Test Summoning: Apocalypse

The fight in the arena went a little better than it did the last time. Lia, still reserved, came up with the same plan as before. After I nailed my two targets, she did a decent job keeping the albatwitches occupied while Void and Tizek fought their opponents. This time, Lia didn't trip and I didn't have my mild freak out saving her.

Still, everything felt a little odd and frosty between the girls and me. Void didn't react to my comment about enjoying her natural musk in the shower room while Lia remained distant. The shower, on the other hand, was far more refreshing. I allowed myself a moment to celebrate a single win. Aoto was alive. He was out in the world with his party and was going to continue training to become more.

I stood in the shower until the heating crystal ran out. Cold water rained on my back as I processed my emotions. I was elated. I was terrified. I was morose. I was nervous. I knew I had to do things right since I didn't want to go through this again. Not only couldn't I allow Tizek, Lia and Void's memories be wiped again, I also knew I couldn't replicate what just happened. I couldn't reliably tap into my primal anger and blow up at Aoto again. I had to treat this success as non-repeatable.

My mind recalled our last loop together. Mermaid Falls. Sure, it was a miserable water dungeon where we had to take breaks to avoid trench foot, but it was also perfect. We had our best breakthroughs there. Void had warmed up to me the fastest on that trip. Lia and Tizek enjoyed the saltwater taffy. Lia gained an understanding of her Stalwart ability when fighting the fenisnort. She also accepted me as a brother on the first night before we all had a good laugh staring at our distorted legs on the mannows. We even got the gloves Lia was fond of but I had to sell.

I also owed Jehmia and Deena more than a little autograph. I promised to talk to them on that loop and I needed to keep it. Further, the trio showed interest in taking a break at the beach. Without a pressing resource need, we could do that. They could get to Advancement 2 even if we did stop for a day to enjoy the sand and surf.

After leaving the arena, I brought up my knowledge of where the lost and found items were to speed up our probation period for the Guild. I also mentioned Mermaid Falls and insisted it was our best course of action. Tizek went along with it while Lia quietly agreed. Void seemed like she had reservations but also agreed.

For the lost and found items, I made it a point to go for those which would take a little more time since I wanted to have an excuse to return to The Gnashing Teeth at the planned time. The one I did the same was the ring in the sewer. I even fell in accidentally again. Though this time, Lia didn't crack up at my misfortune.

Our group cohesion didn't get any better by the time we returned to the tavern. Lia quietly went to get her meal at the bar with Tizek while Void showed some of her familiar personality when getting into her argument with Doun over waitressing for the evening.

"Oliver? I'm glad to see you found the place!" I was expecting Willem to lead with that.

I waved, walked over and pulled a seat to the end of the table like last time. I had to play this perfectly. "Heya Willem. Is this the beautiful family you told me about? You never mentioned your wife was so radiant."

"Oh stop. I'm on the wrong side of 40," Sari said with a smile.

"My name is Oliver. And who is this lovely lady I'm talking with?" I replied with a smile. Huh, she mentioned how well-adjusted I was last time. What's changed?

"I'm Sari and these are our two kids, Jennifer and Darren," Sari said as she gestured to the kids. "I hear you met my sister, Jummi. She said Willem introduced you."

Willem nodded. "That's right. Oliver here had an unusual artifact from his home and mentioned the king, Grand Creator save him, tried to buy it for a pittance. I pointed him to Jummi for a better deal."

Sari's expression changed when she looked at me. "How are you feeling, dear? You seem a bit better."

I was taken aback. "I feel fine." I could only stutter the words out. Why was everything going differently? Was it because I didn't have a viewscreen repair manual with me?

She gave me a kind smile. "Dear? You don't have to pretend for our sake. Jummi told us how scared you were about never seeing your family again. I know we just met, but we're here for anything you need."

"I…" I paused. I was about to tell them I had gotten over it. Then the familiar feeling of a heart attack hit me. The dull ache spread across my chest. I knew it wasn't heart failure since it never happened before and, while not exactly a picture of health at this point in my loop, I wasn't that unhealthy. I took a few deep, slow breaths while my hands spread out on the table to steady myself.

"Take all the time you need," I heard Sari say gently. I looked up and saw her watching me with concern. Willem, Jennifer and Darren also had their eyes on me with equal looks of worry.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Mira and Doun giving me a place to stay here has really helped, too. I think I'll get through it." I forced a smile and stood. "Don't let me get in the way of your meal. Have a good night."

The four said their goodbyes and I turned. I then almost bumped into Void in her waitress uniform and nearly knocked Willem's and his family's meals to the floor. "Sorry," I mumbled.

Void didn't respond. She had another strange look on her face as she regarded me. "Don't worry, I didn't announce myself. Go get your food. Dad has it at the bar."

