"It seems you're loud as ever, Eze," Glasses said, pushing up his frames on his nose with a gloved hand.
"What are you doing here?" the swordsman asked, walking forwards towards the man.
"Do you know him?" The Summoner asked.
"Yeah, this is Weiss. I fought alongside him a few times during the war. He's pretty useless and all he does is complain about budgets and crap," he said over his shoulder.
Weiss, huh? It was a name that sounded elegant and high-class, a fact only compounded by his refined manner and sharp gaze. The glasses helped, too.
He seemed like the snobby intellectual type who thrived in academia, but was actually just a big tsundere when it came to people he cared about. Perhaps, there was a chance he was close with Eze…?
"I'm not familiar with the term 'tsundere.'"
She squinted at Zephyr. "Have you been reading my mind again?"
"No, you just said that all out loud."
The Summoner had the decency to look sheepish as Weiss gave the group a withering look.
"On the contrary," he said, voice stiff with irritation, "it was due to the reckless actions of a certain individual that required Atharvan coffers to be drained due to unnecessary damage caused to infrastructure during skirmishes."
But Atharva was also destroyed in the war, she wanted to interject, but that sounded kind of rude so she kept her mouth shut.
"He's pretty much calling you a public disturbance, Eze," the Summoner stage-whispered.
"Oh. Well, he does that all the time, so I guess he's boring as ever. What are you doing here, Weiss?" Eze shoved his pinky in his ear, eyes half-lidded and ready to ignore the other man's reply.
"…" Weiss's face was shadowed, the glint off his glasses the only aspect of his face that was visible.
"I've been tasked by Maxwell with testing your capabilities as a Summoner," Weiss said, looking at her directly. "Considering that you've summoned Eze as your first, I think that humanity is doomed."
Wait, what? Her expression must have revealed her confusion, because he elaborated.
"The Four Fallen Gods are not some thoughtless malevolent entity. Each one is intelligent and ruthless in myriad ways. As you observe them, you're being stared at the entire time, too. If they took you seriously, do you think you could afford to flounder about with your Units as you are?"
Weiss was right. Weiss was very right. She was only allowed to learn because her enemies gave her the breathing room to. She wasn't being taken seriously. The realization stung her ego, but pragmatically speaking, she was in a lucky situation.
"Why are you telling me this, if you're the enemy?"
Weiss gave her a look that suggested that he thought she was very stupid.
"Because, Miss Summoner," he said, tone prickly with condescension, "everybody loves an underdog story."
"What are you talking about, Weiss?" Eze demanded, stomping towards the other man. Weiss dodged his attack, sticking a leg out and planting his foot in the small of Eze's back when the blonde tripped.
"It's not something you need to worry about. All you need to do is stay alert and swing your sword in any direction that she-" Weiss gestured towards her. "-points you in."
The Summoner frowned. In digesting the facts of Weiss's verbose speech, she had kind of forgotten that the others were also present, listening along as well.
Weiss then leapt backwards, avoiding the wide downward sweep of a flaming axe, intense heat kissing his skin and turning it red.
"Stupid men who lounge about and talk too much annoy me," Michele said as she brandished her weapon at him. With her free hand, she helped Eze up to his feet.
The Summoner felt a tug at her cape.
"You forgot we were here as well, didn't you?" Claris chided softly, her large eyes reprimanding.
"You've got a tendency to tunnel vision when stressed. It's a dangerous habit," Kuda said, running a single finger down the back of her neck. She eeped at the tickling sensation and tensed up, and slapped his hand away.
Michele glared at Weiss. Having been on the receiving end of that glare in the past, the Summoner knew that it couldn't have been pleasant.
"That idiot summoner over there," Michele said as she jabbed a finger in the direction of the summoner in question, "is utterly hopeless and incompetent. If she doesn't get herself killed before the end of all of this, she'll probably do it from something as she is, like getting drowned by a Squirty, or something."
The Summoner winced as she remembered the FUN SHENANIGANS in the Egor Snowfield. Michele hadn't been fighting alongside them then, and the Summoner was rather grateful for it. If the blonde had seen her getting destroyed by a Squirty, it would have taken exponentially more effort to win her over.
"The point is that this one, that one, the other one, Zephyr, and myself are going to kick your ass," Michele said. She cracked her neck, looking satisfied with her speech.
"Yeah!" 'this one,' otherwise known as Eze, said, lightning crackling and dancing on his sword as his lips curled up into a feral grin. He nodded at Michele. "You know, you're actually pretty cool."
Michele returned his nod with one of her own, smirking.
W-wait… how was that speech motivational in any way? Michele just insulted her and declared a gang-beat on Weiss. There was nothing remotely pleasant or profound about it at all!
"Your has found its fighting spirit," Weiss said. He looked impressed.
Weiss, do you not see anything wrong with this situation? She wanted to scream.
"It seems like everyone's getting excited," Zephyr said, smiling at her distressed face. "It wouldn't do to bring down the mood." A flick of his wrist, and tendrils of dark energy flickered and materialized into the form of a spear in his outstretched left hand, pulsating with power.
Even the sanest member of her party was being swept into this… this super shonen-manga-like scene. She decided that caring was not worth the effort at this point, and resisted the urge to ask everyone if they were nuts as they shifted into aggressive stances.
"Come at me." Weiss beckoned with two fingers, eyes hawklike and predatory. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with his other hand. He would have looked formidable, if not for the beads of sweat rolling down his pale face. His hair, which the Summoner thought would be fluffy and nice to run a hand through on normal occasions, was stringy and limp.
He unstrapped the large book hanging from the belt at his waist and opened it, the beginnings of a spell forming on his lips. The Summoner stood at attention, alert and ready to dodge any oncoming attacks.
But Weiss wobbled. Then he slumped and dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, water splashing as he fell to his knees. He kissed the ground, falling facedown.
"Did we just win?" she blurted out, after a moment of awkward silence. She walked over to the prone young man and turned him over. His robes were stained with mud. She was surprised at how light he was, even for someone with civilian levels of strength like herself.
Michele's words came at her like a bullet. "He could be faking! Why are you so irresponsible-"
"Nah. It's heat stroke, I think," the Summoner said, unclasping Weiss's cape. The removal of the yellow cloth revealed a very red, flushed skin that felt hot to touch. "I didn't know you guys were afflicted with stuff like this, since you're ghosts and all."
They didn't have access to a hospital. And to treat heat stroke…
She reached out with her mind, and a Squirty popped into existence. She plopped it onto Weiss's face. Reluctantly, everyone put away their weapons and approached the scene.
"So do we take him with us, or…" she trailed off.
"You're suggesting that we allow an enemy into our group. Not only that, but we protect him. And burden ourselves with transporting him," Kuda said, voice flat. I cannot believe that you would even think of something so foolish, much less deem it worthy to vocalize as a suggestion.
Wow, she was getting really good at reading Kuda's body language.
"Well, he is Eze's friend," the Summoner said, frowning.
"I never said that," Eze protested.
"It would be inviting unnecessary risk," Zephyr said. "Besides, there is no pressing need to treat him. We've all experienced death before, after all."
She hung her head. She was defeated, it seemed.
She was about to order the Squirty to sit on Weiss's face indefinitely, because she felt bad for leaving him lying in the muck of the wetlands. It wouldn't do much for the stroke, but at least he'd be a touch more comfortable. But then the situation resolved itself, and Weiss faded away in white light.
The party left the wetlands by foot, and the humidity and heat rapidly decreased. The temperature was mild and the air was crisp, and really, how did Grand Gaia manage such regional weather? She felt like if she took three steps backwards, the humidity would shoot up by seventy percent.
It didn't make sense. A lot of it didn't make sense.
"It's bothering all of us, you know," Claris said as they traveled forwards, the last copse of trees of the wetlands fading into the distance behind them.
"I find that hard to believe," the Summoner said, recalling their unconcerned flippancy when it came to their enemy's wounds. The most remorse at Weiss's plight had been expressed by Eze, but not in the way she had expected.
