Summon the Great Spirits - Book 1 Chapters 1,2,3 (Patreon)

Chapter 1

Whoops

Endless rows of glowing aquariums, empty boxes, and wet floor signs marked the polished concrete floor. Fluorescent lights, dimmed to make the late-night effort more comfortable, flickered. What few empty cardboard boxes scattered on the ground were cleaned up, stowed under arm, and hauled back to the access hall. None chose the late-night shift at Aquarium Warehouse Bonanza, but one always seemed to get the job.

Ethan rested his hand on the light switch, looking back on his good work with pride. Clean floors weren’t in his job description, but that hadn’t stopped him in the past. A tired hand flicked the switch, killing the overhead lights. Only the soft glow of the tanks was left, casting a bars of light over the slick floor. Just because a job was boring, because it was considered the worst job, didn’t mean it had to be done poorly. Labor was its own reward.

Overstock still needed to find its way to the back room. Still needed to be placed among the endless rows of ornaments, substrate, and other things these enthusiasts insisted on buying. Ethan hefted a box, groaning under its weight as he left the main floor of the shop. Off into that crowded, dingy hallway to find the storeroom. The hall itself was nothing special, some exterior-facing length of concrete that was never heated. His breath caught in the air as he made his way down the long hall, feet slipping on the slick ground.

The box shifted, and the man nearly pitched over. A constant complaint that never found resolution. But at this late hour, with the solitude of the fish, he was at home. Deep-treaded boots saw his journey safe, although he slipped a few more times. Nestling the box among its peers, Ethan sat on a pile of package aquarium rocks. Like always, the notifications on his phone were empty. This vampiric lifestyle had squeezed the life out of his friendships, his family life suffering just as badly.

But there was a welcoming party waiting for him at home. A warm bed, fifteen minutes of whatever junk he found to watch, then the embrace of sleep. Alone, he counted time in hours. Not minutes. Without customers to bother him, his shift bled into one long nocturnal labor, ending only when the fear of driving those icy roads became a reality. The small hours of the morning saw more mistakes than one was likely to commit otherwise.

Like swapping those boots for worn-down sneakers. No laces, no support, just a pair of old skating shoes that hadn’t seen use in their purpose. Ethan’s tired hands removed the waterproof apron, stowing it under arm with his boots. Black ice was impossible to detect near the service exit. With a turn of a key, and a normally skilled spin, his feet were removed from beneath him.

“Whoops.”

The only sound Ethan Stout made before slipping. He heard his head smashing against the ground. Even felt the phantom pain of the injury, but blackness overtook him before his senses caught up. Time, as was often the case, meant nothing on the night shift. So time, when he cracked his skull open, lost all meaning. A swirling black sense of nothing, only punctuated by the occasional glint of something silver in the distance. Moments could have passed, or minutes, but that light grew closer.

“Squirrel,” Ethan said, finally spotting something tangible within the light. His voice echoed through the void.

A small, silver squirrel-like creature bounded through the darkness. Where it jumped, puddles of white light were left behind. It gave a landscape to the endless void. Some kind of comfort drawn from emptiness. Ethan’s mind couldn’t piece together why the critter brought a sense of warmth with it. He got a better look at the little guy. Ears like those fancy red squirrels, ending with great tufts of fur, but with dangling baubles of light. A face more narrow than most he’d seen, a pair of cute little fangs accenting the face. The tail was bushy enough to be a squirrel’s, even with the wisp of fur that curled on its back. Stubby little legs, paws ending in faint claws, it seemed more like a predator.

“Come,” the squirrel said.

Ethan wasn’t sure if squirrels could talk. A moment in the void made that a distinct possibility, so he rose to his feet. Looking down, he realized he didn’t have feet. Not exactly. He had lengths of shadowy appendages, and a shadowy torso as well. His flabby body was gone, replaced with a slight thing made of condensed darkness. The sensation was otherworldly, as though he were little more than smoke. He followed the glowing creature.

They walked through the void for an eternity. Or the blink of an eye. It was impossible to tell. A silver path led them through twists and turns, over invisible hills and through unseeable valleys. Until a glimmer of something emerged far in the distance. Too distant to be his home, but warm. Warmer than the dead of winter outside the fish store. Ethan’s life felt like an island, back there in the void. An impossibly far thing that stretched his memory.

“Go,” the squirrel said, gesturing with a paw. “Through.”

It was as good an idea as any, so Ethan obeyed. He stepped through the void, over an obstacle he couldn’t see, and into the colorful landscape. The world whipped by in a whirlwind of sights and sounds. Colors stretched out into thin lines, stretching out to fill the void in an instant. Then he stumbled, tumbling onto hard stone and prickly overgrowth.

In a flood, Ethan’s senses came back to him. Fear sent his heart thumping hard in his chest, filling his ears with a rhythmic terror. He counted the seconds out, controlling his breath. He took stock of where he was. The ruins around him looked similar to old Maya ruins, overgrown and constructed from massive blocks of stone. Pillars were crumbled, turned to dust in spots, while ornate steles hung in various states of decay; on the wall, the ground, or propped against those disintegrating pillars.

Silver light spun out of nothingness. The squirrel.

“My temple,” the creature said, gesturing with a free paw. Everywhere the creature walked, it left behind a puddle of pulsing silver. Each word radiated a sense of comfort that banished the fear away.

These people really liked squirrels. Enough to build a temple to the glowing silver one. The longer Ethan lingered there, the more he liked the squirrel. Despite his sudden shift into the forest, he was feeling good about himself. And the squirrel. And the ruins.

“She’s a fixer-upper,” Ethan said, finding the noise his voice made to be foreign. He understood the words, but the sounds were strange.

Lucantele gaze off into the distance for some time, sagging for a moment before righting himself. He turned, shifting that silver-eyed gaze to Ethan.

“You’re dead.”

“Really?”

