Four Horsemen: Chapter 1 Part 2 of 2

“What is the nature of the deal?” Petor asked.

Limos snapped his fingers and pointed at him stepping forward with sure steps. “So forthright, I like a man with direction! I am glad you asked. I wish to make a trading contract with you all, that I get the first pass on rare gear that you gather. I will give you lists of jobs to complete as you see fit. As you complete missions I will give you credit that you may use on my humble wares.”

He opened his jacket, showing all manner of vials, a dagger, and jeweled items, closing it with a snap. “Or you may trade them for information and transport, across the realms, the planes. To the things your heart desire.”

He clasped his hands together and looked over them. “You may accept or reject my offers. I will also offer you different jobs based on where you are.”

“And we must carry out these jobs?” Valter asked.

“You are welcome to, but I will not force you. I hope to work with you for a long time and in business, both parties coming out happy is for the best.”

“We are dead, how will you deal with that?” Desari asked.

“Well,” Limos opened his hands without unclasping them, looking up to the sky with a shrug. “I happen to know where there are a few bodies. Might be an improvement for you,” His eyes touched upon Mya and Valter.

“All of this for the chance to buy some gear?” Petor asked.

“Each of you is powerful in your own right. With the right backer and the right motivation I am thrilled to see what you may be able to do.“

“Why not force a slave contract upon us?” Valter asked.

“While you might come to agree to such a thing, you would hate me until the end of days. It is in my interests to make sure that you are powerful and you aren’t pissed with me my dear Valter.”

“What of my gear?” Mya asked.

All soul bound items and their contents will be returned to you,” Limos waved her off.

I guess I soul bound by having a core and bleeding on it. Petor fingered his medallion.

“Does that include my mount?” Valter asked.

“Mounts are a little harder with regards with their size. I will return all of your mounts.”

Petor caught Mya’s frown out the corner of his eye.

“Though they may be altered. I will give you a map that will have the local area and a location where your mounts will be waiting for you,” Limos’ head swiveled from side to side.

“These new bodies. Who’s are they?” Desari asked.

“Currently they are unused, no soul has ever inhabited them. Don’t worry I’m not doing some demon ritual to put you in the body of an innocent.” Limos grimaced and tilted his head from side to side.

“There is one small issue with the bodies you’ll get,” Limos held his fingers just apart from one another.

“You see they’re brand new, soo pushing you into them you’ll open your mana channels and form your essence core, but you will be at the white core stage once again,” Limos shrugged.

“And my shards?” Valter asked.

“Your armor will be returned to you in a fixed state, and you’ll be as you awakened.”

“So you’ll put us in new bodies, offer us jobs, we’ll sell our gear to you,” Petor said.

“If you complete some jobs for me then I’ll give you what your heart desires,” Limos smiled, a cane of purple marble veined black and red with golden caps twirled in his hand. “What say you?” He planted it and leaned on it with both hands.

They looked at one another, he had them all.

“I agree, though only if I can make the contract,” Desari said.

“As she said,” Mya ground out. “I hate being on this side of the deal.”

“I agree,” Petor said.

“I will not take on any jobs that will harm innocents, anything that will go against my personal code of honor,” Valter said.

Limos held up his hands. “I can live with that dear knight. I care about the end result, how you get there is your concern.”

Desari breathed in and waved her hand, mana flowed from her finger, runes and symbols overlaid one another creating a floating page of blue light.

“You will give us bodies and our effects, you will have the first pass of any goods we wish to sell. If you do not appear within three days we will assume you do not wish to buy them and have passed on them.”

“Agreed,” Limos inclined his head.

“You may only offer us jobs, you will not force us to take them on. If we are to complete one of your jobs anything not otherwise stated in the job is ours to keep. Payment will be stated with each job and transacted upon completion. The cost of information will remain the same price and may not be withheld,” Desari looked up. Mya wandered over, looking at the contract and speaking in her ear.

Desari added in additional information. The duo nodded to one another and turned to Valter and Petor.

“We should swear an oath to one another,” Desari’s eyes slid over them, watching the impact.

“What you want to make an oath about?” Petor asked.

