“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I dip my head in a shallow bow. “I am Lourianne. May I have a name to address you by?”

“Shuba.” The shuba pauses, freezing in place. After a moment, its lower body continues to flutter. “Shuba…regum."

So, Dark Lord. It communicates through the shubas but its medium isn’t the best conversationalist. Seems I’ll have to keep things simple. “I have called upon you as I wish to form a contract. If this is agreeable to you, please say shuba.”

“Shuba.”

“Excellent. Then, I will start by telling you what I have to offer.” Feeling a bit of showmanship, I throw out my arms. “I know you have knowledge of this realm. There are many creatures for your host to feed on and I shall allow them to do so generously.”

The pressure in the room intensifies but there is something else to it. A distinct aura of satisfaction and excitement. In training the mental affinity, I learned that all creatures give off thought projections that mental casters are sensitive too. The higher the intelligence of the creature, the stronger these thought projections. They can also be amplified through magic. Perhaps that is the “pressure” I’m feeling?

“No food is free. I will list my conditions. If you agree to them, please say shuba.”

“Shuba.”

This is an interesting summoning. With the lack of communication, I can’t properly question the creature. I could bring Geneva in here but…the problem is this Dark Lord is undoubtedly powerful. It is the sole ruler of an entire realm. Good odds it’s stronger than my circle seven don. I'm not sure how she will fare in a game of wits. I don’t know which would be worse, Geneva’s pride that she keeps well-hidden being injured or the Dark Lord taking offense.

That leaves me taking shots in the dark. The record is thoroughly unhelpful here, as the summoner didn’t bother to investigate the realm, content to simply use the shubas for his ends. I have no idea what the shubas can provide in return for a realm full of food. It’s definitely worth more than having the weak creatures under my control.

“The first condition is that every shuba in this realm will abide by my will.” My brows furrow as the pressure in the room shifts. I distinctively feel the Dark Lord’s dissatisfaction. “I’m willing to let you eat in my house but you won’t run rampant. Either I am in control or this doesn’t happen.” There is a pause, a kind of expectant silence where I can tell the Dark Lord is thinking. Then a shift. A feeling of subservience. No, that’s not quite it. Ugh. Maybe I should get Geneva in here, regardless of the possible consequences.

Hm. Yes, it’s not subservience, but allegiance. I believe the Dark Lord wants me to become its subordinate if I want the power to command the shubas. “No.”

Now reluctance. Or, perhaps struggle. I believe it’s saying it’s impossible to command the shubas without being a member of the host. I don’t believe that for a moment. Even the previous summoner was able to command the shubas without swearing allegiance to the Dark Lord. Or, maybe not? It wasn’t something one would be eager to place in a record for any to read, no matter the unspoken expectation for summoners to bare all their secrets for their descendants.

The Dark Lord is not happy with me. The air practically crackles with the powerful creature’s displeasure. Still, I hold my ground. The shubas are convenient but they are hardly my only option. Saints, conquering a piece of the Bleak Peaks alone would be enough to elevate the kingdom’s opinion of summoners and the crown does a fine enough job of ruining its reputation by itself. This is a vanity project, my personal insult to the king who thought it was a good idea to sanction the whole of the summoning community without talking to us. I will make no sacrifices to make this happen.

Again, if the Dark Lord wants to eat at my dinner table, it and its host will be perfect guests.

Our wills clash, the powerful being’s displeasure weighing down the room like a physical thing. Alana is suffering but she soldiers through, gritting her teeth while Kierra keeps a sharp eye on her, ready for the first sign of genuine harm. I stare the golden eye down without flinching.

Sure, I didn’t expect the Dark Lord to be this terrifying but there is something more powerful behind me; the rules of summoning. I believe in them without doubt.

Just like the most fanatic believers in the saints who believe they can do what they think is right and humanity’s heroes will descend from a land of eternal peace and prosperity to defend them should any disagree, I have unshakable confidence that the rules of the art will keep the Dark Lord contained to its realm and it cannot harm me. It can posture all it likes but since it can’t do anything and I need nothing from it, I’m unmoved.

