A summoner's dilemma

In comparison to slavery magic, whose very existence seeped through society and shaped it for better or worse, hero summoning magic was a thing for history and myth.

It was ancient magic for sure, it was used the last time less than five centuries old, but no living human could be more precise on the matter.

For the average person in the street, it was a myth related to the founding of this or that kingdom.

Cesio was no exception amongst human kingdoms and had his brand of history like his very name being given by a summoned hero in a distant past.

Like all myths, there was history supporting those claims, but that was an argument for those who sat in the positions of real power and knowledge.

Princess Sinalta was amongst them and was subjected to both sides accordingly to age.

She grew listening to tales of heroes of old, to find out the real story behind them when she received instruction on the role society wished upon her.

She knew that at some point a summoned hero united the whole human race under a sole banner.

She knew that at the same point, thanks to the summoning magic, two heroes coexisted at the same time and that it took two heroes to stem the tide of darkness and defeat the demon lord.

The summoned hero then advocated that summoning magic was prohibited, to some avail, and left the world forever, his last dying wish for the kingdom he died within to be named Cesio.

Sinalta was nowhere as sheltered, pampered, or naive as many would think, so she started gathering pieces for the ritual.

Even if Cesio was a shadow of his former glory, and humanity had since splintered back to warring nations united only by the demonic threat she believed that one day a new hero would be needed.

Doing so she understood the hero of old a little better than most and that somehow the hero wanted to leave a message for those who came after him.

She understood the implication: it took two heroes to fell the last demon lord, along with the millions of lives sacrificed to stop the hordes of demons he commended.

The lingering feeling that this would become the norm became a shared worry, with those who knew like her.

There was also the possibility that other kingdoms had it, so its destruction became an argument not to be held entirely.

Sinalta didn't expect it to happen in her lifetime, demons's sightings became more frequent.

Whispers started going around, that the evil demons once again started gathering under a banner.

Doom priests started spreading bleak prophecies and soon enough war was at the borders.

The church had no hero and so much effort was needed to just put a wall of meat between the capital and the demon horde that there were few men and women to spare to even search for one.

So Sinalta, having gathered most of what was physically needed to summon a hero, managed to convince her father to let her sacrifice some convicted mages to feed the ritual need for blood.

Somehow the man that came along after the light of the ritual faded shattered all of her expectations, yet confirmed some.

Had she not seen the mark on his hand she would've instantly concluded to have somehow fluked some part of that old magic and summoned a smelly pig instead.

So, against her better judgment that screamed to just gut that pig that stood before her, she had translation magic cast upon him to get to a conversation.

That man defied common sense for sure, given his situation he posed few questions and simply laughed as he was told the name of the kingdom he was in was given by someone of his world.

Then he started asking things, weird things and refused to go to the front to face the demons, stating he was no hero.

Well, given his body even Sinalta doubted that he could do anything, sure he could have had magic, but the man answered cryptically to that.

He tried to answer, but the magic couldn't cope with the words he used, he then settled with

-I have the power you give me.-

Sinalta was dumbfounded, she saw for the first time in her life magic already functioning exploding in a burst of light.

In a sense he proved himself once more, defying and shattering every common sense she could apply to him.

The knights rushed to her defense, a clever charade, the reason they existed was the protection of others from her, not the opposite.

Sinalta sighed, pondering if it was the case to activate her magic and crush that horrible man in front of her.

By the efforts and length she got to get him here in the first place she may be better showing some restraint, and simply put him to his place at the least.

The problem being that she would surely wreck the room in both cases, and even she was not keen on having debts to a slaver such as Etgas.

She, of course, could not fully grasp the situation; like that slaver who was checking his dirty merchandise.

One thing was clear: he had quite demonstrated his point, he could fill the role of a hero, that didn't mean he had to be one.

The princess, having read the books, wondered why she couldn't get a pretty girl, or at the bare minimum a presentable one, or maybe an adolescent to shape to her will.

Even a male would be tolerable if the adolescent requisite was met, she didn't want to be too greedy.

