Despite being inspired, the actual writing was slow-going. Damn, and I have no inspiration for the next chapter yet. But I think this is my best chapter yet. I love the jokes in it the most. No, not because the name of the places sound exactly like ‘roleplay’ or because of that little self-insert. =P Again, characters are created after members of RPGDreamers forum to make things more interesting. Hope that the fourth chapter can motivate itself out at a faster rate than the one I’m currently writing with.

Synopsis: Now that Monty acquired expert swordsmanship all of a sudden, what else does he lack? Directions, of course.

—

Hero And His Summons

Looking at the sign that says ‘Rowplei Forest, the path to the mysterious hidden Rowplei Village. Just follow the signs’, Monty nearly broke down and wept in joy. The previous night was a horrible experience to him as he was deprived of sleep for the very first time in his life, and left in the wilderness, growling in hunger, shivering in cold and trembling in fear for hours.

And for the whole morning and afternoon, he was either walking towards the west or fighting random monsters. Admittedly, he was getting better at the battling deal and was feeling healthier than he ever did, but it did not make him the least bit happy about his situation. But he reasoned that after all the bad things he had been through, nothing could be worse.

Unfortunately, he was dead wrong. With only a tad hint of deja vu, he stepped on a cobra who sank its fangs into his leg almost instantly in retaliation. Cussing his bad luck, Monty struggled on, hoping that he could reach Rowplei Village before he died from the venom.

With the help of some unexplainable miracle, Monty managed to stumble upon a spring with a sign ‘Healing spring that could cure anything everything under the sun, except death’ and after offering his thanks to whatever deity who took pity on him, Monty began to painstakingly move towards the spring on all fours as he no longer had the energy to stand.

Nearer and nearer to the spring he went, closer and closer was the wonderful elixir. Closer… just a little more… closer… a bit more… just… a… bit… more…

Just as the spring was an arm’s length away from him, Monty threw up a mouthful of blood and fainted.

But his unconsciousness did not last long. A boot smacked into his rear and sent him into the spring with a big splash.

Involuntarily inhaling the spring water, the venom in Monty’s body was cleansed away in a split second and he woke up. To find himself in the spring. And he could not swim.

Monty panicked and waved his limbs about madly, trying to go up. His efforts, however, were useless and he did not move up an inch. All he did was to decrease his air supply more rapidly.

All was hopeless. Until a clear voice rang out.

“Why don’t you just stand up? The water is only up to your shoulder level.”

Monty did as told quickly and found out that the voice was right. The water was only as high as his shoulders. He was stunned on spot by his own stupidity and did not respond to the voice with sounded right in front of him. That is, until two slender finger pinched his right cheek and twisted.

“Ouch!”

Monty smacked away the offending fingers and glared at the owner of the voice. “What did you do that for?”

“Do what? Pinch you, save you or kick you into the river?” Came the amused reply.

“What?! You kicked me into the river?!” Monty’s voice was filled with rage.

A brilliant smile lit the face of the culprit. “Yes, I did. I thought you were dead and thought your body will provide good food to the killer fishes living downstream. Turns out you’re still alive so I saved you. Poor fishes though.”

Monty was baffled. And the man was continuing.

“And I pinched you because I thought you became a stone statue from the sight of me. I have no idea why but that seem to happen once in a while. Well now that we have established that you are alive and not stoned, I’ll be leaving.”

“W-wait!”

“Yes?”

Monty got up from the spring and asked, “Do you live in Rowplei Village?”

“No I don’t, I live in this forest. For now, at least. I needed some peace and quiet to complete my recording of the Magician Trials War. Why? You’re going to the village?”

“Yes, but I seem to be lost. Can you help me, Mister…?”

“Just call me Seraph. It’s actually very simple. Just follow the signs.” Seraph pointed at another painted piece of plank hanging from a tree. “They will lead you to Rowplei Village, though I have no idea how some people still manages to get lost. How about this, I’ll check on you later tonight to see if you reached the village and if not, I’ll lead you there myself, alright?”

“Alright.” Monty nodded, thinking that it will probably be better if somebody check if he is lost later. Just as Seraph was about to leave, he spoke up again, “Wait, what did you mean by people turning into stone statue at the sight of you? You’re a demon?”

