A Summoner's Calling Read online

  “As long as the shower can take the hit and not break, we should be fine,” Erryn shrugs.

  “I don’t think it’ll break, but due to its age, water may leak in so, you know,” Valedent smiles.

  “But you know how this thing works, so we shouldn’t have to worry about the leakage so much, right?” she asks.

  “Well…, not exactly,” Valedent admits.

  “Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you literally saved us in a cocked-up plan without planning it through? So, in doing so, you’ve literally saved us from a massacre to only be thrown into the freezing depths of a watery grave? Brilliant. Good job, you idiot,” Drotonic comments with a fraudulent joy.

  “If you didn’t notice, it’s not like we had any other options now, did we?” Valedent points out.

  “But, still,” Erryn complains.

  “How about this, heads up,” Valedent jokes.

  “Ha, Ha, you’re so hysterical,” Drotonic smirks as they hit a dead stop, causing them to be thrown into each other.

  “That was quicker than I anticipated.” With one hand, Valedent rubs the side of his head. With the other hand, he embraces Erryn who has landed on his chest.

  “Is everyone okay?” Drotonic asks, turning from the wall into which he was slammed into. He sees that Erryn has fallen into Valedent’s chest and he holds her from getting hurt. Get your grubby hands off her, you pig, Drotonic thinks and moves to extract Erryn from his clutches.

  “I’m still breathing and in one piece,” she smiles at Drotonic as her cheeks remain flushed.

  “You should fix that for emergencies such as this,” Drotonic says to cover the fact that he is flustered with Valedent.

  “Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll get right on it. Right after saving our necks while helping the town to not become ruined by Vladimir,” Valedent gives a thumbs up while rolling his eyes.

  “It looks like it’s keeping the water out for the moment,” Erryn mentions, looking around as Drotonic relaxes with a breath, and a smile grows on his face while he looks at her.

  “Don’t get too hopeful. We haven’t moved in any direction yet. The bishop showed me that there’s an old pulley system with a latch that hooks the cable of this container. It’s supposed to pull us to solid ground,” Valedent says. They wait in silence. Drotonic can feel the tension building behind his eyes. However, Valedent remains calm for what seems to be an eternity. The center consul is stationed over where the drain was.

  “How can you be so calm? It’s infuriating. Are you like immune to stress or something?” Drotonic asks Valedent.

  “What’s the point of worrying when the only thing you can do is to just prepare and deal with it the best way you can,” Valedent shrugs.

  “I suppose,” Drotonic sighs.

  “What’s the matter? You seem tense,” Erryn whispers to him.

  Drotonic whispers back, “I don’t know how to swim.” Her eyebrows raise.

  “Hey, come on now; no secrets among friends. What’s up?” asks Valedent. She looks at Drotonic, and he shakes his head.

  “He can’t swim,” she blurts out.

  “Erryn.” Drotonic blushes.

  “Say, what now?” Valedent says.

  “What? At least I didn’t lie to someone keeping a secret,” Erryn nods.

  “Nah don’t be too hard on him. He did what he thought was right at the time. Plus, if you know how to hold your breath, you’ll be good,” Valedent shrugs it off. Erryn steps aside from Drotonic as she looks down. A swish sound at her feet grabs her attention.

  “Oh, great,” she mutters.

  “Hm, what’s wrong?” asks Drotonic.

  “Oh, nothing, just that my shoes are getting wet,” Erryn informs him smiling.

  “Oh, you’ll be fine. All you will need to do is dry your feet later,” Drotonic suggests as Erryn snaps her attention to Valedent puzzled by Drotonic’s lack of reaction.

  “Drotonic, you realize what that means, right?” Valedent asks.

  There’s a pregnant pause and then Drotonic yelps. In a frantic effort to find a way out, he bashes on the walls.

  “Hey, Drotonic, you need to calm down. The more you freak out, the less air we all have to breathe, you numb skull,” Valedent says.

  Drotonic stops and apologizes for his outburst.

  “It’s fine, trust me. I understand where you’re coming from,” Erryn says. Drotonic calms down, and the leaking water has risen to their ankles.

