Kirev

I placed the round crystal in my palm and covered it with my other hand. I knew doing this would activate it. Activating these orbs would reward me with the appearance of a random summon. It wasn't any different from a random prize vending machine. It all came down to luck. Which of the many great gods would be the first for my roster? It was impossible to tell at this point.

The orb lit up and began to hover out of my hands. The light coming from this floating gem was enough to cause attention. I turned around to make sure no one was watching me from in the surrounding woods.

The shining, pulsing gem flickered through the colours of the rainbow before settling on blue.

The dark silhouette of a divine being manifested from the blinding blue light of the gem.

A summon descended down from the heavens...

It was a god. No... a goddess.

It had to be.

It was a divine goddess, unmatched in beauty.

The silhouette of this woman descended down through the air towards me.

The light had now faded revealing her. My summon was a petite girl with shiny holographic white hair tied in long pigtails. The strands of her hair were everchanging in colours of whites and blues.

"You there. Are you my Summoner?" asked the goddess.

She spoke in a gentle tone.

"I am."

"I am Freya, Queen of the Valkyrie."

This was perfect. My first summon was the Queen of Valkyries. Hopefully, she was a Slayer-class summon, as something with a sword and shield would fit my play style perfectly.

She spoke softly, but confident:

"To determine if you are fit to be my master, you must first beat me in a game of my choosing."

"..."

Was she serious? No way this was standard protocol. If I lost would I lose my first summon? This wasn't how a Summoners first summon was supposed to go. You're always supposed to get your first summon to accompany you without having to defeat them first.

She smiled as she placed her finger on her chin:

"Have you heard of Spell-Blade-Bullet?"

Simply put, Spell-Blade-Bullet was the Summoner's version of rock-paper-scissors. This summon wanted to determine if I was a worthy master by playing a game of rock-paper-scissors? Was she serious?

"Sure. I've heard of it," I said.

"Great. Then I challenge you. If you win, I will fight by your side. If you lose, I will be free to be my own master. Do you agree to these terms?"

Did she wish to be her own master? That was a strange request for a summon. Most summons actually wanted masters because their mana and abilities are considerably weaker when on their own. Summoners were the catalysts that made summons capable of reaching their absolute power.

"I accept your challenge, Freya."

The goddess approached me with her fist out.

I held out my fist as well.

Spell-Blade-Bullet was simple enough. To form a blade I needed to extend all of my fingers outward and have my hand sideways. To form a spell gesture, it was my thumb, index and middle finger outwards with the back of my hand facing upwards and fingers spread out. To do bullet, it was just the ordinary finger-gun gesture, two fingers out, thumb up and hand on its side.

Like in real battles between Summoners, Spell-Blade-Bullet simulated the outcome of real events. Blades beat Spells, as they could deflect and redirect magic. Spells beat Bullets, as Spellcasters could simply stop bullets and projectiles in mid-flight. And Bullets beat Blades, which was pretty common knowledge because deflecting a bullet with a blade was difficult enough as is.

Freya tapped my fist with hers and began counting down from three.

What she didn't know is I had a plan.

If I blurted out my move ahead of time it would throw her off. I'd simply tell her what I was choosing. It would leave her to decide if I was trying to make her counter my move or if I actually was choosing it and trying to screw with her.

She began her countdown.

Three.

Two.

"I'm choosing Blade!" I shouted out loud.

Her fist froze in mid-air on the count of two.

Her eyes widened.

"You're not supposed to tell me! Have you ever played this game before?!"

"I always choose Blade. Let's continue though, keep counting down," I said.

She moved her fist and continued counting down.

Three.

Two.

"Wait..."

She paused.

"Are you trying to trick me??"

"~~No..."

She looked mad.

"I win then if I choose Bullet. But, what if you're lying and you actually are going to choose Spell. That would mean you win!" said the goddess Freya.

"Errrrrrrrrrrrr."

She turned around.

She started pounding on her head.

"If you think I'm lying, choose Blade and we will draw," I said.

