The world smelled of gunsmoke and gore. Wisps of grey smoke obscured Alex' view of the battlefield as he peered around the grey slab of concrete and rubble that used to be the northern wall of the small building his squad was hunkered down in. He could make out silhouettes of enemy combatants about 40 yards from their position as they scurried about to find flanking positions. "Martinez! Enemy contact incoming, trying to flank!" He leveled his M16 and fired a there round burst at one of the shadowy figures, dropping it. "Got it! Wilson, Davis, take out those guys!" Gunfire erupted from his right, harsh bursts of hellfire unleashed by his squadmates into the mass of blurry figures, inciting macabre dances of death in those they mowed down.

"Contact down! Goddamn all this fucking smoke, man, visibility is shit!" Wilson yelled in his typically gruff manner. "Can the narration, focus on getting us out of this shitshow," Martinez answered back. "Martin, any cover for us to move to?" Alex shook his head as he responded, "No boss, they've got us pinned. I can try to clear a path, but they're swarming like flies to shit out there." 

"Roger that. Just do your best, we'll try to fall back here shortly. Davis cut in, "Martinez, Martin, we've got a situation to the east, looks like reinforcements, and it's not just villagers with Russian AKs, either. We've got a tank."

"Fucking what?" Martinez responded. "Okay, new plan, we've gotta..." "Shit, RPG!" Wilson screamed, and the world went white.

Alex jerked awake, his mouth open in a scream. "Fuck! Fuck, calm down, man." His whole body was drenched in sweat, his arms shaking violently as he tried to calm himself down. After a long minute, he could finally sit up on the side of the bed, reaching for the bottle of anxiety meds the VA had pushed off on him as a stopgap. He threw three of them back, taking a sip of water as he did. He stood, his balance suspect, and he forced himself to stay until he was sure he could walk without faceplanting on the cold hardwood. 

Making his way into the bathroom, he took care of some business and threw on a white t-shirt and some camo pants, along with socks and boots. Old habits, he kept telling himself. He stared himself down in the mirror for a long minute, taking in his haunted blue eyes, close cut sandy blonde hair, and the burn scar that traveled from just below his cheekbone down until it disappeared beneath the neckline of his shirt. He opened a bottle of Pepto Bismol, gulping it down to ease the queasiness in his stomach. A year and a half later, he couldn't shake this shit. He felt like a failure of a soldier, and given his medical discharge, the Marines felt the same. The looks of pity on the faces of his superiors were almost as much of a nightmare to him as the combat that had claimed the lives of his squad.

He took his keyring off the shelf by the basement door, unlocked it, and headed downstairs to his workshop. Well, armory would have been a better word for it, really. Hanging racks of weapons lined three walls, with a long workbench with all the equipment needed to maintain and upgrade his babies spread across it. He even had the tools to machine his own ammo. You can take the soldier out of the war, but taking the war out of the soldier was apparently an impossible task.  

He took down an AR-15, the much derided civilian rifle used as a scapegoat by the anti-gun crowd, and field stripped it, beginning the maintenance routine that often helped calm his anxiety and silenced the voices that often told him what a failure he was for not dying with the rest of his squad. He had to chase those thoughts away before they consumed him. His hands worked on autopilot, repeating motions that had been ingrained in him for six years during his time as a Force Recon Marine. The task complete, he reassembled it, popping a full mag in and working the slide, chambering a round. 

He grabbed a belt with a holster, fastening it around his waist, and slid his .45 into it. Then he slung his rifle across his shoulder by the strap and turned, thinking of partaking in some early morning target practice at his homemade firing range, and froze. Before him was a glowing blue portal, seemingly floating right in front of him. A voice came through the strange anomaly. "Please, anyone, help me," the feminine voice echoed, and Alex couldn't tell if it was in his mind or weakly coming through the opening. "My village is under attack, my family... we'll all die if I can't..." the voice broke down, and he heard sobs. He felt a pull, a compulsion to follow this hauntingly distressed voice into the abyss beyond the glowing blue circle. He stopped, turning and getting his plate-reinforced kevlar vest from its hook, strapping it on, and heeded the call, stepping into the darkness beyond the portal.

