by Wolfe Locke
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Arcane Summoner: A Post-Apocalypse Light Novel
Wolfe Locke
Chapter One: Enter Arcadia. The Ancient City
* * *
Like the rest of the world, Arcadia had grown silent. The ancient ruins stood open to all, but everyone living knew to stay away. It was just the way of things since the Sundering. The old cities were home to the Draugr and other monsters of the dark.
Zander knew this and went anyway. He was desperate and had been for a couple of weeks now and had grown tired of carefully trying to etch out a little bit of survival in his village. He was not alone. Rocktooth, his personal summon and guardian, stood by him. A golem towering over him, its face and hands were smooth.
Rocktooth looked down at him, and though the golem couldn’t talk, Zander knew exactly what it was trying to say. This is dangerous for you, do not do this. He ignored the golem’s concern and looked up at the sun to try for an accurate guess of how much daylight was left. Little past midday. Four hours maybe. He could get in and out before dark, but the Draugr in the buildings would still be a problem. They were far more active regardless of the time of day.
Through their connection, Zander could feel the quiet alarm and anxiety building up in his summons’s subconscious. It was not a natural state for one of its kind to lead their master into avoidable danger. Together they walked as silently as they could on the crumbling grey stone path, stained in parts green from the overgrowth on the building, and darker still in others. The thought made him shudder.
Today they would be going deeper, where few if any scavenger parties had managed to breakthrough. If I’m going to put myself in danger, I at least need to be smart about it. He hoped to find something mostly untouched. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to the Harrow they would be exploring, much of the paint had worn off with time, but part of the title could still be read in the ancient language. “hnologies”.
Notification: Now Entering “The Ancient Ruins – Harrow”
Details: In ages past, humans used to assemble and work in places like these. Now, all that remains of their civilization are the monsters that dwell within these haunted burrows.
The building was old but sturdy with none of the wear or rot he’d seen in some of the other Harrows. He passed through the opening into what had once been a lobby. Half-melted plastic tables and furniture warped from time were thrown about as if something had been in a rage.
“C’mon, let’s go,” He said with a whisper as he poked at the magical core in the middle of the golem’s torso with his staff. The golem’s eyes lit up in response, reaffirming the contract between master and summon. “Follow me.” To fit into the building, the golem started to shrink until he stood no bigger than a man. The magic was simple enough, but He needed more. He needed to learn. He needed a real teacher and that all led back to the sum of most of his problems. Money. But at least today I might be able to find something worth trading.
Zander waited before moving, stopping to listen, hoping he wouldn’t hear the patter of feet that let him know Draugr was coming. We’re good. He nodded at Rocktooth as he tried to open the rusted door to the stairway. He once learned the hard way that the ancient’s had relied on another manner to move about their buildings. The door didn’t budge.
He looked over at the door and imparted a message to Rocktooth. The golem’s eyes flashed green, and Zander smiled cautiously. Here goes. He stepped back, and the golem walked to the steel door. The golem sent a flurry of messages to Zander’s mind, and he stifled a laugh. The golem turned to Zander, and when He nodded, it placed a heavy stone hand on the door and pushed it forward. The door, rusted from age, was torn off of its hinges and fell to the ground, making far too much noise. Zander expected the Draugr or worse monsters to swarm the area immediately but heard nothing. Maybe we’ll be ok to keep searching.
They waited, but nothing came. Rocktooth went in first, and Zander followed behind. The light from his scepter light up the stairway, showing it went up for many floors and down just one. I’ll try down this time.
He opened the door, revealing what seemed to be a large kitchen. Many cans lay strewn about, ripped open, and the contents long since turned to dust. Next, He checked a linen closet, but all the material inside was rotted and moldy. Nothing was usable. Zander went inside. He gestured for Rocktooth to wait outside for him. The golem grumbled; Zander heard it in his head. He frowned at the golem, and Rocktooth looked away. Something scampered past him, and Zander aimed his staff at it, using a quick [Arcane Bolt] to kill it. Just a rat, He realized afterward.
Notification: You have killed a rat. +2 to experience and +1 Gold
Zander sighed in frustration. Nothing yet, and I’m already super jumpy. Maybe Rocktooth was right. We’re risking ourselves for nothing. He was ready to call it and move to another floor of the Harrow when he caught sight of a thick iron door with some boxes placed in front of it. I doubt anyone has been there before. What’s behind that door?
He directed Rocktooth to clear the boxes and opened the door. He found himself in a hallway leading further down. But the smell of something unnatural drifted on the air. The Draugr. He couldn’t see far into the hallway and charged more magic into his staff, commanding it to form into a ball of light. [Illuminate Sphere]. The ball was pushed out from his staff and traveled down the hall. If a Draugr had seen that, it would have attacked me already.
The hallway was long and damp, made of concrete with a single door at its end. The smell of the Draugr drifted closer. Rocktooth, close the door and watch my back. I’m going forward. He could only hope that the summon could keep out the coming Draugr, even if all the golem did was brace the iron door.