Seraph flashed him a quick smile before he simply disappeared from sight. “No, just the opposite. I’m an angel.”

——————–

“Finally. Thank God. And Seraph.” Muttering under his breath, Monty made his way through the village entrance of Rowplei Village. Strange signs by the side of the road caught his eyes and glanced at them, causing his eyes to nearly pop out from shock.

The signs read, ‘ Do not enter and take without permission. Steal and you die ‘ and ‘ Knock and ask nicely then maybe we’ll give you stuff, but don’t cry if we don’t ‘.

“But Eva said that ‘A good little hero needs to know that houses are for exploiting. Especially those with treasure chests. Owners’ permissions not required.’ What is going on here?” Monty frowned as he wondered about the signs. “Nevermind, I’ll just stay a night at the inn and ask if they saw a dragon. But I don’t have any money… what should I do… Oww!”

Being deep in thought, Monty did not notice that there was somebody in front of him and that somebody did not notice as well. Thus the results are predictable, they banged into each other, with a loud bang.

“Monty? Is that you?” A black-hair young man sitting on the ground in the middle of the scattered books stared at our hero with wide eyes.

“Huh?” Monty blinked a few times to clear his visions of circling canaries and when he finally focused on the person in front of him, his eyes went as wide. “Gene?”

“That’s me. We haven’t see each other for a long time. Come visit my house for a cup of tea and a long chat?” Gene asked as the two of them got up.

“Sure.” Monty smiled, relieved to find somebody he knew. Together, the two of them picked up Gene’s books and went towards Gene’s cosy little home, chatting about old times and Gene’s job as a storyteller.

“Welcome home, Gene-chan!” A cheerful voice greeted as the door flunged open and a figure latched onto Gene. “Ah, you have a guest… is that you, Monty? Long time no see! Come in come in! Have a seat, I’ll make tea!”

With that, said figure dragged both man into the house and disappeared into the kitchen in a flash, leaving an embarressed storyteller and a dazed hero.

“Uh… that’s Seluna, my wife. You remember her don’t you? She’s an old friend of your Mayor’s daughter, Adelaine.” Gene smiled with a hint of a flush at the kitchen’s direction, where a humming could be heard. “Anyway, you haven’t tell me what’s your business here.”

Monty sighed and explained what happened. From the kidnapping to the strange help he received so far. When he finally finished, the sky has darkened and it was early evening.

“Gene-chan, I think we have something that can help.” Seluna, who had sat down and listened somewhere in the middle of the story, suddenly spoke out.

“You mean… that? But Sel-chan, I thought you love snuggling it.”

“It is very glompable and comfy as a cushion but it is bullying you more and more, isn’t it? Then that’s settled. I’ll get the chant for Monty.”

Monty, who was following the exchange, turned to Gene for an explanation when Seluna left the dining table. “What is the thing you are talking about?”

“It’s a summon creature. We got it a few years ago, from a foreign red-hair woman, who literally threw it to us, along with its chant. We kept it only because Sel-chan found it a comfortable cushion, so we thought maybe it could serve you better.”

“Why did Seluna say that it has been bullying you more and more?” Monty asked suspiciously.

“Oh that. I think it’s because it likes Sel-chan and dislikes it when Sel-chan snuggles me.” Gene explained with a deep blush. “Anyway, for summoning, all you have to do is to read its chant and make an agreement with it. Then it will become your summon creature.”

“I found it! Here’s the chant!” Seluna bounced onto her chair as she stuffed a rolled-up parchment into Monty’s hands, beaming happily. “I think Gene-chan told you how to summon it. I suggest doing it alone and at night. It likes darkness.”

“Thank you, for giving me this and for the tea.” Monty looked at the couple gratefully.

“No problem, Monty.” Gene replied with a smile. “Do you have a place to stay for the night?”

“I think I’ll try the inn, but I don’t have any money. Funny, I recall Eva saying that monsters will provide money and items.” Monty’s brows furrowed together.

“They used to do that, but now they don’t. I heard that there was a meeting at the World Wide Monster Organizations, where the monsters’ complaints of ‘bringing things around for heroes’ sake is too troublesome’ was brought up and a decree was passed that monsters no longer need to bring gold and items around.”

