You are Summoned

There were finally some good options in my armory, and I was happy to see the shelves and racks stocked with all the gear that I’d acquired. My maximum gear rating was now at 150, which should let me equip most, if not all of what I had. First, I needed my armor and weapons.

I’d take the new war hammer, of course, despite its relatively steep gear cost of fifty. With the hammer, I wouldn’t need the mace, but I did want a dagger as backup, or to hand it off to Rupert if I summoned him. My only armor was the padded leather, but it was pretty good. With a magic missile wand slid through my belt I was armed and armored to the tune of 90/150 gear rating.

To the loadout I added Fitzfazzle’s figurine and the MESS key. Both were things I’d only use in an emergency, but they didn’t have a gear cost associated with them, so there was no reason to leave them behind. I also dropped in both of the single use summoning figurines for a total of seven gear cost between them.

I didn’t think the notice of cessation would come into play while visiting Somhagen, so it would stay behind. Before I returned home, I’d add it to the loadout, so I’d have it the next time I was summoned. Into my pack I loaded the arena certificate and upgrades, as well as the equipment requisition that I could use in town. They didn’t count against my loadout, but what I received from them might.

“Minerva, what happens if I exceed my loadout from buying things or getting rewards while I’m in Somhagen?” I asked.

“A tier one and higher, your loadout will not be restricted while you are in Somhagen unless you are somehow summoned or participate in a sanctioned event such as the arena, or the duel you experienced last time. If something like that occurs and your gear is over the limit, you will have to choose what to keep and if you do not choose in time, the system will randomly deactivate something until you are within your guidelines.

“Thanks Minerva let’s just hope I’m not summoned while I’m there, and I sure won’t be participating in any duels,” I said.

“Being summoned while in Somhagen is exceedingly rare, I just wanted to make sure you had all the information you might need in the future,” Minerva confirmed. Good, I probably didn’t have to worry about being summoned while in the city that catered to summoned beings.

With that taken care of, I jumped back into my loadout. It was just the spells left for me to pick. I had 53 points remaining, so I could just barely manage to take all my spells with me. On second thought, I decided to drop the Redirect spell, which was rather lackluster so far, from my loadout and replaced it with the notice of cessation. It would be just my luck to somehow be stuck in a horrible situation where it could bail me out and I didn’t have it in hand.

I felt confident that I had everything I needed for the city, except for deciding what funds to take. Minerva confirmed I’d always return to my personal space before going back home, so I would take all my loot, just in case I came across something I couldn’t live without. If I could stay a bit frugal, I’d have some funds left over for my return home.

“Minerva, I think I’m as ready as I can be unless you have anything else to add,” I said.

“I do have one more thing to inform you of. When you step out of the door to your personal space, my time as your advisor will come to an end. My services are needed for other newly summoned beings, and you’ve now gathered the baseline knowledge to survive in your new life,” Minerva told me.

I had mixed feelings. Minerva was frustrating at times, doling out limited information, but I had grown accustomed to her instructing me on the way things worked. Sure, I had the basics, but there was so much more I needed to learn.

“What if I have further questions?” I asked.

“There are information brokers and scribes inside the city that can likely sell you what information you desire. What you need to ask now will come with a cost,” Minerva said.

“Can I trust the information I buy in Somhagen?” I asked.

“Now that is a good question, and one that tells me you are ready to be out on your own. No, you should never trust anything blindly, especially information that is for sale. Look upon what you read with skepticism and use your good judgment.

“I will do you one last favor, there is a scribe that lives in the first tier of the city, a human named Lavelle Varnoth that you can trust to deal with you honestly. He is a bit eccentric, but don’t let that put you off too much. His shop is near the summoned market As for the other tiers of the city, I cannot say, but Lavelle may be willing to give a recommendation when the time comes,” Minerva advised.

“It’ll feel kind of empty in here, I’ve gotten used to you popping in to keep me company,” I said.

“This place need not remain empty. Keep an open mind, and a keen eye. There are companions and others who would see your personal space as the perfect refuge. With that, my time here has ended. Best of luck to you Rico Kline, and be careful as you explore the city,” Minerva said.

