Izzy soared across the ocean water that split Capital City from the island. She was riding in a smaller speed boat-type vehicle - a water skimmer. The water skimmer looked like an Everglades airboat. The place where the massive fans were supposed to be had a metal circle with runes etched along the side. With a bit of mana, the runes would glow, and the power of wind would propel the skimmer over the water. The boat was experimental, and she had been tasked with doing a lot of test runs. Okay, Izzy definitely volunteered to be a test dummy for this boat.
It only took a couple of hours to cross the distance, which was significantly faster than the ferry line. It was also devoid of people. Izzy spent time thinking through how she was going to approach this meeting. Was she going to be casual? Was she going to be assertive? What if they asked her tough questions? How would Izzy react to it? She honestly wasn’t sure, which was why she was excited to go.
Levi woke up to an empty bedroom. No familiars, no Tycen, just Levi by himself. He stood up and stretched the sleep out of his body. He wasn’t used to not having anyone in the room with him since he had gotten familiars. He walked out of the bedroom and into the main living room to see Anna and Piper with the rest of his familiars. As he took a seat at the table, Serenity wrapped herself around his shoulders.
“Good morning,” Piper and Anna said.
“Hey good morning,” Levi said. “Y’all sleep alright?”
“Yep,” Piper said with a beaming smile. “Did you?”
“I did,” Levi nodded. “Tycen’s turn for breakfast?”
“Yes, he should be heading back soon,” Anna said. “Are you excited to meet the date?”
Levi chuckled, “I’m not sure excited is the right word. I think a lot of it will be her asking me a bunch of questions, which I am not sure how I feel about.”
“Stop it,” Piper said. “You love getting to teach about summoning, we all know it.”
“It is quite obvious,” Anna said.
“Whoa, double teamed so early in the morning,” Levi said. “Before I even had my delicious tea, the pain.” He mocked, getting stabbed in the heart, and slumped into his chair. Both Piper and Anna rolled their eyes at the very poor acting performance before them. A click at the door was seen as a hero, as it forced to cut the acting short. Tycen walked in with a bag of food and some coffee. Behind him walked in Izzy, she looked nervous but was steeling her nerves.
“Ah, you’re awake,” Tycen said. “I brought Izzy.”
“Good morning, Izzy,” Piper said. “We are happy you are joining us.” Izzy looked around the room and saw the rest of the familiars. Levi saw her gaze fall on each of them.
“Oh shoot,” Levi said. “We were supposed to ease you into them, my fault. Wait, no, it's not… y’all were aware that she was coming; y’all could have hid yourselves.” There was an awkward shift in each of the familiar's movements, but no one said anything.
“We can get to them later,” Izzy said. “I mean this did increase the amount of questions I have but I have some more pressing ones.”
“Then have a seat, Izzy, and enjoy breakfast with us,” Anna said. She pulled out a chair between her and Piper. Without any hesitation, Izzy took a seat. Tycen distributed all the food on the table; everyone started to eat, and Izzy could no longer hold in the anticipation.
“Why did you want to be a summoner?” she blurted out.
“I didn’t,” Levi said. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“What?” Izzy asked.
“Have you heard of beings who came to this world from another one?”
“Yes of course, Otherworlders,” Izzy said. Levi gave her a pointed look, “noooo, what? Usually otherworlder auras are obvious. Actually, my scanners didn’t pick up an aura from any of you, why? How?”
“Well, it’s true,” Levi said. “I am an otherworlder. That’s cause of Serenity and Dameion,” he pointed to the dragon on his shoulders. “This is Serenity, she’s an aura dragon.” He pointed to the void snake on the couch curled up. “That’s Dameion, an avatar of the void. They both strengthen my aura capabilities.”
“So many more questions just appeared… I take it that these two are your familiars?” Izzy asked.
Levi chuckled, “Ask away.” He took a bite of food while she formed her next question: " Oh, and yes, they are two of my familiars.”
“Okay, some rapid fire questions, that I don’t need more detail, I am just curious, this would be the best way to organize my thoughts.”
“Fire away,” Levi said.
“How many familiars do you have? How did you get so many? What’s the highest star ritual you’ve completed? Is training easy or more complex with familars? How long have you been on our planet? How do you speak our language so well?”
