Chapter 96
Chapter 96
“Are we certain this is the best path?” Sog asked as he stood next to Max, overlooking the sea. “You’re trading something most can’t fathom the potential of for answers that might not be possible.”
Max took a few seconds before nodding, his eyes watching the sun rise as the clouds drifted across the sky. It was a scene worth painting, capturing the beauty for others to witness.
“I am. You and I both know about the interaction I had with one of the Nine. He cannot come if I do this. And Rakonath shared with you his opinions on this path as well.”
The demon frowned, a sharp nail scratching his chin as he studied the human beside him. “You two are often in agreement. Yet Rakonath does not simply follow your lead or commands because you force him to. Having heard about what he did with Miranna and how you did not stop him told me a lot about the relationship… or bond, as you call it, you share. He mentioned that you are anxious about what is coming and couldn’t be here in case the one who watches over him and you might be able to see this action due to that bond.”
“Do you disagree with that thought?” Max asked. “You once mentioned how the one you served and were bound to could keep tabs of sorts on you and the others under them. While it wasn’t the same, surely one with the power who watches Rakonath could see more.”
Sog nodded, frowning for a moment. “When you summon Gykewotik and make your request, that will finalize the debt he owes you. It may take another summoning for him to acquire the knowledge you seek, but after he gives what you request, any future summonings will be on equal footing. You could ask for something and he would be entitled to demand what he desires from you. Either you both agree on those terms or the spell ends.”
“Similar to what was offered upon our first contact,” Max stated.
“Yes… but I was… weaker. My needs were very primal and basic. To gain power, I was more than happy to destroy a foe before me. Had I been stronger, I would have demanded something in exchange. Gykewotik made a mistake. He didn’t realize how powerful you were, and that cost him. He won’t let that happen again. This won’t be a cordial discussion or anything like when you or I engaged with each other. I’d expect him to be… anxious and potentially very upset.”
“Because he told the one above him about me, and it failed?” A chuckle came from Sog, who nodded. “Only the System will be able to determine if he acted outside of your original agreement. If it has, then he will suffer even more, not just from the one who could end his existence with ease.”
“Bob and I discussed that… would one do such a thing? How much chaos would that cause to a race like yours?”
“Chaos is what my kind lives for,” Sog replied, sighing. “There are days that I feel… constrained. Similar to the hunger you mention having due to your skill, my very being longs to be somewhere, sowing death and destruction, harvesting souls, gaining power. Sitting here, caring for a world and the demons under me is much harder than anything else I have ever done. Each action has to be measured or mistakes like my gambling one could ruin everything I hope for.”
Sog paused and pulled out a piece of black cloth, folded over. Slowly, he unwrapped it and revealed a small horn. “This belonged to Agluur. She gave this to me as a promise that she would repay me for the gift that I gave her.”
“Your spark?”
The demon nodded, gently touching the horn with his finger for a moment before wrapping the cloth around it and storing it. “I can feel her thread… just slightly when I touch it. She is growing, like your daughter and the rest. While the Divine Points we get from their actions are not much, it is a testament to the fact that order can lead to power. That is what helps temper my hunger.”
“And that is what you think will help temper Gykewotik’s?” Max said. “That he will recognize the true power to be gained isn’t by going against me but by either being neutral or aligning.”
“Yes… but remember what Bob told you. Do not form a pact ,” Sog said. “No good will come from one with him. There is a reason he has the power he does. There is also a reason why there are other gods like him. My kind quickly learns how to twist words to mean what we want and use the rules as traps.”
Max nodded and gave his friend a gentle pat on the back. “Thank you for coming here with me and just talking. Our friendship means a lot to me.”
Sog coughed and then cleared his throat. “Sometimes I forget that your words can cause me to feel things I have rarely felt. I am grateful for our friendship and promise to always stand by your side. Our threads are connected, Max Hoste. If that dwarf hadn’t claimed you as a brother, I’d almost offer to make you a demon, but then I’d be related to a dwarf and I cannot sully my name like that.”
Both of them laughed at the joke as Max moved a little bit away, summoning a knife and cutting himself.
[ Demonic Summoning ]
Once again, the sand where his blood touched turned red and no doorway came. Instead, the waves of red washed out and the kaleidoscope walls expanded, forming the area he was in as lava began to bubble up from the bottom of the summoning area.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Hovering in the air, Max rose above the liquid, watching as a shape began to rise. Unlike the first time when it had dominated the space, the orange, red and black sections of Gykewotik’s skin didn’t bubble or pop as much as the first time. Barely any lava dripped from the cracks in his obsidian skin.