I looked at the bar and saw Lia was already gone while Tizek had his head down on his hands at the bar with his tail lazily waving behind him. Last time, I talked to them about selling my belt. Now I didn't have a need to. My ache buzzed again when I recalled the moment. It was another one lost forever.

I sat next to Tizek. "Buddy? How's Lia?"

Tizek turned his head to look at me. "My Lord? Friend Lia said she was tired. She is asleep in her room."

"And how are you feeling, buddy?"

Tizek yawned. "I am prepared and at my lord's call at any moment."

I gave Tizek a pair of gentle pats on his back. "Go rest. You've had a long day, too. A good knight knows when to recharge to keep his skills sharp."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Tizek didn't protest and slid off his stool. He shuffled up to bed to his room. I chuckled at his antics. I was happy he was at least the same as I always remembered.

"Ready for your stew?" I turned and saw Doun on the other side of the bar. He was cleaning out a mug with a cloth.

I reached into my pouch, pulled out five copper coins and slid them across the bar. "How about a drink?"

Doun looked down at the coins. He reached a hand over to them and slid them back. "That's not going to help."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Doun snorted. "Drowning your sadness only brings more sadness."

"Doun! Don't be so terse," Mira called out. She was putting bowls of roast on a tray for Void to deliver. "He's only been here for five days. You need to be more considerate."

Doun grunted and turned his head away from me. I knew he was trying to help and wasn't good with sensitive topics. Mira shooed Doun away to serve the other customers at the bar and took up a position in front of me. "Oliver? Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Was it that obvious? I sighed. "I feel like I'm screwing everything up. Lia's closed off and I'm struggling to understand Void. I'm not sure this party is going to survive."

Mira tapped her fingers on the bar in thought. "If you're worried about my daughter, don't. She's pondering something. I've seen it before when she was wrestling with something that's confused her. As for Lia? She's going through something new and frightening. As are you. This will take time. I see you care and have a good heart. Be patient and be more honest with yourself. I don't like seeing you covering up your fears behind a forced smile."

I didn't notice I had a smile on my face. I allowed it to melt away and my face fell to a more neutral expression. "Thanks, Mira."

"Do you want a bowl of stew?"

I stood. "Sorry. As much as it pains me to miss your cooking, I don't have much of an appetite right now." I started to walk toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Mira asked with a confused look on her face.

"To help wash the dishes. It's really busy tonight," I stopped to say.

Mira gave me a look of concern. "No need to do that. What kind of host has her tenant work?"

I felt my face trying to put a smile back on. I interrupted the habit and remained neutral. "I need to keep my hands busy right now. Besides, no one likes doing dishes."

Mira tapped her muzzle. "You know, I think I'll accept."

I did allow myself a genuine smile from that. As I went into the kitchen, I passed Void leaving the tray on the bar top. She was giving me another strange look. She was observing my conversation with her mother and it felt like she was evaluating me. I gave her a nod and a strained smile before heading back into the kitchen.

"Void!" Doun barked. "Quit slacking and clear that table for the next party!"

"Alright, get off my tail, Dad!" Void shouted back. A few laughs echoed across the tavern. They were laughs I didn't feel much like joining.

The next few days of additional training crawled by slowly. The sessions continued to be strained. I ended up swapping places with Void to work with Tizek since I was exhausted from wondering why I was making Lia uncomfortable. Anyone finding out I could read be damned, I was going to help Tizek for a bit with his spells and sparring.

I also tried to get some coordination work in since that was a problem with the spiders on our last loop together. That one worked a little better since the three of them were running the show. Their improved behavior made me feel even worse since it was clear I was a spoiler getting in the way of their cohesion.

I left them to work with the magical mobile dummies while I decided to give them space to mess around with my archery. I worked mostly on trick shots. I worked on curving shots, double target shots as well as banking shots off of surfaces. I also used the launch device to fire rings barely wider than the arrow shaft up from a launcher on the ground and made shots through the opening. When I ran out of mana, which was only after five rounds, I resorted to tossing the rings in the air. I liked throwing them better since it helped me work on my draw accuracy.

The work helped me think and it kept me out of the way of the others. I used a no-look shot through a tossed ring as an excuse to check on the others. I noticed Lia was more comfortable when it was only Void and Tizek around. They weren't exactly laughing and carrying on like good friends, but I did see her talking in complete sentences around them.

It was like this through the day before we were scheduled to spend a week at Mermaid Falls. I had come back after excusing myself to buy our provisions, which I dropped off back at the The Gnashing Teeth, and saw they were tracking six training dummies as they moved around the field. Lia had taken the front and was preparing to slash at one as it passed. Tizek was keeping her side protected while Void practiced circling around the distracted enemy.

I felt the ever-present pit in my stomach grow a couple millimeters. The three of them were carrying on just fine without me. That was fine. If the choice was giving their futures back and not being a part of it or having their memories erased again, I'm sticking with the former.

