Test Summoning: Apocalypse

I was having second thoughts about the plan to sell my belt to Gully Jack when we were on the final approach to the section of abandoned crafting buildings the gang called home. I felt my heart rate start to race and I began to have trouble breathing. Old memories of those terrifying two months flooded back. It felt like yesterday even though it had been centuries.

I had to sit in the dirt road against a rotting building. It was a rare moment I preferred the slums. The sun was able to shine down through the dead branches above and warm my face. I had to repress those memories. Seeing the familiar layout of the compound was going to be hard enough. I had to get in there. I needed to get this project done to save the world.

"Are you ill, my lord?" I heard Tizek ask. I opened my eyes and saw him kneeling next to me with a worried look on his face. Lia and Void were both keeping an eye out on the surroundings while I had my little meltdown.

I pushed my way back to standing while using the trunk behind me to stabilize my movement. My legs were still feeling like jelly. Keep pushing that memory down.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Void asked as she remained alert.

"I have to be," I replied. I levered myself away from the wall and took a deep breath. In and out. I'm just there to sell a belt buckle. I'm not asking for an alliance and I'm not using the secret code. "Alright, let's get going. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get out of here."

Lia and Void showed they didn't believe me when I said I was ready. I gestured for Lia to lead the way toward one of the buildings.

We knew we were at the right place when I saw four gang members file out of the door and take up flanking positions. The gang members were better armed than the ones we just fought earlier. They had arming swords and were wearing a light leather chest piece. Each of them also had a red cloth tied around their left bicep. These were Gully Jack's people.

I recognized them, but not their names. These four were Advancement 1 and had experience in street fighting. They were dangerous in a scrap and even though our side would win, there was a good chance I'd be looping back to start over. We had to avoid conflict here.

One, a rough looking fox-clan woman in her early 30s, stepped forward. "We were wondering what the summoned hero was doing out in the slums. Now you're heading right for our little HQ. You have business with Jack?"

"I have something I need moved discretely," I said.

The woman crossed her arms in annoyance. "You could have gone to a fence."

"I wouldn't be taking this risk if I had that option," I replied. "I have an…item…which could potentially start a minor street war. I also don't want anyone to know it came from me."

One of her compatriots, a wolf-clan man, laid his hand on his sword. "What's stopping us from just taking it?"

"Idiot," the fox-clan woman snapped back. "Keep that thing sheathed. You heard Ferris' report. These guys took out Gerry's squad."

"Yea?" the wolf-clan man retorted. "Gerry's crew were a bunch of kids playing hard."

"Yet three here killed 19 of them, including Gerry. The dud over there is so good at fencing he took out five of theirs. Even the girl has some power and managed to pulp that lieutenant of his. He's only bleeding because their lieutenant threw one of his compatriots," the fox-clan woman snarled. "Jack doesn't want us getting into unprofitable fights. I don't want to explain to him why you're bleeding out in the street after getting into a scrap with the dud. We're not exactly swimming in members with an Advancement."

"So now you're telling them our strength?" the wolf-man snapped. "Some squad leader you are."

I put my hands up. "Hey, guys? I'm not here to cause issues. I have need for money and I have something that I only think Jack could handle owning."

The fox-clan woman nodded her head in the direction of the abandoned workshop. "Come on, we'll take you. I know Jack would love to at least say hi to the famous summoned heroes."

"Now you're bringing him in? What if the Guard is following?" the wolf-clan man protested.

"Bayle? Shut up," a beaver-clan man said. "Ferris would have seen if anyone was following them. They're safe."

"Fine. They're your balls if Jack gets mad we let him in," Bayle mumbled.

"I don't have balls and neither does Kelly," the fox-clan woman said.

Kelly, that's right. That's the name of the cougar-clan woman who hasn't said anything yet. And I think the beaver-clan man is Vark or something along those lines. I think the fox-clan woman is Hespeth. Hey, it's been a few centuries since I was around here. You're bound to forget a few things.

Vark gestured to enter the building while he and Kelly led us into the interior. Bayle and Hespeth moved in behind.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Void whispered.

My hands were starting to sweat again as I looked into the horribly familiar entry hall of the abandoned crafting hall. "Desperate times and all that." I heard Lia let out a small whimper and Tizek silent as he maintained his warrior stoicism in the dangerous situation.

We followed behind Vark and Kelly as we made our way inside. The interior of the old crafting hall wasn't dank or abandoned. It had a fairly healthy amount of activity. This location was a front operation for Jack. Inside, a few dozen gang members worked on making cheap handbags for sale. They had cutting and sewing stations. There was a carving station for handles and an alchemical bath to create faux metal finishes for wooden buttons and other embellishments.

I stopped paying attention to the details of the area as we moved out of the back of the building through an alley and into a warehouse. I could hear the whooshing of my blood in my ears as we navigated a maze of crates stacked three meters high. We then stopped at a non-descript crate in the middle of the room.

I struggled to maintain my composure when Vark pulled one side of the crate, revealing a cleverly hidden door. Inside the crate was an open stairwell leading down under the warehouse. At this point, my legs decided to stop working. I had to hold onto the side of the open crate to get my bearings.