“I have six familiars. My class upgraded to Familiar Summoner, which gave me additional familiar slots. I have completed one 4-star ritual. Depends on what you’re training. All the physical attributes are not really affected by the summons. The magical attributes that’s a different story. In terms of progress and training, it is better to use my familiars in battle. I’m not exactly sure about the difference, but I know I progress more when I properly use familiars. Umm I have been here for a year and some change. I have an ability that that helps translate stuff.”
“That is incredible,” Izzy said. “What was traveling to our world like? Does everyone look like you? Do you miss home?”
“I think,” Piper said. “We can get to those questions later, Tycen mentioned that you had questions about summoning. Let’s focus on those.” Izzy looked at Piper, and her face relaxed. She nodded slowly.
“Right, sorry, those are big and deep questions for a total stranger. Thank you, lady Piper. This happens often, so please continue to keep me on topic.” She turned her blue eyes on Levi. “How did you become a familiar summon?”
“It’s all good,” Levi said. “I like the enthusiasm. As I said, my class upgraded.”
“Did you have familiars before?” Izzy asked.
“Yes, I had Anza and Willow,” Levi said. He pointed to the mimic curled up on the floor. “That’s Anza, you met her already. Willow is the crystal blue wisp. These were my first two familiars that I got.”
“Amazing. Do you think you could show me what a summoning ritual looks like?”
“Sure,” Levi said. He pulled out a small leather pouch and his wand of summoning. Piper gave Levi a look as if to ask why he wasn’t using his new summoning sword. Levi stared back but said nothing. Levi channeled mana into the wand and began drawing a ritual circle from the sand that was inside the small leather pouch. The sand had a slight tan hue as it was being placed in a simple 1-star ritual.
There was one rune circle. Levi added a small amount of sand inside it and shot a small bolt of mana to ignite the ritual circle. The circle lit a dim tan and pulsed to life. The sand in the rune circle lifted into the air and formed its own rune. The rune grew brighter and brighter until it reached an apex. Inside the bright rune, a small figure appeared. Levi smiled as he saw the same sand elemental that he had summoned before.
“Squaindle,” Levi said. “It’s good to see you bud, how have you been?” The small squid-like elemental floated over to Levi. It did some backflips and bobbed all around Levi in happy bounces. Levi laughed as the small bits of sand tickled his nose as it fell. “This is Squaindle,” Levi introduced. “He was one of the first non-familiar summons I summoned.”
“He is so cute,” Izzy said. “That ritual seemed pretty easy and you just have a pouch of sand on you?”
“I have many pouches, boxes, and bags filled with a variety of summoning ingredients. That’s a crucial part,” Levi explained. Levi held a small amount of sand in his palm out for Squaindle. The sand elemental floated over and happily ate the sand out of his palm. “Thanks buddy, we’ll chat soon again?” The elemental did a backflip, then bobbed its head. He started to glow bright tan, then disappeared into the light.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Interesting,” Izzy said. “I’ve only known drawing ritual circles with like chalk or iron filings or even salt. I have never seen sand or used.”
“That would be for normal rituals or trap rituals,” Levi explained. “That’s what Piper uses for some of her rituals. I’ll use them on occasion. But you use specific ingredients, like sand, that have aren’t neutral to help summon a specific creature. It is also very important when you make your summoning circle you understand which ingredients are what.”
“And why is that?”
“You could summon the wrong monster. One that would be extremely dangerous and the other being completley harmless.”
“I see,” Izzy nodded. “There have been rumors spread that summoners have the slowest progress in advancement. Is that accurate?” Everyone snorted at that comment. “I take that as a no?”
“You tell us,” Tycen said. “Levi has been here for just over a year and is already well into the 3-star rank? Is that slow or fast?”
“Impossibly fast,” Izzy said. “I have never heard of progression so quickly. How is that possible?”
“Wisdom increases with successful summons and when summons defeat enemies. Well a fun fact that we discovered is that my familiars count as summons,” Levi said.
Izzy’s eyes grew wide, “that means you have multiple avenues of progressing Wisdom!”
“This changes everything.” Izzy stood up and started pacing. “How many years and lies have we been told about summoners? How did this even happen? Why would people not want summoners to be a thing?” She paused and looked at Levi. “Sorry, my whole life we were taught that being a summoner was primarily dangerous because they took forever to advance. That slow progress in advancement created more dangers for the young adventurers.” She continued pacing as she thought deeply about the implications of this.
