VoC: B1 — 12. A Little Companion

Veil Of Chaos Index

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PoV: 

1. Damon (Our New 24-Year-Old MC!)

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The bear cub had settled his head comfortably in Damon’s lap, occasionally nuzzling against his hand with surprising gentleness for a creature that could sprout defensive quills at will. In the peace and quiet after Marcus and Ashcroft’s absence, he found an unusual serenity amidst the animals around him.

Testing his [Hive Mind] Feat, he spoke directly to the bear, now that he’d bonded with the cub. We’re both seen as dangerous rejects, huh? Your mother was a dungeon break boss monster, and I’m a dark elf who somehow managed to fool his way into a royal family…

Immediately, the beast blinked and looked up at him, showing what could have been surprise, which brought a smile to Damon’s face.

Yup, I can talk to you in your head. Cool, huh? Can you talk to me?

Instead of words, he got impressions: security, trust, and curiosity.

Well, I can’t promise you this will be a safe journey, but I can promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make you a part of the family. It’s going to be tough, little guy. The world wants to break us…and we have to stick together. Is that what you want? A family to protect and be protected by?

Through their unity bond, Damon could sense the cub’s emotions mixing with the soul-searching question. There was an underlying wariness to conflict, yet visions of his mother protecting him and being unable to prevent it or help her rolled through his instincts.

After a short time, he pushed himself up and nuzzled his ear; the message was clear.

Okay, then, we’re a family. And I think Aria is going to adore you, even if you aren’t exactly her ‘ideal’ bear man of her fantasies…I think she’ll like you even better. She just doesn’t know it yet. And you need a proper name… I can’t keep calling you ‘little guy’ forever.

He got a lick on his long, pointed ears for that, which made him chuckle. The cub pulled away slightly, tilting his head, dark eyes reflecting an almost human curiosity. Those eyes reminded him of something—not quite innocent, but not malicious either. Strong, resilient, but with a hint of mischief that would probably emerge once the trauma faded. Something Aria would highly resonate with.

Grash? No, that was from one of Aria’s books, and she’d never let him hear the end of it if he used one of her character names.

Kodiak? Too obvious for a bear and might actually give away a hint that we’re from Earth.

Ember? Feels more feminine and didn’t quite fit either…

No, we need something cute…but also masculine, you can grow into.

Then it hit him. The way the cub’s fur caught the lamplight with those bronze highlights, the quiet strength in his posture once he’d found a direction—there was only one name that felt right.

“How about Copper?” Damon asked, testing the name aloud. “Strong, dependable, and you’ve got those bronze highlights in your fur.”

The cub’s ears perked up at the name, and Damon felt a flicker of approval. It was hard to tell with animal emotions, but something about the name seemed to resonate.

“Copper it is, then,” Damon decided with a smile. “Welcome to the family, buddy.”

Damon could tell how much time had passed as he talked with Copper internally, updating him on Aria, their situation, and just general venting, but it was a rather lengthy period, possibly twenty minutes. Yet, eventually, the door far across the hall reopened.

Marcus emerged from another room, multiple indentured servants’ voices momentarily coming into the foreground until the door was shut, totally blotting out all noise on the other side. Magic was his only explanation.

Lady Ashcroft was beside him, now holding a wine glass in her hand that was half full. Yet, Damon noticed a slight change in his cadence; his demeanor was noticeably different from when he’d been speaking with Lady Ashcroft.

Where before he’d been deferential and professional, now he seemed more…ordinary. His movements looked…more skittish, maybe? There was a slight confusion in his eyes as he approached.

What did Ashcroft do to him? I’m guessing he probably got a tongue-lashing for something. Maybe the deal didn’t go the way she wanted, but she certainly looks happy, don’t you think, Copper? Copper?

The cub’s ears folded back as he moved to hide behind him, putting a frown on Damon’s lips as the pair approached; it wasn’t only his bear who had that response as the other animals shied away. But Damon’s connection with him made it clear it wasn’t the two humans…but something hidden within Ashcroft’s clothes.

“Ah, excellent! The bonding appears to have been successful,” Marcus said, though his tone carried less confidence than before. “I trust the paperwork will be…straightforward?”

“What?” Damon slowly got to his feet, focus darting between their faces. “Weren’t…you going into the back to do the paperwork?”

Lady Ashcroft’s eyes creased, annoyance flashing in her gaze that hadn’t been remotely there before. There was a subtle tension around her eyes, and her smile seemed more carefully maintained than genuine—he’d learned to know when someone was faking emotion when on job sites in New York.

“Marcus, the papers I had you sign were for this contract, not the others,” she smoothly interjected, extracting a paper from a pack tied to her hip. “Did you read them as I instructed?”

“Uh, my apologies, Lady Ashcroft,” he immediately returned, sweat now gathering at his brow as he forced a smile. “Yes, yes, of course. There were just so many. This was the…bonding one for our young Sage here.”

