- Invitation Status
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per day
- Multiple posts per week
- One post per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Online Availability
- On fairly regularly, every day. I'll notice a PM almost immediately. Replies come randomly.
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Advanced
- Preferred Character Gender
- Primarily Prefer Male
- No Preferences
- Genres
- High fantasy is my personal favorite, followed closely by modern fantasy and post-apocalyptic, but I can happily play in any genre if the plot is good enough.
It was two weeks into their first semester, and the students were buzzing with enthusiasm. Despite the fact that the building was still devoid of teachers, almost the entire freshman class had already gathered ahead of time. After all, today was the most important day in their education, a day that many of them had been waiting and preparing for since the moment they learned they had the aptitude to join a summoner's school.
It was the day they'd finally get to perform their first spirit summoning.
Idarin Assuncao was not like his classmates. He was seated calmly in the bleachers, expression cold and practical as though this was just another day for him. As though reacting to his icy demeanor, all his classmates had given him a wide berth, creating an empty bubble of space around him.
If anyone had dared to ask him, Idarin would likely have told them that there was no point in being excited. Excitement would not alter the results of their summoning. In fact, it might get in the way, if the excitement stopped them from perfectly channeling their essence into the summoning circle, and caused a fluctuation in the creation of a spirit connection. If they wanted to improve the results of the summoning, they should have done it years ago, by making the decision to invest a bit more time into performing the simple exercises that would help a person strengthen their essence, or invested in buying some of the rare, alchemical potions that would allow a person to temporarily interact with the spirit world. Then again, if anyone ever really asked Idarin what they should do to increase their chances of contracting with a higher level spirit, Idarin would probably have cold-heartedly told them one thing; be born with better talent.
After all, there was a limit to how much a person's essence could grow in a period of time. And someone who was able to strengthen their essence twice as much in the same period of time would easily be able to outgrow someone who could only gather half as much. The world was just that kind of unfeeling, heartless place. It didn't care what you wanted. All that mattered is what was.
And yet, for all his cold attitude, here Idarin sat, just as over-early for the summoning as his classmates, waiting for it to begin.
The moment a chime sounded from the clock tower in the distance, signaling the start of the class, the teachers appeared from the back of the building. Led by a tall man missing his left arm, the teachers spread out around the summoning circle at the bottom of the auditorium, facing the gathered students.
"Alright, quiet down!" the man shouted, and the building fell into silence a second later. "I'm sure you all know how this process is going to go, but I'm going to explain it anyways. You'll be called down one at a time to stand in the circle and perform the summoning ritual. We'll go in reverse order, based on the scores earned from your entrance examination and these last two weeks of class. Anyone who interrupts someone else's ritual, intentionally or accidentally, will be expelled at best, and criminally charged at worst. I hope everyone has prepared themselves!"
There was a murmur of agreement from the students, and the one-armed man nodded. "Good. First up, Brooke Toles."
A brown haired girl stood up from somewhere in the auditorium, accompanied by encouraging words from the people around her. Even from this distance, Idarin could see her shoulders shaking. Under countless gazes, she walked down to the summoning circle that was surrounded by teachers. One of them, a woman with long flaxen blonde hair, offered her a soft smile. "Begin when you are ready."
Brooke took a few deep breaths, calming herself, before her hands met in front of her chest, fingertip to fingertip, forming a dome. Although essence could be found throughout the body, it was congregated the most close to the heart. All young children were taught various hand sigils which could be used to help control the flow of essence. This particular one was designed to help move essence out of the body.
Around Brooke's feet, the summoning circle began to light up, the illumination quickly spreading away from her. At first colorless, the light gradually began to change into a dark brown as it continued to spread outwards. Sweat began to drip down Brooke's face, her hands trembling slightly, but the light continued to spread to the base of the seating area. Summoning rituals required summoners to use their essence to form a connection with a spirit. The more essence the summoner was able to pour into the ritual, the more powerful a spirit could be summoned. That was why summoners always exhausted their full potential during the ritual.
Abruptly, the light in the circle began to flash, before it flew into the air, gathering together into a dark brown blob in front of Brooke. A second later and the light shattered, revealing the figure of a brown, blob-like shape somewhere between a small bear and a large dog.
Idarin studied the spirit carefully, before shaking his head slightly. A middle mud spirit. In the normal world, contracting with a middle spirit of any sort would be considered quite exceptional, but for students at the Great College it was an absolute minimum requirement. Anyone who didn't have enough essence to contract a middle spirit would never make it past the entrance examination. As for its usability in combat, it might be valuable on the back lines. However, in terms of front-like combat, there was only so much it would be able to provide. All in all, a lackluster result worthy of the last place in the class.
At the very least, Idarin gave the girl credit for taking it well. She smiled warmly at her spirit, before reaching a hand out to it. The spirit extended a protuberance—nose, paw, it was hard to tell—and touched her hand back, before once more turning into dark brown light and flowing into Brooke's body. Satisfied with the result or not, those two were now partners.
Glancing around at the gathered students, some showing excitement, some showing disdain, Idarin simply sunk further into his seat. As the first ranked student in the class, it would be some time before he was able to perform his summoning.
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