I returned to my little area off to the side and set up a complex series of deflection obstacles and rings. The complexity was at the limits of the draw weight of my bow. If I wanted to do anything more, I'd need to find a way to clear my mana trauma and get a heavier weapon.

I looked at a rock I placed on the ground and followed it to an angled board on a post. A third angled board was further down the range on the other side. Between it and the target at the other end 20 meters away was a ring I had hanging down from a holder on a rope. It was not an easy shot. I quickly drew and released the arrow at the spot. I watched it bounce along the spots, through the ring and into the target just outside the bullseye.

I let out a little sigh at missing and drew a second shot to fire. It missed the bullseye on the other side. Not only was my accuracy off, so was my precision. I'd mastered shots like this during my long centuries before reconnecting with the others on our last loop together. Either my mind wasn't into it or I got rusty in my depression cycle.

I changed around the objects to avoid getting accustomed to the path and continued practicing. I sent another dozen arrows downfield into the target, none hitting the center. A scattered arrow pattern was on the round straw target downfield, further proof something was wrong with me.

"Impressive shooting." I heard Void's voice behind me.

I struggled to get a happy look on my face and, instead, relied on my voice without turning. "Nah, I feel a little off right now." I took another banking shot and it barely stuck to the edge of the target. "See? Terrible."

"If you say so. Did you have any problems with the provisions? You were away for a while."

This time, I was able to get my smile on my face. I turned to look at her. I saw she was still evaluating me. "It was a little heavy and it took me a few rest stops to get it all back to the Teeth." That was a lie. I took my time since I was struggling drawing up the courage to go back to see them.

"You got everything?"

I nodded. "Sure did. I even remembered the waders this time. Last time through, I forgot them and our feet got soaked. We had to stop every few hours to dry off to avoid health issues."

I could see a brief squint cross her eyes before vanishing. I must have said something wrong again. I looked over at Tizek and Lia. They were engaged in some light sparring. I knew I told them the coming battle was against intelligent people, so they were working on fighting an unpredictable foe. At least that was a sign they were still with me on stopping it. "How is your training going?"

"We're progressing," Void stated in a businesslike manner. "I think we should call it a day and rest. We have a long trip tomorrow."

I looked up at the sky. There was a slight tinge of red from the setting sun on the horizon. Soon, one of the two moons circling the planet would be visible in the sky. I had yet to see the other moon since it orbited on a longer path and wouldn't be visible until around a week after the apocalypse. "You'll get no argument from me. Resting is as important as training."

Void's eyes darted over my body for a few moments in silence. She then hummed and wordlessly left to go talk with Lia and Tizek. She was taking over as our group leader right now and I was perfectly fine with it. She was getting better results than I was trying to work with Lia and she was the best one for the job to manage group coordination.

After we stowed our training gear, we left the yard and began to travel through the city back to the tavern. Void, Lia and Tizek were out ahead of me a few meters while I held back in silence. I was feeling like a proverbial third wheel in our group. I continued to rack my brain as to why.

"My lord is concerned with deep subjects."

The words shocked me out of my stupor. I was walking on auto-pilot and didn't notice Tizek had slowed his pace to walk next to me. He was peering at me intently. "Can your Knight assist with your troubles?"

I sighed. "Have Void or Lia mentioned me?"

Tizek shook his head. "They have not. We are focused on our training for the coming battle."

"Would that be the dungeon or the cultists?" I had to know what they meant to see if they were fully committed.

"Both, my lord. We do not wish the world to end," Tizek replied.

At least that was going right. "Any other insights? Do you know how they feel about me?"

Tizek stared at the sky and his frills rippled in thought. "They have not left."

"Can you elaborate?" I asked, not sure what he was trying to tell me.

"If I was unhappy with you as my lord, I would inform you I am rescinding my oath," Tizek said. "Friends Lia and Void can train and grow without you. Yet they stay."

Tizek had a point. I wasn't too far gone. No one had any obligation to stick around with me. "Maybe they think they have to stay with me to know where and when the battle is."

Tizek chastised me with a brief hiss. "You would tell if we asked. I know your honor. You would not risk lives for such games."

"You know me very well already," I stated. I looked at Void and Lia ahead. Lia was opening up to Void and I could see a little more animation in her speech.

"The lord's table has empty seats," Tizek said out of nowhere.

I turned to look at him as we walked. "What's that mean?"

Tizek's head crest fluttered. "It is a saying. The lords from my lands have higher concerns which are difficult to share."

I puzzled over what the frilled-clan man was trying to tell me. Then it clicked in my head. "It's lonely at the top."

Tizek gave a brief grin. "Yes, that works as well."

I walked with Tizek in silence back to the tavern. I pondered his words and knew he viewed me as a superior. What I didn't want to say out loud was I didn't want to be at the top. All I wanted was to go back to a time when Lia saw me as her fun and reliable older brother. And I desperately wanted to find out why Void no longer liked me at all.