After answering the barrage of questions from his companions regarding his exploits over the last 12 hours, Mike once again dove into his inner world. He sank through the inky sludge and found himself, thankfully standing this time, on the blasted plain which apparently belonged to the demon.
"So you are back." A voice commented flatly once he'd arrived. The horned youth was perched on top of one of the black rock formations, head resting on one hand. His face was twisted in mild disdain, but Mike thought he detected a hint of wariness in the way the demon's eyes tightened as soon as they matched gazes.
"I am."
"I take it that means you've come to a decision regarding our contract?"
"I have."
The demon paused for a second before grimacing. "Then, are you going to tell me?"
"I was planning on it, but I wanted to see how much longer I could string you along."
A small growl of disgust emerged from the creature's mouth and he looked away. In the distance, lightning crackled in the dust-choked sky.
"What is it then?" He finally asked with a grimace.
"I will accept the contact as it is."
The demon stared at him, an eyebrow raised in obvious confusion. "That's it? No counter offer? No further negotiations?"
"That's it. I don't have any problems with the conditions as they stand, so why would I want to make this process take any longer than it already has?"
Still looking a little uncertain, the creature produced the contract once more. After taking a few minutes to glance over it again to make sure that nothing had changed since the last time, Mike asked. "So, do I need to use a drop of blood or…"
"Just a signature will do. This is all symbolic, anyway…"
The demon watched as he signed the paper and carefully accepted it back from him before putting its own mark on it. Once both signatures were present, the contract emitted a harsh glow and disintegrated into particles of light.
"So...what now?" Mike asked after they had spent a few seconds watching the remains of the contract disappear.
"Now my power is yours to command." The demon replied with an unreadable expression. "So, what happens next is largely up to you... Master."
"Ugh." Mike shivered in disgust. "Don't do that."
The ancient evil being grinned, amused. "Oh? Does my manner of speaking bother you… Master?"
He grimaced at the creature.
[Trust a demon to go for a weak point as soon as they notice one.]
"I have a name, so use it."
The red clad youth leaned forward with a hungry smile that would have been provocative in someone more his type. "But Master, surely this lowly one cannot be so bold as to address you so informally. It would be the height of discourtesy unless I called you by your proper title, Master."
Mike sighed. This wasn't a fight he was going to win, he could already tell, and honestly it didn't feel worth the effort. "Fine. Do as you wish. Speaking of names, what should I call you?"
"It doesn't matter. Names and labels are immaterial."
"Said by the guy with an actual true name. Look, what did they call you back when you had a body?"
The demon snarled at him briefly, but went silent for a few moments. Finally, after what can only have been some extensive soul searching, he muttered. "I believe I told you that I have been known by many names, few of which would have any meaning at this point. However, at the height of my power, I was once known as the Velinquintir, or in the old tongue of demons-"
"Corruptor of the Waters of Life, right?"
"...That's correct." He replied after a brief moment of consternation.
"Hmm…well that would be a bit of a mouthful, so I'm going to call you Vel for short."
"What? That's ridiculous-"
Since he had no real desire to listen to Vel's irate sputtering, Mike cut him off. "Yep. Vel, or maybe Velin? You know that actually sounds a bit better. It's pretty close to the word we use for a villain in my native language, so it would be easy for me to remember."
"Now listen here-" The demon started as Mike began walking away.
"I'll talk to you later Velin." He replied cheerfully while willing himself back to consciousness.
This time the process was a lot easier, and within a few seconds, he was opening his eyes in the real world. To announce his return from the contract signing he rose to his feet and turned to regard the rest of his party, who were spread out throughout the chamber in various states of readiness.
While most of them seemed prepared to defend against hostile invaders, Lily was busily working on building a small pile of wood shavings in the center of one of the long tables in the mess hall. Her reason for doing so was unclear, but Mike had a feeling that anything she did with flammable substances would inevitably end up causing harm to her surroundings. As such, he quickly did the responsible thing and passed her a few of the materials he'd harvested from the dungeon monsters over the past few days.