The two black eyes that belonged to Gykewotik were dimmer than before, yet Max could sense something behind them.
It would appear he is not happy to see us.
Yeah… the scowl on his face is a dead giveaway.
“You have summoned me,” Gykewotik said, his voice echoing everywhere. “It appears you are stronger than I anticipated. Have you come to collect what is owed?”
A thick black tongue licked against sharp black teeth as it awaited a reply.
“I have,” Max said, moving closer toward the demon king. “Though I wonder if the System considers your telling of the one above you about me a breach of our agreement.”
A scoff came, and Gykewotik shook his head. “There was no agreement made that I could not share the knowledge that I gained. Besides, it would appear that you came out ahead on that exchange.”
“Did he inform you of our meeting?” Max asked.
A large hand rose, palm out before Max.
“Are you asking for me to give that information as to what I owe you and to clear the debt?” the demon king asked.
“No,” Max replied. “I was simply wondering. Instead, I have something else to ask for in exchange for that debt. I need you to tell me about the game that the gods play and how those like myself are part of it.”
There were moments in Max’s short adventuring life when he had witnessed fear in the eyes of people before him. Macy and Molly had it when they realized who Max really was. Tanila’s mother couldn’t hide her fear at the knowledge of the power gap between her and him. And for a moment, Gykewotik’s eyes blinked rapidly as the demon king took a few steps back.
“I… that which you ask, is too much.”
“So you decline to keep your part of the agreement we made?” Max asked. Bob flew them closer so that the retreating demon couldn’t get any space between them. “I’ve asked for nothing but knowledge. Truth. Will you keep our agreement or break it before the System?”
The lava beneath them bubbled and molten veins surged as Gykewotik’s body trembled. Smoke rose from his body and Max could sense the change in the god’s temperament.
“Do not speak those words,” the demon grunted, a hint of pain in his tone. “You speak quickly, calling upon those who are above us, forcing a path that one should not force. I will share what I know but it is not much.”
“Just swear before the System that you will not hold back and only tell the truth,” Max said, “and I will count whatever knowledge you give as the debt you owe.”
Large bubbles formed and popped, and the area around them grew brighter.
He’s… trying to be brave?
I thought that as well. Why?
The System and whatever he knows. Most likely, there are other agreements and pacts upon him. Plus, we’re not fully aware of what one is allowed to talk about. By forcing his hand, we might be putting him at odds with the very System itself or another pact.
Time passed and Max watched as Gykewotik’s breath grew labored. A loud groan came from his lips, and he clawed at his own chest, causing chunks of obsidian to fall into the lava.
Right before Max was about to ask what was wrong, Gykewotik threw both arms upward and roared. An aura of power washed over them, and Max sensed a change in the room. The lava began to quiet down and the summoning area dimmed slightly.
Huge pants came from the demon king. His head rose and Max saw the fire had returned to those black eyes.
“You… have put me in a terrible position, Max Hoste,” Gykewotik stated. “Rules… rules you must surely be aware of that cannot be easily sidestepped, yet you somehow bend the path, allowing things that I would not expect to be allowed.” The demon leaned toward him, his tone changing slightly, just a little quieter than before. “Something allows you to bend these rules that shouldn’t be bent and I’m not certain why or how, but you do.”
“Then you will answer my questions?” Max asked.
“I will,” Gykewotik replied. “First, let us discuss the game. What do you know of it?”
“Every god plays it,” Max said. “I’m assuming some do so knowingly and others without being aware. I believe it revolves around Divine Points and a balance of them in the System. There are many different levels of the game and many different players and pieces.”
A chuckle came from Gykewotik, who nodded his massive head. “Yes… Those are the basics, though many will never learn them until the time of their demise. You appear to have gained more knowledge than many will for quite some time. Tell me, Max Hoste, do you have any games on you right now?”
“Like physical games? Pieces? Cards?” Max asked.
The demon nodded.
Oh, how little does he know about you.
Ignoring Bob’s comment, Max formed a layer of stone under him, creating a good ten-foot by ten-foot place to stand. He set a table down upon it and then began depositing an assortment of games. Decks of cards, rubber balls and jacks, wooden boxes with pieces and more soon covered the table between the demon and man.
A smile appeared on Gykewotik’s face and his black tongue darted out, once more licking his sharp black teeth.
“It appears you are prepared for anything. A sign of one who is wiser than most. Come… let me teach you about the game.”