Emett:

I followed Evan through the door, and stepped into a large room, the wall and floor made of well-polished stone. There was a large golden circle inlaid into the center of the room, surrounded by a statue in each of the four corners, all looking at that center point.

Opposite the door I entered was a statue of a large snake made of fire, Salamander, I assumed, and another being that seemed like one of the golems in the castle but...rougher. Rather than being polished, this golem seemed to be made directly from unpolished boulders, with irregular crags jutting out of the main body, especially on the back. That would probably be the spirit I invoked earlier that day, the snarky little shit.

I looked behind me as I walked into the room to see the other two statues. One was of a woman with the tail of a fish instead of legs, holding a trident. That must be Undine, who Salamander isn't a fan of. She stood in the corner opposite the statue of Salamander. Opposite the golem was a statue without as clear of a figure as the rest. It seemed to be an orb wrapped in a nest of wings, presumably the elemental spirit of air.

Aside from Evan and myself, there was another woman in the room. She wore a brilliant red robe, one that gave the impression of being on fire without actually ignoring physics the way Evan's did. Maybe Evan's robes were a function of the Notice yesterday about physics being disabled? I'd have to ask about that later.

I approached the woman. "I'm Emett, The Summoner. I assume you'd be the Head Evoker?"

"Yes," she said, "I am. But you can call me Emmy. Are you aware-"

"Yes, I am aware of the Binding," I said, agitated.

"That's going to-" she started.

"Yes, it's going to be a problem," I said. "The only stipulation was to make a Pact with Salamander before Undine. Can you guys help me so I can get rolling with all this?"

"We can try," Emmy said, "but it'll probably take some time. If Pacts were easy, everyone would be able to summon the elemental spirits. Still, may as well get started now and hopefully we'll have you fixed up by the end of the week."

"The end of the week?" I asked. "I'm a Disciple! I've got things to do!"

"We know you're The Summoner," Evan said, "which is why we're betting it'll be as quick as a week. Did you think summoning quasi-divine powers was going to be something that was quick and easy?"

"It has been so far!' I said.

"Please," Emmy scoffed. "You've been asking blindly and have been lucky they've been listening. You need a more substantive agreement with them, and that's going to take some negotiation. You're gonna need to slow your roll if you want to actually be good at this. Take a seat in the middle of the circle when you're ready, if you're done complaining."

"Before all of...whatever you're planning," I said, holding my hands up, "I was rather hoping to get some sort of explanation on what, exactly, is happening."

"What do you mean?" Emmy asked. "We need to get you a Pact so you can do your job as The Summoner without accruing a Binding every time."

"Okay, the Binding I've picked up on, but..." I said, trailing off. "Please, I am very new to this. Back up and explain it all like I know nothing? Because I know nothing."

Emmy took a deep breath. "You're right, you're right. We all need to slow down a moment. So what do you know about summoning? You've obviously been able to call Salamander at least once."

"Not much at all," I admitted. "Once I was picked as The Summoner it occurred to me, probably from some sort of divine inspiration, to basically beg to various incredibly powerful beings, and they'll answer. They're grumpy about it, though."

"That's it?" Evan asked. "That's all you know?"

"That's about it," I confirmed.

"It's kind of amazing you stumbled into a binding, then," Evan said. "So, the short of it is that summoned entities in general, and the elemental spirits in general, don't grant power or service for free. There's always a price. In your case, Salamander's binding."

"But I Invoked the big earthy guy as well," I said, "and he didn't ask for anything."

"Any grand magic, or just a weapon?" Evan asked.

"Just a weapon," I said.

"That'd explain it," Evan replied. "Invocations are a little less dramatic in general, so you may not have noticed the price. If you don't have a pact, generally they'll act as a weapon for you, and reinforce some aspect of combat for you while draining another. In Gnome's case, he'll fortify you against attack while leaving you a bit slower than normal. It'll resolve itself once the Invocation ends, though."

I nodded. That tracked with what I had experienced in the altercation with the Apostates. "And Evocations - bigger effects at a higher price?"

"More a different price," Emmy said. "They tend to be more esoteric, restricting your future actions for a time."

"There's no time limit on my Binding," I said. "At least, not that Salamander mentioned."

"That's a bit unusual," Emmy said, "but not unheard of. Especially given that you're The Summoner, getting it resolved is an inevitability. He likely didn't feel the need for additional urgency."

"Okay," I said, "so what's the deal with the Pacts, then?"

"They're sort of a way to pay the price up front," Emmy said. "You commune with the spirits, offer up some of your potential for them, and in return they'll grant you either a Pact of Evocation or Invocation without further cost in the future. It's about the only way to reliably get things done if you're going to summon them regularly, which, as The Summoner, you will."

"Evocation or Invocation?" I asked. "Can I get both?"

"You can," Evan said, "Convocation Pacts. It's generally considerably more restrictive to do so, though."

"What are the costs of the Pacts, usually?" I asked.

"It varies from deal to deal," Evan said. "In my case, I gave up any ability to learn Pyromancy in return for an Invocation Pact with Undine."

I nodded again. "Okay, I think I've got a handle on this. The middle of the circle to get started, then?"

Emmy nodded back to me, and I walked into the middle of the golden circle, taking a seat. On closer inspection, the circle was covered in geometric designs, and writing in a language I was wholly unfamiliar with.

"Did you get anything from the King of Light with the letter?" Evan asked. "If you did, get it out. It doesn't always help, but if it's a conduit to summoning it'll probably work on its own here. When you've done that, close your eyes, and reach out to the spirits in your head. If it works, they'll guide you through the rest."

I pulled the book I received from the King into my lap. I took a moment to examine it, since I hadn't had a chance to before now. The cover of the book was covered in a gold embossment, with designs on it that looked similar to those etched into the circle I was currently sitting on. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

"Wait," I heard Emmy saying, "is that the Ars-"

I didn't hear the rest of her sentence as the world faded away, an experience that was becoming distressingly familiar.