Syl

"So now that he's dead, can you actually tell me a bit about Summoners?" I asked Trixie. "I assume you immediately knew those monsters were summoned."

Trixie hummed and hawed a bit before nodding, "Okay, I think it's fine to answer a few questions. And yes, I did know they were summoned. They're quite different from normal monsters, even with a basic [Mana Conception] trait."

"You're calling [Mana Conception] basic while I'm still stuck on [Mana Sight]..." Vee grumbled.

"I mean, I was born with it," Trixie said with a shrug.

"Okay. So those monsters gave me experience. What's stopping a Summoner from just grinding their own monsters?" I asked.

"Experience debt," Trixie answered, shuddering as she did. "Every summon costs a bit of experience, with most of its cost being taken by Mana. You can't drop down a level, but you can rack up a debt which will delay your next level."

"So I wasn't unique in being in some debt. Interesting.

"That's potentially very powerful if you get to a high level. You could just summon infinite monsters, assuming you had the Mana?" Vee asked.

Trixie nodded, "It's definitely a strategy employed by Summoners. Get to a comfortable level, and don't worry too much about ever reaching your next level. There's a catch, though, you don't want to die while in debt. There are dire consequences for doing so."

I'm guessing it's similar to my situation. I died in my last life with a lot of boons before accomplishing anything and was turned into an [Experiment]. I suppose Gramps and the others can't reap as much if they owe levels. If even Trixie worries about the consequences, it must be extraordinarily bad. It's a good thing I paid off my debt, or maybe Gramps would have made me reincarnate as something even beneath a slime, like perhaps an ant or a bug.

"Okay. That explains why they don't just farm their own monsters; they'd be sacrificing their growth. So how does one unlock the Summoner class?" I asked.

"You're born with it unlocked or not at all," Trixie answered.

"Damn."

Trixie shrugged, "Not like you need the class. Honestly, I think you have more than enough going on already. [Dimension Magic] is way better than [Summoning]."

"I'd disagree, but I'm guessing I haven't exactly seen its pinnacle. Unless we count what that demon was doing?" Vee asked.

"Kinda... Not many demons have magic; instead, their affinity is incorporated into their being. A form of almost natural sorcery, if that makes sense?" Trixie answered.

"Not really, but thanks," Vee replied.

I tried to think of an example from the many profiles I'd consumed at this point, but I was drawing a blank. At best, I could assume it was something like an organ, like the [Inferno Sac], which generated something when fed with Mana.

"But yeah. You both should be super grateful. [Dimension Magic] is so scarce," Trixie stated.

"What else is on par with it or above it?" I asked curiously.

Trixie didn't reply immediately, taking time to mull it over. I thought she might have given a non-answer, but she surprised both of us.

"[Time Magic] and [Golemancy]," Trixie answered. "Those are the two that immediately come to mind."

"Really? Making golems is on par, but not summoning monsters?" Vee asked with surprise.

"Yes, because unlike summoning, they are almost unrestricted," Trixie explained. "Sure, it costs you resources and time, and your resources spent affect your results, but you aren't paying in experience, and from what I've heard, there's almost no cap on the amount of golems you can have."

"I guess the Kingdom of Keld makes more sense now," I commented.

Trixie snapped her fingers, "Exactly! Also, unlike [Summoning], it allows you to have other affinities. This is another reason you'd hate it, Syl, as one the drawbacks in Summoning is having no magical affinities yourself other than summoning."

"Huh... That's a bummer, but why?" I asked.

"You have to remain entirely neutral to be able to summon anything. If you somehow end up with an affinity, you will be restricted to only summoning monsters that match your affinity."

"Sheesh!" Vee interjected. "Now that is a big downside."

"Yeah. No summoning for me," I chuckled.

We had finally reentered the walls, and most of the dwarves were still cheering and celebrating. Boasts were going all around, and plenty of places offered free booze; you'd think they had just had a festival instead of a siege. I even overheard some dwarves boasting and hoping the kobolds made big attacks like this more often.

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Crazy dwarves. Although I guess I have to agree, it's a great experience right to your doorstep, compared to the humans in Stantondale, who were so grim about the prospects of being attacked.

When we had broken from the traffic, I asked one of the city guards if they could give me directions to the elven embassy. After getting directions, I started heading in that direction.

"So... [Time Magic]?" Vee asked Trixie, who had yet to split with us.

"Incredibly powerful and dangerous," Trixie responded. "The downside is it takes up massive amounts of Mana to use on any big scales, so they tend to focus on one or two targets."

"So I'd be perfect for it?" I asked.

Trixie sighed, "Yes. You have an immense Mana reserve. But it's something you are born with, so I don't expect you'll be able to get it."

"Yeah, but you said the same about Dimension, and I evolved to get it," Vee countered.

"A Time Slime?" I suggested with a smirk.

"Punny!" Trixie giggled. "But I seriously doubt it. I can't think of any monsters, mutation or otherwise, that have anything Time-related. It's probably something solely for the humanoid races."

"So, no walking clock monsters or something like that?" Vee asked.

Trixie shook her head.

"And I don't know how you'd trigger a mutation requirement," I admitted reluctantly. "Like, you got Dimension affinity adjacently through advancing shrinking. What could I possibly do like that? Go backward or forwards in time?"