  “Valedent, when is this container supposed to get connected and pull us out?” she asks as Valedent stands off from the wall, scratching the back of his head.

  “You’re joking, right? Please tell me your joking,” Drotonic begs.

  “Well, it’s not like I live down here or know how it works. He showed me blueprints of the way to go, not how things worked down here,” Valedent explains.

  “V-Valedent, you’re not joking, are you?” she asks.

  Drotonic and Erryn wait for his reply. Valedent crosses his arms, biting his lower lip.

  “Eh, I kind of wish I were. To tell you the truth, we are on our own. Plus, with all the commotion above, they wouldn’t even hear us yelling for help. So yeah, sorry guys,” Valedent says.

  “You’re sorry?” Drotonic’s eye twitches.

  “Drotonic?” Erryn tries gaining his attention.

  “You’re sorry? You know what? Yeah, you’ve may have saved us from Gesthal, but you only averted our deaths to have us end up drowning. Thanks to your impulsive, dumb-witted thinking,” Drotonic shouts as his fear funnels out.

  “Drotonic,” Erryn yells at him.

  Drotonic whips his attention to her as sweat pours down his pale face while clenching his fists and shaking from nerves, “What?”

  “You need to stop,” She rests her hand on his arm.

  “But… Erryn—?” Drotonic says as a thud hits him from behind, stunning his actions, and his sight fades.

  Pinya’s Sewers : Valedent

  32

  Valedent’s apology fails to reconcile the moment as Drotonic returns a crazed glare with his eye twitching. Drotonic confronts him, stepping within inches of each other’s chest. His eyes remain dilated as Erryn touches his arm snatching his attention. Valedent recognizes this, as bloodied memories of his childhood have taught him before. Stricken faces like his were only reflections of when control was lost to madness.

  Then with a quick look over, he spots Drotonic’s hands, shaking in a white knuckled grip as Erryn’s words fail to ease him or his grips. Although unclear to Drotonic’s thinking, Valedent refuses to leave it to chance, using his cane to hit him in the back of the head.

  Drotonic sways left, closing his eyes and collapses to the shower floor. Valedent brings his cane back to his side.

  “Drotonic?” Erryn checks for breathing signs.

  “Sorry, but I had to,” Valedent says.

  “You had to?” Erryn questions.

  “He was freaking out and losing sight of reason. He could have harmed either of us,” Valedent says, justified by his own reasoning.

  “Yeah, but…,” Erryn says.

  “Relax, he’ll be fine. He’s just going to have a sore head when he wakes,” Valedent assures her, and she nods.

  “Well, try to figure something out at least before he wakes,” she says as the water continues, rushing in almost reaching their waist. Valedent lifts Drotonic out of the water, carrying his body over his shoulder to keep him from drowning. However, as he turns to adjust him on his shoulder, Drotonic’s head accidentally smashes into the shower head.

  “Valedent.”

  “Oops, sorry there, bud,” Valedent apologizes, patting his back as she sighs, shaking her head.

  “I don’t know what you two have against each other, but sheesh,” Erryn crosses her arms.

  “It’s not me. It’s this guy,” Valedent says, turning to check the showerhead.

  “It’s just a showerhead. It could always be fixed later,” Erryn shrugs.

  “
True, but it shouldn’t have come apart that easily.” Valedent investigates.

  “Is it really important right now? Wouldn’t finding a way to drain this a little more important?” she asks as he moves the showerhead and pulls something.

  “Hm?” She tries to get a closer look. The water begins to drain.

  “You might want to hang onto something,” Valedent advises as the room shifts and jolts due to a noisy gear clunking outside the room. Although she is curious as to its cause, Erryn refrains from asking and holds onto the middle base of the mechanical console. The room seems to be dragged downward as she sits, wrapping her legs around it securing her place.

  Valedent tries his best to brace himself and Drotonic using his cane as a suction sound moves around the whole stall. Did that just seal the water out? Valedent wonders. There’s a slight vibration from a gear clunking into place and the room stops moving, locked into place.

  After waiting for the longest few moments, a cranking noise begins. Erryn grips even tighter. Valedent waits for the next thing to happen, but the cranking sounds to be slowing down due to resistance.