As he moved, or rather, was moved forward through the inky blackness, shapes began to form around him, and color began to seep back into his vision. Fully emerging from the portal, he found himself in what he would describe as a small cottage from a medieval-themed resort park. He was standing on a wooden floor, upon which was a circle comprised of strange markings in the same vibrant blue as the portal he had stepped through. looking around, he noticed a primitive kitchen, a hearth and chimney, and a sitting area around and under a set of stairs that looked like it led to a loft area, which he assumed was a sleeping area for whoever lived here. Looking back, he finally noticed a figure in front of him. It was a young girl, dressed in a flowing white dress covered partially by a crimson hooded cloak that was fastened only around her neck. She wore a strange glove with six circular designs on it, designed in the same manner as the circle he stood in. Leaning against her was a wooden staff with a blue crystal atop it, held in place by four shaped and whittled branches.

She stared up at him with deep green eyes, and he studied her face. She seemed puzzled, her face scrunched up. her cute button nose wiggling slightly as she studied him. Alex felt a bit unnerved by her piercing gaze. "Uh, hello..." he began, and she twitched as he spoke. She spoke in a language he had never heard, and he shook his head. "Sorry, I don't understand you." Her eyes lit up with understanding, and she reached out to him, causing him to flinch away slightly. Her hand paused in midair, hovering before his forehead, and she looked at him quizzically. He nodded, leaning forward finally, and her hand lay on his forehead. She chanted something, and he felt a powerful force flow into him, filling his brain and making him a bit woozy. "Better?" the girl asked. He nodded. "Uh, what did you just do?"

"A simple knowledge spell, allowing you to speak, read, and understand the common language of my realm." 

"Oh. Well, that... that's handy, I suppose. Would've helped in all those French classes back in high school."

"What's a high school?" she asked, her curiosity peaked. "Uh, never mind. You, uh, called me here? Something about an attack on your village?" Alex felt that he should be far more confused by this situation than he was. "Yes! A goblin raiding party has amassed at the eastern edge of our village, and we don't have the manpower to hold back a force this large. The nearest city with an Adventurer's Guild is days away, and by the time they send a party here, we'll be overrun and either killed or enslaved. I... I've been studying summoning magic, though this is, uh, the first time I've been successful. But, you're a human, we're not supposed to be able to summon humans..."

"Well, it sounds like we're in a hurry here, so I should go scout the area and get to taking care of these... wait, did you say goblins? Like little green humanoids with loincloths and shit?" Alex said, clearly bemused.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. They're usually just a nuisance, but this group seems much more fierce than normal. But we have to finish the contract before you can leave the circle..."

"Oh, okay... uh, so what do we... do? To do that? And what kind of contract?" Alex had given up on trying to make sense of all this. Maybe he was still dreaming, and his last awakening had been a false start, right? Yeah, let's go with that, he thought.

"Well, first of all, I guess we should formally introduce ourselves. I'm Olivia Greaves, daughter of the village blacksmith and Summoner."

Alex nodded. "Nice to meet you. My name is Alex Martin, former Marine and warrior. I'm trained in close quarters and ranged combat, scouting, and infiltration, though my specialty is rifles and the occasional heavy gun."

Olivia blinked. "What's a gun? Is that the strange staff you have on your back?"

"Yeah... something like that. It shoots projectiles called bullets. Think... uh... like a bow and arrow, but mechanized." He unslung his AR, working the slide, and caught the bullet as it was ejected from the chamber. He held it out to the summoner, and she took it from him, studying it with extreme curiosity. 

"This is genius," she said, her voice filled with fascination. "Can I keep this to study?" Alex nodded to her, slinging his rifle back in place. "Sure, I have more." She nodded, pocketing the shell and looking him over again. "Okay," the girl said, "so now we're moving to the bargaining portion of our contract. On my side, I want you to be my familiar, working with and protecting me when called upon, and giving advice and completing related tasks as I ask for them. What would you want in return for this?"

