A Virtual Temptress Ch. 09

Doing business with a black-market chemist was ill-advised, but a license alchemist wasn't going to sell Dan what he needed. You weren't supposed to mix potions - the side effects were unpredictable and potentially volatile.

Tomas Rughen had no such compunctions. He'd lined the requested products up in a neat row, written a list of precise instructions in a calligraphic script before taking most of Blaize Firewilde's newly acquired fortune.

Dan stuffed the last piece of bread in his mouth and sat down at a café table two blocks from Silas Revene's house. The place was closed for the evening, and the few NPC's still up at this hour wouldn't be paying him any attention. Dan set the labeled vials on the table in front of him, arranging them according to his list. He checked the time. Ten minutes after eating, Rughen had instructed. He had two minutes left. He checked Blaize's spell settings: combustion off, light full, impact full.

Dan closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. This was going to work. He uncapped the Philtre of Cleansing and winced. It smelled like sulfur. At the ten-minute mark exactly, he downed the vial in a single swallow and checked the list again. Potion of Willpower was next, chased immediately by a Scent Inhibitor. Two-minute wait. Golden Elixer followed, more to suppress his urge to vomit than for the poison resistance. Next came the Tincture of Intellect, crackling through his brain in a carnival of reconnecting neurons. Thirty seconds later he drank the Adrenaline Booster, sweeping away the day's exhaustion in a flood of electricity through his veins.

Dan's stomach lurched in complaint as he stood up, sweeping the empty bottles into his bag and gripping the last vial. He couldn't feel his hands, but Dan's grip on the final potion seemed steady as he lurched back into the street. Moments later he staggered up to the door of the townhouse, popped the cork, and poured the Echo Extract down his throat. He was blind and deaf for seven seconds before his senses reignited, rapidly congealing into fractured bursts of light and sound that illuminated his surrounds with precise, disorienting detail. Everything around him was visible from every angle at once as the echolocation reoriented his vision into a network of auditory awareness.

Dan shook his head as the final potion settled his stomach and snapped his mind back into place, exactly as Rughen had promised. The door handle melted into slag as Dan shouldered his way inside. He started to summon a light source before realizing it didn't matter.

There was sound (or was it movement?) filtering down from the second floor. Dan took them two at a time, rounded the corner, and burst into the succubus' room.

She was dressed in... ah, but it didn't matter, and he didn't care. Lexi was sitting on a stool brushing her hair. She looked up.

"Daniel?" The subtle melody of her voice was distorted, amplified. "You ought to have knocked. I'll train that out of you soon. Still, you have done well. You must be eager for your reward, after all your hard work." She gestured toward him with her brush. "Go ahead, Daniel. You may kneel for me."

Flame sweltered to life around Blaize's hands as he began his incantation, striding further into the room.

Lexi's eyes went wide, but then she smiled. "Oh, I see. One last bout of defiance. Curious that you were able to muster the willpower." She tossed the brush onto her bed and stood up. "I don't know why you bother, Daniel. I'm more than twice your level after today. This isn't a fight you can win. The instant you feel my body against yours, you'll be begging to be mine again. Lower your hands, Daniel. Make this easy on yourself."

The succubus tried to hold his gaze, but realized his eyes weren't focused on her. She lunged. Dan rolled to the side just before they met. The Fan of Cinders scorched across her eyes, blinding the demon momentarily. Dan rolled to his feet behind her. Lexi turned, blinking to clear her vision.

The Furnace Blast caught Lexi point blank, slamming her into an antique cabinet with a splintering crunch. She made to stand, staggered, and fell back against the wall. Her cool expression had evaporated, eyes darting rapidly about the room.

"Fine, Daniel. We'll do this your way." She lurched to her feet, accelerating as she moved forward. Her fingertips brushed the sleeve of Dan's robes just before the Inferno engulfed her in a cloud of smoke and flame.

Dan couldn't help but grin for a few seconds as the the succubus spluttered and coughed.

He spat the words to Blazing Spear. A white-hot lance of flame staggered the demon against the wall, leaving her no space to dodge as Dan followed up with a stun from Kindled Force. Lexi's hit points dropped steadily as the pyromancer strung combos together, the continual stream of spell impacts preventing her from recovering or attempting a counter attack. Three minutes later, Lexi lay in a scorched heap of shattered furniture. Her health bar flashed 3%.