  “I hope this works, and this thing doesn’t fall apart,” Erryn prays.

  “We should be fine,” Valedent smiles as a metal bar grinds, sliding from left to right. “Here comes our stop. Come on, don’t break,” he mutters.

  “What?” She shrieks as the room is thrusted upward, but regardless of their effort to brace themselves, they get tumbled like a washing machine. Just when Valedent thinks there’s going to be broken bones, another noise like a grinding screech starts slowing the room down. It clamps and locks the room in place.

  “Please tell me it’s over,” Erryn struggles to her feet, gripping her sore arm.

  “You would think,” Valedent sits.

  “How’s Drotonic?” she asks.

  “He seems okay,” Valedent shrugs.

  “Just how hard did you hit him?”

  “I don’t know. It was only the handle of my cane,” Valedent says. She does have a point though; that was a lot of thrashing for him to still be out like this. Hope I didn’t kill the poor guy, he thinks, looking at him. A high pitch squeal occurs as a ‘ting’ sounds and the doors open. Erryn and Valedent jump back, bracing for any water that might come rushing towards them. However, there’s no water. Instead, it’s a clear opening to a tunnel with a small stream moving down past them.

  “Alright, we’ve been down here long enough. Shouldn’t you wake him or something?” Valedent says. Valedent places Drotonic against the tunnel wall, and Erryn splashes a little water from the stream onto his face to wake him. No response.

  Erryn calls his name. Nothing. There was nothing for it as Valedent’s nerves start to increase. Erryn leans back and slaps him hard on the cheek. It knocks him out of a paralysis, and he rolls over, cradling his face.

  “Ow, Erryn. Why did you hit me so hard?” Drotonic asks in a soft voice, trying to sit back up.

  “Hey, welcome back, bud,” Valedent says as Drotonic rubs his pain in thought.

  Thank god I didn’t kill him, Valedent breathes with relief.

  Drotonic says, “Weren’t we in the shower stall which Valedent used to drop us free, escaping Gesthal? But I thought it turned into a watery grave?”

  “Hey, hey not true,” Valedent attempts to defend himself. It wasn’t like it was my intent anyway, he thinks.

  “You hush,” Erryn scolds.

  “After the whole water leaking in and Valedent admitting to his obliviousness with his bothering calm, it pretty much became a blank after you touched my arm,” Drotonic says.

  “Oh, good, so your memory is just fine,” Valedent smiles with gratification, straightening out his jacket and beginning to step up the tunnel.

  “Is that the room we were in?” Drotonic points back and Erryn nods yes.

  “Listen. We can go over this another time, but we’re alive. All we must do now is follow these tunnels out. I mean, there is still a city that’s under siege,” Erryn reminds him.

  “Well, follow me. It should be smooth sailing from here on,” Valedent says.

  “I hope so,” Drotonic says.

  They walk towards the surface, where the fight continues against Vladimir’s forces. As they turn another corner leading to an incline, Drotonic and Erryn admire the interesting architecture on the walls.

  “How can such historical beauties be so neglected?” Drotonic wonders.

  “For one, it’s a history that no one cares to relive and two, the only ones that really ever come down here are drunks. Yet, that’s if they make it this far,” Valedent says.

  “What a shame. There’s so much to learn, even a whole other civilization from what I can tell from the designs,” Drotonic notes.

  “You can tell all that from these walls?” Erryn asks.

  “Yeah, it’s was my specialty from the temple prior to becoming the divine sage,” Drotonic says.

  “Sounds kind of boring if you ask me,” Valedent says.

  “How close are we to the surface?” Drotonic asks.

  “Not too far. Only a couple more inclines till we reach the inclined bridge which leads to the surface’s opening,” Valedent says.

  After walking past more beautiful intricate designs on the walls, they reach the sloped bridge.

  “Here we are. Cross this, and we will be done with this place,” Valedent assures them, as they continue to cross the hanging bridge.

  “Drotonic, you okay?” Erryn turns around, heading back to Drotonic who had stopped before the bridge. His back’s turned, but he doesn’t answer.

  Seriously, what now? Valedent rolls his eyes and returns down the bridge to Drotonic who is staring at a wall.

