Okay, I did warn you that this story would be ridiculously self-indulgent.


He was not one often summoned by the gate. The gem toll was too high for many summoners, who would only be able to summon a unit of higher caliber once or twice in their entire careers.

The idea of the "rare-summons gate" was somewhat misleading, actually – the process of slotting gems into the gate implied that they were some type of currency that allowed summoners to purchase powerful units. Rather, gems were conduits. They helped a summoner overcome the high power cost required to summon a particularly powerful unit, but all of this power came from within the summoner themselves.

A gem in the hand of a weak summoner was useless. However, there had always been a trend in which more powerful summoners came across more gems, and less powerful ones seldom saw them. Now, this was a case of correlation versus causation – power did not mean that the person was attracted to gems. Rather, the powerful were attracted to dangerous places where gems could be found.

And with gems, a summoner could do amazing things they couldn't do normally. Bring back Units from the cusp of death in an instant, expand their powers, open vortexes to distant dungeons… the possibilities were frightening. But with the most gems in the hands of the most talented, it was very much a rich-become-richer while poor-stay-poorer scenario. Combine this information with the military and economic power the Akras Summoners' Hall held, and the implications were sinister.

Of course, few people wished to hear about that. Most of the summoners who called upon him were immature magpies who had somehow managed to obtain gems, some unscrupulously, demanding to know his burst abilities and attacking power. It was saddening... He almost preferred the summoners who treated him like magically talented oxen – complete this amount of combat in one day, never exchange words. On the other hand, while these summoners were less annoying, they lived longer than the immature ones, which meant he'd be obliged to maintain a bond with them for longer.

When his previous summoner had dissolved their contract for some spare pocket change, he was happy never to see him again. After that, he spent a long while wandering aimlessly through Grand Gaia, enjoying the scenery and meeting with old friends.

He felt the familiar feeling of tendrils of energy reaching out to him, warm and seeking, wrapping around his being as a bond was created against his will.

What kind of sorry excuse for a human would the summoner be this time?

As the shape of a gate opened in the distance, he sighed, walking towards it, boots clacking against the empty abyss that served as a ground.


She watched the gate with dread, clutching the makeshift shield/pot lid in front of her stomach in case she was stabbed.

What kind of insane Unit would she summon this time? How would he or she try to kill her? Moreover, why did she keep coming back to the gate like an abused spouse?

Einstein once said something about insanity being "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Was she insane?

…Well, it wasn't anything new if the answer was "yes."


The first thing that had surprised him as he exited the gate was the feeling of a surge of power. Even though the gems provided ample power for summoning, the Akras Summoners' Hall taught its trainees how to clamp down on a Unit's power outside of battle, effectively declawing them. The humiliating sensation was not present as he walked through the threshold, cool night air and the sound of cicadas assaulting his senses.

The second thing that had surprised him was the one who presumably summoned him.

She was dressed like an imbecile, for one, so maybe she was one of those summoners. She wore simple clothes, a thin white sweater over black tight pants, and ragged shoes that looked to be on their last legs. What looked to be a pot was placed over her head, while she clutched its lid to her stomach like a lifeline. Her eyes were screwed tight, as if she was dreading some incoming impact.

They stood there, only the sound of bugs audible. Then, she slowly opened one eye.

Her back straightened.

"Yo," she said, extending a cautious arm. "I'm your Summoner. Who are you?"

He took her hand, and she flinched. Interesting. "My name is Zephyr." They shook hands, and she withdrew hers, staring at him with weary eyes.

Another awkward pause. Then, her face broke out into an ear-splitting grin, and she threw her head backwards, jubilant.

"YES! Someone who hasn't tried killing me!"

A light flicking on in a house in the distance, and: "Shut the hell up, brat! Some of us have to work in the morning!"

She muttered, "Oh shoot," and gave a nervous laugh.

"Okay, you haven't tried disemboweling me yet, which makes you the best out of the three goes I've had at that stupid cursed gate," she said, flicking her head towards a sacred monument of power and ritual.

