Matthias sat back in his chair, a massive stack of documents resting on his desk in front of him in the completed bin. He had been given an impossible task, and he had completed it. With time to spare even. Standing up, he stretched and took a deep breath.
Now it was time to turn it all in.
He carefully picked up the stack of order forms, contracts, and miscellaneous documents and headed for his boss's office. The Chief would review them, sign them off, and then they would be filed with the System for implementation.
As he walked, Matthias thought about his life up until this point. True, he was in massive debt. Half a million NEX is enough for a lifetime of servitude for anyone. But being an indentured servant to the powerhouse that was Trian Incorporated was more than worth it. Besides, if everything worked out in the next fifteen minutes then he would, after a century, finally be freed from his servitude.
He walked into his boss's office and carefully set the documents down in a pile on his desk. The Demon watched him casually while keeping an eye on a screen that was moving information across it so fast that he couldn’t even begin to understand what it was saying.
Stepping back, Matthias was about to say something when the Demon casually knocked the pile of carefully ordered papers off the desk and all over the floor.
“Pick it up. And hurry, I don’t have time for your nonsense,” the red-skinned man growled. His black horns jutting off the top of his head offset the grey pinstripe suit and blood-red tie he was wearing.
“Fucking prick,” he grumbled internally, grabbing the papers and putting them back in order as quickly and accurately as he could. Matthias only hoped that this didn’t mess with his plans.
The cleanup only took a few minutes, thankfully, and all too soon the stack was back in its rightful place neat and tidy.
“Sorry for the mess sir. I’ve cleaned it up,” he ground out.
He stood there in silence for a full minute before the Demon bothered to respond. “You are three minutes and fourteen seconds late with properly turning in your documents,” the Demon said in a bored tone. But the gleeful look in his eyes when he turned his attention to Matthias was unmistakable. “Per your System Contract, this means that an additional fourteen years and six months, and an additional five percent average for the remaining indentured time, will be added.”
The words enraged Mathias, but he stomped on his fury and calmly answered, “Of course sir. It is only to be expected.”
“It is, isn’t it?” the Demon responded with a nod as he began processing the documents.
Each document was reviewed quickly and stamped. The moment a set of documents was stamped it vanished in motes of light, off to be filed with and implemented within the System.
Matthias stood there as the Demon processed almost three-quarters of the stack without acknowledging him. Then the red man froze.
“Did you think you would get this past me?” he asked Matthias, grinning malevolently while extracting the pages carefully and waving them in his face. “Really? A Requisition Form B7? With three subcontract release forms as well? Please, I am evil, not stupid!” he roared, throwing the papers into his face.
Mathias didn’t even flinch. “Well, I kinda thought I could, yeah,” he admitted.
The Demon turned deep red with rage, the smell of sulfur filling the room. “You disgusting little half-breed! You are a slave. You will always be a slave! I will ensure that you remain indentured to Trion for eternity you fucking piece of scum!” he roared, slamming his hand down on top of the documents. “I never should have allowed scum such as yourself to work here. You should be shoveling trash with the others of your kind!”
In his rage, the Demon had caused several events to go into motion.
The first event was that Matthias smiled, shocking the demon into a moment of inaction. That moment, as tiny as it was, was enough for the ink on the stamp in his hand to sink into the document he had pounded his fist, which held the stamp, into. This caused the entire stack of documents below it to vanish, off to be filed in the System.
Matthias’s grin turned into a look of horror as the two looked at the now-empty desk. “That was… way more than I was expecting,” he said into the stunned silence.
The Demon, however, was at a loss for words. So, Matthias did the only thing he could think of, he reached forward and plucked the stamp quickly right out of the Demon's hands. This had the unfortunate effect of breaking him from his stupor.
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“You are beyond foolish, Mathias. You aren’t going to leave here alive,” he said in a soft hiss.
But Matthias just twirled the stamp in the palm of his hand. “Actually… yeah I am. Because you just set me free.”
Then he stamped himself, causing a second wave of surprised horror to cross the Demon's features.
Matthias burst into motes of light, off to be filed into the system with his paperwork. Paperwork that was drawn up in just a way to ensure that any record of itself was purged from the System itself, making it utterly untraceable.
As he dissolved he heard the Demon roar out to him as a wave of heat passed over him from the red man bursting into flame, “I will find you, Matthias! I will find you and I will skin you alive! Trion never forgives those who steal from us!”
Matthias just rolled his eyes. He didn’t give a shit. He couldn’t care less. Fuck the Demon. Fuck Trion.
He was free. At least for now.
He reappeared and slammed into a cold wooden floor. Getting up quickly he searched the long hallway for name placards above the doors. He only had seconds before his old boss came storming out of his office to find him. Then Matthias’s eyes settled on the door hanger he needed to get to. He started running, stamp firmly in hand, towards the HR door.