Dan took a step back and glanced at his mana bar. He had a little under a quarter remaining - more than enough to see this through.

The succubus forced herself into a sitting position, glaring across the room at her assailant. "Did you make a pact with another entity? No, that isn't possible. How then? No human should be able to overcome a demon five levels their senior, let alone twenty."

Dan shrugged, exhaling carefully through his nose. His adrenaline was starting to cool. "Saga Online's leveling is linear, not multiplicative. Having more hit points doesn't matter if you get hit with every spell."

Lexi brushed ash from her cheek. "Very well then, Daniel. Your point has been made abundantly clear. I am willing to negotiate."

"I mean, I didn't come here to talk." Dan glanced at the time. "I've got eight minutes before my buffs wear off. There's no sense in letting you stall me." He held up his hands in a what-can-you do gesture. "Easier to just finish you off, clean your magic out of my system, and move on with my life."

The succubus' eyes narrowed. "Daniel, I cannot afford to return to my own realm. The situation is more complex than you know." Through the echolocation, Dan could see her trying to pose daintily amid the smoldering wreckage of the room. It wasn't especially effective.

"Not my problem." The air around his arms distorted with gathering heat.

"Daniel, wait. Wait! I am prepared to make this worth your while if you will allow me a moment to explain." Lexi held out her hands, attempting to forestall the gathering firestorm. "You said that you have eight minutes? I require only five."

"Ugh." Dan knew he probably shouldn't risk it, but curiosity got the better of him. "Fine. Three minutes."

"Thank you, Daniel. I promise that - "

"And I swear to god, if you try offering me sex I will char you to the bone."

"Daniel, you must first understand that I am not of this world. Nor from what you know as the Far Realms. I came here only recently, seeking to - "

"Two minutes. Shit or get off the pot." Dan felt his focus drifting. The potions would wear off at different rates, the chemist had told him, and the effect would be unpleasant.

The succubus wrinkled her nose. "I'll remove the mark and any lingering enchantments, then leave Nath Valen. You'll never see me again."

Dan tossed a sphere of flame between his hands. "Weak offer. The same thing happens if you're dead." He glanced at the clock. "One minute."

"That's not - " Lexi clenched and unclenched her fists. "You are infuriating! Very well, I offer to bind myself to your service through a pact. You should be honored, Daniel. I have never made such an offer to a human before now."

"I'm not a warlock, Lexi. I don't understand demonic pacts, and I doubt you can explain them in the next fifteen seconds." The flames rose until Blaize was wreathed in a halo of scorching light.

"I swear to follow your every command for twelve hours! On my blood, I so swear! If you decline to reach an arrangement, I will leave this world and never return. Please, Daniel." She held out her hands in a pleading gesture.

"You swear? Alright, give me twenty pushups."

Lexi's eyes widened, but she dropped to the floor and began the exercise without hesitation. The effect was somewhat comical due to the size of her breasts and the state of the floor, but her arms moved up and down with quick, easy motions.

"Huh." It could be bullshit, but Dan reasoned that Lexi was too proud to humiliate herself even when she was facing down banishment. "Fine, okay, you can stop." The flames winked out. Dan wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his robe as Lexi pushed herself lithely to her feet, looking thoroughly displeased. "Let's do this - for the next twelve hours, you are not to leave the house. You'll remove all magic affecting me, and won't attempt further magic of any sort. Oh, and just to be safe, why don't you cover up so that you're not showing any skin. Make sure the clothes are baggy. Also, don't speak unless spoken to." Dan nodded absent-mindedly to himself. "Let's see, what else. You'll explain demonic contracts in whatever way you think I'll understand best. And set up a place for us to talk. This room is fine. I'll be throwing up in the bathroom for the next 10-15 minutes, so no rush. Got it?"

Lexi nodded. Her expression had shifted to something Dan couldn't read.

The tsunami brewing in Dan's guts surged angrily and attempted to force its way up his gullet. He fled the room, rushed the bathtub, and heaved up a caustic soup of green-black sludge that sizzled ominously against the previously immaculate porcelain. Dan pulled water from his inventory, drank, and vomited again. The process repeated itself four more times, leaving Dan with a raw throat and a steady stream of burps which, for reasons unclear to him, smelled strongly of citrus. You've done this to yourself, Dan thought. At least it's a virtual hangover this time.

