The Paladin in the Abyss

"Magic can do that?" Lancelot asked with some curiosity, "What kind of creature will be summoned? An angel?"

"Angels, demons, mortals, even talking frogs—who knows," Kalalin said with a shrug, "The key is it meets the three conditions described by the magic: the ability to help us, the willingness to help us, and the capability of being summoned by the spell. But really, as long as these conditions are met, does it matter what we summon?"

"Indeed, it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s a stinking orc, I’d accept it," Bruto nodded somberly, "So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started."

"First, this spell, called Otherworldly Oathbinding, has a somewhat costly price..." Kalalin said somewhat sheepishly as he looked at Lancelot, "It requires a rather precious gemstone as the casting material."

"That’s no problem," Lancelot immediately reached into his Dimensional Bag and pulled out a handful of gemstones that twinkled faintly, "Let’s see, here I have diamonds, rubies, black sapphires, opals, emeralds... take your pick; we can’t use these gemstones to make money anyway."

"An opal will do," Kalalin took a gemstone from Lancelot’s hand—one with a translucent waxy base and a surface sparkling with green and gold spots, "Another thing is the casting might take a while, up to an hour to get a response. During this time, you must protect me from being interrupted, otherwise, we’ll have to start all over..."

"That long?" Bruto looked even more somber, "Damn it, my old man might be suffering in some dungeon, and all I can do is wait endlessly..."

"Be patient, my friend," the elf patted the dwarf on the shoulder with his palm, then shook his body vigorously, "All of us are as eager as you are to rescue Uncle Barrend, but rash actions without considering the consequences won’t lead to good results. This could jeopardize not only ourselves but could also harm Uncle Barrend. Do you understand what I mean?"