Test Summoning: Apocalypse

A gentle beam of morning light streaming through a crack in the shutters woke me. My arm was numb and my chest felt moist. I looked down and saw Void still curled against my side, drooling away. Her facial fur was knotted and matted from sleeping on me all night.

I tried valiantly to dislodge my arm to get the feeling back without disturbing Void and failed. She shifted as I moved my arm out from under her and she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw me, she blinked and gave me a warm smile. Then her eyes opened wide and she bolted up.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I sat up, too.

"I forgot," Void said. "I need to sneak down to my room. I can't have mom and dad know I spent the night in here."

I stifled a laugh. "Void? You're 26 and you're acting like you're 15."

She ran her fingers through the matted fur on her face. "This is new for me!" She then looked at my wet chest. "Did I do that?" She used her arm fur to wipe off the remnants of her drool.

I drew her in and gave her a kiss and she melted into my arms. After we pulled apart, I spoke. "Good morning."

She touched her lips. "What was that for? Not that I dislike it."

"It's the proper procedure for waking up. We say good morning then enjoy a kiss," I replied.

"Even when my breath stinks?" Void asked.

"Especially then," I said. "Now, get going. We'll see about making this official so you don't feel the need to sneak around."

That made Void feel better based on her posture. She climbed over me, giving me one final eyeful of her bare chest, before slipping back into her clothing strewn on the floor. After dressing, she crept silently over to the door utilizing the full extent of her skills developed sneaking around the Guard HQ at night. I held back a little laugh when she did the conspiratorial hallway check before exiting my room.

It didn't make much sense for me to act strange. Or, well, stranger than I normally acted when I was in a good mood. I picked up my clothing and gave them a little sniff. I winced and realized I hadn't had a proper bath since we left for Gerilon a week ago. That would be on the list after training today.

After dressing, I passed by Lia and Tizek's rooms and listened in. They were both still asleep. I would let them rest longer after the mentally exhausting day they just had.

On the main floor, The Gnashing Teeth was quiet. They didn't open until 11Mor and Doun was doing light cleaning to prepare for opening. Mira would be in the back right about now making breakfast. It wasn't easy running a small business.

I took a seat at the bar and Doun gave me a morning grunt as he wiped off the bar top. It didn't take long for Void to join and sit next to me. She was wearing her turquoise vest for the first time since the day I bought it. Seeing it made me very happy.

"Good morning, you two," Doun stated flatly. "When's the wedding?"

Both of us froze. Void looked terrified and stammered. "W…what do you mean, dad?"

Doun pointed up to the ceiling with his badger claw. "Oliver's room is right above your mother's and my bedroom."

If Void could blush, her fur would have turned bright red like heated metal at a forge. She put her hands over her face and her tail folded in between her legs. Her head then landed on the bar top and she went silent.

Doun's eyes shifted to me. I felt like I was a kid who just brought back his daughter an hour after curfew. "I hope you have long term plans. Or do I have to get my crossbow?" Doun said in a low voice.

I was scrambling to find my words. I had never seen Doun this way before. I knew he loved his daughter, but this was terrifying.

"Doun!" I heard Mira snap from the kitchen, saving my bacon. "Stop harassing them. They're adults. You should be happy Void found someone."

"But they're moving too fast," Doun started. He was silenced by a growl from Mira.

Mira marched over and poked her shorter husband in the chest. "I seem to recall a young badger-clan man and wolf-clan woman sleeping together on their first date. They were only halfway through their 18th year and almost nine months later to the day the best thing to happen to them came around."

Hearing how her parents got frisky on their first date sent Void over the edge and she wordlessly escaped upstairs. For my part, I was glued to my chair trying to figure out if I had to find a new place to live.

Mira waved at the stairway where Void vanished. "Now look what you did. I'm going up there to have a talk."