Unlatching the window and pushing it open, Dan sat on the floor and let the cool night air wash over him. Exhaustion seeped into his bones. He considered lighting the building on fire and logging off for the night, but it was too risky. And besides, he couldn't deny that he was curious about Lexi. Better to play this out, see how things go. He could adapt his plans from there.

The wiki site for Saga Online flickered to life in a floating display of glowing green text. Succubi might not be documented, but there was info in abundance on demonic pacts. Warlocks, in Dan's experience, were rarely the secretive type. He browsed the page in silence for several minutes, making mental notes about how he wanted to negotiate this. It wasn't as complicated as he had expected - there were only a few types of commonly used pacts, and while you could technically customize the terms, it was pretty much never worthwhile. Every change was a new chance for the demon to screw you over. Well, he couldn't put it off forever. Dan swiped to close the page, pushed himself to his feet, and walked back to the scene of the fight.

Lexi had apparently dragged a table into the center of the room and was occupying one of the two chairs. She sat with one leg over the other, arms propped against the back of the chair to push her chest forward, but the provocative pose was somewhat diminished by her outfit: heavy black rainboots, thick cotton leggings belonging to a much larger individual, and an overly-embroidered silk shirt that Dan guessed belonged to Mr. Revene himself. The outfit was completed by a wide-brimmed, floppy hat, pulled down over her forehead to hide her face.

Dan stood in the doorway for a minute, taking in the scene. There were two pieces of paper on the table that glowed with an eerie red light. Contracts? Bracing himself, Dan moved to sit in the unoccupied chair.

"Okay, you can - " he began, but was interrupted by an ungodly belch erupting from his throat. "Ugh, sorry. Go ahead, you can start." He watched intently as she leaned forward. What was that on her hands? Riding gloves? They were much too large, flopping comically as she pointed out the documents.

"Daniel, I feel I must begin by protesting your measures. I have unmade all of the enchantments placed upon you. Surely this," she gestured toward herself, "Clownish attire is unnecessary for our discussion."

"The clothes stay on. And don't change the subject."

"Oh, very well. To begin, these contracts represent a magically-binding agreement between a demonic being and a mortal. The entities signing the contract exchange some combination of magical power, information, and services. Demons such as my self are able to create a contract with a simple spell, but the signing of such a document is a more complex undertaking than simply signing a slip of paper. Do you understand so far, Daniel?"

"Sure, you can keep going."

"I have prepared two of the most common contracts for you to review. The first is a Pact of Summoning, in which a mage binds a demon to this world using his own power. The summoner offers a desired item or substance, and in return the demon accomplishes a task on behalf of the mage. The language in such a contract can be amended to suit the desire of those signing it. Such an agreement becomes null once both entities have fulfilled their ends of the bargain."

Dan scanned the indicated paper. He could read the language, but the wording was needlessly convoluted. The dull red glow surrounding the page also didn't help much with legibility, but it seemed to sync up with the wiki description. Warlocks used pacts like this to summon minor demons, usually to tank monsters while they blasted the thing with magic. It functioned more as flavor text on a class feature than as a legal document - you just gave the demon whatever the spell described, and it came and fought for you for however long it lasted.

"The other is a Pact of Patronage, which may be used if the entities seek a more lasting agreement."

"That's the one where you sell your soul for power, right?"

"While I have heard of mortals choosing that particular form of payment," Lexi conceded, "Such terms would be unusual. More commonly, they agree to support their patron's goals through their actions. 'Quests,' as you call them. In exchange, the patron offers the mortal access to a portion of the master's own power, commensurate with their acts of service.

"Daniel, I believe that Patronage would be most beneficial to our mutual goals. I could offer you a variety of magicks to enhance your own. In return, I would ask only that you do not harm me in the future. The contract you see on the table indicates these terms, so you need only sign and we can begin sealing the treaty." She produced a quill and ink, setting them on the table.

"Jesus, you sound just like Sallow." Dan grabbed both pieces of paper, crumpled them together, set them ablaze, and tossed them into the corner. They burned fitfully for a few seconds, sending out occasional crackles of red light.

