A deal worth making

My grandpa’s voice is speaking behind me: „Don’t worry about what they are picking for you. They wouldn’t hire a man about to have a stroke if the job were a good offer. Either the process is dangerous or the destination is dangerous. The latter you can do something about.“ I want to signal that I have understood. I ask the apparitions aloud „What kind of world am I to go into?“ The fivefold response comes immediately „A more primitive and colder version of this world. Our time is limited. We cannot give a detailed description of a whole world in it. We need your decision soon.“ I sigh „Very well. This is no use. I will begin. Under these circumstances my first pick is fire.“ The response again is immediate. „A rational choice. Our pick is spacetime. Be advised that the transfer will begin immediately after your last choice, provided we accept it. It is imperative that you follow orders during the process.“ They seem to be in a hurry. I decide to gamble a bit on the last pick. But first I need to cover my basic needs. Combat, mobility and logistics. I cannot depend on their choices. „Air“ I make my next choice. I just want to fly. The temptation is too great. They respond „Perception“. I answer „Life“. I think the answer is even faster following up on that „Decay.“. I draw a deep breath „Spell“. The world explodes into color. Polychrome stuff is invading my soul.

I jerk awake. The extra cushion I placed on the headboard saves my head from yet another hard banging up. My inner sense informs me that it is exactly 5:30:00. Too early to be comfortable, yet too late to go back to sleep after that dream.

I have to assume that it is a real memory. I have learned that I cannot trust my retention. A pen and paper are ready to make an immediate record.

I am enjoying a long hot shower. It also clears up residual sleepiness. I have a lot to think through. I am a hitman. I cannot complain. I murdered for cheese. I would kill somebody for magical powers. That doesn’t mean that I like it. It is just a deal worth making. Especially if the alternative is a crippling and likely deadly stroke.

Is it also a deal worth keeping? I don’t think so. In fact so they thought. Going by meeting altered parts of my personality they didn’t depend on my free choice to follow through on the deal, nor did they intend for me to live happily ever after after the deed. Does it matter? Have I even arrived in the universe they intended me for? I don’t know. I see no good way to find out. I don’t feel a need to find out. I am certainly not going to go anywhere I have even a small chance of meeting them.

Does this end the matter? I am afraid it might not. My target may know that I was sent and have no reason to trust my claims of disavowing the deal. I wouldn’t. It’s the oldest trick in the book.

Do their picks mean something? Something to travel, something to find the target and to eliminate it or him or her. Did they just execute their original plan or did they adjust it according to my choices? If so, then that guy is seriously hardcore. If immolation and electrocution will not do the job, what kind of monster did they want hunted down? Or did they not know and just believe in overkill?

If they did know, why did they give me teleport powers? Is he at a place I cannot fly to? An undersea base? Did he get water based powers? If he or she knew that they were heading for Ragnarök what would they pick? What would I pick? Fire, to be sure. Something you can heal with. Other than that? Hard to say. Why do I care? There is a plan forming in the back of my head. I need to warn him or her without getting close. Not for some altruistic reason, but because that is the only way I can demonstrate that I have no intention of fulfilling the agreement. Besides, there may be backup assassins. Unless, of course, I am a backup. They are less likely to go for a secondary target, meaning me, while the primary target is still alive.

Enough hot water. Julia is hungry.

Anjali is looking at the lumps of metal she has been asked to turn into wearable and decorative forms. Though giving equal shares to babies still in the womb seems a bit excessive to her. Not that it makes a practical difference. This is incredible wealth, though she has no idea how to use it. Everybody whom she might try to sell it to would have no incentive to let her survive the sale.

Melo interprets the wizard’s look. „As long as I stay outside my tree in human form, I need to eat, just like you do.“. He answers back „Does that mean that you stay in human form inside your tree or that you have inhuman forms outside your tree or do you lose the human form when you return to your tree?“. „The former two.“ Melo explains and continues „The wooden armor Zewrepa wears is literally me, not something I produce.“. Zewrepa is combining a soft hoot with a whistled tremolo.

