Summoner 19, page 10
part #19 of Summoner Series
Fuck, yesss! Dio declared the moment he landed agilely on the ground. Now, let’s kick some butt!
Once the exclamation left the tiny monster, he stretched out and grew into his larger form. At his true height, the saber-toothed tiger stood about twenty feet tall, and he let out a ferocious roar that shook the ground.
A grin spread across my face as I took in the sight of my massive familiar.
“Fuck, yeah,” I laughed, and I reached a hand out to stroke his coarse tawny fur.
Dio’s impressive fangs were almost the entire length of my body, and while they looked comically large when he was in his smaller form, they looked downright terrifying at this size.
Unfortunately for me, my aunt’s monster was equally intimidating.
The Guardian’s first summons was simultaneously beautiful and vaguely unnerving at the same time. Much like its crystal suggested, the monster was shaped like a flower, but on a larger scale. One of its six petals alone was around the length of my body, and the ends were slightly scalloped. While the flower itself was ethereal, the vines that propped it up like a spider’s legs had a deadly appearance. Each of its eight legs were lined with leaves and thorns, and the center of the flower emitted a pale purple haze, like a cloud of poisonous gas.
What is that thing? Dio wondered, and my summons tilted his large head to the side as he examined the flower creature.
“I have no idea,” I admitted to the saber-toothed cat, but while I kept an eye on the flower monster, I reached into my bandolier and retrieved my baroquer’s crystal.
My baroquer was a powerful ally, and I would be using my already summoned maripor as well. Even though the maripor wasn’t exactly my most powerful summons, after the battle with the quartzriel, I knew the creature was strong enough to tackle whatever Crystyn would throw at it.
I signaled for my maripor to step forward before I threw the baroquer’s essence crystal to the ground. Then Crystyn did the same, and our remaining monsters manifested out in the field.
The second of my aunt’s summons was another monster I’d never seen before, and this one was even more perplexing than the first. It appeared in the form of a molten gold puddle, and as the mass oozed out onto the field, I couldn’t wrap my head around what it actually was.
“What you really need is a mop monster,” Orenn quipped from behind me, and I stifled a laugh.
“Braden, do you have a bucket creature in your arsenal?” Almasy chimed in.
Then the puddle of golden liquid quivered, and I tilted my head to get a better look at it. What was the point of the monster in the first place? Was it just a pile of sticky goo? Was it acidic? The ground around it didn’t steam or hiss, so I assumed the latter wasn’t it.
Before I could try to unravel the mystery further, the golden puddle began to move, and it answered my questions itself when it rose up into the air. Even in the darkness of the Shadowscape, the metallic golden hue glittered and shone, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it even if I wanted to.
Soon, the outline of a figure formed, and the liquid maneuvered around until it took the shape of a huge golden-armored knight, about the same height as my baroquer. The knight’s impressive armor glimmered, and he held an equally shiny sword aloft. The golden summons gave said enormous broadsword a few practice swings, and while it was an awesome sight, I wasn’t scared.
My baroquer manifested as well, and the moment he appeared, I could tell from the tug in our bond that he was ready to take on the golden knight.
But the adrenaline that surged through me at the sight of my battle-ready monster was instantly halted when Crystyn’s final monster appeared.
My aunt had also summoned a maripor.
Her black-furred monster was smaller and sleeker than my own, and it had glowing blue eyes and even longer ears than my summons. When her maripor spied mine, it let out a low growl and bared a row of pearl-white fangs.
“Wait, she has the same monster as you?” Gawain gasped.
“Guess they really are related,” Almasy muttered.
I wanted to laugh at the coincidence that my aunt and I would choose the same monster, but instead I was worried about the logistics of two similar monsters battling. Her maripor would have the same advantages as mine, so unless the size difference gave my monster an edge, it was going to be a close fight.
“Your summons are impressive,” Crystyn said, and she crossed her arms against her chest as she gazed up at the baroquer. “Baroquers can be difficult to handle, especially for someone so young.
