Another Bond.

"You gave it to her?" I asked, annoyed.

Quentin had returned from the meeting, un-expelled and missing the Emerson's Alloy.

Is he an idiot? I literally had a death condition on him, written into our contract. In invisible ink, but still.

What if I were to invoke it now?

I shook my head.

Of course. He was an idiot.

And Jane Chatwin knew about it. She used this to get back at me. Purposefully.

"She took it from me. And I wasn't going to argue about it. What if she expelled me again?"

"And-" I caught myself.

"If you want I can get it back. As my one order. From the contract." Seeing me worried, Quentin tried wriggling out from his obligations.

Suddenly, or well not so suddenly, I had this urge to punch him in his stupid fucking face.

He was just begging for it.

It had barely been two hours since the contract and he was already trying to avoid paying the price.

But I controlled myself.

No. Let's not reveal my intentions.

He wasn't worth it.

I'll take it back from Jane myself.

"Nevermind. I'll get it back." I assured him and went back to my laptop.

"What are you doing there?" Quentin asked as Eilot sat down beside me, handing me a drink.

"Engineering an anti-toxin enzyme." I replied, taking a sip.

"And that is what?" Quentin asked.

"It's...uh you know how enzymes in your stomach digest food? Kinda like that but in this case it'll be an implant that works to remove toxins from the body. Like a secondary immune system but only for poisons and venoms and other harmful chemicals."

At that, Eliot's ears perked up.

"And this implant... if someone were to drink say wine... "

"Yes Eliot. It'll save your liver."

"But it'll take away the taste of wine? Or the buzz of drinking?" Eliot asked.

"What? No. It's science, not a hack like magic. The only price you pay is money. And the couple of weeks it takes to get used to having another organ shoved into your gut."

"So a tuesday for me." Eliot joked, pouring himself the fourth drink in ten minutes.

"Can you ...what's it's called?" He snapped his fingers.

"Surgery?" I suggested.

"Yes! Can you do the surgery or ..."

"Yeah. I can. Also, why are you taking this so cavalier? Just believing what I'm saying?"

"Margo is the skeptic. I'm just .... So relaxed." He stretched, "Quick question, what is that bird doing?"

"What bird?" I asked, looking around.

"That one, in the three piece suit? On the bar?"

I looked over again and saw nothing.

"Eliot, how high are you?"

"6 feet 2 inches." He went to pour himself another drink but I stopped him.

"Yeah. I think you have had enough for today."

He raised an eyebrow at me, instead just put the bottle to his mouth, chugging it.

"What's up bitches?" Margo jumped onto the couch opposite us.

"Eliot is drunk." Quentin said.

"When is he not?" Margo sat back.

"He's seeing birds in suits bartending." I explained and Margo swiped her hand, pulling away the bottle from him.

"Yeah. I think that's enough for you." She said, stowing it away.

"Bambi..." Eliot protested, swaying as he bent over to reach it.

"Don't bambi me. You need to lay down. Come." She got back up, grabbing Eliot.

"Quentin, help me get him to the bedroom." She ordered and Quentin silently obeyed.

Meanwhile, I finished my drink.

"Well, I'll see you guys later." I said, "And Quentin?"

"Yeah?" He stopped, turning to me.

"Don't try to to outsmart your way put of the contract. It won't end well." I warned, giving him a cold, deadly glare.

He gulped heavily and nodded as I packed up and left.

Walking down the path to the dorms, I could feel the silence in the air. It was only 7 pm but after the Beast incident, few students dared to openly ply the streets. Behind me I felt a presence approaching as I passed a great tree in the garden.

Someone I knew.

I sighed.

"You really like trees huh, Jane?" I said, "Or is that another shtick of yours?"

Jane Chatwin materialized on one of the branches and jumped down.

"Is stealing yours? Or assaulting youn girls?" She quipped.

I turned around to see her walk up to me, and one of her eyes seemed off.

"Like the new eye? A present of yours." She said, "Had to use a wish to get it back."

Oof.

She's still pissed about me stealing that stuff.

But then again, she nearly lost her eye to it so I can't say I blame her.