"But, if I choose Blade and you choose Bullet then I'll lose!!" said Freya.

"I'm ready to play when you are!"

"You ruined it! Now I can't choose anything!" said Freya.

"Just pick one. Let fate decide."

"Are you some sort of mastermind?! Was this your plan all along?" asked the goddess.

"My plan was for my first summon to challenge me to a game of rock-paper-scissors? Let's just play and see who wins."

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO."

"Then I win by default," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"No! Cheating is not allowed. You're a cheat!"

"So are we going to play?" I asked her.

Freya began her countdown from three again.

Three.

Two.

One.

Freya revealed her move -- Spell.

She looked down at my hand -- Blade.

"Looks like I win."

I shrugged with a big devious smile.

She pointed her finger up at me and shook her head.

"Unbelievable! My potential master is a dirty cheat who can't even play a kids game fair."

"I told you my move in advance. No excuses."

I laughed.

"You were trying to make me second guess my move!"

"I mean if you want to be your own master you can do so.

I was hoping for my first summon to be sword-wielding class type anyways."

I said, suggesting a solution.

Freya's eyes narrowed as she stared me down.

"It's just I've come to the realization you're probably a Spellcaster-type, seeing as you have that book of arcane spells tied to your belt. I'm not really looking for a Spellcaster at the moment. I wouldn't even know where to start. I guess what I'm trying to say is you are free to leave and be your own master if you want that," I said.

Her face began to crunch up, like a toddler about to have a tantrum.

"You're saying you don't want me?! You really are an idiot, you know!"

"I was hoping to roll a Summon class with a sword anyway. I'm not sure I could even use a Spellcaster correctly. It's not my usual playstyle."

"Fine! ~~ That's great! I wanted that anyway," agreed the goddess.

I turned around and waved goodbye.

"Where are you going?!" she asked.

"To set up camp. It'll be dark soon."

I continued to walk away. I could hear her footsteps quietly following me.

"Hmm?"

"~~You're actually planning to leave me here?!"

"That's what you wanted," I said.

"Why would you just abandon me like that?! What kind of Summoner are you?!"

"The smart kind. You didn't want a master. So you're on your own. I'm on my way to find a summon that's actually useful."

"Um, actually useful?! Are you saying I'm useless?!" asked Freya.

"No, I didn't mean that. I mean you're not my type."

"What!! How am I not your type? Now you're saying I'm not pretty enough?!"

I rubbed the back of my neck. I could tell I was just digging myself a deeper hole.

"No. You're quite pretty. I meant I'm used to using a sword. I wouldn't know how to properly use a Spellcaster in my roster. So are you going to continue following me or do you want me to point you in the direction of the nearest settlement?"

I stopped in my tracks, thinking for a second.

"On second thought, if you go to a settlement then Summoners will surely try and defeat you. You see, if you are defeated you'll drop something called a memento. Mementoes from summons allow Summoners to collect and capture gods. They're always looking for powerful summons and new mementoes."

Freya crossed her arms and turned away.

"I'll go in your direction for now. Only until I find a place to make into my own divine settlement. I'll call it Folkvang City! A place where only gods of equal status to me are allowed through my gates!"

"Good idea. Probably safer to avoid settlements if you do go on your own."

I gathered forest greens, mushrooms and moss on my route towards a good camping location. These greens fried in a pan would serve fine as a dinner. I collected as much dry red cedar as I could for fire kindling.

Freya continued following me. She was pulling on my arm constantly and whining whenever she heard a noise in the woods. I tried to get her to carry something but she refused to help.

Despite her being annoying, a little too naggy, and very uptight it was nice to have some company. She was the only being I had any memory of talking to since I woke up in the cave with the obelisk. It was, in some form, a nice change.

"Don't try and think of yourself as my Master now. You're not my Pilot, or my Master or my Summoner. I'm just following you temporarily. We're not teammates or anything. So just get that through your thick skull," said Freya as she cautiously followed me.