“Trust, that we will not lie, that we will not attack one another, assure our trust in one another,” Desari pushed on, talking faster. “We don’t know what we will learn, what might change in the future, the oath will allow us to remain faithful to one another and if someone isn’t then the others will know.”

“I agree, I think I trust you all, but an oath protects us all. The whole stronger than the individual,” Valter said.

“I miss a good old haggle,” Mya grumbled. “Valter let me negotiate for your clothes. I agree.” She didn’t wait for him to respond.

“I..,” Petor pressed his lips together, his face hardening. “I agree.”

Desari worked hard to keep the relief from her face, but Petor sensed it like some sixth sense.

“What do you need?” Valter asked.

“Some of your soul and some of your power. Here it is the same thing.” Mana flowed from her finger as she wrote out an extra page. “The contract will be that we will not lie or attack one another. Simple but powerful. We swear to not betray or visit harm upon one another. If we do then might our cores be destroyed.”

“There, read it over and check it.” She held her chin as if studying it. That took more out of her than she’s willing to say.

Mya made a hole with her thumb and forefinger, the space between shimmering as she looked through it at the contract.

“No hidden bindings in the sides, nor woven into the fibers of the parchment. I’m almost offended,” Mya lowered her fingers.

“What’s the spell?” Petor asked.

“Lets me see through illusions and other trickery.” She handed it to Valter.

“Looks good to me,” Valter raised his head from studying the wording and passed it to Petor.

It outlined their agreement with one another and with Limos. Nothing appeared to be written to trap him.

“Fine to me,” Petor shrugged and handed it back.

“Limos?”

“Ah, joy,” He stepped forward, studying it through his monocole.”

“All looks to be correct,” Limos pressed his finger to the contract, purple, veined in red, black and gold spread through the contract, solidifying it. He passed it to Desari.

She nodded to him and turned to the others.

“Okay, I need you to hold a corner and infuse in some of your power. Usually we would need blood, but in our soul forms, there’s literally no other way we could make a stronger binding contract.” Desari’s finger glower as she grabbed the contract, becoming more material. Petor, Mya and Valter held their corners.

“How do we put power into it?” Petor fidgeted.

Desari read the wording in her book she’d laid to the side, memorizing the words.

“Reach into yourself,” Desari’s eyes became unfocused. “Reach for your core in your chest. That ball of compressed essence. Around it is your mana, draw it through your channels, don’t disperse it through your body as you would when trying to enhance your body, or heal it. Just slow and steady, draw from your core,” Her veins danced with colors, green, red, blue and white mixing and spreading down her arm. “To your finger.”

Valter’s eyes glowed as embers in a fireplace, rising in brightness, lines of magma traced through his veins into his hand, a shimmering grey fog coiled around Mya’s arm and flickered in her eyes, her eyes becoming milky.

Petor’s green flames ignited in his eyes, a snake of green flame, weaving down his arm.

Magma spread across the parchment like cracks in the earth, from where Valter held the contract, mist left grey lines from Mya, Desari’s rainbow lines and Petor’s green flames joined the others in the middle of the parchment. The power mixed together, by blood, by soul, by contract. The page burned apart, a tether and oath a binding in four parts ran up Desari’s arm, and joined with her core.

It was like having a ball of inward spikes clamp over her heart, becoming part of it.

They grunted, holding their chests.

“Mother of a hornbacked whales uncles fucking arsehole drunk shitpan,” Mya cursed. “I need a fucking drink.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Shit a fucking anchor.”

Desari had bent under the oath’s strain, raising herself slowly to be kind to her body and brain. “Soul oaths are, rough.”

[Quest: True Paladin]

[Become a true paladin]

[Quest: Legend of the Dead]

[Overthrow Goddess Yasseen and her corrupt rule]

Petor dismissed the quest from his vision, only he was able to read his logs.

“Very well,” Limos raised his fingers.

He studied the others. Guess I’m part of a band now.

“So what are we going to be called?” Valter asked.

“Oh that bit’s easy,” Limos grinned. “The four horsemen.” He snapped his finger. Darkness consumed.