I tapped on the arm that was holding me in a choke. Immediately, the pressure released, and I took a deep breath to clear my thoughts. Looking at the clock on the wall, I could see that my free lesson was over.
“If you decide to join the dojo, you’ll learn several choke escapes. So, from what you learned today, is this something you’d be interested in continuing? We have adult beginner classes every Monday and Wednesday, and we could even do some private lessons if you prefer,” the instructor said.
He had done a great job with my introductory lesson. I had been a bit intimidated and worried about how the lesson would go, but Sifu Dan, as the students were supposed to call him, was patient and non-judgmental. I was taught a few basic strikes and he had demonstrated some submission holds before the time ran out.
One thing I had asked for in the lesson was some basic instruction on knife fighting. Dan was a bit reluctant to start with that, weapons training was usually reserved for after the basics were learned. Being a potential new client seemed to sway his opinion and he at least showed me how to properly grip the weapon and some basic attacks.
Would I be able to fight anyone effectively based on a single lesson? No, but I could see how regular training would pay dividends when I was summoned. I also asked about just a weapon class, but again, Sifu Dan reserved that type of training for regular students that progressed past the basics.
“How much would it be to sign up?” I asked. While I was broke, improving my ability to fight was something that needed to happen.
“It’s $185 per month, and that also gives you access to any classes you qualify for. As I mentioned before, the beginner’s adult class is Monday and Wednesday night at six and we go for an hour. There’s open mat on Saturday mornings to practice grappling, and bag workouts on Friday nights to polish up your strikes and kicks,” Dan answered.
“That sounds good, let me pay for the first month now,” I replied, handing over most of my cash I had left from the pawn shop. After giving me the grand tour of the small dojo, Dan found a uniform for me to wear, as well as my white belt. There were even some online resources and past classes I could check out online.
I felt like I was doing what I could to regain control over my life. There was still the problem with money, but I had enough in the bank for next month’s rent, utilities, and food. It was the eighth of June, so I had a few weeks to sort things out as far as jobs went.
The money I got from being summoned wasn’t bad. Even though it felt like a lot more time had passed, the summoning events only covered a single day here on Earth. Over two hundred bucks for a day wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. I would also probably increase my income from summoning as I gained ranks and tiers. My performance was also improving, which would make each reward a bit better.
In the meantime, I needed a job, one where if I suddenly disappeared for a short time, nobody would notice or care that much. It seemed like a part time career in fast food was in my future. I could gauge when a summoning was supposed to start, given the whole headache thing. If the worst came to pass and someone spotted me when I returned naked, I bet it wouldn’t be the strangest thing that had happened in a Los Angeles fast food restaurant.
I applied online for several openings, and then made a trip to the discount grocery store. It turned out that the strange off-brand Salisbury Steak wasn’t too bad, but their pizza was nasty. Still, over the course of a few days, I was able to stock the pantry and freezer with food. I was on foot, so I could only take home a few bags at a time, but I made the trip there a couple times a day until I had everything I needed.
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While life felt almost normal again, there was the fact that I had something inside me now. I kept trying to feel around my stomach for the mana core, even breathing deeply to see if I could feel it press against my chest, but there was no pressure or discomfort in any way. It was almost like it wasn’t even there.
The only way I knew it existed was the fact I could see it when I closed my eyes and concentrated. Given that Linda hadn’t been able to touch the mana core, maybe it was insubstantial in the physical world. That would be a relief, as I could see me somehow filling it up like a balloon with mana, only to have it crush my heart or lungs, or something.
What I could do with a mana core was unknown. Maybe once I was away from Earth, I could review the system prompt that was supposed to explain everything. Minerva could probably shed some light on it as well, if she was in the mood to answer my questions.
There was no mana left in the core, but I could detect the faintest residue. Even the residue called out to me, and I could feel my connection to it. Until it filled up, it was kind of useless to me for the time being. I took time to work with the core each night, trying to learn how it worked, and solidifying my connection to it. Whenever I was able to fill it, I wanted to be master over it, not the other way around.
It was three days after my return when I finally woke up with a headache. It started with just a dull throbbing behind my eyes and grew quickly from there. This time, I didn’t try and pre-heat the oven for lunch, and, hopefully, wouldn’t return home to the smoke detectors going crazy. Pain intensified and the now-familiar prompt appeared.
You are Summoned!
There was darkness and a feeling of motion for an undeterminable amount of time before I appeared next to Rico’s Loot. A quick look around confirmed nothing had changed, and that Minerva wasn’t here. It was kind of disappointing, I wanted to ask her about the mana core, but that would have to wait.
Remembering Minerva’s instruction, I opened my loot chest and belted on my dagger. She had told me that if I didn’t equip it before I was summoned, I would enter my summons unarmed. New information appeared and I realized that when I eventually acquired more weapons and armor, it was going to be hard to get all my gear on before the summoning started. I wasn’t an expert on medieval armor, but I knew that equipping it took time and it wasn’t as simple as throwing on a shirt and pants.
Your summoning parameters are as follows:
1. You are being summoned by an artifact.
2. Summoning tier, 0.
3. Summoning rank, 1.
4. Rewards level, minuscule.
5. This summons is combat related. Prepare accordingly.
6. Forced compliance is active.
7. The armory has not been unlocked. A facsimile of your current attire and gear will suffice for the tier and rank of this summons.
The summoning portal opened near Rico’s Loot, and without hesitation, I stepped through. I had been summoned by an object before, and it was a bit different than a normal summoning. Instead of stepping through the blue portal, I began to seep from a small, ceramic figurine. My last summoning like this was from Urghat the Vile, an orc wizard or shaman or something like that. This time, I wasn’t met with a snarling orc, I found myself standing in a child’s bedroom, looking down on a very scared little girl.
“Mister, you help the others, so the bad things don’t get me,” the girl whispered, terror etched upon her face. I could hear the sounds of combat in the distance as well as the occasional howl of pain. Near the door to the girl’s bedroom was a Rottweiler, a big stuffed bear that was somehow moving under its own power, and an older man with a strange glow covering his hands.
On the ground near the girl were four shattered figurines, one to match each of the people and things that she had summoned. She held one more in her hand, and the girl whispered a word that was filled with power. Setting the final figurine down, it began to crack and leak vapor that coalesced into a snarling goblin.
“Green monster guy, don’t let the bad things get me,” she ordered the goblin who moved with jerky movements toward the door. I could recognize it now, the way a summoned being moved while being under compulsion was different than if we were moving of our own accord. The sounds of combat ended with a pained cry, and the sickening sounds of something feeding were heard through the door.
What had I gotten myself into this time?