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"Getting cold feet?" I heard Hespeth say behind me. "You haven't even seen Jack yet."

"Give him a moment," Void said. "His people have terrible claustrophobia." Thanks, Void. Your quick thinking is a lifesaver.

"He's scared of claws?" Kelly asked, speaking for the first time.

"No, you dolt," Vark responded. "It means he's afraid of enclosed spaces."

"Look who's well-read," Kelly retorted. "How did the esteemed Professor end up in a gang?"

"Drop the comedy act," Hespeth snapped. "Are you coming or not? We're not interested in waiting all day."

I required some assistance from Void and Tizek to get a move on. I wasn't afraid of going underground. Only afraid of caves and diving. Extra scared if it was cave diving. A basement? It was mostly what happened in that fateful loop. No, invisible audience, I'm not going over that.

We descended the stairs into a well-lit tunnel. Magical lights were embedded in the ceiling in regular intervals along the wood-lined hall. As we walked, I kept my eyes affixed to the wall on the right. We would be passing a door soon. That door was completely unremarkable, save for a magically reinforced wooden padlock on the outside. I lived in that room for six months of my life.

I hadn't been in here in centuries, yet every moment in that room was fresh. The first loop was actually fairly pleasant. Gully Jack was a good host and helped me out with infiltrating and stealing information out from the Mage's Guild. Jack gave me a special sign and code at the end of that loop when the apocalypse came. It would help me convince Jack to assist faster the next time around.

The second loop is where things fell apart. I gave the special sign and code, thereby gaining Jack's assistance immediately. I also learned an interesting secret in the process. The first month of the second loop was just fine. The other two months? Utter horror that rivaled the giant squid in the sky.

Once more, I pushed the memory down and sat my fat metaphorical ass on the lid to keep it there. Sorry, invisible audience, I'm not ready to reminisce on those two months. Maybe later when I'm ready to confront it.

After passing a piece of artwork, it was an original from some nobleman's bedchambers, I knew I could look forward again. The room was long gone behind me and we were now coming up on Gully Jack's audience chambers at the far end of the hall.

We reached an unremarkable door where Vark opened it and ushered us in. Inside was a small cabaret-style room. There were circular couches with tables in the middle dotting the floor and a small bar area along one side. The odor of cheap booze permeated the air where it sloshed out of cups and soaked into the wooden floors. Here, high ranking gang members would socialize after a long day of managing protection rackets, bookies and direct-to-consumer drug sales.

At the moment, the cabaret was quiet. Jack's underlings were currently out earning for the organization. The organization believed booze is for closers.

Then I saw Jack at the back of the room. The syndicate leader in the slums was sitting on a raised platform on the far wall, surveying the floor. The platform was an intentional design choice. Gully Jack was the sovereign of the slums and needed an appropriate place to hold court.

Gully Jack was sitting on a high-backed leather chair. The figure was simultaneously imposing and disarming. Gully Jack had a slight frame and stood around 160cm tall. This was deceptive since Jack was also Advancement 3. Once you made it to Advancement 1, your gender and body shape stopped mattering all that much. Jack also wore, head to toe, black leather armor and had a plague doctor mask disguising the face. The only evidence of Jack's clan was a pair of long rabbit ears with a black-and-white broken rex coloring scheme.

"Heya Jack," Hespeth called out. "The hero is here to see you."

"I'm aware," Jack replied with a deep voice which resonated through the room. It reminded me of the late, great Michael Clarke Duncan. "I'm curious how a newly summoned hero knew about me and how to find me."

"I told him, Jack, sir," Lia piped up with a squeaky voice. "I heard Gerry talk about how to locate you."

Jack grumbled low. "I'd call in Gerry to question your claim, but it seems you've already taken care of that little leak for me. Contracting out work to the local gangs comes with its risks. Still, I'll have to relocate after this. It's so hard finding a good space in the slums. Now, what is it you want?"

I was still sweating hard and my muscles were tense. I remembered my four Heartstop daggers and my hand instinctually drifted to where I had them obscured beneath my leather armor. I wanted nothing more than to plunge one of them into Jack's shriveled heart. Then my hand stopped. I had to put on my confident face. This Jack wasn't aware I knew the secret, so I had nothing to fear.

"I'm in need of some money fast and, after talking about something I brought along from my world, Lia suggested I move it through you. The item is too dangerous to move through above-board channels," I said.

"Show it to me," Jack ordered with a flick of the hand.

I moved my hand down to my waist and began lowering my outer leather covering. Next, I began unstrapping my belt. This disarmed Jack who flinched and let out a low cough. "What are you doing?"

"Removing this," I said as I started pulling my belt off my waist.

"I'm flattered, but that sort of thing isn't appropriate in this setting," Jack stuttered, the words and inflection a mismatch with his deep voice.

"Hold on, boss," Hespeth interrupted. "I'm curious to see how similar they are to the rest of us. Is fur the only thing missing from these human-clan types?"

