Summoner 19, p.1
Summoner 19, page 1
part #19 of Summoner Series
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Chapter One
“Come again?” Cyra stared at me with enormous dark brown eyes.
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at my girlfriend in confusion. The curly-haired summoner was studying me as if I’d just suggested we jump head-first into an active volcano, and I didn’t quite understand why.
Cyra and I had been on patrol outside of Varle Enclave when the Archon Carth had shown up with one of her monsters, an enormous, three-headed dragon called a quartzriel. It’d been a tough one to beat, especially when it multiplied into three separate creatures, but with the help of the Archons, Cyra and I defeated the monster.
At the end of the fight, I’d attempted to offer my hand to Carth, but the horned Archon hadn’t been interested in joining my side and abandoning her alliance with the remaining Archons. In fact, before the green-skinned goddess opened a portal and retreated back into the Shadowscape, she looked even more pissed than I’d ever seen her before.
With only three Archons left to capture, we were so close to ending this struggle between the human realm and the Shadowscape. Carth, Quilla, and Hunnah were the only ones still against us, and if I could capture Carth within my consciousness, their alliance would crumble.
“Carth was definitely weakened from that battle, and there’s no way we’re going to get an opportunity like this again,” I explained as I brushed some stray monster-remains dust off my shoulder. “I think we should go after her, right now, before she and the alliance have time to plan another surprise monster attack.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” Cyra replied. “At least not right now. We aren’t even remotely ready--”
“Cyra, we just took down Carth and her quartzriel,” I reminded her. “We’re totally badass--”
“Oh, I’m aware,” the dark-skinned summoner chuckled. “We definitely kicked some serious monster ass and knocked Carth down a peg or two, but the Shadowscape is unpredictable. I agree going after Carth is a good idea. We can’t let her continue to run rampant and take over Mistral, if that’s even her plan in the first place, but Gryff, we have no idea where she went, and no way of finding out--”
“She probably retreated back to her castle,” I interjected. “That place is heavily gated and surrounded by her mega-monster herd, so I don’t see why she would go anywhere else.”
“That’s fair enough,” my curly-haired lover allowed. “But we can’t rule out that she would go somewhere else just to throw us off her trail. You’ve been to her castle before, so she would probably guess you would check there first.”
“I suppose that’s true,” I admitted after a moment, and I let out an irritated sigh. Not toward Cyra, of course, but at this situation. After years of fighting against the Archons and defending the Varle Enclave from their attacks, I was ready to put this feud to rest and finally go back to living a regular life.
Or at least as regular as a summoner with ancient monster goddesses captured inside his mind could be.
“I think we should wait until the others get here,” Cyra recommended as she peered up at the clear blue sky. “This is a decision we need to make as a team.”
If it weren’t for the colorful monster dust from the defeated quartzriel that surrounded the area, and the group of monster goddesses who awaited my orders, it would have been hard to tell that anything had occurred. It was a calm, early autumn day, with a soft breeze. The bright sunlight seemed to grow brighter, too, as if it were also celebrating our victory against Carth.
“If they get here,” I remarked. “I’m not sure where Sera’s gotten off to.”
While we were in the midst of battle, I’d tasked the black-winged Archon to retrieve my friend, Braden Flint, Headmaster Sleet, and Gallahar Kenefick, but the angelic goddess had yet to return. My trust in Sera wavered depending on the day and the situation, but when it came to direct orders, she’d yet to let me down, so I had to remain hopeful she’d come back to us soon.
In the meantime, I glanced around the emerald plains and stared out at the rest of my Archons. Xanrith, Miralea, Utuni, and Veopa all walked toward Cyra and I, while Phi lingered out in the field, still in her giant form.
“Come on, Phi, playtime is over!” Veopa called out to the enormous white-winged Archon as she stomped around in the grass.
Phi rolled her eyes and hung her head back, which made her dense white hair trail down to her waist.
“Ugh, you guys never let me have any fun,” the huge goddess whined in a childish tone, though her current size made the sound resonate throughout the field. After a booming groan, the Archon kicked off the ground and pumped her white-feathered wings in the air, and as she flew upward, she shrank down to her normal size and then flew over to join the rest of the Archons. Once she landed, she crossed her arms against her chest.
Phi didn’t like to be told what to do, especially by the other Archons.
“What is the plan now, master?” Miralea purred, and the jaguar goddess’ orange eyes were flirtatious as she grinned at me with a fanged smile. “Shall we go rip Carth limb from limb?”
“I would certainly love to tear her apart even further,” Utuni added in, and her snake tail shook behind her in excitement. “She deserves to suffer for her crimes against you, master.”
“Agreed!” Miralea declared, and she and the snake Archon shared cruel smiles that dripped with bloodlust.
While I appreciated their enthusiasm, I didn’t quite share their desire for pure violence.
“Is that wise?” Xanrith spoke up. “Not that I don’t agree, Carth needs to be dealt with, of course. I’m just uncertain about the idea of launching straight back into the Shadowscape. Quilla and Hunnah were absent from this battle… what if it’s all a trap?”
“So, you think she could have attacked us here in the hopes we would come after her in the Shadowscape, only to have a herd waiting for us once we got there,” I continued. “Am I following correctly?”
