Jake’s POV

I walked out of the therapist’s office after my first session and sat in my car. She had listened to me talk about the attack, how I fought back and ended up killing one of the attackers, how Suma had tried to help him and blamed herself for failing to save him, and how we were interrogated. She didn’t judge me, she just listened and occasionally asked a question. I told her how I had felt about it, that I regretted killing him, but not saving Suma or myself. She explained that what I was feeling was common in people who survived assaults and ended up killing their attackers. She asked me why Suma blamed herself, and I explained that she was a kind of combat medic, or that she would be once she was moved to active duty. I then told her that I was going into the army with Suma. As I sat in my car, I thought about the last thing she said to me while I was walking out of the door.

“I would like to have a conversation with this Suma woman.”

“I’ll… ask if she is available, but she might not be interested.” I replied to her before heading to my car. Now I sat there thinking about what to do next. If Suma meets her, she will have to actually MEET her, but Suma’s people might not have therapists… this could be good for her. And even if she agreed, Suma can’t come to my world… I don’t think anyway, so I would have to bring her to Suma’s world. I don’t even know if that is possible. Sure, I have taken small things like clothes, pencils, and random junk I had in my hand or my pockets at the time, but a whole person is a different story. I drove home and went inside.

“Hey Suma,” I said trying to contact her.

A moment of silence passed but she replied, “Yes Jake?”

“Can you summon me?” I asked. There was no reply, but my body began to disappear and soon I was standing in a small cave, barely taller than I was, illuminated by small braids melded into the walls and ceiling. “Where is this?” I asked.

“This is my home.” She said.

“The one up the mountain?” I said surprised.

“Yes,” she said.

“Cool place... anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something.” I said looking around the cave, trying to get a feel for it. “Suma, have you ever heard of a therapist?”

“Ummm, no I do not believe I have. What is it, some kind of weapon or spell?” She said.

“No, it’s a job. A person who helps people process tragedy or loss, among other things. I have been talking to one… about what happened in the alley.” I explained.

Suma seemed caught off guard, “I- I did not realize you… I had just assumed… you seemed unbothered by everything. You never showed that it…”

“Oh trust me, I was bothered… I still am, but talking with a therapist helps, or at least I feel like it’s helping. I’ve only had a single session, but it felt like a huge weight was lifted while I was talking.” I told her.

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“I am glad you have been able to do that. If you need some time off to go to more sessions, then that is fine. Just let me know when you want to resume training… if you even want to-” She started saying but I cut her off.

“Stop… I’m not going anywhere Suma. I brought this up because she wants to talk to you, and honestly… I’m worried about you. I think you should do it.” I explained.

“But I thought you said magic did not exist on your world, will it not come as a shock to her to suddenly be brought here?” She pointed out.

“Well, yes,” I admitted, “but I’m more worried about your mental health than I am the consequences of my actions at the moment.” I chuckled slightly.

“I do not know…” Suma said hesitantly.

“Just think about it, okay.” I suggested.

“Okay, I shall think about it.” She relented.

“Good, now for the other reason I wanted to come… my sword and shield.” I said happily.

“Oh right… in all the confusion I almost forgot. Our order is probably ready.” Suma said realizing that it had probably been done for a day or two. Suma walked over to the far side of the cave and used magic to open the wall. “Okay, let us go.” She said and flew into the air. I walked over to the edge of the cave and looked out of the new hole… and down the several hundred foot drop off of a sheer cliff.

“NOPE!” I said and brought my head back in, then laid flat on my back on the ground of the cave due to the sudden feeling of dizziness.

“What is wrong?” Suma asked… then very quickly realized and said, “oh… right… the mountain. Okay, wait here for a moment.” Suma then closed the cave and told me over our psychic connection that she would just fly to the metalworker’s shop and summon me straight there.

“Good idea.” I acknowledged. “Wait, does that mean you could have been summoning me from place to place the whole time? I’ve walked like fifty miles in the past month!”

“Sorry, it did not occur to me until a few days ago.” Suma apologized.

“Ugh, it’s fine… I needed the exercise anyway.” I said. A few minutes passed, which I spent looking around Suma’s home, before she told me she had arrived and summoned me beside her. “That was fast.” I said surprised.

“Flying is much faster than walking.” She said and perched on my shoulder. We walked inside and the elderly Neame greeted us.

“Ah there you are, I was beginning to think you had forgotten. I have your order all finished up and ready to go.” He said and flew behind his counter. “Um… would you mind giving a poor old man a bit of help sir?” He asked gesturing to the large metal objects.

“No problem,” I said and picked up the finished sword and shield. It was a double-edged short sword, no longer than the total length of my arm, based on a medieval broadsword’s design. The shield was rectangular and only just a bit wider than my torso; it was twice as long. I wanted something small and nimble that I could maneuver easily and wield with only one hand each.

“How does it feel?” Suma wondered.

“It feels pretty good.” I said giving the sword a few good swings.

“And what about the metal wall?” The elder nymph asked.

“The shield? I would have to test it, but it seems sturdy.” I said looking it over.

“I have never constructed such odd tools, but if you ever need my services again, please do not hesitate to ask.” The elder sounded joyful, I guess he had fun making my stuff. I told him we would probably be placing a few more orders, but that it might be a while. Suma was surprised to hear that but waited until we had left the metalworker’s shop to ask me about it.

“Jake,” she started, “what did you mean by more orders? Do you need more weapons?”

“No, actually what happened in the alley made me think about something else. When that noble threw that ball of magic at me, I couldn’t have moved a shield into place fast enough to block it. What I need is to have something that is always blocking attacks… I need some armor.”