Chapter 13 - I Can Hear Their Footsteps
15th of Cobre, 1659 - 3:35pm (170 days before the timer expires)
~Lenoria~
It was a bright sunny day in the Cedar Forest.
The skies were clear, and the forest was sparse with trees. The heat from the midday sun was balanced with the cool mountain winds from the north, and overall the weather was fair. The paveless road was bumpy but otherwise tolerable. The smell of the trees permeated the forest air.
Lenoria, Clara, and Alistair had only been on the road for three hours, but Lenoria had grown impatient. She has given him the signs, so why isn’t he making the first move? All he had to do was hold her hand or say a charming line - no matter how lame - and she would swoon immediately.
Alistair was not much for conversation. He kept his eyes on the road and would only speak to either say a prayer or check up on the girls. Chestnut would whinny occasionally, but otherwise he was a well-behaved horse. Other than that, he hasn't revealed much other than his birthday, and that was after Lenoria asked him. Born on the 1st of Injigo, 1640, Alistair was nineteen years of age.
Lenoria lied face down. Her muffled groan was just soft enough to be out of Alistair's earshot. "Have boys always been this dense?"
"Maybe he's just shy." Clara flashed a smile as she patted Lenoria's back. "Or maybe his order doesn't approve of inappropriate behavior."
Lenoria shifted her face so that her chin - and not her face - was planted on the creaky wagon floorboard. "What's wrong with smiling back, or just stopping the carriage to take a break and sit with us?"
"You'd be surprised." Clara had seated herself on a corner of the wagon. “Just about every religious order has its own set of rules."
"In any case, you can’t rush these things." Pearl had decided to join in on the conversation. "Maybe he's not interested, or maybe he's just trying to be respectful. It could be a lot of things.”
Those were some plausible possibilities, but Lenoria was not convinced. She sat up in a cross-legged position now that her interest was piqued. She was always a woman of science, not religion. She had respect for the kami her father revered, but she was creeped out by religious fanatics when she arrived in Helix and all they accomplished with their constant prodding was make her distance herself from it all and focus on science.
And then there were the paladins, the champions of the benevolent deities. Ever since she was a little girl, Lenoria would hear stories about heroes crushing evil with divine power. Her mother would read her a book every night until she was six years old, at which point she had learned to read on her own. She would develop a crush on heroes of fiction, and until she turned ten, she would cry whenever her parents would reveal that some of the heroes from her books were not real.
When she arrived in Helix City to study at the Guild, she got to meet paladins in the flesh. The most common where the ones serving the Sun King, a sun deity whose tenets included self-sacrifice, an open mind, and an open heart. All, however, were treated nearly the same. The girl would either greet them respectfully or gush about their deeds if she heard of them prior to meeting them in person. If Clara was the reason she made it to shore after being in a sea of anguish for so long, then hearing about the heroic deeds of these real-life heroes gave her the strength and drive to keep swimming until the end.
In summation, Lenoria refused to get herself involved with religion, but would be open to it if a paladin managed to convince her. She knew they followed a strict code (but didn't know what this code was), and if they broke that code, they would lose their divine powers. What better way was there to see if someone was a good and honest person - or at least tried to be - than seeing if they had their powers once they claimed they were a paladin? And when one in particular did everything he could to keep her safe, even when he didn't know her, and proved himself to be a respectful, selfless gentleman, she couldn't help but let her heart flutter naturally.
Lenoria just couldn't stop thinking about Alistair since that fateful day. She refused to wait any longer but knew she had to have faith in Pearl's wisdom. That's why him not even taking the time to approach her drove her crazy. If she had it her way, she would be sitting next to him chatting him up with an unrestrained whirlwind of words, even if such a lack of restraint would unnerve most people.
For now, she had to be calm. "You make some good points, you two. Care to elaborate on what these rules could be?"
"Every priest follows a set of rules they must always uphold, according to their deity. Doubly so for paladins." Clara eyed Alistair's belongings, which sat on the corner opposite of hers. She spied his holy symbol strapped to the backpack with a silky strand. "He follows the Hammer, right? He's known to be strict with traitors and criminals and stricter with his disciples. Some orders won't even allow their disciples to kiss their partners until they are married."
The crawling that followed was sudden enough to make Clara jump frightfully. Lenoria had gotten on all fours and skittered her way to Clara, and once there she grabbed the woman by the sleeves. "Say it isn't so."
