Jake was already skeptical about the whole situation and the offer the true mages just proposed to him increased his doubts and worries.
"Why would I accept your offer?" Jake asked.
"You do not exactly have a choice." Serryl said. "I'm sure by now you have noticed that you can not leave this place. Even if you could, how do you plan on leaving the planet and returning to yours?"
"And we could simply force the contract on you." Zedron said. "But we are not choosing to do that."
"I think the best thing is for you to accept the offer." Rheya said.
"Who asked for your opinion?" Mithral asked harshly as he looked in Rheya's direction.
"I don't think it's right to speak to her that way." Jake said to Mithral.
"Mind your business boy." Mithral replied. "You should not meddle in the affairs of we true mages."
"The boy is right." Viesagol said. "Although Rheya is an acolyte for now, you should at least reciprocate a small bit of the respect she gives you."
"That is irrelevant at the moment. We are deviating from the main subject of this discussion." Zedron said. "Do you agree to enter the contract or not?" he asked Jake.
'I guess there's nothing I can do.' Jake thought. 'The only other option is for them to take my magic which is literally not an option for me.'
"What exactly is in this contract?" Jake asked.
"It is a binding contract." Sevanias explained. "You will be connected to us and we will be able to summon you at our convenience."
"You mean you guys will be able to make me appear here anytime you want?" Jake asked for clarification. He had gotten out of his fighting stance and decided to really consider the offer since he barely had a choice.
"To put it simply, yes." Sevanias answered. "And you will not be able to go against us."
"Basically you want to make me your slave?!" Jake realized. "Why would I agree to something like that?"
"I thought it was clear already." Irvil said. "You do not have a choice. It is either this, or we take the magic from you and dispose of you. Personally I would prefer the latter."
"I do suggest you take consider our offer." Zedron said. "Do not think of the contract as our way of making you a slave. Instead, it could be your way of getting back to your loved ones where you come from."
"If I am not mistaken," Daeriela said, "your kind is currently at war with another race. With your strength as the Harbinger, do you not think you could help them the sooner you get back?"
"What the hell's a harbinger?" Jake asked.
"You are the Harbinger." Viesagol answered. "Your coming was long foretold even before you were born I'm sure."
"And what exactly does this Harbinger do?"
"Apparently you can bring about either the destruction or salvation of an entire race." Mithral said. "Which is a joke to me because you can not even defeat one of us in battle."
"Wanna bet?" Jake said.
"Are you challenging me?" Mithral asked with a smile and was already excited at the thought of putting the so-called Harbinger in his place.
"Jake." Serryl said in a voice that dominated and her golden irises dilating a bit as her pupil became smaller. "We are wasting time going back and forth with this but we all know the outcome is inevitable. You will enter the contract."
"Alright fine. I'll enter your stupid contract." Jake gave up, knowing fully well that Serryl was right. "What do I get out of this contract?"
"The audacity of this boy is almost hilarious." Phyriad said with a chuckle. "We let you have your life and you still demand something?"
"The fact that you guys aren't killing me and taking my magic means you need me." Jake said, confident in what he was saying. "And you're making me your slave so you can control me which tells me that you're kinda scared of me eventually becoming the Harbinger thing you're talking about."
'He is smart.' Rheya thought. "And either very bold or very stupid. Not a lot of people can speak to the elders this way.'
"You were already going to get an armour from us. You did not even have to ask." Zedron said. "However you are wrong about one thing. We do not need you. Do we consider you a valuable asset? Yes. But you will still remain disposable and you already know a few elders here who would love nothing more than to see you dead and that magic out of your body."
That just told Jake to dial it down. He was acting bold so they wouldn't think he was scared and try to use that to their advantage somehow but hearing what Zedron said, he decided to take it easy. He was still trying to get out of here alive and he needed them to let him go since he could not leave by himself.
"When do we start this contract stuff?" Jake asked.
"Right now." Viesagol said and was about to proceed when he was interrupted.
"Hold on." Mithral said. "Are you talking about giving him the enchanted armour?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Zedron asked.
"There was never a discussion about giving the boy the enchanted armour." Eriane complained. "We would only be making him more powerful."
"That is the point." Zedron said. "We do not want him to die when he is on any one of his escapades do we? He would be useless to us then."
"And if he does die," Raistrel said, "we would know and we would be able to get him here so we do not lose the armour."
"Are we doing this contract or not?" Jake asked.
Viesagol moved forward and a small area with grass cleared up instantly. He began drawing lines and curves on the ground and when he was done, Jake could see that whatever he drew was triquetral with numerous small circles and lines in it.
It looked similar to the symbols or markings he had seen on the walls of the world penitentiary where the true mages had kidnapped him from.
Viesagol returned to where he previously stood and told Jake to stand on the symbol.
While Rheya stood and observed, all eleven elders began to chant a spell and the lines and curves of the symbol lit up, surrounding Jake with light.
"We call upon the powers that be, for the power we seek, grant unto me."
"Redisma obcures ex luces umbre phismad"
The elders continued chanting the spell with their staffs stretched forward and the light surrounding Jake started getting smaller.
Jake tried to leave the symbol but he couldn't. His body was stopped by the light as if the light was solid.
The elders chanted louder and the light went through Jake's skin and into his body. Jake felt pain in every part of his body as he groaned but the pain was more in his right forearm.
After a few minutes of chanting and Jake stopping himself from outright shouting because of the pain, the chant stopped and the symbol below Jake disappeared.
"What the fvck was that?!" Jake yelled and looked at his right forearm.
His clothes were still ripped from when he fought the beasts which meant most of his skin was exposed and right now, a symbol was on his right forearm.
The same symbol that Viesagol had drawn on the ground was now on Jake's forearm and it looked just like a tattoo.