“I’ll rephrase. You died.”

Ethan rose to his feet and looked around. He pinched his arm, finding the pain to be quite real, and shrugged the thought away. Remembering the slip on the ice, he had trouble being mad. The squirrel was cool. The temple was cool. Even the plants growing near the temple were neat. They looked exotic. Dangling parts of leaves, multi-colored and entirely without function, set them apart from what he had seen. Especially in winter.

“I’m… having trouble with that,” Ethan said, rubbing his arm where it still hurt.

The squirrel let out a frustrated breath, although Ethan doubted it breathed. “I’m Lucantele. Great Spirit of this temple.”

“Hi, Luca. I’m Ethan. Nice to meet you.”

Luca floated on the spot, hovering until their nose was pressing up against Ethan’s. It stayed there for some time before speaking again. “What do you desire? In life.”

Philosophy with a squirrel was the last thing he expected for the day. He thought of things to say that would impress the spirit. Ethan didn’t understand the significance of his situation, but he knew lying to a floating silver squirrel had no merit. Boiling his desires down to a single phrase, he spoke.

“I want to do my best.”

Luca cocked its head. “That’s all?”

“I figure you’d know if I lied,” Ethan said, leaning in to press his nose against the spirit’s. It was warm, like a nice hot bath. The sensation radiated outward from his nose, covering his body in a strong sense of comfort.

“You’re right,” Luca said. “I’m releasing the system-restriction on your soul. Don’t leave the temple until you understand your new abilities. Follow the tutorial, but be careful. I must rest.”

Without further posturing, Luca vanished from the spot. Ethan felt a rush of something spreading through his body. It started in his chest, where a faint pain flared. Then it spread through him like an oncoming tide, surging through him without remorse. No sound came when he opened his mouth to shout against the pain. The boots, still tucked firmly under his arm, thudded to the ground. Then he did.

Waking in a cold sweat, Ethan found he was still alive. It would have been a shame to die twice in the same day, so he was grateful. He blinked, trying to remove the smudge in his vision. But the more he blinked, the clearer it became. A box, floating and following where his eyes darted.

“A… quest?” he asked. No one answered.

[Learn The Ropes]

Quest

Description:

Welcome, outworlder! You died!

At 5:35AM (Eastern Local Time), February 4th 2009, your body was discovered at Aquarium Warehouse Bonanza. Cause of death: slip and fall!

Isn’t that exciting?

The Great Spirit Lucantele has vouched for your transfer to Avansea. The Great Spirit of Hope has blessed you with their power.

Neat!

Avansea is a system-world, which means you need to understand how the system works. If you don’t, you’re likely to die. Open your various system interfaces. Don’t just open and close them. Read the stuff that’s there, or you’re going to get stabbed by a goblin.

Objectives:

Open your status screen.

Open your core screen within the status screen.

Open your quest screen.

There was no way to decline the quest. But there was a lot of information to parse within the quest. He really had died on Earth, and now he was in another world? His mind spun, trying to come to grips with that information. Luca had vouched for him, but what did that mean? And he had interfaces. Assuming those were like the quest box, still hovering in his vision, he took a moment.

Ethan wouldn’t see his friends and family if this was another world. He’d died outside that stupid fish store. Unaccomplished in life with too many things left to do. But that was a good thing, wasn’t it? A chance to start over again. Maybe find a decent job in this world, one that let him see the sun. A sense of resolute determination filled his mind.

“This is a good thing,” he said. The words were a great comfort.

Ethan scratched at his chest. Through the Aquarium Warehouse Bonanza shirt, to the place that radiated a dull pain. It took him longer than he would admit to understand how the screens work. They functioned off of intent, so the quest screen only closed when he willed it to. Sitting on a fallen slab of stone, he worked out how to open his status screen. Like the quest prompt, a floating interface crowded his vision. There was a circular button labeled “cores”, and a list of information about himself.

[Ethan Stout]

Outworlder Human

Caller

Rank 0

Level 1

Health

54

Mana

140

Strength

1

Vigor

2

Agility

3

Mind

8

Affinity

5

Health Regen

5

Mana Regen

9

The attributes reminded him of video games. Or those table-top games he remembered from school. The ones that over-reaching parents said were born of the devil. Without context, it was just a smear of information that meant nothing to him. He felt the quest moving forward though. It was as though a bell rang in his mind. A satisfying chime he wanted to feel again. He clicked the circular button, finding a new screen. This one had a circle, a cage of metal from where a light spilled onto the screen. There was a smaller circle that was empty, but he found he could mentally click on the big one. Another screen popped up.

[Caller’s Core]

Mythic

Summoner-Style Core

Rank

0

Level

1

Description:

Dedicated to the Great Spirits of the land, callers may tap into a fraction of their power. Through their deep connection with the Great Spirits, Callers may call upon symbols to fight for a time.

Callers may view their available summons, based on which Great Spirit’s favor they’ve earned, but may not use normal spellcraft unless supported by a sub-core.

Latent Effects:

Double base mana.

Mana regen scales with Mind.

“Caller,” Ethan repeated.

That’s what Luca was talking about. So Ethan could call on Luca for help, and… something would happen? It wasn’t clear, but the description of the [Caller’s Core] said he could view his available summons. Assuming he had the squirrel’s favor, he should be able to do something with that? It was unclear. Poking around for a while, he found a screen within the [Caller’s Core] where he had a list of his available summons. Lucantele was the only one present.

[Lucantele]

Spirit of Hope

Bond Level

1

Bond Rank

0

Mana Cost

Medium

Perpetuation Cost

Low

Description:

Lucantele is the Great Spirit of Hope. He is known for bolstering the hearts of those who have lost hope, often appearing at the end of a rainbow. Finding him is said to bring good luck.

