A Summoner's Calling

by Jacquelyn Evans

  It takes Kosmos a moment to recognize that the time barrier around her is breaking. No one has never managed that before, except for one. In his moment of hesitation, she runs like a feral animal toward him. He raises his hands, conjuring Kozrot to form around him. But before it finishes, she lunges, raking his face with her forearm.

  Vladimir enters the room. Meanwhile, Jet continues to hang on him as the Kozrot forms an armored suit and thrusts her off.

  Jet catches herself halfway, using her clawed right hand. Her smile is victorious as she calls Kosmos’s attention to the cut on his face. “I got you.” Her power fades, and she returns to herself.

  “Having fun without me, are we?” Vladimir asks as Kosmos’s suit starts to crumble away but the claw marks remain on his face. He casts his magic, speeding up the recovery time to heal his wounds.

  “I had a theory to test,” Kosmos replies.

  “You better keep your end of the deal.” Jet thrusts her hands onto her hips, challenging him to renege.

  “Actually, my dear, if you can recall, you scratched me with your claws, not with the dagger upon which we agreed,” he enlightens her.

  “But you said if I scratched, cut, or sliced you, I’d be able to leave.” Her eyes flash and her voice is a growl.

  “With the dagger the warden gave you, which is lying over there,” Kosmos indicates behind her. She screams in anger, stomping towards him. But with the wave of his hand, Kosmos summons the inscribed shackles. A satisfied smirk curls on his face as they ensnare her once again. Jet continues to struggle like a wild animal as soldiers grab her, pulling her away back to her cell.

  “So, out of all that, that excitement. Did you learn anything?” Vladimir asks.

  “Yes, it seems her abilities are triggered more by reactive means than activated by her own free will. Something is inhibiting her from unleashing that power. I just need more time to research some new questions.” Kosmos says, unable to forget the images of his wife and the crystal.

  “More time? It’s always more time. It’s either let Erryn have more time to become stronger with her abilities, and now you want to waste even more time on Jet? No, I know time is endless to you gods, but all we need is her sister. That’s what I’m going to get.” Vladimir moves within inches of Kosmos.

  “You’re going to be making a grave mistake if you rush this,” Kosmos warns him.

  Vladimir ignores him and walks over to the warden.

  “Warden, how’s the other Tempest boy doing?” Vladimir asks.

  Kosmos makes a portal, leaving disgusted by the dismissal of his warning. He enters back into his realm in a dark hallway. He blinks as he opens the door to a bright room. Machines whir and in the center rests a giant crystal.

  “Oh, Kyla. What am I missing? Why must this Constellation Obsidian Crystal plague us once again? Hasn’t it taken enough from this world?” Kosmos asks.

  Pinya : Erryn

  20

  Erryn sits on the steps next to the bookkeep. The stairs ascend to the upper floors of the temple of Pinya. She observes the lobby as the tavern below readies for lunch. The bookkeep’s busy with people checking out of their rooms or arranging to stay longer.

  “Why such the long face?” he asks her while sorting and handling customers’ needs using the machine on the wall.

  “Oh, nothing, and I mean nothing, literally. These past two days have been boring, and it’s killing me. I sometimes wish I could be some of these other folks going somewhere, you know.” Erryn sighs, watching the people coming and going.

  “It can’t be all that bad. I mean to finally relax from the excitement of your most recent travels.” He makes an entry on the machine.

  “Resting has been nice and, I’ve been able to strengthen my summoner power between me and Zaravarn with meditation. So, I guess that’s something,” Erryn shrugs, seeing his point as she looks across to see Drotonic approaching her. She springs up in hopes of finally continuing her journey.

  “You ready? The bishop is ready to get us prepared for Froztia,” Drotonic says as Erryn jumps for joy. She waves to the bookkeep as they head down the hall to the bishop’s room.

  They enter his room, greeted by the captain of the temple guards and the bishop who smiles. “Erryn, so happy you could join us. I hope you’ve had a pleasant morning.”

  “I am now. So, please tell me. What’s going on? Why’s the prep taking two days for me to create a bond and gain her blessing?” Erryn asks.