That man was the opposite of what she wished for and worse thing, he was no fool, he had knowledge and intellect and he was extremely dangerous for that.

She had to play her hand anyhow and the slaver quite conveniently came to her rescue.

"Please wait, he… no thirteen, you have a magical contract with the princess, that parchment she showed me earlier you might not…"

That man sighed shaking his head in the negative, looking at the slaver for a moment.

"I have been made the fool, doesn't mean I am one. That contract you're talking about…"

The princess caught the moment with a well placed and regal cough and once the attention was on her she spoke

"That contract can be rewritten, with ease at that. We guess you played this charade to show us that you won't take our magic contracts to face value, expecting… what you performed? But as ye stated we are unable to even conceive deception to the level to surpass the wisdom of the god of magic. So… as we see it ye are deluding yourself into thinking we would trick you while seeking our salvation."

The hero raised an eyebrow to the princess looking at her who for once understood the question without him needing to ask

"ah yes we do say magic is all-powerful, it is granted to us by an all-powerful god. We do understand it may not be a satisfactory explanation but it is the core concept here."

The man sighed, loudly at that, he seemed utterly and deeply displeased, but alas it was the reality he had to face apparently who had him grasping straws.

"So let me get this straight, you got your seven spheres of almighty magic united at once and made a wish to your magic god to get me here!? "

The princess sighed, she couldn't follow the reasoning of that man after all.

"It was a magic ritual, and no sphere of sorts were gathered, what you saw were human remains."

The man appeared displeased to hear that, but not entirely shocked; cards in hand he returned to his seat.

"I know, it was a bad joke.

If wishes could be granted we wouldn't be needing to put this charade now, would we? "

The princess nodded in agreement, then with a gesture had her knights sheathe their swords.

"We kind of understand you know nothing of us. It was a given, only why the need to point it out?

And why are you so adamant about not accepting your reality?

Wittingly or not you are a hero for us, just because you came from that magic rite power was surely given onto you…"

Thirteen sighed bringing the palm of his right hand to his face, caressing it slowly puffing loudly.

"Listen, princess, you don't wanna know the power I possess.

I am not joking, let's agree we disagree on what a hero is please?"

The princess surrendered not wanting to discuss it further.

"Let's say you are no hero, you still have the knowledge we can use.

Good people sacrificed themselves to bring you here, so state your demands, what can we do to get the likes of you to help us?"

The hero sighed, looking upwards; he remained silent thinking for some moments, then he moved his head with a weird rotating motion.

He proceeded to move his head left and right before looking towards the slaver.

"Etgas does that lass know how to read and write in the language of this… kingdom?"

He had been there, by a rough estimate, no more than two clepsydra needle moves from mark to mark.

Yet he already conceived that there could be multiple languages spoken or written, going by intuition and by being exposed to the sole existence of translation magic and a dirty demon.

Etgas on his hand sighed looking at the princess and then answered.

"No, she was brought here from the front. I ordered her to try and read me a parchment to check if she was a spy, as requested of me but she didn't and the punishment magic did not kick in, so she was unable to. I … can't comprehend how your order broke the spell"

The hero sighed, quite deeply at that, he shuffled the cards he had in hand like it was a habit.

"What if I told you the order I gave was something she could do?

By doing nothing no less.

The problem being: could magic do the same?

If magic had any ability to choose then yes.

It had none, it just had to execute that check.

So pick either why should she be punished or not, and why you can't do that.

Rinse and repeat as long as you need, each time add magic to the check, until magic overloads.

I guess we all being alive means Ockham's razor works somewhat with magic too. "

The hero smiled smugly and then tried to speak, but only unintelligible words came out of his mouth, then he sighed looking at both of them, and proceeded to speak.

"How many years it took for you, princess to learn how to read and write from your tutors, or family? And for you, Etgas?"

That was a really precise and spot-on question directed at both of the instructed members of society, yet it was her that had to answer first.

"We don't have that kind of time. Otherwise, we would've found a different way to deal with the problem, rather than resort to summoning a hero.

