Test Summoning: Apocalypse

It was 10Af and all four of us were in my room on the top floor. Lia was sitting in a chair while Tizek was leaning against the door. Void, sitting next to me on my bed, was currently digging her nails into the bedpost while emitting a low, angry growl. I had just told them what happened with Lisa at The Garden Plaza and revealed Gully Jack's secret to Lia and Tizek.

Void's fingernails dug deep into the post of the bed. "I'm going to kill her if she comes for you."

"I swear on my honor as a knight no harm will come to my lord," Tizek added with a flutter of his frills. Lia didn't have a comment, but I could tell she was also furious with the crime lord.

"I understand your anger, but we need a plan," I said. "You three need to improve your combat skills against live opponents plus get stronger. You can hit Advancement 2 with time to spare."

"When is the next thing you need to do?" Void asked, indicating she was asking about my talk with Sari to help Jummi out.

"In four days. After that, I suggest we work dungeons near Gesper Village. That's where Amis is," I said.

"Who's Amis?" Lia asked. Right, I didn't explain anything to them. I briefed them on what I was planning to do for Jummi, which was reliant on Sari relaying an apology.

"My lord's generosity knows no bounds," Tizek stated authoritatively.

"Let's not go that far," I replied. "How do you three want to do this?"

Void retrieved her Guild ID and activated the back. Her eyes subtly darted back and forth as she read the information. "There are a few Advancement 1 dungeons available and there aren't many reservations taken. I think it's because Gesper is four days out from Leoren."

I looked at the back of Void's ID and read the list of Advancement 1 dungeons she filtered to. "It's going to take some planning to optimize our reservations."

I heard Lia groan. I looked up at her and saw a look of exhaustion on her face. Tizek was valiantly trying to hide the slump in his posture. Right, the three of them just spent a few hours sitting cramped in the Exterminator's Guild to update their IDs before perusing scrolls at Exterminator's Excitement. They were wiped out.

Void noticed it as well. "You two head to bed. Oliver and I can do this part."

"Are you sure? You look exhausted as well," I said to Void.

She gave me a tired smile. "We're the only literate ones here. It'll be harder reading it all out loud." She then lowered her voice to a whisper. "I also want to talk with you alone."

"Goodnight," Lia quickly responded. She was clearly ready to leave and was already pivoting toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"We're getting up early," I said. "We need to focus on live sparring until we leave. You'll be fighting people."

Lia halted and went stiff. She hadn't fought a person before and her posture carried the burden of a life she had yet to take. I stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I have an idea to avoid fighting if we can. I'll bring it up later. Go get some rest."

Lia nodded and exited the room. I looked to Tizek who was still standing by the door. "You, too, buddy."

"Thank you, my lord. I shall retire. Call upon me if you need my services," Tizek announced before letting loose a big yawn and leaving.

After both of them retired to their rooms, I heard Void speak in a low voice barely audible across the room. "Close the door, please."

I closed the door and turned to see Void with a deep look of insecurity on her face. She had her legs out and crossed at the ankles. Her toes were gripping at the floor absentmindedly as she looked at me.

I made my way back to the bed and sat next to her. "Something on your mind?"

Her eyes peered at the floor and her ears folded back in shame. "I keep thinking about what I said to you at Mermaid Falls."

I reached over and drew one of her hands into mine. "You shouldn't. You had a valid frustration and communicated it to me. Good relationships aren't about perpetual happiness, they're about being open when you're upset."

I felt her thumb rub across my hand as she pondered my words. Her rough, calloused palm was cool as it passed over my skin. It was a sensation I always loved.

"It doesn't change the fact I caused you distress," she whispered. "You've endured and sacrificed so much to find a way to give us, give me, our futures back. Yet I treated you with suspicion and I was harsh."

I opened my mouth to talk, but it was interrupted when Void pressed a finger from her other hand on my lips. "This is one of those times to listen," Void said.

I shut my yap and Void rested her head on my shoulder. We sat in silence for a while as I listened to her breathe. I knew she was thinking over what she wanted to say next. I passed the time allowing her scent to wash over me, absorbing her warmth and feeling the tickle of her soft fur on my neck.

"I was afraid when you left to see Gully Jack," Void finally said. "I also thought about what it meant. You risked facing down your abuser to help me. I've seen the reports at the Guard from others who went through the same. I know what you did took strength and determination. And you did it for us. Lia, Tizek and me."

I continued to listen to Void talk. I hated when she got this way. I liked my tough-as-nails, sometimes awkward, sometimes a little rough, woman. Not the insecure one.

"I know I'm being selfish, but I'm thinking about how I almost lost you. From what you told me about Lisa, you were close to becoming her slave again," Void said. She pulled her hand away from mine and wrapped it around my torso. She then tightened her grip on me. "I don't want to lose you."