  “Let me explain,” the bishop offers, waving them to come closer as he rolls a geographical map of Pinya.

  “Wow, this is a very detailed map.” Erryn notices the temple in which they currently stand is a mountainside on the map. “It looks a little different to what your town looks now.”

  “That’s correct, Lady Summoner,” Captain Roland says. “The detailed map will help us show you your path, regardless of the era from which it came, which was a much darker time.”

  Erryn nods in understanding. She looks around and grabs the bishop’s empty glass, placing it where the temple of today would currently be.

  “There you go. Now, you were saying?” Erryn redirects to the bishop as Roland chuckles, shaking his head a bit.

  “Alright, now this temple, here—,” The bishop places his finger on the map “—is an old one which was her original temple. But it’s an artifact now, crumbled into ruin due to the oceanic elements. However, since then, we have had to readjust somethings to remain connected to her.”

  “So, does that mean there isn’t a mural of sorts to just walk into her realm from here like in Nija?” Drotonic inquires.

  “Correct. So, we’ll give you gear to keep you warm before we open the sealed gate. This’ll lead you to Froztia’s runic stone arch. Therefore, you can reach her realm,” The bishop traces a mountain path on the map. “It’ll teleport you to where her stone arch is.”

  Erryn kinks her head to the side, perplexed, “I know I’m just the summoner here, but did you just say, ‘open a sealed gate’? Why would a gate be sealed from her? Is she dangerous?”

  “You do listen well, your Ladyship.” The bishop indicates for Roland to continue.

  “It’s not because of the Goddess that we closed it to the public, but rather what’s on the path to her realm,” Roland explains.

  “There’s no other way?” Drotonic asks.

  “Since she hasn’t had a summoner to establish a connection since the old temple, no. But we’re hoping reinvigorating that connection will fix that,” the bishop says as Drotonic sighs.

  “What’s on this path?” Erryn asks, looking to Roland.

  “It’s something said to be formed from the worst of nightmares and a thief to the reaper,” Roland says.

  “You’re not talking about a Soul Collector, are you?” Drotonic pales.

  “Is that like really bad? Or folklore curse came to life bad, bad?” Erryn asks.

  “The latter. I’ve only read about them. I’ve even seen illustrations of these darkness creatures in the hopes of learning how to protect and guide you on your journey,” Drotonic says. His hands tremble. “I’d hoped never to meet one.”

  Can’t we just skip it? No, Froztia is expecting my arrival. Then there’s her saving me and the promise to Zaravarn I made. Perhaps this may also serve as my payment back to her aid and trust, she ponders as she looks around at three pairs of eyes, each one expressing a mixture of fear and concern.

  Erryn places her hand on Drotonic’s. “We’ve survived Vladimir, Gesthal, and a Fire Destroyer. What’s a Soul Collector to all of that when we have each other working side by side?” Drotonic looks at her as she just smiles. He nods and squares his shoulders.

  “Um, what’s a Fire Destroyer?” Roland asks.

  “I assume you’ve decided to still go?” the bishop asks as they both nod. “Then, in two hours, we’ll depart for the gate to the mountain pass. Please go. Relax, eat, or whatever your desire is until then. You’ll need your strength. I pray you don’t r
un into it,” the bishop concludes. Erryn and Drotonic thank him for the details. Both smile leaving the room, but the smile diminishes after the door closes behind them.

  No sooner had the door closed as Erryn’s eyes water and her bravery fails, breaking her façade to the looming death that certainly awaits them. Drotonic hugs her, trying to shush her sobs as her body shakes.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay. We got this. I’m going to try and find out what I can in the library and see if any survivors may have witnessed one. We have a chance, together, right?” Drotonic caresses the side of her face as he looks into her eyes. His warmth and comfort reassure her with hope for everything has a weakness.

  “Okay,” she clears her face, “and maybe if I commune with Zaravarn, he might have some pointers as well.”

  “See? We’ve got this. You want me to walk with you?” Drotonic asks.

