Day 3.1

August was dirty, sore, and tired, but the summon [Pit] was complete.

Still, he felt hesitant to actually use it; there was so much he didn’t know about this strange situation and the skills, roles and other considerations surrounding him. Out of all of the things in Devil’s Nest that he’d seen, summoning something could be what killed him. If whatever appeared was capable of escaping the [Pit], then using [Summon] would be the catalyst to his death.

He’d also be willingly stepping into a dangerous situation where he would need to do one of two things; either he would be able to tame the monster, or he’d be forced to kill it with his spear. Ladybug nudged up against his leg, careful to avoid spiking him with her appendages. August reached out to scratch the creature’s fur and used [Tame] to feed the monster some of his Mana.

“I’m going to need your help here, Ladybug,” August said, eyes locked on the Pit.

Whichever of the two options ended up being the reality, he’d need to make a decision within five seconds of the monster appearing. August hated this kind of thing, but he was glad he had the time to decide beforehand.

The options he knew about so far were; [Efkini], [Otrogon], and [Mitikos].

If he summoned a [Efkini], he’d need to kill it immediately because he already knew from his experience with Ladybug that he wouldn’t be able to deal with it if the monster turned aggressive. Too fast, with a piercing range attack that was unblockable for him, and he doubted the [Pit] would hold the monster for long given how much damage the spikes did to the trees in the forest. He was counting on Ladybug to help him if that was the case.

A [Otrogon] was probably the safest option, provided it wasn’t bigger than the [Pit] he’d be able to bury it under enough wood and soil to render it incapable of defending itself, at which point he could use [Tame] without fear of being bitten.

The [Mitikos] was going to have to get killed as well because he had no idea how dangerous it was yet. If his spear didn’t work against its body, he’d bury it in enough soil and then figure out how to kill it. If it wasn’t any of the three he’d encountered, he’d probably have to kill it just for lack of information on what it would be capable of doing; That was probably the worst-case scenario out of all of them.

August gripped his spear, which lay horizontally across his lap, and wondered if he shouldn’t put this off until he’d made a better weapon first. Some kind of armour would better keep him safe should he get attacked.

“Procrastination,” August murmured. “If I put it off in favour of something else, I’ll keep coming up with reasons to wait.”

He gritted his teeth before forcing himself to move over to the edge of the [Pit] and stared through the branches, imagining some horror staring back up at him with a mouth filled with too many teeth.

“Ladybug, get ready,” August said seriously, “We might have to fight.”

Ladybug twitched at the tone and became still—August closed his eyes, and then stuck his arm down through the gaps up until the shoulder, before reaching for that same feeling he had when using [Analysis], directing his focus towards his hand in an attempt to direct the impending spell into the [Pit].

“[Summon],” August said, feeling the rush of energy burst out of his fingertips.

Blue light sparks across the [Pit], tracing a thousand overlapping circles and geometric designs into the walls. The shapes flickered into existence before vanishing again before he could register more than a glimpse of each.

August pulled his arm out and planted his legs, pointing the spear between the gaps near the middle of the [Pit]. The soil walls hardened into a solid, unnatural grey, the concentric designs searing themselves into it like a masterwork engraving. Then, the light faded all at once, leaving a large unmoving form behind, face down in the dirt.

Summon Voithos Completed

“[Analysis],” August said, fingers tightening around the shaft of the spear until his knuckles went white.

Voithos

Level 1

A member of the Voithos, the third artificial organic race, designed, grown, and used as a labour force before they were later decommissioned.

August’s mind raced to make his decision—[Summon Voithos] was one of his quests, and he’d originally thought that the word had been some exotic word for the monsters of Devil’s Nest, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

An artificial organic race, what did that mean exactly? The people who’d lived here before he arrived, the ones who’d named the moons, the planet, and this island, the ones who were responsible for the serial number he’d seen in the summary—they’d made a race? Had they made the [Efkini] and the other monsters here?

“This is…” A voice said, sounding lost and confused. “Dirt?”

August’s hands shook as he tried to come to terms with the fact that it could talk. His eyes raced around the bottom of the [Pit] in an attempt to catalogue everything there. This [Voithos] looked like a person, with grey-pattered skin and too many arms. Curled up as it was, it still almost filled the Pit, and August was sure that if it stood upright, it would tower over him.

“How is there dirt here?” The [Voithos] said, rising in volume and energy. “This can’t be—I’m—I’m actually alive?”

August couldn’t bring himself to make a noise, fear and a burning curiosity fighting for dominance within him, the five seconds he’d given himself to make a decision long since passed. The figure's arms moved, pushing upwards, and August found his voice.

“Stay exactly where you are; I have a weapon,” August said clearly.

The [Voithos] turned to look upwards—a human face, eyes, ears, and nose. Male features, expressive eyebrows and dark hair, complete with a dumbstruck look on his face.

“The sky—I’m back!” The Voithos gasped, lifting all six of his hands up and clenching his fists tightly. “Yes! Yes!”

August fought not to stab him in the face as he continued to push himself to his feet and found himself taking a step backwards as his head struck the branches lining the top of the [Pit]. Ladybug trilled something sharp in response to seeing the Voithos wrap one of his hands around the branch above him. He didn’t know whether this was the average size of these [Voithos], but he was easily approaching seven feet.

“Don’t move!” August repeated, stepping forward and pointing the spear right in his face. “Last warning.”

“Of course,” The [Voithos] said, looking a bit taken aback. “How did you—may I ask a question, child of Gaia?”

“I’m not a child, jackass,” August said, frowning. “As long as you stay in the hole, you can ask whatever the hell you want—who are you?”

“My name is Rittan!” Rittan said, clenching his fists again. “How have you drawn me from out of Limbo—not that I am not grateful, I very much am, but I did not think it was possible. May I have your name?”

His voice was bright, and filled with a sort of barely restrained relief he’d never seen in the old world. Limbo? Like the place between death and the afterlife?

“My name is August,” August said, almost stumbling over the sound of his own name. “I have no idea why, but I’m able to summon Voithos—are you dead? Did I bring you back to life?”

“Summon? I’m unaware of what that entails, sadly,” Rittan said, clearly unfamiliar with the idea. “I was very much dead; The decommissioning process was quite fatal, I’m afraid.”

August had about a hundred questions about everything he’d just said, but he was also not exactly sure whether or not he could let his guard down yet—he hadn't at all expected something that could talk.