“Yes.” Xanrith nodded, and the violet-eyed Archon tucked an errant tendril of black curly hair behind her ear. Xan was easily one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen in my life, and my heart nearly skipped a beat as she smiled at me and showed off her pearly white teeth. The goddess was nearly as tall as me, and most of her body was long, lean legs. Her skin was a pretty umber shade with tiny white freckles that resembled stars in the night sky, and her amethyst eyes were rimmed with thick, dark eyelashes.
However, the Archon’s most noticeable feature was the pair of azure flaming wings that hissed and crackled behind her like a phoenix. They were both dangerous and alluring, and they gave the gorgeous goddess an ethereal glow.
She was the newest addition to my group of Archons, and the closest ally I had amongst them. The gorgeous umber-skinned goddess had been a huge help during the battle against Carth, and she’d been the only one of the goddesses who’d willingly volunteered herself to fight for my team. She’d abandoned Carth’s alliance to join me, and while there was still a lot to know about the ancient Archon, I mostly trusted her judgment.
“That’s always a possibility,” I said as I mulled the idea over. “It does seem strange the others weren’t here with her when they’re supposedly aligned.”
“I think a point worth thinking about is the fact our alignments and alliances are fragile at best,” Veopa countered. The succubus goddess crossed her arms against her ample chest, and I tried not to stare as her breasts heaved with the motion. “How many times throughout our existences have we betrayed the others?”
“Also a fair point,” Phi agreed with her. “We’ve all sold each other out more times than I could count.”
All eyes flew to the angelic Archon as she said this, and Phi’s pale cheeks grew red. Miralea snickered to herself, and Phi clenched her fists at her sides. I shot the jaguar goddess a warning look, and Miralea immediately stopped laughing. After a similar look at Phi, the white-winged Archon relaxed her hands and took a deep breath.
“Hopefully, they weren’t here because they defected,” I said in an effort to bring the conversation back. “That would honestly be the best-case scenario here.”
“It’s a plausible theory,” Xan agreed. “But let’s not assume that quite yet. I think your Cyra had the right idea. Waiting for your headmaster would be wise.”
Cyra grinned at the dark-skinned Archon at the mention of her name, and Xan shot the summoner a saucy wink. It was strange to see a human and an Archon getting along, but I wasn’t about to complain.
“Sleet will have a solution,” Cyra spoke up. “Or at least a suggestion.”
“Then let’s hope Sera gets back soon,” I said.
“What do we do until then?” Phi wondered. “I’m bored.”
“I could always put you back inside my head if this is too dull for you,” I suggested, and the Archon shook her head so intensely her white hair whipped around her.
“Never mind!” she blurted out. “Everything here is great!”
“Except for all of this icky dust.” Miralea grimaced as she flicked some stray quartzriel remains from her silky jaguar tail. “It’s disgusting.”
Suddenly, a realization struck me.
“Hey, Xanrith, I’m going to need you to use some of your magic,” I addressed the flame-winged Archon.
“Wait, are you hurt?” Cyra gasped, and h er thick, dark eyebrows knitted together as she scanned my body for injuries. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“Oh, I’m not hurt,” I assured her. “I just had an idea that may help us out later.”
“So, how can I help, Gryff?” Xan inquired with a raise of her elegantly arched eyebrows.
“Well, I was looking around at the field, and I thought it was kind of a shame to let such a rare creature go to waste,” I began, and my lips curled up into a smile.
“Holy shit, are you about to do what I think you’re going to do?” Cyra asked as she followed my gaze out to the field, and her voice was both awestruck and concerned at the same time.
“Hopefully.” I winked at the chocolate-skinned summoner.
“I think I understand.” The Archon smiled back at me. “Are you certain you’d like this one? The quartzriel can be quite temperamental--”
“I can handle it,” I assured her.
“I know you can,” Xan laughed. “Alright, then. One crystal dragon, coming right up.”
The Archon turned around to face the field and raised her hands above her. Her azure wings crackled and spat behind her, and their bright hue became more vivid as they hissed. Similarly colored magic glowed from her fingertips, and I noticed a distinct sparkling on the grass. Then a light breeze blew through the air and lifted the quartzriel’s dust until it swirled above us like a rainbow tornado.
“Get your crystal ready,” Xan called out over her shoulder, and her violet eyes were ablaze.
The seriousness in her tone was enough to make me immediately retrieve an empty essence crystal out from my bandolier, and adrenaline surged through me as I watched the rainbow tornado begin to form the familiar outline of the three-headed dragon.
My fingers twitched around the essence crystal. I had some powerful summons in my cache, but this particular monster was easily one of the most interesting, and I could only imagine how useful it would be in the future. I didn’t know much about it in terms of its powers and attacks, but I did know that when it came to brute strength, the creature would be a great addition to my team.
Finally, with a final shimmer, the dust cleared, and the quartzriel was restored to its original form. The sunlight above us refracted off the crystalline surface of its skin and bathed the field with vivid colors.
“Holy shit,” Cyra murmured with wide, dark eyes. “This is unreal.”
“You can say that again,” I agreed.
