drone. A quick rundown showed me what the upgrades were capable of. The only downside was that I could only have one upgrade active at a time.
  1. Power Fist. This upgrade enhances the damage that one limb of your minion will cause. Each hit will deliver 40% more kinetic energy on impact. This is a single use item, and the effects will last for 1 hour upon activation.
  2. Lesser Targeting Array. This upgrade grants your minion the ability to track invisible and ethereal targets. In addition, the minion may choose to lock onto a target, granting a bonus of 10% to accuracy when engaging the chosen target. This is a single use item, and the effects will last for 1 hour upon activation.
  3. Flame Armor. This upgrade causes the minions armor to burst into flame on command. These magical flames will not harm your minion, though it should be used with caution among allies. This is a single use item, and the effects will last 1 hour upon activation.
Not a bad deal at all considering I was getting a minor healing potion from the guild for free each time I ran a dungeon. I did want to start stockpiling the potions to bring them back to earth, but a quick trip to the market would allow me to stock up whenever I wanted to. The professor could create these minion consumable upgrades several times a week, so it wasn¡¯t much of a sacrifice for him to trade me a few now and then. With my trades done, it was time to head to Professor Dalzrin office and see about helping out his friend. I did stop for a quick snack at the cafeteria first, making sure to avoid the spicy crackers this time. This was supposed to be a quick in and out summoning contract, but I didn¡¯t want a growling stomach to distract me when I was in danger. ¡°Rico, thank you for agreeing to help. I¡¯ve sent a message to Zerallia, and she¡¯ll be waiting for you to arrive before she severs the agreement with her minion. I¡¯ll get the contract ready,¡± Professor Dalzrin said as I entered his office. A moment later, the contract appeared in front of me along with a system prompt asking if I wanted to accept it. The Infernal Summoner Zerallia wishes to engage your services to deal with a problematic minion. You are to defend her against any retaliation by this minion once she severs their agreement. The terms and conditions are as follows.
  1. Protect Zerallia for up to 3 hours after she severs her agreement with the Tier 3, Rank 7 minion, Felljaw. Once the 3 hours have expired, or if you have defeated Felljaw, your contract will be considered complete.
  2. Summoning conditions. You will be operating inside a warehouse in a temperate climate, with no detrimental environmental factors. After the contract is complete, the being known as Rico Kline will make no mention of Professor Dalzrin¡¯s involvement in brokering this contract.
  3. For the successful completion of this contract, you will be offered 15 gold, and a pair of useful trinkets. The rewards are held by the being known as Professor Dalzrin. One trinket may be granted prior to the start of the contract, and the coin and other trinket may be retrieved after you have satisfactorily completed your contract.
It was a simple enough offer, and nothing triggered any concerns. My class seemed to streamline things for me, and I doubted that I¡¯d need to consult with Tzes¡¯zod over too many of these. I did read through it a few more times, just to confirm, and to assuage my natural distrust of infernals. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. You have accepted the contract offered by the being known as Zerallia. ¡°Everything seems in order. The contract mentioned something about a trinket that might help me. I¡¯m going to be a lower tier and rank than my opponent on this one, and I could use all the help I could get,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, there are two of these, and I wanted you to have one now, and the other later. Only one can be active at a time, so waiting on the second should present no problems for you,¡± Professor Dalzrin said, handing me a small necklace. The necklace was a simple leather band with a dark, iron amulet with a red, glowing rune upon it. A system prompt appeared when I held it. Amulet of Lesser Infernal Protection. When worn, the amulet will activate when attacked by any creature with the Infernal subtype. This amulet will reduce all damage from the listed subtype by 10%. The damage resistance will scale with the Tier and Rank difference between the two combatants, lowering if the foe is more powerful. There is a minimum protection rating of 5%. Once activated, the necklace will remain effective for 24 hours. Dalzrin hadn¡¯t been lying, something like this would be great in my upcoming fight with Gary. This one would be burned up during the contract, but another would be awaiting me once I returned. Reducing the damage Gary dealt, even by 5%, could be the difference between winning and losing the fight. ¡°This is perfect, I¡¯m ready to go whenever you are,¡± I said, tying the amulet in place before double checking that all my gear was where I wanted it to be. With a nod from the professor, the contract activated. A portal opened and when I stepped through, a system prompt appeared. It looked like the system had gotten its act together and was allowing me to choose minions and abilities before I arrived at the contract location. Please select the two minions from your barracks that you wish to accompany you on this summoning contract.
  1. Mana Slayer Drone.
  2. Elida Silverbarrow.
  3. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
Since I was likely facing a single powerful foe, I opted for Elida and the drone. The goblins had been great before, but I feared they¡¯d be picked off more easily by whatever this Felljaw was. You have Chosen the Mana Slayer Drone, and Elida Silverbarrow, Battle Mender. Please select a third minion from the following list of options based on your previous summoning contract.
  1. Apprentice Necromancer.
  2. Human cargo wagon team.
  3. Skeletal Guardian.
It was interesting to see the choices based on my last contracted summoning. The human wagon team would have probably been great in something like my contract with the school, but I doubted it was going to be all that effective against an infernal creature of some type. That left the necromancer and the skeletal guardian. The two were supposed to be similar in power level, but I was more interested in seeing how the necromancer class functioned in combat. You have selected the Apprentice Necromancer. The Apprentice Necromancer comes with a small array of offensive and defensive spells, and the ability to summon lesser undead minions. Not skilled in melee combat, the Apprentice Necromancer has only a staff to defend himself with. Summoner¡¯s Gift has activated. Please select an ability you wish to share with your minions.
  1. Riposte.
  2. Switch and Replace.
I had a better choice this time, and Switch and Replace was great for getting out of trouble. With my minions able to activate it, they could really confuse our foes. Minion Switch and Replace has been selected. This ability can only be used 1 time during the contract period. This was a weaker and more restrictive version, but it was probably better than Riposte against a single stronger foe. My minions were in charge of my Summoner¡¯s Gift, so I¡¯d have to see which one ended up activating it. Summoner¡¯s Share has activated. Choose an ability/spell from one of your minions. This ability/spell will remain active for the duration of this summoning contract.
  1. Mana Drain.
  2. Personal Shield.
  3. Summon Skeleton (4).
All three choices were different from the last contract. I ruled out the drone¡¯s Mana Drain ability since it was for melee only. If I was stuck in melee combat long enough for it to be useful, things had already gone horribly wrong. Having a shield follow me around was great but why have a magic shield floating near you when you could summon skeletal minions to block the attack. You have chosen Summon Skeleton. This ability will conjure up a simple skeletal humanoid to defend you. The range for the spell is 50 yards and it requires line of sight. There are (4) charges to this ability, and no cooldown or mana is required. With my choices made, I stepped from the summoning portal and found myself inside a vast, empty stone warehouse. There was a musty smell to the place, with a hint of rotten egg. A young human woman in bright red leather armor stood about twenty feet away. At her side was a huge beast with flames rising from its paws and mouth. I recognized the creature as a hellhound, and it was probably my target for this summoning. The woman gave me a faint grin, patting the hellhound on the head as she addressed me. ¡°So, you¡¯re Rico Kline, and Dalzrin is more of a fool than my new mentor thought. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from my mentor, and he sends his greetings,¡± the woman said, lifting her arm and pointing at me. ¡°Kill him Felljaw,¡± she ordered her hellhound. Chapter 354. Zerallia. Chapter 354. Zerallia. The hellhound, Felljaw, sprinted forward as I summoned my first minion. My mana slayer drone appeared right where I¡¯d targeted, directly in the path of Felljaw. The drone wasted no time in firing up his plasma beam and drilling it into the face of Felljaw. I was already summoning Elida when the beam hit, I wasn¡¯t expecting much, since the hellhound was already flaming, but whatever energy powered the flames within the infernal beast, didn¡¯t make it completely immune to the plasma beam. Despite a howl of pain as the beam seared into its face, the hellhound didn¡¯t stop its charge and even managed to leap over the drone to get at me. The plasma beam scorched its belly as it flew over the drone, leaving flaming blood to pour out of the wound. Unlike the weaker creatures we¡¯d faced, this Felljaw was sturdy enough to survive the plasma blast. Landing a bit off target due to the damage it had taken, the hellhound slid on the packed dirt floor of the warehouse for a second before its claws finally got traction. That gave me enough time to activate Switch and Replace. I blinked out of existence and appeared near the mana slayer drone where I¡¯d targeted my return. The hellhound slammed into my duplicate, dissipating the illusion magic. Elida appeared next to the hellhound, her mace already swinging at the beast. I didn¡¯t know if she could handle it on her own, but I knew I was giving Zerallia too much time to work. Using my new ability for this contract, Summon Skeleton,¡± I cast all four charges around Zerallia, who had already summoned another pair of creatures. Two smaller versions of the hellhound were at her side and reacted immediately to the threat. The summoned skeletons were simple creations, just bones bound together by mana, and were without any gear or weapons. Despite that, they bought me the time that I needed to summon my third minion, the Apprentice Necromancer, and give the drone further orders. ¡°Hit her with your grenade launchers,¡± I ordered. The necromancer would have to operate on his own, I didn¡¯t have time to direct him, and I had no idea what his abilities were exactly. A burst of flame slammed into me, knocking me off my feet as the fire licked at my armor. It wasn¡¯t like normal fire, and seemed to have a mind of its own, seeking a way through the armor as the heat increased. It seemed that Zerallia had already dealt with the skeletons and had launched a spell at me. Without my armor and my moderate flame resistance, I¡¯d have been cooked alive. The pain increased as the fire moved its way up my body, reaching and scorching my neck. I could feel the skin blister and char, but I was unable to do anything but scream as the pain increased past what I was able to withstand. Part of Melvin¡¯s armored form sizzled away, and I could feel his pain as my friend tried to use his own body to protect me. The smell of my own flesh burning filled my nose before a beam of golden light slammed into me, bringing some relief. It must have been Elida, who used her ranged healing ability. After the healing burst, Zerallia¡¯s spell ran out of power and the fires dissipated. I activated my Summoner¡¯s Reflection Orb as I got my bearings. The item would block or reflect the next spell Zerallia cast on me or my minions. I could feel the connection to Elida break as she was killed by the hellhound. That thing was tougher than I had thought, and I needed reinforcements. As I reached for a healing potion, one of the good ones that Itzlebit had sold me, I also cast Duplicate on the drone. The potion had a pleasant, fruity taste, and I could feel it begin to work immediately, healing the charred flesh around my neck to the point that I could now turn my head to take in the situation. Things were dire, and the hellhound, Felljaw was once more charging toward me. It had finished off Elida, who was a rather durable opponent, and was charging the necromancer who was the only thing between me and it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I sent mana into my Ghost Archer¡¯s Crossbow, causing the weapon to float out of my pack and take aim at the charging hellhound. The duplicate drone also moved to intercept as I readied the Portal of the Cackle. While I activated the portal, I also drew my javelin, hurling it at the hellhound with a poor throw. Thankfully, the magic in the weapon caused it to fly true and strike the hellhound just before it leaped onto the necromancer. Electrical energy jolted the beast causing it to miss its leap and crash to the ground. Before I could do anything else, I was knocked to the ground again with another of those fire spells that Zerallia used before. The orb didn¡¯t completely negate the spell, Zerallia was a higher tier and rank than I was, but it did mitigate some of the damage, and instead of burning to death on the ground, I was merely horribly injured. My healing potion was still active and to boost its heal over time ability, I cast Health Bloom on top of me. Between that and the Trolls Belt, I would be good as new if Zerallia gave me enough time. Looking back toward the hellhound, I watched the necromancer cast a spell that seemed to rot away a patch of the hellhound¡¯s coat, and a ghoul then pulled itself out of the ground next to the monster. The duplicate drone was also on the move, firing its plasma beam into the hellhound and then lobbing grenades, ignoring the chance of friendly fire with the ghoul. A gnoll ran past, heading into the fight as the Portal of the Cackle continued to do its thing. Battered, and heavily wounded, the hellhound Felljaw wasn¡¯t out of the fight. An orange beam fired from Zerallia landed on the monster and some of its wounds seemed to heal. That was right, Zerallia was also a summoner, and a higher tier one at that. She would have ways to bolster or heal her minions. That was the real threat, I needed to shut down the summoner and trust that my minions would