"I must say, tea isn't supposed to be drunk through the eyes." She added, fuming.

"Didn't you use permanence perfume on yourself?" I asked, confused.

"No! It interferes with casting the time loops, something you would have known if you had spared the least bit of thought to anyone but yourself." She growled, "Can't bend time if you are a stationary point in it. The same way stapled sheets tear when separated." "Except in this case the sheets would be time." I realized.

"Couldn't you have used Chatwin's torrent?" I asked.

Chatwin's torrent was a magical healing river in Fillory. It worked wonders on Penny's hands in the show.

"The tea was enchanted. Left magic residue, permanently altering my eyes." She scoffed, "Because I was naive. Only the best tea for my future lover. Hah! Stupid little girl I was."

"What do you want, Jane?" I cut to the heart of it.

"I want my things back." She said, "Along with an apology and a promise."

I snorted in amusement.

"How about no? And you can fuck right off." I replied, smiling politely as I flipped her the bird.

"And return the Emerson's Alloy while you're at it."

"I gave you a choice. A chance." She sighed, and raised her hand to cast when I pulled out my laser gun and aimed at her.

"I wouldn't be so sure." I said, and she hesitated, her face crumbling as if she had eaten a rotten plum.

She ground her teeth and scowled at me before lowering her arm.

"Fine. But you have to save my life." She offered a recourse.

"If you give me your watch and key. And the Emerson's Alloy. And I keep the things I stole." I added.

She gave me a murderous look before relenting.

"After the Beast is dead."

"Deal!" I replied, lowering the gun and put it away

"Within the year." She added.

"Yeah, yeah. Now shoo. I have better things to do."

"I don't enjoy your company either." She spat back and disappeared.

In her place, on the ground lay the Emerson's Alloy.

I picke dit up and stuffed it into my pocket, and thought of something.

Checking the camera, I found Alice was still in the library researching.

Another target. Soft, naive and ready to be used.

And I had another contract ready.

Today might just end up being the most productive day of this run....

I smiled.

.

I walked in and spotted a blonde mop of hair by the window.

Here we go.

"Hey." I slid into the seat beside Alice.

"Hi... uh.. Jay? Right?" She sat up straight.

"Yeah. What are you reading?" I leaned over and asked.

Some arabic text. My glasses translated it automatically.

Summoning djinn?

No.

Containing ghostly entities. Right. She must be looking for a way to rebuild her brother's body and then seal his soul into it. Effectively reviving him.

That's how she knew the body creation spell in season 3!

"Trying to revive your brother?" I asked.

"How did you-"

"Don't sweat it. Here's a tip. The easiest way to seal a spirit is to tie it to something. Try an incorporate bond but for spirits." I advised, "It'll limit your the mobility but it's easier than the millions of complications that can happen with a non-necromantic revival."

I needed to create my own version of thr incorporate bond too, actually. It's a very useful spell. A fourth dimensional paperweight. Binds even gods.

"Thanks but I can do this on my own." She shooed me away.

"Fine, fine. But just one more thing." I raised a finger.

"I can let you meet your brother. Tell you how and where he died. Maybe even how to bring him back. An easier method than that." I gestured at the arabic literature on the table.

Alice immediately snapped to attention, her eyes fixated on me with an intense look.

"What do you mean?" She asked, "Is this a joke? Did Eliot and Margo-"

"No. This is serious." I tapped the table with my finger, "I can do all of that. But of course... "

"You want something?" She guessed.

"Yup. A small favor. Enforced by a word as bond."

"Seriously? A word as bond?" Alice rolled her eyes.

"It's important. Just a matter of trust. Once you pay me back, it won't matter anymore."

"So says every used car salesman but you know how that goes.... " She said.

I took out the contract from my bag and placed onto the table.

"Take a look." I prompted.

She raised an eyebrow and picked it up, poring through it.

"This is insane." She exclaimed, "Why would anyone ever sign this?"

"Lot's of reasons. Besides, this is just the basic layout. Don't steal from me, don't reveal my secrets or that you signed a contract with me. Fulfill one request of mine, no questions asked."

"At penalty of death?!" She ppinted out.

