You are Summoned

I helped out as much as I could during the next two days as we prepared for the offensive. Lumpy, Fazzlemore, and Fitzfazzle questioned me about Earth, and at the same time, answered questions I had about this place. The world was called Veriman and was just like what I expected a fantasy world to be. Many of the creatures, various humanoids, and even the way magic worked mimicked what films, books, movies, and games had predicted.

Fazzlemore said that there was obviously some connection to our world. We had no idea how long people had been summoned from my Earth, but it was enough to influence fiction, myth, and legend. There was also the possibility that when the link was established with the first earthling, some of this world’s mana leaked in, subtly ingraining knowledge of Veriman into our collective psyche.

We weren’t going to figure it out with the limited evidence at hand, and we had a more pressing concern with the pending invasion. With me here the whole time, Lumpy was able to craft the new mech to my body and adjust the controls to something that was a bit easier to manage. My mech was also going to have one arm replaced with the new weapon that used the flame stones as ammunition.

After seeing the shape of the barrels, I thought the weapon resembled a blunderbuss, and Lumpy said that name would work well enough. The blunderbuss could only fire each barrel once, and then would need a laborious reloading process that couldn’t be completed during the battle. The range was short, but the spread of stones was broad, and it would take out swaths of smaller foes.

The final loadout of my mech was one arm mounting four blunderbuss barrels and the other arm wielding one of the bladed spears. Instead of welding the spear to the hand, I was able to get them to make it removeable so it could be easily swapped out in the field if there was damage. Over each shoulder I had an armored launcher box holding a dozen magic missile wands.

There were plans for another launcher over the head of my mech, but there just wasn’t enough time to get everything done, or for the mages to charge everything up. It turns out, when a mage’s mana is constantly depleted over and over in a short period of time, their mana regeneration rate begins to drop. Only rest and time could bump their regen rate back to normal.

During the march to the crypt, the mages accompanying us would be able to keep the mechs charged without too much trouble. If combat became as intense as I thought it would be, the mages may not have time to both charge the mechs and the wands. If that happened, we needed to be ready for some melee. In between fights, the blunderbusses could be reloaded, and that only required some engineers, not any magic.

I wasn’t an expert on modern military equipment, but I explained the concept of gunpowder and firearms to the gnomes who were excited to run experiments of their own. They also ate up information on the internal combustion engine and airplanes. There was almost a fevered craving in their eyes as I described the technology of my world. It was a look that had me more than a little worried.

I could only hope that I didn’t unleash a monster by giving them an inkling of how modern weapons work. The gnomes were friendly and happy people, pushed to defend themselves against powerful foes. Would their views and demeanor change if they possessed the means to destroy any foe? On the second day of preparation, I asked to speak with the elderly mage, Fazzlemore, privately about it.

“Master Mage Fazzlemore,” I started, using his full title as a sign of respect. “I’m concerned what effect the technology from my home world might have on your people.”

“Ah, you worry about us misusing this technology you speak of?” He asked.

“Exactly, I don’t want to give you the means to defeat an evil foe, only to have the power corrupt your people into the same thing they seek to defend themselves from,” I admitted to Fazzlemore.

“That is a valid concern, but other than a few ancillary improvements to our machines, I don’t think your technology will have as big an impact as you think. Magic cancels out many machines. I know you have some magical aptitude, but I assume you haven’t had the opportunity to learn many spells. There is one spell that I can teach you that might set your mind at ease. Do you wish me to teach you?” Fazzlemore asked.

“Can you do that, teach a summoned being a spell?” I asked, almost salivating over what this could mean during an extended summoning session like the one I was on now.

“Of course, I’m a master mage, and we have the time now to do so. It will take most of the rest of the day, but my work is nearly done, so the expedition will not lose much because both of us are indisposed for a bit.

“You haven’t reached the first tier yet, so I can only offer you a simple spell. Even though it is only tier zero rank six, the spell will be rather demanding for you to learn. I also can’t guarantee it will work, your aptitude will determine the outcome, and there may be further restrictions we’re unaware of based on your condition as a summoned being. Are you ready to begin?” Fazzlemore asked.

“Absolutely,” I replied.

The mage Fazzlemore wishes to teach you the tier 0 spell, Fail Weapons. Do you wish to receive this instruction? Y/N.

This is the first time a master mage has offered to instruct you. Please be advised that a significant amount of time is required to learn a new spell. The tier and rank of the spell, as well as your mana proficiency determines the total time needed to learn it. Learning a new spell through a master mage is taxing and a recovery period is needed before your mana core will be ready for additional instruction. Should your summoning end before the spell is learned, all progress will be lost.

