You are Summoned

The door looked imposing, and I was worried about figuring out the locking system, but as soon as I touched it, the door swung open easily. I was expecting a portal or a hallway, or something. What awaited me wasn’t even close to what I could have imagined.

My door was set on the side of a small hill, and in front of me was a wide grassy plain. About a mile away, a massive walled city rose from the plains. Six bright white walls encircled the place and at the top was a huge castle. Towers gilded in bright colors rose from the walls and various pennants flew from the battlements.

It was a fortress, no doubt, but it was also welcoming. The city was like something from a fairytale. The sun was bright in the sky above, but the heat wasn’t too bad. Instead of the smells of Los Angeles, my nose was met with the pleasant aroma of clean air and the tall grass of the plains.

“Impressive, isn’t it,” Minerva said as she stepped from Rico’s Place to stand beside me.

“That’s kind of an understatement. What is this place?” I asked.

“It’s called Somhagen, which means City of the Summoned in an ancient language. This is the place where your future awaits,” Minerva told me.

“Where is this place? Have I visited this world before?” I asked.

“No, this place exists, but it is not a part of any world,” Minerva said.

“Wow, that’s not overly cryptic or anything,” I said sarcastically.

“Cryptic or not, I have described the city accurately. Now, do you wish to banter with me, or do want to explore the city?” Minerva asked.

“As great a conversationalist as you are, I’m going to go with exploring the city,” I replied.

“A wise choice. Since this is your first visit to Somhagen, I will guide you. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Minerva asked as we left Rico’s Place and started walking toward the city.

“What did I miss?” I asked, worried I’d forgotten something important.

“There will be opportunity to spend your funds in the city, do you not want to take some coin with you?” She asked.

“Okay, thanks for that,” I said darting back into Rico’s Place to gather up my funds. Thankfully my loot chest provided a bag to hold my wealth when I withdrew everything, I had a total of 17 silver and 266 copper to work with.

“You should be more careful next time. On your first visit to Somhagen, you are allowed access back to your personal space one additional time before the city is closed off to you. If you leave your personal space and return in the future, your visit will be concluded,” Minerva warned.

“Thanks for the heads up. I’d hate to find something I wanted to buy and not be able to purchase it. Oh, no, I forgot about my summoning points. I can spend those here; did I need to withdraw them from somewhere first?” I asked in a panic.

“No, the places offering things that require summoning points as payment are linked to the system and can pull the points directly from your account. Here in the outer district, there is only one place that offers such services, you’ll find it in the large orange tent near one of the gates.”

“We are approaching what is called the outer district. Here, you will find merchants, others of your kind, and those that seek to hire your services. Things you will find here are limited in their power and the district is open to any tier zero or higher,” Minerva explained.

“So, is everyone here a summoned being?” I asked, getting excited about the chance to talk to others and share our experiences. Maybe there were other people from Earth running around the place.

“No, most of those you will find are not summoned beings. Many found their way here by accident, through arcane research, or through other means I cannot discuss at this time. Use caution while here, Somhagen is patrolled by guardians, but there is no guarantee of safety,” Minerva warned.

“Any recommendations on where to shop?” I asked.

“That is information I cannot share other than the one location that sells items in exchange for summoning points. You must use your own judgment and savvy to negotiate. There are those that will seek to fleece you for every coin and summoning point you possess, but there are many more who will deal with you fairly. Here in the outer district, things are a bit less orderly, but as you progress to the higher tiers of the city, you will find more stability,” Minerva explained.

“How do I access the higher tiers of the city, are they tied to my tier?” I asked.

“Correct, each time you reach a higher tier, the next level of the city will be open to you.”

“How long do I have here? I’m not done with my summoning series, so will I be zapped away while looking around?” I asked.

“You will have as much time here as you wish. It is an expensive place to be, so most summoned beings choose to leave once their funds are exhausted,” Minerva said.

“Ha, you never lived in LA, now that place is expensive. How often can I visit here?” I asked.

“The door to Somhagen will close once you return to Rico’s Place. It will open again with every five ranks that you achieve,” Minerva explained.

“So, normally, I’d get two visits to each tier of the city before the next one opens. Can I backtrack, and visit the lower tiers later?” I asked.

“You may, but the things offered here in the outer city are unlikely to be of interest to you once you have access to the higher tiers. For this first visit, I suggest you focus on gathering gear for your future summons. Your rank is increasing and so will the difficulty of your opponents. If you can’t perform to expectations, your ratings will drop and you find yourself unable to afford the gear and skills you may desperately need,” Minerva advised.

“Got it, focus on needs before wants, don’t blow all my cash right away on the first shiny thing I see,” I replied.

We had now reached the outskirts of the city. The area surrounding the outer wall was full of tents and small buildings that had a roughshod appearance. It was a stark contrast to the gleaming city it surrounded. Merchants hawked their wares as I passed, but I was in sensory overload and unable to decide where to stop first.

“Brave sir, my armor is the most finely crafted you can get in the outer district. Even those on the first tier of the city look upon my work with envy,” one merchant proclaimed in front of his tent. I turned to ask Minerva if I should give this tent a shot, but found she was gone again.

“All right, show me what you have to offer,” I told the merchant who gave me a smile that was somewhere between a friendly greeting and a dog looking at a steak.

Inside the tent was a collection of several different sets of armor placed on stands. The armor ranged from battered full plate, to various leather pieces. I wasn’t quite sure what I would need, or even what I would be comfortable fighting in.

“Which would you like, heavy steel plate to protect you from any foe, or leather to keep you safe while allowing flexibility?” the merchant asked.

“How much is the leather armor?” I asked.

“For this magnificent set, I’ll only charge you five gold coins. I know, it’s a price that seems too good to be true, but I think you’ll become a long-term customer of mine once you’ve experienced the quality I offer,” the man offered.

“Nope, I’m out of here,” I said, leaving the tent. The merchant started offering half off then seventy percent off, but I wasn’t going to play games with him, I was far too broke for that. His offers of discount were followed by aspersions about the nature of my birth. I tuned him out as I spotted somewhere I knew that I wanted to visit. It was the large orange tent that was supposed to sell stuff for summoning points.

At the entrance to the orange tent, an elderly woman in matching orange robes waited. She stared intently at me for a moment before speaking. “Welcome honored summoned being. Feel free to peruse our wares. If you have any questions, please ask one of the attendants.”

“Thank you, it’s my first visit, so I’m not even sure where to start,” I admitted. Something about this place made me feel like there wouldn’t be any sales shenanigans like the armor merchant guy had just tried to pull.

“Various categories of items are displayed and grouped together. Each item you inspect will disclose its function as well as its cost. Was there anything in particular that you wished to purchase or an objective you wish to achieve while here today?” The woman asked. I wracked my brain to come up with something important. Oh yeah, I had an idea now.

“One thing I hope your shop offers. Is there anything to keep me from coming back to my world naked?” I asked.