Abilities:

[Claw]

“I don’t see any rainbows. But boy do I feel hopeful,” Ethan said, chuckling. The temple didn’t laugh at the joke, but he wouldn’t hold it against the building. Crumbling had a way of dulling one’s humor.

The quest screen in the interface only held the [Learning the Ropes] quest. Once he opened the screen, he saw it roll over to completed. The interface closed itself, opening a new quest in its place.

[Summon Lucantele]

Quest

Description:

As a [Caller], you have the ability to call on summons to help you in battle. Your summoning ability is limited to those Great Spirits you’ve formed a pact with.

To cast a spell, you merely need to focus on that spell for a certain amount of time. The cast times of spells varry, but summon-style spells have high cast times. If you take a sub-core that specializes in spells, you’ll gain a different system for spellcasting.

Objectives:

Cast the [Summon Lucantele] spell.

Easy enough. So long as this interface thing took care of the hard work, Ethan only needed to focus. His first few attempts failed. After poking around in the interface, he found a “spellbook” within his [Caller’s Core]. Viewing the spell seemed enough to solidify the concept in his mind. He rose to his feet, closing his eyes and feeling the spell. Like Lucantele himself, it was like a warm blanket of hope. Something drained within him, a status bar appearing in his lower-left vision, when motes of silver light flowed off him like a river.

After about 15 seconds of casting, a silver circle appeared on the ground. It filled with Luca’s light, then the silver squirrel jumped out. Before he got a good look at the creature, another quest window popped up.

[Kill Something!]

Quest

Description:

You got all the tools. You’re a badass summoner. Go outside and kill something!

Objectives:

Defeat any enemy.

Reward:

Rank 0 [Caller] specific weapon.

Ethan banished the window, only to find two versions of the creature standing before him.

“We call these our Symbols,” Luca said, gesturing to his copy. “Notice how your mana is draining.”

The status bar in the bottom right, containing a red bar for health and a blue bar for mana, was draining. The number read 99, compared to his pool of 140 mana. It ticked down, draining a single mana point per second.

“Dismiss the copy,” Luca said.

With a thought, the copy of the Great Spirit created another circle of silver. It jumped inside, vanishing and ceasing the mana drain.

Luca hopped over, staring up at Ethan. “Watch your mana.”

Ethan counted out five seconds, then watched as his mana jumped up by 9 points. That would be the [Mana Regen] attribute he saw on his screen. Which meant keeping his summon out drained more mana than he could get back. But there were other questions lingering in his mind. More than the weird game-like world.

“Why me?” Ethan asked. “Why did you bring me from Earth… If this is an entirely different world, why did you rope me in?”

“Your spirit called to me,” Luca said. “It reached out through the void. An unfulfilled voice I couldn’t ignore. It’s happened in the past, but you felt different.”

“To what end?”

Luca didn’t respond immediately. He stared, pensive. “Practice with my Symbol. Understand how your attributes work before you leave. Then complete the quest. Eat the red fruit on the trees to the north. Return to my temple if you need direction.”

“Alright, I’ll just…” Ethan started, but the Great Spirit was gone. “Eat fruit. I really like fruit.”

The Great Spirit’s advice wasn’t bad, though. Ethan had subsisted on little more than junk since he started the night shift. Why he couldn’t have gotten a new body, one without the flab, was beyond him. Without a mirror, he could only see his torso. That stupid logo from the bonanza. At least he had boots.

Exploring the temple was fun enough. There were sections that screamed danger, so he avoided those. He edged toward an exit, shimmying around a fallen pillar to find the sun burning bright in the sky above. There were no fruit trees here, but a sense of vindication spread through him. The temple was a pyramid. Exactly like those flat-topped ones he’d seen online belonging to the Maya. The ground floor of the temple held a massive room, a central pillar resting in the center. Outside of that area, a webwork of rooms snaked through the place. Stairways, rotten wooden doors, and alcoves were etched into the walls.

It must have been beautiful in its day. Now, it was a mess of ruined stone and cracked tablets. Heading back into the temple, Ethan found an entrance blocked. He tried another, then the last one. Stretching into the distance were short trees, bright red fruit growing in their boughs. Rubbing his hands together, the new Caller made his way out onto those fields.

Chapter 2

Pears and Deer

A low [Agility] attribute didn’t stop Ethan from throwing sticks at the fruit. What had dropped on the ground was mostly rotten, or picked clean by animals. A red, pear-like fruit dropped to the ground and the Caller hooted with excitement. It was such a minor accomplishment, but he felt it was worth celebrating. While he hadn’t seen predators, that didn’t mean there were none. A few more clumsy sticks into the tree and he had an armful of the fruit.

It was time to retreat to the temple.

After returning, Ethan had the idea to turn his apron into a satchel. It wouldn’t be perfect. Just good enough to get the job done until he found something better. When he sat on the stone floor, cradling the bounty in his arms, he jumped when a new screen popped up.

[Lucantele Pear]

[Food]

Rare

Description:

A pear that only grows near sites of power belonging to Lucantele.

“Wow, Squirrel even has a pear named after him,” Ethan said, chuckling to himself. “Good for him.”

Taking a bite of the fruit, Ethan felt the juices flow down his chin. The flavor was like the sweetest pear he’d ever tasted. It seemed like more juice than fruit, but after chewing his way through one, he realized how filling they were. He had eaten nothing since before his shift. Normally that warranted a stop to whatever fast-food chain was closest. Something greasy that made sleep come harder, and his breath drew with more labor by the day.

Ethan thought of this as more of a treat than a sudden migration to a new world. If he had no choice but to better himself, then he’d do it. The quest [Kill Something!] lingered in his mind, though. Like a specter stalking his steps, he’d have to turn around and face that. Pausing before tackling a problem was important, though. He’d already learned a great deal. His [Mana Regen] of 9 meant that for every 5 seconds, he’d gain 9 mana back. Easy enough to understand. When the Symbol of Luca was out, he was losing about 1 mana every second.