Our guess is that we have half a year at most to reinforce the frontline or the forts will fall to the demons.

Even if the other kingdoms adhere to the old pacts and send reinforcements they will come, hopefully, when our capital is besieged and we are at a breaking point to stem the tide of monsters."

The hero puffed his already plump cheeks and then exhaled air from them before speaking looking at their reaction if they missed a word or two from the translation magic failing.

"Yeah, yeah I get it, sucks to be you, princess.

The thought of being potentially kidnapped and raped must have kinda clouded better judgement.

I get it, more or less.

Well for one I don't know if I can fix this in six months or less, but here's what I need to even try.

Get me the best artisans, smiths, woodworkers, clockmakers… wait you have clocks?

Perfect… I need to see them.

Anyway get me material, iron, stone, wood.

Lots of material and magic items.

Get me the most knowledgeable mage instructor of the kingdom, get him especially if he or she or it retired.

Get me your army, whatever is stationed here, I wanna see how they are training as soon as possible and to speak with your best units commanders.

Get me your last … let's say twenty winters worth of taxes and spending accounts?

Oh, and I want him and her.

And your collaboration, of course, your majesty"

He pointed to the slaver and the demon on the ground much to her surprise, an evil smile as he called her majesty.

She could grasp the general meaning of him wanting to speak to the artisans and mage, he wanted to use his knowledge.

It was a good bet, in that case, to follow that request, but why would he want to see the army, or the taxes accounts, or want a dirty slaver?

Worse why would he want to dabble with a demon?

The princess appeared puzzled but the only real way of knowing she had was to ask.

"We remember you are speaking to royalty, mind your manners, but of course you will have our collaboration. Surely you realize the problem involving recovering our accounts, and the question it would arise: why are they needed?

And what are you planning to do with a slaver or a dirty demon?"

The man smiled shaking his head then opened his arms wide, moving both hands upwards with a sign of apparent surrender.

"Well I can understand your point, but see like it or not, you have to answer to someone to spend gold, even as a princess, am I wrong?

I need to know the finances of the kingdom because I need to know what I can realistically ask for in the first place and not make myself a fool again and again.

That would help since we have only so much time, to provide working strategies you can deploy and adapt in less time than with me going blind by trial and error.

And well I am sort of your guest, just inviting a fool and make him fool around would bring trouble and shame to who invited him, would it not? "

The man grinned evilly lowering his hands to a gesture more akin to an open embrace.

"I don't believe in randomness, and if the symbol I carry is any sign of what you need to get this situation wrapped I'll need people. One hundred eight people of key relevance to this world and then some more. Will it be a demon? I don't know nor care, what I want for that lass on the ground is for her fucking side of the story. Will she lie? Will she try to run? Will she try to kill me? Well does it look like I fucking care? I will have an answer, that I can assure you. Just maybe I can defend myself better than you are giving me credit for."

The smile on his face widened to the point of showing his teeth, apparently the only part of his body he did care for.

They were pearl white and even somewhat straight and perfect.

This was in no way a mockery, his tone and wording started to betray a certain rage in him, hatred even if that was conceivable.

"Your highness, let me be crystal clear on this: I don't fucking care about anything you do the way you do. Don't like it?

Have me hanged, quartered, decapitated or let me wait in prison the coming of your demon army.

We can't share values for I don't know the fucking values here in the fucking first place.

It appears It would be a heck of time-consuming matter to have some hammered onto me, but hey he kind of understood that at a glance."

The man pointed to a baffled Etgas then he switched back to a more controlled tone and expression.

"So yeah like it or not since he didn't provide for a slave that could be reliably used as a means of effective and polite communication, cause well... demons... I will have him as a go-between to be more diplomatic. Is that a problem, princess? "

The man awaited her answer now shuffling the cards in his hand and making them dance back and forth in the air from time to time like a third-rate magician at a show of tricks.

Sinalta sighed as she watched one of her royal guards take her sword and go for a swing at Thirteen's neck.

