I pushed myself to a sitting position just as the top of the carriage was torn off. Cier grabbed me, threw the door open, and leapt out as the rest of the carriage was torn apart. I saw a man held by something a little taller than Cier.

It had what looked like a flayed muscular body with two arms covered in black metal that ended in sharp claws, two feet that were Human-like that were likewise covered in black metal, two smaller hands that grew from the shoulders and covered the chest, and a black helmet that was shaped like some sort of beast with the maw wide open. I could see two red eyes glowing from the darkness within the helmet. It swung the man around by his right arm violently until it was torn off. The man flew away from the thing, only to be grabbed with another arm and swung around. I saw a knife fly from the man's belt and fly toward us, bouncing off the ground twice before coming to a stop a foot away from me.

"That is a Fiend." Cier said as he helped me stand. "Run or fight, there is little chance we can survive."

"Shit." I said as the man lost his other arm. He flew into the air before he was speared on the remains of the carriage. The Fiend strode toward us with both of the man's arms in each hand. Time froze and I analyzed the Fiend. The two smaller arms seemed to be guarding some sort of glittering jewel that was embedded in the Fiend's chest.

"I'm going to try something." I said as I held onto the holy sigil of Bahamut. "Bahamut, if you care anything for our lives, I pray that you channel your power through me to strike at this Fiend!"

At first, nothing happened, but then I felt a surge of energy. Flame surrounded me before flying at the Fiend, striking it. The Fiend fell onto its back and seemed to be spasming. 'It's stunned.' I thought. 'That gemstone is the weak point, if I strike now...' I rushed forward, scooping up the dagger as I did so, and held it overhead as I readied to plunge the blade down into the Fiend's chest. It suddenly lashed out and grabbed me around my waist and held me closer. Before I could react, it slid my head into its open mouth. I stared into its piercing red eyes. I closed my own and reached forward. I felt, briefly, the gemstone before one of the smaller hands swatted my hand away and grabbed my shirt to pull me further into the mouth, I could hear the cloth tearing.

I tried again as the helmet closed around my neck and started choking me and pulling. I felt it again, and this time I dug my fingers in around it and pulled. The small hands wrapped around my wrist and tried to pull me away from the jewel. I kept my grip and pulled harder, until the gemstone finally came loose.

I found myself freed from the Fiend's grip and onto the ground. It reached out for the gemstone, which I clutched tightly to my chest. Its body started to deteriorate, turning to smoke until nothing was left. The gem I held was warm, the warmth pulsed like a heartbeat. It was calming. I rested it against my bare chest. I looked down at it, just as red tendrils shot out of it and surrounded my chest. I tried to pull it out, but I ended up gently stroking it. It was smooth, like-

Cier grabbed it and tore it from me before planting his foot on my chest and pinning me to the ground. He dropped the stone and I tried to grab it for several minutes until I realized what I'd been doing.

"It was wise to target the crystal, it was unwise to touch it with your bare hands." He said. "This was an Avarice Fiend, a highly sought after Fiend as its crystal can be a valuable component in magical items." He put pressure on my chest, I cried out. "However, those of sufficiently weak will may find themselves becoming its new host. This was not a recent one, its former host long absorbed into it. You could have, for a time, been retrievable, but few would take the chance to save you."

He took a pair of something like tongs and used it to pick the gemstone up. "Perhaps I should have someone make for you a diadem of wisdom? Perhaps something to keep you from foolishly running at a Fiend? Hm?"

"I'm sorry." I said. "It's as you said, we had little chance for survival, so I targeted what looked like a weak spot while it was stunned."

"At least you learned something while you were with the Temple." He stated before taking his foot off of me. "It should have been enough time that you won't try to take the crystal from me. Presuming a next time, don't rush into battle. By the Gods, you teach a man for a few days and they think they can take on the world!" He snapped as he strode toward the wrecked carriage.

"And what the hell were you doing?!" I asked as I followed him. "Mr. Bare Fisted Monk, you're more agile than I am, you hit like a goddamn train, and you're wearing gloves! What's your excuse?!"