I wrapped my hand around her waist and returned her embrace. I then gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm crazy enough to get out of anything. I am the guy who got pulled over for running a stop sign in a canoe, after all."

Luckily, they had stop signs in this world to direct cart traffic around Leoren, so I didn't have to explain what one was. Void turned to me and looked puzzled. She then gave out a small, stifled laugh. "You just made that up to make me feel better. How is that even possible?"

I smiled at her. "Sad to say, it's true. I know my memory of my old life is hazy, but this one has stuck with me. I had just reached the age where we could legally drink alcohol and, as you can probably guess, I overindulged a little. Next thing I know, I'm sitting in the middle of an intersection with the Guard behind me. I had lost my shirt somewhere and I was wearing a necktie around my head like a bandana while in a canoe. I was pushing the oar on the street trying to scrape the canoe along."

Void stared at me in disbelief and snorted. "How did you get it there?"

I shrugged. I had to make a few adjustments to my story since there weren't cars or bodycams in this world. "I have no idea. There wasn't a cart anywhere to explain how I got it there. It was just my drunk ass, alone, in a canoe on the road in the middle of the night. The Guard had a viewslate recording, but he only turned it on in the middle, so I have no idea how I got there."

I could see tears of mirth forming in Void's eyes as I told my tale. "The Guard was perplexed how to approach me. We need licenses to operate carts on the roadways where I come from, but he didn't know if he had to ask for one since the law didn't mention floatation devices. When he asked me for my identification, I handed him a loyalty card to a local shop. I then informed him I was in a hurry to meet the leader of the nation I'm from."

Void coughed as she held back her laughter. She was Doun's daughter in that regard. "As the Guard was staring in confusion at my behavior, I tried to flee. In the canoe. I pushed hard on the pavement and the boat barely scraped along. I screamed 'tally ho!' as I pushed off. An infant learning to crawl could have kept up with me. I didn't make it far before I passed out."

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Void was now shaking as she barely held in her chuckles. I finished my story. "I ended up in a cell for the night to sleep it off. In the morning, I was carted before the judge and, after watching the viewslate recording, looked directly at me and said, 'Son? This is the craziest thing I've seen and I've seen a lot of stupid. Showing everyone in this court what you did is punishment enough. Don't do it again.' The Guard was never called to testify, so I never learned how I ended up running that stop sign."

Void took a moment to calm her huffing and snorting. She wiped away a tear. "Thanks for that. Nice to know you were a little strange before getting stuck in the loop."

"If you think that's strange, I should tell you about the time I got out of a fight by throwing cans of cream of chicken soup from my carriage window," I said.

Her finger came up to my mouth again. "Let's save that for later." She followed the words with a deep kiss.

I melted at the touch. I pressed my lips against hers and enjoyed the sensation of her wet nose brushing against my cheek. My skin tingled from the touch as it lapped up the affection like dried, cracked ground after a rain. Emotion surged over me as I experienced intimate touch for the first time in three decades. I didn't realize how badly I missed the feel of warmth from someone whom I cared for and cared for me equally in return.

My muscles softened and I found myself laying backwards, taking Void with me as we continued our affection. My hands moved around her waist and I could feel the vibration of her tail as she wagged it in happiness. In our moment of private solitude, she didn't feel the urge to grip it to hide her joy.

Then she pulled away. I felt a pang of disappointment when she did. I wasn't finished with the touch. The desert hadn't been satiated. Then I saw her begin to unbutton her night shirt. Her moves were artless and klutzy as if she had two left hands. I could tell her decision to expose herself had made her nervous. She shrugged her shirt off from her shoulders and it flopped unceremoniously onto the floor, revealing her full bare torso.

I stared in surprise. As much as I loved the view, it was strange. Void never showed interest in this level of intimacy so early. It was always the night before the apocalypse. She recognized my hesitance and her ears folded. "Am I moving too fast? Is it because of Mermaid Falls?"

"No, it's…I…" I stammered. I couldn't find my words. I, too, was apprehensive. I badly wanted to give myself entirely to her, yet something was different. She preferred to go slow on all our loops before. I tried to think of a way to bring it up without upsetting her talking about the past.

"It's my past selves, isn't it? I always thought I'd take it slow, get to know who I wanted to be with. When I met you, I knew I wanted you and I was certain after what you said at Mermaid Falls. I knew what we had to do was risky but it felt like a distant story, like it wasn't real. Then after today and what happened? I knew it was real. I knew I couldn't delay. If you want to slow down…" Void stopped and hung her head.