Most summoners learned to drain the power out of their Units when they are brought into Elgaia, to prevent them from going on a rampage. But she hadn't, he thought, brain working rapid-fire to interpret everything he had seen so far. Was this a conscious decision on her part (overconfidence, perhaps) or had she never learned? She seemed like a novice judging by her clothing and childish demeanor, but fifteen gems used for three summons was hardly trivial.

"We can talk at home," she said, walking ahead of him. He noted the ease with which she showed her back to him. A novice, then.

He rarely spoke to summoners unless prompted (his explanations were tended to be shot down), but she seemed to have accepted it without rebuff, and his curiosity prompted him to ask: "May I ask how long you have been a summoner for?"

She turned her head, and over her shoulder, said, "Um, two days? More like one and a half."

If Zephyr was a less composed and agile man, the surprise would have caused him to trip over the large tree root sticking out of the ground. The Summoner hadn't fared as well, scraping her forehead on the dirt and letting out a slew of profanity.

…Fifteen stones in less than two days. It seemed infeasible. Was she lying?

If not, he wasn't sure how to feel about so much potential for power being hidden in someone who didn't seem particularly intelligent.


Zephyr hadn't tried to murder her on sight, so he was her favorite after Eze. He also hadn't said a word since she told him that she had been summoning for two days, though. Was he judging her, or something?

He was quiet and broody, and seemed like the judgmental type. With an outfit consisting of a lot of tight black leather and buckles, he looked like he belonged in a punk-rock band more than on the front lines of an army. His hair was pretty sweet, though – how did he get it like that? She had to ask him once he accepted the fact that they were best friends. The moment he stepped out of the gate, his harsh cobalt eyes had been alert, taking in as much information as possible before not attacking her.

It had been suspiciously easy. Maybe he was planning to kill her when she wasn't expecting it. She'd prefer an up-front murder attempt, she thought, wincing as she recalled her previous two summonings at the gate. She slowed for a moment, so that she could walk in step with him.

"Zephyr?" The name sounded familiar, she thought. Perhaps she had read it in passing in a history book?

"…Yes?" came the tentative reply.

"Why aren't you trying to kill me?" There, she had voiced it as delicately as possible. Hey, subtlety was not one of her strong points.

His eyes narrowed.

"…"

Well then. Had she accidentally said something offensive?

Moron, moron! She had to get better acquainted with the social norms and customs; she made a crown of peonies for Tilith earlier and apparently that was the equivalent of an antiquated marriage proposal. A stuttering, blushing apology followed, and it was awkward and terrible.

She would have kept berating herself for her natural mediocrity, but Zephyr decided to grace her question with a response: "Most summoners know to siphon power from a Unit they have summoned in Elgaia, to prevent the less stable individuals from wreaking havoc or hurting innocents." His voice was soft but authoritative, like someone who was completely confident in his capabilities. Like he knew that what he said was worth listening to, and anyone intelligent would also know.

Interesting.

"As I walked from the gate from Grand Gaia to Elgaia, I noticed that you hadn't put any limitations on my power. I suspect that whoever else you summoned was surprised by this, and the surge of power along with the perilous circumstances caused them to attack the first person they saw. You."

She hmmed. "What circumstances are you referring to?"

"The act of being summoned," he said as if it was obvious.

This implied two things: either the act of summoning was a physically stressful experience for a Unit (she cringed with guilt at the possibility), or Units had a reason to be on their guard while being summoned.

There was still a lot to this world that she didn't understand. She wished she still had reception on her phone, with a working charger and outlet. It died last night. She cried a little.

Of course, their conversation implied something much more important on a whole.

Zephyr was a pretty smart guy. A nerd, if you will. And he seemed comfortable with answering her questions.

This was going much better than her first two summons.


Two days ago


"And in conclusion, you're the only man I can trust in this world, Eze," she said tearfully, leaning against his back. Maybe Karl too, but he was way too nice to be real, so he was probably a serial killer.

They had just cleared all of the Cave of Flames and the Adventurer's Prairie, and had two goblins and a multitude of slimes for their troubles. It was harder than anticipated – she lost a good inch of hair due to a stray fire attack from a Burny, who was a complete sweetheart and apologized for it. She felt somewhat vindicated when it joined her after Eze destroyed it.

