Dragons and demons and Rangers, Oh my!
Chapter 2: The Summons (Halt's Edition)
Halt
As he drew the pentacles, and filled the incense bowls, he thought over what he was about to do. He was about to disregard generations of caution and warnings. He was about to summon a demon. This would be the first time in over a hundred years that someone would summon a spirit in Araluen. He was risking his life. He had done more times than he could count. The difference was, this time, his accuracy with a bow would count for nothing. None of his fighting prowess would count for anything. It would all rest on his nerves. And if he failed… No. He had prevailed over Morgarath at Hackham Heath and the Plains of Uthal. He had driven back a full-fledged Temujai invasion with nothing but four hundred Skandians and one hundred archers. He had masterminded the defense of the Emperor of Nihon-Ja with nothing but fifty warriors, some timber workers, and legends of hairy mountain men. Holding his nerve for five, maybe even ten minutes would be easy. As long as he knew he was doing it for Will. No, the hard part, he decided, would be making sure the demon didn't get hold of his or his friends' birth names. Had he been known as something else when he achieved his many victories, then there would be no problem. But now, his birth name was legend, it was a house name in at least three different countries! And it didn't stop there; his friends, Will and Horace, were both legends as well. "Well look at poor old me, famous and adored by all" he thought wryly. Well, there nothing for it but to guard his tongue. And then he stepped into the pentacle and began speaking. After some chanting that made Halt feel immensely foolish, he waited for seven seconds. Then, with an ear blasting thud, a veteran warrior appeared. He appeared to be an Arridi. "What is your desire?" the aforesaid Arridi demanded, "Riches beyond your wildest dreams? A kingdom to rival the might of Jerusalem? The secrets of women's minds? Tell me your foe and I shall blast them to dust!" he ended the rant bellowing. Halt chuckled on the inside. He appeared to be a megalomaniac. If so, he was in for a surprise. "I don't have time for your praises of times gone past. I am going to tell you where you are, when you are, and why you're here. First of all, this is Araluen, around Celtica. Next, this is about 500 A.D. Finally, some strange things have been happening. Namely, a massive continent named Alagaesia crashed into Skandia, and with it, dragons, magicians, and strange beasts." He stated. The djinni looked extremely indignant, which is an interesting look for a hardened veteran, "Glories gone past? Well, if it has been that many years, then maybe… More to the point, I suppose it will be the usual: kill them, make me rich business then? And about the dragons, they're probably djinn in dragon form. Which is impressive, being that huge and all, but still. Nothing some well placed Detonations and Infernos won't take care of." He replied primly. Halt groaned on the inside. Not another cheeky one. He would try reasoning with it once more. After that… hmmm. Maybe his accuracy with a bow would come in handy. "No. I sent djinn before you. All of them, beasts, humans, or dragons, are their respective forms on all seven planes. And, for the sake of clarity, by magicians I mean humans capable of working magic without the assistance of spirits." He carefully kept his tone without sarcasm. The djinni looked at him like he was a foolish child, and retorted "That's not possible. You humans are as magical as dust mites. Slightly less so, in fact. I once knew a dust mite that could turn himself invisible. And furthermore, dragons don't, and never did, exist." This time, Halt didn't bother resisting the sarcastic response that sprang to his tongue. "Well, I suppose then that charges given to djinn no longer bind them, and that we should all bow down and worship the dust mites for their glorious ability to turn invisible right before we step on them, crushing our supreme overlords into the dust they're named after." He sarcastically spat out, "Do you think I would forget to order the djinn to relate their findings truthfully and without deception? If so, it appears the saying 'Wisdom comes with age' is false, as the younger of us would be the only one with a clear head. Do you take me for some spoon fed fool?" the djinni looked at him condescendingly again and spat out equally sarcastically, "Yes, and did you perhaps summon Faquarl? He is rather dense." That was the last straw. Nobody spoke back to Halt like that and escaped unscathed. In the motion ingrained into his very being, he snatched an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to his bow, pulled back to full draw, aimed, and shot. All this took about two seconds. He surveyed his handiwork. His arrow was embedded in the wall next to Bartimaeus, still quivering. Time to push his advantage. He said his next words sweetly and slowly, as if talking to an uncomprehending child, "Perhaps you should remember who could dispatch you at any moment, without difficulty, and not even suffer from the famous indigestion you demons get after eating something physical." "Fine. What do you want?" the djinni asked, all traces of cheek long gone. Halt almost allowed himself a small smile. Almost. "I want you to somehow transport yourself to the leader of Alagaesia, or the leader of any faction there, without causing undue alarm or initiating hostilities between us and any other land, and upon arrival, decide if they would be a helpful and moral ally for Araluen. If they are, attempt to negotiate peace or alliance with them. If not, do what you djinn do best. Kill all in your path and return to me."