("Man, I wish I brought a camera! He's always looking down on me, so he's getting what he deserves!") But then again, if they fought in war-like situations, maybe that was to be expected…
Either way, the encounter left her feeling uneasy and she had the vague feeling that she'd end up having some violent moral clash with at least one of them, sooner or later.
Claris smiled sheepishly. "Perhaps it isn't in the same way that you're worried, but..." she looked troubled. "For all I can remember of the afterlife, I don't recall an instance where a Unit wasever endangered by injuries. When we're summoned, our relative strength is largely reflective of the summoner's strength, not our own. If I'm taken down in battle, I'll feel pain, but the real damage is done to you."
The Summoner nodded and accepted the explanation. Thinking about it, though… if the strength of the unit reflected the strength of the summoner, then what happened didn't make any sense. Maxwell wouldn't just run out of power. Considering that the Summoner herself had the ability to keep half a dozen people free of heat stroke in a stuffy marsh (though admittedly, most of her units wore way less clothes than Weiss did), she was pretty sure that shenanigans were happening.
Did that mean that Maxwell cut off the connection with Weiss on purpose? Did she want to be underestimated by the Summoner? After all, arrogance killed as much as swords and guns did.
That seemed rather cut-and-dry for a sinister, divine plot though.
…Was it because of what Weiss said to her? But it wasn't like his harsh statements were unexpected. Maybe it was to prevent him from saying something else, something potentially damaging.
But then that meant that Maxwell was taking her seriously, at least a little bit. Which contradicted what Weiss said.
Her head hurt.
"By the way, you said that you didn't know what a geomancer was before," Claris said, watching the Summoner's expressions contort from a range between contemplative and pained.
"Hmm? Yeah. Since it's "geo," I imagine that it has to do with the earth, but you haven't gone around flinging mud at people, so…" the Summoner trailed off, chuckling.
"You're on the right track. A geomancer harnesses the abilities of nature itself, which includes the earth. It makes us good at healing. We are also skilled at surveillance and location, since we can tap into nature's perceptions."
Badass. Claris was such a badass.
"At higher levels, we can manipulate space and time itself. Towards the end of my training, I gained the ability to traverse time."
A time traveler. Based off of fanfictions she read, time-travelers tended to be jaded and badass, pursuing their goals with good intent but often ending up villainous themselves.
She saw none of that in Claris's warm brown eyes, only a sense of peace and self-confidence that belied her young age.
"Can you still use the ability as a Unit?"
The Summoner suspected that the answer was "no." Because combined with a gods' nearly-unlimited powers and Claris's extraordinary abilities, humanity would have been completely hopeless if Maxwell could manipulate time.
Rather than affirm or deny the question, Claris gave her a sideways glance and smiled.
Then, petite hands gripped at her shoulders, and a pair of soft lips were firmly pressed against hers. The kiss was firm and affectionate. She felt Claris's spirit (was that the right thing to call it?) pulse through their mental connection, and wow, sensory overload.
Moreover, how had she gotten more action in the past three days than she had in the past three months before that?! It was kind of ludicrous.
"Please take care of me, Boss." She winked, got off her tiptoes, and then walked ahead of the group, humming a vaguely familiar tune and swinging her staff to the beat.
Dazed, the Summoner traced her lips with a finger.
Did that just happen?
There was silence as everyone stilled. Then:
"It's unfair that you got mad at mefor kissing you, and you don't care when she does it," Kuda said, a little huffily. Was he pouting? How cute.
"You what?!" Michele turned her head towards him, whipping Eze in the face with her impressively long hair.
"I think it says something about the impressions we give off, Kuda," Claris said with deceptively placid expression on her face. The Summoner didn't think Kuda's name could be spoken in a way that oozed so much condescension, but man, Claris had a talent, right there next to the penchant for time-travel.
"Is the impression "weak as an ant"? I recall you being squashed like an ant by corkscrew the first time around."
"An ant is capable of carrying many times its own weight."
"But it's still weak."
It was kind of surreal, watching a fully-grown man bicker with a girl who was at least a foot-and-a-half shorter than him.
But… huh. She didn't think the docile, peaceful girl had such an aggressive side to her. Hidden depths indeed.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was greeted by an uncharacteristically serious gaze from Eze. He tilted his head, stating a question without opening his mouth.
It was odd. When they first met, she thought he was kind of a quiet and weird but nice guy. She was right about most of it, save for the quiet part.
Heh. They had only met a few days ago, but she was already feeling a little nostalgic.
"I'm fine," she said, and smiled warmly. "Thanks for checking."
Eze was really the best. He nodded once, and removed his hand from her shoulder, looking thoughtful.
"But you know, the difference between feeling upset and feeling happy when receiving romantic attention is attraction. Which means-"
She wasn't upset by it. Maybe she'd grown a thicker skin? Or Claris hadn't threatened her life like Kuda did, and the kiss felt more like a friendly exchange than a bold declaration of dominance. Either way, she couldn't make her adorable squad worry about her!
"Ladies, ladies! You're both beautiful and there's plenty of me to go around-"
"You're supposed to pacifythem, idiot!" Michele groaned and slapped her forehead. The Summoner grinned.
"But for the record, I'd like to be asked about being kissed in the future. It's assault otherwise," she said, giving Claris a pointed look.
"So it's fine as long as we ask?" Kuda asked. He tilted her chin upwards, and then his face was close. Like, really close.
A beat. Then:
"Well, a 'yes' is also necessary," the Summoner said, putting her hand on the cloth covering Kuda's mouth and pushing him away. Then, he leaned backwards, dodging the armored fist that flew towards him.
"You're too weak to land a hit on him, and he deserves it, so I'll do it for you," Michele said, eyes half-lidded as she slammed one clenched hand against her open palm.
"Michele…" The Summoner felt touched for some reason. She clasped her hands together in admiration. While being shoehorned into the role of "helpless civilian maiden" was annoying (even though it was mostly true), she didn't mind being rescued by Michele, honestly. "It's fine, though. Let's get going."
And maybe it was a sign of progression in their relationship, or maybe Kuda's miffed expression lightened her mood, but Michele actually listened. She nodded, and walked ahead.
Hehe.
She really was lucky to have a squad full of amazing people.
Mirza was a sprawling collection of buildings made of sandy brownstone, or something like that. Ivy crawled over the walls, and only deep gouges in the ground suggested that anyone had been in the area recently. The trees were green and lush, not towering like those found in the Forest of Beasts, and not like the drooping, almost shrub-like trees found in the wetlands. Brilliant yellow-orange light was cast from the setting sun over their canopy.
The peacefulness was kind of surreal, a clear indication of nature fully recovering after the war sitting right next to a human remnant. As she stepped over the threshold of the ruins, she felt something change. She wasn't sure what, but it affected the air itself. It was eerie and she wanted to summon someone next to her, but on the way to Mirza, Zephyr had scolded her for unnecessarily wasting energy by having the squad out outside of battle.
"While companionship is a pleasant thing," he had said, giving her a look that made her feel like she was back in school and answered a teacher's question wrong, "you can't afford so much of it when your endurance is so low."
He was right. The weariness in her bones and the beginning pulses of a headache were undeniable. But that didn't mean she couldn't misdirect her frustration in his direction, even if he was only saying it because he cared about her well-being.
Urgh, it was hard to be mad at him.
The Summoner stepped into the ruins, and was surprised to see that the hallways were bright. She hadn't seen many windows from the outside. This wasn't an issue, though, because there were small lamps embedded in the wall, each one separated by a few feet. Were they magic, or so energy-efficient that they could operate for an indefinite years after anyone who could maintain them had left?
She also noticed a bright green luminescence that emanated from what seemed like the walls, which were carved with runes and symbols she couldn't understand. Hopefully, the green light wouldn't give her cancer, or something. It was really cool, nonetheless.
She heard the sounds of movement, and her head jerked up, hands finding the hilts of the short blades she purchased earlier.
"Oh, you've finally arrived!" Tilith said, walking out from behind a pillar.
What was she doing there? The Summoner voiced her question.
The goddess's faced morphed into an expression of annoyance. "I wasn't taking a nap or anything, okay? I was taking care of business."