Alex blinked at her. "So, like a mercenary? I can do that. Uh, what do summoned people usually ask for in these situations?"

"Well," she began, "The standard thing is spiritual essence, plus a few other small things to seal the deal. Like knowledge or small artifacts or the like."

"Uh, like magic? I don't have any magic. Could you try to teach me that, if I'm capable? Or knowledge of your realm and other things that I may not have in my world?" Alex decided that if this was a dream, he might as well go all out.

"This is acceptable. Now, let me just finish this up." She took out a knife and cut a shallow slice in her finger, then reached out and drew something he couldn't see on his forehead. Then she did the same thing to herself. She then took his face in both her hands, leaned forward on her tiptoes to reach his forehead, and kissed him lightly right over the marking she had made. She then lowered her hands, taking his right hand, and made a small slice on his forefinger, then squeezed his finger and her own at the same time, the blood drops splattering on the sigil they stood in. The sigil went from blue to crimson, and Alex felt a wave of energy pass through him as the contract was completed.

"Well, Alex, that is done. Let's go kick some goblin ass." Olivia grinned, leading him by the hand,nearly skipping as they exited the cottage. Alex looked around himself with wonder as he took in the village. There were many more cottages much like Olivia's, along with shops, restaurants, a small Inn, and the smithy that her dad apparently ran. A few faces peeked from windows as they passed, taking in the spectacle of the young girl leading a grown man down the main cobblestone street toward the sounds of fighting.

As they approached the battle, Alex watched in wonder as warriors with swords, what looked like a Gandalf stand-in with a large staff chanting a spell, and two archers were rapidly attacking a large group of small green monsters with loincloths, rusty blades and shields, and a few archers with ragged looking bows with strings that looked as though they were about to snap at any given moment. The goblins were screaming in a language Alex couldn't understand, but could get the gist of. On the human side, a barrelchested man with a Warhammer clad in silver armor, with a long black beard and long hair tied back in a thick braid was shouting orders to the villagers.

Olivia ran up to the commander, apparently her father, and wrapped him in a quick hug. "Dad, I've brought help! He's a ranged warrior with some cqc skills." The man turned, looking at his daughter before moving his gaze to Alex. He frowned slightly as he looked him over. "Is this..."

"My first summoned familiar, yes! His name is Alex, and he'll help out." Alex stepped forward, extending an arm to the burly blacksmith. "It's a pleasure, sir. But for now, point me to where you need me most, and we can make short work of these little bastards." The man took his arm, grasping his forearm in a viking-style shake. Alex returned the gesture. 

"Well met, boy. It's good you're here, we're lacking in ranged defenders. Move over to the backline and support the archers and warriors." The man grinned at his daughter. "I like him, Liv." Olivia turned a shade of red at her father's words. "Dad...."

Alex grinned as he trotted over toward the archers. He found an open gap between the lines and unslung his rifle, flicking the safety off and leveling it at the invaders. Looking through the sight, he targeted one of the enemy archers and let loose a three round burst, catching it center mass. The goblin was flung backward from the impact, crumpling against a tree. The battle basically stopped as both sides stared at the new warrior whose weapon had loudly announced itself. Alex glanced around at everyone. "What?" He shrugged and utilized the pause to take out the other enemy archer.

The goblins screamed and began charging, and Alex kept firing, forcing them to stop their assault and dive for whatever cover they could muster. He grinned. Now this, this was his element. Recovering from their shock, his allies let our a warcry and rushed the invaders, slaughtering the cowering monsters as they quivered in fear, their fighting spirit broken. Alex swept the battlefield with his rifle, taking opportunistic shots where he could, and soon, what was left of the goblin forces retreated into the forest. T loud cheer rang through the villagers as what was looking like a losing battle turned into a bloodbath in their favor.

