West nearly choked.
"H-Hey—no, no, don’t do that," he said quickly. "This isn’t that kind of thing."
She looked up, confused. "Is it not customary?"
"Not for me," he said, scratching his head. "Just... relax."
She nodded and rose slowly. "What are your orders master?"
"You don’t have to do anything right now," West immediately dismissed her question.
"...Very well," Gor’thala responded with her head lowered.
West exhaled in relief but he felt as though she was somewhat eager to prove herself so he decided to suggest something.
"Honestly, I think you should just... explore," he said. "Get to know the city. I’ll take you out, show you around."
Her eyes lit up faintly. "This world interests me."
They began heading out of the abandoned site together but the moment they stepped onto a public street, West felt dozens of eyes snap toward them.
A ten-foot-tall, strikingly beautiful orc woman carrying a staff tended to do that.
"...Yeah, this won’t work," West muttered. "Can you put the staff away?"
"I could," Gor’thala said thoughtfully. "Or—"
She paused, then smiled slightly.
"I can go into the Summon Domain."
"The what?"
Before he could ask more, the world transformed.
West felt his consciousness pulled inward as the street vanished.
They reappeared in a vast, boundless space—endless darkness at first, then stretching infinitely in all directions.
West blinked.
"...Wouldn’t this get lonely?" he asked.
Gor’thala smiled.
"It does not have to be."
She raised a hand and grass immediately bloomed beneath their feet. Stone pillars rose. A sky formed overhead, bathed in soft emerald light. A small structure shaped itself into existence forming a simple elegant dwelling.
"This domain," she said, "is shaped by will."
Then a translucent screen appeared before her showing the outside world through West’s eyes.
"I can see what you see," she said. "I can observe. Learn. Wait."
West stared around the space, stunned.
"...That’s actually really cool."
She inclined her head.
"And I am content."
Awakening as a summoner was finally starting to make sense.
...
...
The moment West got home and shut the door behind him, he peeled off his uniform like it had personally offended him.
"Brand new," he muttered, staring at the torn sleeves and blood stains. "Didn’t even last a day. Fantastic."
His body reminded him of its condition immediately after... he felt sharp aches, deep bruising, a dull throb in his ribs, and the lingering headache from being slammed into industrial machinery like a chew toy. He rolled his shoulders experimentally and hissed.
"Yeah... okay. That was stupid... I should have just used the sword from the start."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out the Chalice of Vitality.
The moment it appeared in his hand, it radiated that same unsettling, ancient aura. He walked into the kitchen, filled it with water from the tap, and watched as the familiar red mist seeped out, curling around the rim like sentient smoke.
Somewhere deep inside the summon domain, Gor’thala was watching.
West lifted the chalice.
"To not dying," he said solemnly.
He drank and immediately, warmth flooded his body, like molten sunlight racing through his veins. The pain vanished in seconds. Bruises faded. Cuts sealed. The soreness evaporated as if it had never existed.
West exhaled deeply.
"...Every time," he said in awe. "This thing is busted."
<[ Durability Boosted ]>
Inside the summon domain, Gor’thala stood frozen.
Her eyes were wide.
"That artifact..." she said slowly in disbelief. "It restored you completely. Instantly."
West wiped his mouth. "Yeah. Handy little cup."
"...Handy," she repeated weakly.
She stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded to herself.
"It appears," she said gravely, "that I did not make an incorrect decision in choosing you as my master."
West snorted. "High praise coming from someone who can summon flaming mammoths."
He changed into fresh clothes—simple jeans, a hoodie, sneakers—and stretched once more just to be sure.
"Alright," he voiced while clapping his hands. "Tour time."
---
West stepped out into the evening streets of Misty High City and neon lights flickered on as night rolled in.
It was around 7 P.M so the city was more alive now than ever.
He spoke quietly. "Okay, hang tight for a sec. I’m gonna get you clothes."
Inside the summon domain, Gor’thala tilted her head. "Clothes?"
"Yes. Human clothes."
"...For battle?"
"For not causing riots."
She accepted that explanation.
West ducked into a nearby clothing stall, eyeing racks of women’s outfits. Dresses, jackets, skirts, hoodies—he grabbed a few at random, trying to eyeball the sizes.
"Okay, so," he muttered, holding up a long dress. "This one might—no, that’s optimistic."
He slipped into the changing room and summoned Gor’thala inside.
The small enclosed space suddenly felt very, very small.
"...This room is hostile," Gor’thala said flatly, crouching slightly.
West winced. "Yeah, sorry about that."
She tried the dress but it didn’t even make it past her hips.
She stared down at it, then at West.
"...Is this a child’s armor?"
West covered his face. "No, it’s just... humans are built like twigs."
They tried another outfit.
And another.
And another.
None fit.
At one point, Gor’thala held up a crop top between two fingers and frowned.
"Is this a battle bandage?"
"That’s a shirt," West said.
"...Why is it incomplete?"
"Fashion."
She nodded slowly. "Humans are quite the oddballs."
"Hey," West said defensively, "don’t let the fashion baddies hear you. They live for this."
Eventually, Gor’thala sighed and raised a hand.
"Stand back."
Green runes flickered around her fingers as fabric from one of the failed dresses shifted, stretching, weaving, reforging itself through magic. The cloth elongated, thickened, and reshaped into a long, elegant dress that fit her towering frame perfectly.
West blinked.
"...You could’ve done that the whole time?"
"Yes."
"...I just wasted twenty minutes."
"You insisted on understanding human customs."
"That was a mistake."
They stepped out to the counter.
And immediately, chaos ensued.
The two women at the register froze mid-conversation.
One blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Is she... green?" one whispered.
The other nodded slowly. "I think... yes?"