Well, that was suspiciously specific. The Summoner chose not to comment.
"…Don't look at me like that!"
The Summoner refrained from laughing, but couldn't help the smile from spreading across her face. "Anyways, about these ruins."
Tilith perked up. "Yeah! These are the ruins of Mirza! This place was built thousands of years ago. It's considered a holy site, so lots of magic has been absorbed into the building itself. It makes the area really appealing to monsters!"
She said this with an inappropriately bright smile on her face. The Summoner felt her stomach sink.
"That sounds kind of horrifying?" she said. Tilith began walking down the large halls, so the Summoner followed.
A giggle. "Yup! I didn't think you could handle it, but if you've made it this far, then I think you can make it through these ruins fine! You've improved a lot, I think."
"Thanks." The Summoner raise a hand. "Question, though."
"What is it?"
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to make travel in a straight line to Mistral's Tower? Why make all these stops?"
Tilith faltered in her steps. "That's a good question! The truth is, it'd be almost impossible to access the tower right now."
"Why is that?"
"Maxwell has too much control over the lands. Even if you are decently powerful, breaking down the protections on the tower would be really tiring. Then, she'd swat your exhausted body away like a fly!"
"And travelling from location to location and fighting… will free areas from Maxwell's influence, and then make the journey easier as a whole?"
She nodded. "Maxwell is currently in St. Lamia. If we work on weakening her like this, the battles in the future will be easier. And she's so far away that she can't really do anything about it. Not that I'm sure you wouldn't be able to handle it, anyway."
The Summoner was pretty sure that if Maxwell came barreling through the wall right now, both of them would be dead. Well, at least she would be. She didn't know much about Tilith's fighting capability, and she did have some impressive teleportation skills.
Thinking about what Tilith said regarding the ambient magic in Mirza, though. Maybe it wasn't so bad to free powerful places like this from the God's control.
"Thanks for answering my question. Can I ask another one?"
"You just did!" Tilith said, and laughed. She moved her hand in a way that the Summoner interpreted as "go ahead."
"Are you a fighter? Just curious."
"Hmm. Well, as Lord Lucius's disciple, I can fight, naturally! But that's not my main duty," Tilith said.
"What's that, then?"
"I carry out Lord Lucius's will."
That explained exactly zero. But asking "what does he tell you to do?" seemed personal, so the Summoner kept her mouth shut. The two walked down the hall until Tilith stopped, her robes swishing around her form with the sudden halt.
"I can't go with you further than this," she said.
"Uh, why is that?"
"It's because I'm Lord Lucius's disciple, and Maxwell is also a god… uh, it's hard to explain! But I can't," Tilith said. "I'll see you when you clear these ruins, though! Don't die!"
Tilith pointed a finger at the Summoner. Then she lowered her arm, and smiled. It was uncharacteristically demure and earnest for someone who was so outspoken.
"It was a lot of fun talking to you, by the way! I'd be happy if we could do it again."
She teleported away.
The Summoner was alone. And she wondered: how old was Tilith, exactly? What duties did she have from Lucius? Were there other disciples who worked alongside her? Why wouldn't she go deeper into the ruins, when the Summoner, a normal human, was perfectly capable of it?
Well, the answer to that last question was probably "the difference between a goddess and a human." Who was she to question the probably-bizarre rules that bound divine beings?
The Summoner wondered what it meant if Tilith was so eager to have another conversation, when the Summoner viewed the exchange as kind of awkward more than anything.
She slumped to the ground. "Zepyhrrrrrrr," she groaned.
The man appeared at her request. "I thought you understood that- why are you on the ground?"
The Summoner ignored him, her eyes shut as she rubbed her face against the ground. Then, lifted her face from the dusty cobblestone. "I'm thinking too much."
"That's… not an answer to the question," he said.
"It is, though." Languidly, she rose into a sitting position. "I get the feeling that we'll be fighting soon, and it's better to be prepared than caught by surprise."
"Alright," he said, and gave her a look that probably meant something like you're a fucking freak but I'm too polite to say anything about it.
"So let's summon the others, then!" She gathered the intent up in her mind and did the thing.
So, angels were a thing.
"They don't possess much individual will," Zephyr sad, deflecting a strike from a seraphim with a flick of pulsating magic, "and completely devote themselves to the gods. None of them are under Maxwell's direct command. Rather, they've been drawn to this temple's power and will attack anyone who doesn't have holy powers."
"Annoying ants," Michele said, and beheaded an Angel with her axe. Zephyr nodded once, and turned around to pierce one through the stomach.
"Aren't we just trespassing on their territory, then? It's not like their attack is unjustified." Zephyr's powers also melted through Angels like a hot knife through butter, and she felt like a bully again.
Zephyr gave her an inscrutable expression. "It's you, or them. There's no room for compassion in life-and-death situations," he said.
"It's only respectable if you come at your opponent with the intent to kill if they do the same!" Eze said, smiling during battle as he was wont to do.
She sighed. Their statements were valid and she understood them, but it was still frustrating. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.
When she opened them, she froze.
An Angel stood before her, her luminous wings casting a silvery glow on their surroundings.
Crap. She stiffened, and then prepared to dodge the sword that would come swinging down at her.
Except it never came, because the angel sheathed her weapon, bowed at the Summoner's feet, and took her hand.
"I can sense your wish, Milady," the Angel said in a monotone voice. It was unnerving. "And I will lend you my power."
She disappeared in a flash of white.
"You're a charmer, aren't you?" Claris said, staring at the spot the Angel occupied a few moments earlier. "Or I wonder if she offered to join because she didn't want to die, like her sisters."
"Unlikely," Zephyr said. "Once an Angel swears fealty towards a cause, she will fight to the death for it. They may be weak, but in willful droves, they can be a nuisance."
Her squad returned to her, standing around in a circular formation. She wasn't sure what wish of hers the angel "heard," and wasn't she going against a God, the beings she was supposed to serve, by allying herself with her?
The lull was interrupted by a clapping coming from the far end of the chamber.
"To earn the loyalty of an Angel after having disturbed her roost," a young girl said, "you must have unparalleled charisma and will."
Kuda snorted. The Summoner resolved to spike his food with something nasty.
The new comer was dressed in layers of colorful robes, and her rose-colored hair was pinned into an updo that reminded the Summoner of a pretzel. She held a slender golden staff in her hands.
"I am Mimir," the girl said. Her voice was quiet, but confident. It was like she was confident that her message would be heard, even if her voice was low.
All in all, she didn't look much like a fighter.
"Since you've defeated my companions, I had to request some assistance," Mimir said, serene expression on her face.
From who?
The Summoner heard a neighing sound that echoed progressively louder through the empty halls. A sleek white horse with luminous green wings soared above them and landed next to the petite girl. Its electric-blue mane fluttered as it shook its head.
She noticed the cyan horn on its head. Oh. Unicorns were a thing, too.
The unicorn regarded her with obvious disdain. "With the Light Lord by my side, I will eradicate all the impure hearts that dare show themselves before me. Like yours." The voice was decidedly masculine.
Whoa, ouch! She just got slam-dunked by a horse. How? They didn't even have hands to hold a basketball with.
Her shock and hurt must have shown on her face, because Michele also let out a snort, her shoulders shaking.
"I thought unicorns were meant to be friendly, kind creatures," the Summoner grumbled. "What's with you?"
The unicorn reared his head, nostrils flaring. "I am a Pegasus, you bigoted whelp," it said vehemently.
"S-sorry!" Man, she looked like such a jackass here. Her face burned crimson as she bent her waist at ninety degrees and bowed. She was pretty sure that Michele's was also red, but from holding in laughter.
"But anyways," Claris said, as the girl patted the Summoner's back with her staff. The soft jingling of the bell hanging from its tip was oddly soothing as it thumped against her shoulder blades. "You talk impressively, but you guys are pretty weak, aren't you?"
"You two are not the strongest source of power in these ruins," Zephyr said, and raised a hand. "Eze, if you will."
He let out an excited yell, in an instant, he ran at the stunned Mimir.
"Thunder Expulsion!"