For all intent and purpose, she knew Xindi was in the right here: no man, woman or child was to be allowed to live after speaking that way to royalty.

Sinalta wondered seriously how many people was it necessary to levy from the populace to stem the tide of demons at the border long enough to summon another hero, yet the gods somewhat told her it was not a way that pleased them.

The chair on which Thirteen sat finally caved under his weight as Xindi took her swing and the man falling made her miss her mark sparing him.

The man hadn't the time or presence of mind to flinch at that, simply sprawling on the ground under his weight with a dull noise.

"Enough Xindi, we won't shed blood over this, today. "

She said before her knight took a second attempt at the man's life; god's will was to be honoured after all she had plenty of time to check.

The weird thing was that those cards he was playing around somehow managed to land all on his right hand, so there was some magic of sorts at work, even if she didn't understand it.

"You are asking much out of us, out of me personally, while I don't think you are worthy of it we cannot spare the time and the resources necessary for another try so we'll have to make do. Yet the slaver's support we cannot concede, his magic is far too dangerous for us to know it at your disposal even if you demonstrated it can be dispelled with … surprising ease somehow. "

The man groaned from the ground, rolling to his right side and pushing himself back up, his belly and ass partly naked in full view as his clothing barely kept with his movement.

"I see you are starting to get in my shoes princess"

Said thirteen fixing his clothing without a care in the world and shame, making her knight and personal guard Xindi look at her, angrily.

"Please my liege, reconsider, this foul man cannot be left alive!"

The princess sighed looking at her earnest, favourite knight, whom she considered bedding on various occasions just to see the expressions she would make.

She was cute without her full helm on, but she choose to wear it nonetheless on official duty, so, well it was a crying shame.

"We understand your plight, Xindi, and while justice demands that this man should be executed for his behaviour, we can't allow it"

A big smug smile appeared on Thirteen's face, while he laughed ever so slightly while caressing his long and dirty beard.

Having his clothes back in their rightful place he placed his back against the tapestry hanging on the wall farthest to the door, in a way he could see all the people in the room without moving.

"Is there something funny in what I said Thirteen or do you want death so much as to damn yourself and my kingdom along?"

She asked, finally snapping at thirteen, her anger getting the better of her once again.

"Well, now you start getting it.

What do you know of me?

Speaking not out of tales and legends alike"

As she was about to answer him he raised his right hand at her, waving his index finger to signal a no.

" I know the answer, the answer is nothing, you are under my spell now."

Thirteen laughed heartily as he found himself with the blade of Xindi pointing to his neck once again, the knight hissed simply.

"Free her from your spell now"

Etgas all the while seemed to panic trying to cool the situation down a bit, for whatever selfish reason he had.

"Now I didn't see him chant anything, he was put to the ground just a second ago, any wizard would have lost his spell by that alone."

Thirteen smiled and raised his right hand gently moving the sword away from his throat for the first time with a pair of fingers.

He lifted himself again going to the middle of the room muck to Xindi's surprise but a gesture from her royal hand was the only thing allowing him to do so.

He glanced at the still unconscious girl on the ground and the slaver tending to her avoiding getting too close to them not to trample them.

Sinalta had to swallow her anger as she signaled to Xindi to stand down, for now.

"Yeah well, so what?

You just came to this world, so what could I know?

This is no magic, it's an awful parlor trick at best"

The smile on thirteen faces only widened to her consideration, where on Edvigla he wanted to lead her exactly?

"The worst parlor trick you experience is the one you'll remember forever.

Now please tell me had you come to my world who would know you?

Well again, I know the answer: nobody."

Sinalta sighed, she hated she couldn't argue with him on the point.

"Yeah, that's pretty much common sense.

I… we still don't get where you'd like to get us with all this."

Thirteen sighed and looked at Etgas like he was looking at someone who could help him, and the slaver sighed.

"Well given the question he gave you I think he means to say you both sort of knew what kind of resources you had at your disposal, in your respective worlds that is.

You kind of possess a net here, people that care about you and your well-being, that allow you to be who you are.