I get a feeling of protectiveness and a soft rebuke. „No worries. Everybody eats. If we need to find more food, we’ll do whatever it takes. I am just interested in how it works.“ I hasten to assure her. She produces a sound like a wind chime and speaks up „It works differently for demons. The vessels are not ours. We don’t keep our form in them. In fact our state of conciousness is altered. We are aware but not really concious, if that makes sense. And while the vessel in theory sustains us forever, we get hungry while staying inside them.“ Anjali asks with a flat voice „Did they force you into one?“. Zewrepa makes a soft glissando „For a day and for training purposes. Our clan … my ex-clan has a set in the case of a siege. And no, there is no equivalent for humans. At least not a simple vessel. Just in case you were considering that.“

I nod and say „Thank you. I wouldn’t fancy spending the winter in an oil lamp like a djinn. And no, I don’t need to know the details of how they are a bit different. On to a different topic, have you finished the ritual and when are we starting?“ Melo answers „At noon. The ritual is designed to be used during the day, so noon is the optimum.“

„Can you explain to me why we are making lunch so early and why I need to be around when we liberate a demon from its vessel? I am not exactly a mighty warrior or wizard.“ Branislava asks in a confused voice. Anjali responds „That are two questions although they are related. We are not going to release just any demon, but Marental’s personal succubus concubine, most likely. They operate by temptation and that is worsened by any unfulfilled desire. So we make sure nobody is hungry.“ Branslava chuckles. „A succubus is supposed to tempt me? They are demon female seductresses, aren’t they?“. Anjali just raises an eyebrow and smiles knowingly.

Branislava turns red. „OK, but then why get me into temptation at all?“. Anjali answers „The wizard needs support. That we were used in the ritual means that we are a counter to temptation, because he finds us sexually atractive.“ That causes Branislava to choke and point at her huge pregnant belly. Anjali laughs „Men are simple. They always want the one thing, usually with as many women as possible. But that does not mean that they don’t want other things in addition.“ Branislava turns redder. Mercilessly Anjali continues „Maybe I should tell you some stories. This one time there was this wizard who was missing his teacher, who …“

„Please stop!“ Branislava says a bit louder than usually. „How do you know that many wizards so … closely?“. Anjali’s smile stays genuine as she answers „The hotel whose slave I became used me to entertain its guests.“ Branislava’s face turns into a question „But then why are you here? I mean I have eyes. You look very well suited for … that task. Was Marental a guest in that hotel?“ Anjali’s smile vanishes and she answers „They sold me precisely because I look good. They sell us before we show signs of age, so our resale value does not drop. They know that they will have to replace us some day, so they do it when we still sell well. As a standard when you turn 23.“. Branislava puts a hand in front of her mouth for a moment and then says. „We are almost the same age then. I am 24 years old.“. Anjali responds „Yes, we are. Though, doesn’t it bother you that he finds you, a married woman, attractive?“ Branislava shakes her head „In our city the guild would protect me. I am not so naive that I think that the mighty would care about that and it is better than if he found me ugly and not a great loss, if we ran low on supplies. Besides, I have seen him look at you.“

It is 10:24:28. This time I am insisting on doing a full briefing before we go into an operation. I think Zewrepa and Hildegard find the procedure odd, but approve. I am doing the introduction, because this way we can check that our strongest user of magic has understood all issues.

Our operation intends to free a demon positively identified as a succubus, whom we assume to be Marental’s concubine, in order to gain access to information Marental shared with her. We intended to secure her cooperation by making her an offer of mana and a part of the valuables to be found in this base, as well as offering protection against Marental getting his slave back and a safe place and victuals to spend this winter. For this reason the containment field will allow her to escape this realm altogether, but will protect us against her aura and direct attacks, but will allow communication and let her glamour pass, because we cannot make a containment that allows her and us to verify a magical promise and will allow her to sense our auras but would block her glamour. Anjali has instructed me to specifically lift my shroud and let power bleed into my aura, which should make me look quite powerful and attractive to a succubus. Zewrepa has confirmed that my aura is filled with strange energies when I do so.

Depending on her reactions either Zewrepa, Melo or I will lead the negotiations. Zewrepa will have the last word on who is to negotiate. Melo will brief us on her powers and what we know about her.

Melo takes my place.

Marental kept his concubines and his dryads strictly separate, so I only know that they exist. For those who don’t know, a succubus can use her aura to force people in range to feel certain emotions, in the most basic case horniness. Her glamour only works by manipulation, not direct influence. It works in part by changing how they look. Hence it is tailored for one special victim. The most vulnerable among us is Peregrinus, because he is male. Therefore Zewrepa will have the last word.

It bothers me a bit that nobody has questions, but these people value firm decision making.