Alistair had divided the class into smaller groups, assigning each student a Bonguru to tame. He had sought out a low-level, abundant creature and found the perfect candidate from his own trial. To ensure it wasn't a delicacy, he had one cooked and discovered that its meat was rather gamey and chewy.
The Bonguru was a cross between a boar and a capybara. It resembled a capybara with tusks and had a small beehive-like growth under its chin. This sack-like growth produced small bee-like creatures that were part of the Bonguru's body and collected pollen. However, they only produced a bitter-tasting honey-like liquid that could be used as a low-tier Qi recovery potion ingredient. The Bonguru was slightly larger than a typical capybara and shared its docile temperament. Capturing them had been a breeze as they traveled in large packs and were incredibly chill. Alistair attributed this to their low intelligence and the lack of predators, a result of him eliminating many Naichevix nests he had encountered. He had first encountered the Bonguru shortly before meeting Riseth, having blown up a large tree while fighting the Repulsive Frog.
A lot of the students kept the beasts content by petting the somewhat rough brown fur of the creatures, while some had to put some effort into preventing the beasts from wandering around. Alistair had already taught them how they would connect to the shards within the planes of summoning. He was making his rounds to answer questions and help some of the individuals who struggled with magic. Filippo, who had evolved into a Magus, had already managed to create a contract and was now helping some of his classmates nearby. Alistair would take the opportunity to speak to him. Alistair had been the one who had taught Filippo about arcane theory, and the young man greatly benefitted from Alistair's teachings. Alistair hoped that it had helped convince his parents to join the clan. He did not know how they would react to the offer of leaving the planet behind but had shared his concerns regarding the other factions with the boy.
Alistair caught Filippo's eye and motioned for him to join him off to the side. Filippo, with his shorter stature and a mix of black and brown hair framing hazel eyes, complied. His tan skin bore occasional rune-like markings, evidence of magical alterations. Clad in a simple robe, Filippo stood before Alistair, ready to listen.
"Hello, Filippo. I see you've already managed to establish a contract. Do you have any questions?" Alistair asked.
"Thank you, Mr. Ryser, but no, I’ve got it covered," Filippos responded confidently.
"Good. Did you have a chance to talk to your family?" Alistair inquired.
There was a brief pause before the teenager broke into a wide smile. "Yes, I did, and my father would love to talk to you and some of the others in the clan before making a decision," Filippo revealed. Another small pause followed before he added with a chuckle, "It's a good thing you were a police officer; otherwise, Dad might have mistaken you for some kind of mafia boss trying to recruit me."
Alistair let out a laugh. He knew that there had been a lot of mafia activity on the island during his and Filippo's father's generation. There was still some activity, but not as bad as it used to be, at least to his knowledge. So he wasn't surprised that they would view such invitations with suspicion. He knew that his father Luca and mother Sofia had opened a restaurant in the Traders Market some months ago and had been pressured by other factions to join, which added to their suspicion. Alistair wasn't sure if they were aware of the Ryser clan's influence. Still, he suspected they weren't completely ignorant of it since Barton's restaurant chain was in direct competition with them. He let Nessyra know and got some dates for a potential meeting, which he gave to Filippo. Alistair then directed him to some of the more struggling students as he made his way toward the trio from Neshan; only Levine, the girl of the group and most adept when it came to magic, had managed to establish a summoning contract.
By now, Alistair had met many demons from Neshan, as many people had signed on to the clan and worked under Nessyra in different roles. This gave him a lot of insight into their different subspecies and some cultural norms he had not been aware of. He knew the trio were children of polyamorous relationships, having met through similar circumstances. They had told him of their plans to make it big as lawyers, which included enforcement and mercenary duties besides handling legal stuff, unlike the lawyers on earth, and they had high hopes to be scouted for one of the big corporations of Neshan. He had offered to hire them, and they had also requested time to think about it. He doubted they knew that the Ryser Clan was now recognized as one of Neshan's factions.
It had been a while since he had last seen them, and based on their levels, which were all in the early fifties, they had only recently evolved. Levine had evolved into what he knew was an Infernarri, one of the choices that had also been presented to Riseth. Before her evolution, she had been an Erudarix, a knowledge demon subspecies that had benefitted her spellcasting affinity. She looked much different. Her previously dark blue skin had become dark red instead. However, her hair was still the same: long and white, tied together in a ponytail. She had specialized in fire magic, and Alistair had shared some of his insights.
