A quick double check confirmed that I hadn’t forgotten anything and was ready to go. Opening the door, I could see that it was early evening in Somhagen. During my previous visits, I had arrived during the day and had never seen the city from a distance at night. It was a surprisingly beautiful place, with each tier of the city lit up for the evening.
The small hill where the doorway to my personal space had appeared was covered with other doors, and I wondered if all the summoned beings appeared here, or if there were other hills on the far side of the city that they could spawn from. My door was in a different place on the hill this time, which told me the link to this world shifted a bit each time I’d visited.
There was a small bit of traffic on the road, most of it leading away from the city as those that had brought goods in for trade left to return home. The hills ringing the city blocked my view further out and I wondered if there were other settlements nearby, or if the people visiting here had made some long trek to get to Somhagen. A few of the people on the wagons gave me a friendly nod as they passed, but many looked tired and just wanted to get to where they were going without any more effort than was necessary.
I passed through the outer areas of Somhagen and took in the collection of tents and other structures that comprised the area that the tier zero summoned beings could visit. I now had access to the first tier of the city, and soon, I’d get a peek at the second tier. The database back at Refuge had a good bit of information on the second tier, but I noticed that things were a bit sparse after that.
Not many people on Earth were at tier three or higher, and I wondered if most simply found a new life, or if I should be wary of some unexpected threat at that tier. The database didn’t shed much light on it, and I knew that everyone at Refuge was looking forward to one of their own reaching tier three so they could uncover the mystery. The information brokers on the second tier offered potential answers to the question, but the cost of such information was beyond the budget of anyone that had reached there so far.
The guards at the gate gave me a friendly nod as I passed their inspection and I headed toward my first objective, the tier one summoned market. From my exploration during the last visit, I learned that the summoned market tended to close earlier than the other shops. Smells from the food vendors caught my attention and I almost slowed down to peruse the options.
I did spot a familiar cart, the one offering Somhagen’s version of corn dogs. The man that ran the cart was Tonpu I believed, and while the food there was good, I had to make it to the market before they closed. Once my business there was done, I could look around and find the best option for dinner.
It wasn’t far to the market; it was easy enough to spot with the building sporting the familiar orange color that all the summoned markets seemed to be painted in. I had 68 summoning points and I really needed to spend them wisely. An older looking halfling man greeted me at the entrance.
“Welcome to the summoned market, how may I be of service this fine evening?” the man asked.
“Hello, I was looking for a few things, mainly something to help with a limited mana pool. Other than that, any skills, abilities, or summoning figurines for my tier and rank,” I advised. The clerk sent a system request for me to share my class information. I’d gone through this last time and was confident that the system would protect me from any abuse of the information I shared.
“I think we can accommodate what you need, I’m Harrison, by the way. Please, follow me,” the man said, leading me deeper into the store. He led me toward a section with various types of jewelry. He sorted through several displays and pulled out a necklace and a ring for me to examine.
“Either of these items may help you. They’re in high demand and usually sell out quickly, but we’ve just restocked and have a few left,” Harrison said as the system populated information on each piece.
Apprentice Ring of the Mind. Gear cost, 10. This ring provides a +1 bonus to your Mind stat.
The ring was a simple thing, a silver band with several runes carved in red. It automatically sized itself to fit on my finger when I wore it, which was an odd sensation, especially when it adjusted several times to get the right fit.
Pendant of the Summoner. This pendant provides a +2 bonus to Mind, and a +1 bonus to Presence.
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Unlike the ring, the pendant was a bit more involved. It was made from a long pair of thick silver chains that intertwined. Hanging at the bottom of the chains was a small square of marble with more engravings that looked like they were made of gold. I’d feel a bit like I was wearing the Mr. T starter set if I wore it, but the stats were amazing.
“Thanks, Harrison, these are just what I was looking for. How much are they?” I asked, wanting to get both if they were in my budget.
“In case you weren’t aware. It’s only possible to receive the bonus from a single item that boosts a particular stat. If you wore both items, the ring would do nothing for you as the pendant’s bonus is the higher of the two,” Harrison advised.
“In that case, what about the pendant,” I asked.
“That one is 150 summoning points,” Harrison replied.
