I was pulled into the void where the system began to populate information on my summoning. For a moment, I expected to appear in my personal space, but it seemed that it was still off limits.
This summoning is in relation to your contract with the world known as Earth. You are being summoned to deal with a trespassing party seeking to exploit the pending integration of your world. This trespass is located in the country known as the United States of America, and at the edge of a place called Pahrump Nevada.
Summoning objectives:
- A small party of unknown origin has arrived through an unapproved portal. Make contact and eliminate or force the return of this party.
- Protect local inhabitants and prevent massive property damage from occurring. Loss of life and the value of any collateral damage will be factored in your final rewards.
Please note that all rewards for this contracted summoning are variable based on your performance.
Summoning conditions:
- As this contract is set in the world you previously inhabited, you are familiar with most climes and physical conditions.
- The location is an arid, desert location. Prepare accordingly.
- Your mana core shielding will be enhanced for the duration of this contract. During this summoning, you will not have to worry about item degradation or mana siphoning.
Rewards:
- 15 gold for the successful completion of this summoning.
- One equipment bead for use with a minion of your choice.
- Possible enhanced rewards for exceptional performance.
- Continuation of the summoning contract with your home world.
Please select the two minions from your barracks that you wish to accompany you on this summoning contract.
- Mana Slayer Drone.
- Elida Silverbarrow.
- Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, Goblin Kill Team.
This sounded interesting, some group has sent a party to Earth. The system didn’t give me any information on their purpose other than that they wished to exploit the pending integration, which could mean a whole lot of things. I wondered if this was generated by a request from an Earth government directly, or if it was the system generating the quest for me. Either way, I was always happy to head home and help wherever I could.
As for my minions, the quest mentioned a small party, so the quality over quantity approach might be warranted here. I decided on the drone and Elida for this run but would try to incorporate the goblins into the rotation more often when the situation warranted it.
You have Chosen the Elida Silverbarrow and the Mana Slayer Drone. Please select a third minion from the following list of options based on your previous summoning contract.
- Human real estate appraiser team.
- Mind Pilot Incubator.
- Rat Swarm.
Well, that was an odd group of offerings. My last contract was a strange one, and the only enemy I faced were the creepy mind pilots. It seemed the system was offering me the incubator, which had no attack or defense of its own, but would likely spawn mind pilots to attack the enemy. It was like selecting an upgraded Portal of the Cackle that would probably summon minions closer to my tier and rank.
The next offering was a rat swarm, and I could only assume it was due to the run down warehouse the last summoning took place in. Any building like that probably had rats swarming in it, but it seemed like the system was struggling a bit for options on this one since the previous summoning was short, and with only a single type of foe.
My last choice wasn’t what I had expected. How the system came up with human real estate appraisers for a summoning choice was beyond me. About the only thing I could think of was that some of the victims of the mind pilots had been real estate appraisers.
Thinking about the options, and rereading the summoning description, I wasn’t convinced that this summoning was going to end in a fight. There should be a chance for some kind of dialogue with the other party, and I didn’t think the system would have offered the appraisers unless they could be of some use. I wasn’t getting any “desperate fight against a powerful foe” vibes on this summoning, and it would bug me worse than the mystery of the goblin named Jeff if I didn’t figure out what the appraisers were all about.
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You have selected the Human Real Estate Appraisal Team. The team consists of 4 individuals and can be summoned at your leisure.
I’d find out in a minute if I’d made the right choice. Like clockwork, the system moved to the next option for me to consider.
Summoner’s Gift has activated. Please select an ability you wish to share with your minions.
- Revive.
- Switch and Replace.
I hit the jackpot on this one. Revive was very powerful, and if the ability applied to each of my minions, it meant that we had a total of three Revives we could cast. Switch and Replace was also strong, but not even close to the power of a free Revive for each minion.
Revive is now active for all your minions. For this summoning, only 1 revive charge is available to your minions. Whichever minion falls first will have Revive automatically cast upon it. This minion ability does not affect your personal Revive ability.
Well, it was only one charge for both minions to share, but at least I’d get a free rez for one of them if things went off the rails. Even though there wasn’t one charge for each minion, it was still probably the best pick of the bunch. I also selected the drone as the choice for my personal Revive. The final options were now presented for my review.
Summoner’s Share has activated. Choose an ability/spell from one of your minions. This ability/spell will remain active for the duration of this summoning contract.
- Spell Reflect (1).
- Gather Comps.
- Grenade Launcher (3).
Once again, I had an odd one among the choices offered. Spell Reflect and the grenade launcher were powerful skills, but since I’d already chosen the appraisers, I was tempted to choose the ability linked to them.
You have selected Gather Comps as your Summoner’s Share ability.
Gather Comps will allow you to gather comparable listings for whatever you are trying to decide the value of. This ability has a five-minute cooldown, and the comps gathered will provide additional data for you.
With my less-than-optimal choices if we faced a tough fight completed, I waited for the portal to drop me at my destination. The town I was heading to, Pahrump, wasn’t one I remember ever being in. I thought it was somewhere near Vegas, but I could be wrong. It was in the desert, though I didn’t think it was anything too extreme.
The portal opened again, dropping me at the side of a road. It was night, and there was no traffic on the road that I could spot. About a hundred yards away was a small gas station and convenience store. It was well lit and had a couple of cars in the parking lot. Everything appeared normal, if you discounted the glowing portal I could see behind the building.
It was time to get to work. First, I summoned the drone, then Elida. I’d hold off on the real estate appraisers for the time being. In a worst-case scenario, I could use them as cannon fodder if there was no other option. With the convenience store lights as a guide, we headed in.
As I got closer, I noticed the first thing that was out of place. A pair of goblins, wearing chainmail and holding spears, stood guard outside the store entrance. They weren’t the most diligent team of guards I’d ever seen, and it wasn’t until I was halfway across the parking lot before one of them spotted me and my minions.
“Hey, whoever you clowns are, beat it. This is a private meeting,” one of the goblin guards said as he tried to puff up his chest and use a low voice to seem more intimidating. As we walked under the lights near the gas station pumps, he deflated a little and stepped back as my drone took the lead position of our group.
“Don’t worry guys, I’m an invited guest to whatever this is,” I said.
“Uh, yeah, well, if you say so, head right in, sir. We don’t want no trouble,” the goblin who spoke earlier said, going as far as to hold the door open to us. The ding of the bell over the door didn’t distract the people inside, a combination of humans and goblins, all arguing and hurling threats at each other.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” I shouted, ordering the drone to stomp his feet to get everyone’s attention.
A man and a woman stood behind the raised counter and had a protective hand on the store’s register. A half-dozen goblins were gathered in front of them. There were two more of the spear wielding guards, and four that wore no armor and had no weapons on them other than a dagger. Near the drink coolers was a scraggly looking pair of humans that seemed exactly like the type of people you’d expect to find near the beer cooler in an out of the way, run-down convenience store.
“This green man is trying to extort me, that’s what’s going on. Who are you, anyway, you’re definitely not the sheriff,” the old man behind the counter said, pointing at the lead goblin.
“Woah there guy, I’m not trying to extort anyone. The Kaalx Consortium only negotiates in good faith. As for your earlier question, what’s going on here is some shopkeeper in this backwater town of this backwater world doesn’t know an opportunity when it’s standing right in front of him,” the goblin replied.
Just what had I gotten myself into this time?