delay the hellhound for a while. My mana slayer drone was trying to fight his way to Zerallia, who was now protected by four of the smaller hellhounds. It was clear the drone had already dealt with at least one or two of the smaller hounds, but in doing so, had lost one of its longer bladed arms. A hound tore out a chunk of leg armor as I watched, causing my minion to stumble. Seeing that the drone was almost done, I hit it with the Ring of Final Sacrifice. Knowing what was coming, the drone pushed through the pack of hellhounds, trying to get closer to Zerallia. He had her just inside the blast radius when the hounds brought him down. As the drone turned to mana vapor, it exploded, the blast engulfing the hounds and Zerallia. A pair of hounds limped out of the dust cloud that the blast had created, and a moment later, Zerallia staggered out behind them. Her armored robe was shredded in places, and she was bleeding from several wounds. The woman pointed at a hound and the creature shriveled up before disappearing into mana vapor. Many of the visible wounds on her healed as she absorbed the lifeforce of her minion. Zerallia smiled in my direction, wagging her finger at me like I was a disobedient puppy. My drone was down, Elida was down, and the duplicate drone was tied up with the battered, but still deadly, Felljaw. I wasn¡¯t going to win this one, I was outmatched and overpowered. Early Cancellation wasn¡¯t an option, as I was currently in combat. I still had one trick still up my sleeve, something I had been wanting to save for Gary, but something I needed to use now if I was going to survive the next few minutes. Pulling the scroll from my belt, I activated the Elite Diminish Foe spell, targeting Zerallia. She gasped as the magic hit her, and the system gave me a bit of information on the effectiveness of the item. Your foe has been diminished from Tier 4, Rank 2 and is now considered Tier 3, Rank 5 for the next 15 minutes. That I could deal with. I had no idea how the system dealt with mana pool, spells or abilities when it diminished someone, but all I needed to know was that I had a chance. One of the smaller hellhounds next to Zerallia disappeared, and a quick glance over my shoulder showed that Felljaw was now being forced back by the duplicate drone, remaining gnolls, and the necromancer. It looked like the scroll affected not just Zerallia, but also her minions. Even though she summoned infernal creatures, her class must have been similar to mine in some respects, especially the part where the minions mirrored, or at least had some of their power based on the tier and rank of the summoner. My hands went to my belt and the figurines, scrolls, and equipment I had stored inside. With a growl, Zerallia started to cast a spell. Her remaining smaller hellhound stood at her side to defend her. It was time to pull out all the stops and use everything I had at my disposal to win. It was time to call Fitzfazzle. If anyone could help turn the tide of the fight in my favor, it was my gnomish friend. Chapter 355. Victor or Vanquished. Chapter 355. Victor or Vanquished. I activated Fitzfazzle¡¯s figurine, then grabbed Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. Fitzfazzle appeared next to me, dressed in leather armor, and with a huge duffel bag over his shoulder. Another infernal fire blast from Zerallia flew toward me, and I dropped the bag and raised my shield. The blast hit my shield, and I was grateful it didn¡¯t somehow automatically fly around it. ¡°Fitzfazzle, we¡¯ve got to stop her, quick!¡± I shouted as my shield started to heat up and I let go of it and reached for another consumable. ¡°I¡¯m on it, Rico,¡± Fitzfazzle said, dropping his duffel to the ground and reaching inside. He grinned at me as a metal contraption unfolded itself from the bag and began to wrap around my gnomish friend. In only a matter of seconds, Fitzfazzle was encased in a smaller version of the MESS mech we¡¯d piloted back on his world. Turning toward Zerallia, he began to stomp in her direction, already spitting out magic missiles from the weapon mount under his left arm. The right arm on his mech was an oversized claw, the bladed fingers making horrible screeching sounds as they moved. Seeing the new threat that Fitzfazzle represented, Zerallia shifted her focus to him, giving me time to retrieve the bag and pull a random animal from it. A weird animal that looked like a cross between a deer and a zebra emerged. The system called it an Ocapi, and I had to take the system¡¯s word for it that this was a real animal in my world. Not looking very ferocious, the animal proved brave enough and charged toward Zerallia. Zerallia pulled several figurines from her belt and tossed them all in front of her. It turned out that I wasn¡¯t the only one with consumables, an armored orc with a bloody cleaver in each hand that reminded me of Glamb was the first to appear. Hot on his heels was a brown bear that roared and charged. The final minion she summoned from her consumables was perhaps the most horrifying. Instead of a single foe, the last figurine summoned a swarm of hundreds of smaller spiders. The new arrivals charged my troops, which consisted of just Fitzfazzle and the weird Ocapi. That was fine, Zerallia was occupied with going through her gear, looking for anything that could help her. My supplies had been depleted, but I was willing to bet that I still had far more consumables on me than she had brought to the party. Next up on the agenda was my kobold warband figurine. It was another reusable one like Fitzfazzle, and was almost an army on its own. The troops it summoned were the ones from way back in my last arena challenge. There were eight kobold warriors, a sergeant, two crossbowmen, a sorcerer, and last but not least, one of the war lizards. The force charged Zerallia and her minions. I knew the kobolds weren¡¯t probably the most powerful units on the field, but they would do some damage and take time to defeat. They also had the added benefit of giving me cover. With all the minions between me and Zerallia, she couldn¡¯t effectively target me with her longer-range spells. I wasn¡¯t done yet, and pulled out the single tooth in the Fangs of the Hydra pouch. The hydra was only the size of a large dog, with just a single head, but it was fierce and had a mouth full of sharp teeth. I¡¯d chosen my class with the idea of quality over quantity, but in this fight, quantity seemed to be the only way I¡¯d survive. Our minions clashed in the short distance that separated me from Zerallia, and I added even more reinforcements. Five horrible worms the size of my forearm appeared when I used the Rot Grub swarm. The creepy things had human faces that gnashed their teeth at our enemies. Not especially fast, they still wriggled their way toward the fight. A roar caught my attention as I pulled another figurine out. A huge, misshapen head appeared floating over the battlefield. It lashed out a long tongue that grabbed a screaming kobold warrior and reeled it into the mouth that chomped down hard, turning my minion into mana vapor. I guess that Zerallia wasn¡¯t quite out of consumable figurines just yet. Glancing behind me, I could see that Felljaw had dealt with the duplicate drone, and my necromancer apprentice was out of spells, moving to engage the huge beast with only a simple dagger. One battered gnoll from the portal remained, but as I watched, Felljaw tore out its throat, leaving just the poorly armed necromancer between me and the monster. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The figurine in my hand was the crawling spines, and I summoned them between Felljaw and my position. One leg of the hellhound hung limp, and wounds covered its body to the point I knew it was almost done. Just to be sure, I added the tier one, rank seven skeletal orc battle caster, and the same tier and rank pixie archer to finish off Felljaw. In just the time I¡¯d taken to deal with Felljaw, Zerallia had turned the tide of the fight against me. Most of the kobolds were down, and Fitzfazzle was also gone. On the plus side, the giant floating head wasn¡¯t there anymore, though I don¡¯t know if that was a fair trade with a battle suit enhanced gnome. A tier two, rank two war hound pack was summoned next, the three huge dogs in studded leather barding growled and charged directly at Zerallia, ignoring the two smaller hellhounds that still fought to protect her. A third hellhound appeared as Zerallia summoned it, but from the pained look she gave as the monster appeared, I was willing to bet she had reached the end of her mana reserves. She pulled out a potion that she quickly quaffed down as I summoned my most powerful consumable, a tier three, rank three ghoul pack. Five of the slavering undead appeared and rushed toward the feast awaiting them. Now I was the one reaching the end of my resources. All I had left were the tier three rank zero goblin mortar team, and the tier two, rank seven helpful staff. The staff weren¡¯t combatants, and I was worried the goblin mortar would do more harm than good since my troops outnumbered hers. I did have two scrolls that would help, the first was Barrier which created a glowing protective layer around me. It would absorb some damage before dissipating, hopefully enough to protect me from another fire blast. My last scroll, other than the one Gary had given me, was Call of the Warbringer, which I activated. My surviving minions glowed as their stats got a boost. Gary¡¯s scroll, the Eternal Suffering spell, wasn¡¯t one I trusted, and it would stay safely in my inventory. It didn¡¯t look like I¡¯d need it as Zerallia pulled a curved dagger that glowed with magic from her belt. She looked like she was ready to make her last stand as the war hounds closed in. I was shocked when she held up her left hand, glaring at me with hatred as she sawed the dagger across her fingers. Screaming in pain, the magical dagger severed one finger after another. As the last of her digits, the thumb, was cut free, her image flickered, and an orange glowing portal swallowed her up. There were many kinds of magic out there, and I had the feeling that I¡¯d just experienced one that I wanted no part of, a kind of magic that required you to sacrifice part of yourself to activate. ¡°Hopefully that¡¯s the last we see of her,¡± I muttered to myself, as the ragtag remnants of my minion army gathered around to protect me in case there was some other threat waiting for us. I waited for confirmation from the system that this summoning was complete, but so far, the system had been silent. As I thought about the fight, I came to the conclusion that Zerallia¡¯s ¡°master¡± she mentioned must have been Gary. This whole sneaky summoning contract ambush ahead of our fight was something right up his alley. I figured Zerallia had a 50/50 chance whether Gary would kill her for her failure. If he let her live, I was pretty sure that he¡¯d find some way to make her appear during my final confrontation with him. The delay dragged on, and just when I was about to look for some other way out of this warehouse, the system responded with some interesting new prompts. A system intervention delay token has expired. Normal system functions in this space are now active. Use of such a device is forbidden at this tier and rank. Stand by for adjudication. System review in progress¡­ The use of the system delay token has been found to be the responsibility of the being known as Zerallia. You are cleared of all wrongdoing in this instance. Separate punishment will be levied upon the party responsible. A summoning contract has been breached, and the offending party, the being known as Zerallia, will now be penalized for this offence. Please stand by as penalty calculations are made¡­ For breaching of the contract guidelines, the being known as Zerallia will have 1 Rank removed. This 1 Rank will be added to the being known as Rico Kline. This rank will be in addition to any other rewards you will have received for completing this summoning contract. One random item from the equipment, consumables, or other possessions will be removed from the being known as Zerallia and added to your rewards for the completion of this contract. Congratulations, you have achieved Tier 3, Rank 3. You have gained 1 point in Mind. You have gained 1 point in Presence. You have unlocked the Equipment Bead option for your minions. You have been granted 1 Equipment Bead. Your summoning session is now considered complete. You have been granted 22 experience points, with an additional 8 points granted for the additional difficulty. Experience/experience needed for next rank: 34/50. Please return to the being known as Professor Dalzrin to collect the other rewards promised for this summoning contract. You will now be sent to your Designated Return location. Chapter 356. Professor Dalzrin Dilemma. Chapter 356. Professor Dalzrin Dilemma. I appeared back in my room, taking a moment to catch my breath and process everything that had happened. Zerallia had just tried to kill me, that wasn¡¯t something I expected with a contract in place. From the initial system information, it seemed that there were items out there that could delay the system¡¯s intervention. Something like that must be expensive¡­very expensive and very powerful. The system had even said the device was forbidden at Zerallia¡¯s rank and tier. Just how powerful was Gary if he was the one behind all this? Was he feeling a bit worried about my progress? I suppose that it would be easier for him to just eliminate me now, while he was at full power and with all his resources at his disposal. I was sure the system was going to prevent him from intervening directly, but that wouldn¡¯t stop him from hiring people like Zerallia. He could not only hire but I had to also consider that he was able to force others to do his bidding based on the contracts he had out there. Who wouldn¡¯t want to take a crack at killing me if it meant they could break a contract on their soul? It¡¯d be easy to just tell myself to be more careful, but there was really no way I could predict what contracts were legit, and which ones were ambushes. There was also the question of Professor Dalzrin. Did he know about Zerallia¡¯s antics? Was he working with, or being exploited by Gary? I would have liked to dismiss him as a suspect given his prior treatment, and the fact he gave me the amulet which may have even saved me from Zerallia¡¯s attacks. The system directing me back to him to collect my rewards also seemed to indicate that he wasn¡¯t involved, but this summoning contract had already shown me the system wasn¡¯t infallible. Immediately walking over to Professor Dalzrin¡¯s office to collect my rewards and demanding some answers wouldn¡¯t be very smart. I wanted my loot and rewards, but not before I was as prepared as I could be if the professor turned out to be involved or at least had been coerced into working for Gary. Even if he was under Gary¡¯s control, I didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d risk directly attacking me on campus. Dalzrin was in a rather comfortable position here at the academy and had been here for too long to just throw it away on a public attack. The odds were good that Dalzrin was one of the good guys, but I still needed to prepare for the worst. All my useful consumables were gone, and my reusable items were all on cooldown. I needed to restock before facing Dalzrin, and that meant a journey into town. In addition to restocking my consumables, I wanted to have a friendly ally at my side. If Dalzrin was compromised by Gary, he would be less likely to pull something if another staff member was present. Melody was the only one I could trust with this. She knew my story and there was little chance that she was working for Gary, after all, she had probably already passed up dozens of chances to kill me if she had wanted to. The question was whether or not she¡¯d be willing to risk getting involved, and if I should even ask her to assume the possible dangers involved. I counted her as a friend, but did she see me the same way? Back on Earth, there weren¡¯t too many coworkers that I¡¯d have risked death to help, but this new life was a different one, and deadly risks were more common than they were back on Earth. ¡°All right, before town, I need to see what Clancy has for me,¡± I said. Melvin sent me supportive feelings, reminding me that he was still at my side, or more accurately, on my armor. ¡°Thanks buddy, you probably saved me out there. I¡¯m sure those fire spells that Zerallia used would have caused more damage if you hadn¡¯t taken some of the hit. You¡¯ve earned double treats when we head into town,¡± I told Melvin. He sent me several images, pretty much covering all the food carts we¡¯d come across in town. Before I called Clancy, there was one new thing for my class that I¡¯d unlocked after the fight. I pulled up the information on the Equipment Beads, to see what those were all about. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Equipment Beads are a class feature of the Contracted Summoner. You earn these randomly when completing contracts. The difficulty of the contract, your Reputation score, and your performance on the contract will affect the chance of one of these items being issued as a reward. Each bead may be used to bind 1 piece of equipment to 1 of your minions. This will allow the equipment to be permanently attached to your minion until you wish it to be removed or replace it with a more powerful item. The equipment will survive the summoning and unsummoning process, and as long as part of it is still in existence, the equipment will be rebuilt upon completion of the contract. Once bound to a minion, the equipment cannot be used by any other. At your current Tier and Rank, you may only have a maximum of 1 piece of equipment bound to each minion. As you climb in Tier and Rank, the maximum equipment limit will increase. That was a very nice upgrade for my class. Currently, my minions had solid gear, and their weapons and armor would improve automatically as I grew in power. Where I could see the Equipment Beads coming into play was with other gear and accessories. There were a lot of items out there other than weapons and armor, and those magic items could make a big difference in my minions¡¯ power. It was too bad the system had left all my rewards, including the one Equipment Bead I¡¯d earned so far, with Professor Dalzrin. That seemed to be a further indication that he was in the clear, but I was still going to take all the precautions I could before visiting him. With the new class upgrade out of the way, it was time to see what Clancy had to offer. I activated the Merchant Cart Vendor Recall ability and a new portal opened in my room. Clancy pushed his heavily laden cart out of the portal and waved in greeting. Seeing my minion reminded me that I should probably have my other minions summoned and ready to defend me as often as possible. While I could call them up quickly, it wasn¡¯t instant, and they might spot a danger before I was able to. ¡°Hey Clancy, how¡¯s business?¡± I asked as I summoned Elida and the drone. ¡°Not bad at all, Rico, not bad at all. Let me get your cut and the items I¡¯ve found for you,¡± Clancy said, pulling open a drawer at the back of his cart that he sorted through. He pulled out a small bag of coins, and a sack of other gear which I immediately checked. Your minion has earned you 31 gold, 22 silver, and 88 copper coins. You have received the following items from your minion.
  1. Summoning figurine, Cloaked Horror Tier 1, Rank 9.
  2. Summoning figurine, Dwarven Hammerer, Tier 2, Rank 4.
  3. Summoning figurine, Strangler, Tier 2, rank 6.
  4. Bands of Storage.
While Clancy patiently waited, I examined the figurines and the Bands of Storage, remembering that I had asked him to track down a storage item that was less cumbersome than my pack. The cloaked horror figurine looked like a flying manta ray, and despite its relatively low tier and rank, I was curious to see how it fought. A dwarven hammerer wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out, it was a figurine of a stout dwarf in chainmail that was holding an oversized two-handed hammer. The last figurine was a bit strange and disturbing. It was a humanoid wearing raggedy clothing and possessing abnormally long arms. Each arm had oversized hands with long, spindly fingers. It was a creature I¡¯d rather not meet in person unless I was the one summoning it. The Bands of Storage turned out to be a pair of leather wristbands that could be used to store a decent amount. I could fill the equivalent of a small bedroom¡¯s worth of volume inside them, which meant I wouldn¡¯t have to lug my backpack around everywhere I went. ¡°Thanks, Clancy. You¡¯re doing great out there. I¡¯m a bit shocked you still had over 31 gold to give me even after buying all this,¡± I told him. ¡°What can I say, business is good, and I¡¯m starting to build up a clientele in town. I suspect things will get a bit better before evening out to a consistent sales volume,¡± Clancy said. ¡°Anything I can do to help?¡± I asked. ¡°No sir, I¡¯ve got everything under control. The town is safe enough and I haven¡¯t had to worry about thieves or competitors causing trouble,¡± Clancy explained. ¡°I¡¯ll let you head back then, if you don¡¯t need anything from me,¡± I told him. Clancy just smiled, tipped his hat, and walked into the portal that had opened to return him and his cart to where I¡¯d pulled him from. ¡°Melvin, I think we¡¯re ready to do some shopping,¡± I said, looking out my window to see that the sun was setting, and not much time must have passed during my summoning. I¡¯d been in combat from the get-go, and while it seemed like a long time had passed while it happened. In reality, I doubted our fight had lasted longer than five or six minutes. With my new storage bands equipped, my consumable figurines squared away, and a healthy pile of coins to work with, I left for town. Chapter 357. KrazBrax Chapter 357. Kraz¡¯Brax. The town was bustling with activity as I walked through it. It was dinner time, so the various pubs, restaurants, and inns were doing a thriving business. There was also no shortage of traffic in the various shops that catered to the adventurers. I¡¯d already scoped out most of the shops and decided to hit up Somhagen Exports first. ¡°Hello, is Ingrid working this evening?¡± I asked the young man in orange robes that greeted me at the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she has the evening off. I¡¯m Darsen, is there something I can help you with?¡± the young man asked. I had hoped to deal with Ingrid again, since she already knew my class and what I might be looking for. ¡°That¡¯d be great. I should have a reward waiting from a contract I completed,¡± I started with that, thinking back on the contract with the necromancer. I¡¯d never collected my rewards after having been distracted by the ordeal with Zerallia. ¡°I¡¯m also looking for some consumables, figurines specifically. Also, do you have anything that protects against infernal damage?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, let me gather your rewards and check what we have in stock. Is there anything else I can look for, or is that all you need?¡± Darsen asked. I was so focused on something to help me in the short term, I had almost neglected the possibility of other gear that I might want. ¡°Can you check out my class, like Ingrid did?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, let me send you the request,¡± Darsen said, pushing the familiar system prompt over that assured me he was restricted in what he could do with my information. After the betrayal by Zerallia, and the item she used to disrupt the system, I was beginning to have some doubts as to how secure these system protections were. ¡°I¡¯m particularly interested in consumable figurines, and I¡¯m looking for items for my minions, as you may see in my class description,¡± I said. Darsen confirmed that he knew about the equipment beads, but didn¡¯t have exact details on my minions. I gave him the overview, just enough for him to try and match gear to the minion without giving away all their abilities. I looked around as Darsen went behind the counter with the glazed-over look in his eyes that told me he was sorting through whatever magical inventory system the shop used. Around the shop were a few adventurers, and from their gear, they didn¡¯t seem to be from very high tier groups. Given how much harder it had been to gain experience outside of my time as a summoned being, I could see that it would take most adventurers quite a bit longer to build up their tier and rank. There was also the question of what the Induction would do for humanity¡¯s experience gain. I¡¯d have to do some research in the academy library and see if there was any information on accelerated experience for newly inducted worlds. Given what the system had mentioned before, that summoned beings would be more powerful than the others back home when we returned, I had to think that experience gain would be as slow for the inducted world as it was for the rest of the multiverse. Darsen disappeared into the back of the store, and I continued to peruse the items they had out for general display. Most of it was stuff I wasn¡¯t all that interested in. Mundane equipment, some masterwork pieces of weapons and armor, as well as simple potions were the mainstay. Various adventuring gear, including an 11-foot pole were also offered, but with my class, preparing for what I was going to face was typically easier than lugging around gear for every potential situation. A normal adventuring party didn¡¯t have the advantage of the advanced information that a contract gave, though if they were going into a dungeon, the guides would give some indication of unusually dangerous opponents or environments. Maybe that was part of why the system was tamping down the experience on the dungeons near the academy, they were all known quantities and therefore, much less of a challenge. Before I could think about it further, Darsen returned with a small crate filled with his finds. He waved me over to an empty display table where he began to set some items out for me to examine. There were a handful of figurines, a pair of scrolls, and an amulet with a leather cord. In addition, there was a small, ornate wooden box with a hinged top. He also held a separate small pouch that held the coins from my necromancer summoning, as well as a small, black stone. When I held it, the flesh on my hand seemed to grow cold and a system prompt appeared. Lich¡¯s Marker. This item will slowly acquire necrotic energy when foes are slain by your minions. Once empowered, the marker can used to add the undying subtype to one minion. This subtype grants your minion the ability to respawn as a slightly less powerful undead version of itself when it is destroyed. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Once fully charged, the marker will activate only once before returning to your possession where it must regather necrotic energy before being ready for use again. It was an unusual way to add some durability to one of my minions, but I¡¯d have to wait and see how long, and how many deaths needed to occur near me, before it was ready to go. I sent the marker into my storage bands and looked over what else that Darsen had brought for me. ¡°This is a selection of items that I can recommend. Of course, if you need some common items like healing or mana potions, rations, and basic gear, I can probably get whatever you¡¯d like. You didn¡¯t tell me a budget, so I apologize if a few of the items are a bit costlier than most of our usual stock,¡± Darsen said, looking apologetic as he motioned toward the box. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that was my mistake. I should have given you a budget up front, but I do have several hundred gold to spend,¡± I said, looking at Darsen for his reaction. He looked relieved as I told him my budget, which, in turn, told me that I could afford everything on the table if I wanted it. First off, I went for the figurines, there were only three in total, but I was happy to see that Darsen had found some higher tier options. They were probably more expensive and less likely to be useful to the lower tier adventurers that the dungeons in the area seemed to cater towards. Summoning Figurines.
  1. Dark elf assassins, Tier 3, Rank 0.
  2. Rampaging Dire Boar, Tier 3, Rank 0. (Veteran).
  3. Knight of the Eternal Vigil, Tier 3, Rank 2, (Elite).
The dark elf figurine was just two cloaked figures on a single base. Given their tier, I was sure they¡¯d be effective, but I was more excited about the veteran and elite figurines. The rampaging boar was oversized, about twice the size of a normal figurine, and the base was larger than the palm of my hand. Instead of a normal looking boar, the one depicted on the figurine had plate armor barding with a liberal sprinkling of spikes over it. My final figurine, the knight, was simply a man standing there in plate armor and holding a greatsword. There was no system description of the figurine, and Darsen didn¡¯t seem to know more about it other than the basic details I could already see. Still, given that it was the highest tier and rank of any figurine I¡¯d used, and an elite, it was probably going to exceed my expectations. Next up where the pair of scrolls. Scrolls:
  1. Detonate. Tier 2, Rank 9. This spell causes a summoned minion to detonate with an explosive force comparable to its Tier and Rank. The force of the blast cannot exceed the Tier and Rank of the scroll.
  2. Cloak of Blades, minion. Tier 3, Rank 0. This spell must be targeted at a minion. It will create a layer of blades that spin around the minion. These blades will damage any foe that comes near the targeted minion and caution should be used as friendly fire is possible.