Olivia walked up to him as the battle died down, wrapping him in an embrace from behind. He turned to look at her, puzzled. Her green eyes were filled with happy tears, and she kept quietly thanking him for his help. He nodded at her, unable to form words, so uncomfortable at the sudden physical contact that his body was basically frozen below the neck. Her dad walked up, prying Olivia off of him and slapping him on the back. "Damn, boy, that's a hell of an artifact you wield! You'll have to tell me all about it at the feast!"

Alex looked at him quizzically. "Feast? uh... sure thing." People kept coming up to him, thanking him profusely for his help, embracing him, or shaking his hand enthusiastically. By the time it was over, Alex was beet red and ready to bury himself in a sand pit to escape the attention. Olivia never left his side, often clinging to his arm and guiding him through the sudden mass of humanity that threatened to send him into a panic attack.

Sensing his state of mind, she slowly led him away from the masses, back to her cottage. He collapsed on a chair in the seating area, closing his eyes and breathing deeply in exercises the VA therapist had shown him for warding off attacks. As he calmed down, he opened his eyes and noticed Olivia watching him intently "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. He nodded, forcing a timid smile to try to reassure her.

"Sorry, I just... that was a lot. I haven't been around many people in a while, it's...not my strong suit."

She nodded. "No need to apologize. It should be me apologizing for putting you in that situation and not seeing your discomfort sooner. You're my familiar, I should look after you as you do me. It is a partnership, after all."

Alex remained silent but nodded. The girl stood, heading to the kitchen, and soon came back with two cups of what looked to be tea, handing him one. He accepted it gratefully, taking a sip and sighing in contentment at the taste, which reminded him of green tea with a drop of honey. He thanked her for her hospitality, and Olivia's cheeks turned a gentle pink shade that Alex couldn't help but adore. 

"If you don't mind me asking, "he addressed the girl, "how old are you?"

"Nineteen. I'm a little behind you normal summoner, most have their first familiar by fourteen, but they have the money and resources to go to the Summoner's Academy in the capital city of Longhaven. I'm self-taught, and the books I have secured have been... lacking. I was amazed the spell even worked. I was just so desperate..." She sighed and lowered her gaze to the floor. "When you appeared in my summoning circle, I was perplexed. Summoners aren't supposed to be able to bring forth humans. It's... well, I've never heard of it happening. A few beastkin, perhaps, but mostly animal familiars. Such a strange thing. We need to travel to Veradin, the closest city, so I can speak with a guild summoner about this, and maybe he can give us both answers." 

"So, um, am I able to go back home, or am I stuck here now?" Alex said, a little worried that he would never see his cabin again.

"Oh, no, you can move back and forth at will! If you just think about going back, your portal should re-open, allowing you to travel back. And..." Alex felt a push in his mind, startled as Olivia's voice rang in his head, "we can converse mentally through our connection as well, even across realms. I can see through your eyes, as well, and vice versa."

"Wow, that's quite a lot of skills we share now. Just, uh, let's not get all voyeuristic with it, okay?"

"Of course not!" Olivia said, her voice raising an octave. "I'm a proper lady, I'll have you know. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home and rest for a while. If you want me at your feast tonight, just, uh, call me, I guess?" He shrugged.

Olivia nodded, standing as he did. "Of course, Alex. Thank you again for contracting with me. You've been a lifesaver, and I'm honored to have you by my side."

Alex nodded again. Man, he was gonna have a very sore neck at this rate. "It was my pleasure. Oh, by the way, why do I have an urge to call you master? It's not forcing me to, but it itches at the back of my mind a little."

"Oh, that's just our bond. You... you don't have to, Olivia or Liv is fine. Like I said, this is all a little beyond me at this point."

"Okay. Well, it was nice to make your acquaintance, Liv. I'll be back, uh, when you call me, okay?"

"She nodded at him, and he turned, thinking about going home as she suggested. The portal opened up, and he walked back through it. As he reentered his workshop, he dropped his guns, jacket, and holster on his workbench, trudged upstairs, and collapsed in bed. There were no bad dreams to trouble his sleep this time.