"Here you go. I've been meaning to give you these to experiment with." He announced while laying the various items out in front of her.
Lily gave him a quick glance before turning her full attention towards the materials with the sort of laser-focus that only she could manage.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Morris asked while slowly moving to place a tipped over table between him and Lily's new workstation.
"It should be fine." Mike replied in what he hoped was a reassuring tone of voice. "They are mostly drops from aquatic creatures that we got from your dungeon training trip. There shouldn't be anything in them that could actually catch fire or explode."
A heartbeat after he said that, a small pop from the table behind him caused him to jump. He turned around just in time to see a thin wisp of smoke rise up from a vial of inky fluid they had gotten from large squid-like monsters. As he recalled, it was supposed to be Lesser Kraken Ink, a material most commonly used as a base for paints and dyes. To his knowledge, it was in no way flammable.
Sliding around to a slightly more protected position himself, Mike continued. "Right, well, the demon situation has been largely taken care of, so we are pretty much free to do as we please from this point onwards. While I have a few ideas on how we should proceed, I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions.
"Are you really having this conversation right now?" Sera asked incredulously. "What about the battle we are in the middle of?"
He shrugged. "I can kind of tell through my new contract that the vampires have largely retreated at this point. I don't think they were really prepared for this sort of resistance, so after they suffered extensive casualties from an unknown demonic enemy, they lost the will to continue the fight. As for the ghoul outbreak, the remnants of the White Lions, augmented by some local adventurers, seem to have them under control."
"That's all well and good, but what about the demons? Can you make them go back where they came from?" Morris pressed.
"Actually, I already started doing so. It seems like I can give them commands mentally, like I do with my other summons, and based on the information they are feeding me, I've been telling certain groups of them to return in batches. Once the fighting stops in its entirety, I'll have the rest go back."
"And they are just letting you banish them?" The bard continued.
"More or less? They aren't exactly happy about it." He said tentatively. He didn't quite know how to explain the mass of discordant screeching he was getting from his hundreds of mental connections. "But I don't think they can refuse. They are bound to Velin, that's what I'm calling the demon by the way, just the same as he is bound to me. They may disagree, but so long as I invoke my authority as their lord's contractor, they can't disobey. That would be the case no matter how many times I summon them."
Sera rubbed her forehead tiredly. "So, you basically have an entire demonic legion at your beck and call now?"
Mike pondered the question for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Sort of, but there are some limitations. If I use this authority too often, like more than once every few months, it could be construed as a violation of their individual contracts, and they could be released en masse. Also, if I try to order them to do something completely against their natures, they could break free from my control. Finally, I have to provide some mana for their manifestation in the first place, so there is an inbuilt time limit."
"Still helpful." Tal commented with her trademark neutrality, bringing an end to that particular aspect of the conversation.
Mike considered sharing the fact that there were some other benefits to his newly created contract, but decided to hold off. Considering their state of mind, he thought it would probably be best to wait for some time before breaking that particular news.
[I'm still not sure how I feel about using power derived from a contract with a demonic entity, especially since this is the exact reason Spirit Mages are persecuted in some parts of the world. That being said, it does open up the possibility of creating some inter realm portals, and that is too enticing to give up for something as nebulous as the concept of good and evil. Just have to be careful not to lose sight of what I'm doing.]
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now." Sera announced. "What are we planning to do from here on out?"
"Depending on what we want to focus on, there are quite a few options." Morris offered after a second of thought. "The vampires will probably need to be taken care of at some point, but I don't even have a clue where to start with that, so I'll move on to other things for now. There are a large number of dungeons in this part of the world, so we could continue to explore them as a means of training. We could also visit some of the other major cities in the Riverlands, or even move north to see Mirithia. They aren't exactly welcoming to humans, but they would not turn away a Dragonknight and his retinue. Continuing on in that vein, Cadun, the City of Spells and home to the Mages Guild, is further north. In addition to its role as the premier source of magical knowledge and technology, it's floating spires are heralded as one of the great wonders of the world. It's something I've always wanted to see…"
He coughed in mild embarrassment and continued. "Of course, there is still one engagement we should keep in mind. Mike still has an open invitation from the Sable Enchantress. While he isn't exactly obligated to go, if we ignore her for too long, it could offend her."
