Summoner's Chain: A Demon-Summoning LitRPG Adventure

Everyone just stared at the newcomer, too startled to do much of anything. The person had long, straight black hair, tanned skin, and traces of stubble coating an angular face. Miriam knew the person was neither male nor female, just like she could tell the genders of her other party members. Alendi wore no clothes.

“The fuck…” muttered Melinda. She was staring at the ground with an expression of what-the-flying-fuck-just-happened painted all over her face.

“Hello?” Alendi asked again. “Hello?” Their voice had a faint Irish tinge to it.

“Hey, Alendi,” Miriam said, crouching beside the fellow. “Are you okay? Who are you? Why are you here?”

Alendi sighed. “Order… I don’t know. One minute I was sleeping and the next…” they shuddered. “It was as if I was being crushed from all sides. It lasted for an unbearably long time. Now… I guess I’m here.”

“We slew the man who was holding you captive, if that’s any consolation,” Charlene said. “That bastard’ll be sleeping in hell for the rest of time.”

“Gazzack?” Alendi asked. They perked up. “He’s dead?”

“That’s what I just said,” Charlene responded. “We killed him.”

“Damn it!” Alendi exclaimed suddenly. “My mission… Wait. Well, he’s gone anyway, so I guess it’s complete.”

“Mission?” asked Miriam.

“I was sent by the doge of Emberfurt, along with a contingent of warriors, to kill the demon Thanatos and his followers,” Alendi said. “I was a commander in the Emberfurt army. Out west, near Ashfurt. Suffice to say, we killed the former no problem. The latter…” They shivered and an expression of grief showed on their face. “We lost over half our troops during that skirmish. We retreated, and were going to mount another attack, but… I never woke up.”

“Ashfurt…” Charlene said. “It’s been ten years since that town was razed. Say, Alendi, who was the current doge of Emberfurt when you set out?”

“Doge?” Miriam asked. “Like the internet meme?”

“The inter-what now?” Charlene asked in confusion. “No, ‘doge’ is a title gifted to the leaders of independent city-states, at least around here. They’re like kings, but only rule a single city. As I was saying, who’s the doge of Emberfurt?”

“MacDarl VI,” Alendi replied.

“MacDarl VI was killed eight years ago…” Charlene mused. “He was replaced by his son MacDarl VII. This means that you must have been trapped in that orb thing for at least eight years.”

“Eight years…” Alendi sounded defeated. “All my friends are gone. Fuck, it’s all gone!” They bashed against the ground with their fists and began sobbing. “We failed, and Gazzack wreaked havoc for an entire orderfucking decade before you ended him!”

“Hey…” Miriam said, sitting beside Alendi. “It’s okay now. You’re fine, we mean you no harm.”

“Ashfurt…” Calvin was looking away. “That was… That was where I was…”

“You’re from Ashfurt?” asked Alendi. “What happened?”

“I was only a few years old,” Calvin said. “Gazzack came to town. He… Oh, Order.” He began shaking. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened to his hometown. Probably, Gazzack had murdered a great deal of townsfolk and forced the rest of them to follow him.

“It’s okay,” Miriam said. “It’s over now. Gazzack is gone. Dead.” She gestured to the cult leader’s still-warm carcass. “And you’re safe. The both of you.”

“Thanks, Miriam,” Calvin said. He sat down beside her and Alendi, crossing his legs. “Safe. That’s a new feeling.”

“Do you have any food?” Alendi suddenly asked. “It’s been a while since I’ve eaten.”

“Here,” Charlene said, retrieving a large hunk of jerky from her inventory. She passed it to Alendi, who eagerly bit into it.

“Thanksh,” they said through a mouthful. “Thanks for helping me.”

Charlene stood up and began to pace about. “We ought to make our way back to Smogvale soon. We don’t want to be out during the day; that’s when the demons are on the prowl.”

“Demons?” Alendi asked. “Are we, perchance, in the Iron Hills? There’s lots of demons around there. Not so many on the plains, but when you get to the hills…”

“Yep,” Calvin said. “That’s where we… I mean, Gazzack… set up his camp. This is where we lived for a few years, before he…” He trailed off. “It’s over now. It’s over now. It is.”

“Oh!” Miriam exclaimed. “You must be freezing. Here.” She handed her old clothes to Alendi, who gratefully donned them. They sighed in relief upon receiving clothes.

“The cloth is masterfully spun considering how isolated this place is!” Alendi exclaimed. “It’s very comfortable. What is this made of, spider silk?”

