Test Summoning: Apocalypse

A major problem when coordinating a project was realizing there were periods of downtime. You had to figure out how to fill in the gaps while waiting for other steps to complete. It was worse when you were under a very strict timetable, like the apocalypse.

I was stressing hard during the week and not even the sudden financial windfall relieved the pressure. To avoid wasting effort, we spent the week working on our combat technique. The hard training was starting to weigh on everyone. Lia was still dealing with the implications of her first kill. Void was dwelling on the prospects my plan may not work. Then there was Tizek. He was, strangely, showing signs of distress, which was unusual for him.

It was early morning and I had just started working with Lia on sparring exercises. I hoped some repetition with a real person would help her past her worries about fighting someone else in the future. I was getting pressed because, let's face it, I was now physically outmatched. I was the typical ancient sifu getting by on my vast experience and superior technique.

A big challenge for Lia was making sure she wasn't hesitating with her swings. She was worried about hitting me and kept pulling her attacks. It allowed me to use the hilt of my rapier to push the tip of her sword around, which opened Lia up to retaliation. Even though she was now stronger than me, she wasn't so far dominant that I couldn't take advantage of the lever arm she was presenting me with.

After one exchange, I had successfully slid my blade down hers to get in close for a pommel strike. I stopped just short of smashing her in the face. I stood back and sheathed my rapier. "Lia, you're just not into this today."

Lia hung her head and rested the tip of her training greatsword on the ground. "I'm sorry. I'll work on my focus."

I peered over at Tizek and Void. They were back to working on healing drills. While Tizek had successfully healed me when it mattered, he was still struggling with pulling on his magic on command. I was confident Tizek could cast when his compatriots were in danger, but if we needed to help a stranger or if we were in a situation with bystanders, we could have some issues. Void was also showing frustration with the pace of training.

I looked back at Lia. When I did, I realized something. Void was right back at Orvis. We really did need a break. "No, I'm sorry. I've been pushing too hard. I forgot a lesson I gave my students; one they never took. Don't study the night before the test. It's better to rest."

Lia lowered her sword and rested the tip on the ground. "Are you sure? You were panicking back on Gerilon Island when Void suggested we rest."

"That was before I got the project going. Now that we have a little downtime before the crystal I ordered comes in, I'm feeling a lot more relaxed. Sorry I'm being selfish about this," I replied.

Lia shook her head. "No. You've been working the hardest of any of us. Have you had a real break since you got here?"

"Not really," I replied. "A loop or two now and then. I spent most of my time here doing research."

"Then I want to be selfish, too," Lia said. She walked back to the racks to put her weapon away, which caught the attention of Void and Tizek.

"You switching her to a different weapon?" Void called over.

Instead of yelling back, I approached to where Tizek and Void were. Tizek was still focusing on moving his mana around when I arrived. "No, I think we should take the rest of today off. We're going to need to get our provisions tomorrow and travel out to the dungeon for our run the day after that."

"Why are we traveling out tomorrow?" Void asked.

Right, her parents may have been Exterminators, but they never did talk about the routine logistics of the job. "So we can be in bright and early. When the reservation slots are taken back-to-back, the Guild wants Exterminators to exit by 7Af. The Guild also has a small cabin built at the entrance of dungeons they manage. They're for the Exterminators who are leaving the dungeon for the day so they don't have to travel home in the dark. We'll go in, stay at the central camp and wait for the monsters to return."

"Oh, that makes sense," Void said. "Since monsters reform at midnight, the Guild wants everyone out well before then. They don't want the previous party cheating and stealing kills from the next one on the way out."

"Right. They frown on that and the fine for being late is to compensate the next team for losing kills," I said.

"What do you have in mind for us for the rest of the day?" Void asked.

"I was thinking you and Lia could go out and bond," I started.

"What? Shopping?" Void asked with a look in her eye indicating she was setting a trap for me.

"You? That's not your thing," I said. "There's a minor tournament going on at the arena right now. It's a preliminary fencing competition for the bigger tourney later in the summer."

Void's eyes raised. "Wow, I had no idea. Are you sure? The entry fee to watch those is usually one silver Sovereign."