"And offending one of the most powerful Tier 4 mages in recorded history is not something one does lightly." Sera finished for him.
The bard nodded before continuing. "There is an additional complication. Based on the manner in which she invited you, it seems she is treating you as an equal. If that is the case, etiquette demands that you bring a suitable gift with you to show appreciation for her hospitality. Failing to do so could also be construed as a grave insult."
Mike shivered. "All this talk of proper manners and possible insults is already making me nervous. Do we really have to jump through all these hoops? Couldn't we just, you know, show up, say hi, and get out?"
"Are you joking?" Sera asked disdainfully.
"If I may? Master Mike may not necessarily be wrong." William broke in suddenly. The old butler moved forward to speak while tactfully keeping his line of sight on Lily in the event he needed to suddenly intervene in her experimentation. "Although I am unfamiliar with the particulars of societal interactions among Tier 4 individuals, I would say that I have some rather extensive knowledge regarding the matters of modern day court etiquette, which of course is derived from Pyrathien practices."
The Oracle straightened slightly at that, a frown already forming on her face, but she waited for William to finish his piece.
"As Master Mike holds the honorary title of Sebastos, he should, by all rights, be treated as a member of the Imperial Family. Thus, with the possible exception of a few imperial descendants in Bergel, he could be viewed as the highest ranked individual in the region. It would therefore not be improper for him to behave as such when visiting other heads of state."
"That would be an option, of course." Sera replied, a little frostily. "But using his status in this could be construed as an open declaration of his intent to reestablish the Pyrathien Empire, and possibly even assume the mantle of Emperor himself. We can't risk it."
"Madame, with all due respect, I must disagree." The butler replied, not backing down in the slightest. "Whether or not you wish to accept it, Master Mike has earned this title and therefore is owed this level of obeisance. Failing to acknowledge that fact is tantamount to dishonoring the very concept of nobility. It is true that some countries may view his very existence as a threat to their power, but they would not dare make an enemy of him. Indeed, I suspect that their fear of him would make them more accommodating in the future."
"I think you underestimate the dangers! If Mike makes an enemy of every country in the region, how do you think our lives will play out from here? We would have to be on guard every second of every day. We would need to protect every possible weakness from exploitation. Every person we've ever had a favorable interaction with would be in danger. Do you really want that?"
Mike stepped between them with hands raised. "Whoa, whoa! That's enough, you two. This is not worth getting into a fight for."
He turned to the butler. "I appreciate your guidance, William, but I'm not interested in being treated like royalty. I realize that I was being a bit immature with my statements earlier, but I don't currently have any intention of trying to use the influence my title gives me."
The old man maintained a neutral expression, a clear indication of the level of professionalism he aspired to, but his shoulders sagged slightly in disappointment. "Of course, sir. I will respect your wishes."
Mike took a moment to observe him. William was not one to voice his dissent in a public setting, so it was clear that this issue had been bothering him enough to break his professional silence. As he watched, he noted that the man's gaze slid over to Lily and a slightly mournful glint passed across his eyes.
Hoping to offer the poor man some solace, Mike leaned forward and whispered. "We will find a solution for Lily's situation, I promise. Even if it means relying on things I would rather not use. All I ask is that you give me time to explore other options first."
William swallowed and nodded, doing his best to maintain composure, but the hint of a tear formed in the corner of one of his eyes.
"Well, we've gotten a little off track." He told the rest of the group in a louder voice. "Let's get back to the matter at hand. What are we doing from here on out?"