"W-would it help if I told you paladins are immune to diseases at some point in their careers?" Clara's fun fact turned some heads, including Pearl and Apus. Embarrassed by their stares, Clara looked down and kept her gaze on her lap. "My mom is a former priestess, you know. S-she passed down all of this info a-and I thought it'd be useful to you."
"Is she serious? if that's true, then Alistair just went from a 10 to an 11." Lenoria smiled warmly at Clara. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Clara.”
Lenoria quickly shifted back to frowning and lost herself in her thoughts. In reality, her situation with Alistair wasn’t all that was bothering her. She and Clara had been charged with retrieving some magic stones for two reasons. The first being that they belonged to an entity whom Pearl called “Master,” and the second being that in the wrong hands the Soulstones could plunge the world into chaos.
Omar’s kamikaze attack was a prime example of the latter. Dozens of students died that day and hundreds more were injured. The worst part was that Omar was merely an apprentice alchemist; what if he had perfected his bombs like many veteran alchemists had before him, and used Apus’s power to enhance them even further? The resulting explosion would not only reduce the school to dust but level a good portion of the city as well.
This was why she couldn’t trust Apus, at least not completely. Lenoria was grateful Clara was a trusting person, but unwavering trust was often like a blade designed to hurt only yourself and not the person in front of you; trusting the wrong person can be harmful or even fatal. There was no malice between them, and Lenoria was still grateful he saved them, but she promised herself to watch for any signs that hinted the bird could be using her friend. After all, Tsukuyomi may be a representation of Clara’s soul, but at the core he was still a deadly weapon.
The wagon’s sudden stop involuntarily pushed the girls forward. Clara checked on Lenoria, who gave her a reassuring nod. Both girls heard Alistair’s faint voice outside. “Easy, Chestnut! What’s wrong?”
Lenoria peered at the road ahead via the small window at the front of the wagon. “What’s going on out there, Alistair?”
“There’s something blocking the road, Miss Lenoria. Please stay put.”
“He’s far too polite. I have to let him know he can ease up around me.” The girl masked herself with a cheerful disposition. “No need for the ‘Miss,’ Alistair. Just ‘Lenoria’ is fine. Can you tell what’s blocking the road?”
“No. I can only see that it’s white and bulky.” Alistair drew his mace and jumped off the driver’s seat. “Stay here, please. Your life is my top priority.”
Likely orders from Gabrielle, but that didn’t stop Lenoria from acting coy. She hid her face with both hands, purposely appearing timid. “Kyaaa! Mr. Adams, is that a declaration?”
“Declaration?” And then it hit him. Alistair’s face turned beet red, and he swung his opened palms defensively. “I-it’s not what you think! It’s just that-!”
“H-help…” The debilitated voice came from the road. The white bulk on the road turned itself over to reveal an elderly man. He had a malnourished appearance, with black bags under his eyes and thin - almost skeletal - limbs. The 'bulk' Alistair was referring to the hunch on his back beneath his white tunic.
Alistair dropped his mace and rushed to the weakened man. “Ladies, I could use a hand!”
“You got it!” Lenoria marched to the back end of the wagon and opened the flap. “We got work to do, ladies and gentleman, erm, gentlebird.”
***
The elderly man drank from the leather waterskin Alistair offered him. A gasp escaped from his breath when he was done and handed over the container back to the lad. he then bit into a dumpling Lenoria had given him; she made some for the trip to share with the others, but there was no harm in giving up one of them to help the old man out before sending him on his way. “Phew! Thanks, kids! I thought I was done for!”
“You’re a long way from the next village, pops,” Lenoria said. “What brings you out here?”
“It was terrible.” The old man covered his head with both hands. His legs and arms quaked from the moment Lenoria asked her question. “Monsters. Some as big as my house. A small group of them but they were strong.”
Frowning, Alistair looked at both of the girls. It was obvious to Lenoria that he wanted to help the old man, but he seemed as if something was holding him back.
“We don’t have time for this,” Pearl whispered. She recently developed a habit of popping in and out of her stone whenever she wanted. “The old man came this far. If he hurries, he’ll make it to the city by sundown.”
Lenoria and Clara gave Pearl an incredulous look, but they quickly turned away in case Alistair noticed them. Clara shrugged, but Lenoria made her choice when she nodded to Alistair.