Doun looked like I did. He was frozen in place and not saying a word. Mira turned to me and her face softened. "I'm happy for you two. I know you were confused last week, but it's nice to see you worked out whatever it was when you were away. That said, my husband is right. Be sure to use protection until you two are ready."

I nodded rigidly before Mira gracefully flowed around the bar and up the stairs. That left me and Doun staring at the doorway where she vanished in silence.

Doun then let out a sigh and turned to me. "My apologies. She's my only girl and I'm a little protective. I know you're not the one to run out on her. You wouldn't have put in the effort you have over the last few weeks just for a one-night stand. 'Sides, you paid for three months up front and most don't shit where they sleep."

I had no idea how to respond. "The first date, huh?"

Doun let out his weird little badger rumble. "We were classmates and joined the Exterminator's Guild at 16 together. Took me two years to ask her out. Went fast after. Now stop distracting. What are your intentions?"

"I prefer to make it permanent," I replied.

Doun grunted pulled a pair of misshapen glass mugs out from under the counter. He poured out two pints of his finest beer, a beautiful stout with a hint of whiskey from the barrel. He set one down before me and the other in front of himself before extending his hand.

I looked at it and he gave it a silent wave. I gripped it and he shook. "Welcome to the family," Doun said.

"I haven't asked yet and she hasn't said yes," I said as I stared at the mug.

Doun picked up his. "She will. Now toast."

I clinked my mug against his. "I hope so. Thanks, pops." I saw the briefest hint of a smile cross Doun's face, so fast it was like I imagined it. That was quite the compliment from the badger-clan man.

We took a deep drink of the liquid. I felt the bite of the whiskey in the beer draw against the back of my throat. I knew I'd regret drinking on an empty stomach in the morning, but it was and odd little celebration and I made an exception.

"My lord? Can I have one?" I heard Tizek behind me dressed and ready for the day. I quickly slid the half-finished mug to Doun who hid it and his behind the bar.

I turned to face him and shook my head. "No, buddy, you're not allowed."

His mouth smacked as I saw his pupils dilate and his breath quicken. He closed his eyes and took a few quick, hyperventilating breaths to calm himself. He then opened his eyes back up. "I am sorry, my lord. I will do better."

I gestured to the bar where Doun had poured out a couple mugs of juice. "It's alright, buddy. It's a demon that will haunt you for the rest of your days. I'll help keep you on the path."

I saw Lia descending the stairs ready for the day in her blue shirt and work slacks. Right behind her was Mira and Void. Void had composed herself after whatever her mother had to say. She looked at me and gave a bashful smile. It was an odd sight to see the thin mother comforting her taller, muscular daughter.

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"My lord, why do you drink beer in the morning?" Tizek asked after he sat at the bar and sipped his juice.

I hummed and Doun conveniently found something on the bar to clean. Thanks for the support, future father-in-law. Void paused on the stairs, dragging her mother to a complete stop. Lia noticed something was amiss and looked at the rest of us.

"Was it because of the noise my lord and Friend Void made in my lord's room last night?" Tizek blurted out.

Tizek's comment sent Void right back up the stairs again. Mira let out a grunt of exasperation and raised her hands to the ceiling. I thought I caught a curse directed at the Grand Creator before she hurried back up. Lia's face widened in realization at what Tizek said and looked over to me with a big smile on her face.

I heard Doun grunt at the bar and I turned to see what he was grunting about. I saw him pinching his eyes in frustration.

"Did I do something wrong?" Tizek asked. "I will punish myself, my lord."

I waved him off. "Don't do that." I then explained to Lia and Tizek what happened, without any of the nitty gritty details I shared with my fictious audience in my head during the act.

"First I get a new brother and a week later I get a sister-in-law," Lia said, her face dreamy with imagination. I enjoyed she was feeling a lot better than she was when I first looped back. This was Lia at her best.

"When did you get a brother?" Void asked. Mira had successfully intercepted her before she retreated back into her room. I realized I didn't tell the others about what Lia and I spoke about at the café in Orvis.