“So, he costs 14 mana every 5 seconds to maintain.” Ethan rolled the pear’s pit in his hand. Studying the lines that traced along the surface. It was almost as if they meant something. A hidden message in the pear.

The forest outside the temple was alive. Ethan stood near one entrance and listened for a long while. Things moved in the underbrush. Strange birds flew overhead, too distant to make out. And the smell of smoke was in the air. There was a fire near enough to carry on the wind. People, perhaps. Maybe something more sinister. The quest’s text to kill “something” was ominous. A recognition that there might be an “other” out there.

The Caller hoped that whatever power Lucantele had here was absolute.

Ethan’s mana had fully restored during the pear harvesting. He moved back to the inner-sanctum and practiced his new ability. He channeled the [Summon Lucantele] spell until the glowing silver creature appeared through the circle of light.

“Time for some baseline testing,” Ethan said.

Without a deep understanding of this ability, using it to kill something would be useless. Ethan experimented by saying orders to the Symbol of Luca. Then he moved to thought, which seemed to work. Finally, he moved on to understanding the [Claw] ability. That ability appeared in the status screen for his summons, so it was an ability that belonged to the Symbol.

“[Claw] that stone,” Ethan said, gesturing vaguely.

Luca coiled on the spot, glowing red for only a moment. Then the squirrel jumped through the air, slashed at a stone, and fell back. Three gouges were left in the block, deep enough to do some damage to a living being.

“Perfect,” Ethan said. “[Claw] it again.”

A message jumped into his sight, this time appearing in the bottom center of his vision.

[Claw] is on cooldown!

Unable to use this ability for 4 minutes 45 seconds.

“Fair enough,” Ethan said, noting that the ability also used some of his mana. 10 mana, to be exact, but it was still some mana.

Dismissing the Symbol, Ethan sat on the ground and dug through his interfaces. He found the section that described summon abilities, and read the entry for [Claw].

[Claw]

Summon Ability

Mana Cost

Extremely Low

Cooldown

5 minutes

Description:

Order Lucantele to attack the target with a vicious claw attack. Chance to inflict [Stunned].

The mana cost was indeed extremely low. Why the system saw fit to obfuscate the exact number was beyond him. Five minutes, and he could spend another 10 mana to have his little squirrel do a [Claw] attack. More than just the single attack, Luca could follow basic commands. Attacking, retreating, covering Ethan were all within his abilities. While the creature he summoned was just a fragment of the real Lucantele’s power, it was easier to think of them as the same thing. The Caller even talked to the summon like it had a will.

It was nearing dusk by the time Ethan had any confidence to go outside and fight monsters. When he stuck his head out of the exit, spotting the streaks of orange in the sky, he went back inside. If there was danger in that forest, it would be made more perilous by darkness. He instead remained within the temple, exploring the interior.

In the main hall, on the first floor, there was a stairway blocked by a fallen column. Ethan began with no desire to explore, but boredom got the better of him. As he squeezed through the gap, narrowly making it through, the temple was flooded with sudden light. Silver light poured from braziers on the wall, something the Caller had thought to be inactive. Waiting for something to happen, he watched as the flickering lights stabilized before moving forward.

“Hey now, did you turn those on for me? Or is it just getting dark?”

Luca didn’t materialize to answer the question. The second floor of the complex was notable for its confusing hallways. What sections weren’t blocked by collapsed pillars held rooms. Bedrooms, if the rotten debris on the ground could be trusted. Threadbare sheets and the wooden splinters of beds were strewn about the floor. Whoever had worshiped Lucantele in the past hadn’t done so in years. Despite the lack of beds, the rooms would still do for the night. Ethan marked the one in his mind that seemed the most stable before returning to the bottom floor.

Ethan was happy to have binge-watched survival shows. He followed what he remembered, making a bed of foliage to pad his body against the hard stone floor. He found several species of plants and rubbed their leaves on himself. Four of the most common plants in the area, one on each arm and both his legs. It paid to be careful about these things. He recalled a camping incident involving poison oak. The sun was done by the time he had any reaction. Only one plant drew small, angry welts on his skin. The Caller moved between the first and second floor with armfuls of leaves, stuffing his makeshift bag with his new bedding.

Under the light of the temple’s magical sconces, Ethan found himself alone in that room. For the first time, the weight of his situation settled in. Even Lucantele’s comforting power couldn’t banish that fear away. Someone found his body, reported it to the police… There might be a funeral, if his parents were informed. Of course they’d be informed, he didn’t have anyone else. He imagined his funeral. How many people would come, and what they’d say.

Ethan couldn’t shake the thought away. He rested on a pile of leaves in his chosen room. His chosen room. The Caller reminded himself what the squirrel spirit had said. He might not understand it, but he chose this world. Whatever it contained was better than what he had. Whatever survival meant in this place was worth it. If only to keep that dream alive. To do his best.

Sleep didn’t come easily. The occasional sounds of the shifting temple woke him each time. Each shift of the stone robbed him of rest, spiking his adrenaline and pulling him back to wakefulness. Instead of despairing, Ethan practiced. When he failed to find sleep, he returned to the first floor to work with the [Summon Lucantele] spell. He drained his mana, feeling the bond between himself and the Great Spirit growing. Once his mana hit 0, he retreated upstairs and tried to sleep again.

On the tenth attempt, he finally felt exhausted enough. Soaking with sweat and out of mana again, Ethan settled down on his mat of leaves. This time, they felt more comfortable than before. The lights seemed to dim around him as weariness overtook him. When the darkness of sleep took him, he didn’t notice it. The warm embrace of the humid air surrounded him like a blanket, that stifling heat not enough to draw him back to waking. The temple shifted, and he slept through it.

