Deal Made

"I may have become a necromancer. But even a necromancer needs tools. And in the future, I may not always have the opportunity to rely on the services of such a master," Vallynor quickly contemplated the information received from the old woman's memories. He understood that the dwarf before him was one of the greatest masters of his craft.

Caesar closely observed and approached closer, striking Vallynor three times - once on the head, the second time in the heart, and the third time in the stomach.

"What... are you doing?" Vallynor asked fearfully, losing control of his energy and preparing for a fight.

"You won't be able to use others' knowledge anymore," Caesar explained.

"What?" Horkim and Vallynor asked in unison.

Alexander, who was sitting nearby on the floor, upon hearing Caesar's words, confirmed his suspicion about where Vallynor obtained his information. From Caesar's actions, it became clear that the source was within him. By the blows, he understood that the source was a soul. But it was illogical. If there wasn't just one soul there... The boy became more mysterious.

"In you reside the souls of the Queen of the Forest and her son. They have become a part of your soul, a part of you. Unnoticeably, they will change you. Since these souls became a part of you, some time has passed, so you have hardly changed. I sealed them. Foreign knowledge is good, but your own is even better," Caesar continued to explain, smiling and thoroughly describing to Vallynor the reasons for sealing the souls of the Queen and her son.

Vallynor pondered everything and began to recall all his actions since waking up. Nothing special: he woke up, met necromancers, collected all the old woman's treasures without checking them. Then he immediately met Annino, Glazik, and Alexander. Everyone headed to the last city. At first glance, nothing unusual. But if you look at it from another angle... I was too calm, not always, but internally, I knew better what to do and what not. And indeed, I sensed danger from that beauty with violet hair.

"In you, there are the souls of two dragons? What the hell have you done, boy?... I understand that..." Horkim turned his head, continuing to speak, "You didn't lie about the treasures of that greedy wench. Absolutely right, and you have her corpse and her son's corpse?"

Horkim was surprised, frightened, and then excitedly imagined working with hundreds of ingots of the finest metals... But...

"I..." Vallynor wanted to tell everything that happened. But was it the right thing to do? To tell a stranger?

"This boy has a heavy fate. So, Horkim, what's your answer?" Caesar asked.

Horkim began to pace back and forth, stroking his beard, muttering to himself, "If... he becomes my apprentice... I can get a lot of metals... I won't take... I won't get the metals. And Caesar..." Horkim looked at Caesar and continued muttering, "He'll be dissatisfied and make me work even harder..."

"For several months without a break," Caesar specified.

"That's already a threat. You're threatening the Great Horkim Hoffon, the creator of the greatest swords and armor. The greatest of connoisseurs, a great drunkard..."

"Former great drunkard," Vallynor corrected, recalling the conversation in that group.

"And you too? Are you all conspiring and threatening me?... Then I... accept you as my apprentice. But you must give me a portion of the metals you'll get from that merchant woman," Horkim stated.

"5%," Caesar corrected.

"20%," Horkim quickly rejected Caesar's offer.

"10%," Caesar offered again.

"18%," Horkim refused to agree to Caesar's terms. If they threatened him, he should gain some advantage.

Vallynor watched from the sidelines and couldn't help but compare Caesar and Horkim to the grandmas at the market or the ones at the pharmacy. No, no, like two grandmas at the market, haggling, arguing over the price of apples or eggs (and their grandpa). One tries to lower the price, coming up with various reasons, while the other raises the price as if those apples or eggs were made of gold.

"1% is my final condition!!!" Horkim shouted furiously, holding his hands to his chest. Then he realized what he had done.

"Deal," Caesar said, smiling, and clapped his hands, after which chains enveloped Horkim and Vallynor.

Vallynor got scared when he saw the chains and was about to run. He regretted that the souls of the old woman and her son were sealed. If only he knew what that thing was. But someone laid a hand on his shoulder. Looking, he saw Alexander, who shook his head, signaling Vallynor not to do anything foolish.

"No, no, I don't accept such conditions," Vallynor said as the chains surrounded him. He turned abruptly and tried to run with all his strength, but the chains pulled him back. As he shouted, "Deceivers, cheaters, vile scoundrels..."

