11 End of the Bargain

"There I was, attending this school of Cerrit along with other people as strange as I was. After I found out about how I received this system, this odd set of powers, I seeked some form of medication, take it out of me or at the very least try to reduce it." Jimmy added to his speech.

Zaniva sat in her chair, hands on the table facing Jimmy following the details of his early days as a Cerrit. The other succubi looked at him in surprise.

"I'm surprised you remember all those things." Belva spoke. "Not many humans remember the exact details of their childhood."

"Well, guess I'm one of them." Jimmy spoke. "Everything you see of me and my Cerrit abilities as a snakes up until now has been what I had discovered long back then and learnt to control it during my time at the School of Cerrit."

"What were the Cerrits like Jimmy!?" Sillis suddenly beamed in curiosity. "Tell us! Tell us!"

"I'd rather not. You'd think I paid attention to all the Cerrits there? I was too focused on understanding what the hell that was in me dammit!"

"Maybe there were Cerrits-" Belva wanted to speak out more but Zaniva let her hand up.

"Let us not push Jimmy further about his past, at least not now."

"I want to know how you in particular watched me." Jimmy faced Zaniva after he stood up from his seat and stood opposite her in front of the table.

"I have watched from above Jimmy, in discreet." Zaniva spoke. "It was never in my interest to bring the naive and the confused into terrible paths. Your state up until now has been both blessing for having strength, but a curse for your ability to live as a human.

She added. "As someone who has spent time on this Earth previously, I understand that people have the inability to accept things as it is, let alone accept people different from them."

"Trust me, there was a time where people were so paranoid and wild, living alone was probably the best way to be at peace with the world."

As Jimmy was talking about this, Velyn was seen fixing the hole and the broken wood that was previously present during the time the distorted demon had arrived and ambushed them.

"I'm not someone who enjoys the sight of destruction." Velyn spoke as she allowed the rays of light from her hands to close the hole that was caused by the demon's ambush.

"And I hate to be rude but the more we waste time here the more Malvagia will move on ahead with the conflict. I hate to imagine what is going on down there as we speak."

"Right, I'll be blunt" Jimmy demanded. "I've held up my end of the bargain by telling about myself as a Cerrit, now you tell me why the hell are you here, and what's this Malvagia have to do with all of you. Is she another succubi? "

"She is, far from that, she was our Queen of the Underworld." Zaniva admitted.

"Was?"

Zaniva closed her eyes, the memories of fire, death and destruction started to play inside of her head. She slowly opened her eyes, facing Jimmy, while Belva and the Silvanir sisters, Sillis and Velyn, kept on looking down.

"Where there can exist corrupt Kings and Queens in the human world, things in the Underworld are not far apart." Zaniva explained. "I shall spare you the details. Malvagia was dethroned due to the tyranny she had embraced, doing as she pleased, imprisoning those who oppose let alone question her directions."

"Why not just kill her and take her crown then?" Jimmy spoke.

"That sounds easy in theory, Jimmy." Belva admitted. "But in practice…"

"War isn't not something that requires only strength and the willingness to fight." Velyn added. "It is an art within conflict. Everything must be planned out from the absolute beginning, including the plan of execution. There's also the issue with numbers."

"We need more people like you Jimmy!" Sillis exclaimed, seeming less serious than the other two. Jimmy looked at her with an odd look.

"And here I thought you all wanted to do whatever other demons would do."

"That would have been accurate if you were a human Jimmy." Belva placed a hand against her head. "But the reality is, you're not human, not anymore." she soon cut him off as he opened his mouth. "And if you're wondering if you want to back out, then please, by all means, just don't blame us if Malvagia's minions capture you and twist your mind and soul to side with them."

Jimmy folded his arms, thinking about the distorted demon from before. That was probably only one of Malvagia's supporters, what about the others.

"For a succubus that took the form of a snake and failed to seduce me, you have a good point." Jimmy spoke, prompting Belva to touch her fingers together as the Silvanir sister snickered behind her.

