by Tamryn Tamer
“Just my normal thoughts,” Jericho answered while gripping Mirage’s plump ass. He looked out at Ariel and Jinx racing to loot the most corpses and Mai blankly following their lead. “And how I can’t wait to get home.”
Chapter 7
Summoning a Seraph
“This is an awful idea,” Jinx growled. “I’m telling you from my own personal experience this isn’t going to end well for you! Idiot. Moron.”
“I’m inclined to agree with her sweetheart,” Mirage said while massaging Jericho’s neck. “I don’t believe that attempting to summon a Seraph is a wise move. Additionally, summoning one to the roof of our house seems particularly foolhardy.”
“Your objections have been noted,” Jericho said while finalizing the configuration on the ground and double checking the papers.
He’d poured over the material from the books for several days consuming everything like an information locust. Every potion and enchantment recipe he came across was immediately memorized and stored. Every single location referenced and anything related to them was mentally filed away in different categories depending on its relevance.
But the only thing he found relating to familiars was the method Alistair used to summon Jinx. He needed to create a special paint from various rare herbs and use it to create a complex magic circle. Within the circle, he needed to place something tied to the creature he wished to summon, then finish the ritual with his blood.
“Are you all ready?” Jericho looked at Mirage, Jinx, Ariel, Cynthia, and Mai. Each had taken places around the circle. “And remember, we are being diplomatic. Don’t just jump in for a fight.”
“I still think we should have told Terra bout this,” Ariel said nervously. “She’s going to be angry with us.”
“Yeah,” Jericho laughed while setting his legendary Seraph armor in the center of the transmutation circle. “But Terra would just try to stop me.”
“For good reason,” Jinx said clearly aggravated. “But it's your funeral! Jerk. Dunce.”
“Got it,” Jericho said while holding out his hand to the circle. He drew his knife and cut it open, letting the blood puddle slightly in his hand before turning it on the circle. “Get ready.”
As soon as the blood touched the Seraph armor Jericho felt intense pressure in his chest like he was at war with some invisible force. It caught him completely off guard and nearly took him. He planted his feet and focused on the sensation and started pulling back.
“Shit,” Jericho groaned as more blood started flowing from his wound toward the circle. Alistair’s notes only said a tiny amount of blood was needed but he was only trying to summon a spirit beast. Jericho was attempting to summon a Seraph. He cut his other hand and clenched them together offering more. As it dripped the pulling became easier. “Come on.”
“Be ready,” Mirage’s eyes focused on the circle. “Something’s coming.”
“Dammit,” flames started flickering from Jericho’s shoulders as he started to lose control of his elemental pathways. He didn’t have time to focus on controlling them, he had to focus on the ritual.
“Something’s wrong!” Jinx yelled. “This isn’t how mine was at all! It’s supposed to be instant! Screwup! Dimwit!”
“I got this,” Jericho said as his entire body became engulfed in flame. He braced himself and pulled with everything he had and didn’t stop. He wasn’t going to give his opponent one more inch, he was going to drag them through kicking and screaming if he had to. “Come on!”
It ended with a flash of light. Standing in front of him was an elegant young woman in Seraph robes. She was slightly shorter than Jericho with long white hair and silver eyes. And behind everything was a massive pair of feathered wings.
“Where am I?” she said with a tremble in her voice. She turned to Jericho visibly terrified, “Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here? Stand back!”
She pulled out a large ornate mining pick and held it above her head. It was obvious by her stance that she wasn’t a warrior.
“Can you put that down?” Jericho asked. He could see her shaking as she looked around at the familiars. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” she yelled. She was afraid and that made her a little more dangerous since anything could potentially result in her losing control, “If any of you come at me I’ll swing! I swear it!”
“No need for that,” Jericho assured her. Clearly being surrounded was part of the problem. “Why don’t you all go inside.”
“Are you sure?” Ariel asked nervously.
“Yeah,” Jericho said as the Seraph’s eyes darted all over the place waiting for somebody to attack her.
“Okay darling,” Mirage said backing away and gesturing the others to do the same. She turned to the Seraph, “We’re going inside. Don’t do anything silly.”
“Don’t treat me like the dangerous one!” the Seraph quaked. “You’re the dangerous ones!”
“I warned you,” Jinx said haughtily. “Nobody likes being summoned. It’s unpleasant. Jerk. Rake.”
“Be safe master,” Ariel said weakly while following the others inside.
“There,” Jericho said as they cleared the rooftop. The angel seemed to relax a little bit but still kept the mining pick raised. “I don’t suppose that convinced you to put the pick away?”
“No,” she said. “Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here?”
“You are at my home in Dayrose, I’m Jericho Voidcaller, I summoned you,” Jericho answered politely. “Who are you?”
“Dayrose?” she appeared to be processing the information. “A fairy village on the border of Dawn. It’ll take me weeks to get home.” She panicked, “No! I’m going to miss the test…”
“Test?” Jericho grimaced. Based on her expression it was something important.
“If I miss my test I’m going to fail,” she ignored him. “If I fail then I will be stripped of my rank.” She looked at Jericho as tears welled up in her eyes. “Why did you do this?”
