Chapter 327: Splitting the Party (1/2)
Apparently, Morris's summoning affinity followed along with his innate love of history and knowledge, leading to his summons embodying those traits. Unfortunately, such qualities didn't lend themselves well to the role of a vanguard, so a little trial and error was necessary.
His first two attempts yielded an animate book that was able to fight by throwing bits of paper folded into lethally sharp projectiles, and a spectral manifestation of a soldier from a historical battle.
The first was helpful to some extent, but quickly disintegrated when it was skewered by one of the fishmen they encountered shortly after leaving the shop. As a result, Morris was forced to hurriedly step up to occupy the rest while Sera took them down from a distance.
Initially, the second seemed like it was a bit more reliable. After all, it had appeared clad in ghostly armor and carrying a sword and shield. It was only after the group was ambushed by a school of housecat-sized flying fish that the weakness of the creature became apparent. Since it was a spectral creature without any real body, the soldier was unable to even touch the monsters and apparently could only help by raising the morale of its allies.
”Perhaps we need to consider some other alternatives.” Morris said with a sigh while Mike was healing his flying fish induced injuries.
”Now, now. Just because the first two attempts failed, doesn't mean this isn't a decent option. You just need to make sure that you maintain a clear idea of what you want when you activate the scroll.”
There was a soft rush of air followed by a distant impact as Sera neatly dispatched the last of the fleeing monsters with a well-placed arrow.
The bard stood up stiffly, ”I understand that, it's just...this isn't exactly easy. When I'm using one of the scrolls, I'm trying to maintain the image of a vanguard and I can tell that the spell is working to compensate, but it feels odd.”
”Odd how?”
”Well, it feels like it keeps...sliding, I guess? Like I try to get it to target one type of creature, but for whatever reason, it can't latch on and instead ends up selecting something else entirely.”
[Weird. I've never had an experience like that before. Is it because he's doing this without having the actual skill?]
By this point, Sera had finished retrieving her arrows and had moved to join them while adding her own commentary. ”I think you're trying too hard. You need to relax a bit.”
Morris looked over at her. ”Is that something you've foreseen?”
”No, but I have a little bit of experience with difficult to use skills, and I can tell that you are trying to force it.” She shot back sharply, and then added in a more gentle tone. ”Just let it flow and it will work out.”
There was a few seconds of silence as Morris digested this advice, before he nodded and pulled out another scroll. ”Alright, let's try it again.”
He concentrated on the strip of paper, muttering under his breath as he did so. A magic circle formed on the sodden street, glowing particles eventually resolving into a solid form.
Their first impression of the summoned creature was that of a tall and long-haired woman. However, her non-human nature quickly became apparent when one looked down to where her legs should have started. Rather than the usual humanoid lower half, she had a long and sinuous, snake-like body clad in tan colored scales that matched her sandy blonde hair. A closer examination of her face also revealed that her pale green eyes had vertical, slitted pupils.
Her torso was encased in a light grey tunic of a silken material that hung loosely from her slender frame, and she was carrying a long bladed spear with a spiked crossguard in her hands. Judging from the ease with which she handled it, she was quite skilled in its use.
While the three of them were staring at the new arrival, she fixed Morris with an intense gaze and, ”....Hissss.”
[A forked tongue...no, I mean, she hisses?]
”A lamia, huh?” Sera commented dryly. ”So this is a true representation of your soul?”
The bard glared at her. ”For your information, lamias are well known for their academic pursuits, and their desert homeland is world renowned for their libraries. I'm sure that she is representative of my innate love of learning and pursuit of knowledge in all forms.”
”That could be the case.” She shot back with a grin. ”Or could it be that you have a preference for scaly women?”
”That's not-” Morris was cut off as the lamia suddenly moved forward and put herself protectively between him and Sera while glaring fiercely in the Oracle's direction.
”Aww, she likes you already. How nice.”
Morris looked stricken for a moment, but finally sighed. ”Whatever…At least I managed to summon a decent vanguard.”
”Hmm? Are lamias really powerful or something?” Mike asked.
The bard nodded. ”While they are better known for their knowledge and command of magic, lamias are also famous for their martial prowess. Supposedly, a single lamia has the strength of five normal men and can move with the speed of a striking serpent. Combine this with their natural flexibility and durability, and they are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.”
”Sounds promising. Let's see what she can do before the summoning spell ends.”
With the lamia in the lead, the group resumed their exploration. They quickly encountered another group of fishmen in the remnants of an old market. The dozen or so monsters were seemingly gathered together in some kind of meeting, but quickly turned to attack once the party entered the 'room.'
While Sera was the first to act, putting arrows through the bulbous and staring eyes of the first two attackers, the lamia was quick to respond as well. With a flick of her snake-like lower half she practically flew across the room and began cutting her way through the monsters with graceful sweeping motions of her spear.
In a handful of seconds, before Morris even had a chance to reach the enemy and Sera could do more than fire another shot, the fishmen were all slain, bodies dispersing into particles and leaving behind a handful of tiny red mana cores.
Task complete, the lamia turned back to her summoner, bowed slightly, and vanished herself as the spell came to an end.
While the bard was still staring thoughtfully at the spot she disappeared from, Mike stepped forward and slapped him on the back. ”Well, I think we found the direction we need to go in from now on. That was a hell of a summon.”
”Very effective, yes.” Morris replied distractedly. ”She really lived up to the reputation...it's just... does this seem right to you? Like does this outcome make sense?”