"We're flush with cash and I'm not worried about financing small bits and bobs for the project anymore," I said. "You two get lunch and see if Lia has any ideas for after."

"That sounds fun," Void said. I also picked up a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Then, after that? Void, how would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" I asked.

Void stared at me for a few beats in silence. She looked a little shocked. Tizek looked at her. "My lady? You seem confused."

Void peered at Tizek. "Lady? What is this about all of a sudden?"

"The Lady is the Lord's partner," Tizek stated in a tone indicating he thought the answer was obvious.

"Tizek? That's a bit premature," I stated. "There's a process and there's no guarantee."

Void continued to look bemused. I looked at her sitting on the bench. "I know."

She blinked a few times. "Sorry, I never had anyone other than the weird homeless man even ask. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking the carnival," I replied.

Void's eyes lit up at the suggestion. I knew she loved the carnival and hadn't been since she was 15. Her Guard career kept her up at night and she wasn't able to visit during its operating hours. Now she had the opportunity to relive part of her youth. Her facial expression changed to a poorly disguised neutral mask. "That's a strange suggestion. I was thinking you'd ask me to a dance hall or fancy restaurant."

"You hate dancing and Mira's cooking has ruined high dining for you," I said. I discretely leaned to my side as if I had an itch on my leg. I did it to take a glance behind her. I could see her tail wagging. "You're doing a bad job hiding your excitement."

Void looked behind her and gasped. She gripped her tail and sat on it to keep it from betraying her emotions. "You didn't see that."

Tizek cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? What didn't I see?"

"I saw it, too," Lia called out as she walked over. "You're happy."

"I know a place run by a water attuned who makes great ice cream," Void said. "It would be a shame if I didn't take you there today."

"On second thought, I didn't see a thing," Lia quickly amended. "What were you talking about?"

"You and I are going to bond until this afternoon," Void said. "Oliver suggested we watch the fencing tournament at the arena today. After, we'll get lunch and go to the ice cream place."

"Not all four of us?" Lia asked.

"No," I said. "I think we need to get to know each other better. You and I have been spending a lot of time together in training. I think we need to switch it up. This afternoon, I think you and Tizek should go out and explore the city some."

Lia looked at Tizek and smiled at the notion of the afternoon with her new buddy. I noticed the two turning into fast friends back on Gerilon and I'd like to see the pair grow some more, especially since they didn't have the best childhoods. She turned back to me. "That sounds fun. We leaving now?"

"Yup," I said and turned to Tizek. "Let's head out."

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"What are we doing?" Tizek asked, clearly relieved he didn't have to work on his healing spell anymore.

"We're also heading to the arena," I said.

"I thought this was supposed to be a pair bonding day," Void asked, confused.

"It is. I have a different plan. We're going to visit the monster pens," I said.

Void raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why would you do that? And are you sure they'd even let you in?"

I looked at Tizek, who was also perplexed. "It's between me and Tizek. I'll tell him on the way. I think I can talk my way in, especially now I have a few extra coins rattling around in my pocket."

"Let's get going then. We can walk together until we get to the arena," Void said as she stood up. She stretched her back to relieve a kink from sitting too long. Afterward, we headed out.

It was the start of the morning rush just past 7Mor when we exited the training grounds. The city was bustling with people going to their places of work, Exterminators coming to the training grounds for their scheduled appointments and various oxen driven carts pulling wares to crafting halls.

As we moved, I saw it. Something glorious. Something I had never seen before in all my time here despite keeping an eye out. "Void? Lia? Go on ahead. There's something I just saw I want to check out."

"What is it?" Lia asked as she peered around the street, not seeing the amazing sight I saw.

"Just an answer to an unsolved question from back home. It's not a big deal here," I replied.

Void also looked around. "I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary."

"Don't worry about it. You won't understand. Tizek? Come on, let's go get this mystery solved," I said. Tizek happily came along while Void and Lia left to head to their day together.

What is it I saw that excited me so much? It was a delivery cart out in front of a wood shaper's. To the local eye, it was a mundane sight. There was just a marmot-clan and beaver-clan man unloading wood to the shop. The shop was also unremarkable, specializing in smaller items used for magical devices and equipment, such as gears and shafts.