Both scrolls were great, even if they were single use items. I pushed them over to the pile with the figurines, all of which I wanted to keep. I moved my attention to the amulet next, and the system responded with its details. It was also intriguing to see a spell that could only be targeted at a minion. Darsen had dug deep in the inventory to find things that matched well with my class. Minion Amulet of Life. When the bearer of this amulet is injured, the amulet provides instant healing. It has a limited charge that will slowly regenerate over time. This item must be attuned to its bearer and will grow in power as the bearer increases their Tier and Rank. ¡°Darsen, I want to make sure this amulet can work with the equipment beads? It says it must be attuned to the bearer, and I want to make sure it¡¯s going to be compatible with my minions. Also, how much healing are we talking about here? Will it heal enough damage to repair a scratch, or are we talking fatal damage,¡± I asked. The item was likely to be pricy, and I wanted to make sure I wasn¡¯t overpaying for a dud or wasting precious equipment beads. ¡°Yes, that was part of my delay in returning to you, I wanted to make sure everything would function with your class specifics. As far as the damage it will heal, I can¡¯t say for sure, but based on similar items, I would say, at your tier and rank, it would heal the equivalent of a powerful sword or axe blow,¡± Darsen assured me. ¡°Thanks, and what¡¯s this one all about?¡± I asked, looking over the ornate box. It opened up like a tackle box, and system information on it appeared as I tested it out. Kraz¡¯Brax¡¯s Minion Dispenser. This dispenser is a unique item that allows you to store and retrieve consumable figurines instantly. When stored inside the dispenser, all figurines will have their power increased by 1 Rank. In addition, the box will create 1 figurine every 24 hours but has a maximum capacity for only two of these item-generated figurines. Should the item-generated figurines remain unused, they will eventually infuse with additional power, becoming veteran versions. The figurines generated will be random, and the bearer of this item will not know the type of figurine until they activate them. This was not only powerful, but a simpler way to store my figurines. I had missed my old class ability that granted additional ranks to consumables, and now I could recover a bit of that. It also would generate up to two random figurines for me, though I was a bit more skeptical of those after my experience with Rodney¡¯s Bag of Beasts. ¡°You did great, Darsen, how much for the lot?¡± I asked. This was a good haul, and I wanted everything. ¡°After applying any outstanding store credit, you will need to 191 gold, 22 silver, and 48 copper to obtain the entire collection,¡± Darsen said. ¡°Sold,¡± I replied. It was a healthy sum, and I suspected that the minion dispenser was the bulk of the price. I had more than enough to buy it, and Clancy was out there working hard to earn back what I spent. With my new purchases, I was feeling better about my chances if the meeting with Dalzrin turned sour. Chapter 358. Health and Delay. Chapter 358. Health and Delay. ¡°Thanks, Darsen, you¡¯ve been a big help. If you run into Ingrid, let her know I¡¯ll be back soon to see about any contracts she might have for me,¡± I said before taking my leave of the shop. I wasn¡¯t quite done with my shopping yet and made my way over to see Itzlebit at his alchemy shop. Whatever spell Zerallia had hit me with, it wasn¡¯t a regular fire blast. It did more damage than it should have given my moderate resistance to that type of damage. I passed a few other shops, but so far, other than Somhagen Exports and Itzlebit¡¯s shop, the other stores had been a bit of a disappointment. The town catered toward the lower tier and rank adventurers, and the gear I was looking for was probably too expensive for them to keep in stock regularly. The next time I was at Somhagen Exports, I¡¯d have to ask Ingrid about perhaps ordering items directly. Maybe they could fill specific requests for an additional charge. My pocketbook would take a hit, but the coin was useless if I died holding a big bag of it. It turned out that I was in luck, and Itzlebit¡¯s shop was still open. It wasn¡¯t that late, but he seemed to be a one man show and I knew that I wouldn¡¯t want to keep my shop open all day and night. ¡°What can I get for¡­hey, I recognize you. You¡¯re the adventurer that was actually courteous and knew a good deal when he saw it,¡± Itzlebit said as I entered. The rest of the shop was empty, and I had the place to myself. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Rico, and remember, I¡¯m not just an adventurer, I¡¯m also an adjunct professor,¡± I reminded him. I wasn¡¯t big on titles, especially temporary ones, but I sort of figured that my connection to the academy would lend me a bit of consideration given Itzlebit¡¯s dislike of adventurers. ¡°Exactly. What can I do for you this fine evening? I was about to close up for the night, but I can stick around for a bit if you¡¯re here to actually buy something,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°I won¡¯t take too much of your time. I¡¯d like to buy a few more of the healing potions that you sold me on my previous visit. Unfortunately, I had to try one out recently and I¡¯m alive to report they did the job,¡± I said. ¡°Not a problem, let¡¯s see, I remember the formulation that I sold you last time,¡± Itzlebit said as he began to search the racks of potions behind the counter. ¡°You remember my order?¡± I asked with a bit of surprise. He had recognized me earlier, but to also remember what strength of potion I was interested in was impressive. ¡°Of course, I may not be all that hot with names, as my dear wife likes to remind me whenever we go out with friends, but I¡¯ve always been able to put a face with an order,¡± Itzlebit said as he held out the replacement potion. ¡°Better make it full five of those, just in case. I don¡¯t know when I might make it back for more shopping. Oh, and I did have a question, Itzlebit. I was hit with a fire spell that seemed to almost ignore my resistances. Any idea what that might have been and what I can do to prevent something similar from happening in the future?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm, well, preventing it is easy enough, don¡¯t get hit. As for the other part of your question, I¡¯ll need more details,¡± Itzlebit said, motioning with hand for me to pick up the pace. I explained a bit of the encounter that I had, describing Zerallia, her class, and the effects of the spell she used. He asked a few more questions about her summoned creatures, and he excused himself for a moment to consult a series of large reference books he had lined up on the back counter. Muttering to himself and stroking his long moustache, Itzlebit suddenly slammed the book closed and returned to where I was waiting. ¡°Okay, you were probably hit with a spell called Fell Fire. It¡¯s a nasty blend of regular old Fire Blast, with a more powerful damage over time component that mixes fell energy and fire damage. Having resistance for one of the two effects is helpful, but if you can add layers of protection for both, it¡¯ll go better for you next time,¡± Itzlebit said. Stolen story; please report. Hearing that, it made me realize just how powerful Zerallia¡¯s magic had been. I was protected moderately for fire, but I also had the infernal protection amulet Dalzrin had given me as part of my compensation. While it was possible that the professor had given me a dud, the system had confirmed that it was legit. The amulet protected from infernal damage, and Itzlebit confirmed that Fell energy was also in the category of infernal damage, which the amulet worked on. If I hadn¡¯t had either of those two resistances, I would have probably died from the first hit. My survival must have thrown Zerallia off a bit, she was probably expecting an easy win with the element of surprise, her higher tier, and the power of her spells. My preparations had saved me, as had my experience in dealing with confusing, dangerous, and rapidly changing situations. The experiences I¡¯d had as a summoned being made me as ready as I could be for just such an ambush. ¡°Do you have anything to protect me from Infernal damage?¡± I asked. ¡°From a potion standpoint, it¡¯s difficult to brew one that protects from Infernal energy directly, and it uses a lot of expensive and rare component. In a town like this, there¡¯s no market for it, Itzlebit explained. ¡°Is it something you could do as a special order?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯ll cost you and take a while. Most people decide to go a different route. Instead of directly trying to counter a specific energy, it¡¯s often better to go with more comprehensive protection. Here, let me find an example for you,¡± Itzlebit said. I expected him to grab a potion or direct me to one of the cards in the racks the shoppers used to order potions. Instead, Itzlebit brought a tome over, and flipped to a page that he turned toward me. It was a recipe and ingredient list, but I was more interested in the description below. Potion of Delay. This draught will delay any damage taken by the imbiber. As the potion wears off, the damage will begin to slowly accumulate. How much damage can be absorbed, the length of the delay before the damage resumes, and the time that the returning damage is spread out over depends on the quality of the potion components, and the skill of the alchemist creating the potion. ¡°Sounds dangerous to use, but I could see it being a lifesaver in the right situation. From that description, there seems to be a lot of variables to determine the quality. What strength of potion could you create,¡± I replied. There was a use for this type of potion, and if the returning damage was spread over a long enough time, my Health Bloom would help to mitigate it. ¡°With my skill, and the ingredients I can easily gather, the potion would absorb a sizeable amount of damage. I¡¯d say, based on your description of the spell, it would have absorbed the first Fell Fire spell completely, and then mitigated a bit of the second,¡± Itzlebit explained, tapping the counter and muttering to himself as he did some calculations in his head before continuing. ¡°As far as duration, my potion would delay the damage for five minutes, then spread the damage out over a period of around sixty seconds or so,¡± Itzlebit said. I¡¯d have five minutes to deal with the threat, which was far longer than most of my battles. With the damage it absorbed returning over a period of sixty seconds, I should be able to tank it. Between Health Bloom, my Troll¡¯s Belt, potions, and perhaps healing from my minion Elida, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°How much would these cost me, and how long for you to make them?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d have to price these at two gold and sixty silver apiece. Like I said, not cheap, but it could be a life saver. As far as how long to make them, give me a week, and I can have up to five of them brewed,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°Any chance I could get them sooner?¡± I asked. ¡°No, the ingredients will take a day or two for me to acquire, then these need to simmer for some time to get the full effectiveness out of them. On top of that, I still have a business to run and other customers to see to. A week is the best I can do,¡± Itzlebit said. ¡°I¡¯ll take five, then,¡± I said, handing over the coin for my order and the health potions from earlier. ¡°What about side effects? Anything else I should know?¡± ¡°No side effects, but you can only use one every 24 hours. I should also mention that you can imbibe it up to an hour before you¡¯re in battle. Any longer than that, and effects will start to diminish,¡± Itzlebit explained. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I replied, taking my health potion purchases and leaving the shop. I¡¯d have to wait a week for the potions to be made, but I didn¡¯t think I could avoid Professor Dalzrin for that long. No, I had what I needed to face him now. He had my rewards, and if he was in league with Zerallia or Gary, dodging him for a day or two wasn¡¯t going to help. All I could do was make sure I had a witness with me when I confronted him. Hopefully, Melody would be willing to join me for a visit to the professor¡¯s classroom. Chapter 359. Dalzrin. Chapter 359. Dalzrin. I thought about my options as I left town and returned to the academy. My first task was trying to get Melody to join me. It hit me then, if Professor Dalzrin was working for Gary, did I want to risk bringing someone innocent into a potential deadly situation. No. As much as I could use her help to dissuade Dalzrin from acting, I couldn¡¯t throw an innocent person in the line of fire like she was one of my minions. I would face Dalzrin on my own, and the more I thought about it, the less likely his involvement seemed. If I had been killed by Zerallia and never showed back up for tasks at the academy, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard for the administration to figure out that the professor was the last person that I¡¯d interacted with. Would the academy even care that much about an adjunct professor that went missing? Passing by my room, I didn¡¯t stop and instead made my way to Professor Dalzrin¡¯s classroom. His door was open and when I peeked inside, I could see him at his desk, reviewing a large text and writing notes. It looked like he was just preparing for class tomorrow, not like there had been some big plot of his that had just unraveled. Stepping back into the hallway, I summoned my minions, casting duplicate on the drone. My armor and weapons were equipped, though my javelin was still on cooldown from the earlier fight. Instead, I held the Chains of Bal¡¯sharuk in one hand, and my most powerful figurine, the Knight of the Eternal Vigil, in the other. I had the duplicate drone enter first, then I followed behind with the rest of my minions placing themselves between me and the professor. ¡°Rico, what happened out there? I received a notice that the terms of the contract had been breached. Then, I get another notice that I have rewards to deliver to you. To top things off, my normal means of communication with Zerallia has been severed. I¡¯ve been here, working, hoping that you¡¯d return and explain things,¡± Professor Dalzrin said, looking as confused as I felt. ¡°Zerallia never had a problem with her minion. In fact, that minion and Zerallia just tried to kill me. I suppose you know nothing about that?¡± I asked sharply, my temper and anger over the situation getting the better of me. ¡°What? If that was the case, how did the contract ever get approved by the system. Her intent would have been known, and we would never have been able to forge an agreement on her behalf. Wait, you don¡¯t think I had anything to do with this, do you?