The unicorn – oops, the Pegasus – charged in front of the girl, stretching its wings so they would absorb the brunt of the crackling electricity that split out from Eze's sword. With a sweep of his head, the Pegasus's horn was able to parry Batootha's downward swing.
"Dark Cut," Zephyr said, and flung a large blade of violet energy towards the skirmish with a flex of his left arm.
The spell hurtled towards the two. It was pulsating as it wrapped itself around the sword, yellow and black dancing with each other.
It seemed to affect the Pegasus as well, and as Eze pressed down on its horn…
The Summoner thought that it might have been splintering. Then, a burst of light, and the Pegasus was cleaved in half and disintegrating into bursts of energy. It was like the walls of Mirza absorbed the creature's essence as it disappeared.
The impact had thrown Mimir against the wall. She probably hit her head hard, because she was out cold.
Again, the battle was underwhelming, honestly.
"Nice spark," Michele said, watching as the Summoner picked up the materials left behind by the Pegasus. "Your timing was excellent."
"Thank you," Zephyr said.
"…Spark?" the Summoner said/asked, feeling out of the loop, but what else was new?
"When two or more allies time an attack in the same instant, their powers often combine and amplify. That is 'spark.' Since everyone has a different sense of battle rhythm and speed, it takes much practice before it can be achieved consistently," Zephyr explained.
Then it was impressive that Zephyr had been able to do it after knowing Eze for such a short time.
"In the future, you should be able to coordinate any Units fighting on your behalf and maximize the number of sparks in battle," Michele said. "Though, considering you, it'll be the very distant future."
"Considering that you're at the center of our consciences, sparking tends to be intuitive to summoners. You don't have much battle experience, so I imagine you'll be more passive in conflicts, and can observe the most opportune moments," Zephyr said.
"I hope I don't disappoint, then!" She'd have to watch and learn how each person fought, how they made decisions, and how they timed attacks. The Summoner didn't really understand how it could be intuitive when sparking sounded like it was based on observation, but she'd just have to give it a try.
They found a doorway further down the chamber that Mimir and the Pegasus had blocked. Upon walking through, the cool night air greeted the Summoner.
Hmm. She didn't realize that how much time had passed while they were fighting in the ruins.
Her stomach lurched. She was kind of hungry, actually. Had she eaten anything since the morning?
Claris shifted.
"I sense Maxwell's presence. Her agent is nearby, I think."
There was a figure standing at the middle of a dais a stone's throw away from them. Their opponent was a tall, curvy girl who seemed energetic and boisterous, even though she was standing perfectly still. Her coloration was bright, from her aquamarine intense eyes to her tan skin and golden hair.
She levelled a look at the party, and hefted her large lance up to rest on her shoulder.
"So you're all gonna be my opponents, then?" she said. "You look like fucking chumps."
She sucked her teeth, the sound echoing across the ruins.
"Um," the Summoner replied eloquently.
Kuda sighed, and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "She's Luna, a hero from La Veda. Writers never quote her directly, and I'm sure even you can tell why."
In response to this, Luna made a hand gesture that was very rude, judging by her smug expression and the outraged sound Michele made in response to it.
The ethereal beauty and heroism combined with the dissonant speech patterns of a common thug.
"I like you," the Summoner said.
Michele elbowed her, and her elbow was so bony and sharp that the Summoner realized that Michele didn't need to carry around weapons. She could kill men with her elbows. "Don't send mixed signals to the villain by telling them that you like them, stupid!"
Luna sucked her teeth again. "Considering that you six are ganging up on one person… doesn't that make you all the villains? Dumbass."
Before the Summoner could control herself, her body moved, her arms wrapping around Michele to prevent the other blonde from attacking Luna.
This all seemed kind of backwards. But Luna did have a point.
"Well, you do have the support of the Four Fallen Gods," the Summoner said, standing straight once Michele's form relaxed.
Luna looked thoughtful. "That's true. You're nowhere near their level," the girl said.
She moved into an aggressive stand, and attacked.
The tip of her lance probably would have impaled the Summoner's skull, if not for the sword that intercepted its trajectory. Sparks flew, and the training blade she bought earlier cracked under the pressure of Luna's attack.
"Perhaps you ought to focus a bit more," Zephyr said, voice clipped. "Don't speak to the enemy like they're your ally."
It was a second. Her eyes could barely follow Luna launching her attack, Zephyr grabbing her sword and intercepting the attack.
He handed the broken weapon back to her. "I'll be helping Michele with your training," he said. "Please don't forget the difference between a Unit and a normal human."
You are trash how you even gather the energy to drag yourself out of the trash can in the morning, Zephyr was essentially saying. Part of her wanted to lie on the ground and eat something fattening and cry for a few hours, but she nodded. Because he was right.
While Zephyr could have been referring to the gap in skill between herself and the Units, she knew that he meant something else by it.
For me, death is permanent. That was his point.
"Do you think you're cool, or something?" Luna said. "Your tattoo is tacky, by the way."
Hey, hey. Now that was uncalled for. Zephyr's tattoo was really cool and stylish. And considering Luna's shiny turquoise chestpiece, she shouldn't be commenting on others' tackiness.
Rather than call her out on that, the Summoner asked, "In death, why would you serve the side you fought against in life?"
Luna frowned. She opened her mouth. "That doesn't matter anymore," she said, her voice becoming cold. It was odd. While she wasn't nice by any means, there was a kind of charm to her rough mannerisms.
Unsettling. Luna stared back at her with sober eyes, and it even felt like the girl's bright, brilliant colors had become muted and dull.
"I agree. It doesn't," a voice, one she knew fairly well, remarked.
Luna's chest burst in a flurry of red gore as a blade snaked through her body, ripping skin and flesh. Despite the evisceration, her face remained neutral. She cast a blank look at Kuda.
"Oh, don't give me that," Kuda said, shaking the blood off his whip with a single flick. "You're not taking us seriously, anyway."
Helpless and bleeding on the ground, Luna still managed to remain composed and cool. She tilted her head towards the Summoner, and smiled. Or rather, she bared her teeth. They were stained pink.
The hero of La Veda disappeared in a flash of light.
"Noel!"
The boy regarded her in a way similar to the way a person would regard an insect floating in their soup. Then he looked down and returned to writing about whatever satanic rituals he enjoyed writing about.
"You're mean."
"And you have too much free time," Noel retorted.
She flopped dramatically into the seat next to him. "I just wanted to greet my favorite researcher in the world. You're so cold that I'm getting frostbite."
"You're here awfully late. You want something." It wasn't a question.
Wasn't he a bit too dedicated to his job, being here so late? Then again, it suited him perfectly. That's why the Summoner was able to guess that he would still be here. She looked sideways at his paper, and immediately zoned out at the sight of esoteric-looking diagrams and complicated equations.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask for your advice about a training regimen. I know I should work on technique and stuff, but I think I ought to work on my endurance, too."
Because asking one of the Units would be like asking for death. She already experienced some of that when she was bullied by Michele earlier.
Those people… didn't understand what being a civilian was like. Overpowered weirdoes.
Noel, on the other hand, was a scientist who specialized in synthesizing power from nothing, and would have a better idea of what was healthy. And he looked kind of frail and pathetic, so he probably thought that like five push-ups was impressive.
But Noel was a scientist, which meant that he had the potential for infinite amounts of evil.
He put his pen down and looked at her. "How do you feel right now?" he asked.
"Absolutely exhausted. Like I want to die," she replied immediately. He rolled his eyes at her.
"Overworking your muscles will be detrimental. If you can't handle the daily tasks of being a Summoner, don't try to supplement your activities with a real workout. Make sure you stretch at the start and the end of the day, though," Noel said, returning to his work.
"Is that really okay?" She was expecting something, at least.
"Considering that I called you at ten earlier today, and you don't have any duties to the Hall, you've been adventuring for about fifteen hours straight," Noel said. "Adding a cardio workout to that sounds cruel. Ask your Units or someone to train you on simple combat stances while you're out in the field."
"But the problem is that they're too high-leveled. It's like, they jump from A to E while I'm still struggling at B," she said, frowning.
