Wind whipped from the east, blowing the scent of a fresh campfire into Lucantele’s temple. Ethan stood with the Great Spirit, looking out on the forest. Both bore pensive expressions, or as pensive as a squirrel could look. Despite the spirit’s previous words that east was the best direction, there was a sense of heavy hesitation in the air. The caller didn’t want to leave his haven, and the spirit didn’t want to lose his Caller.

In just a few days, the pair had formed a bond. Perhaps that was reinforced by the system. A relationship forged by these rules that governed the world, but a kind of burgeoning friendship. But Ethan didn’t plan to leave the temple until he hit level 5, a fact that would come true with only a few monster kills.

“You’ll slim down if you keep eating only fruit,” Luca said, piercing the silence.

“I wonder what the nutritional value of your pears are.” Ethan chuckled, turning to meet the silvery gaze of the Great Spirit.

“You won’t find anything better.”

Ethan intended to check in at the temple before he made the journey east. As he departed through the northern entrance, he felt a sense of adventure. Excitement for the coming skill and the road ahead. He cast [Summon Lucantele] and worked his way through the forest. It took more kills than he’d have liked to get up to level 5. Fortunately, there were enough [Dig Deers] and [Thorn Badgers] to make the job easy.

The Caller rested on a log once he got the level. He found himself jittery as he consulted his new potential abilities. Like when he upgraded the Great Spirit summon, he had a slew of things to look at. They ranged from flat increases in various attributes, to new abilities altogether. He narrowed it down to a set of 8, then down to 3. Then he took time to think about them before making his selection.

[Empower Attack]

Caller Ability

Cooldown

15 Minutes

Description:

Your next summon ability will be enhanced.

The way the ability is enhanced depends on the ability. Damaging abilities do more damage, healing abilities heal more, and so on.

Ethan considered this skill because of its raw power. He wasn’t building himself as a powerhouse of damage, though. Instead of focusing on attacks, he’d been using his tactics to last longer in fights. This was a great ability to consider for the future, but for now he would pass.

[Chain Attack]

Caller Ability

Cooldown

15 minutes

Description:

Your next summon ability does not go on cooldown, allowing you to use it again immediately.

This ability does not reduce the mana cost of your summon ability.

[Chain Attack] was like [Empower Attack], in that it increased his damage output. Ethan couldn’t decide if the abilities were too closely tied, but he wouldn’t take this one either. It was marginally better than the last, but he’d had his eyes on the last one since the start of his internal debate.

[Rapid Summon]

Caller Ability

Cooldown

1 hour

Description:

Activate this ability to instantly cast any [Caller] summoning spell.

An ability with a one hour cooldown seemed like a waste of a selection. With Ethan’s current tactic of sending Luca in to do the dirty work, waiting for him to get killed, then running away to summon him again, this was perfect. It was his emergency button, allowing him to bring the Symbol back into the fight with no delay. He selected the ability and felt it slot into his core. Without caring about the consequences of going into a full [Mind] build, he put another point into [Mind]. That brought him up to 12.

Ethan now had a mana pool of 160, and a [Mana Regen] of 11.

He walked a lazy path back to the temple. Ethan collected more pears from under the span of trees, using his clothes as bags. Slinging the laden bags over his staff, and propping the weapon on his shoulder, he returned to the temple. Lucantele was waiting for him there, still holding that pensive squirrel look. Like a forest critter that had forgotten where his supply of nuts was. A common look among the creatures.

“Well, this is it,” Ethan said. “I still smell the fire. So I guess people are still out there.”

“Right on time,” Luca said, turning among the rubble to stare at Ethan.

“I’ll be back. However long that might take.”

Ethan was delaying for his own sake. Something about the forest outside shouted danger. That was always the case, but the path to the east seemed especially bad. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about other people in this world. With no knowledge of them, it was impossible to know if they were friendly. The Caller spent some time coming up with a story, bouncing that idea between himself and Luca.

The Great Spirit encouraged him to use his name. Those who followed the spirits were often strange. They did things others didn’t understand, following the words of normally invisible creatures. That was in the name of the class. Callers.

“Most cannot call us to the mortal realm,” Luca said. “With your staff and robes, no one would doubt you. Even if there hasn’t been a caller in the region for an age.”

“I’ll tell them the squirrel of hope sent me. No problem, right?”

The pair shared conversation for longer than they should have. Ethan didn’t want to waste a moment of daylight if he was meant to find people in the woods. It seemed like a difficult task, but he’d delayed long enough. The Caller made his way to the exit and looked back on the ruins. Luca stood there, bathing the area in a faint silver glow. He turned and left, snaking his way around the temple to head east.

It didn’t take long for the scent of a burning fire to become more intense. Ethan walked a plodding course through the forest, finding the landscape here to be more unforgiving. He had to divert several times, tracking a path down hills and around sudden drops. When he lost sight of the temple, he found it difficult to navigate. Turned around, he relied on his nose to bring him closer to the fire. Atop a gentle rise, bordered on three sides by steep declines, a fire burned.