¡± Dalzrin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, let¡¯s see. You¡¯re the one that set up this whole contract, you¡¯re the one that offered me the rewards, and you¡¯re the one that¡¯s a friend of Zerallia. That seems like you would be a prime suspect. Not to mention that you¡¯re an Infernal, the same as the person who is trying to kill me,¡± I accused hotly. ¡°Professor Kline!¡± Dalzrin said forcefully as he stood from his desk. The dark claws on the tips of his fingers burrowed into the desktop, causing flickers of flame to begin burning at the wood there. I could feel power building around me, a darkness creeping in from the corner of my vision as glowing red portals began to flicker into existence. A pressure exerted itself over my entire body, almost causing me to fall to my knees. ¡°Do not lump me in with my kin. My life is different. My life is my own. It¡¯s a life I wanted, a life I¡¯ve created despite what most think of my people. I will not have someone accuse me of being in league with the one that is threatening you. Can you feel it, Rico, can you feel the power that I have at my disposal,¡± Professor Dalzrin said with a heaping portion of what my military trainers would have called command presence in his voice. The glowing portals around me brightened as clawed hands grasped the edges, as if the professor was barely keeping what was in there restrained. I didn¡¯t need any identify ability to tell me that these creatures were far beyond what I and my minions could handle. If Dalzrin wanted me dead, I would be. He could have handed me to Gary on a platter if he had wanted to. This fumbled attempt by Zerallia wasn¡¯t the means that he would have used to trap and kill me. He had no need for such subterfuge. The professor could have just snaped his fingers and I would have been dragged into whatever hell his minions resided in. Instead, Professor Dalzrin was very forcefully claiming his innocence in this matter. I was beginning to see the truth. The professor had no hand in this, other than being duped by his concern for a former student. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor Dalzrin, I realize you didn¡¯t orchestrate this deliberately. You¡¯re as much a victim as I am,¡± I conceded, unsummoning my minions and putting away the consumables that I had been holding. The heat in Dalzrin¡¯s eyes diminished and the portals shrank into nothingness. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off me as Dalzrin relaxed his power. ¡°Rico, take a moment to gather yourself, then tell me everything that happened during your summoning,¡± Professor Dalzrin demanded before sitting back at his desk and patting out the flames that still flickered atop it. He motioned for me to take the chair placed in front of the now-smoking desk. I did as he asked, recounting my summoning, the immediate attack by Zerallia, and the details of the battle that ensued. The professor stopped me a few times, having me give more detail on the creatures and spells that Zerallia used, as well as my own efforts. It didn¡¯t seem prudent to hold anything back, and he seemed especially interested in the scroll of Elite Diminish Foe that I¡¯d used to turn the tide of battle. When I¡¯d finished, he leaned back in his chair looking up at the ceiling as he considered my words. A moment later he lifted a sack from behind his desk and slid it over to me. He didn¡¯t speak, still deep in thought as he motioned for me to open the sack. Looking inside, it was filled with the rewards the system had promised me. First off, I added the coins to my inventory. The other reward that had been promised for the contract was there as well, the second Amulet of Lesser Infernal Protection. That also went into my inventory along with the equipment bead. The bead was exactly what it sounded like, a small, marble-sized ball of glass with a faint glow of mana coming off it. The last item was a small book with only a few pages in it that was bound in worn leather. It was small, only the size of my hand, and I could feel powerful mana infused into the text. There was a small pop as the item bound itself to me. This was the item that had been taken from Zerallia and given to me in partial payment for her breaking the contract. The book, and a rank of her power must have seemed a fair trade by the system. When the description of the book was given by the system, I was inclined to believe the compensation was fair. Analora¡¯s Response. This text was created by the conjurer Analora after she faced several challenges that taxed both her mana, and her abilities. The text allows the wielder to save a different spell, ability, or copy of a consumable item on each page. The spells stored within the text can bypass normal restrictions as far as casting cooldowns or mana cost. Only one spell may be etched on each page, and it cannot be duplicated on another page. Some restrictions will bypass the magic of this device, and a warning will be given if you attempt to inscribe a spell, ability, or consumable that is incompatible. Each bearer of this text can only inscribe a maximum of 3 pages. This was a solid addition to my arsenal, a book that could mean an extra Duplicate without cooldown, or a second copy of my most powerful consumable figurine. I could also copy a charge from a device, or maybe even a scroll to this item. With only three pages at my disposal, there were several options I would have to consider before I made my decision. The book was thin, and when I opened it, I was surprised to see there were four pages left in it. Three of the pages were blank, presumably the ones I would inscribe later, but the last one was already filled out. Zerallia must have inscribed this one, and a system prompt appeared as I read her entry. Analora¡¯s Response. Page 1. Redirect Blow. This spell makes the next physical melee or ranged attack on the target reflect back on the attacker, leaving the target with no damage. All effects, items, and abilities that enhance the attack will boost the redirected blow. Please note that this page was inscribed by a previous wielder of this item, and as such, it may be used by you in addition to the three blank pages remaining in the book. Nice, not only did I get the item from Zerallia, I also was able to steal her last page. Another interesting feature was that this spell could be cast on any target, so it wasn¡¯t just a protection spell for me, it was one that I could use to save someone else, or even one of my critical minions in a tough fight. ¡°Rico, I need some time to digest what has happened. I thought Zerallia was not only a former student, but also a friend. Seeing her corrupted and swayed so easily is disturbing. Please know that I do intend to make this up to you. Let me know when you want some training, I¡¯d be glad to help you learn more about fighting someone like Zerallia, or this master she claims to serve,¡± Professor Dalzrin said. ¡°Thank you, Professor. I apologize again for suspecting you. As I mentioned while recounting the summoning, I believe this was set up by the infernal I know as Gary. He must not like his odds in our coming fight, or he¡¯s trying to hedge his bets by taking me out early,¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯ll take that into consideration. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to wrap up here before it gets too late. Despite what you¡¯ve experienced here tonight, we still have an obligation to our students tomorrow,¡± Professor Dalzrin said, dismissing me. After the fight, and the confrontation with Dalzrin, I was exhausted, and more than happy to call it a night. Chapter 360. Mech vs. Giant. Chapter 360. Mech vs. Giant. ¡°Rico, do you want to answer the question?¡± Professor Conley asked, snapping me out of the drowsy lethargy I¡¯d slipped into. While my enhanced body didn¡¯t need as much sleep anymore, I was pretty worn down after the fight Zerallia and the subsequent confrontation with Professor Dalzrin. My schedule today was with Professor Conley who taught the second-year students in support magic. While the spells for my class were limited, they were mostly focused on supporting my minions which was the point of the class. Unfortunately for me, Professor Conley was an older human man that reminded me of several boring college professors that I¡¯d encountered over the years. He presented what should be an incredibly exciting topic, magic, in a painfully dry manner. The class was nearing its end when he finally opened things up to the twenty or so students in the class for questions. Today¡¯s lesson had been focused on healing, which I had some experience in. The question from the student was whether it was better to just summon a new minion or use up some of your mana reserve to heal an injured minion. ¡°I¡¯d be glad to answer, Professor Conley,¡± I said, standing from where I had been sitting at a smaller desk next to the professor. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts before continuing. ¡°There¡¯s not a hard and fast answer, and as with most things magical, there are situational nuances that you must consider. We also have to deal with our class limitations. At least for myself, I summon a smaller number of powerful minions, and healing is often my only solution in a dangerous situation due to the cooldowns for resummoning my minions. ¡°If you have a class that can pump out several weaker minions, I¡¯d be more inclined to say accept your losses and just replace them. I would also caution you to match the healing spell to the situation,¡± I answered. ¡°Let¡¯s not let Professor Kline off the hook so easily, give him a more complete scenario and we¡¯ll see how he would handle it,¡± Professor Conley told the class. The students looked at each other for a moment before one, a small gnomish woman, raised her hand. ¡°Professor Kline, what if you¡¯re facing a single, powerful opponent, say like an ogre, and you can summon multiple weaker minions like my class does? Initially, the mana cost for my summoning is limited, but the more summoning spells I cast in a short period of time, the greater the cost ramps up,¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, what kind of injuries to your minion are we talking about here?¡± I asked. ¡°Let¡¯s say a glancing blow from the ogre shattered the arm of my minion, making them almost useless unless they¡¯re healed,¡± she added. ¡°In the case you described, how is your mana pool doing?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s just below half, and my next summoning will eat up a quarter of what¡¯s left,¡± the gnome answered. ¡°What type of healing spells are we working with, and is there any other support spells in your arsenal that might be of use?¡± I asked. It was hard doing hypotheticals with mages, especially summoners, where there were so many variables to consider. ¡°I have a weaker healing spell that affects up to four minions at once, and a more powerful, ranged heal that is single target. Both take about the same mana, say half of what summoning another minion would cost,¡± she answered. ¡°What is your objective? Are you trying to kill the ogre, or keep it busy so you can escape?¡± I asked. Another student, a young human guy with buzzed hair, cut off the gnome¡¯s answer. ¡°Knowing Flizzleip, she¡¯d likely be trying to get measurements of the ogre to use it as a pattern for a new mech,¡± the young man taunted. He reminded me of every obnoxious kid that I¡¯d ever met in classes before. Back on Earth, he¡¯d probably have been the stereotypical jock bully, but here. ¡°Do you have a problem with mechs Mr¡­¡± I said trying to get his name. ¡°The young man¡¯s name is Mr. Blaine, Aldin Blaine,¡± Professor Conley said, giving the young man a stern look. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Professor Conley, do you mind if I give a demonstration to the students? Nothing harmful, or too disruptive,¡± I assured the professor. ¡°Oh, please do, Professor Kline, that¡¯s one of the reasons I wanted your assistance today. I hope to give the students a look at some practical applications of the theories we discuss in class. We can always use a good demonstration of another summoner¡¯s art,¡± Professor Conley replied with a grin. From the professor¡¯s enthusiasm, I was guessing that this Blaine guy was a bit of an annoyance in the class, and he was more than happy to have him put in his place. ¡°Thank you, Professor Conley. Now, please, Mr. Blaine, share with the class about your enlightened opinion on mechanical minions,¡± I said. ¡°Everyone knows they¡¯re weaker and only suitable for labor. Sure, there are a few war mechs, but any similarly powerful monster type minion would best it. That¡¯s why I focused on giant-kin,¡± Blaine said with the confidence that only an inexperienced student could have. ¡°I¡¯d tend to disagree with you. In fact, the mech-based minion that I can summon is far more powerful than any giant-kin of a similar tier and rank. Tell me, Mr. Blaine, what kind of giant will your class be able to summon at tier three?¡± I asked. ¡°At their three, give me just a minute,¡± Blaine said, digging through a text he pulled from his pack before responding. ¡°There we are, at tier three, my class could summon either a simple hill giant, or a veteran ogre warrior,¡± Blaine said as he slammed his book closed. ¡°Hm, neither of those would stand a chance against my mana slayer drone,¡± I said, summoning my minion and having him appear right next to Blaine¡¯s desk. The student almost toppled out of his chair as the minion was suddenly looming over him. ¡°Oh, my, that is something I had hoped to never see again,¡± Professor Conley muttered. He stared at my drone as it stood near the student''s desk, and the color drained from the professor¡¯s face. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve also run into these mana slayers before, Professor Conley,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, and to encounter them and survive is rather unusual. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one as a summonable minion before. I must say that I¡¯m impressed, Professor Kline. And class, let¡¯s address Mr. Blaine¡¯s claim. I can assure you, from personal experience, that this minion would indeed best most giant-kin, even ones several ranks higher than the drone. They are difficult to stop, and against a magic user of any type, these drones are pure death,¡± Conley said. ¡°Can we put that to the test, Professor? Maybe we can have this drone thing go up against a giant in the faculty tournament?