You are Summoned

It seemed like I hovered in the void for only a few seconds before finding myself standing next to my reward chest in Rico’s Place. I took a deep breath and tried to process everything that had happened to me. We had defeated Pharox, but he might be still alive out there somewhere.

“Welcome back Rico, it appears your latest adventure was a great success,” Minerva said, startling me a bit even though I should have realized she’d do that. For some reason, my advisor got a kick out of appearing out of my line of sight and trying to startle me.

“Thanks, it was a long one, but things turned out okay,” I said.

“Good, now that you’ve reached tier one, there is more we need to go over,” Minerva said.

“Before we do that, something strange happened on the last summoning, something I hope you can answer for me. I was fighting a necromancer and when he realized that I was a summoned being, he did something that he claimed marked me and would allow him to find my home world and invade at some point,” I asked before Minerva could begin with her latest instructions.

“Unusual, indeed, but not entirely unheard of. If you don’t mind, can you tell me if this necromancer injured you in a particular part of your body?” Minerva asked.

“Yes, he jabbed me in my chest. He also grabbed my arms, but that was earlier in the fight, and he was probably just trying to keep me from killing him,” I answered.

“Pull up your shirt, I’ll cast a spell that will determine if this necromancer was just blustering or if he truly has the power he claims,” Minerva said.

Minerva began to chant and wave her arms as she wove mana into a spell. For the first time, she pushed back the covering on her head, granting me a view of her true form. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it.

Given her humanoid shape, I figured she’d be at least similar to me or the other humanoids that I’d come in contact with. Instead, Minerva’s head seemed to be a clear coating that housed a swirl of pure mana. Different colors whirled and flowed inside the shell of her exterior, but through it all, two glowing gold orbs kept themselves locked onto me.

Minerva had mentioned before that her kind were beings made from mana, but I didn’t picture her being actual mana contained inside a clear, humanoid-shaped shell. After the initial surprise, I realized this was far from the strangest thing I’d seen since becoming a summoned being. She completed her spell and mana flowed from her hand and brushed against my chest.

Pain began to build as the mana went to work. Minerva’s spell ripped away at whatever it was Pharox had done to me. An illusion that had been placed over my chest was countered, and I could see a small hole of rotting flesh where the necromancer had poked me. As I watched, Minerva’s spell began to heal the festering wound, and it slowly closed. The damaged tissue was replaced by fresh scar tissue before turning back into healthy unblemished skin.

“This necromancer of yours must have been more powerful than you suspected if his corruption could survive your body being reconstructed here in your personal space. A necromantic curse, masked by an illusion is a challenging spell to craft, but any damage to you has been repaired.

“We spoke before about there being threats to you, even when summoned. Powerful mages, curses, and even some mana-powered devices can avoid the precautions put in place to protect summoned beings. It was unusual for you to encounter someone powerful enough to harm you at this tier and rank, but it seems this necromancer was one such being,” Minerva explained.

“If he was so powerful, how was I able to defeat him?” I asked. Sure, our battle against Pharox had been difficult, but if he was as powerful as Minerva seemed to think he was, the necromancer should have been able to wipe us out with little effort.

“Tell me everything you can remember about your encounter with him, maybe we can figure this out,” Minerva said.

She seemed just as curious as I was and didn’t try to brush aside my concerns. I tried to recount everything that had gone on during the contract, including the monsters, allies, and spells that Pharox had used. Minerva asked a few questions about certain points, helping me to remember things in more detail. She seemed particularly interested in my close encounter with him at the end of the summoning.

“That’s about all I can remember,” I admitted after recapping everything that had happened to me.

“One thing you mentioned was particularly interesting. When you were grappling with this Pharox, you said he mentioned that he needed a new host, but he couldn’t use you because of your status as a summoned being,” Minerva said.

“Yes, and his skin moved while he said it, like there was something under there trying to get out,” I added, involuntarily shuddering as I remembered how disturbing that moment had been.

“It appears this necromancer was a being called a Necromantic Infector. A parasitic creature with a powerful command over necromancy. I’m not even sure what their true form is, as I’ve never heard of one being encountered outside of their host. How long had this necromancer been troubling the gnome village you were called to defend?” Minerva asked.

“I don’t know exactly, but now that I think about it, it couldn’t have been too long. They were just now being pressed by Pharox’s forces, which were also causing trouble for some nearby dwarves and humans,” I told her.

“I believe I have a valid theory.” Minerva started. “This Pharox was only a recent visitor to the world you helped to defend, likely only for a few months. Just like you, he is not native to that world, but unlike you, he wasn’t summoned. Instead, Pharox must have cast a teleportation ritual, similar to what you witnessed at the end of your summoning.

“These rituals are powerful, but very taxing to the mage that creates them. If he only recently arrived, Pharox would not be at his full power. If the gnomes and their allies hadn’t acted as quickly as they did, Pharox would have fully recovered his full power and the forces on that world would have been hard pressed to stop him,” Minerva explained.

“So, given what you know, do I need to worry about Pharox popping up on Earth in the future?” I asked.

“Perhaps, but the world he was heading to in the portal most certainly was not Earth. Given the fluctuating state of the portal at the end, he will likely face some form of time distortion. Having the ritual even partially interrupted would have given him severe mana feedback that might even destroy him before he arrives.

“No, your world should be safe for some time, and even if he does arrive, the mana level on your planet isn’t one that Pharox would find hospitable. Once his existing mana was depleted, he’d be unable to cause more harm than any other human on your planet.

“Eventually, your world will have absorbed enough mana to sustain the system, but there will be some time before that level of saturation is achieved,” Minerva said.

“Wait, Earth is going to absorb enough mana to eventually become like the other places I visit?” I asked.

“Yes, now that you have achieved tier one, I can disclose a bit more to you. The system seeks to ever expand its influence, and the functionality of the summoning system is but one way it can achieve its goal. Your world is being seeded with mana each time a being is summoned and returned.

“It’s only a miniscule amount of mana each time it happens, and a world needs a considerable amount before the system can establish and sustain itself. Once your world reaches that point, then yes, your world will function like the others. I should point out that you and the other summoned beings will be in a particularly advantageous position when the transition eventually occurs,” Minerva explained.

“How long until that happens?” I asked, both excited at the prospect of using my power to its fullest back home, and more than a bit concerned over the chaos that the system would bring with it.

“That remains unknown. Some newly cultivated worlds are quick to enter the system, while others can take centuries or millennia to do so. Your world has had summoned beings for some time, but initially, their numbers were very limited. As the ambient mana increased, the number of people that can be summoned has also increased. Still, barring any event that might infuse a tremendous amount of mana, your world likely has centuries to wait,” Minerva advised.

“I think humanity can do with a few more centuries to get our act together before it gains the system. Sorry to lead you on this tangent, and thank you for healing me,” I said.

“It is my pleasure. Now, before we go over what I originally intended to tell you, do you wish to examine your rewards? They should be rather substantial given the duration of your summoning, as well as your performance rating,” Minerva asked.

“Loot first, talk later,” I muttered, rubbing my hands greedily as I approached my loot chest.