Ethan could barely make out the form of two people, sitting by the fire. They talked about something, but he couldn’t hear them from this distance. Hooded in threadbare cloaks, furs, and armed with blunted axes, the people paid him no mind as he approached. The Caller stood there, staring at the crackling fire for a while. The words just wouldn’t come to him. They caught in his throat before he could manifest them, leaving him feeling a fool.

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His mind wandered as he approached, something of an introduction forming in his thoughts. Without knowing why, he unintentionally inspected one of the people. Blood running ice cold in his veins, body seizing with the frost of fear, Ethan stammered.

[Belgar Orc]

Monster

Rank 0

Level 6

Description:

Orcs are horrible creatures. Their human-like appearance fools some adventurers, but there is a difference between monsterized orcs and their more civil cousins.

Two faces turned to meet his gaze. Tusked and almost pig-nosed, the pair of orcs shot for their weapons. They rose to their full height, more than a head taller than Ethan. They stared down the Caller with deadly intent, even as he cast [Summon Lucantele]. The pair of level 6 orcs bore down on him, interrupting his spellcasting and sending him tumbling down the hill. The world spun around him, a smear of green and brown before he impacted the ground below.

With 10 health less than when he started, Ethan panicked to his feet. He channeled [Summon Lucantele] again, trying to get ahead of the massive green-skinned creatures stomped down the earthen ramp. He cast the makeshift bags of fruit to the ground and readied his staff. A mental command sent Luca to intercept the first creature. He flew through the underbrush, bursting from a bush to latch onto an orc’s neck.

The monster screamed in agony, shaking its head like a dog ridding itself of fleas. But Luca had both of their attention now, and disengaged just as the second orc brought a blunted blow down on his companion’s neck. The first orc howled in pain, pitching over and falling on its face. It squirmed on the ground, not completely defeated.

But the second orc wasn’t as stupid as Ethan expected. Instead of focusing on Luca, it turned to find the Caller. With a war cry, it thundered through the forest with its head lowered. Saplings bent to give way to the creature’s massive frame, allowing the Caller only a breath to react. He dove to the side, landing directly in a pile of thorny branches.

“Balls!” Ethan shouted, shaking his staff with intent.

The bell rang through the forest. Luca doubled in size, then kicked off from the ground with force. Under the effects of [Spur], the Symbol tore into the closest orc. Currently stunned by his wild charge, the orc howled with pain. Ethan swiveled his gaze, spotting the first orc rising to his feet. If he couldn’t control them both at the same time, this wouldn’t end well. He needed to keep the battlefield under his command, or…

“I’ll die,” Ethan breathed.

While the second orc reeled from the attack, Ethan ordered Luca to attack the first. The Caller repositioned himself, cursing as thorns dragged through his new robes, sinking into his skin. Pinpricks of blood stained his robe, but he found better footing. Better still, the second orc would need to brave the same pain to attack him.

Luca tore into the first orc, but Ethan kept [Claw] on reserve. He focused on his tactic. The thing he was working toward. The Symbol inflicted enough damage on both monsters to draw their ire, leaving the Caller free to employ his new strategy. Against two level 6 orcs, the spirit didn’t stand a chance. He’d inflicted enough damage on each of them to make it worth it, and the entire thing would have gone wrong if not for his new ability.

Ethan invoked the [Rapid Summon] skill just as Luca’s Symbol faded from the world. The shock of channeling a summon, only to have it instantly activate, was jarring. Luca jumped from a silver circle and turned, facing down the charging orcs.

“[Claw],” Ethan said, gesturing to the weaker of the two orcs.

Luca sprinted through the underbrush, jumping and activating his [Claw] ability. A line of red was drawn across the monster’s chest, and it reeled back from the force of the strike. Ethan ordered his summon to immediately turn its attention to the second orc before running over clumsily. He tripped on the way, almost losing his grip on his staff. But as the first orc was still struggling with its footing, he brought his staff down in an overhead arc. The sound of brass cracking over the head of the monster rang through the forest, although it lacked the distinctive bell.

While the monster was downed, Ethan repeatedly beat it over the head with his staff. He could sense it was doing minimal damage, but the act kept it on the floor. Unable to act as Luca tore the second to shreds. When the tide of battle was turning in their favor, the Caller heard something in the distance. His heart sank when the rustling drew closer.

The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind. He had 80 mana left from his original 160. The speed of the fight made sure he had enough to summon Luca twice more, but that didn’t take into account perpetuation cost. It was really one spell left, and then a few minutes of fighting. Assuming they made it that far. The sound of heavily-shod feet crunched through the forest. Emerging on the far side of the rise were more orcs. Five of them. All level 6.

