06: Day of the actual summoning rite.
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I read in bed for a couple hours, learning some new things ... though I should be sleeping too.

First, I'll take inventory of what I do have, already. From earlier times, I've gained analysis and inventory systems; mana reinforcement, strength reinforcement, shielding, and portal creation skills; plus a few other important things. Reading the books and scrolls for these only strengthens the effects of them; so now I'm really good.

This time, I'm learning healing, mana sensing, skill copying and skill nullification. Two things I can use, if I ever am in a bind again.

Mana sensing generally has to do with "seeing" an entity's mana capacity or for sensing its utility within you. Imagine being able to see or sense the flow of mana ― would this not put me on the path of being a master mage or wizard?

Healing ― yeah everyone could know what this is. It's the stuff of so many 'magic' stories, where injuries are healed, damages repaired, wounds old and new are abated, scars even disappear. Cool stuff, right.

Skill copying only requires me to be within sight of the target I wish to copy from; it doesn't say range, but I can assume within a few body lengths. It's got some technicalities; for instance only getting three tries per instance to clone on the same target, in one half day period. Or, for that example, each failed try increases a random difficulty for the successive attempts. But at least the next day, the difficulty would be halved for the same target and skill.

Skill nullification requires me to be in contact with the target, even a face slap will do, so long as the nullification effect is cast during the immediate contact. I'd love a chance to strike that king! Whether he's in the right or wrong for being allowed to summon, I do not care to say; but for me, I require this chance of getting him back.

If I put skill copying and skill nullification together ... it makes an informal skill stealing, but with more steps involved.

How is any of this important? I don't know; only a feeling ... I may have some chance to get revenge against a king in transit.

On even a slight chance ... I'll take it.


Priestess Hali is again coming awake, even as I've stored the books and I'm trying to get to sleep. Aah rats, she wants to ... do that, yet again, by herself?

Ho hum.

... seriously? This girl can keep pounding the wood into herself for half an hour? Get a life, no, get a boyfriend, dear priestess. Unless her faith does not allow her to do so ― some faiths require complete celibacy or virginity. By which I know it's not the last part, or else she's taking a serious chance at betraying her own faith.

Though I cannot say I was any better, through my own teen years. She's maybe around the same age as Sam, then. Shorter than both of us, but pretty for her compact size. Logically she should have no problem with finding someone to do those things.

... somewhere in here I fell asleep. But six hours later am awakened at a sound in this view ― Hali is also shaken awake at the loud knock on her own door. Only she had fallen asleep it seems, still naked and laying on top of the covers (which also might be stained somehow by her frivolity). By the heavy demanding voice, she pales ― it's the knight commander, demanding she open up.

Embarrassed, she's pulling on clothes and pleading for just a minute, she'll be right there-

The rapping stops, and ― heading for the door ― she glances at my view. "You talk in your sleep, Levi," she mumbles as she stumbles forward, reaching toward the door.

-gulp.

"... but that's okay, I won't tell on you ... if you don't on me." As she pulls open her door and faces the tall wolfish knight commander, I consider ... options.

Wait. Is this some trick all women in the castle play on the summoned one? I almost answered her, in all honesty!

Well I may as well start my morning too; the sun is just below the horizon but I'm rising early today for reasons.


Sam is in the kitchen, already up and eating a bowl of cereal ― the last of this box, too!

"... my favorite cereal!"

"Early bird gets the worm, Levi?" she teased playfully.

I groan. "Fine then, you can eat all the worms, sis."

In the other world, Nahama is begging to have another viewing of me; but both king and queen are saying a firm 'no'. Maybe for Paza, she knows too what kind of perversion would occur between us. Anyway; the king holds this view again, but he is saying he's got some more watching to do before the summoning can begin, and 'please do not disturb me for a while'. I am betting he hasn't been inside his secret room yet or he would not even be this calm ― he'd be furious, and about to pop the one most pronounced blood vessel on his head.

Breakfast at least will be toast with jelly, a glass of orange juice, two eggs and a couple slices of bacon I fried. I'm at least this good at handling the stove on the latter parts.