“Ouch, a little out of my budget, what about the ring?” I wanted the stats on the necklace, but I nowhere near enough to purchase it.
“It’s offered at 25 summoning points,” Harrison replied.
“It’s a whole lot cheaper than the pendant, I’ll take it,” I said, placing the ring back on my finger after authorizing the system payment.
“Excellent choice, the cost of enhancement items goes up considerably as the stats improve, blending two stats on the same item is also a laborious and mana exhausting task,” Harrison explained, justifying the much higher cost of the necklace.
“I appreciate you at least informing me that things like the necklace are available. Is there anything else you can think of that might help with my mana situation? I’m down to 43 summoning points now, and there are other things I need,” I asked.
“Perhaps, but it wouldn’t be a permanent solution,” the clerk offered, moving to a different part of the display shelf. He pulled three blue stones, each about the size of a chicken egg from a shelf. Handing one over, the system explained what I was looking at.
Mana Boost Stone. This stone will temporarily add 25 mana to your mana pool. The stone will last for one summoning session and when you return to your personal space, it’s power will be exhausted.
“It’s pretty good, how much do these run?” I asked.
“These are priced at 10 summoning points per stone,” Harrison advised. It was steep for a one time use item, but it would last for an entire summoning session. Having one of these on hand for when I was sent to a contracted summoning, or a linked summoning where I knew that I would be gone for an extended duration.
“I’ll take one. Are the Notice of Cessation scrolls still 15 summoning points?” I asked, wanting to replace the one I’d used, but at 15 points, I would just roll the dice that the pair I still had on hand would be sufficient. After all, I could only use them for the next five ranks and would have to buy the more powerful version once I hit tier two.
“Yes, you’ll find the prices don’t fluctuate much on such items. What else might I help you find?” Harrison asked as I paid for a single Mana Boost Stone.
“I’d like to see any skills for my class, and perhaps some melee combat ones as well. I’d also like to look at any summoning figurines you might have in stock,” I asked. My priority would be upgrades for me and my class, but if I had the funds, I’d like to see any skills that might be good to share with my minions, like Riposte.
It took Harrison a few minutes of searching, and he eventually found three scrolls for me. He explained that everything else in stock was more geared toward other classes. There were only three options for skills and abilities, but all were decent enough finds and wouldn’t destroy my budget.
Tier 1 summoner spells (25).
Tier 1 protection spells (25).
Tier 1 melee abilities (25).
With only 33 summoning points left, I could only afford one. It was a tough call, and since the system would only give random choices for each scroll, it was a bit of a gamble for any of them. While I wanted melee abilities for my minions, I was leaning toward looking at protection spells. I had nothing defensive right now, and I could use something to save me in a pinch, especially if it was something that would function back on Earth. After hemming and hawing a bit, I ended up purchasing the protection spell.
Before I activated the tier one protection spell scroll, Harrison showed me their current collection of summoning figurines. There were a few lower-level figurines, but I was drawn to the most expensive one, a lanky troll holding a trident and weighted net. He looked like something out of a gladiator movie, and the figurine was the only veteran one in the bunch. It would clean me out at 8 summoning points, but I wanted a powerful defender to help me if I was in trouble back on Earth.
With the purchases done, Harrison let me use one of their private cubicles to activate my protection spell scroll. As usual, activating the scroll offered three choices, and I had yet another decision to make.
Tier 1 Protection Spells. Please select a spell from the following options.
1. Summoner’s Armor. This spell grants you a magical shield that will absorb a modest amount of damage before failing. It can be cast on all friendly targets and requires 10 mana to cast. The gear cost for equipping this spell is 20.
2. Health Bloom. This spell grants a minor healing effect for all friendly allies within a 10’ radius for a duration of 5 seconds. The spell has a range of up to 100 yards and the caster must have line of sight on the targeted area. Health Bloom requires 10 mana to cast and has a gear cost of 20.
3. Minor Counterspell. This spell creates an energy field around the caster that will disrupt one targeted spell of Tier 1 or lower. There is a 1-minute cooldown before the spell can be cast again. Minor Counterspell requires 10 mana to cast and has a gear cost of 20.