“Yep,” Melinda said. “But our spiders produce wool instead of silk. Don’t ask me how they do that…”

Miriam had several questions about the anatomy of Smogvale’s ash spiders, but she set them aside. “Do you think you can walk a decently long distance?” she asked Alendi. “It’s a few miles to Smogvale, through hilly terrain.”

Alendi stood up and took a few steps. “I think I can,” they said. “Especially with these boots. Damn, but they’re pleasant to wear.”

“These boots were made for walkin’...” hummed Miriam. The tune of her homweorld had popped into her head for some reason. She looked around sheepishly. “Sorry,” she said. “Just a song from my homeland I was thinking of.”

“Well, maybe you can sing the songs of your home to us during eruption season,” Charlene said. “It’s coming soon enough, and we’ll be stuck inside the caves with jack else to do.”

“Yeah,” Miriam said. “That sounds good.” Let’s just get home first…

The fivesome got up, brushed their legs off, and hauled Gazzack’s corpse to the side. No burial or cremation for him - the monster would rot or be eaten by scavengers like he deserved. Calvin spat on the corpse, repeatedly kicked at it, and glowered at it for a good five minutes before everyone was ready to leave. While some part of Miriam felt like the desecration was a bit much, she wholly understood why Calvin did it. He burned down Calvin’s hometown and enslaved his family. I’d do the same if I was in his position. My distant ancestors probably felt the same way when they were starving under the English in Ireland or brutally forced out of Spain by the Reconquista…

As the group finally began moving, Miriam’s thoughts turned to more pleasant ones. We got so much experience from that fight! I’ve got thirty points to allocate to my stats. Goodness, I’m overwhelmed. I’m already level 14! That’s as high as Charlene was before the fight, and she’s level 19 now! And the Summoner’s Chain… That summoning ability seems powerful. I ought to capture a demon or three and sic them on my enemies.

“Say, did y’all allocate your new stat points yet?” she asked to the general group.

“Nope,” Charlene said. “I got so many points from that fight, and on top of a class change… It’ll take some serious thought. Did you?”

“Not yet,” Miriam said. “I was feeling the same way. I wonder if Charisma will be useful for my class.”

“Might be worth a shot,” Charlene said. “Maybe it’ll let you order your demons easier.”

“Yeah,” Miriam said. At this point, they had arrived at the entrance of the cave, where the corpses lay impaled. Alendi gasped and averted their gaze, but Calvin looked sullenly forward.

“Order…” Alendi uttered. “He really did that…”

“We’ll send a party back tomorrow to lay the corpses to rest,” Charlene said. “We don’t have enough time tonight.”

Nobody spoke as they struck out into the night-coated hills. The landscape looked like something out of a photo of Mars if it was viewed in a dark room - barren, craggy and utterly lifeless. Charlene lit a torch and took the lead. Calvin followed behind, Alendi behind him, Miriam followed them, and Melinda brought up the rear. A feeling of uneasiness began to bloom within Miriam. Her instincts were on high alert, and they were urgently telling her that something dangerous was coming.

An animalistic, high-pitched screech pierced the night. Everyone flinched and looked around. A jolt of panic surged through Miriam.

“Demon!” Charlene exclaimed, raising her wand.

“Demon?” shouted Alendi. “Wait, what? I thought you said it was safe!”

“I thought that it was safe!” Charlene retorted. “Clearly, someone was going hunting tonight!”

“Uh, guys?” Calvin fearfully said. “There’s… actually three of them!”

Three? Oh fuck! Terror surged through Miriam. “You don’t suppose that those are the imps that attacked the village the other day? The ones that nearly killed me?”

[Combat initiated versus Entities: Imp Lv. 26 x3]

The monsters were upon them before anyone could even see them. They came barreling out of the sky like bombs, an ululating cry echoing from their fell mouths.

“Take cover!” Charlene shouted, shoving Miriam to the ground. The first imp landed in the party’s midst, shrieking with its reptilian mouth. It waved its claws around, failing to hit anyone. Miriam quickly got to her feet before the other two demons landed among them.

“Alendi, get back!” Melinda shouted. “You’re unarmed!” She hefted her spear, looking down it at the foe. Alendi complied, taking up a position closely behind the spear-wielder.

Before Miriam could withdraw and strike with her chain, a bolt of ice shot from Charlene’s wand. It struck an imp not six feet away. The creature screamed in agony and its health bar went down by more than 80%. Its glowing eyes illuminated a grisly wound in its upper torso, tendrils of frost forming on the exposed sinew and bone.

“They’re weak to ice magic!” Charlene exclaimed. “We can win!”