“You signed it before handing it to me?” Ashcroft articulated with a venom-laced note that had the animals quivering.

Marcus blinked. “N-No, of course, yes.”

“Good. Then I suppose we should double-check before handing him a contract that could offer some…legal troubles if called into question?”

“As you say, My Lady!”

Something had clearly changed in the twenty minutes they’d been gone, and Marcus seemed genuinely confused about details he should have known.

I think someone might not have a job soon, Damon hissed privately to Copper, keeping a closer eye on Ashcroft than Marcus. I’m guessing she’s talking about how this contract could land us in trouble if it’s found out that your paperwork isn’t legit… Yeah, maybe I should try to find someone to authenticate it for us, because this is more than a bit sketchy.

It then hit him; if he wanted legal help in this city, it would cost him an arm and a leg. He’d have to trust Ashcroft’s word, which meant he needed to get serious here.

“Can you…take me through the details?”

“Of course. Here are the seal registration papers,” Ashcroft continued, unravelling them and presenting the papers. “Once you sign your name, the system will recognize the contract since it is a Scribe Contract, and you can confirm the details in your system menu.”

That seems…reasonably straightforward, and no ability to tamper with it. The issue will be if there is some kind of law that voids the contract… But I don’t have the expertise for that. Shit. I really didn’t think this through, but it isn’t like this is a typical deal… She’s hinging on me winning an illegal betting market; so, she could be implicated, too…

Taking it and examining the legal jargon he truly didn’t understand, referencing back to dozens of laws and subsections, he knew he had to take a leap of faith.

It’s worth the risk.

“Okay, I understand that,” Damon muttered, “but I’m guessing informed consent is necessary in these legal matters, as a country founded on law would have, so…is there anything in here that will cause me problems in the future?”

Ashcroft’s facial features sharpened into a small smile that truly was real, vision narrowing as he accepted the paper; Marcus was ashen-faced, glancing between them.

“Very sharp instincts. Titania certainly knows how to choose her reincarnates. It’s no wonder you have such a high Wisdom Stat. A base of 20 is nothing to scoff at.”

A tiny snake poked its head out from behind her neck, coiling around it, tongue flicking out to taste the air; now, Copper’s reaction made sense. Somehow, he knew this serpent was extremely dangerous.

“You are correct that there are informed consent laws, and what you need to be aware of is that your cub’s mysterious lineage could come with some…risks, you could say. So long as he behaves himself, then there are no issues. But should he cause an…unfortunate incident, then further scrutiny and public safety laws could be quite troublesome to handle.”

Damon’s left eye creased, noticing Marcus’ sweat dripping down his brow. Perhaps there are protections for purchasers, but only if they inquire about the product…or lying about a product is unlawful, but they don’t need to disclose everything.

“Do you know or have an idea about Copper’s lineage?” he inquired, reaching back to stroke his fur to soothe the cub.

“Ah, a very pointed question, indeed,” she chimed. “Unfortunately, the law also allows me discretion to not divulge information I cannot be certain of regarding a product, good or bad. So, I’m afraid a rough idea doesn’t translate to transparency laws.”

Damon sighed, realizing his defeat. “So, you aren’t going to tell me, but you do want me to win this underground betting match to…presumably obtain some kind of person. Money doesn’t seem all that important to you, but people… That’s where your interest lies.”

“Am I so easily read?” Ashcroft asked with a mature giggle, her snake hovering near her chest now, weaving left and right. “I do find people more valuable than simple monetary gains. After all, there are some things money cannot buy.”

Taking a step forward to enter his personal space, she leaned closer to run her fingers through Copper’s fur, causing a tremor of fear to pass through his connection with the bear.

“Now, will you accept the risks with all the benefits that are quite generous for someone in your position…or break this young cub’s heart and hand him back to me?”

Damon carefully brought his hand to slide between her soft skin and Copper’s bristling fur, guiding him a tad away with gentle pressure while adding his own smile. “I really can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Lady Ashcroft. You truly have been helpful… But I have one last question.”

“Oh? I’m getting excited,” she whispered as the serpent hovered in front of his face with her close proximity before accepting his prompt and breaking away. “What’s on your mind, dear? You wouldn’t want a mature, quite seductive scourgeborn Sorceress for your…adventures, then I could connect you to one? Their distant infernal blood pact can be quite…thrilling in the right contexts.”

“What? No,” Damon flatly rejected, getting Dungeons and Dragons vibes of a race his sister sometimes played. “I want to know the exact terms you want from this bet. You want half, but the value is dependent on a lot of things. I’d rather not be surprised when I get there.”