  “Nah. We only have two hours to use before we depart. Might as well use it wisely,” she says as he gives her another hug before deporting for the library down the hall. Erryn continues to the lobby. She tries to act normal, wishing she could ask those going to midday prayer to pray for her.

  While hoping no one notices her face flushed from crying, she takes the stairs two at a time. Erryn reaches her floor and is just about at her room her room when a nurse walks by, “My lady, is everything okay?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m…a… just a bit tired. I’m going to lie down,” Erryn shrugs.

  “Very good, miss, rest well,” she bows, taking her leave.

  Erryn fumbles with her key in her hurry to enter her room, locking the door behind her. She exhales a deep breath as she lies down with her arm over her eyes. She can’t rest with death on her mind. Erryn tries to focus her mind on Zaravarn but a vision flashes before her of Jet. She’s moving in slow motion as a blackness grows on her arm, spikes protruding along her forearm. Oracle looks at Erryn, touching her hair as he smiles confidently.

  Erryn springs up, sitting upright. Her brow creases. Oracle is with Jet? That makes no sense. Maybe he was showing her I’m okay till he can help her? She gets up, closing the window and curtains. She picks up a talisman on a metal loop and opens her door, placing it on the knob.

  Relocking the door and finding a comfortable spot on the bed, she sits to meditate on Zaravarn. As her body becomes unbounded by Arthro’s gravity, she connects to him.

  “Good afternoon, Summoner. How are we today?”

  “Oh, as good as it could be, you know. Aside from the heavy thoughts of walking towards death in order to connect with Froztia and seeing my sister still in torment through some vision, it was weird,” she says.

  “Death? What do you mean?” he asks.

  “Apparently, there’s something called a Soul Collector. It’s been using her mountain pass as its hunting grounds for whoever travels it,” she shares with him.

  “Hm. I wouldn’t worry too much, for you’re not alone anymore. You not only have that friend of yours who should be securing your protection, but you are a summoner. It’s times like these that being a summoner gives you the upper hand. It’s these means that turn monsters into the prey,” Zaravarn enlightens Erryn, reminding her of their plan to heal and save everyone from two evils, Vladimir and this Kosmos.

  “Yeah, but how you can be so sure?” she asks.

  “Erryn, I’m godly compared to this thing. Now, what’s this about your sister?” he inquires, dismissing the other issue.

  “I kind of know where she is, and I keep getting possible flashes of her torment over in some volcano. But this last vision…my friend Oracle was there,” she says.

  “In a volcano, you say?” he asks.

  “Yeah, why?” she wonders.

  “You do know that I’m the fire god, right? And what’s in a volcano,” he says as her face brightens.

  “You better be straight with me and no kidding around. Can you take me to her?” she asks.

  “It’s called astral jumping. You’ll need to detach your spirit from your body. For your first time I will assist you in separating from your physical form. Then I’ll be able to take you, but I’ll warn you that your spirit form may be different from your human form,” he says. Erryn becomes silent, closing her eyes as she feels warm hands touch hers. As she lifts, she opens her eyes to a faded body looking all purple.

  “Purple?” She looks to Zaravarn in his human-like monk form as he stares silently at her form. “You okay? You know this is Vladimir’s territory,” she adds as he ignores her statement. Focusing on the destination, he zooms them through a fiery tunnel, leaving her bedroom and body behind. They travel, arriving to a door comes up. He opens it, throwing her through as she sees the torture room where Jet was chained up.

  “How disgusting,” he snarls. He comes through in a more bestial form with a horned head and razor-sharp teeth, protruding out slightly as his hair blazes and flames burn throughout his torso.

  “That’s different,” Erryn says as he sends forth magma dogs and saber torches rampaging through the volcanic halls.

  “No worries. They won’t hurt you nor will destroyers anymore. I took care of that one after meeting such a curious soldier,” he says.

  He must mean Kozic, she thinks. She keeps walking as all Vladimir’s men fall back trying to escape, but Zaravarn shows them no mercy. Her sympathy never surfaces for them. Then, as she passes many barred cells, a bright ping flashes in Erryn’s mind. She faces toward one with interest.