"Technically, we're all going forward in time," Vee teased.

"Boo!" Trixie jeered. "Puns are great. Logic jokes are terrible."

While we continued to chat, I had an idea about how I might qualify for a time-related mutation. If I found a time-based dungeon artifact, perhaps I could use it on myself. If I repeatedly exposed myself to the item equivalent of [Time Magic], that could be enough to open an option to something.

Or maybe I can convince Mother and Gramps to make me one during our next talk? Still, 24 levels to go till my next evolution... It feels so far away. Vee's massive upgrade has me feeling a bit antsy at wondering what I'll be offered. A further progression down this mimic line, or something to upgrade [Core Collective]? Something entirely new? Ahh, I want to know!

When we neared our destination, Trixie fluttered off my head and sighed.

"Okay, I'll go tell Thern and gang what happened."

"Yeah, we can meet at the adventurers guild. That way, I can tell Lukhek at the same time," I replied.

"Sure thing. Just so you know, I charge extra for being a messenger pixie," Trixie teased before poofing from sight.

"I hate when she does that," Vee commented.

"I thought I'd finally be able to see through her with [Illusion Resistance] combined with [Magic Resistance (Greater)], but apparently, I was mistaken," I replied. "Either her skills upgraded, or she was holding back the other times I had briefly seen through her ruses."

"That's slightly terrifying," Vee admitted. "I guess it's a good thing she's mostly limited to illusions, then?"

"Well, unless she has something to make the illusions real, like the Cait Sith I fought. But I trust Trixie; she swore a spirit's oath to me."

"To you, but I don't think I'm included in that arrangement. Plus, the stories I've read say to never trust fairies or pixies."

"Look... I know it's kinda frustrating when she doesn't answer things, but she does help."

"When it suits her," Vee complained.

"Look... I'll try to talk to her a bit about it. But she never really joined me with the requirement of being forced to help out. She kinda just wanted to be along for the ride, if that makes sense?"

Vee sighed, "It does, but it's also extremely unfair. We are fighting for our lives, but she can just go, 'Oops, sorry, I can't get involved'? I feel like friends should do more than that."

"She mentions restrictions a lot," I offered. "And trust me, I know she can be tightly bound to her word. I'll speak with her. It's tough; I feel like I'm in the middle, but I agree that if our lives are on the line, she should help. I'd help if her life was on the line, and the same goes with you."

"Thanks, Syl," Vee replied. "For what it's worth, I trust you. Although you probably knew that already from this bond thing."

I nodded, "Speaking of which. We should look into finding ways to further benefit from it besides giving you some training boosts."

"Sounds good! Thanks!" Vee said happily.

The elven embassy was located in the noble district of Dhoggurum. Unlike Kaerlin, however, it wasn't so strictly segregated, although it did feature more visible security and opulent-looking streets.

The roads were tiled with decorative carvings as trimmings and were immaculately clean. Despite there not being a physical barrier to entry, I did have one guard ask if he could assist me, which doubled as him scoping out my intentions. However, he instantly brightened up when I mentioned the elven embassy and offered to show me the way.

Yay for not getting lost again. Seriously, how do the dwarves get around this giant square maze without constantly consulting [Mapping]?

The elf embassy was a masterpiece of organic architecture, seamlessly blending into the underground cavern it inhabited. Its smooth, ivory-white walls had been carved from luminous stone, etched with delicate, swirling patterns that shimmered faintly. Crystal windows reflected the glow of bioluminescent fungi, casting an ethereal radiance.

Despite being underground in a dwarven city, a breathtaking garden flourished around the small mansion, fed by a magical spring.

Luminescent flowers bloomed in shades of blue and violet, their petals gently pulsing like living stars. Vines with silver leaves draped over trellises, and some trees were on what I presumed was the lawn.

"Holy crap, I think we found where the elf lives," Vee spoke in fascination. "It's like he's somehow transplanted the surface into the underground. Crazy!"

I thanked the guard for his assistance, and he gave a cheery smile and waved before continuing with his day.

"So... Throw the bag at them and get out?" Vee asked.

"Is it wrong that I kind of want to see what's inside?" I asked.

"Oh, hell yes! I was worried I was the only one," Vee answered immediately. "I was going to suggest I [Blink] inside and have a look-see. But if you also want to, I don't need to risk it."

"Yeah... Don't do that," I warned. "For all we know, they have some teleportation detection ward or something worse. The last time I spoke to Tamnaeth, he seemed relatively nice, if a bit nervous. I'm sure he won't mind us having a little tour. If he refuses the bag, I can just drop it off in a room."

"Sounds like a plan!" Vee agreed.

As I approached the mansion, a well-dressed dwarf in what I could only describe as a butler's attire approached.

"Good day, ma'am. I hope you are well. Your eventual visit has been expected for some time."

"You're expected?" Vee questioned.

"I guess that makes things easy?" I quickly replied mentally to Vee.

"Thank you. Is Tamnaeth home?" I asked.

The butler dwarf nodded, "If you'll just follow me inside. I'm sure my coworkers are preparing the tea room as we speak."

"Wow, you're really getting the royal treatment!" Vee said excitedly. "I can't wait to see what they have for us!"

This silly spider and her stomach...