Anyways, Eze and his dream team of slimes (they were so cute. She squealed a little on the inside when they swarmed him for a group hug after defeating a difficult enemy) dispatched the enemies with relative ease, until they reached the final foe of the cave.

He was a boy about her age, with bulging muscles and dark, scarred skin that suggested a lifetime of hardship. He wore filthy, tattered red pants and his onyx eyes gleamed with an animalistic intelligence.

She hadn't noticed this. What she did notice, however, was the two foot long, razor sharp claws coming out of his clenched fists. What the hell.

The ensuing fight was bloody. The slime quartet had been decimated. Her small supply of cures was barely enough to sustain Eze as he felled the feral boy. Guilt surged up and tugged at her insides as she watched Eze pick himself up, crimson ribbons raked across his arms and abdomen.

Why hadn't she brought more cures? She threw her arms around him, despite both being sweaty and disgusting after the hours they spent in the muggy cave.

"I'm so sorry-" she gushed, not noticing how he stiffened in her grip. "This is my fault. I absolutely suck and now you're hurt I'm so sorry I could have done something to make it safer for you but I didn't! Sorry sorry sorry-"

She would have started crying again (the second time in what, four hours? Good job, Summoner!), if Eze hadn't gingerly placed a hand on her head and patted her. "What do you mean?" he asked. Somehow, he had guided her into a sitting position, and carefully placed himself next to her, mindful to hide the wince that crossed his face for a brief moment as he felt the sting of his injuries.

But she noticed. Lucius, she would have to bake him the biggest apology cake ever.


"W-well, after that first battle we had, Karl gave me gems. He said I could summon a really rare Unit with them," she began.

Eze nodded, prompting her to go on. After forming a contract with his Summoner, he had been surprised to discover how open her mind was. That is, she allowed him free entry into her consciousness, and as a result, he learned that she was alien to Grand Gaia, and had little to nothing in combat experience.

He refused to underestimate her, though. He recalled a pair of young women from another world who were a terrifying force to behold during the war with the Gods. He was sure that this girl, handpicked by Lucius, had the potential to grow into something otherworldly.

What threw him off was how touchy she was. His Summoner was always quick to physical contact and bawdy humor, acting more like an enthusiastic schoolchild than the commander she should be. Sitting here, next to her as she spoke with uncharacteristic solemnness made him uncomfortable.

But at least that had been better than when she tried hugging him. He started at that, pain jolting through his body at the sudden movement.

Vargas had always teased him for his aversion to physical contact and awkwardness around women. Eze wondered what his old comrade would have to say about this situation, and then he decided that he was glad the fiery swordsman wasn't present.

Somewhere between the one-liners and the profanity, he had grown – dare he say it – fond of the otherworldly girl and her strange mind. If he was going to have to fight for her, perhaps forging a friendship wouldn't be too horrible.

She continued. "I put the gems in the gate, and I waited for a second, but nothing happened. And then…"


"Who the fuck are you?" the man pinning her down inquired, voice soft and smooth like velvet, threat and danger entwined with mystique. She cringed, neck edging away from the sharp edge of his blade, which prompted him to press it against her throat harder.

"Y-you know, it's kind of hard to talk when my throat is in danger of being ripped apart if I move my head slightly to the left," she said, immediately regretting it. Bad brain, letting her mouth off its leash. She had no idea who this person was, and if he would kill her for being rude.

He fixed her a look with his poison-colored eyes. Then she felt something shuffling in her head, a decidedly gross feeling, and then the weight on top of her disappeared. She was hefted like a sack of produce to her feet, and a gloved hand lifted her chin upwards.

Wow, weird assaulter Unit was tall. He was built to stand out – he stood at least six feet high, harsh green eyes clashing with messy fuchsia hair. His outfit seemed ninja themed, but also looked borderline-gaudy, with a tattered scarlet cape and metallic armor. His choice in wardrobe also revealed his abs, which she decided were quite nice.

He followed her gaze down to his stomach, she just knew that he was smirking. She flushed against her will. A part of her was screaming that this was cliché and lame and maybe, just maybe being attracted to this guy was a horrible idea.