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Flanking her stood Zarrias and Karrut. While Karrut had undergone drastic changes like Levine, Zarrias remained largely unchanged. Zarrias had been a Covetix at Grade 10, and Alistair suspected he had either become a High Covetix or had remained a Covetix, choosing not to evolve. Zarrias' sickly pale skin still bore the same greenish hue, and his short black hair was tied in a bun with shaved sides. Alistair noted his long, robust tail swaying behind him had also not changed. Alistair had learned during sparring that their tail was crucial for balance, which was something he had used against the dexterous fighter in training.
The last one was Karrut. He had been a demon of gluttony, more specifically a Ravanax, but was now a Ravagorix, a demon subspecies that had aspects of both wrath and gluttony. The formerly somewhat hefty demon had grown much taller and more muscular. Ram-like horns now adorned the sides of his square head, and hair covered most of his visible body, giving him a minotaur-like appearance enforced even more by the tail, which looked to be that one of a bull. He was no good at magic and mostly relied on instinctual applications of magic; luckily for Karrut, the Blink skill was rather instinctual and easy to learn, which had helped him greatly in closing the distance between him and his opponents.
They quickly noticed his approach, as Alistair stood out a lot due to his height. Due to learning polymorph, he usually adjusted his height depending on the situation. In this case, he wanted to strike an imposing figure, so he stuck with the original height that came with the Nephilim race. However, he preferred to shrink to roughly two meters for his daily life and combat. He greeted the group and gave some pointers before changing the topic.
"Did you guys have time to consider my proposal?" Alistair asked after putting up a sphere of privacy as he expected them to try to negotiate with him.
"We did, and we are thankful for the opportunity, but we really want to join a faction from our planet," Zarrias responded hesitantly.
Alistair maintained his composure, checking if the other two agreed. His experience in negotiating with people from Neshan told him there was most likely some kind of 'but.' As a potential employer looking to hire them, he expected them to act indecisively and overstate issues or ask for certain concessions and compensations based on how they had started this discussion. He knew Levine was smart but also very passionate and not very patient and would likely be the first to speak up.
"Do all of you feel that way? I know you guys are a package deal, so I wouldn't want to separate you," Alistair offered.
He did not have to wait long as he sensed how Levine tried to hide her excitement.
"Honestly, I think it's a great opportunity to join the Ryser Clan, and the fact that there are others from our world certainly helps. However, a human faction is rather limited in where they can go. But I might be able to convince my friends if we get compensated for the inconvenience," Levine proposed.
Alistair pretended to think about it before he gave them a warm smile. "Is that the only issue holding you back, or are there other complications?" he inquired.
They exchanged looks, and he was quite sure they were using the Akashic Link skill he had taught them. After roughly a minute, Zarrias spoke up again.
"Yes, that and the fact that there are only a handful of people from Neshan. We are worried that we will not be able to return to Neshan while we are employed by the Ryser Clan," Zarrias voiced.
Alistair knew that none of them had strong ties to any particular family or company yet, and they would have to work their way up the ranks like millions of others. They did not truly care about returning to Neshan, which was one of the reasons he initially approached them. Their youth was showing that they had not properly prepared or investigated the Ryser Clan. Like most of the negotiations, Alistair had the good fortune of being in a position of influence and power which made most dealings almost trivial.
"I have some good news then. Arbiter Zaltom has recognized the Ryser Clan as a Neshan faction. You won't have to worry about joining a human faction, as most members are from Neshan," Alistair announced.
All three demons looked at him with a surprised expression but quickly deflated as they realized they had lost much of their bargaining power.
"Of course, we don't have any infrastructure on the planet yet, but the Zekaria Corporation would be our intermediary on planet Neshan, so you would have to register at one of their locations to link up with our expedition." Alistair helpfully added, knowing that mentioning the corporation's name would likely sway their decision in his favor.
As he observed their nervous glances and exchanged looks, Alistair sensed their growing awareness of his familiarity with Neshan's negotiation customs. Alistair decided to throw them a bone as he did not want them to feel that they had been played and, therefore, not appreciated.
"I'd love to have some of my most promising students join my clan," Alistair said, his tone warm and welcoming. "And I'll be sure to check in occasionally to see how you all are doing."
Zarrias, taking the lead, responded, "Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to join the Clan." He bowed as the other two quickly followed his lead.
Alistair nodded approvingly before returning the bow. He knew Zarrias was the most business-savvy among them, being the offspring of a Vallista Corp. executive and one of the company's secretaries, mostly raised by the latter. Alistair already knew that Nessyra had singled him out as a potential assistant manager directly under her. It wasn't what Zarrias had set out to be, but he might appreciate the chance once offered. Alistair would let Nessyra handle the details of their contract, and he gave them one of her assistants' contact information.
Alistair continued making his rounds while helping those who needed it most. The other students also tried to aid those who had not succeded until the end of the class. Alistair, however, wasn't overly worried as they all had the means and time to figure it out before the end of the trial.