The quartzriel’s three heads all bobbled around in different directions, as if it were confused by its surroundings, and once Xan lowered her arms, she turned around to face me.
“It’s still unsure of how it got here, so I would advise you to capture it as quickly as possible.” The goddess cleared her throat.
“Right.” I nodded, and I reached into my bandolier and retrieved the pale blue crystal of my vingehund. Then I smashed it to the ground, and in a hiss of blue-black smoke, my canine-like winged summons appeared.
The vingehund’s ears perked up as she glanced at the quartzriel, and she flopped her head to the side and let out a bark.
“Yep, we gotta go get him, girl.” I nodded at my monster, and the vingehund lowered herself slightly so I could climb on. My pale blue creature let out a determined yip, and as she did, she flapped her large wings and lifted off into the air.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Cyra called up to me, and her dark-chocolate eyes gave the enormous dragon monster a sideward glance. “Just in case this thing gets rowdy?”
Her familiar, a gray and pink dragon named Kalon, let out an encouraging growl. When we’d fought against Carth, the monster had grown large enough for Cyra to properly ride, but now, she was back in her tiny form on the dark-skinned summoner’s shoulder.
“I think I have it under control,” I replied as the vingehund hovered in place. “If that changes, I’ll yell out. Keep Kalon at the ready.”
“Will do.” Cyra nodded, and then Kalon hopped down onto the ground and resumed her larger form, as if she had a feeling she’d be needed.
I smirked at the monster’s determination.
“Would you be at ease if I went with him?” Xanrith asked Cyra as she appeared behind me in the air, and her azure wings crackled behind her.
“Yes, actually.” The summoner nodded at the Archon. “That way if something happens--”
“I’ll be fine.” I waved the notion off.
“I’m quite ancient, Gryff.” Xan smiled at me with pearl-white teeth. “And as such, I’ve done this a time or two. I’m here to make sure you don’t get injured.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but I think I’ve got it,” I assured the Archon.
“Regardless, I’ll be right here,” the umber-skinned goddess replied, and without another word, she, the vingehund, and I ascended.
Luckily for us, the quartzriel still seemed to be getting its bearings, and I could only imagine how odd it must feel to die and disintegrate, only to suddenly wake up alive again.
I determined the best place to slam the essence crystal was a spot where the heads couldn’t easily snap out at me, right on the center of its back. I couldn’t risk those fangs sinking into my flesh, regardless of the resurrection magic Xan possessed, so I gave the command to the vingehund to fly down and land on the three-headed dragon’s back, and my summons let out a bark of confirmation as she swooped down.
Unluckily for us, the quartzriel seemed to be back to full mental capacity now, and the creature lunged one of its snarling heads in our direction. I was able to think quickly, so the vingehund spun away from the enormous creature’s crystal fangs, but it was definitely a close call.
The vingehund fluttered in place as I considered my next move, but then the quartzriel cocked its back half and swung its impressively large tail right toward us.
“Duck!” I shouted at my summons, and the vingehund sped out of the way before the three-headed dragon’s tail could make contact. For such an immense monster, the quartzriel was surprisingly fast.
I needed to be faster.
As the vingehund dodged another blow, I carefully reached into my bandolier and retrieved the crystal for my speed slug. I crushed the crystal in my hand, and moments later, my slimy summons appeared. Then I placed the creature on the vingehund, who let out an irritated chirp as the gooey monster touched her back, and the moment she was equipped with the slug, I commanded her to fly back down.
If I could get there fast enough to slam the crystal into the quartzriel, I could lock this monster away and avoid setting a resurrected dragon onto the Enclave.
The vingehund soared at an accelerated rate, and she was so fast the quartzriel couldn’t keep up. My heart thudded inside my chest at the sudden adrenaline rush, and I could practically feel it beat inside my ears as we neared the monster’s back. Finally, we landed just above it, and without a second thought, I leapt from the vingehund and fell right onto the quartzriel.
My body cried out in pain as it made impact with the crystalline surface, but I was so amped up it didn’t matter. I would have Xan patch me up in a moment. For now, I had a quartzriel to capture.
As the dragon bucked around and tried to shake me off, I concentrated on infusing the essence crystal with my mana, and once I was sure it contained a good enough amount, I slammed the crystal as hard as I could into the monster. The effort of the motion was so strong my arm muscles practically screamed out, but it was effective, and the crystal was imbedded into the surface. I concentrated on capturing the monster within my crystal, and though it fought against me for a moment more, the quartzriel gave in and was soon absorbed.
Once the monster disappeared beneath me, I began to fall in midair, and I let out a surprised shout before my vingehund flew by and caught me. The air escaped my lungs as I slammed down chest-first, but knocking into my canine monster was favorable to the ground hundreds of feet below. I clutched the quartzriel crystal in my hand, and once I sat up and swung my leg over, I wrapped my free arm around the vingehund and commanded her to take us down.
I’d done it. I’d captured the quartzriel.
“Gryff, are you okay?” Cyra demanded the moment we touched the ground. “That fall didn’t look pleasant.”
“It definitely wasn’t,” I agreed with a chuckle, and the simple laugh made my chest ache.
