DD 302 Ch 20

“Another?” Lady Frey asked after my most recent question.

We had gone through four trays of appetizers and six pots of tea while I had probed her over nearly every paragraph of the contract. She had been amused for the first hour. But at this point, I felt she was denying my requests out of spite for still reviewing it. This was all, once again, another ploy within her negotiations.

“I’m starting to wonder, Ken,” she said, “if you believe this is a contract for me to serve you, and not the other way around.”

I smiled sheepishly. “You’re the one who offered me the contract to help you out with your own endeavors. I think of this as a mutual pact.”

“You must understand that demons believe the only way you can grow strong is through combat and adversity. For me to help you so heavily and be concerned for your welfare would only strip you of your potential.” She told me.

“You sound like Crimson,” I grumbled.

“Crimson sounds like a wise woman,” the demoness said pointedly. “And I look forward to meeting her. Now, there is no such thing as a free meal.”

She paused before continuing on. "Should you ask me to intervene on this Threadspawn threat, I will A,” she raised a finger, “pointedly make your human government, the UG, aware of my involvement, and thus highlighting your involvement with me and breaking their confidence. B,” she lifted another, “I will also indebt you to me. That is non-negotiable.”

I grimaced and stared down at the contract. “But I can call on your aid?” I asked.

Lady Frey smiled. “But of course. In fact, I would be happy to come and remove this Threadspawn breeder that you have found and any others like it. In fact, I can say that not only you, but myself as well, would be generously rewarded for handling that situation and bringing it forward to one of the Demon Kings. After all, they are all locked in a bit of a competition to solve the Threadspawn threat internally. We desperately do not want them infecting our hierarchy.”

I nodded along and bit my lip. “There’s no way you could do it discreetly?” I asked.

Lady Frey drummed her nails along the surface of her desk. “And what additional value would you give me? This is a negotiation. It’s about time we treated it like one.”

I couldn’t simply hand over anything she asked of me. She’d already told me about one of the harsher contracts one of her generals held. She even referred to the general as her dog, which was not appealing in the slightest. I still had a few negotiation options in my back pocket, but I wasn’t ready to use them just yet.

“I’ll add an extra fifty percent to my repayment to you,” I said carefully. Time was everything when it came to balancing to the contract. Depending on the level of the Threadspawn, which was unknown, it considered the value of Lady Frey’s time in stepping forward and solving it. And though I would have to give it equal value, given my lower level and capabilities, it would cost me significantly more time to repay hers.

Time, it seemed, was the demonic unit of currency.

Lady Frey continued to drum her nails, unperturbed. “One hundred sixty percent,” she said. “And I won’t take a percentage less. Truthfully, Ken, I think you have value far beyond what your level implies.” She stared into my eyes. “And I do hope you understand that I desperately hope you rack up a substantial debt to me, one I may call on for years to come.”

I grimaced but nodded.

Lady Frey leaned back with a smirk. “Then I think we’ve concluded negotiations, have we not?”

With a sigh of finality, I nodded. When I signed on the dotted line, my signature glowed briefly, burning behind the quill before I finished. It lit up with a flash before settling into smoldering embers, my name carved permanently into the contract.

“Perfect.” Lady Frey snatched the contract from my hand and rolled it up with ease, the motion practiced and precise, as if she managed even larger scrolls on a regular basis.

“Now, my end of the contract.” She held out her arm and slit her wrist. A small glass vial appeared in the air, catching the blood that flowed freely as she continued speaking.

“Given your portal ability, being able to find me at all times would be highly advantageous.” She pulled out a small onyx stone covered in fine golden runework. “This will let you sense where I am at any time,” she said with a smile. “Both for your summons and mine. If you put a moment of thought into it, you will be able to see me and my immediate surroundings. That should be enough for your portal ability to grasp onto.”

I nodded and swallowed. It felt somewhat like I was signing my life away at the moment. Perhaps I just had.

I took the stone and went to slip it into my CID, only for her to click her tongue. “It will glow and become incredibly hot, unignorably hot, when I call for you. Which means you should keep it out at all times.”

I glanced at the stone, then tucked it into my pocket for the time being. I’d have to find a better way to carry it later.

“Good,” she said. “The terms of my assistance have been set. The terms of your assistance to me have been allocated. You will be giving me a percentage of the mana crystals you accumulate, and finally, your yearly hours of service will be set at sixty.”

I nodded. For a whole year, sixty hours seemed reasonable. Of course that number went up every time I needed to ask Lady Frey for something.