In response, I raised my hands to her hips once more. I ran a thumb slowly across those tight abs I found so alluring and replied. "If you're ready, so am I." My hands moved to help her remove her pants. I followed by shrugging of my sleeveless shirt and relieving the pressure in my shorts.

We switched places as Void allowed me to take control. It was her first time and I would guide her through the experience. She presented no objections when I utilized my past experience of our times of intimacy. A kiss at the nape of the neck. A scratch at the base of the tail. My hands caressing her thigh. My lips brushing her bare nipple. Each motion increased the pace of her breath.

I, too, surrendered to the moment. I absorbed the warmth as our bare chests pressed together and our hands slowly explored each other. Her muscular, defined arms wrapped around my back and held me in a firm embrace. Void let out a small gasp when my hand ranged between her legs. It was her first time and I had to make sure it was a pleasant experience. She was tense and I tested to make sure she relaxed before committing fully.

Our wordless waltz continued as our breathing grew ever harder. Small moans passed her lips while the pads of her foot rubbed against my leg and shuddered. Then she was ready and I committed all the way.

The adventure was different than any I had experienced with her. All the times before were a wonderful event, but they were always tinged with a sense of fear and morose realization. They were always a mournful goodbye, a final communion before the end.

This time? This time it was a commitment to the future. It's why, my dear audience, I'm willing to tell you about it now. Every time she let out a small yip like an excited pup. Every gasp. Every moan. Every small squeak of the bedframe as it moved across the floor. Each motion as she learned the rhythm I set. Every kiss. Every touch. It was all a celebration. A promise for more.

After a synchronized climax, it was done. I pulled Void up on my chest and we lay in silence as we calmed our breath. I was sweating while she panted to cool from the exertion. Her eyes shifted to mine and she gave me a warm, satisfied smile. "Was it always like this?" Void asked with shortened breath.

I kissed her forehead. "It's no lie to say it was the best."

We lay in embrace for some time. I reveled in the joy of seeing Void pressed against me. Her bare form illuminated in the gentle glow of the magical lights stirred my resolve. I watched her heaving chest slow and her panting shift to a gentle breathing. We would survive. We would win. I could not allow this to ever be taken from her again.

"I was thinking," Void said. "Would Lisa's plan have worked?"

I shifted to look at her. "That's an odd thing to ask now."

Her hand rested on my chest as she nuzzled in my side. "Maybe so. But her plans to start a dynasty with you as the consort? Would that work? You're from an entirely different world." Her eyes went wide. "Not that I'd ever want another if it wouldn't."

I quickly figured out what she was thinking. Would we build a family after it was all over? I had a good idea of the answer. "How much do you know about Dane and the founding of Vialina?"

Her eyes looked perplexed by my question. I smiled at her. "Trust me, it will make sense."

Her snout twitched as she took a deep breath. "A thousand years ago, the world was in a state of upheaval. The very rules of magic were upended and chaos descended on the lands. The change was so broad reaching the world once had twelve moons and ten were ejected deep into the black beyond the sky. It was in this time of uncertainly the hero Dane emerged along with his beloved Mirabel. They fought to defeat the chaos and returned stability to the lands. When all was done, Dane and Mirabel married and had a child. It was their child who founded the Kingdom of Vialina. It is said the royal line is descended from the great hero. Why do you ask?"

I rubbed her back gently before responding. "Yes, that's the story all are told. What if I told you I found the real history?"

Void's brow creased. "Where?"

"In the Exterminator Guild's library," I said. I rested my chin on top of Void's head before continuing. "Deep in the basement stacks, in a section labeled fiction, I found an unusual book. It was bound in leather and the pages made of vellum. It was stuffed away atop a tall shelf in a forgotten corner. When I discovered it, it was covered in deep layers of dust."

I pulled my head away and gazed at Void. She was listening intently to my story. "When I opened it, I discovered it was written in an ancient version of the text we use today. It was unusual and I couldn't read it. I spent three loops learning about ancient Vialinan text. It was so old the writing didn't even have punctuation."

"We didn't always have punctuation?" Void asked, intrigued.

I hummed my confirmation. "It wasn't introduced until around 400 years ago."

"That made the book very old," Void replied.

"I thought the same, which is why I was so intent on reading it," I said. "The title of the book was The Six Heroes of the Star." That got her attention.

Void pulled away and sat up in the bed. She had to adjust her balance to remain in the twin size mattress. As much as I preferred her against my body, I didn't mind seeing her full exposed glory in the moment. "Wait. Six heroes? There are six of you who were summoned."

I nodded as I adjusted to a sitting position against the bed's headboard. "The same. The book was difficult to decipher. It spoke of how great mages of the six paths were given a sign from the gods. Each was to bring a great gift of their path and offer them to the star."

Void cocked her head. "Gods? Was it meant to be plural?"