Flashing a slight smile, Alistair gratefully nodded at the girl before looking back at the old man. “Where did you last see them, sir? The monsters.”
“I-I don’t know! They look big but they hide in the shadows. Poor Larry lost himself and his goat when he wandered outside the compound.” The old man sobbed. “The others are still trapped there. I got lucky when I escaped.”
“It could be anything,” Clara said. “But out of the local animals, dire tigers are stealth hunters, so they could be the culprits.”
“Aren’t tigers solitary hunters, though?” Lenoria didn’t know much about animals, but she knew the basics on the local wildlife. Anything besides eagles, anyway.
“The fact you escaped means they aren’t watching the road at all times.” Alistair thought of a plan. “If we can sneak inside this compound, we might be able to escort everyone without being seen. We could take them to the next town over and file a report there.”
“I’m telling you, this sounds like a bad idea,” Pearl said through her teeth, but neither Lenoria or Clara were listening.
The old man stopped sobbing. “You’d truly do that, sonny?”
“It is my duty as a paladin of the Hammer to help the helpless. But admittedly, I don’t want to drag my companions to a place they don’t want to go.”
“No need to worry about us, Alistair. If anything happens, Lenoria and I know how to get out of any bind.” Clara subtly winked at Lenoria. "Once things settle down, you're more than welcome to take a break with us and go over battle tactics."
"O-oh, um, thank you..." Alistair cleared his throat. “Sir, one last question. How far is this compound from here?”
“About another mile. There’s a road to the right from here that leads to it. You can’t miss it.”
Alistair grinned. “Okay, we can do this! Let’s come up with a plan on the way there.”
“You kids do that. I feel rejuvenated thanks to your kindness! I’ll head on over to the capital and warn the authorities!” The old man bowed politely before taking off. “Thanks again, kids!”
“He sure can run,” Lenoria commented. The trio went back to the wagon and began to discuss their plan there.
Once the old man gained enough distance, he stopped and started cackling. “Hehehehe. Gotta love the young folk, they’ll go out of their way to help an old man if you cry hard enough. Have fun dealing with the rest of those assholes." He glanced around and shouted at the sky. “You hear that? I sent more fresh meat down your way, so you’ll let me go, right? Right?!”
Old man: Bluffs the party. 1d20 + 4 + 2 = (14) + 6 = 20
Alistair: Sense Motive check failed. 1d20 + 9 = (6) + 9 = 15
Lenoria: Sense Motive check failed. 1d20 + 4 = (12) + 4 = 16
Clara: Sense Motive check failed. 1d20 + 1 = (1) + 1 = 2
***
The trees of the forest increased in number the deeper the party went in. Alistair laid out the plan; at any point before finishing the mile, the three of them were to march the rest of the way on foot and grab as many people as they could fit in the wagon. Lenoria volunteered to stay behind if any civilians remained, and until she learned the nature of their enemy, all she could do was hide them and herself from the danger.
Once the wagon arrived at the designated area, Alistair stopped Chestnut and got off the wagon. This was the prompt for the girls to do the same, and for Clara to summon Tsukuyomi. Alistair and Lenoria would ride Chestnut the rest of the way, while Clara would ride on the back of her eidolon. If the danger was animalistic in nature, they would leave the wagon alone. But if not…
“Grab what you need and leave behind what you won’t miss.” Alistair hoisted a saddle on Chestnut’s back that was big enough for two. “Do you need help getting on, Lenoria?”
Lenoria offered no response, but instead she climbed on Chestnut and seated herself at the front of the saddle.
Alistair was dumbfounded. “How-?”
“My parents own a stable back home. They would teach me how to ride in their spare time.” She offered a hand. “Are you coming or not?”
“Are you sure you can ride Chestnut? We’re not exactly in a position for trial and error.”
“Good point.” Lenoria scooted herself to the back part of the saddle. “But when this is over, you have to let me try.”
“That’s fine with me. I could use a hand for when he’s being ornery.” Alistair looked back at the wagon, then back at Lenoria. "By the way, thank you."
"Hmm? What for?"
"I feared you'd want to keep moving. I know Miss Bisset placed you and Miss Clara on a timer, and it would be much more beneficial if you arrived in Thule posthaste."
Was he opening up to her? This was Lenoria's chance. "Think nothing of it. It's not like we'll be in this compound the whole day. Besides, what if there are women and children in there?"
