Patron Summons

"I accept," Tom said.

As soon as he did, Derek unfroze and fell over, disoriented slightly.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Derek said.

"The way I see it, either the pirates kill us, or Ajax does. Either way, we're dead and won't care," Tom replied, turning, and smiling at his friend.

Derek shook his head as he chuckled, "That does seem to be the way of it."

"So, still think it's a bad idea?" Tom asked.

"Yes. But it's likely the only way we survive, so let's do it," Derek replied.

Tom reached out a hand and helped Derek stand. Turning back to Azroc, he nodded once, firmly.

"Alright! Let's get this fucking party started! I can't wait to see the look on that old cum dumpster's face when I do this," Azroc said, rubbing his hands together, a predatory smile on his face.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Tom asked.

"I can't truly tell you all of the details because that's something I'd be punished for. But needless to say, I'm essentially going to strip him of his title of patron and assign him one of summons. Similar to your Mastadonian friend over there. Once that happens, you’ll be able to force a contract with him. He will fight you, but I have faith in you," Azroc explained, winking at Tom at the last comment.

"Like, physically fight us?" Tom asked, now worried about the outcome.

"No, like a battle of wills. And he'll be rusty. Not to mention, this sack of Richards is used to people just folding and giving into his demands. So, I bet his will isn't as high as it would normally have been to be a patron."

Stepping forward, Azroc moved right up to the statue of Ajax and looked up into his eyes. He moved his hands in an intricate pattern, and a glowing orb of light formed, floating in the air at chest height. Grabbing the orb, he thrust it quickly into Ajax's chest. The glow disappeared for a moment, and then the statue began to glow.

As he stepped away from the statue, the glow dimmed and then winked out. A crack formed in the forehead of the statue. It ran down the side of his face and then began to spiderweb out to the rest of his body. First, the left fist clenched, causing the stone surrounding it to crumble and fall to the ground. Then the right fist. Soon, he moved the rest of his body, spreading his wings wide as he flexed them to remove the stone shell that he seemed to have been trapped in.

Ajax let out a loud roar as he raised his hands in the air and threw his head back while expanding his wings to their fullest, stretching out every muscle at once.

"Ahhhh. Finally! I am free! Those bastards will rue the day that..." Ajax began before looking down at where Azroc stood; his arms crossed over his chest.

"Azroc. You came to see my glorious rebirth where I will finally take my place as the rightful leader of the patrons?" Ajax said, a sneering smile on his face.

"Hey there, Ajizz. Good to see you back with us. I think you'll find that is no longer an option. Go on, see for yourself," Azroc smiled back at him.

A look of confusion came over the angelic figure's face as his eyes unfocused, looking at a screen only he could see. He read for a moment before stopping, his eyes going wide with horror.

"What?! How can this be?" Ajax growled out as he continued to stare in disbelief at his menus.

"Oh, you see, when you went full wanker on us, the Admins took notice. They were really unhappy with you. So, they gave us permission to..." Azroc paused, looking back at Tom and his friends, then back to Ajax. "Deal with you."

Ajax looked up as if just noticing Tom and his friends for the first time.

"Mortals? Why are they here?" Ajax asked.

"They're with me. Now, Ajackoff, for the crimes you committed against the order, you are hereby sentenced to become a familiar. I understand that your power goes beyond that of a normal summons, but that's okay. We have a special plan for you. From this day forward, you will be relegated to the position of Ultimate Summons. In this respect, you will be forced to use your greatest power at the beck and call of any who form a contract with you. Your titles have been stripped and replaced with those more fitting ones of your station. And Tom, here, will be your first contract holder." Azroc smiled with manic pleasure as he spoke the words.

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Ajax seethed in anger as his face contorted into one of utter fury as he stared at Azroc.

"You cannot do this! You do not have the authority!" Ajax yelled at him.

"I can, I do, and I am, you arrogant cunt!" Azroc shot back at him.

"I will kill you for this!" Ajax yelled as he raised his sword and charged at Azroc, a glowing light forming in his empty hand.