"Have you even eaten dinner?" Noel interjected. The Summoner admired how the speed of his pen didn't slow at all while speaking. She always made mistakes while writing and talking at the same time.
"Um."
"You're really something else," he said, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Wait a minute."
He got up and left the lab, irritation radiating off of him, apparent in the stiffness of his back and his borderline-stomping footsteps. She held her head in her hands and waited for him to return.
And waited. And waited…
She woke up to the sound of a door opening. A girl was standing at an unfamiliar doorway. Where was she? Her neck and shoulders felt sore, and she felt the table under her folded arms.
Noel's lab. She must have fallen asleep sometime last night. There was a thin blanket tossed around her shoulders. The two girls stared at each other, one energetic and the other bleary.
"You're awake!" the girl – Lin, if the Summoner's memory didn't fail her – said. "I came to check if you were up and if you wanted to have lunch with me."
Lunch.
"What time is it?"
"Half past noon."
Shit. There went any hopes of a productive day.
"Sure, let's get lunch," the Summoner said, cringing at her stupid, broken circadian rhythm. There was an audible crack when she stretched backwards. "Do you mind if I use the restroom first, though?"
"No problem! Noel said to give this to you, because 'she'll need it,'" Lin said, scrunching her nose at the last three words as her voice turned snide.
The Summoner smiled. "Thanks," she said, and accepted the bag in her hands.
Noel, for all his surliness and apparent apathy, was a beautiful human being and she loved him. Inside, there was another change of clothes, along with several books and what looked like a memory chip.
Only do the more intensive regiments on days that you're not adventuring. Set up a schedule. The chip goes into your communicator. Eat regular meals.
Your unreasonable magic levels can only sustain your body for so long.
-N
She grabbed bathing supplies from the closet and hopped into the same stall that she used during the aftermath of her shenanigans with Mock!Karl.
Talking with Noel soothed her frazzled nerves. Maybe it was because the boy was so tightly-wound and a touch pretentious, but she was able to forget about her troubles when she spoke with him. Kids were so cute, hehe.
Alone in the shower, though (did anyone other than her use them? They were way too immaculate…), the uncertainties came rushing back.
The trainwreck of a final battle yesterday, for one. She noted that Kuda was able to take down Luna with ease, just like in their previous battles. It got all weird at the end. Like… Luna was possessed by something.
Maxwell? Or someone else? Moreover, why bother?
Weiss's words, too… it all made her feel like she was an insignificant pawn in the grand scheme of things, despite Tilith's kind words.
She was also like ninety-five percent sure that Zephyr was annoyed at her for being a Weak Human Maggot. Well, maybe not annoyed, but disappointed, and that was probably worse.
As the summoner, she got the impression that she should be the emotional and military leader of the team. So far, all of the squad had pretty much done their own thing, and they managed to get by. She doubted these tactics would hold up in higher levels of fighting.
There was also what Noel said about having unreasonable magic levels. That sounded suspicious, but Noel was the type of person who wouldn't make declarations unless he had at least three impartial studies about the topic at hand. Her lack of food and forethought yesterday were contributing to a pulsing headache at her temple.
Considering that many hours of hard travelling and adrenaline-highs should have had her passed out or severely dehydrated within three hours, perhaps "magic" was the reason behind it. She forgot to eat, simply because she hadn't felt any urge to yesterday.
Could she channel the ability towards more useful things, like healing? In a way, running on magic yesterday was like her healing her own cells that had been damaged by negligence.
She couldn't even control it. How annoying.
She wiped her dripping body off and changed into the outfit Noel provided her. It was identical to the armor her gave her the other day, and wait a second, when did he get her measurements?
Asking that type of question would likely end in her going insane, so she veered off that train of thought and mentally thanked Noel for the clothes.
Lin was waiting for her back in Noel's lab, tapping away at what looked like a heavily-modded version of the communicator that the Summoner used. She looked up at the sound of footsteps.
"Are you ready? Let's go!" the other girl said, grabbing the Summoner's hand and dragging her through the door and down the hall. "You've never seen the canteen, right? I'd take you somewhere else, but the food here is actually pretty yummy!"
The Summoner lurched forward with a yelp, and let herself be pulled along. Different rooms and wall decorations passed her in a blur. She thought she heard variations of phrases like "who is that with Lin" and stuff, but she was preoccupied with not tripping over her own feet.
"Here we are!" Lin said, looking proud of herself. "The Hall takes care of its summoners, so it's all-you-can-eat! Please help yourself!"
The canteen was set up like a large dining hall, with an upper-level full of tables and booths. The décor was tasteful, unlike the Spartan cafeteria she expected. On the far side, there were chefs standing in a line, serving people, and there were self-serve stations for dessert and salad.
In other words, she got way too much food. The Summoner blushed as a chef winked at her and gave her an extra-large portion. This was her third trip on the line, by the way.
"I don't get why I'm so hungry," she said, frowning. Then she took a huge bite of the sandwich on her plate, and set it down next to the empty bowl that had once been filled with stew. "I usually don't eat this much." It wasn't even a matter of self-consciousness – did she even have enough room in her stomach to fit all the food she was putting in there?
"Don't worry about it," Lin said, laughing at her misery. "Summoners tend to eat a lot, since they exercise and use magic extensively. Newbies eat more than that, because their magic reserves are still growing!"
She wasn't going to die of a burst stomach then. That was reassuring.
"Is it bad that I still want more?" the Summoner moaned, planting her forehead on the cool tabletop. Lin stood up.
"I'll go with you, if you want! I have a separate stomach for sweets, and the buns are really good." Lin extended a hand, and for all intents and purposes, looked like an angelic savior.
"I know that we've only known each other for like a day, but I love you," the Summoner said, taking her hand.
Lin giggled. "It's no problem! Us beginners have to stick together, after all."
"Oh, are you also a summoner?"
"Not at all! I'm part of Logistics Support. We handle exploration efforts across Grand Gaia and the Vortex. I joined a month ago, but I still get scolded by my boss a lot," Lin said, and looked wary, as if her boss could pop out at any second and start reprimanding her.
"Your boss just doesn't understand how cool you are, Lin!" the Summoner said.
"Haha, if only! I make a lot of mistakes. But anyways, I bet I'll be communicating with you in the near future…"
Lunch was a pleasant affair.
"Aah, it's a haunted house," the Summoner said, examining the nameplate at the gate. It had weathered over time, making it illegible. "I wonder who used to live here?" It was a waste that they were visiting during the daytime.
Even though she said that, the dead silence and gloomy atmosphere still make the building look eerie. She was talking to herself, so the house could be driving her insane.
Oh, was that Tilith? The goddess's bright clothing and hair were striking amongst the drab scenery. The Summoner jumped at her, wondering if the girl was capable of being surprised.
Tilith shrieked loudly, and fell on her backside.
Well, that was… the Summoner joined her on the ground, cackling madly.
"H-how rude!" Tilith's face was scarlet.
"C-come on… that was pretty f-funny, right?" the Summoner said between laughs.
"Don't-! This place is called the 'Monsters' Nest' for a reason!"
The Summoner smiled at her.
"You're mean…"
"Sorry, sorry!" the girl said, not sounding not very sorry at all. "It's just that you're this powerful goddess who can probably destroy any monster in this place with no trouble, but you're still spooked by things like ghosts. It's really cute!"
Tilith didn't become any less flustered, and floundered about a bit before saying, "I'll just see you at the foot of the Tower of Mistral, okay?" before leaving.
The Summoner walked into the mansion, humming a tune to herself. It was decrepit and filled to the brim with cobwebs. Dust motes were visible in the pale beams of sunlight that filtered in from the cracked walls.
"You're not scared of places like this?" Kuda asked, once she summoned them after reaching the foyer of the house. It was only because she felt that something was nearby, and was this the supposed magic she had in her?
"Nah, I love horror stories," she replied. "The short, cryptic ones are the best! Like, have you ever heard the one about the child playing in her bedroom? Her mother calls her from the kitchen, so the girl leaves her room and is about to go down the stairs. As she walks down the hall, she's dragged into a closet! Before she can scream, a hand covers her mouth."