He stopped and looked at me. "I did not think taking the crystal would have been that easy." He said. "In fact, the typical reaction is to beat it to death and bring any potential hosts in for resurrection. You are fortunate enough to have stumbled upon something so stupid that it is considered suicidal!"

"Drop the crystal or shove it somewhere." I said. "We're not traveling while we're pissed off."

He glared at me before he grabbed a sack and shoved the crystal into it.

I sat on the ground. "Sit, I'm going to teach you how to calm yourself, and then once I'm certain you are calm, we can then figure out what to do then."

He sighed and did so. I taught him the breathing exercises I taught Basha, and while he took a lot longer, he did eventually reach a point of being calm.

"I am sorry." He said. "My anger was born of worry."

"I understand." I said. "But recognize that in this situation, even you could have done something except gawk. You know the weak spot, you are strong enough to take out a stunned beast, and now you know that you can swipe an Avarice Fiend's crystal." I took a deep breath. "I reacted based on incomplete information. Do or die, I had to try something. I didn't expect to cast a divine spell, I didn't expect it to recover that quickly, and I didn't expect it to try to possess me. In hindsight, it makes sense why the crystal would be so easy to grab. The people who grab it straight off an Avarice Fiend would most likely be the kind greedy enough to try, but not strong enough to face it head on. Therefore, a rogue. Already being greedy, the crystal makes them more likely to put it on themselves, and therefore become the next host."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Rogue?" He asked.

"Combat archetype." I said. "Favors stealth and sabotage over direct combat through melee or magic." I replied. "Rogues are traditionally strong against Warrior archetypes, while weak against Mage archetypes, thus the weakness to what I can only assume is a weak divine fire spell." I took another deep breath. "You said those of weak will are easily influenced, what about those with strong will?"

"They typically are able to resist the Fiend's power." He said.

I nodded. "Which means, theoretically, a person could use it as is without becoming the Fiend's host." I remarked. The glare he gave me caused me to hastily add, "Not that I'm thinking about doing that!" I cleared my throat. "Someone like you, who already has what he desires, and therefore be less avaricious, with an already strong strength of will could probably use it and then remove it. It would be dangerous, of course, and you'd run the risk of being absorbed by it or becoming dependent on its power to the point where it could influence you and thus take over."

"Why, might I ask, are you entertaining this line of thought?" He asked.

"I'm a writer." I said. "I spend my time thinking of new ideas. Can Fiends be bound by contract?"

"Yes... You're not considering-?"

"No." I said. "But I am familiar enough with the concept of a deal with the devil to know that if I'm offered a Contract, I'd have to make sure I can get away scot free or to avoid it altogether."

"Conceit, Avarice, Desire, Covetous, Voracious, Rage, and Torpor, these are the seven more deadly Fiends you can encounter, named so after the quality that led to the rise of the Fiendlords." Cier stated. "There are other kinds, but these seven are considered dangerous enough to be major threats to life. They cannot be reasoned with." He blinked. "Avarice Fiends are attracted to valuable things, and will stop at nothing to obtain it. There is little of value among us, unless you were its target, which makes you taking its crystal not only a violation of common sense, but also feeding into its trap."

"Would it have any other reason to target me?" I asked.

"Not that I can think of." He said. "The horses drawing the carriage are still alive, and our luggage small enough that we could ride them into town. Have you ridden a horse?"

I shook my head. "No." I said. "In fact, on my world, owning a horse, much less riding one, is considered a huge luxury. Cars don't need as much maintenance anyway."

"Then I will teach you on the way." He said. "Gather your things."

There were two horses, once they were disconnected from the wrecked carriage, we put our belongings on them. I looked at the man who had died from the Fiend's attack. "Should we do something?" I asked.

"Leaving is a priority." Cier said as he grabbed the bag with the Fiend's crystal. "The more time we waste, the more likely someone will come and try to take this."

"I should carry it." I said.

"Idiot!" He snapped. "Do you think I'll let you carry this after what you did?!"