The group stayed silent as Izzy paced. It was clear that she needed the time to go through her existential questioning on her own. It's not like they could have offered her any good advice. What she was experiencing sucked, Levi was fully aware of that. He knew that she needed to work through this on her own. Izzy eventually sat back down in her seat. She shoved her head in her hands.
“Can I ask a question that might be insensitive?” Levi asked. Anna shot him a look but held her tongue.
“Sure,” Izzy said, slowly lifting her head.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters, my life could have.. No should have been easier. Instead I am much older and am only 1-star because I haven’t chosen a class yet. If the times were different imagine where I could and would be? My whole life would have been different!”
“But it wasn’t,” Levi said. “So what? It can be different NOW. That’s what is important. I got a late start, a very late start, but here I am, 3-stars. That has mean something to you.” He took a deep breath. “If anyone can tell you this it’s me, at some point you’re gonna have to move accept the things for what they’re not and for they are. Worrying about the past or things you cannot change only makes things harder in the future.”
“But all the times I was called a fool…” she said sadly.
“The people who called you that are idiots. Now what? You shut them up and be a great summoner and ranks higher than them.”
Izzy looked at Levi; there was fury, sadness, and grief in her eyes. As she looked, her gaze softened, the tears fell, and she took a deep shuddering breath. She nodded. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I can do this and prove to them that the path of a summoner was the ultimate right choice.” Her facial expression changed to one of determination. She looked out the window toward Captial City. “I always wanted to make a difference in the world. To be something that no one expected of me.”
“It seemed like you have a supportive family,” Levi said.
“My family is great,” Izzy corrected. “That’s not what I’m talking about, it’s the other houses that are the problem—particularly the Calders and the Godfreys. The Calders think they are the best because of their precious adventurer guild. They get under my skin and look down on everyone one. Then the Godfreys, who are just a bunch of rich people who again, look down on people! They think because they help fund research that they own us.”
Tycen put a calming hand on Izzy's shoulder. He could tell that she was getting frustrated again. “Breathe, Izzy. Take a deep breath,” he said calmly. She put her hand on top of his and nodded. She took a slow inhale, and a controlled exhale.
“Thank you,” Izzy said, squeezing his hand. Levi looked at Izzy with a smirk. She looked back and quirked her head, “what?”
“Nothing,” Levi said. “It doesn’t matter. But Izzy? Making a difference doesn’t mean saving the world or changing the status quo.”
“Levi’s right,” Tycen said. “Making a difference in the world could be something as simple as eating at an elf’s restaurant despite her being an elf.”
“That was an oddly specific example,” Anna said.
“That’s where we went to eat last night,” Izzy explained. “It’s my favorite restaurant and Francene, the owner, is an elf. Which is frowned upon in Capital City, in case you hadn’t figured that out.”
“Yeah, we figured that one out,” Tycen said with a chuckle.
“You’re right, that is a change. Oh, before I forget, my dad told me to give you all these.” She handed each of them a small wooden badge. “These are our guest passes for our Gala that we are hosting in a few days. The dress code is formal, and he was looking forward to meeting you all, if you could attend.”
“We will be there,” Anna said. “Thank you for the invitation. This should be fun.”
“Awesome,” Izzy said. “One last thing, before I stop hogging all the breakfast time, do you have an opening on your team for a new teammate?”
***
In the meeting hall inside the compound of the Qu’ant house, eight people gathered together in preparation for a meeting. The ones present were all the leaders of each house within the city and their second-in-command. Tiberius Avington was present with his wife, Teresa. Finley Calder, was present with his son Bradley. There was the leader of the Godfrey house, Gerald Godfrey, and his twin brother, Herald Godfrey. The last pair of leaders was the namesake of the nation, the house of Qu’ant, the hosts. The primary head was Louis Qu’ant and his uncle Paule.
Gerald and Herald were identical twins. They were both short men with sharp features. They had alabaster skin and large white mustaches. They wore fancy clothes and a monocle each. The way they dressed and acted was exactly how one would expect an old-timey rich person to act. They acted as if they were the blessing that the nation of Qu’ant needed and got.