But to me? It was a grand sight. Because the marmot-clan man was currently in the back of the cart throwing 30 centimeter cut log pieces to his beaver-clan associate to avoid having to walk them back and forth across the cart.

I approached with Tizek in tow. "Good morning! Say, that's impressive throwing form."

The marmot-clan worker paused and looked at me. He was surprised anyone showed up to say hi, especially someone dressed like me. Also me being a summoned hero was part of the shock. "Wow, thanks. I've never had anyone compliment my work before. Is this something you don't do where you come from?"

"No, we have delivery people," I replied. "They're a very important part of society. Without you guys, everything grinds to a halt. I just caught sight of a pair of workers doing a phenomenal job of it and I had to say something."

"You have our gratitude," the beaver-clan man replied. "Honestly, we've had a bad week. It's good to see we're appreciated."

"Agreed," the marmot-clan man added. "We barely ever hear compliments."

"It's a being a man thing. I understand how valuable a compliment is," I said. "Say? I was wondering, how many of those logs can you throw in a day? It seems like tough work."

The marmot-clan man looked down at the log he was holding in his hands. "It's easier than walking it to the end. You can get dizzy doing short walks like that back and forth. But, hmm, I think in a typical day I'll end up throwing around 200 of them. That's only about 5 or 10 percent of what we deliver though. Granted, we have an Advancement, so it's a bit easier for us than most."

"Don't undersell yourself. Even an Advancement came with hard work. Thanks for the chat, I'll get out of your fur. Keep up the good work!" I said with a big smile. I waved goodbye to the workers before Tizek and I continued on toward the arena.

"My lord?" Tizek asked. "Where is the mystery?"

I smiled back at him. "That was the mystery. You see, back where I come from, the marmot-clan are similar to an animal called a woodchuck. We had an ancient question. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

Tizek's eyes lit up. He tried to say the line and stumbled on the words. "That is hard to say, but we now know it's 200 small logs in a day! Too bad you can't return to tell everyone at home the answer."

"That's right," I said as we maneuvered our way through the crowd. Then I spoke low. "Just so I don't surprise you, the reason we're vising the monster pens is to get you some exposure to spiders."

Tizek froze in place, causing someone to bump into him from behind. "No."

"Come on, you have to get used to them before we go into the dungeon," I said as I reached for his arm.

His frills came out and waved. He then hissed at me and shouted. "No!"

I backed up a bit and put my hands up. "Woah, fine. You don't have to go."

I looked at Tizek's eyes and noticed their pupils were dilated. He was breathing heavily and was in an aggressive posture. I had to calm him down since we were starting to get stares in the street. We would be truly screwed if the Guards came around. Now that Tizek had an Advancement, the patrols wouldn't play with kid gloves like they did outside the bar when I rescued him. He'll end up in a slave collar and the entire loop will be ruined.

I started backing away from Tizek, who continued to press at me like I was a threat. I looked back in his face and I could see a hint of panic in his features. Mentioning seeing the spiders triggered his flight or fight instincts and fight won out.

Then his eyes returned to normal. He looked around and started to hyperventilate when he realized what he was doing. He reached up and touched his frills which were still extended in intimidation. "My lord? I'm sorry. I'll strike myself in punishment for my indiscretion."

"Buddy," I sighed. I gestured to an alley leading to a quieter street where we could have a conversation we needed to have. "Come on. I have to talk to you about something important."

We moved into the quiet side street and continued walking toward the arena. Logically, speaking here didn't make much sense. On a busy street, no one paid attention to the conversations going on around them. It was much easier to overhear a conversation where no one was around. "First up, it's time to stop calling me your lord."

A look of fear crossed Tizek's face. "Are you dismissing me from your service? What of my life debt?"

I ran my hand across my face in exasperation. "You don't owe me anything. I just did what was right. We're friends. Friends help each other."

"But you are dismissing me," Tizek repeated, not understanding what I was saying.

"Is that why you snapped at me?" I asked.