"Really," he muttered, swiping his thumb across her chin absentmindedly, "I can't believe they let someone like you be a summoner. That you managed to call upon me is laughable." He shoved her, and she fell on her bottom with an oof. Oh hello there, grass stains. She scowled at him.

"My name is Kuda," he said, walking circles around her like a cat circling an injured bird. "I specialize in assassination. I will fight for you, but I expect to be paid for my services."

Gosh, the innuendo was begging to be remarked upon, but even her stupid brain recognized that this wasn't the best situation to be joking in. Kuda seemed to be making the suggestions consciously, too.

…Hmmm. She had come across a worthy adversary, it appeared.

"What's your price then?" she asked, deciding to play his game.

"If you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it," he all but sang.

"Well then." This was odd. Was he flirting? Which psychopath threatens a girl's life, insults her, and then flirts with her? "It seems like we are in a quandary, Kuda." She placed her hands in the soft grass, leaning back a little. It was time to resort to the strategy she used back home when weirdoes tried hitting on her: put on the Distant Icy Bitch façade.

"Indeed, Summoner." Then he was right behind her in a burst of sudden speed, cape fluttering with the effort. He bent over, and all she could see was his tanned face. His finger stroked her collarbone lightly, the feeling tickling and uncomfortably intimate. Now, he was in her personal bubble, and that was not okay. She opened her mouth to complain, but he interrupted her. "From you, though, I might accept an alternate form of payment-"

Oh. He kissed her. Her first thought was that his lips were soft, and maybe it was because they were protected by the mask, and the second thought was that wow, this was an upside-down kiss, the kind that only happened in sappy romantic movies. The third thought was what. What. What what what what what okay he's not a bad kisser but nonetheless what-

She had forgotten how to breathe, and sucked in sweet oxygen when they separated, face bright red. Through half-lidded eyes, he stared her down for a few still seconds.

"…I'm joking, of course." He stood up, holding a small black case. Upon closer inspection, it was her wallet. "If you call on me without proper payment next time, I'll help the monsters kill you." Then he was gone.

She let herself fall backwards on the grass, too drained to support herself.


"Men are scum," the Summoner moaned, burying her face in her arms. "Except for you. You're alright, Eze. You won't do things like sexually assault me or mug me, right?"

Obviously not? "…No," he said, reeling at her story.

Kuda. Eze was familiar with the name. He was the assassin tasked with defeating Atro during the war. For some reason, he had failed the task despite boasting a flawless mission record. Afterwards, there was speculation that the mercenary had been playing double agent for the humans, but stories were inconsistent. However, amongst all the noise and hearsay, Eze had never read a single account of Kuda being a lecher.

"…I've heard of Kuda before. He has a reputation," he said.

The Summoner looked up. "As being the worst person to ever walk the earth?"

"As a master assassin," he corrected, ignoring her mutter of yeah, he did mention that, "and someone who was extremely temperamental. How much do you know about the legend of the Six Heroes?"

He already knew that she had zero knowledge on the topic, but he thought that telling her his backstory would make her feel better.

"Nothing," she replied.

"You know about that the Gods decided to destroy humanity. In an effort to fight back, six people rose up to defend their homes. Vargas, the Holy Flame. Lance, the Holy Earth. Selena, the Holy Ice. Atro, the Holy Light. Magress, the Unholy. And myself, the Holy Thunder.

"We had different backgrounds, but through battle and blood, we all became friends. Over time, we trained and became so powerful that even the Gods feared us. As a result, the gods trained officers to fight us. Kuda was assigned to kill Atro.

"So he was a human on the side that aimed to destroy humans?" she remarked dryly.

"Kuda was famous for his greed. He would do anything, regardless of morals or difficulty, as long as his employer could pay the price." She nodded, expression contemplative.

"More importantly. You're a legendary hero?" she gushed, eyes admiring. "Holy Thunder? That sounds incredible…"

Compliments were rare. Most of the people he interacted with were on his level in strength, and had bad attitudes to boot. That princess Emilia, for one… if there hadn't been a bloody war going on, he would have liked to clash swords with her at least once.