Sam and Tamara are finally off to school ― at my urging since last night, I want her to try better for school; and somehow because I asked, she'll try it? Where Tamara was after I had her last night, I'll never know; she might not have come back, she only did come in the back door after Sam and I started our breakfast.

And ... it's now, a moment a long time coming, and what I've been waiting to see what happens. The king is heading toward his private safe room-

Ha, ha. The look on his face ... one of disbelief. He's roaring! During which I am still coaching my looks to not betray my knowing what I see. He bends to pick up the letter pages ― the only things he can see here ― and reads silently. His face goes angry, then confused, then flat, then pale, then paler, then he starts weeping.

Weeping? Did he ... care about something?

... anyway, he's giving up, dropping the pages then returning to the main room, and handing me off to Nahama, despite maybe his or Paza's better judgement. Maybe he has something more to do, or to say to others, and he just wants his daughter to be distracted. Well fine then; I'll ... distract her. But he makes her promise, she will be giving the view back after their later lunch.

During this, I'm going about my business; still got the days off, then I pay a one way bus fare to head to a certain place. Timed to arrive, I should add, approximately two hours before a summoning may occur ... but, still to arrive before Sam would be out of school ... I hope.

... I don't want this bastard anywhere near my place, my family, my friends, my workplace. Thus I'm going to run into the desert in the southwest; and better yet if he's arrested or detained for being "crazy". Let the legal or mental rehabilitation system deal with the likes of him.

The target city is in the hottest part of the country; but a whole lot of deserted land exists. I can get lost in a place like this, all sand dunes and ATV trails and stuff. Might even be some abandoned ghost town legends around there. And thus, if I can get lost, for sure this bastard king will get lost ... or ... he never will know the geography well enough to find a way out.


Nahama is strictly avoiding discussing anything serious, with me now. It's like, whatever Paza had talked to her about, while the view was with Hali ... I am thinking somehow I am still the butt of some grand jokes. I am not going to go down like that!

But Ama isn't so attentive to detail; anyway she can't have a way to describe my path to the king her father, so he could reverse the steps. Only I could, and even then I am lost too. That's fine; I'm fine. It's sweltering hot in this dusty old desert; but at least I'm leaving him in some distant place he'll have to survive, for a while.

And then, she is so much back on the thought of her and I, being a couple. Well now; if I can come and go ― pardon that thought ― then maybe it wouldn't matter so much if I could also have her? Maybe, the queen first though. And Hali. And Hana the castle soul. And maybe a few others around the castle.

"So Levi when you come here, we can go exploring the city, right? There's a few places I wanna show you and then at least one place where we can be alone-"

"-okay, I would like that," I insert, just for letting her have a happy moment, a nice thought for now. But I'll keep my words free from referring to another world. "It's a date ― we can go exploring your home city for a while."

"... really? You will- Now don't say you didn't, later! You're coming with me then! That's your promise!"

"I promise," I add, to her almost gleeful wide eyed look. "I will properly go with you ... unless political matters will override it. I will be with you, Ama."

Aaaand ... she's back to the smiling, happy go lucky routine from the start. Actually just going through her own bedroom and showing me all her random things. I mumble some encouraging words, more or less; oh but here, it looks like to others on the bus I am talking to myself-

-or not. I did put in one of those bluetooth earpieces, and occasionally touched it. Camouflage.

I'm fine with this, either people thinking I'm calmly talking to friends on a phone connection or others think I'm being weird or maybe mentally unstable. It's not likely I'll be on this same bus with these same passengers, any time soon.

Oh but ... unholy hell, it's hot in this bus to nowhere. I'm actually sweating too, inside the air-conditioned bus! Of course there's a lot of other hot, sweaty, stinky passengers too, in this thing; all these bodies gotta be taxing on the air conditioning system.


Hour after hour rolls on; at last the hour of the king's lunch comes around, and and Nahama is at last willing to return the view to her numbed father, who seems not to have told anyone the major details of the note. So of course nobody knows just what is bothering him.

I'm eager for a change for once too. Arrival in his place will be a change for one thing, and maybe not so much a change of ways of life as a change of location, giving me a place to go when matters in either world become too much and I need to sneak away.

