“Backstabs are no joke,” I mumbled to myself as I reappeared in my personal space. I’d never been a big rogue player in games, the play style of lurking about and waiting for an opening had just never appealed to me. I may not have liked playing that class, but I knew enough about it to realize that backstabs were usually a key piece of the build. I guess even my new armor wasn’t proof against the bonuses generated by someone coming from out of nowhere to stab me.
It had been a strange summoning, and I worried about what was going to happen in the city that seemed to be on verge of being overrun by these Verminfolk. There was no linked summoning here, so I suppose I’ll never know what happened to that place, or even if my summoner survived. Was he in some well-guarded estate? It was possible since his shop seemed very successful. Were the rat creatures as numerous as I feared? I hoped nothing like this popped up on Earth, we’d not know how to deal with verminkin suddenly pouring out of the sewers.
Focusing back on my immediate situation, I noticed that Melvin wasn’t in sight. Using our link, I could sense that he was in the training center, too distracted by his efforts to stop by and say hi. He could stay there for now; I had loot to examine. The last summoning had also brought me halfway to rank 8. I should hit it and possibly rank 9 before this summoning series ended. There was the outside chance of reaching tier 2, but that would probably not happen for a bit.
Setting the reward chest to reveal new items only, I opened it to see what I’d been awarded for my latest adventure.
Reward Chest.
New Inventory.
1. Copper coins, 918.
2. Silver coins, 198.
3. Gold coins, 4.
4. Foe Summoner template.
5. Class Scroll.
The monetary rewards were in line with my good rating, but having two class specific items was more than I expected. First, I dug into the Foe Summoner template. It was a blank figurine, and once I pulled it from the chest, I received a system prompt.
You have received a Foe Summoner Template with a variable power ranking. This template may be activated for any tier or rank, though if you select a tier and rank higher than your current one, you will have to wait until you reach that tier and rank before you can use the template.
Okay, so it was a template where I could choose where I wanted it in my lineup. Right now, I had decent options at all tiers and ranks. It was also a normal template, not veteran or elite, so it probably wouldn’t be strong enough to replace anything in my existing slots. With tier 2 not that far away, it was probably best for me to add something to the roster for that milestone. So far, I’d received a minion template when I hit a new tier, but there was no guarantee that I would this time.
You have selected to activate this template at Tier 2, Rank 0. Once you have attained that tier and rank, this item will become available for you to activate in your loadout, as well as inside the training center. Until that point, only basic information on the new template will be revealed.
The figurine changed in my hand. Where before it had been a shapeless lump, it now changed into the image of one of the rat creatures that had just killed me. The creature looked better equipped and armored than the ones I had fought, and I had high hopes for him once I could take him out for a test drive.
Verminfolk Assassin, Tier 2, Rank 0. Mana reserve required, 100.
An assassin to team up with a warrior like Grulnok, and maybe the halfling healer would be ideal. Sadly, the mana reserve was going to be rough unless some skill or ability was given at tier 2 to help with that. Placing the assassin back inside the reward chest, I pulled out the last bit of loot, the class scroll. A system prompt appeared once I held it.
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Class Scroll, Tier 2, Rank 0. This scroll is currently inactive until you reach Tier 2, Rank 0. At that time, class evolutions will unlock, and this scroll will adjust to match your new class evolution.
It was yet another item I’d have to wait to see the details on. While it was annoying to not get anything I could use right this minute, it was nice to have some items in the bank for when I reached tier 2. The scroll went back into the reward chest alongside the assassin figurine.
The rocking chair next to the rewards chest almost drew me in, but I decided to head into the training center and check on Melvin. When I walked in, he sent me a distracted greeting, which I returned. Melvin was embroiled in a battle against a dire boar that was charging about the training center in a frenzy.
It would normally be an easy matchup for Melvin, he just needed to get ahold of the boar and start digesting it. While a dire beast was far more powerful than the natural version, it had no way of harming a gelatinous cube. Instead of fighting alone, Melvin had opted to join forces with a rather basic looking orc commoner.
The orc commoner was equipped with a pitchfork as his sole weapon, and it wore no armor, only a simple tunic. While it may have been summoned from the training figurine with no armor, Melvin was attempting to take care of that problem. My gelatinous friend was draped over the shoulders of the orc, creating a slimy chest piece for it.
As the boar charged toward the hapless orc, Melvin flung a batch of slime at the monster. Several patches of fur had already been burned off, leaving nasty wounds in the boar’s hide that showed Melvin had landed this attack more than once already in the fight. Catching on, the boar shifted its charge to avoid Melvin’s ranged attack.
Now off target and off balance, the boar stumbled by the orc commoner, who skewered it in the side with his pitchfork. A sharpened wood pitchfork isn’t exactly the weapon of choice to use against the reinforced hide of a dire boar, but even though he was a commoner, the orc was strong, and the thrust punched through the boar’s hide and pierced deep into its side.
The boar charged past, dragging the pitchfork out of the hands of the orc. Seeing his minion was now unarmed, Melvin adjusted the shape of the armor he was creating. The armor thinned as Melvin slid down to encompass the right arm of the orc. Melvin must have been communicating with his minion as the orc wasted no time in pursuing the boar, arm cocked and ready to unleash a slime encrusted punch once he was in range.
Enraged over the injuries it had sustained, the boar gladly met the orc's attack, slashing at him with oversized tusks. The tusk dug through Melvin’s thinner protective layer, ripping open the orc who dissipated into mana vapor. His minion gone, Melvin used the boar’s tusk as a pathway to flow over its head, dissolving as he went. The boar soon followed the orc in a puff of mana vapor.
“The armor’s pretty neat, but it didn’t work out too well for the orc,” I said to my friend. He sent me the image of myself in the current commander’s regalia armor, but with a thin layer of slime coating the exterior of it.
“I’d gladly have you at my side, but maybe work out how we can avoid dire boars ripping me open first,” I replied, joking with my friend.
Melvin sent back another image, this time, with the slime covering my armor becoming thicker just as an axe hit me. The armor absorbed much of the impact, and flecks of slime splashed out from the strike, landing on the attacker who roared in pain.
“That’s more like it. How soon until you can manage that?” I asked. My attention diverted as I felt a new summoning portal open in the main room.
You are Summoned!
“Gotta go, I’m off to another summons.” I said as I left the training center.
Melvin sent an emotion over that he wished me luck and that he would keep working hard on his armor project. It would be a great upgrade to have Melvin armor along with my current set. Hopefully, he’ll get the bugs worked out before too long. Who knew, maybe the system would allow him to accompany me more often if he was equipped in my loadout as armor and not as a figurine.
Back in the main room of my personal space, I saw the glowing portal waiting for me. There were no last-minute tweaks I wanted to make to my loadout, so I jumped right in.
Your summoning parameters are as follows:
1. You are being summoned by the mage Xuqor.
2. Summoning tier, 1.
3. Summoning rank, 7.
4. Rewards level, moderate.
5. This summons is for the purpose of providing support services. Prepare accordingly.
6. Forced compliance is active.
7. Your armory loadout has been equipped.