Chapter 176: Contracts


    After a quick dinner and a pantomime conversation with an innkeeper, Lnd and Isobel had rooms for the night. They were far from the main square where they saw the Inquisitors, taking up residence at the edge of the town. Isobel had disappeared for a few minutes at one point, stating that she was going “check on things.” She returned with confirmation that only two Inquisitors were in the town.


    “They are far from home, meaning they do not have any real jurisdiction. But since this town doesn’t have a guard force, we can’t get caught.”


    Lnd nodded solemnly to that. What Isobel wasn’t telling him was that <em>if </em>they got caught, there would be a battle. A battle the Huntress would win.


    And not wanting to kill innocents, Lnd didn’t take any unnecessary risks or draw too much attention to himself. Luckily for him, he was a mage and fit in quite well with the town’s poption. But failing that, he also had Sybil’s mask bound to his belt. If the need arose, he could slip into obscuration and run. But if everything went to n, he wouldn’t need to do that.


    Reading over the short list of Lords he and Isobel had thought might help, Lndy down in his room and got to work. Starting from the top, he whispered, “<em>Lord of Crows I humbly wish to create a contract with you.” </em>


    The world shed white and suddenly Lnd was floating. He cruised through the Void with a new appreciation for the endlessness. He was under no threat here, not when he had already proven he could escape whenever he needed. That reminded him of the Gateway Witch and what was waiting for him back home.


    If they ever met again, he would kill her.


    The issue with that statement was the Undying Harbinger that traveled with her. He was the true powerhouse of their terror, but Lnd supposed he had a way to bring his own terror too. Soul Fire. As much as it disgusted him to use, the sheerck of humanity of the Undying Harbinger was more disgusting. Killing any and everyone indiscriminately while trying to kidnap a princess? Despicable.


    Taking a deep breath, Lnd knew he had a long way to go. Hopefully after tonight, he would take another step forward.The white of the Void ended, transitioning abruptly into pure darkness. Then Lnd’s weight came back and he no longer floated. He fell, blind yet knowing there was only open skies around him.


    From the tattoo on the back of his hand, Lnd pulled out his grimoire, the book open already to the page he sought. mming his palm into the page, the contract with the Chameleon Lord activated and the darkness turned incandescent.


    <strong>Lord of Chameleon: For the duration of the contract, gain adaptive mage perception (sight, smell, or instinct). Contract is usable once per hour.</strong>


    Lnd’s eyes instantly changed, oveing the ck and honing in like a predator’s. He flinched at the movement all around him, the wind rushing past him all but blotting out his hearing. Birds, crows to be specific, moved in waves, circling around him like a school of fish around a shark. They <em>cawed</em> as one, each screeching like guard dogs alerting their master.


    Lnd nced below, finding no ground. At least, no ground he could see. Breathing a sigh of relief, he yelled over the wind, “Lord of Crows! It is an honor to meet you! I am Lnd Silver, Legacy of the Curse Lord! May we speak on a mutual contract?”


    Still unable to hear the crows’ song, Lnd watched them go silent, their beaks snapping closed. Then, like a lighthouse in the dead of night, a sh of color expunged the ck. Radiant violet, the same color as the ethereal crows Lnd summoned, eclipsed the murder, guiding their flight. The light source moved, and the others followed.


    Then Lnd was left alone. He made a face, the wind blowing back his hair. He needed a haircut, it was getting a bit long—


    “On whose orders did youe here?” a voice called, causing Lnd to flinch.


    The radiant crow circled once around him, wrapping around him so that they were face to face. It pped its wings once every few seconds, somehow able to float at the same speed of Lnd falling… or, maybe they weren’t falling.


    Lnd silently hummed, trying to orient himself like he was traveling in the Void. His body agreed, and he “stood.”


    “Ah, that’s better,” he said smiling. “And no one. I came here for myself.”


    The Crow Lord eyed him, its eyes like ck marbles. “I do not believe you. Your master killed mine, and now she sends you to kill me. A ssical story, master versus master, apprentice versus apprentice.”


    Lnd wanted to sigh, and he almost did out of irritation. Despite being a “Lord,” most Lords he had spoken to were far from the paragons of virtue he hade to expect. Countless bedtime stories had been read to him by his parents, and he felt they were all exaggerated at this point. Lords were too egotistical to be as selfless as he was led to believe.


    Still, they were Lords, and that title demanded respect. So Lnd didn’t take the bait. Instead he did as the Void Lord had taught him: to be confident in his dealings.