She disappeared without fanfare. One moment she was there, the next she was gone without a trace. I had everything sorted here in the personal space, so there was nothing holding me back from leaving. Just like the last time I had access to the city, a door appeared on the far wall.

Opening the thick wooden door, I saw sunlight stream into my personal space. The air felt clean and crisp, carrying the scent of the tall grass that grew in the nearby fields. In the distance, I could see the white walls of Somhagen. It was a beautiful city and after checking if I was missing anything, I stepped out.

I wouldn’t be able to return to the city for another five ranks, so I needed to make this visit as useful as possible. My path to the main road of the city took me through a field and when I looked behind, I could see there were dozens of doors dotting the hills. Each one was a personal space for a summoned being. My door was highlighted in my vision, so I wouldn’t forget where I needed to go after I was done here.

There was some traffic on the road, several farmers bringing carts loaded with produce, and a few travelers like me. Many of the travelers were armed and armored, likely summoned beings or others that somehow managed access to this place. Remembering my last visit, I kept to myself and tried to stay under the radar. The last thing I needed was another run in with someone like that Bixby Bartimus guy.

If I was honest, I kind of wanted another crack at him. I’d grown quite a bit since my first visit here, and I was keen to test my skills against another summoned being. Minerva had never given me an idea of where I stood in relation to other summoned beings, but I liked my class, and felt it would give me an advantage in most contests.

This time, I didn’t stop at the outer city. The gate to the first tier awaited and I didn’t want to waste any more time than was necessary. I ignored the various merchants hawking their wares and kept on course for the gate. It was a massive, iron banded affair that looked like it could stand up to quite a beating if the city were ever attacked. There were heavily armed and armored guards standing outside the gate, staring intently at everyone that entered.

As I passed by the guards and through the open gate, I felt something press against my mind. I could somehow tell it was one of the guards, checking to see if I was the proper tier and rank before he let me enter. The strange feeling left almost immediately as the guard shifted his gaze to the next person in line.

I was through, and the first tier of the city didn’t disappoint. Just beyond the gate was a small park where a series of merchant stalls were parked. These weren’t the rundown carts like you see at a county circus. These were well-made and brightly colored affairs that gave the park a festive atmosphere. I could smell various foods cooking and was reminded that my body wasn’t automatically sustained here as it had been inside my personal space.

Walking past the carts, I was drawn to one that sold something that resembled corn dogs. I could never pass up a corn dog at the fair, and given that the prices were only a few coppers, I wanted to try one. An older couple ran the place and seemed to be doing a brisk business.

“Hello, those smell delicious, what are they called?” I asked.

“We call them fried dragon fingers, but they’re just a pork sausage dipped in batter. Mind yourself, they’re hot, you might want to let them cool down a bit,” the woman said as she handed me the treat. I couldn’t wait and took a hesitant bite. It was similar in texture to a corn dog, but the fried batter wasn’t sweet like a corn dog and was more bread-like. The sausage inside had a bit of spice and a good snap to the casing.

“These are great, we have something similar back home called a corn dog,” I mumbled between mouthfuls. For another pair of coppers, they gave me a glass of cold water from a cask mounted on the back of their cart.

“Glad you enjoyed that, do want another?” the woman asked.

“Maybe later, I’ve got a lot to take care of. Say, would you be able to direct me to the apothecary? I have something I need to pick up there. I’m also looking for somewhere I can turn in this equipment requisition,” I asked.

“Ah, a summoned being. I don’t mind giving you some directions, just make sure you visit back here again before you leave,” the man running the shop, who was named Tonpu Zavai, offered. I agreed, I needed directions and buying a second meal at the cart was something I planned to do before I left anyway.

“From here, head up the Via Sorcere until you reach the first major crossroads with a guard post. To your right will be an apothecary you can trust. At the guard post, they can exchange you voucher, you’ll kill two kobolds with the same arrow since they’re right next to each other,” Tonpu explained.

“Perfect, thanks again for lunch and the directions,” I said.

“No problem young man, you take care of yourself, oh, and you’ll probably want to head two streets north from the apothecary, that’s where the summoned market is located,” Tonpu said as I left.

I had a meal in my belly, and directions to where I needed to go. Not a bad start at all to my visit.