Zander walked down the hall, and though the smell of the Draugr faded, the anxiety He was feeling hadn’t. Something is wrong here. A chipped piece of the wall fell down, and Zander looked up, noticing for the first time the holes in the cement ceiling. The light of his illuminated the overhead body of a monster. Far worse than a Draugr.
It dropped to the ground in a humanish mass of spidery limbs, and Zander wasted no time in casting another [Arcane Bolt] before it could get up. The monster turned to her. Half of its face was gone, while the other was contorted into the grimacing face of a woman. How long has it been up there in the dark? The monster looked at him for a moment, curiously studying him as the monster salivated and licked its lips. At the far end of the hall, Rocktooth was no help, the golem was planted firmly in front of the door, and Zander could hear the banging of hungry Draugr on the other side. There will be no escape that way.
Zander pointed his staff again at the monster and used a spell He had seen the Elders of his village use. [Cleanse Abomination]. Amber light shot out of his staff directly at the monster. The effect was instant as it made a wheezing sound and collapsed on the floor.
He pointed the tip of his staff at the undead and said a spell He had heard almost everyone who could do magic say. It was a simple, cleansing spell. The undead snarled at her; it made a wheezing sound like it was going to die again, and then it did.
Notification: You have killed a Darkling. +12 to experience, to 18 Gold.
Zander was looking at the body to see if it had only loot, when He heard another running towards him, He turned, but He was too late. It slammed into him, shoving him against something hard. He groaned. His side dragged with pain.
In the commotion, Zander didn’t hear another of the monsters drop beside his until He stood face to face with another of the snarling abominations. This one was older than the last, weaker. One hand was gone entirely, and its entire face drooped use
lessly. A clawed hand reached out, trying to tear at him, but Zander was able to get his staff in place to parry and moved past it.
It’s too soon for another [Cleanse Abomination]. The monster howled, and the Draugr kept locked out by Rocktooth doubled their efforts, and Zander could see the door was starting to buckle. Pieces of both the door and Rocktooth were beginning to flake off from the strain.
Rocktooth, I’ll summon you again. Zander told the golem through their connection as he charged a different spell through him and used a lesser ability. Bright light completely filled the room, blinding the monstrous female and the Draugr that were almost through the door. [Flare]. He slammed his staff into the stunned monster and ran past it, straight towards the door He had seen.
Relief flooded his body as the door opened easily enough. Without even waiting to see if the room was safe, He slammed it behind him, feeling an instant sense of gratification when He pulled an iron bar over the door, further securing it. His staff’s light revealed a green circle, and Zander was drawn to it, compelled by it. He touched it. Overhead a row of electric lights turned on, revealing 12 pods. Each as cold as ice.
I need to get Rocktooth back here. Though he’d already used a lot of his magic, Zander knew better than to try and forge ahead without Rocktooth. He reached into a small pouch secured to the base of his staff and pulled out a small river stone, and set it on the ground, aiming the spell [Summon Guardian]. Within seconds, Rocktooth was revived, but the golem looked at him strangely as if to say, Why did you call me back so so early.
Guard the door Rocktooth, He commanded as He moved closer to the frozen pods. He held his staff, using an [Scan] on each. Only one showed any sign of life. He walked closer to the pod. The top surface was made of glass, revealing through the glass the face of a sleeping woman. The door started to thump, it wouldn’t last much longer.
He jumped back. An ancient. Here? A human! He had not seen a human in a long time, not a live one anyway. Zander didn’t know how to open the pod, so He smashed open the pod with his staff. It took six hits, in all, to reveal the blue hair of a woman within. He pulled her out and held her head in his hands as he used a [Scan] to check for life, or at least a strand of it remaining. Zander was sure he felt it. It was faint, but it was there. He closed his eyes and imagined the stream of mana within him, and this time, Zander channeled it all into the woman [Heal].
Notification: Class Unlocked - Necromancer
Details: Necromancers subvert the natural order of the land to raise their minions. Once the pathways of Necromancy have been unlocked, it cannot be forgotten and leaves those touched permanently changed.
Notification: New Minion Unlocked - The Frozen Dame
Details: ?????
Notification: Level Up! You are now level 16
Details: You have passed the 100 experience threshold to level up. You have earned +1 to Magic, +1 to Mana, and +2 to Health
Status – Zander - Level 16
Class – Necromancer
Race – Post-Human – Sub-Type Elven
Health, 40>41 Mana regen per hour, 18 Attack, 12 Defense, 39>40 Magic 16>17
Abilities:
Summon Monster -
*Golem – Mana Cost – 40 - Summons a Golem of Stone from the Netherworld to come to your aid. This summon is a permanent companion and has no time limit. It has 200 Health, 30 Defense, and 29 Attack. If destroyed, it can be resummoned once a day.
* Hawk – Mana Cost – 30 - Summons a Spirit Hark for 3 minutes that allows the summoners to see through the Hawk. After 3 minutes, the Hawk returns to the Netherworld. Has 20 Health, 3 Defense, and 1 attack.
* Summon Ice Dame - Mana Cost - 20 - ???
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