    “I understand there is bad history with the previous Crow Lord. But I am not my Lord and she does not control me. In fact, I wish to create a workable rtionship with you. A mutual one.”


    The Crow Lord pped its wings, taking off and reappearing like whish. Lnd didn’t know what that was about, but he didn’t question it. Another thing he had learned, Lords were entric and straight up weird sometimes.


    “If I make a contract with you, will she leave me alone?” the crow asked.


    Lnd blinked a few times. “I don’t not speak for my Lord, as she doesn’t me. I can say, though, that as far as I know, she has no problems with you.”


    The radiant crow’s beak opened and closed rapidly, like a spring pulled to one side and let go. “What is it you wish?”


    “A spell for flight.”


    “Impossible!”


    “Is it? I was told nearly all teleportation spells were impossible, yet I forged a contract for one.” Lnd deliberated for just a heartbeat, then decided to add, “The ability to fly is held by <em>many</em> more Lords than the ability to teleport. While I’m not saying it is a lesser ability, I am saying that it sure feels like it in terms of bargain.”


    The Crow Lord quirked its head to the side and <em>cawed.</em> It scanned the darkness for… <em>something</em>, then shivered. “Fine! Fine! Flight! Just leave already!”


    Lnd’s jaw went a bit ck. “W-what do you want for—”


    The white of the Void consumed him. Floatingpletely stupefied, Lnd didn’t wait to exit the Void before summoning his grimoire and reading the newest page.


    <strong>Cursed contract of the Lord of Crows:</strong>


    <strong>Use: Gain ess to the spell Crow Wings. Only usable once per hour.</strong>


    <strong>Crow Wings : Summon ethereal crow wings from your back, granting the ability for flight. Speed, moveability, and many other secretse with practice.</strong>


    <strong>Return: To be left alone.</strong>


    Lnd <em>sat back</em>, the Void doing very little to support him. “Well okay then,” he muttered to himself. “One down, two more to go…”


    He arrived back in his inn room a few minutester, the bizarreness of the situation having faded. Internally he hoped that all of the night’s contracts would go that well, but somehow he knew that wouldn’t happen.


    Crossing out the first name on his list, Lndy back and spoke the second, “<em>Lord of the Seraph, I humbly wish to</em><em> create a contract with you.”</em>


    Isobel watched Lnd slowly move through the inn’smon room. Hehad woken upte, thick bags under his eyes. He plopped down beside her and instantly devoured the bowl of slope that was breakfast.


    “Rough night?” Isobel asked, knowing that when Lnd contracted with Lords, the whole process only took a few moments. To him, it was much longer, however. “Did you not sleep well?”


    He shook his head, sprinkling sugar on his porridge. “I… don’t know. I got <em>plenty</em> of sleep, but I’m just exhausted.”


    She sipped her tea and made a face. “Then the spell has some negative effects so you can’t continuously use it.” She poured some milk into her drink. “Happens with powerful spells. Can’t shoot lightning too many times before your fingers go numb, sort of thing.”


    Lnd let out a sigh. “Well, good to know at least.”


    “Did you get them?”


    “Only three.”


    “Three works.”


    “Yeah. Do you want to know which ones?”


    Lnd slid over the list of names. “Burn that when you are finished…”


    Isobel looked over the page then nced at Lnd. “I’m not going to burn this. Not here, at least.”


    He saw what she meant, even though he felt she should anyways. The inn, while not particrly crowded, still had a few dozen searching eyes. Most were looking elsewhere or were focused on something, but all had looked at Lnd when he walked in from upstairs. They were the new inhabitants of the inn, in a town where most everyone knew each other.


    To Lnd, having Isobel burn the list would only make the people around them think the paper held some secret research or something. Definitely not a list of Lords.


    “Fine. When we get on the road.”


    Isobel nodded, folding the list and pocketing it. “Then we are ready.”


    Spooning food into his mouth, Lnd stopped. “Can I finish first?”


    “No. You woke upte but it is still morning. You’ve got to start sprinting.”


    Isobel was referring to Lnd’s contract with the Lord of Endurance. For the small price of running every morning till he puked, then running some more, his stamina would increase. He had missed a few mornings, but the contract allowed that unless he was ditching just because ofziness.


    So, in the end, Lnd didn’t take another bite of food, knowing that it most likely was going to end up in the dirt. Sprinting was not easy for him.