Morning came with a stiff back and groggy groans. Exhaustion was the only thing that brought sleep. But now Ethan wondered if sleeping in the dirt would have been better. The stone made a horrible bed. His leaf pile barely created padding, acting as a weak buffer against the firmness of rock. The pears provided both sustenance and hydration, although the Caller’s mouth still felt dry. A crude attempt to squeeze the juice from the fruit left the floor sticky. Feeling no more hydrated, he crept from his room to check the temple.

While the smell of fire still lingered in the air, there were no signs of a late-night intrusion. Luca winked into existence without warning, bounding over from the far side of the temple. The Great Spirit seemed excited about something, bouncing on the spot before speaking.

“You’re still alive,” he said. “Better than the others.”

“Alright,” Ethan said. “Didn’t need to hear that.”

“Smart enough to stay indoors the first night. Dedicated enough to practice during the night,” Luca said, still bouncing with excitement. “I expect great things from you. Check your bond with my Symbol.”

Ethan opened his interface, finding the section about all his summons. All his one summons. The “Bond Level” had gone up to 2, although he didn’t know what that meant. “Could you explain how the bond works?”

“As you develop your bond with me, the power of my Symbol will grow. You’ll gain access to more powerful abilities as you rank it up,” Luca said. “Now, the monsters around my temple are low-level. A function of my power. You should slay one to advance your quest line.”

“Right. The quest said I get a weapon,” Ethan said. “Am I going to need a weapon? Is that a good thing?”

“A great thing,” Luca said. “I looked into your mind, and you’re right. This is like a video game from your world. Advancement comes from things like killing monsters, supporting allies, and so on.”

“Don’t disappear,” Ethan said, holding his hands out. When he tried to grab the Great Spirit, his hands simply passed through. “Are there other people here? In the forest?”

Luca blinked a few times. His eyes flashed blue, then returned to their normal silver hue. “Yes. But there are also orcs. Down from the mountains.”

“Orcs. Gotcha,” Ethan said.

“Avoid the orcs if you can,” Luca said. “Don’t worry about getting my Symbol killed. If it dies, you can summon it again immediately. Never fear using it as fodder.”

But that thought struck Ethan as wrong. Even if it was just a weird copy of the Great Spirit, it seemed rude. But, the magic squirrel hadn’t steered him wrong yet. If watching his Symbol get torn apart didn’t bother Luca, it wouldn’t bother Ethan.

“Any tips?” Ethan asked.

“Yes. Avoid engaging more than one enemy before you get the hang of it,” Luca said. “Your biggest weakness is bringing my Symbol out as you’re traveling. Being attacked can interrupt your summoning spell.”

“Point me in a direction. Give me some innocent forest animal to murder,” Ethan said.

“Stay north until you’re confident,” Luca said. “Once you have at least a single level under your belt, head east. You’ll find others that way.”

Luca didn’t wait for Ethan to respond this time. The Great Spirit vanished before the Caller could get another word in. But the words reverberated in his mind. He’d played a few games back on earth, although he wasn’t crazy about them. Old RPGs on dusty consoles at his friend’s house. He remembered them going into some forest and killing monsters for hours on end. ‘Grinding Experience’, as the boy put it. Experience meant levels, and levels meant power. Easy enough to understand.

The grove of pear trees was devoid of monsters. When Ethan exited the temple, he was greeted with the same pleasant sight as before. Broad-leafed, stout trees that bore red fruit on their branches. Those that he’d failed to collect had fresh marks on them, as though something were eating last night. The forest north of the grove was a dense thicket of broad-leafed bushes and vines that snaked their way up broader trees. They looked much like oak trees back on Earth, distinguished only by the variation in their bark. Instead of random patterns, the bark layer had formed into diamond-shaped sections with wide gaps between.

While the flora was interesting, Ethan pressed on through the brush until he spotted something in the distance. He spotted a tawny creature, mottled with black spots, rooting around in the ground. The Caller narrowed his eyes, desperate to get a better look at the creature when a system message popped up.

[Dig Deer]

Monster

Rank 0

Level 1

Description:

While these creatures have many names, they’re commonly known as Dig Deer. Notable for their shovel-like protuberances, these deer etch out warrens in the earth for protection.

When confronted, they can be incredibly territorial.

Like the pear he’d inspected, Ethan had unwittingly inspected a monster. It looked much like a young whitetail doe, only with black spots instead of white ones. While it was roughly the size of a fawn, it seemed fully developed. The most notable difference between Earth deer and the [Dig Deer] was the set of antlers that grew from under its head. Running along the jawline was a set of antlers that seemed suitable for only one thing. Digging.

The system message said the thing was a monster, so Ethan would not approach the problem lightly. He stood in the bushes, channeling his spell until the Symbol of Luca burst from a silver circle. A rough plan formed in his head as he hoisted a nearby stick. He kept in mind what the Great Spirit said. The summon was simply a reflection of the spirit.

With a mental command, Ethan sent Luca in for the attack.

The [Dig Deer] let out a bellowing cry. Something between the grunt of a real whitetail deer and a bugle from an elk. It lowered its head, trying to scoop and throw the squirrel, but Luca was too agile. Dancing over the creature’s back, the Symbol dug in with its teeth.

Ethan burst from the underbrush, holding the stick above his head. Sending a mental command to Luca to use the [Claw] attack, he swung the heavy stick in a downward arc. It cracked over the [Dig Deer’s] head with a snap, falling to either side harmlessly. The deer let out a labored cry as the [Claw] dug into its side. The caller stumbled back, one half of his broken stick in hand.

Then he watched, issuing mental commands to his summoned creature. A health bar appeared just above his when Luca took a hit. The deer bucked on the spot, spinning and connecting into the squirrel’s side. While it sent him flying, Luca was still in fighting shape. Something Ethan noted, as the animals battled to the death, the lack of blood. The wound wept, but not as much as they should have. The battle ended when the Caller cracked the deer over the head again, sending it tumbling lifelessly to the ground.

A system message appeared.