“We get along just fine.” I shrugged.
Crystyn shifted her focus to my black-furred summons. “And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you have the same monster as I, but how did you manage to capture a maripor? They don’t usually bother with the human realm.”
“I’m a man of mystery.” I smirked at the Guardian. “And as such, I can’t go giving away all of my secrets, now can I?”
“Of course,” my aunt replied. “Well, then, I suppose now that our monsters are assembled, there’s no time to lose.”
“I suppose not,” I said, and my hand twitched in anticipation at my side.
My monsters all let out a mixture of growls and battle cries as they waited for my command.
I assessed Crystyn’s summons and considered which monster would be best against the others. Of course, I had no qualms about my summons working together, but they each needed an opponent to focus on so Crystyn couldn’t pull a fast one.
The flower is called a vachiana, Xanrith noted in a helpful tone. The golden knight is a gildrid, and well, you already know what the final monster is. Hers is just a variant of a normal maripor, and not only that, but a female. Don’t underestimate it, though. Females of the species tend to be even more feral.
“That’s all really good to know,” I replied to the Archon gratefully. It was nice to be able to put names to the faces of the strange monsters, and even better to know about the female maripor.
You know, we might not be allowed to come out and help, but maybe we could help from here? Sera proposed, and for a moment, I considered the Archon’s offer.
“Thank you, Sera, but I have to do this alone,” I decided. While it wouldn’t technically break the rules, this battle was something I needed to accomplish on my own, with only my summoning skills. Crystyn wanted to see what I could do without the Archons’ influence, so I would show her just how strong my magic was on its own.
Your honesty is admirable, Sera sighed. Foolish, but admirable. Let us know if we can be of assistance anyways. Should you change your mind…
“Got it,” I interrupted the dark-winged goddess. I knew my facial features took on a certain look when I spoke to the Archons, and I didn’t want Crystyn to think anything was amiss.
I divvied my monsters up as I saw fit: Dio against the vachiana, the baroquer against the gildrid, and then the maripor versus the female maripor. While I wasn’t sure if pitting two of the same creature against each other was the best idea, I had to take the risk. Maripor venom was highly lethal, and if Dio was bitten by the black-furred creature, it could mean disaster, especially since I couldn’t rely on Xan’s resurrection magic.
With all of our monsters summoned and at the ready, there was no time to lose, and just as I saw Crystyn open her mouth to speak, I sent a short command to all of my summons.
“Let’s kick some ass.”
Ready to do just that, the baroquer swung his flaming sword into the air, and the moment he did, the vachiana’s periwinkle petals clenched up and pulsed. As the petals fluttered gracefully, the air around us suddenly vibrated.
“What was that?” I heard Mur ask behind me.
“I have no idea,” Braden admitted in a low voice to the moose shapeshifter. “But whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
The air rippled again, accompanied by an odd sensation, almost as if the plant monster emitted a force field, and the sheer power of it knocked me to the ground.
“Oof!” I uttered as my breath escaped my lungs. The pulsations made it feel as if we were underwater, and my head suddenly erupted with pain. I hadn’t expected an attack like that from the beautiful flower monster, and it took a lot of concentration to refocus.
I don’t like the feeling of that, Dio groaned, and he dug his paws into the ground to stabilize himself before my aunt’s summons could repeat the attack. The saber-toothed tiger seemed to have an equally irritated reaction to the creature, and his pointed ears flicked around as another wave came in our direction. He raised a paw and swatted at his ear, as if that would wipe away the sensation, but I could tell it was no use.
“Me, either,” I grumbled, and I looked around the field to see how my other monsters were handling it.
My baroquer was too large to knock down entirely, but the armored monster still rubbed his head with his free hand as the petals of the vachiana fluttered. Meanwhile, the maripor’s butterfly-shaped ears were flat against its skull, and its back quivered.
Even my teammates seemed to be affected by the vachiana’s attack. Mur and the mages had their hands clasped tightly over their ears, and even still, their eyes and facial features were scrunched up in pain.