"Yes," I replied. "I checked that one a few times to make sure I translated it correctly. The text referred to an entire pantheon. People long ago believed there were gods to great concepts. Love, storytelling, life, death, deception, war and more. They were governed by a greater force called the Grand Creator who was the origin of the world."

I could see Void was pondering on the words I spoke and gave her a moment to absorb it. It was a revelation to think her people were once polytheistic in nature and not a monotheistic one like today. I continued my story. "The story spoke of how the Grand Creator had a sibling, an opposite. The Grand Creator governed change, the other stability. The two came to a disagreement when the Grand Creator's sibling wished too much stability and sought to destroy all creation."

Void continued to listen intently. Both of us had forgotten we were bare and in bed together as I retold the tale. "The two siblings had chosen champions of their causes. Far on the other side of the world, they clashed and the champion of the Grand Creator emerged victorious. But it was not without a cost. The Grand Creator was destroyed in the process along with the unnamed sibling. When they were destroyed, the nature of magic changed. Old ways ended and the world fell to confusion."

I saw Void swallow hard as she listened. A sense of worry crossed her face. "This sounds heretical. The other side of the world? That would take many lifetimes to reach." She was right. The world was substantially larger than Jupiter. The planet was so big when you looked out over the ocean the world looked flat. The world wasn't held together by gravitational forces but an immense, inexhaustible source of magic at the core. It was from this magic the nodes and leylines emerged.

"I'm just relaying what I read." I pressed on. "Here, where Leoren now stands, the disruption created a great beast. The beast rampaged and destroyed the civilization which once called these lands home. It was there the great wizards received their sign and performed the ritual to call upon help from the star. The ones who arrived were described as without tails, lithe and bald save hair atop their flat-faced heads."

Void's eyes widened. "That sounds like you."

I nodded. "I agree. In addition, the ritual is performed by marking the ground with a six-pointed star, sacrificing an extremely valuable dungeon created object to each point and performed by a mage of each of the six aspects."

Void nodded. "It's sounding like more than a coincidence."

"I think so, too," I said. "Dane and Mirabel were great heroes who discovered many rules of the world, including how to measure ratings, but they were not powerful enough. The six summoned possessed immense potential, but were weak. The two trained the six and, after years of preparation, emerged to bring battle to the great beast. The beast was slain, but not without significant loss. Four of the six were lost in the battle."

"How does this answer question?" Void asked.

"Dane, too, was slain in the battle. Only Mirabel and two heroes remained. One, a woman, was said to struggle to find kinship in the world. She could not accept the other clans for they were different from her and vanished forever into the wilderness. The other, a man, married Mirabel. It was their child who founded Vialina," I said.

Void blinked. "That would mean King Ormond, Grand Creator save the shit, is a descendent of someone from your world."

I nodded. "Assuming the book is true. It could just be a really old fantasy tale that coincidentally got a lot of things correct about summoning. I'd like to believe it's true, though I know this will stay between the two of us. I doubt the public will look kindly on downgrading Dane from the great hero of the upheaval to a teacher. Or saying King Ormond is descended from a union between Mirabel and a human-clan father. I also don't want to get on the bad side of the Church of the Grand Creator for implying God is dead."

"The item in the chest is proof otherwise," Void countered.

I shrugged. "It's something we'll probably never know."

Void leaned back into my chest. "I'd like to believe it's true."

I smiled at her. "I do, too. We'll find out in due time after we stop the ritual if being from another world is a hindrance."

Void yawned. "I'm worn out. Between the Guild HQ and what we just did, I'm at three quarters grey in my stamina bar. I hope you don't mind me sleeping in here tonight."

I pulled her head closer and kissed her. "I wouldn't mind if it were every night."

The two of us shifted back into a lying position and Void curled up on my chest. We didn't have space to lay side-by-side on the twin mattress. I liked the arrangement very much. Void did, too, when she spoke. "I have to think about how to break this to mom and dad."

I swallowed hard. I had completely forgotten about that. I never considered the implications of getting intimate with the daughter when the parents were in the house, especially unmarried. We always died and I was sent back to the castle basement after.

Void read my body language and snorted. "Don't worry about it now. Let's just enjoy each other's company. We have training tomorrow, so let's rest."

She had a point there. I wrapped my arm around her and rested my head on the pillow. Void was already lightly snoring and a small bead of drool forming on the edge of her mouth. I let out a contented sigh when I saw it. Many people would consider it gross. To me? It was a reminder she was alive and happy. What was a little moisture on my chest?

I thought about the story of the six once more. I didn't put much belief in the divine, especially how the perception of gods changed over the last thousand years. Yet, in this moment, I hoped it was true. I spent my last moments before drifting off to sleep imagining what our children would look like.