"I hadn't thought of that." Alistair's expression changed. He made eye contact with Lenoria more, and his head stooped less and less with each interaction. "You really don't mind?"
"All that matters is we make it back to Helix in time." Lenoria shook her hand, as if urging Alistair to hop on.
Alistair obliged and climbed on Chestnut's back with Lenoria's help. It took all of Lenoria's strength to not fall off, and she breathed heavily by the time the lad inserted his feet in the footholds. “Are you ready to go, Miss Clara?”
“Just about! It’s just that I spent a long time packing all my stuff! What if we need something and I leave it behind?”
“Clara.” Lenoria’s voice was demanding.
“Fine.” The rustling behind the wagon quickened and then stopped. Clara came out of the back with a sack full of her belongings. “All set!”
“Can Tsukuyomi carry all of that?”
“He should be able to!” Clara placed her sack over Tsukuyomi’s shoulder before climbing on his back. “Isn’t that right?”
The eidolon was silent but appeared to have a strained expression in his eyes. “...”
“See, he’s fine!”
It took some convincing, but in the end the girls settled for a compromise. Clara handed over her sack full of items and placed it inside a leather bag Lenoria carried. The bag appeared bigger on the inside and managed to fit everything inside just fine. If Clara needed something, she could just ask Lenoria.
Alistair got on Chestnut and with a gentle tap with his sabatons he got the horse to move forward. As for Tsukuyomi, flame jets burst from his back which propelled him in the air while he carried Clara with both hands. Even in flight, Tsukuyomi was slower than Chestnut, but Alistair made sure he wasn’t going at full speed unless it was necessary.
When they spotted a road to the right, Alistair accelerated and took it. Not far ahead was a walled compound with its front gate missing. The wooden wall blocked most of the view to the inside, but the party could see a few buildings up ahead, each the size of a warehouse.
“We’re going in! Stay alert!” Alistair did not stop and simply braced himself for any nasty surprises.
So far, nothing. The gang crossed the wall with no trouble and made their way to the warehouses.
“Lenoria, do you see anything?”
“Hang on a sec!” Lenoria lowered her goggles and scanned the area with them. She kept an aloof expression, but if one were to glance at her mind… “Oh my gosh, he’s so cool when he takes charge!”
“Any threats nearby?”
“No, sir! But one of the warehouse doors is ajar! It’s big enough for Chestnut to get through.” Lenoria adjusted her goggles right above her forehead. “Let’s go there first!”
“Sounds good to me. Miss Clara, please keep up!”
The dash across the empty lot of the compound was over 100 feet, which was nothing for Chestnut. Alistair yanked the reins for an abrupt stop, and Lenoria used the momentum to jump forward and land by the double doors. Tsukuyomi’s jets immediately cool for a slow descent to the ground.
Sticking the landing with both hands, Lenoria flipped forward and landed on her feet just inches away from the entrance. She knew better than to grab the handle right away, though; instead, she examined the doors’ structure before putting on her goggles again.
Alistair jumped off his steed and grabbed the reins to guide him forward. “We’re sitting ducks out here, Lenoria. Please hurry.”
“Just hang on a second. It could be trapped.” Looking up, Lenoria grinned and pointed at the top of one of the doors. “See? Whoever’s inside was expecting visitors.”
Alistair and Clara followed Lenoria’s glance to perceive a metal pail sitting atop one of the doors.
“A bucket of paint?” Alistair asked in disbelief.
“Stand back,” Lenoria warned only once. When Clara and Alistair did as they were told, Lenoria kicked the door with enough force to cause the pail to fall over on the inside. The sound of hundreds of tiny feet skittering filled their ears as a swarm of spiders exit from the fallen pail.
Lenoria and Alistair looked on with disapproval, but Clara?
Clara shrieked.
“Miss Clara, please be quiet.”
“Stomp them, burn them, do something!”
Clara’s voice was uncontrollably loud. Alistair rushed over to shush her and when that didn’t work, covered her mouth with his gauntlet-covered hand.
But it was too late.
The forest leaves rustled. The forest was dozens of feet away, but Lenoria could hear them from her position. And it wasn’t just from one tree; she didn’t count them, but the compound was shaped like a square and she could see at least two trees shaking on each of the three sides she could currently see. She couldn’t see beyond the wall, but the trees were tall enough for their canopies to be seen.