Miriam got an idea. Are these ones demons? I hope they’re demons… Her chain finally ready to use and her book in her off-hand, she turned towards the imps. The wounded one had struggled to its feet and its companions were hungrily eyeing the motely company of wretches. She charged towards them, swinging her chain like a lasso. They shied away but held their claws at the ready.

“[Capture]!” Miriam exclaimed. As she did so, she held the image of the [capture] skill in her head, or rather its concept. The chain glowed bright red as she brought it down on the imps with all her might.

It struck two of them, including the wounded one. As soon as it hit, she noticed her Mp disappearing completely. Can’t use this skill again for a while… The uninjured imp took a decent amount of damage, probably a quarter of its total health. The injured one let out one last roar, then disintegrated into scarlet ash. The ash flowed towards her like a drink through a straw. When it reached her Book of Demons, it flowed up into it and vanished.

[New demon captured: Imp Lv. 26. Total demons: 1/110]

“I got him!” Miriam exclaimed. “I captured it!”

“Now can you summon it?” Charlene shouted, letting loose another bolt of ice. It struck one of the imps, but the other hastily dodged it.

Miriam had no time to think. She just acted. “[Summon Imp]!” she yelled. Immediately, the imp appeared in front of her. It seemed to be fully healed, but was looking around aimlessly.

Attack the other imps! She thought intently. For the love of God, attack them!

Somehow, her demon got her orders. It turned towards its former companions and slashed at them. They looked confused, and it was at this moment Miriam knew that the battle was already won. Two ice bolts, three chain strikes, one spear stab and a flurry of imp claws later, the remaining two imps were dead on the ground without .

[Combat complete. Entity: Miriam Ward victorious. Earned sufficient experience to reach Lv. 15. +2 max Hp, +3 stat points.]

“Holy shit,” Miriam gasped as she fell to her knees. “So that’s how the summoner class works!”

“Order, woman!” Charlene exclaimed. “You just… You just tamed that imp like that! Completely turned the tides of battle!” The imp looked around aimlessly, stamping its clawed foot. Its services were no longer required for the time being.

She willed the imp to disappear, and it instantly vanished out of existence. She felt her book absorb its essence, the sensation almost like breathing. She tried summoning it again, and it popped back into existence. That’s convenient. It just cost Mp to capture them. I can summon and dismiss them at will.

She walked over to the imp and touched its head, wondering what would happen. Instantly, a new presence appeared in her mind, a voice that spoke in images rather than words. She recoiled as the rushing sensation overwhelmed her.

No Chaos. No Order. Only Summoner. Summoner’s will is my will. Summoner’s will must be obeyed. Not that of Chaos, nor Order, just Summoner’s will. The words felt almost as if they were made out of fire. Miriam felt a mild headache appear as her mind struggled to comprehend the imp’s words.

My god! She thought. I can read its mind! She thought to ask it a question. What’s your name? She willed to the demon.

What is name? The imp asked. It sounded… confused, like it had been asked a question it couldn’t even fathom the answer to. I do not know what the action known as name is and therefore am unable to perform it.

So you don’t have a name… Miriam mused. Well, I guess I’ll call you ‘Jingles’. I don’t know why, but somehow that name feels right for you.

Jingles seemed to be pleased, and it looked right at Miriam. Jingles is a good description for myself. Yes. I see. I am Jingles. That is my name, o almighty summoner. Miriam recalled Jingles to her book, and she could still feel its presence. I will wait here until I am called upon, o summoner.

Turning around, she beheld the astonished expressions on the faces of her companions.

“Did you just…” Charlene gasped. “By Order…”

“How’d you make it disappear?” Calvin asked.

“I guess I just did,” Miriam shrugged. “I captured it; I can recall and dismiss it at will.” Melinda just gaped, at a loss for words.

Alendi looked at her with more scrutiny than the others. Do they know something about summoners? Have they seen one before? That being said, Miriam still noticed an expression of awe on their face.

“Anyway,” Alendi butted in, “We really must get going. Assuming your village is nearby, it would be wise to get there before the sunrise.”

“Agreed,” Charlene said. “But Order damn it, Miriam, that’s an impressive class. I wonder if they know more about it in Painburg…”

Painburg. Miriam had heard the name mentioned before. Isn’t it a city? But that was something to think about another day. She had almost three dozen new stat points to allocate, and an entirely new class she had only just begun to figure out the mechanics of. What can I do with a summoned demon? I can make it fight, but can I make it do other tasks? Only one way to find out… As the group continued their trek back to Smogvale, Miriam’s mind raced. Who is Alendi? Will my debt really be canceled? Can these folks help me learn about my class? And can they help me get home…