We needed to take that thing out and fast.
The vachiana seemed to have the same idea.
“Dio, look out!” I cried out to my familiar just as the flower monster skittered toward him with impressive speed. The creature was nearly as tall as Dio, but its vined appendages barely made a sound as it rushed the field.
Fuck! Dio growled, but luckily, he caught sight of the monster just in time to roll out of the way as it came at him. The vachiana’s vines reached out for my saber-toothed cat friend, but Dio dodged every advance with an effortless grace.
As Dio maneuvered around the flower, the baroquer got straight into it and went hand-to-hand with the gildrid. My monster’s sword erupted into a fiery blaze, and it pointed the weapon straight at the golden knight. The gildrid raised its powerful broadsword up into the air, and as my baroquer ran straight at it, the gold knight pulled its arm back and then swung the sword at my monster. My baroquer raised its own sword to block the effort, and the two blades let out a thunderous clang as they smashed together.
“Fuck!” I head Varleth cry out from behind me, and when I turned around, I noticed my teammates still had their hands held against their ears.
In between the weapons and footsteps from the two largest monsters, the pulses from the vachiana, and the growls that erupted between the maripors, the battle field was louder than I’d anticipated. Fear surged through me as I prayed this wouldn’t attract attention from other lingering monsters in the Shadowscape, but then again, I couldn’t hold back in this battle.
The baroquer slammed its armored shoulder against the gildrid, and the impact was enough to make the golden knight lose its balance. As it teetered, I commanded the baroquer to slash at the monster again, and my baroquer let out a thunderous roar and did as commanded. His flaming sword scraped into the gildrid, and the golden knight grunted as he fell to the ground. The damage didn’t last too long, however, and the gildrid managed to pull himself up. As he did, I noticed the bottom half of the monster wasn’t as stable in form as the rest. It quivered as it had when it was in its purely liquid state, and I wondered if there was a way to melt the golden knight back into its puddle state and contain it somehow.
The gildrid straightened itself out, and then it flew at the baroquer with strong and powerful strides. It deftly slashed its sword around in the air, and as it did, it lightly cut into my baroquer’s shoulder.
“C’mon, buddy, you’ve got this!” I proclaimed as I stifled a wince, and I sent a wave of encouragement through our bond. “Don’t take any of that bullshit!”
My baroquer squared its stance and swung its powerful flaming sword right into the gildrid’s chest. Since the other monster was armored, it didn’t leave any blood, but the force was enough to dent its chest, and the golden knight gasped for air as my baroquer hit it again.
With the baroquer and gildrid locked in battle, my attention fell to the maripors. The pair of black-furred monsters circled each other, and the effect was somewhat dizzying to follow. If it weren’t for the slight size difference and different colored eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the pair apart.
My maripor’s corkscrew-shaped tail twitched in the air as it moved in languid strides, and the female replicated his movements. This battle was going to be a tough one.
Suddenly, the black-furred monsters paused, and I commanded my maripor to strike out at the female. With a ferocious growl, my summons followed the command, but the other monster was faster. She ducked his strike, let out a sharp hiss, and bared her deadly-looking fangs. Then Crystyn’s monster suddenly lunged out and tackled my maripor to the ground. The air filled with the sounds of the snarling cats, and the monsters became a tangled pair of claws and fangs.
“C’mon!” Crystyn called out to the vachiana as it waited by idly. “Don’t wait for a strike!”
The vachiana let out another pulse of power right in mine and Dio’s direction, and my knees buckled beneath me. My familiar’s did the same, but he had a height advantage that I didn’t, so he was totally fine.
“Gryff!” Braden cried out, and I could hear the ox-like summoner attempt to approach me from behind, but I waved him away.
“I’m alright,” I assured my former roommate. “You guys need to get as far back as you can. I know you want to support me, but I don’t need one of you to get hurt, okay? The vachiana’s energy is no joke, as you’ve surely realized.”