Family, of course, friends and people that you know and that know you.

You may find it hard to believe, but there are times where villagers come together to avoid a person be sold a slave for debt after all.

The same applies here: he's saying he lacks those places to lean to if needed."

Sinalta blinked, twice at that, how could she not consider that factor in her reasoning before she summoned anybody?

Was that the real reason why the magic was banned altogether in the first place?

After all, slavery aside, what other kind of control could she exert on thirteen, what could she use to entice him besides riches, women, or fame, or at worst her own body?

Thirteen smiled shaking his head laughing he started shuffling his cards again, randomly picked one, and showed the card depicting a man standing with a stave in front of what appeared to be woodland.

A weird symbol made by a line and a tilted cross towered above the picture.

"You did just entertain the thought you could threaten me had I something to defend here, did you not? "

"That is preposterous!

Why would our noble princess threaten you?

You don't know her kindness, or her for that matter, stop slandering her on empty biases!"

Thirteen raised an eyebrow at Xindi who was defending her, the princess from something deserving.

Could that man really read her thoughts?

But he cast no magic, and he wasn't concentrating any magic power or she would have felt it.

"See this is the mere power of words, and how they are used, as they change and warp perception and with it reality.

And I have to rely on magic to make myself be understood.

Well, that is one dark side of the truth, we could say inspired by how our friend Etgas presented the argument.

But well the word I used means originally to encourage, but can be read as threaten. Magic was correct, but well I guess this means I'll have to be blunter with my wording. "

Thirteen smiled at Xindi while Sinalta wondered if she would defend her even harder had she decided to court her seriously to the point of bedding her.

But there was something else on her mind that was bugging her from the words used by Thirteen

"You would want to use sophistry here and now? "

Thirteen pointed at her.

"Yes, of course, I would! See the first weapon we are given is this"

And pointed to his head.

"That's insane plain and simple, you plan to stop armed beasts with words alone? By Thinking? Could we do so, you wouldn't be here!"

Sinalta was baffled, but Thirteen simply laughed her reproach off shaking his head.

"Oh no, not exactly.

I plan to give you weapons, and clockwork tools with power so great to turn this world upside down.

Yet to do so I need to make your people move, were I to simply lay down my knowledge and tell you how to do a thing we would never be able to meet the deadline you set here. I am one, after all, and I need to sleep, eat"

"and bathe!"

Snarled Xindi back at him, making him chuckle and wave his left hand in a dismissive manner.

" Please, I do bathe, I am simply ill-suited for physical effort at the moment, and any person who sweats stinks.

But please let us continue with our little magic show, shall we?

I saw the future of this world, and saw destruction."

" Wait you said you could save the world!"

Sinalta exclaimed having trouble dealing with the information.

Thirteen simply smiled at her, giving her the chills as he started shuffling his cards once again, she could feel a spark of magic this time.

It was an eerie power, to say the least, it was like when the summoning magic connected, reality itself distorting, sucking away the life of the casters of the ancient rite.

This was on a smaller scale concentrated around the right hand of thirteen, it was like a swirling vortex of darkness, yet there was light.

The magic circles on the cards shone as to answer to that magic, like a catalyst.

"Yes I can save the world as a whole, but as I said, I will destroy the world as you know it as a price.

This destruction you seek to save yourself from cannot really be avoided as you said to me will you rather accept it or damn your whole world to an inevitable doom?"

Even Xindi had to take a step back as he pulled a card from his deck, a deep dread radiating from it.

A skeleton was depicted on it, wielding a scythe it was apparently mowing a carpet of flowers, each of them with human parts appearance.

There was a weird symbol above, composed of a tilted cross and three standing lines put together.

"This is an ultimate end as it is beginning anew.

It is change most pure.

The only question is whether or not you will stand beside it and be praised and hated for bringing it or in front of it and be destroyed."

Sinalta the chill running on her back only deepened it was like the eyes of that man, and the eyes of that skeleton depicted on that card could see right through her.

"We will need to arrange things with our esteemed father."