Seluna continued when Monty’s brain fully processed what she said. “Now you get items from treasure chests, which are getting rarer and rarer with all the heroes around, and get money by either selling monster parts, or getting a sponsor.”

“Oh.” Monty silently grumbled about the decree and lamented about his luck again.

“If we have enough space, I would invite you to stay.” Gene said apologetically before producing a small bag. “Here, I hope this bag of Gil can last you until you reach Dibait City. And remember to check and change the currency. I heard that Dibaitors use Gella instead of Gil.”

“Dibait City?”

“That’s the nearest city, and rumours have it that the royal castle was attacked by a dragon yesterday, and that it was requesting for the strangest items.” Seluna supplied helpfully.

Monty brightened. “Maybe that’s the Gemini Dragon!”

“Yep!” Seluna agreed bubbily.

“If you are leaving for Dibait tomorrow, I suggest you rest early.” Gene smiled as he suggested. “But before that, would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Gladly, Gene. I’m so hungry I could eat a dragon!” Monty laughed heartily, now that most of his worries are gone. “Oh, remember the Cyberwatch story we made up together when we were young, tell me how far you worked on it. But before that, what’s the name of the summon creature you gave me?”

“Oh right, we forgot to tell you that. It’s Pengu, the demonic penguin.”

——————–

“What’s wrong with this chant? I thought Gene said that I just need to read it, then the summon creature will appear to strike an agreement with me?” Monty rubbed his eyes and scowled blearily at the ultra-long piece of parchment laid in front of him.

After dinner, he booked a room in the inn for the night and began to try summoning Pengu, eager to get familiar with the summoned creature. But he did not expect the chant to be so long and filled with foreign words. And not to forget, seemingly useless. Pengu had not appeared even once, and he had already repeated the insanely lengthy chant five times over.

“Maybe I should just try it tomorrow.” Monty sent the scroll a final glare before rolling it up. He was halfway done when a deep sinister-sounding voice boomed behind him.

“Stuuuuupid human. I was sleeping, and your dull monotonous voice just made my sleep deeper. I’m going to miss Seluna’s voice.”

Monty whirled around, to see a human sized emperor penguin with a large calligraphy pen staring condescendingly at him. He gulped once. “P-Pengu?”

“That’s me.” The summon creature strolled over to Monty’s bed and sat down, all the while looking at Monty imperiously. “Tell me, stuuuuupid human, why did you repeat the chant five times?”

“Huh?” Monty replied intelligently, gaining an ‘are you so idiotic you have no brains’ look. Suppressing the urge to sob at the injustice of being bullied by a penguin, Monty answered in a small voice. “I thought I read it wrong, and that is it not working.”

“Oh yea… I forgot, the chant was written in our language, not common tongue. That’s why humans don’t understand it. Or they won’t be reading all that flowery disgusting praises, and repeated it for five times, disturbing my precious sleep.”

“Praises?”

Pengu rolled his eyes. “Stuuuuupid human. Praises such as ‘you are so lovely that all the light will shine on you’ and similar stuff. Oh yeah, I forgot, you don’t understand our language. Anyway, only the first paragraph of the chant breaks my seal and the rest are useless praising. And my seal was broken so long time ago that this chant is no longer necessary.”

As proof, Pengu raised his pen and stabbed the parchment with the tip, effectively cutting the scroll into half. “See? So, tell me, why did you summon me?”

Monty then sighed and gave the penguin a quick summarised version of what he told Gene.

“Hmm… since I’m already out, I might as well help you. And you seem more fun to bully than Gene, though I’m seriously going to miss Seluna. Okay, that settles it. I’ll accompany you, but on the condition that you don’t torture my ear with that stupid chant. Or I’ll leave. Get it?”

“Go-”

“What in the Heavens are you doing here?!”

“What the hell are YOU doing here?!”

Two outraged voices interrupted his reply and he blinked at the scene before him. Pengu, with his pen held out like a sword was glaring fiercely at the figure floating outside the window. The angelic being Monty met in the Rowplei forest. Seraph. Who was also glaring ferociously at the other summoned creature.

“Eh… guys…”

“Shut up!” Two voice ranged out in unison, and proceeded to make Monty’s night, as inhumane as his last, by means of insane quarrelling.

Poor Monty.

—

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