Master, Pilot, Summoner-- these were just different words for the same thing. My role was essentially to lead a team of summons, and during combat, I would have to pilot them-- which meant the summon and I would share their body and I would essentially drive and control them while they fed off my mana supply. This is how piloting worked. The difference between a good pilot and a great one was their bond with their summons and their knowledge of when to use their summons effectively.

Having found a suitable place to make camp on a cliffside overlooking a valley, I began immediately on a fire. This is where having a summon who can use the element of fire comes in handy. You'd never be cold and have to worry about using primitive tools to create a warm cosy fire.

Freya sat on a log laughing at my many failed attempts at starting the fire. At first, she held her laughter in, but soon she was outright rolling on the grassy floor cackling away.

I sighed.

"You know you could help a little, right?"

"As a Norse Goddess I've seen plenty of fires made, but this is the saddest attempt I've ever seen!

~~ Are you sure you know what you're doing?!"

I could see she was holding in her laughter.

"If you're going to follow me around at least make yourself useful. Make the tent or something."

"I'm a goddess, not a housekeeper! You should have summoned a maid if you wanted someone to make your bed every night!~~"

"You really are a pain in my ass, you know!"

After an hour, I managed to start the fire. It only took a few attempts after switching to the stick technique, drilling its end to create friction until an ember appeared.

I cooked up the greens, pulverized the mushrooms and fried the reindeer moss. It actually turned out quite good.

Typical of Freya, she refused to eat it.

"I'm not eating grass like a mule!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

Freya leaned in and shouted.

"ERRR. THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!! I'M LEAVING!"

"GOOD!"

We butted heads again. This was becoming pretty common though. The trick here was not letting her win. Even small victories would go to her head.

The sun set. The thick forest that we traveled through became pitch-black as the sun disappeared over the distant mountains.

Eventually, Freya passed out. She used my lap as a pillow and my parka and cloak as blankets. Because of this, I couldn't feel my legs any longer, but I also didn't want to move. Moving would wake her up and her sleeping was the only peace and quiet I could get. She slept sprawled out and snoring. It was not how I imagined a goddess to sleep. To make matters worse, she left no room to lay near the fire, forcing me to shiver all night in the cold.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Crunch! Crunch!

The sounds of trees snapping. The land shaking like tremors from an earthquake.

Smash!

Something was approaching us...

"*Yawn* What is that noise?"

Freya rubbed her tired eyes.

The face of a giant leaned in down upon us. His face was made of shades of metallic silver -- built from moving parts. A mecha of sorts with big shoulders and long horns resembling ears. His eyes were like fog lights framed in camera shutters. His long steel jaw hung open enough to reveal a fleshy tongue and teeth. It wore an enormous white hooded cloak, which it wore like a poncho.

Our cliffside camp was nestled beside a drop that was easily fifty meters to the floor below. This giant had to be even taller than that to lean in down on us.

"I. AM. YMMMIIIIRRRR!"

The giant summon roared its name, while sweeping his arm across the camp. I quickly dived, tackling Freya over, knocking us out of the way of the attack.

The treeline where our camp resided was flattened with one swing of its mighty sweep.

"I'm going to have to pilot you, you realize that don't you? There's no other option," I instructed.

Freya shook her head.

"No, I'll deal with this myself."

A barrier of flowing energy surrounded Freya. Her book of arcane magic hovered in front of her, flipping through its pages as Norse runes appeared by her side.

Nordic tattoos now decorated her arms and legs, her eyes lit up like lightning flashing in a thunderstorm. Her hair flew wildly in the wind.

She began to channel her spell.

Could I have been underestimating her this whole time?

"Spears of the Weapon-dead, Wings of the Valkyrie! Open the gates and bear witness! Take this soul in front of me as tribute! CLAIM THIS SOUL AND BANISH IT. TO. FOLK...VANG!" chanted Freya as she entered into her [Alpha] state.