“I have high expectations for your leveling,” she added, “so do not falter. For each level you obtain in the next several months, you will receive generous rewards.” She had been very pointed about that part of the contract.

It was clear to me that whatever she wanted from me as an Incubus would only be if I had the levels to back it up. I wasn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon though.

She bled into the vial, then stoppered it and handed it to me. “If she is unable to make my blood work for her,” Frey said, “your woman may send me her grimoire. I will not personally be managing it, but I will find someone within my hierarchy to work out a way to include my blood into her.”

I paused, glancing at the vial. “And in no way, shape, or form will this give you any control over Des?”

Lady Frey sighed exasperatedly. “No. It would simply be the same as making her my daughter. Of course, if she wants to come and call me Mom, I won’t make too much of a fuss.” Frey smirked, and I shook off the thought of Des’s actual mother and Frey competing in some twisted motherly competition.

“Fine. Thank you,” I said with a bow.

Those words caused the lady the utmost shock as she reared back and blinked. “This was only fair. There is no need for you to show me any gratitude.”

“Of course you have your own interests,” I agreed. “However, for someone of your stature to stoop as low as to help me with mine is not something humans usually do.”

“Everyone has value,” Lady Frey said. “It’s just a matter of how it is applied.”

She waved a hand, as if my thanks had made her uncomfortable, and I stepped back, pausing before dragging my hand through the air and ripping open a portal.

Lady Frey leaned forward, eyes gleaming with the utmost interest. “Fascinating. I do hope I will be seeing far more of you, Ken.” She smiled as I stepped through the portal.

***

Lady Frey sat in the room, waiting for the portal to close. As it did, she leaned back with a massive smile stretching across her red lips. “He’s able to see and find nearly anything he desires,” she murmured, lips curling mischievously. “He didn’t say it, but I’m certain he knows just how valuable that is, either tracking down trials or things long forgotten in the dungeon.” Her tail, which had been swaying like a metronome, suddenly wrapped tightly around her thigh, squeezing it in excitement.

Then she pulled out a stone similar to the one she had given Ken and held it tightly in her hands while she thought of her own mistress.

In her mind, the vague illusion of her mistress appeared. The demon princess was lounging in what Frey knew was a marble tub, eyes closed as she reached for her own stone, the second her fingers touched it, the image clarified.

Lady Frey vaulted off the table and knelt on the floor, head bowed. “My mistress,” she said reverently, “I believe I have found a candidate for the unclaimed Incubus throne.”

The demon princess swirled a glass of thick purple liquid before taking a sip, her eyes still closed as she relaxed in the bath.

“We have a dozen already,” the princess replied languidly. “What makes this one important enough for you to reach out to me?”

“He is perfect,” Lady Frey said, unable to keep the pride from her voice. “Extraordinarily high potential. I have just raised him to a demon general. At twenty-one years of age, he is already level fifty-two.”

Those words drew a faint smile from the demon princess, who finally opened her eyes. She seemed to stare through the void itself, locking onto Lady Frey with an otherworldly focus. “Potent,” she said softly. “There are better.”

“He’s had no one’s support,” Frey countered. “In fact, he’s not really even a demon and until today was outside the hierarchy. Instead, he’s a human who has somehow, through the absorption of our people’s blood, shaped himself into a demon.”

The princess gave a small chuckle. “But he is still a demon, correct?”

“Of course. We would never allow a non-demon this much access. I believe he can be folded well into the hierarchy in time.” Lady Frey replied. Ken would do very well, it’s clear that his incubus nature has taken firm root based on the number of women in his story.

The demon princess hummed. “How much of this is your own hope, your desire to gain what you want, and how much is his actual potential?”

“I cannot lie that I wish to put forward a successful candidate for you, Mistress,” Lady Frey admitted. “However, I do believe he is of significant merit. If you would allow me to push him as hard as I can, I believe that with his unique circumstances, he can be raised while favoring our clan for many years to come. Subordinating him to our queen is likely to grate him, but to be a staunch ally seems well within reason. I should also mention he has significant affection and loyalty toward a succubus already.”

“Have you met her?” the queen asked.

“I have not yet,” Frey said, “but I have a feeling I will soon.”

“Do so,” the princess ordered. “And our queen will be infinitely pleased with you. Perhaps enough to set you on the path to becoming a princess yourself.”

