CHAPTER 9
“The Summoning of Another World. Part 2”
The violet screen, the first one to contact her, appeared again.
[Leave her alone!... I agree with your terms, child. But I will add a few more: You cannot refuse to do those three main missions, but if I propose you more, as you seem to imply, you will be able to refuse them or renegotiate them if the payment is not to your liking. I will respect your resting hours and you will be able to keep all the power and knowledge you acquire during the time our contract lasts, but you will have to wake up and develop the two professions I assign you in exchange. And I expect excellent results from your studies].
“I have always been a good student so you don’t have to worry about that, boss,” she said, and hastened to add, “as long as I am given enough time to study, eat and rest. Of course.”
[Of course. Now sign the contract. Even my magic to intervene in your world has limits, child].
“Okay, boss.”
A new window appeared before her.
[Boss? That’s not the proper way to address...!] But the dark violet screen was interrupted and overlaid by the other, preventing Kalysto from reading the rest.
[Stop distracting her! Besides, the girl is right, this is a contract and as long as she keeps her end of the bargain, I’ll keep mine too.]
This time Kalysto hurried to read all the letters on the screen so as not to miss part of the text again, and it seemed to be the right decision, because just as she finished reading the last word, another, much larger, screen overlapped.
[Soul Binding Contract]
[For three human years, Kalysto Luna agrees to work for (????) (from now on it may be referred to as ‘boss’), fulfilling the three missions given to her (which are non-negotiable and which she has no right to refuse) in return, the contractor (aka the boss) will summon the contractor to Elinor, thus preventing her immediate death. It will also grant her the necessary class to be able to perform the first two quests, and she will be allowed to keep, even after this contract ends, any skill, power, knowledge, item or class acquired during its duration. Other missions may be added later, in which case the contractor is free to refuse to perform them or to renegotiate the benefits received for such missions. The contractor will be respected the necessary rest periods during which she is not eating, performing or preparing for a mission, or studying the two professions that the employer chooses for her.
This contract shall be valid from the moment the contractor accepts the contract. Should the contractor decide to breach the terms of this contract, she shall die.]
Kalysto read the contract carefully. There didn’t seem to be anything disadvantageous for her there, apart from the part highlighting that she would die if she breached it, considering that she would die anyway because of the orc if she didn’t sign the contract, she didn’t see a problem there. Still, she felt there was something important she was forgetting. She just didn’t know what. And she didn’t want to piss off her new boss, either.
“So I’m going to be a doctor, huh?” She asked, trying to buy some time, as her brain, somewhat clouded by pain, blessed her and figured out whatever it was that her instinct was screaming at her to notice, but she wasn’t seeing.
[Not only do I need someone to heal my people but also to purify my forests of miasma and create a protective barrier. And there’s only one class that can do those three things].
So those are the three non-negotiable missions. Kalysto was about to ask her who theirs were, but her future boss continued, and for some reason it seemed to her that he was getting more and more annoyed, so, without thinking she reached out her hand, despite the pain. Pulling it closer to the screen.
[A mere doctor would be useless to me for such purposes. You will be a saintess.]
His words stopped her.
A saintess? What do you mean, a saintess?... Is that because I’m still a virgin?
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“What? How is it that I went from having to study medicine for three years to cure your people, to becoming a saintess?”
[And I ???? have chosen you as my ?????]
“Excuse me, boss. But I didn’t understand that last thing you said. If you are using a translator, please try again because it didn’t translate well.” Her voice sounded a little shriller as the last words left her lips. The pain becoming unbearable again.
Stay focused!
A small, new window appeared in front of her nose.
[Sign!]
Then time stopped being frozen and began slowly, in slow motion, to return to normal.
[Sign now, if you want to survive!]
Insisted the screen.
Kalysto’s eyes widened with surprise as soon as the orc began to move again. He was now fifteen steps away from her and the huge mace began to descend in the direction of her head.
She immediately shouted.
“I accept!” And she tapped the accept button several times, but seeing that nothing happened she was about to shout again, to make sure her confirmation was received, when a line of golden light shot out of the screen and encircled her index finger, snaking around her hand until it reached her wrist, encircling it. The thread of golden light became a band of light, similar to a bracelet. The line transformed into a meandering, arabesque-like branch that appeared to be braided with tiny, delicate leaves along with small flowers that were then tattooed on her skin.
By the time the glow dimmed, two seconds later, Kalysto could admire the delicate, intricate beauty of the carved figure whose ends were a slightly duller shade of gold than in the glowing center.
It almost looked like a henna tattoo done by a professional artist from India.
“How beautiful...” she whispered.
But I hope it’s not permanent. She thought. Because, although she could admire the great beauty of that delicate art, she had no plans to keep anything that would leave a mark on her skin.
Or anything that reminded her of the nasty marks her stepfather loved to leave on the skin of her naive and defenseless mother.
She shook her head, trying to exorcise the memories she would rather forget.
Then another screen appeared in front of her.
[Hero summoning ritual initiated.]
“Hero?” she questioned, but no one answered her.
Well, considering it was that or die, I shouldn’t complain... At least I’d get paid. It was then that it dawned on her that nowhere in the contract was it made clear that they were to give her financial remuneration for her services, or how much money they were talking about. What kind of money is there in his world? Does the concept of money even exist?
A purplish light appeared under her legs and began to draw a vast circle on the surrounding ground, filled with other symbols she didn’t recognize.
And despite how fast everything was happening, Kalysto wished it could be even faster. Fast enough to make sure that mace, which was getting closer and closer, didn’t touch her head.
Although it seemed to be very eager to do so.
The countdown started as soon as the circle finished drawing and a new screen appeared in front of her.
[5]
Kalysto perked up. She would sigh in relief if not for the fact that that orc was now six steps away from her.
[4]
C’mon, hurry up! I don’t want to lose my head, literally, just because you didn’t finish in time!
“Kalysto, no!” The young university student turned her face as she heard two male voices shouting her name.
Not far from where she stood, less than five feet away, Edward Grant and Koden Scott screamed as they ran toward her in a vain attempt to rescue her from the huge mace headed for her head.
[3]
What the hell are they doing here, and why the hell did Edward bring Koden to the tutoring?
She was about to yell at them to stay away when she noticed that there were two huge summoning circles, one under each of them, glowing brightly in the same shade of bluish-white.
[2]
Shit... That’s definitely not the same color as my new boss!
At the same time, out of the corner of her eye, Kalysto glimpsed a black dragon flying a couple of meters above her, looking in her direction. With a bloodstain protruding from its dark neck.
“No!” she shouted, but the fools didn’t hear her. They hadn’t even noticed the presence of the silent newcomer enemy that was now heading towards where she and the big orc were, and instead, the two idiots rushed towards her.
[1]
The summoning circles of the other two students overlapped that of her new boss. And a powerful explosive wave of light engulfed them, as the radiance of the three summoning circles and their magics collided with each other, devouring everything else around them.
Until there was nothing left but a gigantic crater behind them.