"Thanks!" he said, scratching his cheek. "I'm not currently at my highest power level, though. You summoned me in a pretty basic form."

Her face dropped, and she curled up in the fetal position, air gloomy around her. It was impressive how quickly she could switch moods. "Sorry," she muttered, rocking back and forth. "I'm kind of worthless as a summoner, aren't I? I might as well go scrub windows or something…" She trailed off, muttering something about something called "fast food" and kings.

He frowned. "You're very harsh on yourself. It's only been a few hours. Naturally, I expect myself to become stronger than ever with your power. But expecting so much from a newcomer is unreasonable. A weak fool takes on more than they are capable of." He learned as much back when he worked in the Atharvan Mines. He remembered almost dying as a child, when he insisted that he could carry more carts of ore than anyone, causing a collapse in a rubble pile. The miner who had saved him had shattered his foot for his troubles, and was unable to work for the rest of his life.

After that, Eze vowed to temper his training and not let his ego endanger anyone, be it himself or the people around him. And he wouldn't let this little girl ruin herself because of the expectations Lucius and his disciple placed on her. His friends had become great through their desire to help the weak, not because some higher power commanded them to. He probably would have beaten the crap out of anyone who told him what to do, back then.

The Summoner gave a little laugh. "You're harsh, Eze, wow. But super on point. You're like Dumbledore, except badass, and not evil."

He didn't know who Dumbledore was, but at least her mood had improved. And now he didn't know what to say. How awkward.

Luckily, the Summoner broke the silence by jumping to her feet. "Okay! I'll take over the world slowly and in moderation! I'll beat Maxwell to it!" She then laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "Thanks, man. Being too negative doesn't help anyone. I guess I forgot, since you know, new world and all."

She hugged him again. He hoped that this wouldn't be a permanent thing.


"Hi, Tilith!" She made sure to greet the goddess with a smile as she exited the outer lip of the cave, rather than with the bland and distant personality that Tilith probably assumed she had. It was a warm day, but the sun felt cool on her face compared to how the volcanic cavern had been.

"Good job on making it through the cave! Up next is the Egor Snowfield," Tilith replied, breeze making her clothes sway.

"Alright," the Summoner said, determined look flashing across her face. "I'm sorry for being such a downer, by the way. I'll try to be better, even though I'm such a noob. Also, you're really really cute and have great hair," she finished lamely.

Tilith looked surprised, and a pink blush spread across her cheeks, probably at the compliment. "Hehe, of course! I am a goddess, after all! You better work hard to be worthy of me."

"A-anyways, the monsters will be getting tougher now, so you ought to be more mindful of the Units you use," she said, leading the Summoner to the gate that led out of the area. "You have to think about type advantages. Most of the monsters coming up are water type, so pop quiz~" she said, voice chipper. "Which type is strong against water?"

Pokemon rules dictated leaf or lightning. The more obvious answer was lightning, since the whole conductivity thing. Public school education, hooray!

"Correct!" Tilith beamed when she answered.

The Summoner grinned. Tilith was so cute.


Heavens, it was cold. A frigid blast of air hit her face and her thinly-clothed body, snow falling in languid flakes.

"It's freezing!" Tilith wailed, hugging her arms to her body. "And to think, we still have the marsh, and the ruins and the abandoned manor to reach the Tower of Mistral…"

She patted Tilith on the back, ignoring the jolt of pain that shot up her arm as it made contact with the frozen air. There, there.

"I can't take it anymore!" she groaned. "I'm gonna go home… there's a knight at the end of the field who's been summoned by Maxwell. Apparently, he's quite strong, so watch out… achoo!" She made a miserable noise. "Good luck," she mumbled, disappearing in a flash of light.

Then the Summoner was alone in a field. She considered Eze's condition – she noticed that a Unit's wounds regenerated quickly outside of battle, but she wondered if he was too tired to go on. He'd probably refuse to admit it if he was, either way. She also considered her ragged hoodie, and her numb face, and decided to take a break.