But now, he ... yeah, that's raw confusion. I'm nowhere near where I was inside of my own house. He's asking Nahama all sorts of little questions ... for which she has no answers, clearly so; her attention was diverted by our discussions. She can honestly answer only "I don't know" when he asks where I went. From time to time I am peeking at my surroundings, keeping my eyes closed shut the rest of the time; and also being mindful of what his view of me would take in from the background. It's hard enough to be ducked low in the seat and turned in such a way as to naturally limit the view; or maybe he can pan the view around so it's a moot point but I never did find that feature if it exists.

I'm also struggling to keep from a wicked gloat already ― one which would tip off the king as to my awareness of things going to happen.

On one side of the dining table, Paza also is silent, considering how her husband the king is also now almost broken of his earlier attitude. I'm sure she suspects if not outright knows what's going to happen ― and yes, now I do wish maybe I took a peek into the letter Hana the castle left in my stead. If I had, would I then know the reason for the king's tears earlier? Or would the revelation of why he cried be only revealed on some later date?

I gotta admit this ― the silent royal couple is as frustrating for me now as maybe I was to them, before. It's not like I didn't have a supreme reason myself! I had to! I did not want them to pull me from home without at least some permission and warning and chance to escape it if I could ― but now wondering what's going on!

I'm also hungry; but now I'm out of my house and even a few hundred miles distant from my house already. Haven't brought anything to eat, neither for me along the way nor for the king whose place I'll be taking as he takes mine. Oh wait, one candy bar in my Inventory ... one. Chocolate and caramel and nuts. That's it.

... considering, the summons is likely to occur within the next hour ... should I eat it or leave it as a last kindness for the man? Screw it; I'm hungry.

But anyway. Passing through one last little town, still closing my eyes because you never know, some storefront might have a name of a town on it, and this king might then know from what direction I traveled. Not like I'm letting him have any one clue to where I'm going or where I'm from ... aah crap. He probably knew since day one anyway. Well at least his destination will be a surprise, so he'll have to work twice as hard to find me ... if he ever can.

Am I sorry for what's going to happen, even a little? No. Because overall it's a summoning against my will still. Regardless of the arrangement from the goddess to allow me back to my 'home world' ... it's still one huge giant inconvenience for me. I already have a job and a life on Earth, dammit ― why would I want to be under your thumb in a kingdom.


But this too demands inner speculation. Take away the problems of a mother and father and sister and sister's friend ... and I got the job. Well. Pretty sure the job is going to be an easy thing to deal with, from now on. What with the skills and abilities I'm acquiring just this last week. Oh. I probably will be able to go into business on my own now, once I acquire business capital ... money. Trade a few things here and there; and I am good for a while.

Then if I do consider the family, and the job ... what else is there for me here? Some class reunion, in a few years ... not gonna attend. Just, no. None of them ... well maybe that one sticky girl in the corner ... but other than that, none of them really cared for me. So. Yeah I got nothin' here. But neither do I want to spend all my remaining life on that other world. Otherwise why have I done all this in the first place, just to get back?

I don't consider that I want to keep at the job mill, working indefinitely for someone else. And, now I can truly make something of myself ... I wonder what. What kind of life, what career, what form of philanthropy will I end up performing? Not a clue. Which means ... maybe I can just, go back to work for a small while, and then in the meantime figure out the next step. Say, work at the job for a month as a test, then quit or get fired or-

-nah, I am not 'getting fired' for anything. Because I never know when my employment or credit history will be needed, in the future. I will not be done with life for some time, here on Earth; not even if matters get unbearable for a while. But then if they do ― I just submerge myself more into the other world; and then some day just 'reappear' back on Earth to pick up where I left off. Can I do that? Yes, yes I can. M, maybe.

Um. "Reality check" time. As in ― did I overthink or irrationalize anything here? I believe I'm being realistic; at least as far as I know. Dammit, it's this upcoming 'summon' thing, which is futzing with my internal psyche. I know sometimes I take off on an ego trip, or have in the past ― back when I was still Sam's age. Oh only a couple years ago ― but it feels like a decade past!