The sound of shattering wood followed by a roar sounded out from behind him. He wasn’t about to turn around, however. He heard the pounding of footsteps gaining on him as he skidded to a halt, one hand on the door handle. He turned and made eye contact with the Demon who was, even then, frantically trying to get to him.
With a grin, Matthias opened the door and vanished inside. Closing the door quickly, he watched as immensely powerful and complex runes and spell weaves crossed the doorway, locking it into place. Then he turned and focused the entirety of his attention on the sole occupant of the room, prior to his arrival of course.
Sitting in front of him, dressed in a pitch-black suit weaved of souls themselves, was a thin but extremely dangerous demon. Its very presence gave off waves of perceivable energy which made the air noticeably thicker around it. This creature was powerful beyond anything that he had ever interacted with up to this point… and it was watching him with amusement.
Seeing as he wasn’t dead, Matthias was sure was a minor win for his cause. He stepped forward, stopping well short of the gorgeous hand carved desk and dropped into a full ninety degree bow.
“Greetings High One,” he began, but the being held up a hand and cut him off.
The creatures spoke slowly and methodically, each word pronounced impeccably in a soft, dry voice that could have sanded down any wooden object imaginable.
“Yes, yes. Greetings Mr. Mob. I am not surprised you are here; I saw that contract. Brilliant turnaround on your part really. Odirb had it coming. He should have been far more vigilant,” he said with hissing laughter. “When you are middle management for as long as he has been, you tend to become complacent.”
The demon tapped his desk slowly for a moment as he examined Matthias. “We do, Mr. Mob, have an issue, however,” he said at last. “The contract Odirb approved gave the entirety of warehouse one’s contents directly to you. Ownership transferred in full.” He leaned forward, “That is an issue.”
Matthias nodded rapidly, still holding his bow. “Yes sir. It is. I never intended to keep it, if I had I wouldn’t be here.”
The tapping continued, “Hmm. I suppose that does make you smarter than the average half-breed. You know, half-breeds aren’t worth all the shame and disgrace others give them,” he said causing Matthias to look up in shock. “The reason they are downtrodden upon is simply because they are weaker, by far, on average than management level entities.”
“Yes sir?” Matthias said, in a questioning tone.
“Indeed. That aside, you have proven your ingenuity and skill. The contract that was submitted was extremely well written. Not even I can get around the contents of what was approved,” he admitted. “This leaves you in a fairly rare and nearly unique situation. You have one up on Trion Incorporated Mr. Mob. The contents of warehouse one are estimated in the trillions. So, what do you want in order to release them?”
Matthias took a deep breath and, remaining bent at the waist, said, “My debt completely forgiven. An Assembler, my savings, and crate four from warehouse nine,” he said quickly.
The demon blinked, thought about what Matthias had said… the laughed. He laughed so hard he howled, a savage sound like teeth grinding together on an impossible level. Eventually, the demon calmed to his original state, suit completely pristine.
“You, Mr. Mob, amuse me,” he said with a smile that was far too wide for his face. Sharp fangs were revealed, giving Matthias chills. “You amuse me greatly. Something that is far too rare for me anymore.”
He gestured and a single sheet of paper appeared in front of him on the desk. “As a reward for amusing me, and for pulling one over on Odrib, I will grant you your requests,” he said causing Matthias to look up in surprise. “However, I feel that you deserve a bit more of a reward than such… paltry things as you have asked for. So, I will give you two additional gifts.”
Matthias’s eyes went wide. Demons did not, as a rule, give gifts. They were bound by their word, however, and the fact the one in front of him was offering two such things made him happy… and terrified. He had never heard of a demon giving a gift.
“The first gift is simply a contract with no loopholes, no vengeance script, nothing. Just you giving the contents of warehouse one back to us in full for what you requested,” he said, pushing a pen and the single sheet over to him. Matthias signed it rapidly, getting a nod of approval from the demon. “The second is that I will be sending you to a world that is not easily reached by the Companies. This will give you some breathing room before everyone you infuriated tries to murder you with aplomb.”
Matthias swallowed at that, but it was better to die free than a slave.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you very much for the gifts. And for not… eviscerating me,” Matthias said honestly.
The creature just laughed lightly at him and, with a wave of its four-fingered hand, tore a portal into reality. “You are welcome. And thank you, Mr. Mob, for entertaining me so much. I hope you continue to do so going forward.”
Before Matthias could question it, he was struck with enough force to cause him to black out. The last thing he saw was the grinning maw of the demon behind the desk as he was flung into the pitch-black portal.
Then nothingness claimed him.