She walked back to Elgaia, relieved to be out of the cold. Hopefully, she could find some lunch and maybe do some reading on the lore of this universe. Did the Village of the Venturer have a library? Maybe she could bully Karl into lending her some books…

Oh wait, he was dispatched into the battlefield. Sad face.

"Oh, miss!" a voice called for her. At least, she hoped it was for her. It was always awkward when you think someone is speaking to you and it turns out they were speaking to the person next to you.

It was the kind elderly lady from before, who was kind enough to offer her food before. She had a basket of herbs balanced on her hip, reaching into her skirts for something. "Before Karl left, he asked me to give you this." She pulled a silver key out of her pocket. "It's a key to his house. He said that if you didn't have a place to stay, you were welcome to stay in his house."

Oh, Karl. Was Karl even real? He was the fairy godmother she had always dreamed of – she was Cinderella, lacking in knowledge and house, and he appeared and solved all her problems with a wave of his lance.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed brightly, taking the key in her hands like it was something precious.

"Karl is such a nice young man. I'm happy to see that he's found someone who he can share his life with," the lady said fondly.

Well. Did she think…?

"We're not like that. We're just," don't say just friends, don't say just friends, don't say just friends, "buddies."

Oh, good job. The elderly woman gave her a knowing look, at which she smiled nervously at and avoided eye contact. She gave some excuse about having to leave, and bid the kind lady farewell.

Whatever. She probably thought that the Summoner was going to go bone Karl or something, ugh. He was away defending his country, for Pete's sake!

…Now that she thought about it, she had no clue which house was Karl's. But she would rather wither on the street than ask for directions and have to deal with some middle aged person giggling about how "cute" the youth were.

Eventually, she settled at a small restaurant and ordered a sandwich and soup, deciding to continue her aimless wandering after food. Then, she could look for an information source, and… then what? She wanted to clear the Snowfield sometime today, but she also wanted to give herself and Eze (and the slimes too) some time to recuperate after their harrowing journey through the Cave of Flames.

It really would have been easier if Kuda (she winced at the thought of him) wasn't so… Kuda, and if she didn't feel so uneasy in his presence. Based on what Eze told her about him, he was quite powerful, and would have been very helpful in their battles. Then, maybe Eze wouldn't have gotten so hurt.

At the same time, she wondered why a human would have fought on the side of the Gods in the Gods vs. Humans showmatch of the century. It seemed ridiculously counterintuitive.

Maybe she'd be better off with another try at the rare-summons gate, unless power was inversely related to insanity and she was doomed. Eze had been really nice to her when he didn't have to be, though, so she would try for his sake. In her time exploring the Adventurer's Prairie and the Cave of Flames, she gathered another five stones. Karl must have been unlucky or something, because they certainly were not rare. She had found one in an apple she had bitten into, even.

She took the final bite of her ham sandwich, wiping the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a white linen napkin. The prices here were ridiculous, by the way, and not in the way she had expected. Her lunch cost 70 zel. To compare, she had gathered about 10,000 zel in her few hours of adventuring. It didn't make any sense.

But that was for another time. For now, she had a date with a certain summoning apparatus.


Zephyr is one of the 12 Guardians of the Gods, the second-in-command after Sodis. He is level-headed, logical, and intelligent, almost caustically so.

Kuda is a famous assassin who boasted a perfect success record. He served the Gods during the war, but it was speculated that he served as a double agent for the human side. A free spirit.


Oops, I love anachronism. If it was confusing, this chapter started out with her summoning Zephyr, who was her third summon from the rare gate, flashed back to her first summon, Kuda, and ended with her about to go for her second summon. Who do you think it will be?

Today, I finally ranked up in BF to where I could have another 6* unit on my team, and I evolved Kuda. Honestly, the lines that he says when you evolve/level him are so suggestive that it's hard not characterizing him as a massive pervert.

Anyways, aside from the shameless fanservice, I've tried incorporating a few things about the universe, namely the summoner/unit dynamic and the lore of some characters.

Another question: do you like reading the perspective of other characters? Would you prefer it be limited to the Summoner?

Thanks for reading. If you have questions, please leave a signed review or a PM and I'll get back to you asap.

-eris