I see and hear the king finish his meal, with a somber import to the coming moment. Whatever was in the letter Hana wrote for me, it's clear, something is saying to the king that his kingdom is going to suffer, and the worse means possible, short of being destroyed. He is now almost fearful of the coming moment ... and that's worrying even me. He says one thing more about the nearby empire making troop movements heading this way ― and oh crap I think I just got the short end of the stick.

ME ― DEAL WITH AN EMPIRE? ARE YOU CRAZY? FIFTY THOUSAND WARRIORS HEADED HERE, AGAINST 'MY' CITY WITH LESS THAN TEN THOUSAND SOLDIERS?

Ahem.

Author-san. If I am to *die* in this world, please do not make it painful. But if I can live, then feel free to make the death of that king as painful as you wish.

Ahead in the view, I can see a city on the horizon. The last stop of this bus line, where I will be exiting and then swapped for the place of the king. Too far to see any signage saying where it is; too near for me to keep my eyes open indefinitely or else the king will then know any visible points in the skyline. I am just so cautious against his retracing his steps to find me.

Fifteen minutes to summon, if I hear the priest reminding the king correctly. And, probably about ten minutes to the edge of the city. Which might be a problem, if the king gets put here in the bus, which will arrive in the city ― he's going to cause a scene I think. Well ... what happens, happens; I cannot stop it now even if I tried.

I do wonder what kind of "empire" is actually strategizing to take over now, in the other world. From an inference already this morning, I get a hint it might be slanted toward anthropomorphic races ― usually beings called beastkin. Catkin, dogkin, wolfkin, harekin, you name it. If it represents some kind of mammalian or amphibian race from Earth only bipedal and more humanized in form, then it's probably one of those. I'd be interested in meeting some of them if they weren't so antagonistic right now. Hmm; maybe a thing to play strategist over, before actually returning to Earth? Assuming any strategy session does not run into overtime and make me late to my apartment before Sam returns from school.

I do hope it went well for her in school again; I'd hate to hear her remaining school days were so troublesome from now on. Even with my own tragic time in the school I'm sure hers yet has a chance to succeed. As I am counting down the minutes too, as the priest in the other world does, I'm also wistfully remembering little things about Sam and I growing up. That time I stepped in front of a bully trying to chase her; I took a punch meant to knock her down. Probably when she started clinging to me, back when we were seven and nine ― I defended her. Then the time two years ago when that same bully tried to ask her out at the pizza place but Sam did not even look at him; in the end I told him to go away.

And then, I have less than happy memories. Dad being a now retired cop, and some of those days of law enforcement which had him leaving at any time of the day or night. Once even the whole family had to leave the house because someone was after him! Yeah no it wasn't fun times, for the children of a cop. I guess I can understand why he'd have the loyalty to the job, the career; just not why he made it so hard for us to be "normal". I wanted to say ― Family first, not the job! But he didn't care.

So of course I had hobbies. Er ... one hobby in general, with several overlapping niches. Anime, manga, visual novels, and more. All to support my interest in fantasy worlds and characters and stories. I went to conventions and got some cool swag; more than a fair part of this collection of mine was from the earliest days. I'm not expecting to leave any of them for the king's lecherous eyes and dirty hands; they get stored away where nobody can have access to them. They're safe, with me.

But I don't want to think it's all about me only, or even at all. Yeah I'd be doing what I want where I want and how. But also because of my 'anime inspired' morality ... I'd probably seek the betterment of the kingdom and places I will receive as mine. If I could just ... hold onto all of those few things I'll get in the first point, long enough to manage even more things-


Five minutes left. Ooh such an interesting feeling, a yearning for seeing how the transfer will occur.

Four minutes. I did have a thought of kissing my real sister ... once ... and then doing more than just a kiss ... but not like that will happen in reality. Doesn't every brother with a younger sister feel ... this ... even once? But yeah, it's the brother/sister thing again ― it can't and won't happen.

Three minutes- oh did I ever pay back Dylan for kicking me in the balls. I should have decked him into next century when I had the chance, right.

Two minutes- and I wonder if my cousin would have been easy tease romantically too. I remember as children she used to lift her top a lot and point out her childish chest-

One minute-

Half a minute- strange sudden erection out of nowhere. Go down, go down, go down PLEASE!