  The floor is piled with bodies, and in the dim firelight, Erryn can see something against the back wall. Her hand covers her mouth. She whimpers in sorrow. Zaravarn takes hold of Erryn and they pass through the bars like ghosts, only leaving magma dripping on them. Zaravarn carries her over the bodies until they reach a pile of rags.

  Erryn is placed on the ground as she carefully steps closer, “Jet? It’s me, Erryn.”

  The body begins to move. Long, dark unkempt hair falls down the figure’s back as it sits up.

  “How many times do you people think that I’m going to fall for the same joke?” She lunges towards Erryn to attack. Erryn catches her wrists as Zaravarn stares at them, his face registering her connection. Erryn lets go as Jet backs up a bit, seeing both a demonic beast and a purple floating girl.

  “Jet, it’s me. You’re going to be okay,” Erryn says.

  “Okay… well, first off my sister isn’t purple, and there’s no way this is real,” Jet says.

  “Erryn, we don’t have all day. Time is limited for you,” Zaravarn warns her. Erryn nods as she smacks Jet in the face.

  “What the hell was that for?” Jet asks as she cringes farther back on the floor.

  “If I wasn’t, then how can I remember that you’re the one who told me our parents died on the ship? Our first pet was Bear, and I’m going to assume that Kozic hasn’t talked to you. I gave him a message for you,” Erryn says. Jet’s eyes begin to tear. The expression on her face turns from disbelief to amazement as enlightenment shatters it.

  “And what would that be?” she asks, trying not to cry.

  “I found another Chunky,” Erryn says as Jet hugs her.

  Zaravarn looks at the bars as he raises more dogs and sabers as Kosmos’ arrives.

  “You,” Zaravarn growls as Erryn whips her head around.

  “Oracle, what are you doing here?” Erryn asks.

  “I was looking for you. I wanted to tell you that I found your sister, but it looks like you beat me to it, I think,” Kosmos folds his hands in front of him.

  “Oracle?” Jet asks.

  “Yeah, he helped me survive in the woods after you disappeared. I thought you died for like six months,” Erryn says.

  “Wow, yep. You are definitely my sister. You really don’t know who he is?” Jet asks as Erryn notices the shackles on Jet’s wrists and ankles.

  “Jet, he can break these.” Erryn looks excitedly at Kosmos. “Oracle, can you help me, please?”

  Zaravarn sighs and waves his arm, sending a heat wave which bur
ns the bodies to instant ash.

  “Oh, how kind you are. Here,” Kosmos bends down, spelling out the incantation on her shackles, as they all unhinge.

  Then an explosion down the hall rattles the volcanic caves. The sound of fighting echoes throughout.

  Jet’s smile is malicious as gloats to Kosmos, “Everyone here is so screwed. You’d better tell Vladimir his little hideout is being shut down.”

  Kosmos moves to the cell bars. “Goddamn rebellion. Erryn, get out of here before they get you too. I’ll distract them.” Kosmos escapes down the hall into the torture room from where Erryn and Zaravarn entered.

  “Why did he go that way?” Erryn asks as a dizziness hits her.

  Zaravarn sends his animals to follow him.

  “We’ve been here too long,” Zaravarn says. Then an old man built like a brick stands before the cell bar as Erryn’s vision begins to wane.

  “You. Get my sister away from here and keep her safe,” Erryn demands.

  “I plan to,” the man says.

  “Now, Jet. This time, I promise to be the one to find you again outside of his walls,” Erryn swears, holding her hands.

  Zaravarn picks her up as they vanish into the lava. He flashes through his fire tunnel and back to her body. As light from one of his doorways becomes closer, her sight fades and a force compresses on her chest.

  Erryn’s eyes open to her room back in Pinya as she and her bed are dripping in sweat. She looks around as the wallpaper begins peeling. I can’t believe that just happened. Thank you Zaravarn, she thinks. She goes to open the windows and the curtains crumble to ash. The window frames are smoldering, and she nearly burns her hand touching them.

  Then, as she starts to step to the bathroom, there’s a rapid knocking at her door.

  Snow Mountains : Drotonic