Arcane Summoner: A Post-Apocalypse Progression Light Novel

by Wolfe Locke

  “I don’t know. Whatever you want to call it. Try to find out where he is.” Zander commanded.

  “No problem.” She replied.

  She flew off into the night, and the clearing grew darker as she moved farther away. Caroline shivered, looking at the undead next to her, but they remained still. Something was definitely up.

  I don’t like this, Rocktooth said, and the Forest Titan chuckled.

  You don’t like anything.

  Fair enough. But I particularly don’t like this.

  Zander tensed, waiting for Celeste to return and hoping that he hadn’t sent her out into a dangerous situation. Although—he thought—this entire journey was really a dangerous situation. Why would the forest be any worse than a clearing of dark creatures hell-bent on their destruction?

  “Hey!” her voice shouted from behind him. He turned. She was zooming back toward them, looking puzzled. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

  “Oh,” Zander said. “That’s weird, but—”

  “It’s a trap!” Celeste said from the other side of the clearing. He turned. There was one Celeste behind him, and one Celeste ahead of him. They were both identical.

  “Uh,” Caroline said. “Are there two of you?”

  Clever, Rocktooth said. It’s disguised its appearance. Once of them is fake. One is the real Celeste.

  “But which one is fake?” Terra muttered.

  The Colossus shrugged. How would I know?

  “What do we do?” Terra said. “Ask her something that only Celeste would know?”

  “What would only Celeste know, though?” Zander said. “We haven’t known her that long.”

  “Something about the ancient world?” Terra suggested.

  Rocktooth shook his head. Dagon’s very old. He knows all about the ancient world already. He can answer that question just as easily as Celeste can.

  Zander decided to take a stab. “Celeste,” he said. “What’s my secret dream? The one I’ve always hoped would come true?”

  “To be a real summoner,” the first Celeste said confidently. “You’ve wanted that all your life.”

  “It’s her!” Caroline said, leaping up and down with glee. “She knows your dream!”

  “It’s a pretty obvious dream,” the second Celeste said. “Elf with two summons wants to be a real summoner? I could have predicted that one. Give me a question. Let me prove I’m the real Celeste!”

  “She sounds just like Celeste,” Terra said. “Cocky. With that masculine voice of hers.”

  “HEY! That's rude." Celeste answered. "I’m not cocky! I’m just confident!”

  “Uh,” Zander said to the second Celeste. “What did we find in the Eight Sided Die?”

  “That sword!” she said. “And some other weapons, too!”

  “Okay,” Terra said. “So she knows that answer.”

  “The sword says ‘Eight Sided Die’ on it,” the first Celeste snapped. “And by the name, it’s obviously a nerd store that sells weapons and stuff. Next question.”

  “Okay,” Zander said. “This clearly isn’t working. Rocktooth, can you sense anything demonic about one of them?”

  Dagon’s a grand demon, not an imp. He’s not going to be that obvious about it. Whatever his tell is, he’s cloaking it.

  They were at an impasse. Zander tried to come up with more questions, but his mind had gone blank. He couldn’t think of anything.

  “Terra?” he said. “Caroline? Any ideas?”

  “Wait for the thing to reveal itself?” Terra shrugged. “Presumably it’s going to try to kill us at some point, yeah? So the one that does that is the fake Celeste.”

  “Okay. You think we just sit here and wait it out? How long is it going to take?” Zander asked feeling annoyed.

  “How would I know?” Terra responded testily.

  “Staring contest!” Caroline said. “One of us faces off against each one. Whoever blinks first loses.”

  Terra gave her a look of withering contempt, and the Catgirl deflated. “No.”

  Demons bore easily, Rocktooth said. Honestly, I think it won’t be long before this one wants to get back to the fight.

  “Guys!” the first Celeste said, looking pained. “I’m insulted! Do you seriously not know how to tell the difference between me and some demon?”

  “You don’t even sound like me!” the second Celeste said. “How could they think you’re the real one?”

  “Demon! I know you’re Dagon!” Celeste shouted.

  “Liar! You’re Dagon!" The other Celeste shouted, "And you’re not even convincing!”