[Ethan Stout] has defeated the [Dig Deer]!

[Ethan Stout’s] [Caller’s Core] gained 25% experience.

[Lucantele] gained 15% bond experience.

Ethan felt something swell within his chest. The Symbol of Luca made an excited chirping sound, but offered no insight. Then, the [Kill Something!] quest flashed, showing his reward. Something clattered nearby, falling to the ground with a chiming sound. The Caller dismissed the interface, only to get another one.

[Reach Oudsted]

Quest

Description:

Find your way to the town of Oudsted, situated at the source of the Oudsted river.

Objectives:

Reach the town of Oudsted.

Reward:

Rank 0 [Caller] specific equipment.

Ethan was conflicted about that one. His plan was to stay near the temple for a while and grind experience. He supposed it didn’t matter, as there was no time limit on the quest. He dismissed the screen and found his reward resting on the ground. Unsummoning Luca, he scooped it up and made his way back to the temple to inspect it.

The item was a staff, roughly the height of Ethan. The haft was made of finely-crafted wood, etched with the images of various creatures. He spotted Lucantele in the carvings, and studied the butt-end of the thing. It was capped with a flat piece of brass, matching the head of the staff. But the most interesting thing was at the top of the staff. The brass ornamental head created a circle, from the center of which hung a bell. When he held it, shaking the staff in his hands, the bell made no noise. Only reading the item description revealed the purpose.

[Caller’s Staff]

[Staff]

Rank 0

Rare

Description:

A caller’s staff is specific to their class. Topped with a summoning bell, these staves are used to encourage the Symbols of Great Spirits.

Effect:

Allows half mana regen within combat.

With intent, shake to invoke the [Spur] ability once per hour.

During the pitched fight against the weird deer, Ethan hadn’t even noticed the rate that his mana regenerated. That meant he could keep Luca out longer in combat, and the [Spur] ability was interesting. When he focused on that ability, he found that he could inspect it.

[Spur]

Equipment Ability

Rare

Cooldown:

1 hour

Description:

Spur your summon to fight harder.

For 10 seconds, your summon’s attributes are enhanced.

Effects:

Your summon fights harder for 10 seconds.

It was impossible not to test how the ability worked. Ethan’s mana was high enough to keep the little guy out for a bit, so he channeled his [Summon Lucantele] spell. The Symbol of the Great Spirit jumped from the silver circle, chittering happily. The Caller shook his staff without intent, nodding with approval as the bell refused to move. Then he shook it with intent, and the bell rang.

Luca grew to twice his normal size, snarling on the spot. Ethan just watched as the critter looked around for something to maim. But ten seconds passed, and the creature returned to his normal size.

“Well, now it’s time to grind some serious experience,” Ethan said with a chuckle.

Chapter 3

Level Up!

North of the grove rested a slight dip in the landscape. Nestled in that depression was a stream, cutting through the forest with frigid water. Ethan had learned how cold it was, after disrobing and jumping into a deeper section. Shivering from the sudden plunge, he worked his way to the edge while voicing as many curses as he could muster. At least the water near the edge was warmer. Near a break in the trees where the sun could shine down.

“People used to do laundry in rivers,” he assured himself. “I can figure it out.”

But with nothing to clean his clothes, and no way to dry them, that seemed like an impossible task. Instead, he settled on cleaning himself the best he could. His Aquarium Warehouse Bonanza polo was stained with mud and streaked with green vegetation. His khakis had fared far worse, riddled with holes near the line of his boot where thorny bushes had stolen patches of cloth.

While the seclusion of the forest was welcome, there were things he couldn’t do on his own. His plan to remain near the temple forever gave way to the reality of needs. As Ethan stood in the sun, outside of the stream in an attempt to dry, he reflected on his situation. How long could one man survive on pears? The distinct paunch of his belly promised reserves, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

But the trip beyond the grove, past where he’d killed the [Dig Deer] showed him the variety of life within the forest. There had been mole-like creatures in a field. When he focused his intent on them, they provided no system information. They were just regular moles, which meant there was more to the fauna than just monsters. The further he got from the temple, the higher the level of monsters. He spotted another deer on the far side of the stream that was level 3.

This proved his theory about Luca’s temple enough for him, giving him a chance to figure his core out. Figure out how to use the class to survive in a world of monsters. The first thing to do was abuse the sanctity of the temple. Slipping his clothes back on, finding it difficult to pull his boots over his wet feet, he trudged back to the pyramid. He then worked in a circle around the surrounding area, making notes of the landscape as he hunted for low-level [Dig Deer].

The terrain rose to the west, ending far in the distance with crags of jagged mountains. There were lower mountains to the south, ones that barely poked above the line of endless trees. On the western side of the temple, near a stretch of prairie without trees, Ethan spotted a deer doing its thing. True to the system description, the creature used its strange horns to dig in the earth. This one was excavating a section, thrusting its entire head to remove large swathes of dirt.

Ethan channeled his [Summon Lucantele] spell from a distance, hiding behind a copse. The silver squirrel sprung from his circle, spinning on the spot and chittering with excitement. The Caller hoisted his new staff and nodded to his companion. Luca snaked his way through the underbrush, moving with decent silence despite the conditions. At the signal, the creature burst from the line of green.

The [Dig Deer] was another level 1 example, and shrieked in terror when fangs dug into its neck. Ethan burst from his hiding spot, shouting a war cry as he trundled across the open field. The arc of the staff connected with the deer’s skull, sending it tumbling to the side. But Luca didn’t let him, tearing into the creature with glee. Unlike their first fight, the level 1 deer feel without incident. The Caller gained 25% experience for his efforts, a number that would drop after he leveled.

The pair repeated the process, Ethan dismissing Luca and resting when he was out of mana. Clobbering another helpless deer saw another system message pop into his vision.

[Ethan Stout] has defeated the [Dig Deer]!

