-The Summoned-
Voyage To Darren
The Light Plane: City of Dacono
"You better not be dead." Jamie said, irritated.
"So far, there's not any loot for me to take a cut of."
"Quiet!" Paul admonished. "He's waking
up."
Asa opened his eyes slowly. His head, as well
as every muscle in his body, ached fiercely. "What happened?"
"You nearly got yourself killed, that's what happened!"
Jamie yelled. "What was that out there?"
Paul cut her off with an angry motion. "Jamie!
He's alive, okay? Let me talk to him." Turning back to Asa,
he continued speaking. "But I don't think you realize the enormity
of what you've done. Do you know what that thing you've summoned
is?"
Asa shook his head slowly, so as not to increase
his already pounding headache. "She told me that her name was Thalla".
Paul nodded. "It is. She is a demon
from the Summoner's plane, Asa. She believes herself to be the next
incarnation of Banishment. With what power she wields, I would find
it difficult to refute her claim."
Asa's eyes widened. "I summoned what?"
Paul smiled bitterly. "A demon. Possibly
Banishment herself."
"No wonder I'm in such pain." Asa said, rubbing
his shoulder. "Bringing the elementals around is work enough.
To think that I summoned a demon!"
"Yes, you did it. I hope you're proud.
Now, you must never do it again."
"Are you kidding? Why not? She's powerful
enough to destroy Norax himself! With her at my side, we could get
this quest over with in no time at all!" Asa objected, trying to stand
up and cringing when his muscles objected to the punishment.
"Asa, she's a demon! One of two things is
going to happen if you continue to summon her. The first is that
it will become more and more difficult. Each time, it will take a
little more out of you, until you are destroyed. The second is far
worse. Instead of becoming more difficult to summon her, you will
find it increasingly easier. This will escalate until the point where
you can bring her to you on a whim, and you would never let her go, for
fear that she might become lost to you forever. You would enslave
her, and she would enslave you, poisoning your mind with her evil desires,
driving you to do whatever dark deeds she needs accomplished, until you
are nothing more than a puppet for a demon. In such a state, she
would discard you when she was done with you, leaving you a powerless,
lifeless shade bound to this world and doomed to haunt it until the end
of time." Paul stood silently, his piece spoken.
Asa was stunned. He handn't considered any
of this. "I see..." he admitted humbly.
At that moment, Elayna walked into the room quietly.
"Is he all right?" she asked.
Paul looked back to her, a smile forming on his
face. "Asa, I'd like to introduce the reason that you're still alive.
Elayna here's quite the competent cleric."
Elayna smiled and blushed lightly. "Thank
you. I was going out to gather some herbs." She proceeded to
place what little she had found on the table next to the bed that Asa was
in. "I'm glad you're better."
Asa found himself smiling back. Right now
Elayna seemed more like a ten year old child than she had when Asa had
first talked with her. Of course, Asa couldn't blame her for how
she had been. "Thank you Elayna. I think that I owe my life
to you."
"You do not." Elayna said. "You would
have healed on your own, but it would have taken weeks. I just managed
to cut that down to a few days."
"A few days?!" Asa was astonished. "How
long have I been out?"
"Three days, to be exact." Paul said.
"Please wait here a moment, I have to get something." he announced,
and left the room.
"Three days!" Asa stared at Jamie. "Is
that true?"
"Oh yeah, you're going to believe me. I'm
the one that's most likely to lie to you, remember?" She said.
"Ask Elayna."
Asa turned to Elayna who looked back at him.
"Yes, three days. But you're awake now and I think that I can heal
you completely by tomorrow." she announced, smiling up at him hopefully.
"Oh, that's good. Why do I need to be completely
healed by tomorrow?"
"Because" Jamie spoke up. "that's when
we're leaving. We want to head south, toward Darren's kingdom.
I know some people there, and won't they be suprised to see me!"
"We can't leave tomorrow!" Asa objected.
"I'm still in horrible condition."
"Weren't you paying attention? Elayna's going
to heal you up by then. And besides, aren't you on a schedule or
something?" Jamie asked.
"I never told you that!" Asa objected.
"How do you know-"
"That you were summoned? I asked Elayna.
Apparently this Norax guy is up to no good." Jamie sighed theatrically.
"I guess that I'm just going to have to go down there and teach him a lesson
or two."
Elayna looked at Asa apologetically. "I'm
sorry, but it seemed important. I think we all should know what's
happening. I told Paul too."
"Why did you tell Paul?" Asa asked.
At that moment, Paul reentered the room, carrying some items in his arms.
Setting them down noisily on the table with the herbs, he turned to face
the group.
"I have some things for all of you. This whole
city owes its life to you, and they wanted me to give you these things.