Louis Qu’ant wore a traditional royal outfit, complete with a fancy tunic and trousers, each with gemstones along the side. He was a tall man with delicate features; his tanned skin complimented his green eyes. He was, by all accounts, classically handsome. He had a neatly trimmed beard that shaped his face perfectly. He sat with an air of confidence. He was a secretive man, not really saying much or showing up in public places. This tied in perfectly with his Stealth Shooter class, which upgraded from the Ranger.
His uncle was a bit shorter but just as muscular and handsome. He was also a ranger but preferred wrist-mounted crossbows as his weapon of choice. He was wearing a ranger’s cloak that was fancier and matched the house colors. Paule was older than Louis by a few decades. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a full beard. He rarely spoke, but as Louis's designated protector, it made sense that he had a gruff personality.
With all the leaders of the houses present, the meeting could begin. It started with Louis, who sat up in his chair slightly. His voice was smooth and bored: “All right then, let’s get this over with. Finley, you called this rush meeting before the Avington Gala… why?”
“Thank you, Lord Louis,” Finley said. “It appears we have had a new team of adventurers enter our city. My rouge scouts have reported that their level of threat has entered a dangerous zone.”
“Define threat,” Louis asked.
“They pose a threat to the social network and influence we have,” Finley said. “I brought my son here so that he could explain his peace.”
“Thank you father,” Bradley said. “As my father mentioned, I have met with the newcomers and they have no respect. They had gone to our family’s restaurant and ate. Then refused to leave after we told them it was a Calders only restaurant. The utter lack of respect was baffling.”
“So,” Louis said, sharing a look with his uncle. “You thought these new people who definitely don’t know my culture would be excited to have you tell them to leave?”
“Exactly, they should have known! On top of that my little brother said that they willingly put his life in danger on the ferry by refusing to let my brother and his team fight the monster.”
“Ahh yes,” Louis said. “The monster, a 4-star monster, is your brother and his team equipped and ready to take down a 4-star ranked monster? If they are, that is quite impressive, they are natural talents.”
“I do not believe so, my lord,” Bradley said, a little less confident.
“Then tell me what exactly the issue with our new guests?”
“Well they-”
“Not you-” Louis said, cutting off Finley. “Let your boy speak.”
“They had an avian on their team.”
“Ahh, traditional racism, cool. Any other grievances with the newcomers?”
“If it is all the same, I would prefer they never entered into any of our guilds or adventure federation,” Gerald said. “They could be a bad influence on our youth.”
“I heard one of them is a summoner,” Herald said. “We haven’t let a summoner into our city in decades, why start now?”
“For starters,” Tiberius said. “He is strong. If you have felt his aura, you would know what I am talking about. He is crafty. Somehow, my scouts were spotted following him around. These were my best scouts. The next thing is that he has familiars that we as a city should not mess with.”
“He has familiars? He is a summoner?” some echoed in the room.
“Correct, he has familiars. Two have been confirmed, at the very least, but I am unsure if he has more or not. The two that we do know of make me want to be an ally with him.”
“You say that as if you are scared, Tiberius,” Finley challenged.
“I am,” Tiberius said. “There is nothing wrong with fear Finley; fear keeps us alive, fear keeps us safe. Have any of you heard of a mimic?” Nearly everyone shook their head as all eyes went wide. “A mimic has many titles, the most significant one that I believe to be the most threatening is the world-conquering organism. How many of you have heard of an aura dragon?” Once again, nobody raised their hands.
“Yes, well, aura dragons are scary beasts. How he even summoned one is insane. If the summoner only had those two as his familiars, that would be enough but he has more. I don’t know what they are, what they can do, but based on the pedigree of the other two, they are scary. I say all of this not to strike unnecessary fear but to have you all understand why I invited them to the gala.”
“YOU DID WHAT?” Finley snarled, his aura flared. Louis, with a wave of his hand, crushed Finley’s aura.
“I believe, master Finley,” Louis said. “That you stop wasting our time with your personal grievance. Prudent as always, Tiberius. I do look forward to meeting the summoner, it has been so long since we have had one in our nation. Perhaps he could be a good teacher for that daughter of yours who wants to be a ritualist.”
“Thank you, lord, he would be a good teacher,” Tiberius said.
“Good, this meeting is adjourned,” Louis said. “I will see you all at the Avington Gala.” He got up from his seat, then walked and disappeared.