[Ethan Stout’s] [Caller’s Core] gained 25% experience.

[Lucantele] gained 15% bond experience.

[Ethan Stout] has leveled! Ding! Level 2!

[Ethan Stout] gained 1 free point.

“Free what?” Ethan asked, sitting on the uncomfortable forest floor. He inspected his interface, finding his attributes screen to be slightly different. Under his stats, there was now a notification. This required thought. He gained a point, which he could apply to any of his attributes.

The first thing he thought of was to place the point in something like [Strength]. A score of 1 didn’t seem good, but bashing stuff wasn’t his primary tactic. While he poked around, the Caller found that if he focused on the attributes, a small system window popped up explaining them. He read through them all.

[Strength]

Determines your ability to inflict damage.

While [Strength] influences how physically strong you are, its primary function is to increase your melee damage.

Gaining high enough [Strength] will help you overcome the [Defense] attribute.

[Strength] is additive to your physical strength.

So a low [Strength] score didn’t mean Ethan was weak as a baby. According to the description, it was an additive effect. Still, it wouldn’t be useful to him. Bonking things was great, but he didn’t see himself doing that once he understood the strategy of [Caller] better.

[Vigor]

Determines your ability to take damage.

While [Vigor] influences your resistance to diseases, its primary function is to mitigate incoming damage and increase your health pool.

Increases your health.

Decreases the amount of incoming damage.

Gaining high enough [Vigor] will add to your [Defense].

[Vigor] was an interesting one. On the surface, he could see this being useful. He hadn’t taken a hit yet, Luca had done a great job of keeping the monsters’ attention, but now didn’t seem like the best time to put his only point in.

[Agility]

Determines how agile you are.

[Agility] influences reaction speed to a lesser degree.

[Agility] increases the speed at which your body moves.

[Agility] was the most useless attribute for him. Going with the idea that he’d stay behind Luca, maybe moving fast was good. But that theory fell away when he was faced with the perpetuation cost of the summon. He moved on to the stat he was most likely to put points in.

[Mind]

Determines how deep your connection to mana is.

[Mind] directly increases the amount of mana you have.

As a [Caller], your [Mana Regen] is increased based on your [Mind].

Increases the likelihood you’ll resist incoming spells.

Increases the amount of healing done with healing spells.

Ethan knew he was going to put points into [Mind]. There was a bonus in taking the stat from his [Caller’s Core]. The way Luca talked about [Mana Regen], it must have been important. It was also already his highest attribute, so that gave him a leg-up.

[Affinity]

Determines your spell damage.

[Affinity] adds to raw damage of spellcasting.

Decreases the chance of spell-interruption based on total [Affinity].

Decreases the chance that a spell will be resisted by a target.

Ethan thought about this one for a long time. He currently had no means of casting spells. But if casting spells meant staying behind Luca, that would be an interesting strategy to pursue. In the end, he put the free point into [Mind] before checking his attribute sheet.

[Ethan Stout]

Outworlder Human

Caller

Rank 0

Level 2

Health

54

Mana

145

Strength

1

Vigor

2

Agility

3

Mind

9

Affinity

5

Health Regen

5

Mana Regen

9.5

Per attribute point, that [Mana Regen] was going to shoot up quickly. For every point of [Mind] he took, he gained a half-point of [Mana Regen]. But he had other questions about the way this system worked. Ethan recalled gear in video games, stuff that could enhance attributes even further. And how did the Rank system work? Could he get even more stuff once he ranked up? There were many questions around how the ranks worked, and the little empty core slot in his core screen was tempting.

With a deep breath, he stood. It was time to upgrade from killing level 1 deer, to level 2 deer. Perhaps even level 3. But without another attack or ability on Luca, anything higher than that seemed like certain death. With no time-limit on his adventure, he decided to take it easy. Kill some deer and relax.

Ethan skipped over a group of two level 1 [Dig Deer], considering his strategy as he went. As much as he wanted to get into the action of fighting with the Symbol of Luca, he knew he should hold back. The summoned creature wouldn’t actually die, and there was testing to be done on how that worked. Finding a single level 1 deer, he summoned Luca and ordered him to attack.

A smaller health bar appeared above his own, representing the Symbol’s health. Luca had taken a vicious hit from the shovel-like scoop of the deer. The silver squirrel went flying, tumbling on the ground before righting itself. Unlike Ethan and the monsters, he didn’t seem to experience pain. A few more hits got him down to half health, but then an ordered [Claw] attack brought the monster into the [Stunned] state. It was easy enough for the Symbol to eviscerate the deer after that.

Ethan dismissed Luca, allowing his mana to regenerate on its own while he searched again. He traveled further north, past the grove of pears and the stream, before finding a clearing in the forest. Rustling leaves caught his attention on the far end. A creature, barely coming up to his knees, trundled from the overgrowth. It was a mix of mud-brown with flashes of black and white through its thorn-like fur. With a narrow face and beady eyes, the creature dug small holes in the ground. Searching for food, no doubt. The Caller focused his intent, inspecting the monster.

[Thorn Badger]

Monster

Rank 0

Level 2

Description:

Notable for their thorn-covered coat, [Thorn Badgers] subsist on grubs but are opportunistic hunters.

“Level 2,” Ethan said, starting to channel his spell.

In moments, Luca burst from the silver circle. Ethan issued the order to attack, holding back and watching from afar. The first strike brought by the Symbol saw the health bar pop up. While he was restored to full health, that single swipe of a clawed paw reflected some damage back.

Ethan nodded to himself. “Thorns. Makes sense.”

Issuing the [Claw] command, the Caller observed the battle. He fought the urge to get in there and beat the badger senseless with his staff. That was the key to making the [Caller] class work. Luca would regenerate to full health at the end of the battle, once resummoned. Ethan didn’t need to tire himself by getting involved, only offering the constant flow of mana to shift the course of battle.