Lexi crossed her arms. "Daniel, you are being childish."

"Why should I sign a contract with you?"

"I beg your pardon, Daniel?"

He shrugged. "We have time to talk. You want me to make some kind of deal. Why?"

"I simply wish to remain in this world, Daniel. That is all."

"No, no." Dan pushed his chair back and stood up, pacing in front of the table. "I know why you want the contract to happen - that's obvious. I'm asking why I should bother? You put some kind of weird, game-breaking mind control sex spell on me. I've missed class for the past three days, and I'm equally far behind on homework. Right now, lighting you on fire is a perfectly reasonable solution for all of my problems. Right? I'd be a moron to risk all of that just for a few extra spells in a video game. I like playing Saga Online, Lexi, but I don't like it that much."

Neither said anything for the next few minutes, until Lexi eventually broke the silence. "Daniel, if you do not value this world, then I suppose there is little that I can offer you. I do not wish to return to my world, and I am willing to make concessions to ensure that I remain in this one. Perhaps I have little to offer, but I swear on my blood that I will not harm you should you allow me to live."

Dan stopped moving. "Oh my god. Holy shit, what if that worked?"

"Daniel?"

He fumbled in his pouch, extracted an empty potion vial, and sniffed it. There didn't seem to be any residue. Dan pulled a dagger from his inventory and set both on the table.

"If you wish to form a pact," Lexi said uneasily, "I assure you that such theatrics are not needed."

"Fill the vial up with blood, Lexi." Dan was grinning.

She started to protest, but realized she was still bound by her earlier oath. "Very well." Creating a small incision in her wrist, Lexi trickled black liquid into the vial until it was mostly full.

Dan snatched it away from her, stoppered the vial, and returned it to his inventory. "I'll sign the contract," he said. "Draw one up. Pact of the Familiar."

Lexi made a noise somewhere between outrage and choking. "I have tried to be more than reasonable with you, but I will not debase myself like a common imp! Daniel, I feel that an altered Pact of Patronage would better suit - "

"Draw up a Pact of the Familiar or I'll light you on fire." He couldn't see Lexi's face, but it was clear that the succubus was fuming.

"You are an unreasonable man, and I am sorry to have met you." She spoke three words in a guttural language and placed her palm upon the table. Paper appeared beneath her hand, words materializing rapidly until the new contract was written. "What's more, you claimed no prior knowledge of this type of magic.

"I read a couple articles. I guess that doesn't make sense to you, but don't worry about it. "Once she removed her hand, Dan rapidly read through the text and found it was identical to the typical summoning spell that had been screen-capped for the wiki page. Demonic boilerplate, so to speak. "So, if I want to change the terms, what do I do?"

Lexi sighed theatrically. "Simply describe the text that you wish to add or alter, and the page will shape itself to your will."

"Okay," he began gesturing with the pen, "Cut both these lines, change this word to 'until." Dan spent five minutes tweaking the wording of the pact until he was more or less satisfied. "That's less shitty, at least. Alright, add these lines to the 'duties and responsibilities of the familiar' section. First, the familiar shall offer samples of blood or other requested reagents to the master upon request."

"You're going to bleed me regularly? Like some kind of... of cow?"

Dan squinted at her. "Are you familiar with what cows do?"

"I demand that you tell me why you require my blood, Daniel. I find your added clause most insulting."

"I'm going to make potions out of it. Well, I'm going to give them to a guy I know, and he's going to do it. I'm not an alchemist. Now hush, I'm not done." Dan frowned at the page for several seconds. "Right, I remember. Second clause: the familiar will not inflict injury upon the master, including afflicting him with negative status effects of any kind, or by omission of action allow others to do so." Dan watched intently as the words appeared verbatim on the page before him.

"Final clause. The master will protect the familiar from harm as best he is able, within the boundaries of Saga Online."

Lexi made a small "hmmph!" noise, but said nothing.

Dan read through the contract one more time. "Looks good to me. Anything you wanted to negotiate for?"

"I suppose nothing that you would allow to be added. A demon of my stature agreeing to serve as a familiar is little short of absurd, but it appears you are determined to be unreasonable." She snatched up the pen and scratched out a series of blocky runes on the appropriate line.