“I’m sorry,” Jericho said. It was clear the angelic beauty was upset and few things made him less comfortable than a woman crying, “But maybe if you tell me what’s going on, I can help solve it.”
“Why did you summon me?” she cried angrily while swiping at the wind with her mining pick. “I worked so hard! All year I worked hard and I was going to move up in rank again after the test! Now I can’t take it and I’m going to lose everything! Why did you do this?”
“Why?” Jericho sighed at the distraught woman. He really didn’t want to tell her the truth given the circumstances but he knew she deserved it. “I wanted to make a Seraph my familiar but it seems I may have screwed up.”
“You pulled me through to make me your slave?” the Seraph shook her head in disbelief.
“My familiars aren’t slaves,” Jericho corrected her. “Ask any of them. I would never force anybody to become my familiar that didn’t want to.”
“And that makes ripping me from my home okay?” she tossed her mining pick on the ground and cried into her hands. “It’s not fair! Why did it have to be me? I work so hard and now I’m going to lose my rank!”
“Hey,” Jericho looked around. He wished he hadn’t sent the others away, they were much better at consoling than he was. “Just tell me how to fix this. Tell me where you need to go and I’ll get you there before your test.”
“Do you frequently make promises you can’t keep Jericho?” the Seraph said scornfully. “I know how far away my home is and I am aware of the portals in the world that might speed my journey along. I have already accounted for them.”
“We won’t know…”
“Yes,” she snapped while dropping to her knees and curling up into a ball. Her large wings wrapped around her like a massive ivory blanket. “I do know. You don’t get it. Seraphim have no wealth or property; our rank is everything. If I fail my yearly test, my rank will reset to zero.”
“Okay,” Jericho said while trying to wr
ap his head around her words. “Can you tell me more?”
“Why?” She cried. “What’s the point?”
“Because I screwed up,” Jericho said scooting closer to the crying angel. “And I want to fix it. Just give me a chance. I want to help.”
“You really think you can help me?” she scoffed. She looked Jericho up and down. In hindsight, he should have worn something nicer than his casual black robes for a first impression, but he hoped she’d see a reason to trust him. “Fine.”
“Good,” Jericho chuckled while scooting closer. “But can we begin with your name?”
“Theia,” she answered. “Theia Ardelucem.”
“Nice to meet you Theia,” Jericho said. “Now, start from the beginning.”
Theia explained to Jericho that Seraphim society was based entirely on ranks and reputations. Rather than earn currency for doing work they earned points toward an increase in rank. The higher ranked Seraphim were allowed to go more places and granted more privileges than the lower ranks.
Seraphim could earn points by working or slaying fallen. Like most Seraphim, Theia was a pacifist and had never killed anybody. As a pacifist, Theia’s only option to rise in rank was working hard. Every day she found a Seraph taskmaster and took jobs to earn points.
Additionally, Seraphim were all required to take yearly tests. If they passed the test, a Seraph’s total points for the year were tallied and they rose in rank. If they did poorly on the test their rank could actually drop and if they failed, it’d revert to zero.
Jericho found it similar to any reputation system barring the testing. Certain objectives would yield small amounts of reputation while large objectives would gain large amounts of reputation. The testing seemed to be a replacement for a standard depreciation system.
“I’m telling you it’s a stupid system. You’re basically slaves,” Jericho argued.
“I am not a slave,” Theia objected. “I find work extremely gratifying. All of the Seraphim do. There is no greater happiness than being of use to somebody.”
“You don’t get paid, your shelter is based on status, and you work every day. It sounds an awful lot like a bunch of slaves fueling a war machine,” Jericho said.
“For somebody so interested in my society you’re awfully judgmental,” Theia said. “Don’t make fun of it.”
“I’m not making fun,” Jericho insisted. “I just don’t think it’s right.”
“Because the humans have it all figured out,” Theia mocked. “In Seraphim society everything is earned through hard work and devotion to the society. Humans can just kill somebody and take all of their wealth and poof! You’re a king because you killed a king! How does that make sense?”
“I’m not saying the human system is perfect,” Jericho said. “I’m saying that treating you worse because you missed a test is wrong. You still put in all of the effort to rise up.”
“But if we didn’t do that everybody would become lazy as soon as they reached a rank they were comfortable with,” Theia insisted. “The test makes sure that even if they stop working, they maintain their fitness, military capabilities, and studies at a level consistent with their rank.”
“I get the theory behind it,” Jericho said. “But that doesn’t mean I like it. Anyway, how many ranks are you going to be losing for missing the test?”
“Twelve,” Theia said. “Since I will receive a zero my rank will revert to zero. There are a hundred ranks with zero being the worst and a hundred being the highest outside of the choir.
“Twelve doesn’t seem that bad,” Jericho said.
“It took me twenty years to reach the twelfth rank.”
“Twenty years!” Jericho said. “That seems like a long time.”
“The first five go really fast,” she said. “It only takes a few years of work. And if I get lucky maybe some jobs in the quarry will be available. Hard labor gives more points than light labor and I’m really good at mining.”