Finally, the harsh aura relents. What replaces it is mild acceptance, tinged with bitterness. I grin, triumphant. “Good. That is simply the rule of engagement. Now, there is the matter of payment.”

Once again, the air becomes tense. I sense anticipation and anger, like an animal waiting for an approaching stranger to make the wrong move so they can lash out. “I have read the methods of harvesting negative energy from a previous summoner. Once the first shuba…bursts, they will gather and I will send them back through to your realm.”

Distinct approval. “At that time, you will offer me a treasure of your realm in payment. I warn you, do not attempt to trick me as I am wise to the ways of elementals. Your payment will decide if our cooperation continues. Please me, and I will continue to see you fed for a long time. Offer me trash and those scraps will be all you get.”

If I contract a shuba, I get nothing but another headache if I don’t watch it carefully while the Dark Lord reaps the benefits. Why shouldn’t I get compensated? The summoner whose record I am working from must have become a part of the Dark Lord’s host as payment, whatever that entails, but that is the last thing I want.

Caution. Hesitant approval. Curiosity. Hm. Do you want to know what I want? “Natural bounties. Affinity stones. Other materials that hold mana well. Powerful weapons.” I sigh dramatically. “I suppose precious metals and jewels may suffice if provided in large enough quantities. If you catch me on a good day.”

Precious metals and gems are rather common, if one looks at it a certain way. There is plenty of gold in the world. It only seems scarce because everyone wants as much of it as they can get their hands on. In the world of magic, gold and gems have little use, except as decorations and ingredients for the odd summoning. However, money is always good to have.

The Dark Lord agrees to my terms from the way the air loses its intensity. Behind me, Alana takes a deep breath.

“Then it is time to make the contract. I will allow the shuba to enter this realm and allow it to feed under my discretion. In return, the shuba will obey my will in all things. My orders will be followed without question or delay and not just the word of the order, but also the spirit of it. Swear upon these terms to the Guardian of Dimensions.”

“…shuba shuba.”

“To seal our contract, I offer you my mana.” The shuba slowly floats toward the edge of the circle. A ghostly limb grows from its side and extends into the ink. After a moment it retracts and floats over the boundary of the circle.

Mm, guess that’s that. The contract wouldn’t have been formed unless the shuba both understood and consented to my conditions under threat of the Guardian.

Inside the circle, the golden reptilian eye squints in pleasure as the dark portal to another realm retracts. My lips twitch as the Dark Lord’s attention intensifies. It feels as if the being isn’t merely looking at me but is trying to peer inside me. Thoroughly uncomfortable but it only lasts for the moments it takes for the portal to close, leaving behind empty air.

“Come here,” I say to the bobbing incorporeal elemental. It ignores me, moving toward Kierra and Alana, the only two sapients. Ah. So that’s the Dark Lord’s game. Who cares if the creature is meant to obey me if I can’t communicate with it? Tricky. Another good reason to leave Geneva outside. It has no idea as to my resources. Come here.

The door opens and Geneva walks in, tail swishing. “Congratulations on a successful contract, my summoner.”

“Thanks. Do you speak shuba?”

“I can communicate with the creature, yes. But the orders will be mine, not yours, even if I invoke your name.”

“Obviously. You’re going to teach me a spell to do it myself. In the meantime, I want you to cast a spell that will translate my spoken words into a command it recognizes.”

“Ah. You think that if you can establish a pattern where it recognizes my mental order as a translation of your words, it will have no choice but to recognize such as your orders. Hopefully it has the intelligence to make such a connection.”

One way to find out. Ready? One, two. “Come here.”

The shuba pauses. Then it turns around and bobs toward me, stopping in front of my chest, the golden circle on its face tilted in the impression it’s meeting my eyes. “Shuba.”

I reach out, fully expecting my hand to phase through. To my surprise, the shuba solidifies and my hand makes contact. I give it a few pats.

It feels like…soft glass? Incredibly, unnaturally smooth for a living thing, but also pliant. Strange. Pleasant, though. I grin as I pet my new elemental. One summoning down, one to go.