Rakshas: Tales of the Summoned Lord

The meeting chamber was silent, save for the faint crackling of a lantern burning in the corner. The gathered warriors sat in disciplined postures, their eyes fixed on Allen with unwavering focus.

Changes is summoning?

After Allen broken through to Gold Rank, a monumental achievement, everyone guessed their might be changes to his ability but what exactly is insanely intriguing.

For Allen to claim that the changes were one of the reasons that gave him confidence to split their forces, it must be outstanding.

And now here they are on the cusp of something that could change the future planning.

Allen exhaled, feeling the weight of his own words before speaking them aloud.

"As I said before, there has been a change."

Immediately, all attention sharpened. Even Hilter, always composed, narrowed his eyes slightly. Stroud leaned forward, his fingers interlocked. Loran tilted his head, intrigued, while Mara adjusted her glasses, ready to analyze whatever was coming next.

Allen let the silence settle before continuing. "My summoning ability has evolved."

A ripple of reaction passed through the group. No one spoke yet, waiting for further elaboration.

Allen placed a hand on the table and tapped it slowly, gathering his thoughts. "It's not the same random system as before. Ever since I broke through, I can… see something inside me, a space of my own consciousness and withdrew it resides a sigil, an arcane mark. It's similar to the Mark of Styles, but different. More intricate. More alive."

The moment he said that, Mara's eyes gleamed with interest. "Alive? In what way?"

"It moves, and changes. " Allen replied. "Like a progress bar, slowly filling over time. When full, the sigil changes color—from complete darkness to Bronze, then Iron, then Silver, and finally Gold. Whatever color it is when I summon will determine the strength of the summon."

A moment of stunned silence followed before Stroud finally spoke, his voice laced with curiosity.

"So if you let it reach Gold, you'd summon a Gold-rank warrior?"

Allen nodded. "Yes. Though I still can't control the specifics—gender, race, abilities—but I now have control over their general power level."

Loran, usually casual, sat up straighter. "That's… insane."

Jasper, always more direct, smirked. "So instead of rolling the dice on weaklings, it's guarantee strength. This changes everything."

Allen wasn't done yet. "There's something else. A specific difference in the summons themselves. Some of you—Hilter, Loran—you're different from the rest."

Hilter's brow furrowed slightly. "Different, my Lord?"

Allen met his gaze. "In the sigil, there is a special type bearing difference from others… it has a purple tinge. Unlike the normal ones, it means you have growth potential. You weren't just strong when summoned—you can become stronger over time. The others, their strength is fixed, but you two… you can evolve as already know and it's because you bear that particular purple tinge. I have a theory about it too."

Loran grinned. "Well, I always knew I'm was special."

Mara ignored his arrogance and leaned forward. "What your theory Milord?"

"It's quite simple, I can summon special summons only when I have a major breakthrough. Loran was my first summon so let's just consider him an anomaly, Hilter was summoned when I broke through to Silver and now after Gold, I can see the next summon also possess the purple tinge. But i dont think I need to wait for breakthrough to Blademaster for another purple tinge instead it's also a game of change from now one."

"So this means we might be able to summon more individuals like Hilter and Loran?"

Allen nodded. "Yes. And that brings me to another council from you guys, right now I can sense the mark of a Silver-rank summon… but with that same purple glow. Meaning, if I summon them, they will not only be strong but also capable of growth."

The implications were enormous.

Stroud was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "So, do we summon now?"

Jasper scoffed. "Of course we do! A new strong ally right away? That's a no-brainer."

Serena, however, countered, "Or we wait. If we let the bar reach Gold, we could summon someone even stronger. Why waste the chance?"

Hilter, ever practical, crossed his arms. "It depends on how long it takes. If we have to wait months, we might miss crucial opportunities."

Allen exhaled. "That's the problem. I don't know how long the progress takes to fill. It could be days, weeks, or even months."

Mara, thoughtful as ever, adjusted her glasses. "Then the real question is whether it's worth risking time for potential strength. A Silver summon is already strong, and one with growth potential is even rarer. If we wait, we could miss out on a valuable ally now."

Stroud leaned back, considering. "What if we need immediate reinforcements? Redbrook isn't our final destination. If we're to move forward with your plans, my Lord, a powerful fighter in the present might outweigh the gamble of waiting."

Loran smirked. "I'm a gambling man. I say we wait. If the bar fills in, say, two weeks? That's a small price to pay for an even stronger warrior."

Serena agreed. "The stronger they start, the better they'll be in the long run."

Jasper sighed, shaking his head. "You all think too much. Every day wasted is a day we could have had another sword at our side. What if war comes before we reach Gold?"

Hilter remained neutral. "Both choices have merit. My Lord, what do you think?"

Allen tapped his fingers on the table, weighing both perspectives. Summon now and gain a strong ally immediately? Or wait and try for something even greater?

He had always trusted his instincts—but this was a decision that could shape his future. The choice was his.

Allen leaned back in his chair, letting the discussion settle in his mind. He could see the merit in waiting, but in the end, he didn't believe in overthinking things.

"I'll summon tomorrow," he said firmly.

There was no hesitation in his voice, and the weight of his authority ended the debate instantly. None questioned his choice.

Even if this decision turned out to be wrong, it didn't matter—a summon with growth potential could always improve over time.

"Loran was just Bronze Level 5 when I first summoned him," Allen continued, tapping his fingers lightly against the table. "And now, five years later, he's Silver Level 2. Summons with potential have extraordinary talent. Hilter is proof of that as well."

Hilter, standing like a stone pillar at Allen's side, gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

Allen exhaled. "There's no need to delay. And more importantly…" his lips curled into a slight smirk. "I'm eager to experiment."

With that matter decided, Allen turned his attention to the next priority—preparing for departure.

"We move as soon as can," he declared, glancing at his top combatants. "We need to get everything in order."

He looked at Hilter first, the strongest of his men and his most trusted enforcer. "You, Stroud, Jasper, and Serena—wrap up your current assignments. Delegate your responsibilities to others, but ensure that things remain stable in our absence."

Hilter inclined his head. "Consider it done, my Lord."

Stroud grinned, tapping the hilt of one of his blades. "Finally, some real action. I've been getting tired of sitting around."

Jasper cracked his knuckles. "Tch, I just started making money here. Hope the next place has a decent tavern."

Serena, ever composed, simply nodded. "I'll make sure my scouts are left in capable hands before we leave."

Allen then turned to Mara, who had remained silent but observant throughout. She was the brains behind their strategy and businesses, the one who ensured everything ran smoothly.

"Mara, gather funds immediately. Travel isn't cheap, and we're not exactly rich. See what we can liquidate, collect, or demand from our sources."

Mara adjusted her glasses and gave a small, knowing smirk. "Understood. I'll ensure we have enough coin to move efficiently. Though I assume you don't mind less-than-legal means?"

Allen let out a low chuckle. "Just make sure we don't leave too many loose ends."

With everything set in motion, Allen finally brought the meeting to an end.

He stood, pushing back his chair, and gave his final order.

"Be ready. We need to prepare a lot of things, our travelling party although powerful is small, we need to get some people to look after logistics. Buy some slaves if need be, also issue a notice in mercenaries who wish to join under a soon to be Lord. I expect results."

The warriors gave sharp nods before dispersing, each moving to carry out their assigned tasks.

But before he left the room, Allen paused. There were still two people he needed to speak with.

He turned to Hilter, "Send for Eman and Patt. I need to see them immediately, also you can retire for today. Go manage the affairs."

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10th chapter, requesting a review from readers. Do check out my other works