"It's her mother. 'Don't go into the kitchen,' the mother says. 'I heard it calling too.'"
Silence. Then:
"Was the impostor the mother calling from the kitchen, or the mother in the closet?" Zephyr mused thoughtfully.
"…Exactly! Zephyr, you get me," she said, trying to read his voice for any signs of annoyance or dislike.
"These kinds of stories are pointless," Michele said, scoffing. "Why deliberate on the worst possibilities when you can just- eek!"
A drop of water from the leaking ceiling fell onto the back of her neck and rolled down the bare skin. The Summoner clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. The attempt left much to be desired.
"Not a word," Michele growled, flush visible even in the dim light. Her eyebrow twitched. "I was just surprised is all!"
Michele was so cute, holy crap. She didn't seem perturbed by the unsettling atmosphere of the mansion, but it was fun to tease her nonetheless. At least, it was fun when her reaction was yelling and not violence.
The blonde's foul temper persisted as they exterminated the first floor of the manor.
"W-wait a second, was that a medusa?"
Michele snorted. "It's tasty when char-broiled, so who cares?"
Cute but utterly terrifying.
Zephyr cornered her after the Summoner paused the group to gather some of the materials that their opponents dropped. The others were lounging and walking through the empty hallways, exploring rooms.
She wondered if the bones and fangs she was picking up would make good soup.
"I'm not upset at you," Zepyhr said, after staring at her unnervingly for a few seconds. The Summoner gulped. Was this a confrontation?
"I understand that you don't have much experience, and it is in all of our best interests that you improve. I apologize if I am impatient at times. I haven't been a teacher in a long while."
Zephyr…!
She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt him tense up, and then relax. He ran a hand through her hair and then settled for patting it, kind of like a master petting an overeager dog.
"So you don't hate my plebeian guts after all. I'm happy."
"What drove you to that conclusion?" Zephyr asked.
She didn't reply, and simply squeezed tighter. That's right, she was being silly. Zephyr was pretty much a saint, and was incapable of impure feelings such as resentment.
"What are you two doing?" Claris asked dryly from the hallway.
After the feelings-fest (she had given Claris a placating hug as well), the Summoner and co. were ready to leave the mansion.
They were blocked by a lone man, dressed like he came from feudal Japan. He wore a wide-brimmed rice hat and a simple black hakama.
"I am Mifune," he said, raising his hat to reveal steadfast, onyx-black eyes. "My sword craves human blood. I must cut you down. I apologize."
She thought Luna was fast. The Summoner saw his ponytail flick, and then she was tugged forward by Michele.
But she felt a stinging on the underside of her chin. She touched the source of the pain, and her fingertips came away red.
Mifune's katana glowed ominous red-violet, and the small streak of her blood on its edge seemed to be absorbed into the metal. Creepy.
His eyes… they were completely blank, and chilled her.
The Summoner was hefted into a pair of warm arms. Kuda sent an attack at Mifune, giving Eze the opportunity to jump away with her in his grasp.
She had to focus. What could she do that wouldn't interfere with the others? She was usually the group's liability, but it was amplified by their opponent, whose sword seemed to have a magnetic attraction to her. Mifune could dodge and parry their attacks, and his sword would come dangerously close to her time and time again.
Eze was panting, and she could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly as he was nicked by the blade again. She frowned.
"Don't worry about me. You're the only one here who's in actual danger," he said.
That didn't stop her from feeling extraordinarily guilty, though. Since he was keeping her away from Mifune's strikes, Eze didn't have any way of protecting himself.
It was shameful.
"Eze," she whispered into his ear, "put me down."
"What? That's a terrible idea-" Eze said, but she gave him a Look, and maybe she wasn't a garbage summoner, or maybe it was because he was her first summon and he just understood her easier, but he nodded.
He let her dismount from his grasp. As her feet hit the ground, Mifune weaved his body around Michele's axe swing. With a two handed grip, he swung his katana at her waist, with the intent of slicing her in half.
"Battle-rhythm," Zephyr had said about sparks.
She could kind of understand it now. If Mifune had already been at close range, she'd be dead, but Eze's evasion and the others' efforts had managed to put some distance between them.
Mifune was a blur as he traveled towards the pair.
"What the hell are you doing?" Michele shouted from across the hall, outrage and worry apparent in her tone.
It was like Zephyr knew that she'd have an easier time if he used a musical term. If she could divide time up into smaller units, she could avoid being swept up by its momentum.
Mifune drew his sword backwards, and swung-
-and she dropped flat to the floor.
Batootha greeted Mifune's katana, steel meeting steel instead of flesh like the swordsman had been expecting.
Behind him, Kuda leapt up and aimed downwards, assaulting Mifune with his whip.
Mifune whirled around and deflected the lash, sending the chain flying in the other direction, skittering across the ground. He was so fast that it must have taken maybe one, one-and-a-half seconds.
It was all Eze needed to stab him through the chest.
It wasn't something cool and showy like a spark, but it was enough for Mifune to slump around the large sword, gurgling noise emitting from his throat as he tried to speak.
"N-not bad," he said, before disappearing.
Once he was gone, the Summoner sat up. She felt lightheaded and it felt like her ears had a pulse.
"That," Kuda said, hefting her up with a hand, "was astonishingly foolhardy, even for you."
"But it was AWESOME," she said once the shock wore off. "High five, Eze!"
Eze high-fived her. She grinned.
"I agree with Kuda," Zephyr said, frowning. The Summoner pouted.
"But didn't you say that I should be observing a battle and finding the right moment to strike?" She wanted to be praised, dammit.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I did, but putting yourself at risk like that is kind of…"
She felt fingers grabbing onto her ear and her head being yanked to the side. The Summoner came face-to-face with a very angry-looking Michele.
"I thought I told you about purposely putting yourself in danger like that," Michele hissed.
"B-but I can't improve if I just hide behind you guys and let you do your thing," the Summoner insisted, shirking away from her accusing stare. "Besides, we all came out unscathed, so it's not really a problem right?"
"I wouldn't say 'unscathed,'" Claris said. She walked up to the Summoner, and ran her fingers along the vertical cut on her neck.
"Ow!"
Claris glared at the cut. She lifted her staff, and rung the bell once.
Nothing happened.
"Huh?" the wound was still present, and boy, it stung.
Claris shook her staff again, a bit more vigorously. Again, nothing. Miffed, she stuck an arm out.
The Summoner placed a bottle of cure in her outstretched palm. Claris removed the lid, poured the liquid on her hand, and slapped her hand against the Summoner's throat.
She squeaked. It was cold.
"I can apply it myself, you know-!"
"Why isn't it healing?" Claris muttered, looking frustrated. It was odd seeing her like that, since the Summoner had only seen her in two moods: serene and kind, or sly (usually when verbally battling against Kuda).
"Uh, do you think it has to do with that katana?" the Summoner said. "Mifune did say something about it 'craving human blood,' after all."
She paused.
"Wait, does that mean I'm cursed?" she held her head in her hands and curled up into a ball.
"You might be," said Zephyr. When the Summoner wailed in despair, he quickly added, "Not in the way you're probably thinking of. I suspect that the wound will be unhealable with magic, and it will heal slowly." The I think was unsaid, and the Summoner wanted to cry.
"Hey, you'll have a cool scar afterwards," Eze said, trying to be helpful. "It'll be like a souvenir of this day."
"Congratulations on making it through the nest!" Tilith cheered. "I rushed here right away when I felt the protections on the tower had broken down."
She halted, and looked horrified.
"What happened to you?"
The Summoner scratched her cheek, the one that wasn't right next to a gaping wound on her face. "Well, you know, cursed swords and rookie mistakes and stuff like that. It's not life-threatening, so it's okay, I think."
Tilith still looked distressed. "Are you sure you don't want to return to Elgaia and get it looked at? Here, I can try healing you-"
"Nah, you don't have to waste the energy," the Summoner said, and avoided Tilith's wandering hands. "Claris tried healing me, and we tried using a Cure, but none of it worked. I guess it has to heal naturally."