  The two Celestes flew at each other, and the Forest Titan laughed.

  Fight! Fight! This is the most exciting thing I’ve seen in years.

  Because you were stuck in a summon orb, Rocktooth said. Don’t confuse stimulus for entertainment.

  Don’t remind me about that orb. Ugh.

  Zander’s head was starting to hurt. “This is a mess! What are we supposed to do? Drag both Celeste’s to Haven with us and see which one tries to kill everyone?”

  “Obviously we’re not going to do that,” Terra said. “Don’t be absurd. I think we can figure this out. In fact, I know we can!”

  Just wait, Rocktooth said. Seriously, trust me. Dagon is going to reveal himself. It’s in his nature.

  They glanced over at both Celeste’s. One of them looked back at them blankly, scowling. The other was grabbing her own boobs. "Come on Zander, you know it's me"

  “Ew,” Terra said.

  “Ew,” Caroline said.

  “What?” Zander said.

  “See!” the other Celeste said. “That’s Dagon!”

  Rocktooth laughed. Told you.

  The fake Celeste squeezed her boobs in Zander’s direction and made a lewd face. It wasn’t attractive at all. Honestly, it was a little stomach-churning. Zander wondered if he’d ever be able to look at the real Celeste the same way again.

  “Fooled you!” Dagon said gleefully.

  Zander crossed his arms. “Definitely. Knew all along.”

  “Depressing as it is,” Celeste said, “I genuinely think they had no idea.”

  Dagon charged, still in Celeste’s body. The party—all but the Colossus—ducked as he whizzed over their heads, cackling. As soon as he completed a lap around the clearing, the Dragur started up again. They had a knack for knowing who was most afraid of them, and they started for Caroline en masse. She squealed and tried to take shelter behind Terra.

  “They’re coming for me!” Caroline screamed.

  The real Celeste launched herself after the demon, racing after the clearing after him. “Suck it, nerd!” she shouted. “I’m going to get you! You’re going down!”

  “Ha!” Terra said, watching the chase play out. “Go, Celeste, go! You can get him! If you can’t do it, no one can!”

  This is a good time to take him down, Rocktooth commented. Before he goes back to his real body. He’s less powerful this way.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice!” Zander said. “Come on, Terra!”

  “What about me?” Caroline said.

  “You don’t have ranged attacks,” Zander said with a grimace. “You can’t reach Dagon if he’s flying. Can you take on the horde?”

  “Again? Ugh.” Caroline complained.

  She dutifully did as she was told, though, as Zander and Terra teamed up to go after the Celeste-shaped demon. Zander fired volleys of [Arcane Bolts] at his fleeing back, and Terra lashed out with her vines. Meanwhile, the real Celeste was shooting icicles at Dagon. She hit more times than she missed, and they could watch the demon’s speed flagging as it took damage. Celeste was catching up to it. Zander didn’t want to get excited yet, but he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly but surely, they were winning this fight.

  “Yaahhhhh!” Celeste screamed a battle cry as she finally drew even with Dagon and grabbed him.

  “Get off me, insect!” he shrieked.

  “Who are you calling insect?�
� she said. “Gross! You’re the one who looks like a bug in your real shape.”

  It was a fierce fight between the two Celeste's, and Zander and Terra sprinted over to help. It was difficult to tell which Celeste was which, and the injured Dagon tried his hardest to misdirect them. After hearing both of them speak, though, Zander was able to tell the difference. The real Celeste was genuine and earnest, even when she was annoyed. The fake one always sounded a bit like a demon, no matter how he tried.

  “Take that!” Terra said, wrapping Dagon up in a cocoon of vines. “Zander and Celeste! Finish him off!”

  “Don’t you dare!” the demon snarled. “You can’t defeat me. It’s not possible. I’m a grand demon and you’re just—just a couple of worms.”

  Celeste and Zander looked at each other. “Who gets to kill him?” she said.

  “I think it should be both of us. Simultaneously. Caroline, want to get in on this?”

  The cat dropped her fight against the creature she was currently engaged in battle with and raced over to join them. “Do I ever!”

