“Magic Users are artists,” Number One sister stated.
The Old Crones were named in numerical order from One to Three. Jeze felt that was odd but also appreciated the simplicity. The teenager was painstakingly drawing a circle of Runes on the stone floor in the middle of the room.
“But not all artists are Magic Users,” Number Two added.
The Old Crones would often speak in order and after each other. Again, Jeze found that odd but appreciated the consistency. With deliberation and detailed effort, she marked another Rune on the floor.
“Because Magic demands perfection in form and in Will,” Number Three said.
“Do not let your mind wander, girl!” Number One snapped.
“This is a summoning circle. Simply drawing perfect Runes is not enough,” Number Two added.
Jeze blew a loose bang from her face and growled, “I know!”
Sweat was dripping down her face as Jeze drew the next Rune while keeping her mind focused. It was a strain on her arms to ensure the perfect lines and on her mind as she maintained her Will. The Old Crones nagging her did not make it any easier.
“Then focus!” Number Three said and made a loud crack as she rapped her cane on the floor.
Jeze flinched and scowled. Luckily, she didn’t jerk her hand to make a mistake. Jeze inhaled deeply to steady her mind because it could not wander when working with Runes. The Will needed to stay focused on the task. If her thoughts strayed, Jeze needed to quickly return them to the effort of scribing the Rune; otherwise, the Magic would fail.
As if reading her thoughts, Number One interjected, “With summoning circles, failure does not simply mean they will not work. You may summon a loose being into this realm, one that may eat you. Your Will is what binds them to behave properly.”
Jeze wanted to scream but quickly returned her mind back to the task at hand. With controlled relief, she completed the last Rune and felt the energy tensed and readied in the air. As with all Magic, the summoning spell was not complete until she gestured the final glyph. That required perfect grace, and some glyphs had full body movements. For this summoning spell, it only required finger and wrist movements. Simple enough, but the summoning also demanded that Jeze craft a gift for the invited being.
“Do not complete the incantation just yet,” Number One said.
It took all of Jeze’s self-control to avoid shouting that she knew that.
“You will need to prepare your offering,” Number Two added.
Of course, Jeze knew this. She had spent nearly a week preparing for this summoning. Old Raynor was not able to find an Adventurer to tell her where the Wandering Spire was expected to appear next. However, the old goat did encounter a scribe who said it was rumored that the Wandering Spire had an Abyssal origin.
The Old Crones instructed that Magic was a power that connected all the realms like the threads in a tapestry. It also held many aspects, such as Life, Death, Fire, Water, and Earth. The list included many more, and Jeze didn’t specialize in any one. The benefit of specialization was to unlock greater power, but Jeze was more interested in utility. Every aspect offered different possibilities, and she didn’t care for mastery because the more complex the spell, the longer it took to cast and the greater the probability that it could fail. Like the summoning spell she just prepared.
The tip from Raynor guided Jeze to research Abyssal topics, and she confirmed that the rumor was true. She decided the best way to find the Wandering Spire’s next location was to summon a Goblin from the Abyssal planes. Despite Goblins being just a minor demon, this was the most challenging and dangerous incantation she ever attempted. As a result, all three Crones oversaw her efforts.
“Demons and Devils all love sour and spicy offerings,” Number Three said.
“We see that you prepared that. That is good.” Number One observed.
Jeze wondered if she was better off if they were not included. Especially if they stated the obvious. Raynor had helped her to gather ingredients from the marketplaces he traded in. She made a paste out of lemons and peppers and filled several jars with it.
“Place a small amount in the center of the circle,” Number Two ordered.
“Be careful to not disrupt your Runes,” Number Three cautioned.
“You do not want to give away too much. Goblins are clever bargainers,” Number One added.
Jeze closed her eyes to sigh, “I know.”
“Don’t assume you know everything, girl!” Number Two snapped and cracked her cane on the hard stone floor.
Jeze flinched and did as instructed. She placed a small amount of paste onto the floor and kept her Will focused on forming the final Rune in the air. If her mind wandered too far, then the spell would fizzle out, or worse, she summoned a Goblin that was free to leave. Beings from the Abyssal planes were, at the very least, treacherous. At the very worst, they were destructively ravenous. Jeze made the final gesture and felt the Magic snap into place.
The circular room buzzed with the energy from the aspects of Darkness, Affliction, Fire, and Earth. Those were common in the Abyssal planes. The light in the room dimmed, the air felt sinister and filled with smoke, and dirt and rock rose from the stone floor into the shape of a balled-up creature that looked like a tiny child in the fetal position. The rock and soil crumbled away into the ether, leaving a creature with dark green skin and sinewy limbs that ended in sharp claws.
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The Goblin’s nose and ears were sharp and pointy. It opened its red eyes and stood up. Jeze was glad that the creature was small, about the size of a house cat. It wore a black leather jerkin and grinned, showing jagged, sharp teeth. With a long curved fingernail, it scooped up the paste from the floor and licked it.
“This is good. Give me more,” It demanded in a high-pitched voice.
The Goblin knew that Jeze was the summoner and looked directly at her.
“I have a question,” Jeze said, and the Crones nodded in approval that she was controlling the conversation.
“Give me more!” The minor demon shrieked.