"Call it what you want. The contract is still signed... And for those offensive words, one month without a break," Caesar said, turning to the astonished Vallynor, who watched as the chains enveloping him disappeared. Alexander, who stopped him, smiled and said:

"Congratulations. The great blacksmith will become your teacher and create armor and weapons for you. And all this for a symbolic payment of 1% of the treasures taken from the Queen of the Forest."

"Thank you," Vallynor nodded, grateful to Caesar, and was about to ask a question, but Caesar beat him to it.

"What were those chains that surrounded you and Horkim? It's a contract created through soul magic. If you look into your inner world and see your soul, you will notice small chains connecting with it. It's a contract that will make you give away 1% of everything you obtained from the Queen. The same chains are on Horkim. You already know the terms," Caesar said, wiping the smile off his face and interrupting Vallynor before he could even ask a question. He spoke to him with the tone and aura of a teacher, which enveloped Caesar.

Horkim, hugging his knees, began drawing circles on the stone floor. Literally, Horkim was drawing circles with his finger, as if with a laser. It wasn't even visible that he was using any force. But Vallynor, closely observing the drawn circles, was surprised to realize that they were ordinary circles.

"I won't let this slide... Everything must change," Horkim said as if going mad. He began laughing, looking at Caesar, the one who humiliated him, someone who was already humiliated and lost his most valuable title.

Vallynor understood what Horkim had in mind and quickly looked at Caesar, who nodded at him with a smile. Then he turned to Horkim. Vallynor understood that everything was fine. He again looked at the crazed Horkim and thought that something was off. Horkim seemed to forget to say something important. Ah, right, "Allahu Akbar."

Caesar snapped his fingers and made all the magical circles drawn by Horkim disappear. Then he said, "Calm down. You forgot how much treasure the Queen had. I was kind and offered 5%, but you wanted more. Your greed is to blame, nothing more."

Horkim calmed down after Caesar's snap and began to think more carefully. He slowly started to regret wanting more than Caesar offered. Why, why did he forget that you couldn't bargain with Caesar if you didn't want to end up without your belongings, hair, skin, or even your body? Everything that had value would be taken away. That cursed trickster, politician, and merchant all in one. The greatest evil in the universe.

"Ahaaaa, ahaaaa," taking a deep breath, Horkim started to calm himself down so as not to embarrass himself in front of his new apprentice. After some time, when he settled down and ensured his voice wasn't trembling, he said, "I understand. I won't object anymore," and turning to Vallynor, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Vallynor," came the response. Perhaps this was the legendary scene where the hero becomes an apprentice. The ritual that officially made me his apprentice.

"Vallynor, my name is Horkim Hoffon, and from this moment on, you are my apprentice. When you finish everything here, come to my forge. But... don't forget to prepare the payment. You will also pay for all the resources used for training. I'm leaving," Horkim said, turned, and went away, stepping in a disciplined manner. Just as Vallynor heard from behind, "Two months," Horkim added, "That damn biped."

Looking at Horkim walking away gloomily, Vallynor turned to Caesar and gave him a strange look.

"What?" Caesar asked, surprised, then continued with a smile, "You wanted to become his apprentice yourself. I just helped..." Looking at the gathering crowd of onlookers who could attack Vallynor at any moment and bombard him with questions, Vallynor clapped his hands. A small magical teleportation diagram appeared beneath his feet, a simplified version of the teleport that Alexander used to escape.

After a few seconds, Vallynor woke up in a small room. Looking around, he realized it was a workspace. There was a desk and cabinets filled with books, and on the wall hung a portrait of a gray human silhouette without a face and distinct features, leaving room for imagination. Vallynor understood that it depicted a man.

"This... is our God of Souls. You must have heard about him," Caesar said, looking at the painting sadly.

"Devoted to other gods and killed by them," Vallynor said, recalling all he knew about the God of Souls. This god had been the emperor and ruler of this world, overseeing the balance and equilibrium.

"Yes, devoted to those deceitful and vile beings, which led to his destruction," Caesar replied with a melancholy voice, reminiscing about that fateful moment. He granted power to warriors, aiding the wounded or those who lost their physical form, as well as healing wounded souls so they wouldn't be stolen by Adam or the Heavens, and could return to the cycle of purification and rebirth. But then he saw how a mob of vile creatures attacked their master.