  “Rocktooth?” Zander asked.

  I’ll sit this one out. I've done enough. I'm embarrassed for all of us.

  Caroline struck out with her spear just as Celeste lashed out with an [Ice Bolt]. At the same time, Zander stabbed the demon in the throat with his sword from the Eight-Sided Die. All three got a direct hit, and Dagon shrieked.

  “No!” he said. “Are you kidding? This can’t be happening!”

  It was—and as they dug in with their weapons, he convulsed and died. Instantly, he turned back into his hideous half-bug, half-pig demon form. The creatures he had summoned to the fight fell to the ground and turned to dust. They stood over Dagon’s corpse, weapons still buried in his body, still unable to believe what they’d done. They’d defeated the grand demon. They’d won.

  “Ow,” Caroline said, clutching her arm. “I think I sprained it fighting the undead alone just now. Without any help I might add, like a true warrior.”

  “Sorry,” Zander said. “If it makes you feel better, my power’s totally drained.”

  “You’re also bleeding.” Celeste mentioned.

  He looked down. His hand was covered in blood. “So I am. Must have sliced myself when I killed Dagon.”

  “Helped kill Dagon,” Terra said. “We all did it. And I think you were very brave, Caroline.”

  The cat beamed. “I told you I was a good warrior. I just needed a little time to warm up.”

  Hem, Rocktooth coughed. Zander…can you uncombine us now?

  Please, groaned the Forest Titan. I’m so tired of having this stone thing talking in my ear.

  You were unconscious for half the battle. You couldn’t hear me talk at all. I don’t understand what the big issue was.

  “I’m on it,” Zander said, tired of listening to them bicker. “Un-Combine. Let’s see if it works the same way as Combine.”

  He gently set his sword down on the ground and raised his arms. Flickering green light surrounded the Stone Colossus, and the rest of the party shielded their eyes. When it faded, Rocktooth and the Forest Titan were separate again.

  Thank the tree gods, the Titan said. It was so claustrophobic in there. Promise me we’ll never have to do that again.

  “Uh,” Zander said. “I can’t promise you that. I know you hated it, but you were a great team in battle.”

  Well, give me a little warning first next time.

  Rocktooth sighed and stretched his arms above his head. All right. I need a break after that. Heading back to the other world. See you in a few days.

  Zander looked at him blankly. “Huh?”

  Bye.

  With a pop, the golem vanished. Zander stared at the empty spot where he had been, shocked.

  “I didn’t know that he could do that,” he said.

  There’s a lot you don’t know about summons, child, the Forest Titan said. You’ve got your work cut out for you if you want to pursue this as a career.

  “Right,” Zander said. “So they say.”

  Celeste had come down from the sky and changed back to human form, and she wrapped her cloak around herself to cover up. “There’s no way I’m going to sleep after this. Should we just push on toward Haven?”

  “Yeah. I guess. We should be able to get there by morning, and we can rest in the village. Hopefully things are all right there.”

  “They will be,” Celeste said gently. “We killed Dagon. We stopped him from doing to Haven what he did to Meoxia. Things will be fine. Everyone there is safe from the threat.”

  “Yeah. Hope Dagon was the only threat. That reminds me, too.”

  He bent down and worked one of the demon’s sharp canines out of his mouth.

  “I have to tell the village Elders about this,” he said. “But they’ll be skeptical that we actually did this. They always want proof.”

  “Well, you know what they want better than I do,” Terra said, making a face. “But keep that thing away from me. It’s gross.”

  Notification: You have defeated a Grand Demon. The experience has left its own mark on you. You will experience change in subtle ways in the coming days. Other demons will not as easily find you.

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Haven and Beyond

  They traveled all night, moving quickly through the forest, and arrived at Haven just after dawn. Zander felt a moment of panic right before they turned the corner to the village. What if they’d arrived too late? What if something had gone wrong? What if there were more demons on the loose? He knew it was paranoid, but he couldn’t let anything happen to his home.

  When they finally limped into the village, though, all was well. The early morning sunlight filtered through the trees and cast rippling shadows on the ground, and he could hear the soothing tones of birdsong coming from the meadow behind the town.