"I am physically weak, I cannot use magic, but I cannot be the target of magic." I said. "You are physically powerful, enough to take me out if you so desired. You carrying it is a liability because if it is able to influence you remotely through magic, then it will erode your willpower until you wear it. With me, if I were to do so, you could stop me immediately." I held my hand out. "If it can use magic to remotely influence someone, it will have a harder time doing it to me. Knowing what it is capable of, I can ignore the temptation. I can ignore it because I've ignored temptation my entire life. The desire to hurt others, the desire to break things, the desire to take what I want because I feel like I deserve it... I have a stronger will than you think, and when I set my mind to something, I do not stop."

He handed me the bag, and a small part of me wanted to look at the crystal, to try to test what I was certain would work, but I tossed a few small chunks of wood from the carriage in the bag, tied a tight knot on the bag's opening, and secured it to my belt.

"Wood?" He asked.

"The crystal will settle on the bottom, being heavier." I said. "If someone decides to waylay us, I can pretend it's wood meant for starting fires with. Nothing makes kindling quite like wood shavings."

He nodded. "You will ride in front of me. Your inexperience requires it regardless."

He helped me onto the horse and gave me a few basic pointers before we set off. Focusing on the horse was an excellent distraction from the crystal.

'Those small arms protecting the crystal, those had to be the original host's arms.' I thought. 'Which means someone of sufficiently strong will could conceivably take it off themselves. Greed keeps them trapped, though, they can't bear to rid of it.'

"The host of the Fiend would be kept incapable of action through multiple factors." I said.

"You're still thinking about it?" He asked.

I nodded. "I am a very analytical person." I said. "I've decided to call my 'time stands still' ability 'Initiative'. When I am in Initiative, I have as much time as I need to analyze the situation in front of me, that was how I was able to determine the Fiend's weak spot." I looked back at him. "The arms that protect the Crystal are original to the host, meaning that someone sufficiently strong-willed could escape that fate. However, the feeling of greed caused by it instead causes the host to protect it instead, allowing the Fiend to keep control. It is essentially payment for control, a Contract forged through consent. Most likely, the host has the ability to cancel it anytime, for the sake of irony."

"You said multiple factors." He stated. I nodded. "How do you control someone with sufficient willpower? Appeal to weakness. This Fiend is practically designed to target rogues. Those capable of ignoring avarice will instead find themselves enticed by raw physical power. The ability to take head on challenges that they would instead have to overcome by guile, anyone who lamented their inability to break shit would then become dependent on the Fiend for power." I looked ahead. "For me, that would probably be my biggest temptation."

"Then why demand to carry it?" He asked. "I want for nothing, and I am powerful, as you say. Would I not be the perfect bearer?"

"It is exactly that reasoning that you'd make the worst sense." I replied. "You would keep it not as a treasure, or a means of power, but to keep it from the weak. When you see others as weak, you cannot trust them. When you cannot trust them, you sequester yourself from them. And when you are all alone, certain that you, and only you, can keep them safe, you might hear a voice in your head, a voice that tells you that you are their protector, that your sacrifice keeps them safe, that you can handle the power the Fiend offers." I looked at him again, his eyes wide, his face pale. "That you alone could make an Avarice Fiend give instead of take."

He shuddered. "I apologize, sura." He said. "Clearly you are the better to carry it."

"I am not." I replied. "Nobody is. I am too inquisitive. Even knowing these three things, I want to know more, to understand it. If anything, it would manipulate my desire to know, to hoard knowledge. Powerless, knowledge-hungry, why wouldn't I use it and study its effects?"

He nodded. "And its necessity in crafting magical items makes it highly desirable." He stated.

I nodded. "It's not just avaricious, it inspires avarice, it is Avarice personified."

"And your thoughts regarding using it?" He asked.

"It can be used for good, but even doing good can be a stepping stone for evil." I replied. "You can steal to help the poor, you can kill to protect, you can use evil power for good, but if you are not careful, then you can easily steal for the sake of stealing, or kill for the sake of killing, or use evil power for evil. Desire, greed, avarice, it all means the same thing."

"How is it you are able to understand the nature of this Fiend so?" He asked.

"As a writer, I need to write realistic villains." I replied. "To write a realistic villain, I have to understand how good and evil interact, how they intertwine, and how good can become evil while still being seen as good."

He was silent until it grew dark, and we needed to rest...