“Fuck,” Jericho said. “There has to be a faster way.”
“The only faster way than work is killing fallen,” she said. “But I’m much happier doing work. Really, most Seraphim are happier doing work. We love helping people. It fills us with warmth and joy. That’s why fighting the fallen rewards so much. Nobody would choose to fight otherwise. Last month a Seraph killed a fallen commander and after they take the test, they’ll probably move up ten ranks!”
“Really?” Jericho said thinking about the fallen prince ruling over Castle Black. “How much is a prince worth?”
“Don’t be stupid,” she laughed. “You can’t kill a fallen prince.”
“Humor me,” Jericho insisted.
“I don’t know,” she said while thinking. “Probably forty or fifty ranks. But a fallen general takes like ten Seraphim to take down. I don’t even know how many you’d need to fight a prince.”
“Dammit,” Jericho leaned back and laughed. “That just makes me want to do it more. Looks like I know how I’m going to make this right.”
“What?” Theia laughed. “You’re going to kill a fallen prince for me?”
“Yes,” Jericho grinned wickedly. “I am.”
“Shut up,” she pushed him playfully. He hadn’t even realized it but at some point, she’d wrapped her wing around him. “Even if you knew where to find one, he’d kill you in an instant. Dark magic cuts through everything except for light magic. Our barriers protect us from the darkness.”
“I figured as much,” Jericho grinned. “When I heard that dark magic could cut through anything, I figured it was only natural that light would be a shield that can block anything.”
“I wish,” Theia laughed. “If light magic could protect us against dark magic, we’d have defeated the fallen. It’s powered by our resolve which is why it’s so important we focus entirely on rising in ranks. It shows our resolve and keeps us strong.”
“What powers dark magic?” Jericho asked curiously.
“Nothing,” Theia sighed. “The darkness was here first. We must prove to the dark that we deserve to exist.”
“Damn,” Jericho laughed. “I love that.”
“You’re strange,” she said standing up and flexing her wings. “Anyway, I should be heading back to Whitespire. I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to gain a rank by next year.”
“What are you talking about?” Jericho stood up and took her hand. “I already told you that I’m going to bring you the head of a fallen prince.”
“It was funny the first time,” Theia said. She tilted her head. “Wait, you’re not joking? You can’t defeat a fallen prince. I can’t let you do that.”
“Let me?” Jericho laughed. “Nobody lets me do anything. I’m just going to do it. But if you’re really concerned about me, become my familiar. You said helping brings you joy, so help me.”
“I have my duties in Whitespire,” Theia said. “Even if I wanted to become your familiar, I wouldn’t be able to stay with you.”
“You only need to return to Whitespire for your yearly test,” Jericho said. “That leaves the rest of the year you can stay here with me. Stay with me instead.”
“But I need to work,” Theia laughed. “I appreciate your enthusiasm but…”
“I’ll kill fallen,” Jericho interrupted. “So, support me.”
“The war with the fallen is not your war,” Theia scoffed. “You have no reason to fight them.”
“Give me a reason,” Jericho offered. “Become my familiar and your war will become my war.”
“Are you serious?” Theia seemed to be thinking it over. She faced Jericho and reached out for both of his hands. “Is this some kind of trick or do you mean it? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. If I become your familiar, you’ll kill fallen?”
“Yes,” Jericho answered. “If you become my familiar, I’ll kill fallen.”
“That’s crazy,” she laughed. “But if binding myself to you results in the death of even a few fallen, I’ll be happy to serve you.”
“Jericho,” Theia laughed. “You don’t need to oversell it. Even if you only kill…”
“Theia,” Jericho grinned cockily. “I mean every word I say.”
“I guess we’ll see then,” Theia said. “I agree. I will serve you and you will join the war against the fallen.”
Jericho pulled Theia forward and kissed her deeply. As soon as his lips touched hers, his heart stopped and a cruel pain pervaded his upper body. It was like his insides were being ripped to pieces and torn from his body.
“Do not fall,” Theia whispered in his ear. “Prove you have the resolve necessary to accept the light.”
Jericho clenched his teeth as flames engulfed him. His emotions were running wild as Ice spread beneath his feet and the wind raged through the rooftop garden. The ripping sensation spread throughout his body as his veins were torn to shreds.
“Dammit,” Jericho panted as a new heart emerged inside of his chest beating powerfully. He felt the rest of his system repairing itself as the pain subsided. “That was unpleasant.”
“That’s your new heart,” Theia said pulling away and touching his chest. “The stronger your resolve, the more fiercely it beats.”
“You could have warned me,” Jericho panted.
“Telling you wouldn’t have changed anything,” Theia said while gently embracing him. “I know that because you just showed me your resolve. Jericho, what’s that?”
“Well,” Jericho chuckled as his cock pressed into her. It seemed that his new circulatory system had an unexpected side effect. “That would be my dick.”
“Your dick?” Theia pulled slightly away and looked down. His cock had become painfully hard. The new circulatory system was offering a lot more blood and power than the previous and his steely cock seemed like it might tear his pants. She looked at Jericho playfully, “Would you like me to do something about that?”