  “That’s a nuthatch,” he said excitedly.

  “I know,” Terra said. “I’m a wood nymph. I know all the birds in this area”

  It was still early, but some of the villagers were already out and about, gathering downed wood from the forest and tending to the animals. Children rushed out to greet them, smiling.

  “Careful,” Zander muttered to Celeste. “They’ll try to get you to give them presents. Don’t fall for it. They’re all spoiled—every last one of them.”

  They heard hoofbeats behind them, and they turned to see a tall elf riding up the path on a gray stag.

  “Taura!” Zander said. “Guys, this is our village leader. He and I are old friends. Grew up together.”

  “Look at you!” Taura said, pulling up next to them. “You all look terrible. Where did you go this time?”

  “Atlanta.” Zander responded.

  “Get anything good?” Was the reply.

  “Inheritances. And lots of them. But we need to talk. We ran into Dagon on the way back, and—” Zander explained.

  “Dagon? Are you nuts?” Taura was shocked.

  “No. And that’s not the only thing. We killed him.” Zander was beaming.

  He rummaged through his pack and pulled the tooth out. Taura took it from him and inspected it closely, frowning.

  “This is from a grand demon, all right,” he said. “Mind if I take this to the elders? We’ll need to have a council about this. Decide what to do.”

  “Go ahead.” Zander nodded.

  “In the meantime, take whatever you need from the village stores. Rest up and heal." Taura suggested "There’ll be a market later today if you want to offload some of your goods.”

  “Thanks. We’ll check it out.” Zander responded, ready to see what was out there.

  “I’ll be in touch later today about the council,” Taura said. “We’ll probably have some questions for you.”

  He dug his spurs into the elk’s sides and galloped off toward the chief’s house at the top of the hill, likely to talk to the Elders about Dagon. Zander hoped they’d listen.

  More elves came out to greet them as they pushed farther in
to the village, looking at them with wonder. Zander had never come back with companions before, and the children of Haven peeked at Celeste shyly from behind their mothers’ legs. The attitude was respectful—while the villagers couldn’t possibly know what they’d been through, it was clear to everyone that they’d just been in a difficult fight. Laurel, the village healer, pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

  “Need healing?” he said. “You all look like you’ve been through the wringer.”

  They all gratefully accepted Laurel’s offer, and he handed them a small satchel full of potions.

  “Elves have powerful healing magic,” Zander explained. “And Laurel’s one of the best we have. His stuff will heal you in seconds.”

  “Bottoms up,” Celeste said, clinking her potion vial with Caroline’s. They both drank their potions in one big gulp, like a shot.

  “Yeah!” the cat said, shaking out her wounded arm. “This feels great. It’s completely fine now.”

  “Told you,” Zander said—a little smugly. He was proud of what his village could do.

  They went back to his cottage to rest while he traded the inheritances he’d gathered in Atlanta. Terra hesitated at the door.

  “This is a house?” she said, looking uncertain. “I’ve never been in a house before.”

  You can stay with me outside, if you’d like, the Forest Titan said. I’m going to sit by the woodpile and mourn for the trees that died so that elves could have warm homes and campfires.

  “No,” said Terra uncomfortably. “I’ll try the house.”

  “It’s nice in here!” Caroline said from inside. “Cozy. You’ve done a nice job with it, Zander.”

  “Yeah, not bad,” Celeste said. “You know, I don’t normally expect guys to be good at decorating.”

  “I’m an elf. Maybe humans are different. We like our homes to be welcoming.”

  Once he was satisfied the others were settled in, he headed to the market. It had just opened, but the stalls were already crowded with villagers trying to buy groceries and goods for the weekend.

  “Hey, Rek,” he said, sidling up to his usual buyer.

  “Zander. What you got for me today?” The Merchant asked with a smile.

  Rek was tall and scrawny, with a long white beard that hid his real age. He was a lot younger than he looked, but he wanted to appear to be a canny old man who drove a hard bargain and no one in Haven had ever bothered to question his act. Zander had always suspected the beard was dyed.