¡± Blaine asked. Many of the class murmured their agreement. They were all for watching a sparring session instead of sitting through a longer lecture. ¡°Perhaps we can use a sparring session as a supplement to this class. I¡¯ll see if any of the professors with a giant minion of similar tier and rank are willing to do a quick spar with Professor Kline¡¯s minion. It won¡¯t be today, of course, but I¡¯ll see what I can arrange. If that doesn¡¯t happen anytime soon, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see Professor Kline¡¯s minions in action during the faculty tournament,¡± Conley said. ¡°I¡¯m always happy for some training, just let me know when you need me, Professor,¡± I said confirming my buy-in on a future sparring session. ¡°Excellent, and with that as our high note today, we¡¯ll dismiss a few minutes early,¡± Professor Conley said. There was the usual stampede for the door, but the young gnome woman, Flizzleip, walked over and started to examine the drone. ¡°Move along Miss Flizzleip, I have to prepare for my next class,¡± Professor Conley ordered. She reluctantly left the class, leaving just me and the professor inside. ¡°Professor Kline, would you mind unsummoning your minion? I know it¡¯s under your control, but I find it brings up memories I don¡¯t wish to revisit,¡± Conley asked. I immediately unsummoned the drone. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you. I must admit was a bit of a shock to me that you knew about the mana slayer drones,¡± I said. ¡°It was long ago, and only through the selfless act of a friend did I survive the encounter. Thank you for your participation in the class today, Professor Kline, and while I find your minion disturbing, I must admit that I¡¯m intrigued to see one in action inside a controlled environment,¡± Conley said. ¡°I¡¯m always glad to help, and when it¡¯s just us faculty around, feel free to call me Rico,¡± I offered. ¡°Well Rico, it''s a pleasure to have you in my class today,¡± Conley said. ¡°Thanks, that does bring up one thing, what¡¯s the deal with the faculty tournament? I remember Melody saying it was supposed to happen before school started,¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yes, it was delayed a bit this year. One of the key committee members was out on a field expedition with some of the more experienced students. The tournament should be starting next week, and I believe the signup sheets are supposed to be up in the faculty cafeteria today,¡± Conley said. ¡°Thanks for the info, I¡¯m looking forward to testing myself and my minions against some of the faculty. I suspect they¡¯re a lot more skilled at this than I am,¡± I said. ¡°Poppycock, I think you¡¯ll find some exceptional participants in our faculty, but I suspect that you have more real-world combat experience than the majority of your potential competitors. We have about an hour before the next class if you¡¯d like to take a break,¡± Conley offered. I was all for taking a break, and while the class had finished strong, I wasn¡¯t looking forward to a repeat of the day¡¯s lecture. Even though it was early for lunch, I was more than ready to head to the cafeteria and get a peek at the signup sheet for the faculty tournament. Chapter 361. Department of Summoning Mages. Chapter 361. Department of Summoning Mages. It wasn¡¯t hard to find the signup sheet in the cafeteria since there was quite a crowd around it. A small table had been set up to hold a magical text that tracked the participants. I suppose it was to be expected in a college of magic, but I was still struck by the fact this place had enough skilled mages on hand that they could create a magic book just to track this year¡¯s faculty tournament. I chatted with a few others as we waited in the short queue. A lot of the professors had heard about me, and more than a few said they were interested in longer discussions about my experience as a summoned being. When I finally made it to the front of the line, I did what the others ahead of me had done and placed my hand on the text. A system prompt appeared, explaining the process for the tournament. You have been invited to join the annual faculty tournament for the Department of Summoning Mages. This year¡¯s tournament will focus heavily on your minions, and only limited summoner involvement will be allowed. As always, there will be no danger to the participants, only to their summoned minions. The tournament will take place over the coming weekend and if you wish to join, you will be slotted into a group of participants with a similar Tier and Rank. This is a single elimination tournament, and if you lose a round, you are out of the competition. While there is no direct reward offered by the tournament though the system has taken your situation into consideration and will allocate a minor experience reward based on your placement in the tournament. You have qualified for the tournament bracket of mages between Tier 2, Rank 5, and Tier 3, Rank 5. Be ready at 9am on the day of the tournament and opponents will be assigned randomly for the initial pairings. Please be advised that there may be several twists and turns during the tournament, so be prepared for the unexpected. Do you wish to participate in the Department of Summoning Mages tournament? Y/N? There was a brief pause after I accepted before a new prompt appeared. The being known as Adjunct Professor Rico Kline has officially entered the tournament. There are currently 4 other participants in your tournament bracket. I found that I was rather looking forward to the tournament. There hadn¡¯t been much opportunity to test myself against other summoners. Zerallia¡¯s fight was a bit of an exception and at least the tournament wasn¡¯t going to be a fight to the death. These were all faculty, and I had to assume that they also were skilled practitioners of our craft. Not only was I looking forward to the challenge, but I was also going to use it to get a peek at the other summoning styles in action. That might help me narrow down who I wanted to approach for further tips and training. There were only four others in my group, but I figured the number might climb a bit higher before the signups were done. Eating a quick lunch, I still had time for a break before I needed to return to Professor Conley¡¯s next class. I wanted to sort out a few things that I had been too exhausted to deal with the night before. First off was the equipment bead I had received from my last contract. I¡¯d decided to use it on the mana slayer drone and give him the Minion Amulet of Life. Extra instant healing for my tanky minion would just make him that much better at his job, and maybe free up a spell slot that Elida could use on other things. The whole process was easy enough, I just had to place the bead between the amulet and the drone. Pushing some mana into the bead, it seemed to liquify and become a metallic, glue-like substance that bound the amulet firmly to the chest of the drone. The amulet shifted its color to match the drone¡¯s armor, and even if struck in combat, the amulet would be rebuilt when my minion was unsummoned and resummoned. Unfortunately, the amulet recharged its energy slowly, and summoning my minion didn¡¯t instantly refill its power once used. It was a solid upgrade for the drone. The amulet¡¯s power was supposed to improve as my minion¡¯s tier and rank increased, making it an item that the drone wasn¡¯t going to outgrow anytime soon. Maybe I¡¯d find something more powerful in the future that would make me want to replace the amulet, but with how many minions I had to equip, it was going to be some time before I had to worry about replacing gear for them. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I also had three pages of Analora¡¯s Response to complete. This was something I didn¡¯t want to just fill up quickly. I needed to add only the most useful spells, abilities, or consumable items with it. One I was sure of right now was Duplicate. It was probably my most powerful spell, and according to the system description, the book would allow me to cast it a second time without the normal restrictions. Having three of my mana slayer drones on the battlefield, or even three Elida¡¯s healing with every blow the struck, would give me an edge against Gary. That was going to be my true purpose with the book, to fill the pages with things I planned to use in my fight against Gary. Concern flared in the back of my mind. I¡¯d been granted a powerful item with this book, but how many such items had Gary gathered over the decades or centuries that he¡¯s been around? I was fairly certain the system would not only cap Gary¡¯s tier and rank but also limit the number of items he could bring with him. That restriction would likely apply to both of us, so I¡¯d need to prioritize what I wanted the most in the fight. The next time I spoke with Tzes¡¯zod, I¡¯d have to see if he had any additional details, but I had to keep in mind that while the system tried to keep up the veneer of fairness, I had found that it wasn¡¯t truly concerned with making things equal. So far, I¡¯d been dreading hearing from Tzes¡¯zod, as his next contact would probably be when he knew the time and place of my fight against Gary. The longer it took for him to get in touch with me, the better as far as I was concerned. I was slowly gaining power, but I needed to pick up the pace if I wanted to survive. Returning to Professor Conley¡¯s class, I endured another boring lecture. It was an exact copy of his earlier one, which I couldn¡¯t fault him for since it was part of his curriculum. The students weren¡¯t too keen on the lecture either, though most were diligent enough to jot down notes for the first exams of the semester. The second half of class had the professor getting me a bit more involved in the discussion. There weren¡¯t any student conflicts this time around, and we had a good discussion on practical uses of spells and abilities to support our minions. The focus was as much on using the minions for general labor as it was for protection and combat. I was beginning to see that there could be a more peaceful future for me after the integration was over and Gary was dealt with. Would I accept a ¡°normal¡± job again, or had I become addicted to the thrill of being summoned into potentially dangerous situations? There was going to be plenty of time to think about it, and I wasn¡¯t going to have the option of using my minions to do normal work for some time. After class, I received a notice that I had reached the front of the queue for a dungeon run. It was the Grotto of the Shunned Emperor again, and if anything, the run was even easier than the first time I¡¯d done it. As expected, the rewards weren¡¯t anything to write home about. I only received five experience points, which brought me up to 9 out of 50 for my next rank. There were some monetary rewards, the equivalent of about two gold worth in copper and silver coins. A pair of sturdy leather boots enchanted with self-cleaning and repair was the only other reward. I¡¯d hand them off to Clancey so he could sell them since they weren¡¯t nearly as good as my current gear. Though there was a bit of walking to the dungeon and back to town, the run itself was rather fast, and I completed it in less than 15 minutes. That gave me a bit of time in town before I had to get some sleep and prepare for the next day of classes. I checked with a couple of shops that I hadn¡¯t visited before, and didn¡¯t find anything that was all that exciting. I did manage to find some consumables, a scroll of Acid Arrow, and a potion of Firebreath. The potion was interesting, as once imbibed, it would remain active for up to an hour. It could only unleash one blast of flame, but I could choose when to use it. I had been worried that I had to drink and use it immediately, which wasn¡¯t going to be practical in a fight. Figurines were in short supply and tended to sell out quickly. With so many adventurers cycling through the town, and many of those being mages that could use the figurines, they were in high demand and their prices reflected that. My last stop before heading back to my room was at Somhagen Exports. As soon as I entered, Ingrid flagged me down from the main counter where she was selling a few items to a warrior in plate armor. I waited patiently for her to finish the transaction before I approached. ¡°Rico, I¡¯m glad you stopped by, it¡¯ll save me the expense of sending a messenger to find you. I would, of course, add the expense to your tab, but I wanted to let you know that I¡¯ll have a new contract for you in the next day or two. Apparently, you were asked for directly, and I suspect it¡¯s someone from your home world,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°That¡¯s good news, should I just keep checking in to see when it¡¯s ready?¡± I asked excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll send word once it¡¯s ready for you to examine. From what I understand, there are some system restrictions and guidelines that they¡¯re having to work around,¡± Ingrid explained. It looked like Agent Lopez had got my message, and I would hopefully be able to help someone back on Earth again. I looked forward to hearing how things were going there and if the integration had happened yet. The contract should also give me more experience than the paltry four or five points I was getting from the occasional dungeon run here at the academy. Sadly, the shop didn¡¯t have anything new in stock that interested me, so I returned to my room to rest up for the next day. My excitement about the contract was dimmed a bit when I realized that Gary could also be at work here. There was no doubt that he had contacts on Earth already, and I¡¯d have to check things over carefully, so I wasn¡¯t walking into another contracted ambush. Chapter 362. Initial Pairing. Chapter 362. Initial Pairing. It was getting late by the time I left Somhagen Exports, and I decided to call it a night. The tower, despite the hour, was still a bustle of activity as students got to know each other, studied in small groups, or went for a late snack at the student cafeteria. I chuckled to myself as I remembered my college days and doing whatever I could to avoid both studying and going to bed. The commotion dissipated when I took the portal to the faculty floors where my room was located. Supposedly older and wiser, the faculty and other school workers were too busy to stay out late on weekdays. As far as my next day¡¯s duties were concerned, they had me assigned once more to Melody¡¯s class. I found that I enjoyed working with the first-year students. They were, for the most part, excited at what they were learning. The few exceptions didn¡¯t disrupt the class, but I could tell they weren¡¯t giving the lessons more than the bare minimum of their attention. During a break between classes, I asked Melody about it. ¡°What¡¯s going on with some of the students? I thought attending an academy like this was supposed to be a big deal. A few of these students act like they don¡¯t want to be here,¡± I asked. ¡°I notice the same thing every year, and there can be several reasons for it. For the most part, those that you see putting in the minimum effort are here not because they want to be, but because their family, clan, or employers want them to. A common thread among those less than motivated students seem to be that they have a class geared toward more monotonous summoning work. ¡°You really can¡¯t blame them when they hear about all the adventures the other students and faculty have been on or will be experiencing in the future. All they have to look forward to is a rather mundane job where they use their minions like cogs in a machine. I