"I was adopted?" Lia looked at Doun. "Can you adopt a sister?"

Doun shrugged. "Don't look at me."

"It's fine if you say you are," Mira said. She then turned to me. "You do move fast."

Now it was my turn to blush. I had nothing to say, an oddity for me. I was a little overwhelmed by too much new stuff hitting me all at once.

"My lord? Does this mean Friend Lia is now Lady Lia?" Tizek asked. I could see his body becoming rigid when he asked the question. I knew he was going to start calling Void by Lady Void. The question for Lia was new. I realized he was worried he was losing a friend and needed to start interacting with Lia differently since she was now part of his lord's family.

"No, buddy, she's still your friend," I said. Tizek's shoulders relaxed when I gave him my implied permission to remain Lia's friend.

"Can we go?" Void asked. I could see she looked uncomfortable in the room, probably because of what Doun said earlier.

I stood. "Alright, let's get going. We have a lot of training to do before we head out to Gesper Village."

Doun grunted. "Hmm, a lot of dungeons in the area and not popular. Good choice."

Void grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the pub with Tizek and Lia close on our heels. As we left, I could hear Mira tittering before saying, "We'll get a bigger bed for your room, Void." Void picked up the pace, making me feel like I was in a cartoon with my legs flopping in the air like a streamer. Not literally, of course.

After we exited the pub, Void let out a breath she was holding and slightly relaxed. I gave her a gentle pat on the arm. Void was about to say something when we were interrupted by the local gossips. Across the street, near the bench I sat on when I waffled about visiting Void at the start of my loops, were three women. A beaver-clan, cougar-clan and deer-clan woman each in their mid-60s. They were speaking loud enough to know we would hear them.

"Look, it's him," the beaver-clan woman said.

"The one who deflowered that poor rabbit-clan girl in the slums?" the deer-clan woman asked.

The cougar-clan woman huffed. "The same. And now I see he has his eyes on Mira and Doun's girl. Has he no shame?"

Great, the rumors I got frisky with Lisa has already spread from the slums. Of course it has. I stand out among the crowd and Lisa just made me an interesting topic of conversation.

I could hear a low growl coming from Void next to me. It looked like she wanted to give the three ladies a piece of her mind. Instead, I gently directed her down the street in the direction of the training yard. She looked at me. "Don't you care your reputation is being ruined?"

I shrugged. "Not particularly. They're just three bored old ladies. Besides, knowing me, I'll probably do something else weird later and they'll forget about this one. I was the Heady Hero last week after I fell into the sewer, remember?"

Void wasn't fully on-board with my disinterest. I'd heard far worse over my loops with some of the stuff I've done. My worst was when I fell crotch-first into a bush and got wasp hive goo on my shorts. I ended up streaking naked through a nearby village outside of town with a swarm of the angry bastards on my tail. You're not thinking about how liquid will absorb through cloth when you're getting stung.

She relented and swallowed her anger. It wasn't worth getting into a random ego match on the street. Of course, I was only paying attention to Void. What I wasn't expecting was to see Lia already halfway across the street before I could say a word.

"Excuse me!" Lia said in a friendly voice. "I overheard what you were saying. What did Oliver do?"

The beaver-clan woman stared Lia up and down. "You really should rethink the company you keep or he might come for you next."

"I agree. The so-called hero was in the slums yesterday using his status to have his way with a young rabbit-clan woman," the cougar-clan woman added.

Lia tapped her chin with her claw. "That's odd. He was with us all day yesterday. We just got back from Orvis."

The deer-clan woman huffed. "What an obvious lie. You don't need to protect that lech."

"I'm not. You said it was in the slums?" Lia asked.

"Rightly so, that's what I heard," the beaver-clan woman stated.

Lia started to laugh. "I see. You know how those slummies are. They're just jealous they can't blame someone else for their struggles. The hero has only been here three weeks and he's doing better than them from his own labors." I caught a subtle hint of shame in Lia's posture before she hid it away.

