“My dad’s a landscape architect,” Jason said. “I don’t think we could get him out here, though.”

“Alright,” Gary said. “We’ll just whip out the old summons and then pillage the manor.”

“You will not,” Anisa commanded.

“Come on, Rufus,” Gary said, not bothering to appeal to the elf. “What’s the point of being an adventurer if we can’t do a little looting?”

Rufus frowned.

“Any personal possessions you find, you can take,” Rufus said. “Anything that is part of the manor stays where it is. That’s furniture, decorations, art, whatever. And no unnecessary damage.”

He waved a finger between Gary and Farrah.

“This means you two,” he said.

Anisa still looked like she had a mouthful of lemon, but didn’t protest further.

“Fine,” Gary said. “It’ll be a conservative pillage.”

“Not helping,” Rufus said through clenched teeth. “Gary, Farrah, you’re staying out here. Use your summons to flush out any loose cultists.”

“But the loot,” Gary said.

“Maybe think about that next time you open your big mouth,” Rufus said.

“My mouth was closed,” Farrah complained, drawing a scolding look from Rufus.

“Fine,” she said.

“Just find any cultists still on the ground and pick up any who make a run for it,” Rufus said. “Anisa and I will sweep the manor, so you may get some people running out.”

“What about my gear?” Gary asked.

“You can collect it once the place is clear. Do you really need your hammer now that the collar is off?”

Gary held up a fist, now encased in metal by the gauntlet of his armour.

“No,” he acknowledged reluctantly.

Gary’s chagrin seemed to mollify Anisa somewhat. Gary stepped away from the group and untied from his belt the pouch Farrah had given him earlier. Opening a small flap that served as a nozzle, he started pouring a grey powder from the pouch onto the ground in a circle.

“Are those iron filings?” Jason asked.

“They are,” Farrah said. “Summons are a little more involved than most essence abilities and require something to act as a medium. Salt circles are the most common, but plenty use other things. For Gary’s ability, it’s iron filings.”

She patted the pouch on her own waist.

“For me it’s obsidian powder. We keep a good supply of both in my magic chest.”

Gary finished pouring out the iron filings into a circle and returned the pouch to his belt. Then he crouched down and held his hand out, which startled Jason by spontaneously bursting into flame. Unconcerned, Gary reached out and touched the circle. The iron where his finger touched almost immediately turned red and started to melt, smoke coming off the ground where the grass met the burning iron. The flame spread like burning a fuse, making its way around the circle.