Azroc yawned, raising one hand. Ajax froze in midair, then dropped to the floor. a beam of light snaked out of the palm of his hand and wrapped itself around his prone form, binding his arms and wings from movement.

"Release me this instant, you insulant cur!" Ajax shouted, struggling against his bonds.

"Yeah...not gonna happen. For being a huge asswipe, you are going to serve others for the rest of your life. However long that may or may not be. And if you don't, then it won't be very long at all." Azroc moved over to Ajax, squatted next to him, and spoke in a much lower tone. "This is for all of those who you destroyed in your quest for power. My, how the mighty have fallen."

Ajax began to struggle with a renewed vigor at these words, but it was in vain. The bonds could not be broken by his form.

"Tom, if you would come over," Azroc said, motioning for him to come to his side.

Tom walked over to Ajax and looked at the being lying there. He was the epitome of perfection in terms of humans. His face was so beautiful that Tom felt stirrings inside himself. His bare torso was chiseled to show every muscle, toned to perfection without the bulk that many bodybuilders or powerlifters gain.

He wore glistening white armor from the waist down with gold trim lining the edges. The feathers of his wings were a golden hue that sparkled in the dim lights of the room. With piercing blue eyes and bright blonde hair, Tom found it hard to look away from the creature.

"What are you staring at, human?" Ajax sneered at Tom.

Snapping out of his stupor, Tom looked at Azroc.

"Order him to form a contract with you," Azroc said.

Tom nodded once, closing his mouth, which he had not realized was open, and turned to Ajax, "Ajax, you will form a contract with me."

Ajax snarled at Tom and began to struggle against his bonds again. He writhed on the ground as he tried to resist.

"No! You cannot make me!" Ajax cried through gritted teeth.

"Oh, yes, he can. And he will," Azroc said.

"I have the right to refuse a weak master," Ajax suddenly said, looking up at the pair.

"You do. But I think you will find that Tom is more than capable of being your master," Azroc stood as he looked between Tom and Ajax. "In accordance with the ancient laws, a contest of wills will take place to decide if you are worthy to become Ajax's master. Prepare yourself, Tom, Ajax."

Tom felt the world around him begin to dim. He felt as though he was falling into darkness as everything around him faded. His descent slowed as he saw a great stone platform rising to meet him. Intricate patterns were carved into the stone platform, creating a design that reminded him of the medallions carved into the floors of some of the cathedrals he had visited on his trip to New York.

A soft blue glow began to emit from the carvings and the world came alive around him as his feet lightly touched the ground. Tom looked around as the darkness began to fade, and the universe shone around him with the sparkle of trillions of lights from stars millions of lightyears away. The lights danced against the black infinite void of space, shining like gems of different colors.

Tom was in awe of the setting as he felt he could reach out and touch the stars as they twinkled softly and took in the swirling of galaxies so vast that they couldn't be compared to his tiny form. He held up a hand as though he would be able to scoop them out of the universe and bring them closer to inspect their brilliance. Was this what astronauts felt when they went into space? Could this be the call that they heard in their heads when returning to Earth, knowing that their understanding of the universe was forever changed?

Tom felt the immensity of everything he didn't know at that moment as he took in the vastness of the universe. Azroc had said that not only were there other plants, galaxies, and distant universes with other life, but whole other planes of reality. That meant that even the unfathomable vastness of what he was seeing was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how large the whole of existence was.

Just when he thought his mind might break from the realization of how insignificant he was when compared to the vast unknown, Azroc spoke to him.

"Focus, shithead. You have to fight Ajax. You will have all of your skills and abilities, and Ajax will have those that fit within his new form. He will be limited to the same power scale as you, but don't be fooled by thinking he is weak. You will have to win with everything you have learned and use of your cunning. But I believe in you," the voice of Azroc echoed in his mind. "Show me why you are my favorite Warlock."

Tom turned and saw that Ajax was standing across the platform from him, seemingly unconcerned by Tom's presence. He swung his sword a few times and stretched his body, seeming to still be feeling stiff from the petrification he had been in.

"I won't let you down, Azroc," Tom whispered as he equipped his own greatsword. "I hope you're ready for me, Ajax. I'm not holding anything back!"