At least it stopped bleeding. The Summoner was grateful for Vitamin K.
Tilith persisted, and the Summoner relented, letting the girl run her hands up and down her neck.
Then the goddess pressed her lips to the cut.
Well then.
Did people not understand the concept of personal space here? The Summoner felt her brain short-circuit. Tilith furrowed her eyebrows, and let out a hmm.
"It seems like you've been cursed! You can drink some Holy Water to get rid of it. Do you have any on you?"
Tilith looked up at her, and she was still really close.
Uh. Did she?
"…No," the Summoner responded after realizing that she didn't even know how to make them. She was out of it, okay.
Tilith frowned. "Maxwell's subordinates in this tower are stronger than anything else you've fought so far in Mistral, you know. Going forward while injured could have fatal consequences!"
"I know," the Summoner said, "but I feel pretty fired up right now. I think I can handle it."
"I see…" Tilith looked contemplating. A moment passed, and then her eyes widened. She leapt backwards, face flushing. "S-sorry! I didn't realize…"
"Don't worry about it. You were worried about me, after all," the Summoner said, wishing that Tilith would stop bowing and apologizing. She wanted this scene to be over, more than anything.
Well, that was awkward. The Summoner trudged up the stairs of the tower miserably, letting Zephyr and Michele take out the familiar monsters that came charging at them.
The tower wasn't even that tall. From the outside, it looked to be maybe four or five stories high. Even so, it was foreboding. Who knew what horrors awaited inside?
At the same time, the feeling that her group was curb-stomping everything in its path resurfaced. A powerful-looking horned beast with rippling muscles confronted them, and it was turned into a well-cooked steak by Michele. Whenever the Summoner so much as looked at a monster, it was sliced into pieces by Eze.
Was her squad feeling extra-motivated? Or was Maxwell deliberately making their opponents weaker so that they'd let their guard down?
The Summoner heard a roar as the stairway emerged to an outdoor area. Skeletons marched down the stairs in front of them, and a dragon landed in front of her.
A mother-freaking dragon.
They were a thing, too. It was bright-blue, and had a wingspan of at least fifteen feet. Its fangs were sharp, the sunlight glinting off of them as it opened its mouth.
It let out another roar, and the Skeletons shied away from the source.
"Aah, it's too scary!"
"We have to fight with that?"
"It'll be easy though, right?"
"T-too scared… my legs won't move."
Skeletons were kind of hilarious, but the Summoner pitied them. They were dispatched quickly.
The dragon, though…
"The Wyvern is a powerful creature who rarely involve themselves with humans. They only serves noble spirits," Claris said, sending a spell at the dragon. "Maxwell must be more powerful than we thought, able to subjugate its will like that."
It roared again, and it seemed like it was in pain.
The Summoner felt bad for it.
But Zephyr had scolded her for feeling empathy for enemies…
If she beat Maxwell, then she wouldn't be able to force creatures to do her bidding, right?
The dragon fell in the face of Zephyr's Dark Cut. It made a hard impact with the stone ground, sending rubble flying about. A stone landed by her feet, and she picked it up.
It was a brilliant blue, the same color as the dragon's scales. She picked it up and wrapped her fist around it.
She tore her gaze away from the prone body, still twitching from the aftereffects of Eze's lightning attack, and faced forward. She could feel an overwhelming presence coming from the levels above them.
There were still foes to defeat.
Maxwell's creation was an eccentric thing. It resembled a metallic dragon, with a sweeping steel tail and claws that looked like they could tear through anything. Wings of metal jutted out from its back, sharp and vicious. Its upper half was oddly humanoid, and it wore an armored chestplate and a red helmet. Glowing eyes glared at her.
With a roar, the monstrosity lashed out with its tail, knocking over a pillar. Bits of stone flew towards the squad, most of which were skillfully deflected.
The ensuing fight was draining. The creature seemed to absorb all magic into its thick hide, and blades glanced off of it, barely leaving behind a scratch. Occasionally, its blows would leave one of the fighters disoriented, barely able to hold their weapon let alone coordinate a powerful strike.
Maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew?
She was charged at by the monster, who had managed to corner her somehow.
The Summoner went flying backwards, and felt something in her spine crack as she landed against a pillar. She was going to feel that tomorrow morning, yeesh. If she survived the battle, that is. At least she landed against something solid and hadn't been flung out of the tower. A smattering of bruises and even a broken spine was preferable to being a bloody streak on the ground.
She felt a hard lump in her mouth, the size of a peach-pit.
The creature didn't give her time to react as it sent another attack at her. She barely rolled out of the way of its tail.
She felt the hard object lodge itself in her throat as the muscles contracted due to her surprise, and she felt it travel down her esophagus unpleasantly.
What the fuck, she thought. She hadn't even known what it was. Hopefully it wasn't poisonous. She was already cursed. She didn't need to have an unhealable hole in her gut, or something. The impact against the wall made her head spin with dizziness.
It slashed at Claris, who tried to dodge the sweep of its mighty claws. And failed. The girl cried out, blood seeping out at her shoulder from where an arm used to be.
Oh, that was bad. Kuda's whip, blazing red from Michele's magic, wrapped around its leg and left small dents in the metal. It disregarded the weapon.
Claris faded away into white. The Summoner stared numbly, her mind unable to process what just happened. That feeling, the one of a pulse in her ears after defeating Mifune, had returned.
"-tch out!"
Michele's warning came too late, and the creature was bearing down on her. Each one of its teeth was the size of her forearm.
So this was the end, then, she thought as she was pushed to the side.
The one who ended up ensnared in the creature's jaws wasn't her, but…
Eze glared at her. "I know you're going to freak out about this," he said. "Don't-"
He never finished his sentence, because the monster clenched its jaw, and Eze exploded in a shower of gore and light as he faded from existence.
Batootha clattered to the ground by her arm. She found herself grasping its hilt. It felt cold in her hands. Her throat was burning, and she couldn't breathe. She felt liquid running down her neck. Had her cut reopened, or was it just Eze's…?
The Summoner felt the blood in her veins rushing hot-red. For some reason, her mind was clear. She could see the creature descending on her, blood dripping from its mouth.
Ba-dmp.
Michele charged forward, her axes ablaze. She wouldn't get here fast enough. None of them would.
Ba-dmp.
The creature opened its mouth again.
Ba-dmp.
The Summoner hefted Batootha up with two hands. It was heavy, and her arms shook as she raised it above her head.
How did Eze manage to fight with it one-handed at times?
Eze…
Ba-dmp.
It struck, its fangs bared. A light burst out of the tip of the sword, and entered its open mouth. A sound, like a crackle, was heard, and then there was blinding white light. She felt her hair whip in the winds that the reaction caused, and closed her eyes to avoid being blinded by tiny bits of shrapnel.
When the winds settled down, she opened her eyes and saw the creature's skeleton, a mess of gnarled metal.
The Summoner felt Batootha slide out of her hands, feeling drained as she flopped to the ground. It, like its master, faded away in that moment.
There was a moment of silence as each remaining member of the party processed what had just happened.
"Well, that happened," the Summoner said.
"Perhaps this calls for some magic training," Zephyr said, eyeing the monster's charred remains.
"So… that was me, then?" she said, finding it difficult to speak. She had the overwhelming urge to vomit.
"There's nobody under your control that can use light-attributed magic, save the Angel," Zephyr said, looking thoughtful, "and no Angel is capable of that."
She wasn't capable of that, either. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead, let out a gross, wet-sounding cough. Then, she couldn't stop.
"Are you alright?" Michele asked, stepping closer to her. Geez Michele, that was an Eze-tier question. But it was okay, since it meant that the girl was worried about her. The Summoner covered her mouth with one hand, trying to control the coughing, and stuck up a single finger with the other hand.
Michele looked concerned, which was scary on its own.
With a final disgusting hack, something shot out of the Summoner's mouth and skidded across the floor. Alongside that something, a lot of blood dribbled out of her mouth.
