Chapter 4: summoning ritual
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Brian's spine went cold, the kind of bone deep cold that made him freeze in place. His instincts screamed; they'd been honed through years on the battlefield.
Someone was watching him.
Just though, he extinguished the flame from added, plunging the room into darkness. The only light was the faint glow of the VR system behind him. His heart beat faster, but his movements were slow as he turned toward the shadows in the corners of the room.
His voice was low but firm, so he asked, 'Who's there.'
Silence.
His eyes sweeping over the room, Brian forward stepped. His sensory capabilities were increased from the Genesis Quest, and he caught the faintest aura. It was smoke, invisible but impossible to ignore, hanging in the air.
He murmured under his breath, "An ally?" "Or an enemy?"
The feeling didn't fade. It grew stronger, more oppressive if anything. His muscles tightened as he reached for the drawer next to his desk, opening it just enough to slide his hand inside. His fingers ran over the cold steel of the knife he kept there.
In one corner of the room, the shadows shifted unnaturally and pooled. The spot drew Brian's eyes; they narrowed, and his grip on the handle of the blade tightened as he locked onto the spot.
His voice was sharper now, "Not the time to play games."
The aura flickered back, but it didn't disappear. They weren't ready to show themselves yet, whoever—or whatever—was watching him.
Brian took a deep, slow breath in and steady his raging heart. Pushing the drawer closed with a quiet click, he released the knife.
He whispered, the words he had been found; spoken with assurance, even if it was only an unraveling of possibility.
For a long moment he stood there, staring at the shadows, trying to make sense of what this meant. His mind raced with possibilities, but one thing was clear: this wasn't over.
Not even close.
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Brian sat back in his chair and stared at the glowing screen. Psalm Online, a sound that he now knew so well, a familiar hum filled the room. He was unsure as he hovered his fingers over the virtual interface.
Shimmering items on displays pulsed in the game shop, the displays one more tempting than the last. The weapon's names were Eternal Void Blade, Storm breaker Bow, whose descriptions promised destructive effects. Brian wasn't paying attention to them.
No, his focus was on a single, glowing icon labeled Summoning Supporter: Arzia of the Heavens.
The item's description scrolled across the screen in delicate golden script:
Calls upon a legendary celestial companion to join your quest. Arzia of the Heavens: Unmatched strength, unwavering loyalty and a warrior. Caution: Limited versatility, specialized for combat
"Combat-focused, huh?" Brian scratched the back of his head and muttered. He looked over at the currency counter in the corner. It was a gamble, but it was all that even the Genesis Quest had left him with to buy it.
"I thought: 'We need a strategist,'" he muttered to himself. "Someone who can do more than just fight." …help with stealth or puzzle? His eyes flicked back to the glowing icon, and his voice trailed off.
But it was something about this description that drew him. Unmatched strength. Unwavering loyalty. Words that meant something, promises of power. His thumb paused, then pressed down.
For a heartbeat, the screen dimmed, then exploded in a golden light.
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His screen filled with radiance and Brian squinted. Celestial chimes rang their sound, but its note did not leave his chest. A rune circle swirled about; the rune ring glowing with otherworldly brilliance.
He leaned closer, breathing, 'What the…?'
The runes went round spinning, creating a whirl which seemed to pull the light from the game. The wind around his avatar became oppressive as if a weight of some other-worldly being descended upon him.
Then, she appeared.
Emerging from the light was a character that for the life of him, Brian could not even begin to fathom as to where they had been all his life. Her armor reflected the metal brightness, the engravings on it sparkling when she started to dance. Gigantic wings sprouted from her back covering her whole body and the feather's gleaming was a neon green. Her face was not an indication of her mood, her eyes were soft but look could kill kind of soft.
"Arzia of the Heavens has been called."
And then the notification popped up on the screen, but Brian almost did not notice it. His eyes were fixed on her.
She was tall, and she still towered over everyone, even if the meeting was being held through a computer screen. In her left hand she wielded a great halberd whose axe head was emitting a soft light of the stars. Brian's avatar was the first to catch her eyes, and the way she looked at him made his gut clenched up.
"Are you my master?" she inquired and though her tone was low, she was the one who dictated terms here.
Brian blinked. "Uh… yeah. I guess so."
She got on her knees before him, and even though she had a chain mail armor on, she did not seem to be stiff. Before she could speak, the being replied in a calm, measured tone: 'Sovereign of the Heavens, I am server Arzia.' "Your will is my command"
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Brian froze for a moment and his avatar backed up involuntarily. "Uh, yeah, okay. You can stand up. No need for all that."
Arzia got up elegantly, she was taller than Brian. Her wings were neatly arranged at her back, but even when she allowed them to rest; the wings occupied much space.
Her stats appeared in the corner of his screen:
Arzia of the Heavens
Level: 250
Class: Celestial Warrior
HP: 15,000
Attack: 2,300
Defense: 1,800
Skills: Divine Impact, Brilliant Wall, Flying Assault.
Brian's eyes widened. "Level 250… That's insane," he muttered.
Arzia finally acquired a slight frown on her face and tilted her head a little to the side. "Is there a problem, Master?"
"No, no problem," he said quickly. "It is… you are far too powerful as compared to the strength I thought you would have."
She simply nodded her head without any change of facial expression. "Strength is my purpose. I exist to fight your battles and protect you from peril."
"Yeah, I get that," Brian said, looking at her stats once more. "But, uh… you know, what are you going to do for the rest of the time you're not in a fight? Can you help with strategy or… I don't know, sneaking past enemies?"
Her face was calm, but her eyebrows drew together in a frown for the first time. "My skills are oriented in the battle." Those are two good reasons why stealth and strategy are not my most favored hobbies."
Brian sighed, rub-, running a hand through his hair. "Of course not."
He sat back, looking at her. With her, I could not quench my doubt—she would be able to bring down armies with single blows. But was she the right woman for the job that he wanted?
Arzia appeared to notice his reluctance. She moved closer to him, and even though he was unable to see her, he saw the faint light emitted by the wings. "You doubt me," she repeated with what for her past as indifferently clinical, but again there was a hint of – what?
"It's not that," Brian said, although he knew that he was lying. "It's just… I wasn't expecting someone like you."
"I am here to serve," She declared with utmost determination, extremely not wanting to be excused. "You wish, I shall grant and if you need me to do something, I shall do it to the maximum of my capability".
This should have made him feel a lot better about her but ended up making him even more uncomfortable.