The three ladies' expressions changed. "You have a point, dear," the cougar-clan woman said. "They'll make up any excuse to drag others down to their level."

"Besides," the beaver-clan woman added, "look at him. He isn't even wearing a proper shirt. And those boots? I can't see anyone falling for that."

If I was normal, I'd start feeling self-conscious right now. Instead, I was enjoying the show Lia was putting on with her counter-rumor effort. I also figured the people of the slums were proud enough to stop spreading the rumor about me to avoid looking petty.

"But little Void there seems smitten," the deer-clan woman commented.

The beaver-clan woman nodded. "It makes sense. She's always been a little odd and hasn't shown much interest in anyone. They seem to be a good match."

"All she had was that strange otter-clan man calling on her a few years back. You know? The smelly homeless one," the deer-clan woman replied.

The cougar-clan woman gave a sagely nod. "I'm happy she found someone at least. The hero seems a decent sort, if unusual. Must just be his culture from where he comes from. I'm glad she won't be a spinster." I felt Void pull into me hard, her embarrassment heavy on her face.

"I'm glad to clear that up," Lia said in a chipper tone. "We have to get going. We're training for a dungeon next week."

Lia waved to the women who also gave us a greeting. I tipped my non-existent hat in their direction which garnered a small laugh. Void was too bashful to look their way and Tizek was too busy standing at knightly attention near me to care what the ladies had to say.

After Lia got back, we started walking. Void set a brisk pace to escape the street while attached to my arm. Lia and Tizek trailed behind.

"Friend Lia? You seem shamed," I heard Tizek say behind me.

"A little," Lia replied.

"Why?"

"I said bad things about the people in the slums. They're not lazy, they work hard and are unlucky," Lia said, her tone bordering on crying.

Void took a deep breath to center herself. "Don't worry about it. If they didn't already believe it, then they'd not have accepted your words."

"We've all had an…interesting morning, to say the least," I said. "We need to buy you three some spells. After, we need to train. A little exercise will do some good. Especially running, you three have neglected your conditioning."

Void pulled away from me in a huff. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to date you anymore. I can't be with someone that cruel."

I drew her back to me. She didn't protest, not that I could have budged her if she legitimately didn't want it. "I hate it, too. I'm worse than you three. Where I come from, we sit all the time. Sit in carriages to get everywhere, sit at the bar, sit at home, sit at work. I've walked more down the street from the pub just now than I will in a typical day before I arrived here."

"I will help my lord become strong," Tizek said behind me.

I was about to respond when I heard someone else call out for me. "Oliver? What a surprise. You seem much better."

I looked around and, across the street coming out of a tailor, I saw Sari. She was carrying a small sack under an arm and waved at me. This was fortuitous. Maybe we'd be able to get Jummi's divorce story early.

I glanced at Void and she gave me a knowing nod. She understood. The four of us crossed the street, after checking both ways of course, to talk with Sari. I gave her a little wave. "Heya, Sari. Looking good today."

Sari giggled then glanced at Void's arm hooked onto mine. "It seems you're feeling better. You work fast."

"Hey, I like what I like. I saw a great opportunity and I had to jump. No point in delaying a good thing, especially with someone so desirable. I can't believe my luck," I said. I earned a happy squeeze of my arm for that. I also noticed Void reaching behind and gripping her tail.

Sari gave Void a warm smile. "I'm happy for you, dear. Did you know I used to watch her when she was a pup? It's good you found someone."

"Thanks, Sari," Void replied. I noticed she wasn't completely embarrassed this time. Not completely, she was holding her tail to keep it from wagging.

Sari's expression changed. "Mind if I steal Oliver for a moment, dear? I have something to tell him about what Jummi said yesterday."

Void whispered in response. "I know, he told me about it."