"To tell you the truth I don't like snakes." Belva spoke. "I know it's weird, but it's true. They're just scary, and scaly….I think I'll stop now." she stopped as she realized Jimmy was the man who loved snakes.

"If your survival is not enough to convince you, then perhaps I can offer you something: to live as a normal human once this is all over." Zaniva spoke in an ambitious tone, with the other succubi gasping and staring at her in surprise.

"Now you're bluffing." Jimmy spoke. "If there's anything I learned in the School of Cerrit is that I'll learn more abilities overtime, can't predict which would come first and how I would control it." he paused. "Besides, Taron told me that a Cerrit will never lose its abilities unless death arrives to them."

"Taron?" Belva asked.

"The name of my teacher at the School." Jimmy spoke. "He told me the absolute truth about what my father did, I suspect this was the same man who gave me these abilities in the first place, but I didn't have proof."

"Demon magic is nothing like Gilvenheimite Magic." Zaniva spoke. "Of course do not expect an instant recovery from your abilities, if what you said was true that your abilities originated from the Underworld, then you must unlock every ability it has. That way, my demonic colleagues and I can extract the same full set of abilities from you."

"I know you must be skeptical." Zaniva added. "But where else can you go Jimmy? Besides, imagine what if Malvagia learned about you? She will stop at nothing to get as many powerful Cerrits on her side."

"This is why you want me to join. You need more power."

"Yes, from a Cerrit such as yourself. In addition, the more we bond with you in a harem, the more we will slowly get energy from your system."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes Jimmy. We're succubi afterall." Belva spoke. "It's all about the energy that we're after, after the souls of humans, but with you, your soul doesn't mean anything right now."

"So how about it Jimmy? Care to take up my offer?" Zaniva spoke. "We will support you in every way we can, monitor your progress and your abilities, and do what we can in order to keep your abilities in check, eventhough I'm impressed you have maintained a low profile up until recently."

"That man who saw me with my abilities." Jimmy sighed. "He might expose me to the others."

"Is there a clear distinction between what separates a Cerrit and a person who learned magic normally?"

"Not that I know of…" Jimmy admitted. "But regardless, that resident could tell everything around this area about me."

"I can go there and have him forget everything he saw." Belva spoke in a confident tone. "Unlike you, that man may have a low awareness scale."

Jimmy looked at Belva, then at Zaniva. Flding his arms, he spoke. "I won't be the only Cerrit, right?"

"Like I said, Malvagia may try to find Cerrits and possess them to be at her side, we on the other hand will do the same. So far you're the second."

"Who's the first?"

"Oh, you'll see her sometime. Right now she's occupied in a nation far from here, trying to avoid Malvagia's demons as we speak." Zaniva grinned. "So how about it Jimmy?"

"Four things I want before I accept this entire thing. First, we'll always be on the move."

"Why?" asked Belva.

"Because I'm pretty sure people won't turn a blind eye about me being a Cerrit, and people can be wild when they see things outside of what they normally see."

"Understandable." Velyn spoke. "We cannot spend too much time at places, it gives more of an opportunity for Malvagia's possible forces to strike us. She's all too aware of us succubi being against her."

"Second." Jimmy started. "I want my snakes to be guarded in the Underworld while we do this whole thing, can you do that?"

"They mean that much to you?" Belva spoke as she soon got a glare from him. "Sorry."

"That can be arranged Jimmy." Zaniva smiled. "The third request?"

"When this is all over I do not want to see any of you again." Jimmy spoke. "I just want a simple life when you all can get these abilities out of me, if what you say is true."

Belva sighed, the man sounded absurd, but he had a point. "What's the final thing you want?"

"If I say I want a drink for each place we stop to, then I want a cold one." Jimmy sighed. "Heck I'm thirsty right now. Let's head into town."

Belva placed her hand on her face. "Okay Jimmy." she sighed. "That can be arranged too."