First of all, Jamie. This is for you." He handed her a small
warhammer. Jamie examined it and swung it in the air a few times.
"Whoever made this sure knows their stuff."
Jamie said, tossing the hammer up and catching it expertly.
Paul smiled. "It's enchanted. It does
a whole lot more damage than a hammer its size has any right to.
The town smith has had this for years, but you've earned it." he
turned to Elayna. "You're showing great promise as a healer Elayna.
Is that what you wish to become?"
Elayna nodded. "Yes. It's what
my f-father taught me, and it's what I want to become."
Paul handed her a leatherbound book. "Then
this is for you. The local clerics guild donated this. It's
a spellbook that gets quite complex, I understand. Personally, I
can't understand a bit of it." Elayna accepted the book, starting
to flip through it even before Paul had turned to Asa. "Asa.
You've been summoned, and there is not a bit of my magic that can counter
that. I can only help. The townspeople had this." Paul
rummaged through a sack on the table and produced two glass beakers, filled
with a dark red liquid. "They are elixers of endurance. Very
helpful items on a quest. Use them when you are exhausted beyond
all hope, and still you must go on."
"Thank you." Asa said.
"I'm not done yet. I didn't feel that a few
elixers were payment enough for what you've done. This book-" Paul
produced a tattered and dusty volume from the sack. "-is from my own personal
library. Seeker gave it to me in the hopes that I might understand
it. He had tried once and failed. I too do not know its contents.
It is a book for summoners, Asa, and I believe a powerful one. It
is yours now."
"All right!" Jamie said, still experimenting
with the warhammer. "Are we ready to go beat up on some bad guys
yet?"
"Tomorrow." Asa said, half pleading.
"I need some rest."
"Oh yeah, I suppose sleep might be a good thing"
Jamie agreed.
With that, Asa fell back into sleep.
The Light Plane: Edge of the Nexus Forest
Leo stepped from the last of the overgrowth to be
blinded once more by the bright light. He didn't think that he would
ever get used to the brightness of this place. Leo shook his head,
deciding to stop his reflection for now and move onward. Taking a
few tenative steps out onto the plains that seemed to extend to the horizon.
Taking his best guess as to which direction Northwest was, he began to
walk.
He had no food or water, and this fact made itself
apparent to him before the first day of his journey was complete.
Near noontime, Leo found himself hunting for something to drink.
He was parched, and the temperature was high. At least some things
were like the Dark Plane. It was always hot there. He was walking
for maybe a half hour when he spotted what he hoped was a small village.
Plodding onward, his thirst and hunger mounting, he continued to walk.
A few people spotted him as he was approaching and shouted something he
couldn't hear and ran back into the town. A few moments later, three
men carrying wicked looking scimitars and riding horses ventured out to
meet him. Leo drew his sword and dropped it to the ground, holding
his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He hoped that they wouldn't
kill him. He could see the effect this had on the riders. Instantly,
they slowed their pace and put their swords away. The one in the
middle of the three got to him first.
"Hail, stranger!" He cried, dismounting from
his horse. "We didn't mean to frighten you, but we thought that you
were a raider, you understand."
Leo nodded, his mind trying to understand what the
man was saying. It had been a long time since he had spoken the language
of the Light Plane, and he was a bit rusty. This man's thick accent
did little to help.
"I understand. May I have my sword back?"
Leo managed.
"Certainly" the man said, handing Leo his sword.
"I do not mean to bother, but I have been traveling
for a long time. Is there any water that I might have?"
"Oh water, of course!" the man snatched his
canteen from his horse and handed it to Leo, who drank nearly all of it.
"So, what armor is this you wear?" The man
asked, curious. "I haven't seen its like as long as I've lived, if
my memory serves me correct."
"My name is Leo Eastman, and I am the leader of
the Light Guard. That is the armor I wear. I am on an urgent
journey to see King LePaige."
The rider's eyes went wide at the mention of the
Light Guard. He turned to one of the other riders, who had by this
time caught up to him. "You! Go back to town and get this man
a horse! Now!" The rider obeyed and nearly rocketed back to
town. The man turned his gaze to Leo. "I'm afearin' that you're
going to have to come with us, Sir Eastman. His highness Charles
Darren has decreed that if any of the Light Guard should be in his land,
he wants to see 'em. Please come peacefully, won't you?"
Leo considered. The two men here weren't a
match for him, but he was sure that there were more people back in the
town, and having a whole kingdom after him would only slow him down.
If he talked to this Darren person, then Darren might possibly pass the
message on to LePaige. It seemed his only option. He nodded
to the rider, who seemed wisibly relieved.
Within the hour he was on his way to Darren's Keep.
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