"My stomach hurts," she said, dazed. She was pretty sure that blood was her own, and while she may have had little medical knowledge, she was pretty sure coughing up blood was a bad thing.
Kuda picked up the object she had projectile-vomited, and wiped the blood away.
A brilliant blue. That stone she found from the dragon.
"How did this end up inside of you?" Kuda asked, and she didn't even feel good enough to make a perverted joke about his question.
"I believe that is a magic amplifier," Zephyr said. "It explains a lot."
"Who cares?" Michele snapped, grabbing the Summoner's face and cleaning some of the blood off. "We ought to pay attention to the leaky, dying human the stone came from, not some magic amplifier."
Oh, was she dying…?
She felt a hand on her head.
"Calm down," Kuda said, forcing her to look at him. "Units can't truly die. The next time you summon those two, they'll be fine."
"But…"
"It was painful. I wouldn't have taken an attack like that, but I'm not a fool," he interrupted. "But I don't doubt for a second that the midget and the idiot would rather take the hit for you a hundred times before letting you experience it for herself."
If she cried again, she'd probably get a reputation for being weak-willed.
She found herself not caring much as she raised her arms. Kuda sighed, and let her hug him.
"For having won, you act like you lost," he said, patting her head. She idly wondered if all of her Units would end up doing that, and let herself get lost in the soothing feeling.
"Congratulations~" Tilith said, bursting into existence. "Oops, am I interrupting something?"
"Not at all," the Summoner said, unwrapping herself from the assassin. "It just got kind of emotional, since the battle was really difficult." Her voice was hoarser than she liked, but at least she could speak clearly now.
Hopefully, her eyes weren't that red. Tilith didn't seem like she noticed, anyway.
"But you did it!" Tilith exclaimed, taking the Summoner's hands in hers. She didn't seem averse to the copious amounts of blood and dirt caked on them. "You've done what no summoner has done before you, and defeated Maxwell's creation!"
The Summoner smiled weakly. "Yeah."
"You might be destined to be Maxwell's nemesis! I'm sure of it!"
"Mhmm."
Tilith pouted. "You could act a little more lively, you know. It feels embarrassing, being the only one excited about this," she grumbled, cheeks pink.
The Summoner was about to respond with an apology, but was interrupted by the ground shaking.
If that was an earthquake, then being on the top of a large building seemed kind of dangerous.
Tilith brightened. "Oh, that's Lord Lucius! He must have something to say!"
Blackness.
I am Lucius, god of the Gate.
I am aware of that, she wanted to say, but back-sassing a god was probably a bad idea. Even if she talked trash about him in her head all the time. She didn't know if Lucius even had a sense of humor.
Savior of Mistral, Lucius said. He didn't have a voice, and his "speech" was more like flickering, but the Summoner could understand his intent all the same.
"Hi," she said.
Use my powers and venture into new lands… Move forth and use your power to bring peace to this world.
She felt movement around her, and then the light that signaled Lucius's presence grew dimmer.
"Wait a minute, I have questions to ask you-!"
She didn't even have time to finish her irate sentence before she fell into unconsciousness.
-to?
-up!
-ke up!
WAKE UP!
Blearily, the Summoner opened her eyes. Tilith was glaring down at her, and wow, wasn't this some type of epic déjà vu?
"How could you fall asleep at such an exciting time?" Tilith demanded.
"I… don't know? I guess Lucius is really soothing or something," the Summoner said, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Since you did such a good job, I can't really be mad at you," Tilith said. She lifted her arms, as if presenting the landscape before them. Her bright smile was a stark contrast from the vicious look she was sending the Summoner's way mere moments ago. "This is Morgan! Since you were able to defeat Maxwell's creation in Mistral, Lord Lucius was able to breach her barrier and open the gate here."
They were standing in a lush green forest, emerald greenery vibrant and buzzing with life. It was odd to think that such a beautiful place was in the grasp of an enemy, considering that it looked so serene. She wondered where her squad was.
"It's nice here," said the Summoner, vaguely remembering what the atlas she read in Karl's room had said about the region.
Tilith nodded. "Morgan used to be famous for its beauty, but nobody has been able to visit since it fell under Maxwell's control."
"That's a pity. But if we clear this area out, people can visit again, right?"
"Yeah! But you should be careful! Since we're closer to St. Lamia, it'll be easier for Maxwell to move against you, so the opponents we'll face will be much stronger. She also has no choice but to take you seriously since you destroyed her Juggernaut."
The Summoner felt… terrified. The fight against Juggernaut had been horrible, and she never wanted to experience something like that ever again.
She was pretty sure that she hated Maxwell.
Tilith continued. "Anyway, you ought to go back to Elgaia and prepare! We can start fresh tomorrow!"
"Hmm, alright," the Summoner said. Then, she remembered something she had been meaning to bring up. "By the way, do you want to-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Tilith had teleported away.
"-get food together?" The Summoner groaned. What was it with Lucius and his associates interrupting her before she could finish her questions?
The heat of the desert made the air soupy and hard to breathe. She wiped the sweat rolling down her forehead with the back of her hand.
Tilith forgot to tell her where the gate to Elgaia was. Lucius transported them to some forest in Morgan, and she knew fuck-all about the region.
Hopefully she wouldn't end up wiping out in some sand dune. That'd be… embarrassing.
She wished that Lucius had given her some other powers, like endurance or a mini-map. Not that the ability to command past warriors wasn't awesome, but the frequency with which she embarrassed herself by falling or stubbing her toe on random things was horrible.
Maybe she ought to look into ways to turn some of that latent magic into active magic. Or something that didn't require her swallowing part of a dragons' remains and probably eviscerated her organs as a result. She still didn't feel well, but she didn't feel any debilitating pain that her meant death was imminent. Was that Lucius's doing? She dreaded seeing a doctor upon her return to Elgaia.
She'd never seen any living humans use magic, so she wasn't sure if she could learn, but it sounded possible, considering that summoners habitually broke the life-death barrier as easily as plucking a fruit from a tree.
See. Her life would be so much easier if Lucius had just given her some legendary weapon to carry her through her travels, or given her a split-personality that was really good at fighting. It was unfair.
In her mind's eye, she could picture Lucius cackling at her and shimmering in seizure-inducing ways. Damn sentient lens flare.
She had the suspicion that every nice person in this world was secretly either a huge jerk or a psychopath. Even Tilith's personality seemed to have darker depths, and it was Tilith.
Maybe next time they met, Karl would reveal himself to be a huge bondage fetishist, or something. It wasn't an unbelievable idea.
She looked up at the sound of her name being called.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you here, of all places."
Ah, speak of the devil.
GET IT BECAUSE HE'S A DEMON. OH, THE DRAMATIC IRONY. laughs alone and shoves mouth full of potato chips.
WELP it's been multiple months. Have essentially what is two chapters in one as an apology. A lot happens, including some love from the ladies, and the Summoner maybe sucking a tiny bit less? I'd like to say that she absolutely didn't one-shot Juggernaut (I'd say it was around 1/3 of its health before Claris and Eze died), but the attack she used was substantially powerful.
I was going to include another summon, but then this chapter exceeded 10,000 words (and Karl had to butt his immaculately-styled head of hair into affairs), so that'll be next chapter.
I've put up a poll on my profile one of the Summoner's future Units, so you can help decide who she kisses next! I'm kidding about that. So far, one character is just absolutely destroying the others in terms of popularity, which I didn't expect, considering that I added them as a choice in afterthought.
I've also put responses to frequently asked questions and questions to anon reviews in my profile! I'll keep them up for about 2?ish chapters, because I don't want to clog the chapters up with review replies.
Finally, THANK YOU for your really sweet reviews and messages. Some of you are waaaay too nice to trash like me and it makes me really happy but also like… why… lol. I haven't edited this (as I type this, there are 13,100 words? HOLY COW), so please feel free to point out any disgusting errors/flaws in reviews or messages.
Thanks for reading! Especially this time - the chapter's stupid-long.
BY THE WAY, huge shoutout to Milerin Zailal for being awesome and sharing theories with me and drawing a super swaggy picture of the Summoner! The link's in my profile.
-eris