It’s not like she was curious to see beyond the walls, though. She wasn’t stupid. “Double time, you two!”
“Miss Clara, we have to move!”
All Clara could do was babble incoherently. The spiders were not going anywhere in particular and some even climbed the door and the walls. Her feet were frozen and she would not budge.
“We can’t help it, she’s super scared of spiders.” Lenoria grabbed Chestnut’s reins. “I’ll get Chestnut! Do what you can to carry her across! Tsukuyomi should automatically follow her!”
“But-”
“NOW, ALISTAIR!”
The girl was not scared of spiders but was grossed out for each one she and Chestnut had to stomp. The horse didn’t care, something Lenoria envied just a little.
“But I’m not supposed to lay my hands on…” Alistair mumbled to himself. With a look of resignation, he drew himself closer to Clara, “Forgive me for this,” and hoisted her over his shoulder. Barring the chain shirt she wore and the staff she carried, she was surprisingly light.
Clara calmed herself down just enough to cover her mouth and continue screaming as Alistair rushed inside the warehouse with Tsukuyomi following closely behind. Lenoria slammed the doors when they were all inside and placed a metal bar over a slot in front of both doors.
Quaking footsteps drew closer to the warehouse which were soon followed by a great force slamming the double doors. Alistair drew his mace once he set Clara down and placed himself in front of the girls. But after a couple of more slams, the creature on the other side gave up and lumbered away.
“It’s gone for now. Everyone alright?” Alistair did not lower his guard, with his gaze fixated on the door.
“Yeah.” Lenoria gingerly brought Clara closer with her arm. “It’s alright, there are no spiders here.”
The fearless girl felt a cold metal object pressing against the back of her head, and saw Alistair raise his hands once he turned to face her. By that reaction, Lenoria realized they were not alone in the warehouse. Their problems were just getting started.
“Don’t move a muscle, Miss Tsukino,” said the voice of a woman behind her, “unless you want your brains splattered on the ground.”
Party Abilities
Lenoria
Level Ability/Class Feature Feat
Human
Ability Score +2
- Intelligence
Skilled
- One additional skill point per level
Bonus Feat
- Humans gain one additional feat at 1st level
Weapon Finesse
- Use Dexterity modifier instead of Strength for light weapon attack rolls, such as unarmed strikes and rapiers.
1st (Brawler 1) Brawler's Cunning
- Treat Intelligence as 13 for the purpose of qualifying for combat feats.
Martial Flexibility, 4/day
- Gains the benefit of a combat feat for one minute.
Martial Training
- Brawler level counts as both fighter and monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats and certain magic items.
Unarmed Strike
- Gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat Dirty Fighting
- Forgo the +2 bonus of flanking a foe in exchange of using a combat maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. Also counts as Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, and Improved Unarmed Strike for the purpose of qualifying for certain combat feats.
Improved Unarmed Strike
- Can use limbs to deal lethal damage.
2nd (Artificer 1)
Arcane Derring-Do
- Gains the gunslinger's grit feature, using her Intelligence modifier instead of Wisdom. Gains the Deadeye, Gunslinger's Dodge, and Quick Clear deeds.
Trapfinding
- Adds half artificer level to Perception checks to find traps and Disable Device checks. Can also disable magic traps.
Machine Expert
- Gains Gunsmithing at 1st artificer level, Craft Construct at 5th level, and a bonus item creation feat at 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
Gunsmithing
- Can craft ammunition, create and repair firearms, and mix black powder for all sorts of firearms.
3rd (Artificer 2) Craft Gear Servant
- Gains a machine familiar, with some restrictions Point-Blank Shot
- Gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons against foes within 30 feet
4th (Artificer 3) Blind You With Science
- Use Intelligence modifier, instead of the regular modifier, for all Disable Device, Perception, Sense Motive, and Use Magic Device checks.
5th (Artificer 4) Scientist's Cunning
- Can use crafted magic items with a caster level equal to artificer level -3 or lower without rolling a Use Magic Device check.
Extracts
- Learns spells the same way alchemists do Dodge
- Gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC.
Alistair
Level Ability/Class Feature Feat
Human Ability Score +2
- Constitution
Skilled
- One additional skill point per level
Bonus Feat
- Humans gain one additional feat at 1st level Endurance
- Gains a bonus to Constitution checks and saves against harsh conditions, such as avoiding nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst and avoiding nonlethal damage from a forced march.