“Double balls,” Ethan said, staring the creatures down. He delivered one last resounding smack to his downed orc, satisfied when the experience notification popped up. “Get their attention. Lead them into the forest.”

Luca nodded, dismounting his prey and sprinting toward the interlopers. But the Symbol’s health was dwindling. At only a quarter of its full value, Luca wouldn’t last long against the new orcs. Ethan was out of tricks, but refused to give up. Jumping over the downed orc, and sprinting past the one that his summon had savaged, the Caller ran to the top of the rise. He saw a series of events that could go his way, but he didn’t like the odds.

Ethan scooped up a burning stick, tossing it down into the forest. He’d envisioned a scenario where he’d create a wildfire. That would drive the orcs away, even if it burned the forest down. Instead, the torch smoldered on the ground, letting off wisps of gray. The Caller only got a faint sizzle for his efforts, leaving him standing to wait for Luca to die below. He looked around, desperate for any solution to the impossible problem.

Two orcs was hard enough. Ethan didn’t have the means to deal with two of them, but now there were six. He and Luca had only taken out one orc. The highground hardly seemed like an advantage. The attacks with his staff were minimal, often barely bruising his opponents.

“Think,” Ethan said, forcing his mind to spin out the possibilities. Even as Luca’s health dropped. Even as the second orc below rose to its feet, rubbed its head, and approached the rise.

The forest was too wet to burn, so fire was out of the equation. Ethan rummaged through the belongings of the monsters, finding little more than animal skeletons and junk. There were basic supplies like food and water, although he doubted they needed to drink or eat. The way monsters behaved was strange, but they seemed to follow a set of predictable patterns. Instead, he counted out the seconds that he could delay.

Luca had led the orcs 30 seconds into the forest. If he timed it by the second, he could have 3 ticks of his mana regen and still have time to summon Luca. Except there was an orc barreling its way up the steady rise, leaving him with exactly 0 seconds for his plan to work. The Caller sent a mental command to his summon to delay the orcs, rather than engaging. He got a sense back from the Symbol that it was already doing so.

“Just you and me,” Ethan said, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

Ethan backed away from the approaching orc when something entered his mind. A memory from moments ago. He looked back, spotting the ledge behind him. The Caller held his staff at the ready, preparing to strike at the attacking monster. He smiled when the creature lowered its head, sprinting into a charge that would have killed him. If he didn’t step to the side at the last moment. The orc let out a surprised grunt when firm ground was no longer beneath its feet. It let out an even more dismayed sound when it impacted the ground, flashing experience gain into his vision.

Lead them as far as you can get, Ethan thought. More of a prayer than anything.

He got the impression that Luca could only go so far away. 40 seconds as the crow flew, leaving Ethan with some wiggle room. He gave the order for the Symbol to engage the orcs full-force. To die out in the forest, only to be summoned back on the rise after 20 seconds. 4 ticks of mana, resulting in 44 mana gained back from passive regeneration. Enough to pull this stupid trick again. One last time.

Ethan counted the seconds out after Luca fell in the forest. “One Mississippi… Two Mississippi…”

20 seconds passed and he channeled [Summon Lucantele]. The spell halved his mana, bringing him down to 40. The silver circle appeared, and Luca’s Symbol jumped out. It cast a concerned look to the Caller, sensing his intentions. Ethan suddenly realized that not every orc would fall for the dodge trick. One, perhaps two of them would. But not all of them.

“I’ve heard of picking a hill to die on,” Ethan said, his breath coming in steadier gasps. “But this is ridiculous.”

Luca gave him a flat look.

“Tie them up,” Ethan said, hearing the orcs thunder up the ramp before he could see them. “Delay them as long as you can. I’ll think of something.”

Luca dashed off, jumping through the air and delivering a swipe of his claws to the face of the lead orc. Ethan scooped up a burning branch and tossed it at an orc who slipped by the Symbol. The monster yelped, slapping away the flaming stick and leveling its gaze on the Caller. But more sticks came. Even hot rocks that burned Ethan’s hands as he tossed them. By the time the orcs approached him, he was out of things to toss. Left with his staff held in two hands. Left with ragged breaths and dwindling hope.

Luca struggled to keep as many orcs at bay as he could. There was nothing Ethan could have done about it. He’d done his best setting this build up. To base it on longevity in combat meant that he was able to survive this long. His backup plan was to dive into the forest below, hoping he didn’t snap his neck on the impact. The Symbol of Lucantele faltered, catching a weapon to the chest and soaring through the air.

Five sets of beady eyes leveled on him. Five sets of hands held weapons, holding them up with deadly intent. Ethan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to find that Symbol of Hope in his chest. Trying to remember what Lucantele told him about how people just needed a push. He opened his eyes to see the orcs charging.

That hope would have slipped away. If not for the pair of daggers that flashed from the forest, spinning like a hurricane of death.