I accepted the instruction and Fazzlemore pulled a book seemingly from thin air. Mana began to swirl around him, and then reached out toward me. Instinctively, I wanted to step back, but I held my ground as the mana entered my body and began to fill my core.

My vision faded from the world around me, eventually focusing on my core. Information filled my mind, and I watched images of Fitzfazzle using the spell I was trying to learn. I watched as a young Fitzfazzle faced off against an orc that was aiming a crossbow at him.

Fitzfazzle concentrated and the spell formed in his mind, mana flowing from his core activate it. The spell was cast almost instantaneously, and when it took hold, the front arm of the crossbow popped loose and dropped to the ground, rendering the weapon useless.

Image after image continued to appear of Fitzfazzle using the spell over the years. I began to understand what was happening, how my mana would interact with the spell and guide it toward the foe and the weapon they wielded. It wasn’t a flashy or powerful spell like a fireball, but it could turn the tide of fight in an instant. Bowstrings snapped, blades became loose in their handles, and essential components of war machines ceased functioning.

The spell was limited, and I could only target a single spot with each casting. I had to focus on the point of failure and the results weren’t always guaranteed. Several times, I watched as the spell failed. Fitzfazzle once tried to use the spell on a weapon that was enchanted, and nothing happened. Even an unenchanted, yet masterfully crafted blade could resist the spell’s effects.

The more complicated the device or weapon, the easier it was to cause a failure. As the knowledge took hold, I was certain that I could stop the engine of a car, or more importantly, cause a gun to misfire. This spell and other, more powerful versions at higher tiers were the reason that technology hadn’t taken over Veriman. A few trained mages could stop a modern army cold.

You have learned the tier 0 spell, Fail Weapons. This spell requires 4 mana to activate, and you must specify a target that is within your line of sight. Fail Weapons will not penetrate magical defenses and finely crafted items may require multiple casts to induce a failure.

By improving your knowledge of magic, your mana core has expanded its pool of available mana to 15. Learning higher tier magic may further expand your mana pool, but such gains can only occur once per tier. Since you have learned this spell during the current summoning, you may utilize it for the duration of the summoning. After this summoning is complete, you must return to the armory in your personal space to add the spell to your current loadout.

“I forgot how exhausting that process was. This is why I rarely take on an apprentice anymore,” Fazzlemore said as my vision and my focus returned to the world around me.

“Thank you, that was rather incredible,” I said, still reeling from the information that I had just absorbed.

“It’s about time you two, the expedition is ready to go,” Lumpy said.

“How long did that take?” I asked.

“Just over a day, here,” Lumpy said handing me a flask of water and a meat pie. As soon as I saw the food, I realized how hungry and thirsty I’d become. Oddly enough, I wasn’t physically tired. The trance-like state I was in while learning the spell was just as restful as if I had napped the entire time.

One of the other mages was taking care of Fazzlemore, but he seemed to weather the experience rather well considering his age. There was more I wanted to learn about magic, but duty called. Maybe some of the other mages might be able to help with my questions during our trip.

Lumpy led me to the entrance of the cave, and I scarfed down my food and drank all the water in the flask as we moved. There was a dull pain inside my chest, and my mana core felt sore. It was an odd feeling, and one that told me I wouldn’t be learning new spells anytime soon.

Thoughts of spells and magic left me as I spotted my mech. It stood on four solid-looking, armored legs. The torso stood straight, no slouching like the previous model did when it was deactivated. One arm held the four cannon-sized barrels that were my new blunderbuss weapons. Atop each shoulder, an armored box housed twelve magic missile weapon tubes that were charged and ready to fire.

A gleaming steel spear was held in the other hand of my mech, and the entire machine was covered with thick armor. The cockpit was open and a ladder—another of my suggestions—was hooked in, just waiting for me to board.

“What are you waiting for, get your gear on and let’s get moving,” Lumpy said. Two gnomish tinkers handed me a brand-new suit of leather armor, specifically padded for use inside the mech. They also handed me a war hammer to replace my mace that had been destroyed by the acolytes. I tried to thank Lumpy, but he just rushed me through how to wear the armor properly and shoved me toward my new ride.

As I sat inside, the machine felt like it was a perfect fit. The padded armor and leather helm the gnomes gave me would keep even a rough ride from becoming painful. A harness would prevent me from falling out again if the worst happened. Grasping the joystick and throttle combo I’d designed; I felt the machine come alive around me as the mana flowed to power it up.

“Move out, next stop, the crypt!” Fitzfazzle said over the strange one-way communication crystal installed in my mech. Fitzfazzle led the mechs out of the cave and on the road toward our foe. I couldn’t wait for another crack at the undead, eager to test my machine against anything that stood in our way.