Said Sinalta rising from the seat and moving away from the room as fast as she could avoiding thirteen entirely as he smiled at her.

"Etgas, we count on your collaboration to show the greatest hospitality you can muster to this man.

Instruct him if you manage and expect to be called to court tomorrow to report with him if he's in shape too.

Under no circumstance use magic on him or for him or you will be held accountable."

Etgas sighed, apparently not eager to collaborate, especially as thirteen showed such dreadful magic; but it wasn't like he was given a choice.

Sinalta glanced to the demon he was attending sighing

"Have your way, keep her as a pet on a tight leash or dispose of her Thirteen.

She won't leave alive the town either way."

Said Sinalta as she left the room, the dreadful aura dissipated, and Xindi came back to her side, but only spoke when she left the building.

"Give us an order my liege, and we will have that man's head on a plate for you."

Sinalta sighed shaking her head.

"No Xindi we cannot foresee how many deaths there will be if he ever decides to unleash that magic he conjured last on us.

He is… powerful, more than expected, he was toying with us in making us believe he had no access to his powers, if he unleashed that magic I don't know if there would be any alive in the capital.

We may as well have summoned a true devil, in the shape of a man. "

She hurried back to her carriage, the fear she felt finally getting her as she sat on the cushioned fancy seats of the royal carriage.

"Xindi, have him watched, arrange the assassins to strike at him at any given notice of him acting aggressively.

I will get permission to seek further into the forbidden records, we need anything possible on heroes of time past and the founders of this kingdom in particular.

I ...we as a princess cannot allow that man to lead us by the nose once again.

He certainly knows things we don't and seems eager to play with us, but I am not sure we should allow him to do so"

Xindi nodded and left the carriage to arrange her orders to be executed, as she was left apparently alone Sinalta sighed.

"What are your thoughts Talis? "

A shadowy figure took shape sitting across her as the carriage started moving towards the castle.

It was nothing like a human, more like shadow taking a blurry faceless human shape.

"I guess you understand why I was so against this, my princess Sinalta.

Still now, well I guess we will have to send him my master and predecessor.

I feel for Limner, he will have a big headache, yet the ritual was a success, that guy is a hero no doubt "

Sinalta sighed, that shadowy projection was communication magic used by the head of the court magicians and was the last resort thing she made him cast on her before it all began.

"I am not so sure that being a hero is all there's to his power, you saw that.

Could you explain how he managed to make an already existing magic fail?"

The shadowy figure appeared to be laughing although there was no sound; then opened his arms wide.

"Fascinating don't you think?

I want to know more myself!

I want to study exactly how he could pull that without dying.

He even managed to break a magical contract while he was at it, truly magnificent! "

Sinalta sighed shaking her head.

"Fascinating?

Magnificent!?

Say terrifying!

How can we even hope to control him?

He used mere words to dispel one of the most powerful and feared magic used in Cesio, and in all of Edvigla for all I know.

But you are the court magician for a reason, right?

What worries me the most however that be It a parlor trick or whatever he was able to predict accurately enough the future and what I was thinking about, so he is either very smart or very powerful"

the shadow shrugged

"Yeah I saw, he seems to use methods very dissimilar to our court diviner, but well could be as well a side effect of the hero mark.

Or there is another possibility, after all, there are records of heroes able to know the true nature of people and things, after all, could be something similar.

I don't know, want me to put my men to look through the heroes' diaries to see if there is a mention of this Ockham barber?"

Sinalta nodded in the positive, then replied.

"Yes and any magic razor if possible.

Also, I wanna know any magic record related to this dirty slaver, Etgas.

We need him on our side as soon as possible, and to know how to do so.

Call the generals while you're at it.

It seems we will need to parade our forces very soon."

The shadow shrugged once again

"As you command my princess, but I fear that he asked something far more practical in nature than a parade."

Sinalta didn't answer and let the shadow disappear, now finally truly alone she looked through the window of the carriage, wondering what that man could possibly mean by destroying her world but saving the world as a whole.

The way she saw it they were the same.