My teammates exchanged glances with each other and then gave collective nods before they stepped further away from the ensuing battle.
The vachiana’s petals wavered again, and a force even stronger than the one moments ago slammed into me like an invisible wall.
“Fuck!” I cried out. How were we going to defeat a creature that could slam us to the ground over and over again? Every time I went to issue a command to Dio, I was knocked on my ass and so distracted I couldn’t think of a counter-move.
Then I had an idea that seemed simple enough.
“Dio, right after the flower sends another pulse, I want you to do what you do best,” I instructed my familiar.
Chew it up? Dio asked in a hopeful tone. Please, please, pleaaaaaaase let me chew it up!
“You’ve got it, buddy,” I confirmed with a nod of my head. “Chew it the fuck up.”
Dio’s already huge eyes grew rounder still. Fuck, yessss!
After another attack from the vachiana, Dio leaned back and then pounced on the flower monster, and the strange creature sent out a pulse that sent another wave of pain into my head with the motion. My familiar let out a growl of irritation, but the burst of energy did little to stop him. He continued his attack and managed to pin the plant monster to the ground, and the vachiana’s vines wrapped around the saber-toothed cat and squeezed.
A yell rose up into my throat, but Dio wasn’t one to simply lie down and take an attack.
My familiar rolled over slightly, and then he immediately slammed the creature back into the ground, and the vachiana let out a strange sound almost like a shriek. It attempted to tighten its vines around Dio, but my summons’ muscular back was too strong for the attack to be effective. Dio turned his head, unhinged his massive jaw, and then chomped down with severe force.
I had no doubt in my mind that kind of strength could have sliced a human body entirely in half, so it came as no shock when the bite tore the vines in two.
Green, chlorophyll-like liquid oozed out from the broken vines, and Dio let out a proud growl as he chewed a mouthful of vachiana.
“Fuck, yeah, buddy!” I cried out as I pumped my fist up into the air, and behind me, I heard thunderous applause and cheers from my teammates as Dio shredded the plant monster to ribbons.
A broad smile spread across my face as I watched Crystyn’s mouth drop open. The Guardian clearly thought she had me beat, but her plant creature was no match for Dio’s badassery.
The vachiana let out another weak pulse, but it was already too late. It may have had an edge earlier, but it was no match for Dio’s deadly fangs.
While my saber-toothed cat familiar finished off the vachiana, I heard another clang of swords and looked up to see the baroquer and gildrid had each other gripped by the shoulders, and they both attempted to throw the other off balance. However, the pair shared similar heights and statures, so the effort kept either from moving too significantly.
Yes! Dio declared suddenly, and I looked over to see the saber-toothed cat monster with a mouth full of vines.
The vachiana twitched beneath him and then suddenly began to glow with violet light.
I glanced over at Crystyn, who held the flower-shaped essence crystal in her hand. She was recalling it.
One down, two to go.
“Ready to surrender?” I taunted the Guardian.
“Don’t get too arrogant, Gryff.” My aunt shook her head. “If I were you, I’d worry less about me, and more about your remaining summons.”
I turned to look at the maripors, who’d stopped their snarling as the gildrid’s foot drew back, and the pair skittered away from the monster as fast as their lithe legs could allow. As they drew away from the golden-knight, they resumed their circling until finally, I commanded my maripor to use a tail-whip attack against the other. My summons drew its long tail back, and then it slammed the corkscrew-shaped appendage into the female’s side with excessive force.
Crystyn’s maripor let out an agitated hiss as the spikes left scratch marks in her side, and the sound was almost enough to make me feel bad.
Almost.
Suddenly, a loud cry pulled my attention away from the feline monsters, and I looked up to see the baroquer and gildrid’s fight was more intense than earlier.
With a thrust of his armored arms, the gildrid shoved my baroquer down to the ground, and my monster landed on his back with a heavy thud. My summons howled in pain, and the gildrid lifted its enormous sword at the baroquer’s throat.
Fuck.
