§094 Practice

Princess Mariella — Imperial Palace, Avimore

Her dear sister was at it again. Rebecca had commandeered their Maestra, three additional mages, and the main summoning circle, the one court magicians used to summon flying mounts to carry messages or imperial officials at great speed. She planned to power her attempt with an impressive quantity of mana crystals, although how she got hold of them was anyone's guess. Her goal was nothing less than a great spirit.

She might be able to do it someday, though not at her current level. Rebecca had talent, which she took too much for granted, and ambition, which was great enough to exceed her talent. Both would have benefited from being tempered by more hard work. Still, her efforts always yielded something, if not reliably what she desired.

Caught up in her latest scheme as she was, Rebecca didn't notice that she was preempting their joint practice time. Mariella would be justified in leaving the session, but she expected it to prove educational, one way or the other. The walls around the summoning space were tall and reinforced to direct any mishaps upward, to avoid damaging the nearby grounds, gardens, barracks, and minor palaces. Mariella stood at a distance, inside a separate protective circle with her own small crystal as a power supply. Her attendant and bodyguard Eterine stood nearby.

Rebecca's circle had three parts: an inner layer to summon her target, a middle layer to contain what was summoned until it agreed to a bond or was disbanded, and an outer layer for directing mana to whichever layer needed it. In a first-contact summoning, most of the crystalized mana was used to power the containment circle. Like all things magical, calling up something one could not control was a convenient way to be maimed, maddened, or killed. 

Once Rebecca had everyone in position and the mana crystals were in place, she took her wand in hand and said the words of the spell. The first part of the ritual was rote, a spell to open a pathway for the spirit to pass through. Since she was augmenting her work with a circle, she walked around it as she cast he spell, imbuing each part of it with intent.

The second part was more subjective. She had to declare who or what she was looking for and make an entreaty. If a spirit answered, she had to present it with enticements to form a bond with her. Music, dances, sacrificial items, and flattery were all common enticements.

I call to you, dweller in the spirit realm,

Chief among the spirit chiefs,

Wise among your ancient sages,

Draped in victory.

Follow me, and you will dine upon

The fat of the land. 

Stand with me, and you will stand

Behind the highest throne.

Fight for me, and you will earn

Glory beyond your days.

Come forth!

Come forth!

I command you by imperial blood!

Come forth!

The spell activated, and the containment rings within the circle flared to life, but nothing appeared. Magic went out from her and was consumed by the summoning circle.

"Direct power to the summoning circle!"

"Princess, that is very risky," said their tutor. "There might not be enough left over for containment."

"We have plenty. Do as I command!"

Air within the diagram thickened with power, a sign of gross inefficiency. The spillover fell back into the containment diagram, so not all of it was lost. Still, if they could learn the system behind the summoning wands, they could convert the crystalized mana source into pure summoning power.

The yard smelled like a fresh lightning strike, and a deep hum rose from the ground through their feet.

Rebecca's arms were raised, her wand in one hand. Her hair blew freely in a wind that only affected her. 

"I have it, but it's resisting me! More power to the summong circle!" 

"That's ill-advised, Your Imperial Princes." Their magic tutor sounded bored. Mariella would be bored too, after telling Rebecca not to blow herself up for the thousandth time. "Please stop," she deadpanned, "I implore you."

"I'm close now! I will have the greatest summon in the palace! The strongest in the empire!"

"You've drained nearly half the crystals already!" warned a court magician. "There won't be enough power to contain a summons of this magnitude!"

"Don't yield now! Not while we stand on the edge of greatness!" commanded Rebecca. She looked heroic right then, she truly did, standing firm and calling on the spirits with all her might, all so she could spend a few minutes basking in her great Father's rare attention.

The spillover between the inner two layers was getting out of hand. Stray evocations of lightning, fire, and wind coursed through the gap between them, enhancing each other in waves that crashed together and canceled each other out. The chaotic swells and dips of energy threatened to break containment.

The end was sudden. There was no climax to the summoning, no crash of cymbals or culminating note. Nothing exploded. Everything just stopped. The air cleared, the containment barrier stabilized, and the ground underfoot ceased to hum.

Mariella didn't know what Rebecca had been hoping for. Maybe Mata'ari in his dragon form. Or the great Silvain, stolen from her current master. Perhaps she imagined she could haul Nivermere out of her deep home, or Ra-Turi from his mountain of broken stone. She had certainly hoped for something she could ride. Preferably, something with wings. Something to impress.

Whatever she expected, it wasn't this.

Taylor — Sunglaze Basin, Twilight

There was nothing wrong with sleeping in, not after the night he had. He wasn't hungover, and he was grateful for that, but eating and dancing until nearly dawn had left his young body yearning for sleep. They had walked to Saria's house arm in arm from the resort, half-resolved to watch the sunrise, but more resolved to find a bed.

So Taylor slept late at Saria's house until nearly noon, when the smell of cut fruit and herbal tea pulled him upright and drew him into the kitchen, where he found her smiling into her mug.

"You're alive! Did you check your logs?"

"Didn't even think of it." He poured himself a mug from the pot. He glanced at his class and the phrase "significant rewards" for completing their joint quest, and then closed it. He'd like to live for a few hours without thinking about his class.

"How is my balance at the resort? Did we drink it all away?"

Saria smirked at him. "Not for lack of trying. But you have a considerable sum remaining. You can leave it there for as long as you like, and take it out when you need it. The resort is like a bank to us, except every time we go to take money out, we have to pass through a casino."