Jeze presented a small jar filled with spicy, sour paste. The creature reached hungrily, but Jeze kept it just out of reach.
“What is your name?” The teenager asked.
“Very wise,” Number One observed.
“Our pupil did her research,” Number Two added.
“We trained her well,” Number Three stated.
Jeze had read that getting a Demon’s name makes it easier to negotiate with them. Names had power.
The Goblin licked its lips and fidgeted. It clearly wanted more paste. After a moment of hesitation, it answered, “Ziplocke, now give me more!”
Jeze complied, and the Goblin greedily licked the paste clean from the jar. Jeze produced another one and kept it just out of reach.
The minor demon nodded in understanding. “Ask and then give me!” The Goblin commanded.
“Ziplocke, where will the Wandering Spire appear next?” Jeze asked.
The Goblin grinned, and it felt sinister. “Outside Mount Dragon, in the realm you call the Ironfist Kingdom.”
Jeze nodded. That was not too far, and she could get there in a week’s travel. This was good timing for her, and she was about to give the Goblin the paste but was interrupted by the Old Crones.
“Do not give the offering. You do not know when the Wandering Spire will appear,” Number One said.
Jeze held the jar just out of reach from the Goblin’s grasping fingers.
“Ziplocke, when will it appear?” She asked.
“Not fair! I answered your question. Make the trade!” Ziplocke snapped.
Jeze lifted her chin. She was afraid, but she did not give in.
“Knowing where does not serve my purpose if I do not know when,” she stated.
The minor demon growled and hissed, “Give me.”
“I will, Ziplocke. All you need to do is tell me when the Wandering Spire will appear,” Jeze answered and held the jar just out of reach.
The Goblin pulled its hands back and grinned. It sniffed the air, and for a moment, Jeze worried that she had pushed too hard. That she broke some sort of rule and that Ziplocke would depart without telling her the information she needed. Already, she made plans for such an occasion. She knew where the Wandering Spire would appear, and that was enough for her to find the other information. She could travel and ask people in the Ironfist Kingdom. She could even attempt another summoning.
“What is your name?” Ziplocke asked.
Jeze heard the Old Crones gasp, and she looked at them. They were talking amongst themselves.
“That is fair. You answer my question, and the scales will be balanced,” the Goblin stated.
Jeze held up a finger toward the Goblin and walked closer to her teachers.
“It wants to form a contract with you,” Number Two said.
“I am not sure. Giving a Demon your name could only be bad,” Number Three said with a shake of her white-haired head.
“Having a contract with a Goblin could be very beneficial,” Number One observed.
Number Two nodded and added, “Agreed. Do not give your name unless it will form a contract with you.”
“Wait, what does a contract even mean?” Jeze asked.
“It will become your Familiar,” Number Three answered.
Familiar? Jeze wondered. She read how Magic Users summoned spirit creatures to act as companions to them. She pictured having a cat or a dog. But a Goblin? She shuddered at the thought of having Ziplocke follow her around.
“They would be able to guide you through the Wandering Spire,” Number One said.
“Ask for a contract,” Number Two urged again.
Jeze was not sure. She turned and saw the ugly creature looking at her with an evil grin. She thought of her brother. What would he do? If the Crones believe the contract would help her succeed, then she must set aside her feelings.
“I will give you my name if we form a contract,” Jeze said.
Ziplocke laughed with the sound that reminded her of a pig squealing.
“You want two things, and I only get one. Give me another jar, your name, and we have a deal,” the Goblin said.
Jeze narrowed her eyes. She read how Goblins can be tricky and how one should not assume what is meant. Things needed to be made clear.
“I give you one more jar and my name. In return, you tell me when the Wandering Spire will appear, and we form a contract. Do we have a deal?” Jeze stated.
“What are your terms?” Ziplocke asked.
Jeze looked to the Old Crones for advice.
“Standard contract terms,” Number Three said.
“The Goblin can not harm you or cause any action that would lead to your harm,” Number One said.
“The Goblin must serve you within reason and perform all actions that do not cause it harm or cause it to act against its demonic nature,” Number Two included.
“The Contract will terminate in one year unless renegotiated,” Number Three said.
Jeze nodded.
“You must voice the contract,” Number Two urged.
Jeze repeated the contract terms.
“Very well. My terms. You must provide me with something Spicy and Sour or something appropriately similar that I agree to for any services I am to render. You can not harm me or cause any action that will lead to my harm. And Finally, I want the contract to last for two years,” Ziplocke replied.
“Two years?” Jeze asked and looked to her teachers.
“What can I say? I’m bored of the Abyssal planes.” Ziplocke answered.
The Crones consulted one another, and then all three nodded to Jeze.
“Agreed,” Jeze said.
“Agreed, now your name and the jar,” Ziplocke replied.
Jeze answered and handed over a jar.
“The Wandering Spire will appear at the first sunrise after the sixth full moon,” the Goblin said.
In the air between the two, a scroll made out of red flames appeared with the words to their terms written on it. It flared once before disappearing, and Jeze felt a tingle of Magic through her body, completing the bond. The Runes she formed into a circle turned to smoke and drifted away, leaving Ziplocke free.
“This should be fun!” The Goblin hissed with a grin while rubbing his small hands together.