“I would be honored merely by her attention. No need for excessive merit.” Lady Frey kept her head bowed, her face stoically composed. “There’s more,” she added. “Potential alone is not enough. Regardless, I do think he would be a unique addition to our hierarchy.” She had saved her final revelation for last. “He has an ability in which the dungeon will show him whatever he asks of it.”

At that, the demon princess sat up in the tub, nearly spilling her drink. “Preposterous. There are limits to everything.”

“I read him like a book,” Frey replied calmly. “He was far too easy to read. There was no deception.”

“Then perhaps he does not know the limit of his own spell,” the princess snapped, but Lady Frey maintained her poise.

“As I understand it,” Frey continued, “he can ask his ability where on his planet the Threadspawn are, and it will simply create a guiding light for him to follow. In the same way, he has been able to find the spaces between dungeon floors, raids, even other people within the dungeon. In fact, he used it to find his way back from the Dungeon Shuffle itself.”

By now, her mistress had recomposed herself, but it was impossible to miss her continued interest. “And the drawback?” she asked sharply.

“As far as he is aware, there is none. But even if there is something minor we do not yet know,” Frey said with confidence, “I’m sure it is within our abilities to solve, especially if it can be used as we both hope.”

The princess leaned back slowly. “You should not give myself, nor your queen, such undue hope. Do what you will with the boy for now, and give me a week to prepare. At that point, you will bring him before me. Do you understand?”

“Of course, my mistress,” Lady Frey intoned, voice full of reverence. She was fighting to keep the grin from her face.

Frey knew that her mistress was deep in thought. Ken had been within her hierarchy for barely a minute, and yet Frey had already extracted significant value.

The attention of her mistress was no small thing. Every demon king and queen was only held their position by being the single strongest of their subrace, meaning every succubus princess was among the top ten strongest of their people.

To rise that high among demons was unfathomable power, even for someone like Lady Frey.

She understood well the weight of older generations, and how difficult it was to catch up to them.

“He does have a slight Threadspawn issue on his planet,” Frey mused, tone returning thoughtful. “I suspect a large portion of what tempted him to join our hierarchy was the promise of aid in dealing with it.”

The demon princess shifted enough to focus back on Frey. “Oh? So far the Threadspawn have not been a significant challenge,” she said, swirling the last of her purple drink before setting it aside with what seemed like finality.

“His ability to locate them seems to have found a leader of sorts on his planet, one he is unable to defeat himself. Nor does he believe that even with a higher level subordinate of his, that he would be able to handle it.” Lady Frey replied.

The demon princess frowned, golden eyes narrowing. “If such threats are present in his world, then they are likely present in the rest of ours. Gather what information you can when he summons you for help. And understand that his time might be more valuable than even you bargained for. If need be, I will bargain directly with him for his time.”

Lady Frey’s eyes widened in shock. For someone of Ken’s status to be considered worthy of a princess’s direct dealings was no small thing. Even a moment of her mistress’ time would be invaluable to Ken. A minute of her time was nothing less than a second life should he find himself in danger.

“Understood,” Lady Frey said softly. “Do you have anything else you wish of me, my mistress?”

“No. Help him as he wishes. Use him for whatever task you have immediately, and in one week, prepare for me to see him. It would be best if you tested his ability prior to that time. I will not be left waiting to test it when I need it.” She paused. “On second thought, I will come retrieve the threadspawn and get a brief report once you are done.”

“Of course, Lady. Of course, Mistress,” Lady Frey said quickly. “Your wish is simply my command.”

Lady Frey waited for a moment, seeing if her mistress had anything more to say. But the demon princess had already settled back into her tub, eyes closing once more as she let go of her stone. Lady Frey’s connection with her mistress blurred.

Frey released her own stone and exhaled. Her tail resumed its slow, steady rhythm. It was a common demonic practice to keep extra limbs from betraying your emotions. However, a victorious smile crept across her lips.

“Oh, Ken,” she purred quietly. “You will be very busy from here on out. But don’t blame me. You’re the one who signed the contract, after all.”

She turned toward her desk, already running through lists in her mind. There was much to do in the coming week, and she needed to prepare for whatever Threadspawn threats Ken might bring her way. Its strength was unknown.

It would be best, she decided, to keep her best hunting dog close at hand. After all, if she failed to help Ken, it would be a significant blow, not only to her own reputation but to whatever he hoped to gain from their arrangement.

And Lady Frey knew one thing above all else. It was always better when those you wanted to use did their work willingly. No one enjoyed taking the leash of an unruly dog.