Following the same plan as the previous night, Zachary, Heather, and the gang retreated into the deep jungle to protect themselves from ambushes. This time, they chose a different place, a thicket beside a stream that allowed their treants to blend in with the surrounding trees. After some initial discussions, each person focused on their matters, notably their matchups for the first round of duels.
They had all made it to the top sixteen. But sharing points meant that their rankings were lower and they had to fight against tougher opponents. Zachary had the easiest matchup on paper, the fifteenth-place Seojun who earned fifty points. He was the deputy leader of Riverside Village. With such a status, he wasn't an easy opponent. When people were fighting for their lives, nothing was easy.
Summoner duels were just one type of summoning competition widely seen in the Republic of Adorin and across the Old World for that matter. One-on-one was the most popular format. It gauged a person’s strength, their ability to train and raise their summons, and their instincts and ability during battle.
Another type was two-on-two. Such duels focused on teamwork between two people and how their summons could work together. Two summoners could create unique combinations and strategies, which provided a more interesting battle for audiences.
There were also other types such as large-scale team battles. This could be held with four people in a team, eight people, or even more. These tested coordination, leadership, and the ability to survive in chaotic situations. As such, they were good practice for the countless wars humans had fought with each other throughout history.
Thinking about it, a one-on-one duel was the only one Zachary had yet to experience within the jungle. It seemed only fitting that this was what he had to do to get back home. The problem was that he knew almost nothing about his opponent. Therefore, he could only focus on himself.
"What did the flying lady mean by no rules? And free-for-all?" Wander asked.
"Usually, with one-on-one duels, there are additional rules and formats,” Zachary said, “These restrict how many summons you can use in total as well as how many summons you can bring out to battle at the same time. The most common, the formal summoner duel, involves a full lineup of eight summons against eight summons. Only one summon is allowed on the field at any given time. Once a summon is defeated, it cannot participate again, even if can be healed. Another important rule is that the summons are only allowed to attack each other and not the opposing summoner. That would be a serious crime. Thus, summoner duels have become more of a sport than anything. There are even professional duelists across the Republic that earn a decent living from this alone.”
Wander snorted, “One at a time? Can’t attack the summoner? Boooooring!”
“No rules. Free-for-all. These mean that there are no restrictions on how many summons one can use or how many can be summoned simultaneously. The summoners can also be attacked at will.”
“Haha, that’s more like it!”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Zachary smiled wryly. He also preferred no rules. After a year in the jungle, he was already used to this. Every battle had been a life-or-death struggle. These duels were no different.
For the upcoming duel, he would have to rely on Wander, Onkie, Doro, and Voodoo. Wander was his ace, taking care of defense and healing, an immovable rock. Onkie, Doro, and Voodoo were his core fighters. Onkie was tough, fast, and flexible. Doro was slow but powerful and almost impervious to ordinary abilities. Voodoo was a powerful attacker, able to take care of both long and short range opponents with ease. It was a good lineup, one that he trusted.
The odd one out was Elmont. Since the treant had only become an adept last night, he couldn’t depend on it too much. But it was better than nothing.
“Oh, right… there’s one more.” Zachary reached into his bag.
He picked out the single soul orb that was different from all the rest. This one had been used and contained a pea-sized white crystal. It was an adept rank giant seagull; the strongest one he had captured. He had more than enough points so he had kept this one for himself. If he had to guess, it was at least at the Six Paths Adept Rank, perhaps even seven paths.
“What do you think?” He asked Wander, “Can we use this guy?”
“Hmmm, we won’t know unless we try,” Wander replied.
As a freshly captured Ensouled, there was a big risk to using the seagull in a battle right away. The beast would try to resist the soul bond. It would disobey commands or avoid putting itself at risk for the sake its new master. Voodoo had been like this for a while. But it ultimately depended on how powerful and willful the soul in question was. Voodoo had been an especially tough case because of its innate viciousness as well as talent.
After a quick word with Heather, Zachary found a nearby clearing and summoned Wander, Onkie, and Doro together. Then, he squeezed the soul orb containing the giant seagull and activated the soul bond.
The beast appeared with a dull flash of white light. It was huge. With its four wings folded against its body, it was as wide as an ox cart and just as long. It was taller than him by at least two heads. Its yellow beak shined in the afternoon sun. It still bore wounds all over from when it had been beaten into submission. But its vitality had recovered somewhat on its own.
The beast didn’t squawk or attack or try to fly away. It looked at Zachary curiously with a pair of black eyes, tilting its head in confusion as it couldn’t decide what to make of the strange tug within its soul that connected it to this weak two-legged creature before it.
Zachary held up a hand slowly, “Hey, buddy. Don’t be nervous. These are your new friends.”
He tried to convey the same feelings through their active bond in case his words could not be understood.
“This is Wander… Onkie… Doro… Let’s see, what should we call you? How about Beaky?”
A flash of yellow filled Zachary’s vision.
Ka!
A shimmering green shield blocked the sudden attack. The seagull’s head went sideways from the force of the impact while Zachary landed on his butt.
“Onk! Onk!”
“Grrrr!”
Onkie and Doro cried out, ready to beat some sense into the feathered beast.
“Wait!” Zachary said and scrambled to his feet. He smiled and waved his hand, “Sorry, sorry. That was a terrible name. Instead… how about Yellow?”
Kac!
The giant seagull struck again, once again hitting the shield that Wander created.
“Sharpy?”
Crack!
Zachary chuckled. For some reason, he couldn’t get past the giant seagull’s beak. He thought about it some more and finally found one he liked. If this didn’t work, he would have to move on to less appealing options such as Murderbeak or Featherbrain.
“How about Flash?”
The beast didn’t attack. It cocked its head one way and then the other. It finally let a low, throaty chortle and dipped its beak in an obvious nod.
---
A big thank you to all my patrons!
You can also support me and read ahead by up to 10 chapters!
patreon.com/kigreenwriting
Join my discord for updates, memes, and my daily ramblings :)
discord.gg/dY5UApw