“Get ready Sephtis, I’m about to summon the next one!” Rika shouted as she grasped her staff “This one seems more powerful than the previous two, can you handle it?”
An outline of some kind of creature appeared inside the enclosed barrier Clay and Sephtis were waiting in. The spirit didn’t even get a chance to move before Sephtis pounced on it, absorbing it in seconds. “This one was pretty weak too. Can’t you summon anything more powerful?”
Rika laughed “I guess for something like you it was pretty weak.” She undid the barriers around Clay, handing him an empty mana crystal. “I’ve given you three, that should be plenty to give me a decently charged crystal. Next time we can try to up the stakes with what we summon.”
The specter returned to Clay, merging back into his body, and Clay could feel energy begin to travel through his arm and into the mana crystal.
“I’ve been wondering, why not summon spirits and just extract the energy yourself? You said you could pull the energy out of Sephtis even if he refused to cooperate.”
I’d like to see her try to force it out of me. Clay was glad Sephtis was back in his head, and not out here sparking an argument.
“Summoning is the easy part” Rika explained as she slumped into her chair. “What’s hard is binding them. Normally it would be a net loss, but with you around, I don’t need to bind them at all, just let our specter friend eat them.”
“So, you can speak to the dead right?” Clay asked, changing the subject.
“If whatever I summon is intelligent enough I can communicate to it the same way we do with Sephtis.”
“Could you summon a specific person's soul?”
Rika raised her brow at him “Someone specific you had in mind?”
“Just my Dad, I lost him recently and…” Clay’s voice trailed off.
“Ah sorry. That kind of thing only exists in scams. You can’t pick and choose what comes through the summoning, that's one of many reasons necromancy is so feared” Rika said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you never know when something like Sephtis will force its way into our world through a summoning. Precautions can be taken, but there’s always a risk. I don’t think there's a mage alive that could bind or control a specter like him. Though somehow he got bound to you, so there must be a way.” Rika went quiet as her mind began to race at the idea.
“Sorry, I’ve got another question.” Clay had debated asking this, worried that he might scare Rika off by sounding crazy. Though she seemed a bit crazy herself. “Have you ever heard of someone dying and respawning?”
“You mean like reincarnation? Or a resurrection?”
“More like a resurrection, but they always wake up in the same location, regardless of when and where they died.”
“Can’t say that I have. I do have some literature theorizing about the possibility of resurrection magic, and many historical accounts of necromancers extending their youth and lifespans by stealing people’s life force. I’ve never heard anything like what you’ve described though.”
I’m done.
“I see, well thanks anyways. Sephtis says he's done charging the crystal.” Clay handed it over to Rika, watching her insert it into her staff.
“Seems a bit light, but good enough for our first job I guess.” Rika reached into her desk, pulling out an envelope. “And here you are, 20,000 for the mana crystal you brought me, and 1,000 for the one we charged together.” Clay took the envelope, counting the bills inside. “Come by tomorrow and we will charge another crystal,”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It was early evening when Clay left Rika’s… office? Home? He wasn’t sure, but since she was basically a necromancer perhaps dungeon would be a more fitting description. Still, for a necromancer, she seemed nice enough, definitely not what he had imagined a necromancer to look and act like.
Clay began briskly walking downtown. He hadn’t planned for things to take this long, and he still wanted to shop for some extra clothes, some survival supplies, and find somewhere to stop for a meal. In a crowded city, specter stepping all over the place would probably attract unwanted attention, so he would have to try to get his shopping in before the stores began to close. He sighed as he broke into a jog.
…
“Last location we can put him at is a dinner a few blocks from his house at about noon. After that he seems to have just disappeared.” Valerie sat across from Cedric, filling him in on the day's investigation. In the corner of the room, a small monitor played a local news station. Clay's face flashed onto the screen as Cedric turned up the volume.
“...suspected of killing his father and sisters, Clayton Diamont has escaped custody. Authorities are requesting anyone with any information to come forward.”
“That was fast,” Valerie said.
“Chief had me write up a report to send to their journalists. They probably pulled a few strings to get it aired on primetime, the higher-ups want him pretty bad. Surprised they didn’t mention anything about him killing those elves though, I included it in my report.” Cedric lowered the volume again, turning back to Valerie.
“Expect a busy day tomorrow, I want us ready to move the moment a solid lead comes in.”
…
Gavin sat at his desk, rubbing his face in stress. He had thrown on the news while he filled out paperwork when a familiar face flashed across the screen. “Legal trouble, I can’t believe that little shit. And I sent him to Rika, what was I thinking?”
“Well, she’s used to dealing with shady individuals, considering her status, so she’s probably fine.” His stress lessened a bit. “If I report him to the authorities, it might attract some unwanted attention. But if I don’t and they find out I’m connected to him…” He sighed, reached for his phone, and began dialing.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Rika? It’s Gavin.”
"Oh Gavin, it's been a while since we talked. I have to thank you for the kid you sent my way. I owe you one.”
“Yeah, about that. Did you watch the evening news?”
“No, I’ve been a bit preoccupied. Did something happen?
“You could say that. I’d rather not talk about it over the phone, can I swing by?”
“Sure.”
Gavin hung up, threw his coat on, and locked up his store as he left. The parking garage that held his car was almost totally empty, and eerily silent. Gavin was always a bit jumpy, but his nerves were really on edge tonight and he was constantly checking over his shoulder.
He fumbled with his keys, cursing to himself after missing the lock twice. He finally got it in and twisted when he noticed the reflection of a man approaching from behind. Pausing for a moment, he focused his mana before spinning around, a fireball in hand, ready to throw it at his assailant.
“Wow there!” The man yelled as he threw up a barrier.
Gavin hesitated. “What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that" he yelled.
“Sorry, they said you were a bit of a scardy cat but I didn’t take it too seriously. I’m with Venetis, came to ask you a few questions and followed you here when I saw you rushing out of your store.”
Gavin hesitated again. He didn’t exactly trust the man, but he wasn’t picking up any hostility. Cooking a member of Venetis wouldn’t be a good look anyways. The man let down his barrier as Gavin dispelled the fireball in his hand.
“What do you want? I’m supposed to be meeting with someone shortly” Gavin said impatiently.
“Yeah I know, with Rika right? Don’t look so surprised, we keep tabs on everyone associated with her. You’ve always been well behaved though, so we’ve overlooked it so far.”
His explanation didn’t do anything to help with Gavin's stress. Did they have his store bugged or something? The thought would surely drive him up the wall as he combed over every inch of his store tomorrow. “Then what do you want?”
“I came to ask you about Clayton Diamont.”
Before Gavin could respond, movement on the far side of the garage caught his eye. Both men's heads turned in its direction. A few moments later, both men were gone, Gavin's car keys still hanging from the door lock.