do try to encourage them to get involved while they¡¯re here, and maybe a few dungeon runs help to cheer them up, I¡¯ve found,¡± Melody explained. I knew that a lot of the students had classes that were more suited to work than combat, but I hadn¡¯t considered that some of them might not have chosen the class they currently possess. I¡¯m sure there were also families pressuring their children to take safer types of options rather than becoming an adventurer or the like. I had a feeling that, in time, many of the reluctant students would find that a comfortable and safe life wasn¡¯t all that bad a deal. All I could do to help was to use some of my previous experiences to urge them to focus not just on their studies, but to also take advantage of everything that the academy had to offer. For some of them, the academy could become a bright spot in their lives, a place where they could experience things they likely wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to once they returned home. Melody had several other classes throughout the day, and while I enjoyed helping her, I found that I was getting a bit bored myself as the rest of the week had me doing similar tasks. There was one bright spot when Melody had the students test themselves in the training fields. We were to judge and offer suggestions as they took their minions out for a test drive. This time, they were just working with the training aids that the fields provided, but Melody did promise that they¡¯d get a chance to spar against each other later in the semester. The students had varying degrees of competence in using their minions, but by the end of the training session, I could see improvements happening with many of them. If only I had the opportunity for this kind of training when I had first become a summoned being, my life would have been a whole lot easier. As I thought about it more, I wondered if throwing me into the grease hadn¡¯t been a better training tool. I couldn¡¯t really die during the summonings at the time, and I had the chance to face what would normally be life or death situations without much of the risk. There was always the risk of pain, and the fact that my summoners were often in real danger. I had to conclude that I was a better summoner after all I had experienced, and I had learned much more than I would have in a single semester here. It was strange thinking that I¡¯d only been a summoned being for less than a year. The academy would have been a lot less painful, but comfort wasn¡¯t my main goal these days, survival was. It seemed like the week took longer than normal to pass, and I kept waiting for a message from Somhagen Exports about the new contract that I was expecting. Finally, the weekend arrived, and I headed out the training fields early for the faculty tournament. Breakfast that morning had been a bit more lively than usual. I was surprised there were even several professors trash talking each other. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Everything seemed to be on a friendly basis, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any bitter rivalries among the staff. What surprised me was that there were over sixty faculty in the tournament. The department was much larger than I had originally though given the classes I¡¯d seen. Professor Dalzrin was also at the field early, and I decided to ask. ¡°Professor, are there really 67 summoning professors in our department?¡± I asked. ¡°Hello, Rico, good luck out there today. I hear there is some stiff competition in your bracket this year. As for your question, no we don¡¯t have that many professors. Many of the participants are other staff on campus that have a summoning class. They are free to join, and most do seem to enjoy the friendly competition,¡± Dalzrin said. ¡°Good luck to you as well, Professor,¡± I offered. Before we could speak further, an announcement was made by an older gnomish woman, her voice magically amplified to sound over the entire area. Looking around, I realized that the area around the fields had filled up, it seemed everyone else had the same idea of getting here early that I did. ¡°Can I have your attention everyone. Just like in previous years, the first pairings will be placed at each training field shortly. For those of you that are new to the academy, or this tournament, find the field that corresponds with your tier and rank,¡± the gnome explained. From my earlier training I knew the various training fields were broken down by tier and rank. My field had a wider tier and rank range, all the way to tier five, so it would host participants for several of the brackets. It seemed my field was going to be the busiest, with the entry level field the next most crowded. The field for those over tier five had only around ten or so participants milling around. ¡°Professor Kline, I hope I¡¯m not paired up against you today,¡± a vaguely familiar voice said behind me as I waited for the postings to appear. It was the young satyr woman Brielle that I¡¯d met on my first day at the training field. We¡¯d sparred and my minions had handily defeated her forest defender creatures. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out shortly. Wait, aren¡¯t you a student? I thought that the tournament was for faculty only,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m faculty now, or close enough that they let me enter. I may only be in my third year, but I nabbed a teacher¡¯s aide position with Professor Conley. It¡¯ll help pay for tuition and getting to participate in the tournament is a just another perk of being employed by the Starveil Tower Academy,¡± Brielle said with a smile. She had that type of friendly personality that seemed to brighten everything around them. ¡°Well, in that case, I wish much luck to my fellow co-worker and potential foe,¡± I joked. ¡°We¡¯ll see about foe. If I¡¯m lucky you¡¯ll get paired with someone more your speed,¡± Brielle said. Our conversation was cut short as the gnome woman who made the announcement earlier walked over and held a large parchment up above her head. To my surprise, she let go and the parchment stayed where it had been placed. Names began to appear as our pairings were decided. There was an inevitable rush to the parchment, but thankfully, a system prompt appeared when I got close, so I didn¡¯t have to wait for the crowd to clear out before I found out who my first opponent was going to be. Summoning Faculty Tournament Bracket: Tier 2, Rank 5 to Tier 3, Rank 5. 1. Kelsan Spindirx, Tier 3, Rank 4 vs. Rico Kline, Tier 3, Rank 3. 2. Brielle Xoki, Tier 2, Rank 7 vs. Islis Direshorn Tier 2, rank 5. 3. Abax Custinov, Teir 3, Rank 1 vs. Ikbla Barterman, Teir 2, Rank 9. 4. Gullywallow, Tier 3, Rank 5 vs. Darmen Dale, Tier 2, Rank 8. My bracket had only been sitting at six contestants when I had signed up, so it looked like two more had joined since then. I was up first, and I didn¡¯t recall ever meeting my opponent. Of the others, I only knew Brielle, and had met, but not talked to, Gullywallow, who was also an adjunct professor. Gullywallow was a frog-like humanoid species that I hadn¡¯t encountered before. My match was one of the initial contests, so I wasn¡¯t going to get an early look at any of the other contenders or see how their minions operated. While I was excited to go first, it would put me at a bit of a disadvantage since the other contestants would see my minions in action. ¡°Hey, Rico, do you want to place a wager on one of the other brackets? You can¡¯t bet on your own, but you can on the others,¡± The rather enterprising professor Izbix asked. ¡°What kind of wager are we talking?¡± I asked, not quite sure I wanted to risk any coin on contestants I knew nothing about. ¡°Nothing monetary, if that¡¯s your concern, the loser agrees to handle a simple task for the winner like grading papers. It¡¯s only for a week, so nobody is really hurt by the effort. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about everyone¡¯s class yet, so I¡¯ll have to politely decline. Just out of curiosity, who¡¯s favored to win my bracket?¡± I asked. ¡°That would be Gullywallow. I¡¯ve never seen him in action, but I hear his minions are rather potent,¡± Izbix replied. ¡°Well, thanks for asking, I hope you do well in your bracket,¡± I offered. Izbix offered me the same and went to find another victim to wager with. I wondered about this Gullywallow, and I would hopefully get a chance to see him in action after my match was over. Despite being the highest tier and rank, I couldn¡¯t worry about Gullywallow just yet, I had my first opponent to deal with, and according to the pairings, this Kelsan Spindrix was a rank higher than I was. It was time to see how my minions would do against their unknown foes. Chapter 363. Kelsans Creatures. Chapter 363. Kelsan¡¯s Creatures. ¡°Contestants for the first matches, please report to the designated area on the field,¡± the same elderly gnome woman as before announced, her voice magnified to be heard clearly by everyone near the training fields and somehow at the same, comfortable volume and not a loud shout. I was close to where I needed to be and felt a small amount of resistance as I passed through the barriers that protected the onlookers from the spells and weapons used on the training fields. It was still a bit unclear exactly where I was supposed to be during the actual match or how the matches would run. For my fight, an area of about a third of the total field had been set aside. The rest of the field would be used by different brackets. Another professor that I had only greeted in passing waited in the middle of the field as our official for the match. A strange, vaguely humanoid creature approached from the far end of the field, who I assumed was my opponent. Once again, I had to tamp down my instinctual revulsion and fear over some of the stranger-looking beings that inhabited the multiverse. Kelsan Spindrix walked upright, but on four, spider-like legs. His torso was normal enough, but where his clothes didn¡¯t cover, I could see his body was an exoskeleton, not flesh. His head was oversized, with a pair of mandibles instead of a normal mouth. A half dozen eyes were placed on either side of a slit that must have been Kelsan¡¯s nose. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Kelsan, I¡¯m looking forward to our match. I heard you were a rather accomplished summoner. I hope I can keep up,¡± Kelsan said in a friendly manner. ¡°Hi, Kelsan, it¡¯s good to meet you as well. Where do you work?¡± I asked, a bit curious why I had never seen him before. I had met most of the faculty at some time or another in the cafeteria, or when working directly with them in class. Of course, given his appearance, Kelsan might be a species that had rather unusual dining habits, like Melody. Those students and faculty had special areas outside of the cafeteria that fit their dietary needs. It was probably better not to ask too many questions about how beings that looked like Kelsan ate their supper. ¡°I¡¯m not an instructor, I work in facilities and have odd hours which is probably why we never ran into each other,¡± Kelsan responded. Any further chitchat was cut off by the professor in charge of administering the matches on this field. ¡°Greetings to you both, I¡¯m Professor Gelbman, and I¡¯ll be the referee for this field today. Have either of you participated in the faculty tournament before?¡± Professor Gelbman asked. We both shook our heads no, and the professor was happy to fill us in on what was expected of us. ¡°Before the match begins, you¡¯ll both be placed at opposite ends of the field. When I give the order to begin, you¡¯ll have one minute to summon your minions. I need to warn you that no enhancement spells, or consumable items may be used for the match. The only exception is if they are a necessary component to summon your minions. ¡°Once you have summoned your minions and given them whatever instructions you wish, I¡¯ll have you both step back through the barrier and stand with me to watch the match. Are there any questions?¡± Gelbman asked. It seemed simple enough and we both indicated that we were ready. ¡°Good, Rico, you¡¯re at that end of the field, and Kelsan, you¡¯re at the other. As soon as you reach your end of the field, I¡¯ll get things rolling,¡± Gelbman instructed. I hurried to my assigned area, which the system helpfully highlighted for me. Once there, Professor Gelbman pointed at us to confirm we were ready, then a timer appeared in the middle of the field. Wasting no time, I summoned the drone first, then Elida. Clancy would remain where he was, hopefully earning me more gold, and finding useful items. Once both my minions were on the field, I gave them some brief instructions. Mainly, I wanted them to stick together, if possible, and use their most powerful attacks up front to try and end the match quickly. Both my minions needed little direct control, they were competent fighters and had operated without my direct command in many battles. With the two of them squared away, and the instructions given, I hustled over to where Professor Gelbman was waiting just outside the protective barrier and in the middle of our section of the field. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. As I moved, I checked out what Kelsan had brought to the fight. A trio of minions waited on his end of the field, one of which was the same species as Kelsan. That one was dressed in a glimmering robe and struck me as a mage or healer of some sort. His other two minions consisted of a giant beetle the size of a truck, and an orc-like humanoid with four arms. The orc, as I decided to call him, held two longer spears in the top set of arms, and an axe and mace in the others. I was too far away to inspect their gear, but I thought I caught a wisp of flames coming from the orc¡¯s axe as the minion slowly swung it side to side. As far as armor, the orc wore only light chainmail and seemed entirely focused on offense, with little regard for defense. Given Kelsan¡¯s tier and rank, I assumed that the orc¡¯s gear was enchanted to some degree, and the strange mage probably had a solid array of spells or magical items to use. My minions stood ready, and the pair were almost comical in their size difference. The drone towered above Elida, but the halfling battle mender was formidable despite her size. Professor Gelbman shouted for the fight to begin, and our minions went on the attack. Elida and the drone had decent ranged options that they used as the pair closed the gap between their foes. The drone wisely targeted the mage and his grenade launcher fired at a steady pace as they moved. Elida cast a spell, launching Deadly Beam at the orc. After that spell was complete, she then cast Personal Shield to bolster her defense. Seeming to lack any ranged attacks, the orc charged forward at surprising speed. When Elida¡¯s beam hit him, it was absorbed by some protective magic. Either the mage had buffed his allies, or the orc had gear or abilities to protect him. In response, the orc hurled his axe, which sped across the field, only to be blocked with a loud clang by Elida¡¯s Personal Shield. After deflecting off the shield, the axe flew back into the orc¡¯s hand. A ball of black energy was cast toward Elida by the mage just before the first of the drone¡¯s grenades landed. The energy smacked into Elida¡¯s shield and burst apart. I was shocked to see it wasn¡¯t just some form of mana energy, it was actually a tightly compressed ball of spiders. A good portion of the spiders were crushed by the impact with the shield, but a sizeable portion flew out of the ball and landed on Elida. They started to scurry all over her as they sought out any gaps in her armor. With hundreds of bites landing, Elida was getting pumped full of venom. Her reaction was to activate Gleaming Aura that quickly burned off the numerous, yet individually weak spiders. A portion of the damage delt to the spiders, in turn, healed Elida, whose health was dropping fast from the sheer volume of deadly venom pumped into her from the myriads of spider bites. The mage wouldn¡¯t be a concern any longer, and didn¡¯t get to fire another spider ball as the first grenade hit. Knocked off his feet by the blast, the mage was otherwise undamaged as several protective spells activated to mitigate the damage. Unfortunately for the mage, his protections were down, and the next two grenades blasted him into pieces. Another grenade landed among the mage¡¯s remains, but the drone managed to shift fire and land his last shots near the orc. It too had magical protections, and was agile enough to avoid a direct hit. Fragmentation from the grenades peppered the orc, taking down its remaining magical defenses, leaving it with just its light chainmail armor, and ability to dodge and parry. I had been worried about the giant beetle, but it was struggling as the drone activated its plasma beam generator which burned right though the beetle¡¯s carapace. It continued to melt the beetle even as the last grenade landed near the orc. Creating a pair of javelins for its smaller arms to use, the drone hurled those at the orc as it finished off the beetle with the plasma beam. The beetle crashed to the ground dead, and the drone shifted the beam to the orc. It missed for a good second or two before the agile orc was finally clipped by the beam. The plasma beam moved across the orc¡¯s body, burning completely through the four-armed menace. Before it could finish the orc off, the beam ran out of power. Reaching the drone, the orc landed a few stabs with its spears, both of which proved to be enchanted, and able to penetrate the drone¡¯s excellent armor. It wasn¡¯t enough to seriously disable the drone, who whirled its bladed arms, eviscerating the orc, and dropping it to the ground. ¡°We have a winner, congratulations, Adjunct Professor Kline, you¡¯ll proceed to the next round of matches,¡± Professor Gelbman announced. It felt good to win and still have both my minions on their feet when I faced a foe that was a rank higher than I was. ¡°Well fought, Kelsan, that mage of yours is a nasty opponent,¡± I said. ¡°Not nasty enough, your team is impressive. I¡¯d like a chance to spar and pick your brain a bit if you ever have some free time,¡± Kelsan replied, showing good sportsmanship. ¡°I¡¯d like that as well,¡± I replied as Kelsan gave me directions on how to leave a message for him with some times I was open for a sparring session. There was going to be a bit of a break before my next match, perfect for getting a peek at what the rest of the summoning faculty could do on the battlefield. Chapter 364. Semifinal. Chapter 364. Semifinal. A system prompt confirmed the promise the system had made earlier. It wasn¡¯t going to be a huge windfall, but every bit of experience the system wanted to dole out was fine with me. You have defeated your opponent in the first match of the tournament. A reward of 4 experience points has been awarded. Experience/experience needed for the next rank: 38/50. For my bracket, the fight between Brielle and Islis Direshorn was next. I had already seen Brielle in action, and thought she should do well against an opponent that was a couple of ranks lower than her. I could be fighting the winner of this match in the next round, so as much as I wanted to watch some of the higher tier matches, the smart thing was to see how this one ended up. As their match started, Brielle began to conjure her army. I¡¯d seen her forest creatures in action already, and was more curious about what her foe would bring to the table. Islis Direshorn was an interesting species. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were called, but to me, she resembled a minotaur from Earth mythology. With her physically imposing size, I had sort of expected Islis to summon burly monsters of some kind, but instead, a small puddle of slime appeared at her feet. The green puddle that was probably only a couple of gallons of volume, but the second, and final, minion she summoned was a gelatinous cube, much like Melvin, and even bigger than my friend. I could feel my companion send an image into my mind of him cheering on the team with the cube. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you lunch that Brielle wins,¡± I said. Melvin confirmed that he was taking the bet, even though he didn¡¯t have any money, and I was likely going to be the one buying lunch whether I won or lost. Brielle¡¯s troops seemed to know how to deal with the slime and the cube that were slowly crawling across the field toward them. The mage in her army cast a spell that created a green glow around the small vegepygmy troops she had. At the same time, the elves in her army began to pepper the slime and cube with arrows. ¡°That seems like a waste, the arrows aren¡¯t even going to slow them down,¡± I said, beginning to worry about how Brielle¡¯s chances. It turned out the arrows weren¡¯t a waste, and the mage cast a new spell, igniting the arrow shafts all at once. The magical flame burned deep into the bodies of the slime and cube, but both minions were able to push the shafts from their bodies and continue their slow approach toward the opposing army. Holding their fire until the mage was ready, the elves unleashed another volley. This time, the arrows ignited before they hit the target, and all seemed to be targeted at the smaller slime. With burning arrows landing across its body, the slime was unable to push them all out before it suddenly went still and dissipated into mana vapor. The smaller vegepygmys gathered around the gelatinous cube, poking ineffectually at it with their spears. Finally having a foe in reach, the cube created a gooey limb that swatted and stuck to one of its attackers. The cube drew the body of the vegepygmy into its mass, rapidly digesting the hapless minion, who robbed the cube of its meal by turning into mana vapor. Brielle¡¯s vegepygmy mage was just standing there chanting, and as I watched, I realized that he must have blown all his fire spells and was using an ability similar to Elida¡¯s Channel Mana. Another vegepygmy was destroyed before the mage had finished its work. A barrage of burning arrows lanced into the cube, who managed to expel the missiles before they did too much damage. Havin much more mass than the smaller slime, the cube was able to tank the damage. It grabbed a vegepygmy that got too close, killing it as well. Melvin sent me feelings of frustration. If the cube had been able to eat the enemy minions, it could have rapidly healed the damage it had taken from the flames. Aggressive, but not smart, the vegepygmy swarm was slowly cut down. The elves in Brielle¡¯s army, each riding a wolf, and the vegepygmy mage, were shrewd enough to keep out of reach of the gelatinous cube and a slow speed chase ensued. It wasn¡¯t long before Professor Gelbman stepped in. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to declare this fight a draw. Neither force seems to have the means to engage and destroy the other,¡± Gelbman announced. Both Brielle and Islis looked disappointed as a draw on their win/loss record would probably mean they weren¡¯t in the running to win this. ¡°Hold on, Professor,¡± Brielle said, getting the man¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ll concede and Islis can be the winner. My minions couldn¡¯t beat her gelatinous cube in a stand-up fight, and all they could do was stay away,¡± she selflessly offered. ¡°If you wish, we¡¯ll declare Islis the victor, and she will advance to the next round of the tournament. Might I also say that you have earned my respect for your actions today young lady,¡± Professor Gelbman said as the next two contestants in my bracket, Abax Custinov and Ikbla Barterman, took the field. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Rico, how did your first match go?¡± Melody asked after she spotted me on the side of the field watching the fights. ¡°I won, so it¡¯s on to the semifinals for me. How did your match go?¡± I asked. ¡°I won, but it was a tough fight,¡± Melody said. ¡°Congrats, and I¡¯m sorry that I missed your fight. Maybe we can have our minions spar one day? I¡¯d love to see how your minions operate,¡± I said. ¡°That sounds like a plan, at least whenever we get some downtime. I know you¡¯re busy with a lot of other things when you¡¯re not working here at the academy,¡± Melody said. She was right, I was busy, but not too busy to get some practical experience sparring against someone that was a higher tier and rank than me. ¡°Are you going to stick around to watch the rest of the matches?¡± I asked. ¡°Definitely, when do you fight again?¡± she asked. ¡°One more fight after these two, and then I suspect will be my turn,¡± I said gesturing toward the field where Professor Gelbman was giving instructions to the new competitors. ¡°Great, that should give me time to get a bite to eat before your fight starts,¡± Melody said, waving as she left. I almost asked if she wanted company, but I had a fight to watch, and I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t want to see how Melody, as a parasitic being, ate. Melvin also made himself known as he pulled my attention to several food stalls that had opened. I figured I could grab something quick for him and be back before the real action began. ¡°What do you want Melvin, we don¡¯t have much time if I want to catch some of the next match,¡± I said. He pointed me toward a booth that was selling something that looked like a funnel cake. A berry sauce was drizzled over the top, and I had to admit, it smelled delicious. I purchased one, snuck a bite, and then held the rest of the cake up against my armor so Melvin could enjoy the fruits of his victory. Only a couple of minutes had passed, but when we returned to the field, the match was over. Abax Custinov had emerged victorious, and I didn¡¯t even catch a glimpse of how he managed to do it. At least I got a good look at the man. He was wearing professor robes, but I didn¡¯t remember ever seeing him before. That just left one more match before the semifinals. It was the favored contender, Gullywallow and a poor guy named Darmen Dale that was only tier two, rank eight. While the fight with Abax had ended quickly, Gullywallow¡¯s fight wasn¡¯t all that much longer. It turned out that Gullywallow summoned a team of five knights in heavy armor and wielding a variety of weapons. They completely steamrolled Darmen¡¯s minions, which were a team of primitive orcs backed up by a goblin shaman. We were all given a short break for those that needed time for their minions to recover. My next fight was announced right after, I was going to face Abax, the one potential opponent I knew nothing about. The instructions were short since Professor Gelbman had already gone over them with us once today. ¡°Since you¡¯re both ready, the match begins now!¡± Professor Gelbman announced. We both had one minute to summon our companions. My drone and Elida didn¡¯t take that much time to summon, so I got a good look at Abax¡¯s forces. He had a small group of six odd looking humanoids in robes with their heads hidden by a thick hood. The one-minute timer counted down and the six mages snapped their fingers in unison and disappeared from sight. My drone lobbed a few grenades in the area, hoping that the fragments would find any invisible or stealthed foes. Suddenly, all six mages reappeared, three surrounding each of my minions, and the mages were already well into casting their next spell. My drone activated the plasma beam generator that burned completely through one mage just before their spells went off. Elida wasn¡¯t so lucky and had no chance to respond before the mage¡¯s spells unleashed. A blast of acid, fire, and ice hit my minions, though the ice mage surrounding the drone had been taken out by the plasma beam. Elida¡¯s Personal shield blocked the flames directed at her, but the acid spell landed on the back of her head, the caustic fluid seeping through the gaps in her armor. Several spikes of ice also slammed into her, most deflected by her armor, but all three spells were targeted at her face, and one of the spikes found the eye slot in her armor. She collapsed to the ground, but she managed to activate her aura which burned the mages and began to heal her. The drone¡¯s armor seemed to resist the worst of the flames, but I could sense the magical flames had weakened his armor, despite the drone¡¯s natural resistance to magic. Another blast of his plasma beam destroyed the fire mage facing the drone, but the acid mage kept up the barrage of caustic liquid, the acid proved powerful enough to start dissolving the armor of the drone. Elida cast a heal on herself, but all three mages unleashed their second wave of spells that took out my healer, turning her into mana vapor. My drone, his armor smoking and pitted from the abuse it had endured, extended a bladed arm that hacked down the last mage facing him. The grenade launcher swiveled toward the surviving trio of mages, but just as it fired, a barrage of acid, flame, and ice from the mages that had bested Elida slammed home. Hitting the magical barrage, the grenade was thrown off course and detonated harmlessly behind the surviving mage trio. I wished that I could assist my minion, but I was prevented from casting Health Bloom or even using the Ring of Final Sacrifice to take out every minion on the field. My drone¡¯s natural magic resistance kept it on its feet as it fired its plasma beam, using the last few seconds of the weapon¡¯s power to sweep it across the mage trio. The three mages were destroyed, their deadly sneak attack meeting a foe that was a hard counter to most mages. Smoking and sizzling from the damage that had been done to it, I unsummoned my drone so he could begin repairs. ¡°Rico Kline has won his semifinal match and will proceed to the finals!¡± Professor Gelbman shouted. I received a few cheers from the students and faculty I knew, which felt nice. Even nicer was the experience reward the system doled out to me. You have defeated your opponent in the semifinal match of the tournament. A reward of 6 experience points has been awarded. Experience/experience needed for the next rank: 44/50.