I paused and looked down. I had my hands around my waist and I was pulling off my belt. I didn't reveal what I was trying to sell to avoid it having stolen. Now I realized it looked like I was about to give a striptease to the leader of the Leoren underworld. "Oh, no, sorry, I meant my belt," I quickly stuttered.

"You asked me to bring you to Jack to show him a belt?" Hespeth asked. "I mean, it's a nice belt. Maybe after you can smack me with it while I see how your equipment under it works."

"Save your debauchery for the tavern, Hespeth," Jack ordered calmly. "Why are you showing me a belt? We have them here."

I tapped the buckle. "This is the part I'm selling. Before you say it, I know you have metal here. But do you have metal that isn't made out of magic and is permanent?"

That got Jack's attention. Leaning forward, Jack spoke. "Now, that's something. Kelly? Bring in a fence to appraise it. You? Oliver, was it? How has the king not noticed metal on the others?"

"They thew their little bits in to be melted down as scrap with your metals here. When your metal alloys with the metal from my world, it will have been so diluted it'll just fall out as dust," I explained. "This is the only fully intact piece of permanent metal in the world."

It didn't take long for Kelly to bring back an appraiser since there was a fencing operation just down the hall. The fence was a deer-clan woman with a scarred face. "Hey, boss, what do you need checked."

Jack gestured to me. "Tell me about that belt."

The fence approached and looked at my belt. Her eyes flared as she cast her identification spell and frowned. "Absolutely nothing. No hint of magic. It's just a belt."

"Is that all?" Jack said with a sharp vocal edge.

The deer-clan woman's expression changed to a hint of mild fear. "It is, sir. I sense nothing."

Jack sighed. "You need to be more observant to be a fence in my organization. What about the buckle?"

The fence looked at the belt in my hand, her eyes flaring a second time. She didn't seem to comprehend what she was looking at. "No, sir. I still sense nothing."

"What's the buckle made out of?" Jack asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Obviously alchemically treated wood," the fence replied. "How else would you have something that looks like metal put off no mana signature?"

"She has a point," Jack said before subtly looking at me.

"Does wood do this?" I pressed my finger on the prong of the belt and applied pressure. Then nothing happened because I didn't have an Advancement and I wasn't strong enough to bend steel. I realized I was looking foolish right now and handed the belt to Lia. "Mind bending that for me?"

Lia took the belt from me and, with a lot of effort, bent the thin prong into a 90-degree angle. Everyone in the room gasped when Lia released it and it didn't spring back.

"This is impressive," Jack said. "I can see why you came to me. If the Miner's Guild found out about it, they'd want you dead. The secret of permanent metal being revealed would eat into their profits."

"There's no secret," I replied. "It's just mundane metal from where I come from. Of course, no one here is willing to take the risk. You, however, have enough power to keep those forces at bay and a unique item like this will boost your prestige."

Jack hummed. "I heard a Count bought an unusual glass mug from an auction recently. The nobility has been clamoring to see it. Was that one of yours?"

I nodded. "It was."

Jack's face subtly moved to peer at the belt still in Lia's hand. "It's not much. I couldn't make it into a weapon or jewelry. Still, it is a unique item. I'll give you four platinum Sovereigns for it. That's what the glass mug sold for, after all."

Once more, I wished I had my beer so I could take a sip and spit it out. Four platinum Sovereigns? That was an absurd sum. It was far more than I was expecting.

"What's the catch?" Void interjected. "You wouldn't just offer that up-front."

Jack chuckled. "At least one of you is paying attention. The summoned hero there is so terrified of me I hoped he wouldn't notice. He seems to be leaking water out of his skin."

I was what? I suddenly felt hot and clammy in the cool basement room. I reached up and dabbed away the sweat forming on my brow. Right, of course, people here panted to release heat. They didn't have sweat glands, only keratin in their fur which could accumulate odors, like in their pits. "You have my number, Jack. I'm a touch nervous being in here."

"Right, he's afraid of claws," Kelly commented.

"Claustrophobic, dumbass," Bayle mumbled.

Jack hummed. "Then I'll make this short so you can get out of my fur. I'm not just buying your belt, I'm buying your silence. If someone comes sniffing around after your bauble, I'm going to assume you had something to do with it. I know you are shacked up in The Gnashing Teeth tavern, if you comprehend what I'm saying."

I got what Jack was conveying. Of course, they'd be in for a world of hurt considering Mira and Doun are both Advancement 3 former Exterminators. Jack knew the underworld, not the whole city.

"Message received. You won't have to worry about us. We'd rather forget you exist," Void replied for me.

"Good," Jack said. "My idiot fence here will escort you to our processing room to get your coin. After that? Get out of my building."

I was happy to leave and so were my three companions. Lia, like me, was nervous until we completely exited the upstairs crafter's workshop. Void was irritated an underworld lord threatened her family. Tizek was, well, he looked bored. We decided to head back to the Teeth to plan our next move. We had to get the mana reflection tonic and the spider silk. Our next step? That would come from Silk Caverns and our reservation wasn't until the end of the week.