"Yes. It's extreme, but a good deterrent."

"A word as bond is already a deterrent, asshole."

"We can edit it before you sign." I conceded.

"Yes." Alice glared at me, "We will. By removing the penalty of death."

"Nope. That is non-negotiable. We can however add some things in. Like breaking clauses and things I can't request of you." I explained, swiping my hand across the paper, adding some clauses, "I will not ask you to kill someone. Nor will I ask to have sex with you against your will. I'll probably just ask you to do something small and mundane. Don't worry about it. Anything else you'd like to add?"

"Yes ..." She said and we got down to brass tacks.

Thirty minutes later, she signed a long winded, unnecessarily guarded contract and I smiled, knowing I had achieved my goals. The contract wa ssolid of course. She had even added clauses that forbade me from indirectly using her as an assassin or having her assist in killing or maiming someone. The contract would also break if she was forced to do so without her knowledge. Or against her will. She also added other sexual acts in clauses preventing them. And she also asked that I never steal from her, just to spite me. Crafty bitch!

But, I got what I wanted.

"Now tell me." She demanded, arms crossed.

"Sure. No need to be hostile." I said, leaning back into my chair.

"Your brother isn't dead. He's a niffin."

"What?!" She cried out, furious, thinking I was joking.

I just pointed to the contract and she settled down in realization.

"Now you know what I meant about matters of trust? This is why I ask people to sign contracts." I capitalized on her outburst to guilt trip her.

She shrunk into her seat and muttered a 'sorry' as I continued.

"He died saving a girl's life. She was about to commit suicide after a spell went wrong and....changed her. And he stopped her. Tried to help her out. But the magic was too big and it burned through him, consumed him, turning him into a niffin, a magician who has shed their corporeal form and become one with magic itself."

I explained, taking out a matchstick.

Handing it to her, I showed her a simple spell.

Teutolsky's spirit locator.

As it's name suggests, it locates spirits.

You light a match, cast the spell and it's flame leads you to the location of the spirit's death.

"Find out for yourself." I said, leading her put to the Van Pelt fountain, a fountain outside the academic block where he had died.

Sure enough, she cast the spell and the flame flickered, pointing at the fountain. Alice walked closer, the flame burning a bright blue and purple as she neared it, before suddenly, it flared up and popped, vanishing completely.

"See?" I gloated, "Believe me now?"

"Yes....sorry about earlier. I-"

"Don't mention it. Here." I handed her a list of topics to research."

"What's this?" She asked.

"All topics related to niffins and methods of communing with them. Along with a healthy selection of body building and resurrection grimoires. They should help create a new spell that can turn a niffin back to a human. But you will have to do the math." I said.

She nodded and collapsed onto the floor by the fountain, burying her face into her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I sat down beside her and offered my shoudler. In an act of genuine kindness, wholly unbefitting of me.

But she reminded me of Offee so much...

Maybe it was the huge boobs or maybe it was her soft and tolerant personality.

But I just had to.

And thankfully, it was offer she gladly took.

"Thank you." She sniffled, hugging me tighter, "I didn't know what to do an-and no one would answer me.... Even Dean Fogg....."

I patted her back, comforting her.

She was a mess.

And sometimes, even I can show sympathy. Especially when it doesn't cost me shit and gains me brownie points with another protagonist.

"Shush... It's okay. Now you know." I said, "And knowing is half the battle."

"But no one has done this before and I..." She hesitated, doubting herself as usual.

"Just because no one has done it, doesn't mean it's impossible. Besides, you're a genius. If anyone can do it, it'll be you." I assured.

She sobbed and nodded, burrowing into my chest.

I sighed.

I guess Wanda can wait for another hour.

_________________

MC sees Offee in Alice and lends her a shoulder to cry on.

No. This is not a pairing. MC is still loyal to Wanda.

Unless you guys want it?

I certainly don't!

Next time, the search for Wanda turns up squat and mc heads out to Arifureta for another assistant.

Smol waifu Yue is on the horizon!

Donate your powerstones.

Next extra chapter at 600 powerstones.

Thanks for reading!

Tell me how you feel about the chapter.

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Till then, see ya!