  “Drotonic?” Erryn approaches him, trying to get his attention.

  “Oh, sorry. Something the matter?” Drotonic asks.

  “I don’t know, you tell me. You stopped and stared off into nothingness, ignoring me,” she says as Valedent stands almost behind him.

  “It’s nothing big, but it has me intrigued,” Drotonic points down a hall in the opposite direction to the bridge.

  “Okay, what about it was so interesting that it absorbed your entire attention?” Erryn asks as she also becomes intrigued by its gothic designs.

  “Hey, Valedent?” Drotonic calls out but is surprised how close he is.

  “Yeah, man. What’s up? I’m right here,” Valedent says.

  “What do you know about this tunnel?” Drotonic points to his left.

  “What tunnel? That’s a wall. You got the one from which we came and the one right of us, but I’ve never been down that way,” Valedent says as Drotonic and Erryn look at each other bewildered.

  “Weird, so you don’t see the skull carvings and gothic columns throughout the hall?” Drotonic asks.

  “Yeah, I don’t know how hard your head was hit, but no. Can we go now?” Valedent says, and Drotonic ponders.

  “Come on, we can figure this out after we save the city. Once we help them, we’ll have time to share this with the bishop,” Erryn says.

  “I suppose,” Drotonic says, and Valedent leads the way across the bridge once again. The bridge creaks with each step. Its wooden planks threatening to give way.

  “I hope this holds us, Valedent. It is a fair way down.” Drotonic grips the rails, looking down as the bridge sways.

  “Nah, you worry too much. If we aren’t foolish on the bridge, we should be fine,” Valedent waves, unworried.

  “Should?” Erryn quotes.

  “Just my point. Plus, it’s ironic you would warn us about being foolish, when we’re the unlikely ones to be foolish, Valedent,” Drotonic points out.

  “Hey, that hurts,” Valedent says, being coy.

  “Hey mouths one and two, how about we get across this bridge already?” Erryn passes by Valedent, leaving him and Drotonic on the bridge.

  “Yes, mam,” Valedent salutes as her hips catch his attention. Drotonic nudges him to go on as Valedent clears his th
roat and presses onward.

  “How nice. It didn’t collapse,” Erryn smiles.

  “You can say that again,” Drotonic agrees, and they all walk up to the archway.

  Valedent hears something in the wider tunnel ahead. Before passing through the arch, Valedent grabs Erryn and covers her mouth, holding his arm firmly around her waist. He maneuvers them into a strategic position, their backs flat against the cold stone wall out of sight of the arch’s entrance.

  “What’s the big deal?” Erryn asks while muffled by his hand.

  “Shush, someone’s coming,” Valedent whispers. Drotonic ducks behind the other half of the archway, out of sight.

  “I know I heard someone coming up through here. We need to check it out,” a man declares.

  “Yeah, god forbid if Gesthal knew we were relaxing,” another man says.

  “Or worse his majesty,” the first man replies.

  Valedent looks at Drotonic and motions a pushing gesture with his hand, nudging his head towards the bridge. Drotonic nods in agreement, and Valedent slides Erryn behind him out of sight, signaling her to wait. Two regular soldiers walk by Valedent, who remains standing still.

  “Looking for someone?” Valedent is his charming best as the soldiers spin around.

  “Jackpot,” says a soldier. Before the soldiers could react, Valedent and Drotonic rush them, knocking them off the bridge. Their screams echo in the tunnel.

  “You heard that, right? There’s more of them up ahead,” Erryn says. “…and they probably heard the screaming.”

  “They’re just simple things. I’m not worried. Let’s go,” Valedent shrugs with a devilish grin, and Drotonic agrees. Wow, for once he didn’t fight or question me, Valedent thinks.

  They walk through the archway, knowing what lies ahead. Erryn walks behind them as they reach a corner just before the entrance. Valedent peers around the corner to guesstimate how big an entrance they will have to make.

  “Alright, it looks like there are about ten men. You two ready?” Valedent whispers.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Drotonic replies, and Erryn nods.

  “All right, hotshot, but try not to get hurt.” Valedent advises Erryn. “The bishop will have my ass if you get too carried away.”