"Where are the others?" After a moment of silence, Vallynor looked around and couldn't find Annino and Glazik. Alexander also disappeared somewhere, but clearly, he went back to his place to rest. He was still alive, unlike me, half undead and half alive. I'm not sure if I'm alive or just a walking dead. The evidence for this is that I don't feel pain, hunger, tiredness, and, most importantly, my dignity doesn't work. I must be cursed with the virgin's shield. But even if in my past life I wasn't a virgin... Wait... This is probably the funniest message that spoke about it. Noooo.

While Vallynor was pondering and panicking with each passing second, Caesar summoned two chairs and a coffee table. From their shape and structure, it was evident that they were expensive.

"Annino is resting in his room. The process is ongoing, but it's slow. Soon you'll have to visit him again for a refill," Caesar said, seating himself in one of the chairs. He gestured for Vallynor to sit and continued:

"The former familiar of Baba Yaga, whom you called Glazik, if I'm not mistaken, asked for permission to leave the city to meet some people... Glazik? Couldn't you come up with a different name?"

Already sitting in the chair, Vallynor calmed his raging thoughts. Hearing Caesar's question, he felt embarrassed. Maybe he really should give her another name. After all, she's a girl, even if she's just a flying eye.

Caesar, seeing that Vallynor felt uncomfortable, smiled sadly and continued:

"Alexander went to his daughter. You've already met her... Vallynor, I was very rude, and it was because of me that they brought you to this city without asking. Now you are the only one left alive; the rest have already turned into a ghost city, filled with fallen beings. I apologize."

"No need to apologize. I was already wandering in that forest, and most importantly, I was already considering going to the city someday," Vallynor replied.

"It must have been very difficult for you. A person who lived in another world suddenly wakes up in this cursed world of gods. But all that is in the past now. Here, you can learn and develop properly," Caesar assured him.

"Learn? Why?" Vallynor looked puzzled at Caesar. He himself enjoyed studying magic and its laws. It had been his childhood dream. But why did Caesar want him to study too?

"Having entered this world, you have already become one of us. Souls living in this world used to help each other in their development. Even necromancers had their laboratories where they conducted research for centuries. They shared their knowledge whenever needed. Besides, we all played the role of teachers, guiding new souls and preparing them for their future tasks and sacred duty to our God. You've already seen such a place. The Temple of Gara, which was the home of Gara, the Lord of Stones, and also a sanctuary and school for new souls to begin their development," explained Caesar.

Slowly, Vallynor began to connect the puzzle pieces into a whole, but he still couldn't understand what happened to that child hiding under the bed. Even after his body decomposed over the centuries, it still remained attached to the bed and didn't fall. In the same way, the mixture of souls from the remains of children was now a part of his own soul.

"And then came the treacherous day when... All the young souls and those who couldn't endure long enough not to be destroyed in vain were hidden, so they wouldn't become useless victims. And after the gods sealed this world, cutting it off from the rest of the universe, all other alternative worlds were destroyed. We were confined to this world," sighed Caesar. "We started living for ourselves. Many began to pursue their desires: marry, create, fight, kill, and destroy. Desires can be both good and bad," Caesar turned his head aside and sadly looked at the portrait.

"What maintained the balance and suppressed hidden desires deep within the soul came out after his disappearance. Children suffered the most during this chaotic period. Guardians tried to protect and teach them. Death is not the scariest, as you know that only your identity disappears. But after purification, the soul is born anew and continues to live," Caesar continued.

"For a new soul to grow and learn to protect itself independently, before the appearance of the isolated world, it took 1,000 years. And now, it's 10,000 years. Ten times longer. This happened not only because they could no longer travel to other worlds and strengthen their souls by understanding the universe, but also due to the limited universal energy we call mana. Since the moment the world was isolated and all connections and channels through which mana filled our world were cut off, it became significantly less," explained Caesar, and Vallynor listened attentively, seeing how Caesar remembered the past with sadness.