Twenty sec-

A buzzing sound nearby increased in intensity. The bus is entering the edge of the city proper.

Five sec-

Two-

The event is now!!!!!


... hey, anyone ever see the original opening to the classic 'Buck Rodgers' television show?

For a brief few seconds, it does feel like I am frozen in time or space; and then the event shatters. Even the twin views, the screens showing his and my views, are shattered. I feel drawn through some dimensional vortex from where I am sitting on the bus; but also feel at the opposite end of the odd 'tunnel', that fat king is also being pulled against his will, from the 'other end' of the tunnel. What would people in his place, see of his departure? What would fellow bus riders see of me leaving?

This is it! We are being pulled into vortices apparently only the two of us can see ― and already I'm laughing. I've got these skills, and it will take split second timing-

The tunnel seems to be fifteen meters from end to end; eight times the average body height. Though no telling exactly how long it truly is, or if we are even seeing it with human eyes. For now though, it seems we are sliding along at so slow a pace, I will have ... a half minute? ... yeah approximately thirty seconds or longer being within 'attack range' of my new skills. That's already a half meter per second. I could not practice these skills before, so this will be the one time only event.

'Unholy mother of all stained bed sheets, he has a lot of skills for a fat king.'

In the precise moment I am within the furthest range of my skill-extraction skill, I am reaching out with my mind and taking, taking, taking from the most valuable skills and abilities first. Such a headache at each taking, as it's supposedly 'stealing'. He won't need any of them where he is going; on the contrary, I will need every bit of them. Eh ... it's not so much theft as it is borrowing for now, and repaying ... well someday. Maybe I repay him by providing progeny into his kingdom ― maybe even never, and with no chance.

I think he doesn't even realize what's going on; he does have a quizzical look, sort of accepting his going where I was, but also resisting it, and maybe a touch of the same headache. Hell no! We cannot switch places again!

There, I've already got the choicest skills and abilities; anything gained after this is jelly on toast.

He looks at me now, knowing something is up; he knew ahead of time how he'd be going where I was, but not until now did he sense losing all abilities. "Take care of Paza and Nahama," he whispers, finishing with, "-beware the wolf emper-"

But I'm already casting a spell to put him asleep, and again for good measure. He will sleep through the rest of the ride, and wake up in a bus station, within the port city transportation lines' territory. Will he know the local language if I already took and nullified his linguistic translation skill?

After a second thought, I also reach out with the inventory/spatial storage sense before he passed out of range, and take/store his clothes ... in my inventory. HA! Let him arrive ... naked!

... hmm did I just ... cuckold him?


... I sense in this path, my innate language is subtly "changed" to the language of the other world. But. I also still have that "boon" from Nahama, of being able to understand her language, the language of that kingdom. But as well, "my" original language is not nullified; it's still here-

And then I slam into the far end of this tunnel-

-ow-

-and get deposited, dropped hard onto my feet, into the same position where the king was standing, in front of his throne room chair. Something tells me, I should be sitting but with all the subtle hype and worry over an 'empire' ... I'll step aside and duck just now-

-fwoosh!

... whoa-

From where I just stood, a lance just passed through ... I would have been killed!

K, killed!

Even if I'm not the king, in fact even if the knights and soldiers present cannot find their king at all ― they're grabbing immediately for the king's slave girl, his formerly happy sex toy. The lance clatters to the tiled floor, for the immediate clanging noises. Now she's revealed to be a traitor, from these actions of hers! They've got her!

"Hold!" I call, before any of them can dare to 'execute' her. "I will question this traitor, personally. Search her, she might have a suicide item; do not let her end her own life, and do not harm her at all. Take her to a cell and bind her."

A momentary confusion crosses most if not all faces here; and then, somehow, one of the knights claps a fist to his chest armor, and nods to the remainder of the guardsmen here. My order is to be carried out as I have said.

Both Nahama and Paza are seeming a bit ... standoffish, at this news. Paza, for one, now knows her husband's side dish ultimately had this intent, to "murder" him once the summoning was complete. For what purpose ... I'll have no idea.

What do you feel should be the fate of the former king?
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