"Lia? Tizek? I think you should head over to Exterminator's Excitement and start picking out spells to work on. We don't have a lot of time before we head out to Gesper Village," I said.

"Yes, my lord!" Tizek barked. Lia gave a small nod to Sari and the pair left.

Sari was looking at me with her mouth partially open in surprise. "Did you say Gesper Village?"

"I suggested we go there to train," Void replied, taking over to avoid making it look like I knew too much. "It's out-of-the-way and most of the dungeons are open."

Sari mumbled something about fate before speaking. "So, you already know Jummi made a pass at Oliver here. She visited me last night and was distraught. She was upset she did it and thought you were offended and thought she was trying to take advantage of you. Especially seeing you're one of the heroes who find people here appealing, I'm grateful you didn't accept."

"I knew something was wrong," I replied. "The way she spoke, the subtle wince after she said it and the fact her shop changed dramatically from the first time I saw it. I couldn't take advantage since it felt like she was hurting. Not that I'd ever cheat on Void here."

"Her shop changed?" Void asked, playing along.

"Yes," Sari said. "Oliver here, surprisingly, is the reason. When he showed up to sell his glass mug, he sobbed to Jummi about never seeing his family again. It sparked her to change her behavior and she cleaned out her place. I also noticed she got rid of her silly hairstyle and is wearing normal glasses again."

"I'm happy I helped out, but I don't see why my having a little crisis would have done that," I replied. I was internally excited this was going well and it was looking more likely I'd be able to help Jummi out more.

"Was it the divorce?" Void asked. "Her shop got messy after she and Amis parted."

Sari nodded. "It was. It was amicable because the kids were struggling with Jummi's hoarding problem. Layla outright began to hate her mother. Amis filed for divorce to keep the younger three from hating their mother, too."

"That's terrible," I replied. "I wish I could help. I know it will seem small to you, but Jummi was a lifesaver and I'd like to return the favor somehow."

Sari looked up at the sky and mumbled about fate again. "I think you can. Jummi changed her ways and wants to get back with her family. The problem is she's too ashamed to ask. I wrote a letter, but it's hard to get anyone to deliver out to Gesper. It's fortuitous you're heading there. If you can also put in a good word, I'd appreciate it."

"We'd be glad to," Void replied. "Jummi deserves to find happiness. Give the letter to my dad and he'll be sure I get it. We're leaving in the morning."

"Thanks, you two," Sari said. "Don't let me get in the way. Good luck! I hope to see a wedding invite, soon."

And bashful Void made a return engagement. We bid farewell to Sari and made our way to Exterminator's Excitement.

After we made a few turns to the road leading to the shop, Void let out a tense gasp of air. "I can't believe you've done that sort of thing before."

"What sort of thing?" I asked.

"The long setup. You had to say the right thing the first day out of the castle and plan everything out. Then you have to act like you don't know anything. When you're not doing it to guide our lives, it's really impressive," Void responded.

I gave it a thought and snorted. "You won't have to worry about me doing it anymore. This is the last one and now the future is wide open. I won't know what comes next and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Well, there is one thing. You don't have your stuffed rabbit."

Void's brow wrinkled. "Stuffed rabbit?"

I gave her a grin. "I can easily win it at the crossbow gallery at the carnival. I know I promised not to plan your life, which is why I'm asking if you want me to win it for you."

"Yes!" Void barked out so excitedly she yipped. Then she clamped her hands over her muzzle and looked around. No one paid any attention, save a few people still whispering about my escapades in the slums. Those rumors would shift soon after Lia planted the seed. Or, I should say, should since I really don't know anything about the future anymore.

We walked a little longer in silence when Void spoke again. "Can I come?"

"To the carnival?"

Void nodded.

I grinned. "I don't think so. I'll go alone and eat all the fried meats on a stick all by myself."

I earned that playful slap. I followed it by wrapping my hand around her waist and felt her tail began to wag. This time, she didn't feel the urge to stop it as we made our way to buy our new spells.