Luca jumped, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the badger. He scurried along the ground, nipping at the creature’s side until the monster was worn down. Each small bite was taking a portion of the monster’s health away. It ended when the Symbol had a quarter of its health left, although none of those wounds showed on its body. Ethan pricked his finger on the badger's coat when he went in to investigate. If there was anything useful from the monsters, he couldn’t find it. He wasn’t at the stage of survival where he felt the need to cut them open.

Ethan worked a tight semi-circle around the northern area of the forest. He found more [Thorn Badgers] and several [Dig Deers] that brought him to level 3. His bond with Luca had risen to level 4. The Caller dumped his free point into [Mind] again, bringing him to 10. The Great Spirit’s Symbol gained no bonuses, but he was looking forward to it. Anything to give him the edge over the monsters of the forest.

The sun was high in the sky by the time he returned to the temple. It was as close to noon, and lunch, as anything. The moment Ethan stepped foot in the temple, the real version of Lucantele sprung from nowhere. The squirrel had a mischievous look on its face, even as the Caller made his way to the second floor. Clawed feet padded behind him, wordlessly pursuing him to lunch.

“You’re having fun,” Luca said, watching as juice dribbled down Ethan’s chin.

The Caller held out a pear, offering it to the Great Spirit. “Hungry?’

“Not for food,” Luca said, curling up into a tight ball on the ground. Those silver eyes just watched. “You’re starting to understand how your powers work.”

“I’m getting there. It was hard to just let your Symbol take the hits,” Ethan said.

“With your attribute scores, you need to make sure my Symbol is between you and danger,” Luca said.

Ethan took another big bite of the pear. It filled him up more than he’d care to admit, but that hunger for junk food still lingered in his mind. “My weakness is summoning. The time it takes to cast the spell.”

“You’ll gain upgrades as you level,” Luca said. “Some passive, some active.”

“Alright. Hey, since you’re in a talking mood I have a few questions,” Ethan said.

“I’m listening.”

“First question. When do I get upgrades?” Ethan asked.

“Almost a good question. I’ll answer with some additional information. Upgrades can provide you with new active abilities, new passive abilities, or upgrades to current abilities. You gain them every five levels, and you ascend to a new rank every 10 levels.”

“Anything special about the ranks?”

“They represent a jump in power. You can only ascend after a ritual. Which costs items,” Luca said, refusing to move from his spot on the ground. “The rituals aren’t free, either.”

“Cool, cool,” Ethan said, biting into his pear again. He chewed enough to speak. “Does your Symbol get new abilities?”

“Yes. On the same scheme as you,” Luca said. “It should level faster at first, but you’re expected to have more than one Symbol. Callers are known for their pilgrimages.”

Ethan grumbled as a stream of red pear juice stained his shirt. His only shirt. “There are other people, right? I need some new clothes.”

“You’ll want to leave the temple, heading northeast for that. To the city of Oudsted.”

“Well, sounds like there’s a lot of work to do. Are you holding anything from me? Maybe a quest that you’re not willing to share yet?”

Luca shifted uncomfortably on the spot, spinning to form a more solid ball. “I have nothing to share. Until you’ve proven yourself.”

“How do I do that?”

“Go to Oudsted. Meet with the Great Spirit there. Win his favor, then return to me,” Luca said. “You’ll understand the importance of the Great Spirits then. And we can discuss things as though you were a true Caller.”

Luca didn’t give Ethan a chance to follow up. The Great Spirit vanished on the spot, leaving only questions in his wake. But the schemes of spirits did little to diminish his appetite. He downed a few more pears before resting on the hard temple floor. The last question he had, the one that had gone unanswered, was about advancement. How fast should he expect to level up compared to others?

That was a question other people could answer, but it brought with it more problems. Running out into the wide world at a low-level seemed counterproductive. Ethan intended to take advantage of the temple for as long as he could, staying there and gaining power before meeting with other humans. Assuming all the people in this world were humans, anyway. He’d been talking to a magic squirrel, so there was nothing saying everyone would be like him.

The pears settled in Ethan’s stomach, leaving him feeling sated but not over-full. He made his way out, intending to make the most of the day by grinding experience. Working a circle around the northern area beyond the stream, he found what he was looking for. A level 3 [Dig Deer] stood in a field, head raised as though alerted. The Caller cast his [Summon Lucantele] spell and gave a silent order. The silver squirrel advanced, bounding over the landscape with abandon.

Compared to a level 1 sample, the level 3 [Dig Deer] was marginally faster. It was also slightly larger, with a more pronounced shovel. The differences were completely minor, though. Luca started the fight with his standard tactic of jumping through the air and latching onto the monster’s neck. The creature threw its head back, letting out a strange bellow that filled the open field.

Ethan stood near the forest’s edge, holding his staff tightly and watching. He imagined scenarios where he could help the fight go better, but for now he wanted to stay back. The deer gained an advantage momentarily by scooping the squirrel up and tossing it. Luca hit a tree with a dull thud, sliding to the ground with something close to a whimper. The Caller ordered him to head straight back in, opening with a [Claw] attack to the deer’s face, then playing it safe by retreating.

Luca jumped, then used his [Claw] ability. A ragged gash formed on the deer’s face, applying the [Stunned] effect and forcing it to bellow yet again. Something echoed in the distance, perhaps a call of sympathy, but Ethan focused on the fight. He sent orders to the battling Symbol, helping him weave through the monster’s defenses. Being so low to the ground made it hard for the Symbol to gauge weak points of attack. But with his master’s instructions, they wove a whittling battle of errant bites and running slashes.

Things were going well, even if the monster was closer to an even match this time. Until the sound of bending branches and rustled foliage came from the far side of the clearing. Ethan spotted the monster before it broke through, his breath catching in his throat. With intent, he inspected the approaching deer.

[Dig Deer]

Rank 0

Level 5