"That's a good business model." Fresh fruit was exactly what he needed. Saria had cut up some winter melons, spring berries, and a yellow crunchy thing about the size of his thumb that should have been classified as a vegetable. They picked at the same plate and listened to the village noises outside, utterly without a plan. 

The sensation started out as a vague tingle, like a scrying spell reaching out for him. Taylor brushed it away twice without thinking much about it. Living and working near so many classed people, both spirit and mortal, he was used to dealing with stray bits of skill magic gone awry. It wasn't worth his time to track them all down. But he paid attention the third time, as it became obvious that something was determined to get his attention. Saria had a yard around her house, and her neighbors were farmers, already out in their fields for the day.  There shouldn't be anyone close enough to cause that kind of distraction.

You are being summoned.

Summoner: Rebecca

Class: [Noble] level 8

Titles: [Imperial Princess]

Rebecca calls you to serve as her minion.

You have gained the skill [Summoned Spirit].

Will you accept the call?

He heard a voice, coming from a great distance.

Follow me, and you will dine upon

The fat of the land. 

Stand with me, and you will stand

Behind the highest throne.

Fight for me, and you will earn

Glory beyond your days.

Decline. Taylor mashed the virtual button hard. 

"Saria? Someone is trying to summon me."

"How exciting!"

"Not in a good way! Some scabby imperial princess is calling."

"You summon people all the time," she said pointedly.

"Everyone on my roster asked to be on it."

You are being summoned.

Rebecca calls you to serve as her minion.

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

Will you accept the call?

He heard the same voice as before.

Come forth!

Come forth!

I command you by imperial blood!

Come forth!

Decline.

The liquid in his mug rippled curiously.

"Taylor! Why are you declining?"

"It's my first day off in weeks. I'm not going to spend it listening to a villainess laugh at her minions. That's a real thing, by the way, and I want to avoid it."

"I think you feel you're too good to be summoned. I would love to be able to summon helpers once in a while."

You are being summoned.

Rebecca demands you serve as her minion.

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain 1 rank in [Summoned Spirit].

Will you accept… 

Decline. Decline. Decline.

Direct power to the summoning circle!

We have plenty. Do as I command!

"It could be very educational for you. It's a chance to see things from the spirits' point of view. Aren't you even a little bit curious?"

"I am not. If it were someone other than a princess calling, then I might consider it."

"Lindastra isn't so bad. What if she were calling you?"

"Definitely not. That woman has big plans, and I'd rather not be a part of them. I have my own big plans."

"And we don't?" Saria sounded more serious, now.

He could see where that conversation would go and, in all fairness, she had a point. "Now is not the time to talk about it. This girl is determined." Unwanted magic prickled Taylor's skin and charged his nerves until they jangled. The air around him rang metallically.

You are being summoned.

Rebecca demands you serve as her minion.

You gain 15 ranks in [Summoned Spirit].

You gain an alternate form.

Do you want to choose an alternate form?

I have it, but it's resisting me! More power to the summoning circle!

"Oh, wow. I gained a ton of ranks in Summoned Spirit, and it's offering me an alternate form. With a menu."

"She's feeding you too much mana too fast." Saria sounded concerned. "You need to pick something and then accept. I'm serious. You can still decline during the proposal stage, and disband yourself if you don't want to stay."

"Hold on, I'm reading."

"Taylor … "

There were all kinds of things on the menu, including dragon and gryphon, elf, arc, ent, various elementals, practically every animal he could think of, and a few he hadn't. The problem was that all the best choices would make him a more desirable summons.

What he needed was a choice that looked harmless but wasn't. Better yet, something his prospective summoner would refuse to bond with. He didn't want to be a giant insect. That was going too far. Some of the plants were interesting and had poisonous or hypnotic powers.

You gain 12 ranks in [Summoned Spirit].

I'm close now! I will have the greatest summon in the palace!

The strongest in the empire!

Dishes rattled on their shelves. Chairs danced across the floor.

"Taylor! My house is vibrating! You need to get a move on, or I'm tossing you into the street!"

"I've got it!" He searched the list again and found what he was looking for. It was unassuming, highly adaptable, skilled with magic, and absolutely, positively inappropriate for princesses. It wasn't entirely unknown in Aarden. In fact, he had a few in his Army of Darkness, but he didn't know of any other summoner who did.

Alternate form selected.

Alternate form activated.

You gain 19 ranks in [Summoned Spirit].

Will you answer the call?

Don't yield now! Not while we stand on the edge of greatness!

"Taylor! If my house falls apart because of you…"

Accept.

It was similar to when the gods called him to their realm, but slower and bumpier. He shed his body and gained a new one with a sudden thump. The new form's senses were strange, which was to be expected. Taylor relaxed and let his consciousness explore gradually, let the new senses flow into him, and spread his awareness to the farthest extents of he could reach.

His mana sense was functional. If anything, it was better than in his human form. He couldn't see, but he had a kind of mana-based echolocation that gave him an omnidirectional view. The colors were strange, but then again, they were just his brain's approximation of color, a way to differentiate different surface textures.

He was in a standard ritual circle for summoning, with a second protective layer. He decided to ignore that for now and tried exploring what little of his surroundings he could reach.

Do you accept Rebecca's bond?

Right. There was a princess somewhere around here. Maybe he should pay attention before he rejected her, since she had been kind enough to donate a shocking amount of mana to his upgrade.