He looked at the ground and thought. "Yes. I am frustrated. I swore my oath of service and you refuse to accept it. You give no orders. Am I not good enough?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It's not about being good or not. You see, where I come from, we don't have royalty or hierarchy. Other places in my world do, but not mine. There are some people who act like it. Usually, we'll humor them if they have money, though if they overstep, they will get reminded we don't have nobility."

Tizek looked at me. "You don't understand. I need a lord. I am nothing without someone worthy to serve."

"Is this related to how you reacted when I suggested seeing spiders in the arena monster pits?" I asked.

Tizek nodded and remained silent.

"Mind telling me?"

He sighed. "It is my attunement."

"I never did ask how your people identified an attunement. I doubt they'd have treated you poorly if they knew your potential," I mused.

"You would be surprised then," Tizek replied. "But, no, we do not measure potential until after we pledge our service. We determine attunement as children, before we know the taboo. We attempt to learn the six basic utility spells. Gust, Pilot Light, Purify Water, Coax Growth, Sunshade and Torchlight. The one we successfully cast tells our attunement."

I nodded along. I knew Gust, Pilot Light, Purify Water and Torchlight. I never bothered learning the other two. "I can guess which one you know."

Tizek looked around the quiet side street as we walked. He then obscured one hand behind the other and, after a moment, his hand began to glow. It was a useful light when trying to walk around to find a toilet when you couldn't remember where the switch to the magical ceiling lights were. He then dismissed the spell and looked ashamed.

"How old were you when you were tested?" I asked.

"Six," Tizek replied.

"What happened then?"

Tizek stopped walking and closed his eyes. I waited a moment for him to collect his thoughts. He then opened them up again. "Light is seen as weak. After learning our attunements, we are given a test. Light is given the worst. We are thrown in a cavern and are expected to find our way out again. The tribe says it is to train the use of Torchlight to find the path. The reality is the cavern is filled with deadly spiders. One bite causes agony. A second will cause death. I learned of this only when I was dropped in from above."

"Are these spiders monsters?" I asked.

"No," Tizek replied. "They are normal spiders. They are this big." He held his hands apart to indicate the size. It was roughly as large as a tarantula from Earth.

"The spiders are aggressive," Tizek continued his story. "They also dislike light. I was constantly fleeing from the spiders as I navigated the tunnels. My first bite came when I first left the sunlight from the hole I was dropped through. It was an unbearable agony which I had to suffer the entire two days I was lost in the cavern. I could not rest lest I was bitten again. I could not move too fast lest I was ambushed. I could not move too slow lest I was overrun. I do not know how I even survived."

"I see why you're terrified," I replied. "How does this play into me being your lord?"

"We must have a lord," Tizek said. "We determine who is worthy to serve and join. However, it was the lords who threw me in the cave. The lords who made the rule. Those attuned to light face the gauntlet. Those who are weak die. Those who survive are beneath all others."

His eyes turned to mine. "I am here because I refused to serve. The lords who throw away life are not worth serving. Yet without a master, I cannot live among my people. I was sent away for refusing to serve. Then I met you. I know you do not understand. To you, it was a small gesture. To me, I saw a true lord. A lord must protect as much as he is protected. You are strong and worthy of service."

"I'm a dud," I said. I was struggling to process what Tizek was telling me. I knew he was ejected from his people. This is the first time he gave me the full story as to why. I had thought it was because of his Light attunement. Now I know it's because he rejected the very leadership of his tribe.

Tizek shook his head and then pressed one of his scaly fingers into my chest. "You speak of power. With time, many can gain power. I speak of strength. Something more. Something bigger. You have strength. You fight impossible odds to protect. You have survived horrors worse than my own. You are worthy to serve."

This is all new to me. I never had this kind of talk with Tizek. Was I approaching him all wrong? He had always rejected my requests to stop calling me his lord in the past loops. I realized I was only thinking about myself and what I wanted. I assumed Tizek needed a friend and thought the same way as me. Maybe I'm becoming an old dog and I was struggling to learn a new trick. "What is it you want out of life?"

"I wish to serve an honorable lord. I wish it to be you," Tizek said with a powerful conviction in his voice.