Freya launched her ultimate Folkvang -- a barrage of chilling energy blasts rained down from above, which after colliding into the giant, formed one enormous fiery blue explosion.

The attacks careened into the metal giant, hitting him like a solid right hook from a giant of equal size.

Freya turned and gave a cocky smirk in my direction.

"Easy."

She stumbled to keep her balance.

The giant roared once more. This time he seemed to be enraged more than before.

"GGAAARRRHHHHH!"

The metal beast screamed.

"URRAAAHGG!!"

Freya turned her attention back to the giant, shocked that her ultimate didn't decimate him.

"How can this be?! ~~~"

The giant swung his arms down knocking Freya against the floor, rolling her towards me.

"HHHRRRGGGGHH!!"

I extended my hand out to her.

"You have to let me pilot... or we'll lose right here. Freya, come on. We can beat Ymir, but we need to do it together."

Her mana capacity was empty, spent from her single magic attack, which caused her to be nearly lifeless.

"I've defeated Norse giants before. So Ymir got one good hit in. It's no big deal," said Freya.

"Don't be stubborn. Your mana is depleted. You know you can't fight him in this condition!!"

Freya turned her head away from me.

"Come on, damnit!"

Freya wouldn't let me pilot. Not yet. I'd have to figure out another solution.

Ymir prepared for another attack.

"Hhhhrrgggh!"

He looked down at the lifeless Freya. He was going in for the kill.

I couldn't let this happen.

I've never fought anything of this size before.

I didn't even know how to engage him.

But I had to act fast...

Ymir was about to swing...

Out of instinct -- I dived in to save her.

Ymir paused, cancelling his attack. Instead of smashing down his fists on top of us he simply flicked us into the treeline, like if I was an ant crawling on his leg.

"AAAAHHHHhhhhhh!"

I flew into the side of a tree and fell to the floor below. Freya was laying beside me. She could barely open her eyes. Her mana was dwindling. She was close to defeat, which meant so was I.

"Fuck.... ---"

Just the flick of the colossal summon's finger had me coughing out blood and wishing for death. I couldn't feel my ribs. I wheezed and gasped for air, but it felt like my lungs were collapsed. I couldn't imagine enduring an actual blow from Ymir. No wonder Freya was in rough shape.

Even with a proper weapon, I wouldn't be able to take down a summon like Ymir. Not on my own. Not without piloting a summon.

I kneeled down beside my fading goddess.

"It's over. Just like that."

I spoke under my breath.

I rested my head against her chest.

I could hear her heart still beating.

Freya reached over and grabbed hold of my hand.

"I am ready," she said, with a reluctant nod.

Usually to pilot a summon you require an item of theirs. Equipping this item, called a memento, you can transform into the summon at will.

But, for your first time piloting you must both forge a contract between one another. To do this, first touch has to be made and both must agree to be companions to one another.

Now that we had made first touch, our contract was complete. Now all I needed to do to pilot Freya was to speak the verse of the Spellcaster.

Each class of summon required a verse.

This verse had to be spoken in the lost language.

With it, I could pilot Freya.

The verse of a Spellcaster was...

Ko, the word for Ice and Reason.

Sa, the word for Fire and Passion.

Ki, the word for Energy and Power.

Ra, the word for Light and Knowledge.

I shouted, holding my damaged ribs:

"KO - SAAA - KI - RAAA !!!"

A bolt of lightning overcame me.

In this instance, I became ethereal.

While in a piloting state my body existed no longer. I was Freya and she was me. Freya and I were one entity. I now felt in control of her movement. I could move her fingers and close her fingers to make a fist.

And I knew magic. I KNEW MAGIC!

Not only did we share control of her actions, but our thoughts were interlinked and shared as well. And now because of our fusion, Freya relied solely on my mana, stamina and health.

This moment was spectacular. It felt like being in control of a mech, and I was the operator living inside its head. But, it wasn't a mech it was a divine god; a petite goddess of near-limitless power.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Summoner," said the goddess.

"Yeah, trust me. I got this."