A Deal with A Demon

As a king who has had to face a heavy mood situation, the act with the intruder was but a trivial meeting. One that he could breeze through with confidence.

He had faced ministers, and lords who sought to overmine his authority while allocating more authority amongst themselves.

There are also other kings from neighbouring kingdoms, eyeing to take his kingdom's spot as the second most influential nation in the continent.

All those people and not once had he backed down, shown to be overwhelmed, or demonstrated a pathetic side of himself to them all.

He had always remained dominant, even in the face of the most dominant nation in the continent, the Yutus Imperium.

He has had meetings with an ambassador of the Yutus Imperium, and in no way did he show or affirm to them that he is to be taken for granted.

Erhart had overcome them all to be where he was and become what he is, an indisputable king.

He had raised his kingdom to become one of the most feared in the continent.

Regardless of what or who the intruder's identity is, he had no plan on folding before them.

There was no need to be hesitant, or jumpy. This is one of those hurdles that he has to face, his responsibility as a king of a nation.

He will not bend nor show to have any submissive traits for the intruder to feast upon.

That, he was certain about.

"Are you sure you still want to keep asking for my identity? Isn't there something else that you should be curious about".

Erhart had noticed that the intruder had this habit of stalling their words as if they were in thought and careful on what and what not to say.

'Fine, I will bite'. Erhart thought.

"What do you want from me". Erhart voiced, with a dignified air befitting one of his status.

"Now we are talking".

They did not care. Erhart regaining his kingly confidence does nothing to change the casual and jovial mode of the weeper.

"I want you to rally your forces and attack a particular location for me. Burn down the land, kill the old and young, and a particular woman in mind".

The weeper ordered with amusement in their tone.

"And why would I do that?!".

Erhart is a king, one with the authority of a king.

As a king, why would he obey the words of another? An intruder with no root?

He questioned and questioned, yet was unable to arrive at a plausible answer.

"Why? Why? That's a really good question".

The weeper stood up on their feet and paced around the room, in thought.

Having gathered their thought, they walked closer and stood in front of the desk, now facing Erhart head-on.

The weeper abruptly slammed both hands on the desk as they brought their face closer to Erhart who remained undaunted by their action.

"How about in exchange for not bringing ruin to your kingdom, you do as I say".

"Should I assume that as a threat". Erhart questioned, his composure calm and conceited.

"A threat? Come on. What am I, a brute? An edge lord?".

The weeper laughed it off as they took both hands off the desk and walked ahead with their back turned toward Erhart.

"A negotiation. That's right, this is a negotiation". The weeper retorted, their face once again shifting toward Erhart.

"You see, I have a goal to accomplish. One I have spent years... Possibly lifetimes that you have yet to live through, crafting and scheming all for a single purpose".

The surroundings got cold as tiny droplet sounds emitted on the floor and desk.

Erhart glanced his eyes toward the desk and saw particles or air that were supposed to be in microform, now frozen in the form of tiny pebbles.

The walls also lost their colour as they all radiated an aurora tone, creeping up.

'Ice Traits? A Third Class Advancement Sorcerer'. Erhart assumed!

Erhart made his assumption based solely on what had just happened.

There are certain laws in motion, and certain traits that can only be assessed when one gets to a certain class advancement.

Ice traits are one of those that are in most cases, classified as traits with a specific class restrictions placed on them.

The wall got frozen along with air particles turned solid! Those are enough credentials for Erhart to indict his assumptions that what the weeper was using is an ice trait.

And since ice traits can only be assessed as a third-class advancement sorcerer, he assumed the weeper to be of the third-class advancement.

Second-class advancement was already as rare as they could get, with the third class being the threshold for even the ones proclaimed as geniuses to get into.

Being a third-class advancement meant the weeper had something to fall back on, and Erhart could agree to that.

However, that is in the case that what the weeper is dealing with is a smaller nation or any other organization.

He is the king of the second most authoritative nation on the continent. Yes, second-class advancement is rare and third-class is even more scarce. But not to the point that he who rules over the second most authoritative nation would not be able to get his hands on it.

To demonstrate to the weeper what they were in for, Erhart manifested his trait so he could use it to subdue the effect of the ice traits.

At least that was what he planned to do.

The shock on his face, when he realized that his trait did nothing to reverse the effect of the weeper's trait was priceless.

"I do so enjoy it when they struggle to avoid the inevitable". The weeper said, sarcastically as they returned to their initial seat.

"I understand that you won't bend to my offer or do as I say even if I threaten you. So, how about we do this".

The casual tone of the weeper is about to bring up another proposition called to the attention of Erhart.

For a second there, he had lost his composure but was soon to regain it in second intervals.

"In exchange for doing what I ask, I will bestow upon you that which you so desperately desire".

"And what would you know about my desire". Erhart pried, taking an interest.

"I have been around long enough to know what others want without having to ask them".

They got up and moved closer to where Erhart sat as they continued; "Your goal. Your life's ambition, I can make it all come true only at a cost. Just one tiny favour that wouldn't even cost you one per cent of your total forces".

A deal with a demon. That is what was being proposed to him.

Strangely enough, Erhart found himself getting enticed with the deal.

This is a being that casually walked into the domain of the ruler of the second greatest kingdom in the continent, manifested a trait that not even he could break from.

He would be telling a lie to say he wasn't in the least interested in seeing where this would head to.