It was my turn to think. I had no desire to be nobility. I'm just a Florida redneck with a penchant for cooler weather. I just want to hang out with my friends, have a few drinks and just shoot the breeze. I want to wander around in my odd clothing and enjoy the day. I want those friends to be Lia, Tizek and Void. Being some kind of fantasy noble? That wasn't for me.

But this isn't all about me. I can still be who I am. If I want to grease up and wrestle a pig in a sty, I can do that. If I want to introduce Pro Wrestling to Vialina, why not? Right now, it's also time to be something for someone I value and care for.

"Alright, if I'm going to be your lord, you need to accept a vow from me as well," I said.

I watched Tizek's eyes light up with joy. "Yes, my lord!"

"I swear I will never take advantage of you, mistreat you or force you to do that which you find objectionable. I also swear I will, to the best of my ability, protect you as you do me," I said. I was just making it up on the spot and had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, Tizek indicated he was happy with my wording.

"I have given my vows already and I accept yours," Tizek replied.

"Then we have one more thing to do," I explained as I drew my rapier. "It's a little custom from long ago in parts of our world. First, I have to tell you, I'm not going to accept you as some underling."

A new look of worry crossed Tizek's face. I put my hands up placatingly. "No, it's better. From where I come from, there were people known as Knights. They were great warriors, officers and were known for their honorable behavior. Knights are the highest regarded and ranked members of a lord's retinue." I left out the part about how most of it was romanticized nonsense originating from pulp novels.

That made Tizek very happy. "What must I do?"

"Kneel before me and bow your head," I said with a tone of slightly dramatic gravitas.

Tizek did as I said. I held the sword upright in front of my face. As I did, I heard a shout. "You there! Hero! What are you doing with that lizard man? And why are you brandishing your blade?"

I turned my head to follow the shout. A little ways down the street a pair of guards had come out of an alley and caught the sight of me holding my sword up in front of a kneeling frilled-clan man in the middle of the street. I looked at my sword and then back to them. "This isn't what it looks like. It's just a custom from back home."

"Right," one guard, a fox-clan man said. "You aren't going to stab him in the street are you? It looks like an execution."

"An odd one," his compatriot, a cougar-clan man added. "Who voluntarily wants to get their head cut off like that?"

"Look," I shouted back while Tizek patiently waited. "I'm not going to stab him in the middle of the street. He's just offering his services to me and I'm having a little ceremony."

"In front of apartment buildings?" the fox-clan man asked.

"The king isn't about to lend me his fancy throne room for this," I said.

The cougar-clan guard shrugged his shoulders. "He's got a point there. We're watching you. We'll be upset if we have to call in a cleaning crew to scrub up blood. And we'll have to take you down to the gallows for murder."

Good to know their priorities were in order there. I turned back to Tizek and tapped my blade against one shoulder and then the other. Did they do a third? I don't know, I'm just trying to recall really old fuzzy memories. "I now dub thee Sir Tizek, Knight in service of Lord Oliver Stewart. You may now rise."

In all the times I'd looped around, I never saw Tizek as happy as I saw him now. He was beaming with pride and even grew a centimeter or two from his proud posture.

I sheathed my sword. "Now that we're formally lord and knight, I give my first command. We're going to the arena to get you accustomed to some big spiders."

As fast as Tizek's face turned to joy, his descent back into dismay was even faster. "Must we, my lord?"

"We must. You're going to fight them the day after tomorrow, so I think it's worth getting used to them when they're safely kept in a cage. Don't worry, the ones in Silk Caverns aren't venomous. And I think they'll be easier on you since they're the size of dogs. Bigger means easier to hit."

Tizek's face became thoughtful. "That means I can get revenge?"

"Sure, think of it that way," I replied. Maybe it would help his phobia to smash in the object of his fear with a mace. "If we're lucky, I can bribe the right person at the arena to let you smash one there."

"I think I should just see them first," Tizek hastily amended. "To get used to them."

I clasped Tizek on the shoulder. "One step at a time. Come, my trusty knight, we're off on a quest to slay your fears."