1st (Paladin 1) Aura of Good
- A paladin's aura is measured by paladin level.
Detect Evil
- Can detect evil creatures or objects
Smite Evil, 1/day
- Gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls vs evil creatures, and gains a deflection bonus to AC against those creatures. Fails against nonevil creatures. Power Attack
- Deal more damage in melee in exchange for accuracy.
2nd (Paladin 2) Divine Grace
- Adds Charisma modifier to all saving throws.
Lay on Hands, 3d6, 6/day
- Can heal wounds by number of dice indicated, or deal damage to undead by the same amount.
3rd (Paladin 3) Aura of Courage
- The paladin is immune to fear, and grants all allies a +4 morale bonus to saving throws against fear.
Divine Health
- The paladin is immune to all diseases.
Mercy
- Adds an additional effect to the lay on hands class feature.
Mercy (Deceived)
- A paladin's lay on hands also allows a victim of ongoing illusions to roll a new saving throw. Shield Focus
- Increases the bonus granted by any shield by 1.
4th (Paladin 4) Channel Positive Energy, +4d6
- Spends two uses of lay on hands to restore the hit points of all living creatures within 30 feet by the amount of dice indicated, or deal the same amount in damage vs undead.
Spells
- A paladin gains divine spells. The caster level is equal to paladin level -3.
Smite Evil, 2/day
5th (Paladin 5) Divine Bond
- Alistair has established a bond with the Hammer of Justice, which has manifested itself in the form of a mount. Protector's Strike
- Whenever the paladin smites an evil creature, he can choose to grant the deflection bonus to an ally instead of himself.
6th (Paladin 6) Mercy (Diseased)
- A paladin's lay on hands also functions as a remove disease spell, using his class level as his caster level.
7th (Paladin 7) Smite Evil, 3/day Mounted Combat
- Can roll a Ride check when a mount is hit, negating the attack if the Ride roll is higher than the opponent's attack roll. Can only be activated once per round.
Clara
Level Ability/Class Feature Feat
Elf +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution
Low-Light Vision
- Elves can see twice as far as humans under dim illumination.
Elven Immunities
- Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws vs enchantment spells and effects.
Elven Magic
- Elves gain a +2 racial bonus to caster level checks to overcome spell resistance, and +2 racial bonus to Spellcraft checks to identify the properties of magic items.
Keen Senses
- Elves gain a +2 racial bonus to Perception checks
Weapon Familiarity
- Elves gain proficiency with longbows, shortbows, longswords, and rapiers, and treat any weapon with "elven" in its name as a martial weapon.
1st (Unchained Summoner 1) Spells
- Summoners cast arcane spells, and can do so while wearing light armor without incurring arcane spell failure. Cantrips, their 0-level spells, can be cast an unlimited amount of times per day.
Eidolon
- A summoner makes contact with an eidolon, a powerful outsider she can summon. Construct callers like Clara must make contact with an eidolon of the inevitable subtype. An eidolon's abilities are determined by its evolution pool.
Life Link
- If an attack threatens to send an eidolon back to its home plane, the summoner can give up any number of hit points. Each hit point reduces the damage of an incoming attack on the eidolon by 1. Additionally, the eidolon loses hit points the farther it strays from its summoner. Improved Initiative
- Adds a +4 bonus to initiative checks.
2nd (Unchained Summoner 2) Bond Senses
- The summoner can fuse her senses with her eidolon, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything her eidolon does. She can do this a number of rounds per day equal to her summoner level.
3rd (Unchained Summoner 3) Summon Monster I
- Can use the summon monster spell of any level available a number of times per day equal to 3 + the summoner's Charisma modifier. The summoner can only use this ability if the eidolon has not been summoned.
Planar Tinkering
- At 3rd level and every four levels thereafter, the summoner gains an additional evolution point for her eidolon. Reach Spell
- Can increase the range of a spell of a base range of touch, close, or medium. A reach spell uses a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level for each increase in range category.
4th (Unchained Summoner 4) Shield Ally
- Whenever the summoner is within the eidolon's reach, she gains a +2 shield bonus to AC and a +2 circumstance bonus to saving throws. These bonuses go away whenever the eidolon is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.
5th (Unchained Summoner 5) Summon Monster II Extra Evolution
- Your evolution pool increases by 1 point.