“No scourgeborn? A shame… They’re hard to find a home in such a lawful kingdom with such discrimination,” she lamented, chin resting against her wrist in what looked to be legitimate disappointment. “Not even a dark elf will take her. A tragedy…”

“Don’t try to turn this back on me with emotional manipulation,” Damon returned with blunt clarity. “I’m sure you’re capable enough to find her a home… You seem to be pretty good at leveraging these sorts of things.”

“I like that bold tone,” she chimed. “As for what my goals are, I suppose it would serve me better to be transparent, despite this being conducted in gray, murky legal areas. In essence,” she whispered, retaining a more business-like cadence, “there are a few…oddities in the market at the moment, and they were specifically taken off the floor for this big event the organizer is preparing.

“Three individuals, I am quite invested in supporting,” she stated with real concern as she frowned and glanced toward the door where the other indentured servants were. “One is a noble child of a collapsing family who faked his death to sell him off to the underground market; he has a unique Feat that makes him valuable to some, but I make a point of saving such tragedies…

“A second is the mother to one of the girls who works within my operations, who stubbornly refused help and is causing quite the heartbreak for her daughter.

“The third is more of a professional…intrigue of mine, more than any motherly instincts I might possess. She is called the Trash Saintess, and many believe her cursed by a demigod or one of the obscure lower deities outside of The Nine. She’s a Cleric healer, which doesn’t have the best reputation in this world outside of hybrids, such as the lovely High Cleric of Titania. But that’s beside the point.”

Showing an open stare, her hands returned to her sides. “And there you have it.”

Damon absently stroked Copper’s fur while reflecting on her response and motives; he was sure there was more to it, and there were likely several more figures that would be involved in this weird betting game, but she wasn’t going to tell him, and ultimately, if he wanted her support, he’d need to accept that gray area.

“…Alright. I’ll sign, but I want to have equal say in who I get, outside of any true good intentions you have for these other individuals…amended in writing.”

 Ashcroft’s snake hissed, but she merely showed a soft chuckle. “You are far more thoughtful than I first took you for, Damon… It seems I underestimated the prudence of the Greater Deities once again, even when I tried to adjust my calculations. Consider me pleasantly surprised. Marcus…”

“Yes, My Lady, I have a pen here…”

She snatched the item from his fingers and held out a hand to receive his contract again. Relinquishing it, she promptly took it to a flat surface and added the additional conditions to the back in what appeared to be a section labeled ‘private transactions,’ which probably hid the specifics within the system log or something similar.

Once finished, she presented him the magical quill, seemingly having ink infused into the end. “And there you have it. I will also give you an Imperium copper piece for…greater leverage, we’ll say. Consider the extra bonus of a few steel pieces as my gift and incentive. The copper will make your offer too irresistible to refuse for the organizers. Because…you wouldn’t just run off with that, would you?”

Knowing he was playing what was probably a dangerous game here, he accepted the offer, even if that did raise some red flags; from what Aria told him, a single Imperium copper coin would be worth roughly five thousand loaves of bread.

“I’m guessing you want that back.”

“Naturally…with the rewards. It is inciting their own greed, after all, and giving you legitimacy, despite your…dark, pointed-ear complexion.”

“And I’m sure the reward won’t be…proportional to that copper investment,” Damon said with a long stream of air. “You’re going to put a target on my back for assassination, aren’t you?”

“Well, it isn’t as if you don’t already have that target on your back, dear. May as well use that target for a good cause, such as to reunite a mother and daughter, no? And there’s only moderate risk. After all, this is a lawful kingdom. Even the underground has its rules—not against certain types of cheats, of course, but…they’ll pay up, should you win.”

Damon stared at the feathery quill in her extended hand as she whispered, “So…will you sign and officially take ownership of your little cub?”

He took the quill and signed his name. “By official, I assume this is actually just a lease until I deliver the actual goods within the extended contract.”

“Didn’t I tell you he was sharp, Marcus?” she mused as the parchment burst into white flames, no doubt sealing the contact in the Holy Emperor’s name, which had real consequences if broken. “I’m glad we could find common ground.”

What followed was directions to the Garden District, the password to get into the underground arena location for the day, a bright and large copper coin, and a few more veiled comments about future business dealings they could be involved in.

Copper padding alongside him with surprising grace for such a young creature, he caught Ashcroft’s eyes one more time. There was something almost longing in her expression—not directed at him, but toward the bear cub.

“Oh, and Damon?” she called as he reached the door. “Razorbacks are particularly fond of honey. Just…keep that in mind.”

“I will. Thanks, despite all the innuendos and shady tactics. This…wasn’t so bad. The future will tell.”

Exiting the establishment, Damon bent down to scratch Copper’s neck, drawing critical stares from the human population. He was sure his acquisition of a bonded pet would soon go viral in city gossip.

I think we should get going before a guard stops us, searches us, and asks me where I got an Imperium copper coin from, Damon mumbled, gently coaxing Copper to his feet. And, no, not you getting us stopped, Copper, the coin.

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