"Mana is an inexhaustible resource. However, the more we use it, the slower it vanishes, and the world becomes polluted, hindering our development. Slowly, but steadily, the children who managed to develop grew stronger. The others, however, were destroyed, their minds annihilated, turning them into mere... And the places where we used to teach have emptied, been destroyed, or forgotten," Caesar shook his head, smiling sadly, and asked, "You must have many questions, and one of them is what happened to the Temple of Gara and who that monster screaming 'I am the chosen one' is..."

Vallynor, sensing something, nodded in response to Caesar's question. He was eager to know the answer. He certainly wanted to know who this mutant was.

"The one who screams 'I am the chosen one' was once a human like you, who arrived in our world after its isolation. As things slowly but surely normalized, he learned and developed. However, at some point, he made a wrong move and started to mutate. His soul became distorted and corrupted. To stop this, he began to attack others and devour their souls. The children who were not yet strong enough became perfect targets for him. He attacked the temple when Gara was not around. This incident heavily impacted Gara and became one of the reasons for his swift downfall," Caesar concluded.

"Became fallen?" Vallynor listened to Caesar but couldn't understand several points. How much time had passed since they were sealed? When did the first fallen appear? How did his predecessor come into being? What did he do to become like that, and many other questions.

"Yes, one of the fallen caught our attention. Although it could be said that he didn't fully fall, he merely began the process. And this happened because he remained in that temple, in his home, where much filth from poor children had accumulated," Caesar explained.

Vallynor clapped his hands, feeling how all the sadness and darkness enveloping him and Caesar vanished. After Caesar's clapping, he said with a wide smile, "Let's not talk about the bad things. Let's talk about the good things. You, Alexander, Gabriel, and Horkim will become your teachers or mentors, whatever you prefer to call them. We'll teach you everything we know, and in return, you'll bring some happiness to this dying city. And give Horkim 1% of your achievements as payment. You can even give him the smallest thing, and he won't mind if you don't tell him the truth," Caesar suggested.

Vallynor was internally thrilled to hear this. He knew that with a mentor to guide him, he could become stronger and learn something new. For example, how to overcome the curses from Baba Yaga. It was a shame she didn't teach him blood magic. However, something made him hesitate.

"Make the city happier?" Vallynor asked, considering what Caesar meant by this hint. And he began to suspect.

"You know it yourself. Share the knowledge you have from your world with others. What you have in your memory before those memories fade from your soul," Caesar replied, smiling, stood up, and headed towards one of the cabinets. He tapped the door twice with his finger.

At this moment, while Vallynor watched Caesar, he wondered how many times Caesar could smile. It was starting to become scary, as if he were a mad old man. After thinking about it, Vallynor became curious about what Caesar had just knocked on the door for.

"May I..." Vallynor didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he was forced to fall silent. The cabinet door opened abruptly with force, and water rushed out - cold as ice. The water enveloped the entire room, even though Vallynor, being more like undead, could endure the cold. Nevertheless, his flesh slowed down in movement.

Caesar, still smiling, knocked on the door again, and the water disappeared as if by magic. Then, two tentacles emerged from the water. Caesar said something and pointed at Vallynor, then addressed him, "Classes will begin tomorrow. Today, Henry will introduce you to the city," Caesar said, maintaining his usual smile. Then he turned to the work desk and said goodbye, "Enjoy yourself!"

After these words, the tentacles, like hungry beasts, pounced on Vallynor, grabbing him and dragging him into the cabinet.

As the tentacles pulled Vallynor into the cabinet, Henry, being so courteous as to close the doors behind him, made the water vanish. The room, which had just been filled with water, miraculously became dry. Caesar, sitting on the chair, picked up a pen and began writing.

Someone knocked on the door twice, and without waiting for an answer, Gabriel entered. He approached Caesar with a displeased expression on his face. Taking a chair, he sat down and looked at Caesar, saying, "You deliberately sent him to the city so that he wouldn't meet me? But then why do you want me to teach him? At the same time, you don't want to meet with me. What are you planning?"

Caesar placed the pen on the table and interlaced his fingers. Then he lowered his chin and, smiling, said, "You know why..."

"Stop smiling, you annoy me with your constant smile... No, put down the stick. I didn't mean to offend you. Leave the stick, leave the stick. Don't hit me with the stick," quickly turning to the door, Gabriel evaded Caesar's attempts to strike him with the stick, which was very dangerous.