The familiar blue portal appeared in the room, and I stepped through, ready to put my new dagger to the test.

Your summoning parameters are as follows:

1. You are being summoned by a magical device.

2. Summoning tier, 0.

3. Rewards level, minuscule.

4. This summons is utility related. The chance of combat is considered very low, Prepare accordingly.

5. Forced compliance is active.

6. No compatible gear has been found in your armory. A facsimile of your current attire and gear will suffice for the rank and tier of this summons.

Instead of a dark cavern, a trapped hallway, or even an elvish outdoor education program, I was somewhere else. A quick look around showed a middle-aged woman in an ornate robe putting a wand away inside a pouch at her waist. I was in, of all places, some kind of store.

From the look of the people and employees inside, it wasn’t a cheap place to shop. The woman who summoned me wore rings and necklaces with jewels I couldn’t even identify. Chatter around the store triggered my Linguistic Adaptation Interface and I understood the language in only a few seconds.

“Will that be all today, Lady Farnsworth?” the clerk behind the counter asked. He was as short as a dwarf but didn’t have the stocky appearance of one. He wore a finely fitted suit that was along the lines of a tuxedo. His head was bald, but he had a neatly trimmed beard. Pointed ears and the bright green color of his facial hair left me stumped as to what species I was looking at. Of all things, they guy wore a monocle, and had an upper crust accent.

“Yes, my good gnome, this will be all for today. I’ll have my summoned being carry these packages, the rest you can have sent to my home,” Lady Farnsworth replied.

“Pick those up and follow me,” she said. There were three boxes on the floor where she indicated. Two were about the size of a backpack, but the other was odd. The first two were made out of a light wood, but the third looked to be sealed in some kind of plant leaves.

The compulsion kicked in and I picked up the stack of boxes, trying to lift with my legs to avoid back strain. Surprisingly light, I had no trouble lifting the boxes, but they did somewhat obstruct my vision, causing me to jostle into other customers and displays of goods as we made our way out of the store.

“I swear, I don’t know why my husband won’t just hire me some respectable servants. You there, mind where you’re going,” Lady Farnsworth demanded of me.

“Speak up when you’re spoken to lad. Show me common courtesy as your master.”

“Yes ma’am, right away ma’am,” I found myself replying.

“Gibberish, what language are these summoned people speaking anyway?” Lady Farnsworth asked to nobody in particular.

“I’m not sure they’re even real people, my Lady. These summoned creatures are constructs of mana if my professors from the Academy of Magical Studies are to be believed. They are but a copy of the creatures they resemble, but are acting on instinct and have no free will,” the green haired gnome behind the counter replied. Boy was he wrong.

“No wife of a city council member should have to stoop to the level of summoning brutes with a wand,” Lady Farnsworth said to me as I finally managed to successfully navigate my way out of the store and onto the main street. She must not have expected an answer since I felt no compulsion to reply.

Here I was, a newly minted summoned being with my first weapon, and the very next time I’m summoned, it’s to play baggage handler for some annoying rich lady. Looking down at my belt, the dagger was still tied to it, just like it had been when I stepped through the portal. While I could enjoy the break from dying, the least the system could have done was throw a goblin or two at me so I could test my new blade.

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The sight that greeted me was breathtaking. A late afternoon sun bathed the city in light, reflecting off the windows of the shops lining the finely paved street. The place was spotlessly clean, and magic was in evidence everywhere I looked. Signs floated and twirled to attract shoppers and even illusions of the products each store had to offer flashed into view. Brooms and dustpans glided on their own down the street, picking up even the smallest bit of refuse.

I wanted to take the day off and shop here, but I was forced to lug the packages for Lady Farnsworth instead. A foxlike creature with three tails and fluffier fur than a bunny rubbed against my leg, mewing as if begging for a treat. Sadly, my duty didn’t allow for stops to play with pets, so I trudged along behind my summoner, much to the fox creature’s disappointment.

“He's a cheapskate, that’s what he is. Just because he’s the grand magus of the council, he thinks he can pawn off trinkets to provide personal assistance instead of spending the coin to hire real people. I can hear him now. ‘Now, now, my dear Millie, I can spend mana easier than coin, think about our future!’ That’s what he’d say, I tell you,” Lady Farnsworth complained.

I tuned her out and tried to enjoy my stroll. Trees and sculpted shrubbery lined the streets. In some places, patches of brightly colored flowers caught my eye. The people were a strange mix as well, mostly human, but with elves, dwarves, and more gnomes interspersed with the rest. I was in the Beverly Hills of this world and forced to be some rich lady’s servant.

While this sure beat getting cut in half or eaten by spiders, it wasn’t exactly an exciting summoning. We passed out of the shopping district and into a residential area, rows and rows of gated mansions were built on large lots. People on the street were quick to greet Lady Farnsworth, showing deference to her, or at least to her husband’s position. I had no idea how anyone could be as genuinely happy to see someone as miserable as this lady.

All in all, this wasn’t a bad summoning. I could get used to this type of duty. The only problem was that my arms were starting to burn with strain, and I now had a sharp pain in my lower back from carrying these packages. When we finally stopped in front of an estate, a servant approached the wrought iron gate.

“Please advise Lady Quintilla that Lady Farnsworth is paying her a visit,” Farnsworth said with her nose in the air as if speaking to a servant was beneath her. She looked over at me in disgust, apparently not happy that I wasn’t announcing her presence for her. If she didn’t command me, there wasn’t much I could do, was there?

“Please, Lady Farnsworth, let me see you to the lounge where you can relax while the lady of the house makes herself presentable,” the servant said, opening the gate and leading us inside the stately mansion. The servant at the gate then left us and a new batch of servants from inside the house guided Lady Farnsworth to a sitting room that was lined with windows, creating a bright and airy place for a visit.

“Thank you, I shall partake of tea, and maybe a bite of something sweet while I wait,” Farnsworth said.

“And shall I bring something for your manservant?” One of the servants asked.

“That thing? No, don’t trouble yourself, it’s not a real person, only a conjuration that my husband so graciously provided me with,” Farnsworth said, pulling out the wand to show it to the servant. Given the dismissive manner that Farnsworth had treated the “help” so far, I figured that she wasn’t being nice, and was instead trying to show off her husband’s skill. Too bad I couldn’t tell the servant that the whole wand summoning me thing was just because Lord Farnsworth was a cheap old fart and didn’t want to hire servants.

“Oh dear, it appears that this one’s time is nearly up. You, place those packages carefully next to my chair, then wait outside. I’m sure Lady Quintilla doesn’t want summoned creatures in her lovely sitting room,” she ordered. I could see a small gem at the end of the wand flashing red. That must be something Farnsworth’s husband had added to tell her when the summoning was about to expire.

This was one order I was happy to obey. The screaming muscles in my back and arms were about at their limit. Dropping off the packages as roughly as my summoning restrictions would allow, I followed one of the servants out into the courtyard. Lady Farnsworth huffed in annoyance as my jostling knocked the top package over. Thankfully, I was already on my way outside where I was left to my own devices. Once out here, the only restriction on me was waiting for my next command.

Thinking about it, I suppose this Lord Farnsworth character really was a powerful mage if he was able to create summoning wands. A summoning spell shouldn’t have let me stay around this long. Our time in the shop and leisurely stroll here must have eaten up at least a half hour. I was still trying to get a handle on how long I would be summoned for, maybe Minerva could shed some light on it for me.

Your summoning time has expired. This summoning is now considered complete.

Your performance rating is calculated as Adequate.

Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 0, and your performance rating of Adequate.

You have earned 2 experience points.

You have earned 1 summoning point.

Prepare to return to your Personal Space.