“My sled is an artifact made by fine ladies of the Iridium Istria Magellanum,” Cali revealed. “It utilizes a small shard of the Wormwood Star to power the runework. The Artificer-Sorceresses of my homeland are quite talented!”

I nodded, wondering if there were actual wizards in the south or if women had somehow monopolized the global domain of magic leaving the men to focus on cultivation of strength.

Callista continued to regale me with tales of her homeland, the wonders of Iridium and the use of Wormwood Star shards to power all sorts of magical gadgetry. Her animated gestures and infectious laughter made the gloomy pub feel brighter.

"I once traded a crate of Castian wine for a talking parrot," Cali chatted, "Can you believe it? The bird knew more curse words than a drunken sailor!"

"Did you keep it?" I asked.

"Oh heavens, no!" she giggled, her white cat ears twitching adorably. "I sold it to a pirate captain for twice what I paid. Last I heard, it was teaching the entire crew how to swear in three different languages!"

As we shared a laugh, I noticed Stormy's tail swishing. She let out a deeper growl, which Cali seemed to find amusing.

"Oh my," she cooed, "I think someone's feeling a bit left out. Is your little fuzzy friend always this protective?"

I glanced at Stormy, who was glaring daggers at Cali. "Stormy’s usually less grumpy," I said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I guess she's not used to visitors."

Cali waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure she's just jealous that another kitten is monopolizing your attention." She winked at me, causing my cheeks to flush slightly.

“Oh?” I asked. “You’re just a kitten then, are you?”

“That’s what my mom calls me,” Cali laughed. “Her little adventure-seeking kitten. I’m nineteen but thanks to the comet shard, I won’t age much.”

“That’s pretty nifty,” I said, nearly confessing that I wouldn't age much either.

As our conversation continued, I found myself sharing more about my situation in Svalbard than I'd initially intended, describing my battle with the bandits from Bernt with greatly exaggerated detail. Cali listened with rapt attention, her blue eyes wide with sympathy.

"That must have been terrifying," she said softly when I concluded. "You're incredibly brave to stay here all alone, Ioan."

I shrugged, feeling a pitch of embarrassment at her praise. "I didn't really have much choice," I admitted.

"Still," Cali insisted, leaning towards me and revealing more of her curves, "it takes a special kind of person to face such... adversity. You should be proud of yourself, Ioan!"

Stormy let out another hiss, but this time, I barely noticed it, too engrossed at staring at the merchant’s goods.

"I think your little guardian here might be plotting my demise." She nodded towards Stormy, who was now pacing back and forth on the table, tail lashing.

I chuckled, reaching out to scratch Stormy behind the ears. "Come on, girl. Cali's our guest. Be nice!"

Stormy let out a disgruntled "Mrow!" at me, batting at my hand.

“What?” I asked.

“Merrr-mer-mrwrrrrrwww,” Stormy spat out an entire tirade of cat language at me. I had no idea what her problem was, so I simply pushed the kitten off the table.

“You’re pretty brave yourself there, Cali,” I said as Stormy climbed up my leg and then leapt back onto my shoulder. “Traveling to the frozen North alone in a magic sled just to trade with small villages like ours? Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“Ehh,” the merchant shrugged, scratching a large scar on her cheek. “I wanted to prove myself to my family so they don't just marry me off to some pompous idiot pirate.”

As the evening wore on, my initial wariness and general paranoia had vanished completely.

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Cali's presence felt... right, somehow. Natural. Like we'd known each other for years instead of hours. Like she belonged here in my pub.

"You know," Cali said, leaning in close, "I've met a lot of people in my travels, but there's something verrrry special about you, Ioan."

I felt my cheeks flush, partly from the wine and partly from her words. "Oh? What do you mean?"

She smiled, suddenly reaching out to touch my hand. "You've got this... spark. Like there's more to you than meets the eye. It's intriguing. People usually turn into sniveling idiots around me.”

“Do they?” I asked.

“Yeppers,” she nodded with a blush. “Just part of the Felix Arcanicx charm, I suppose. You're speaking clearly after all that wine and talking to me for over an hour, consider me impressed!”

Stormy let out another low, murderous hiss from her perch on my shoulder, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too caught up in Cali's big blue eyes that sparkled like distant, deep, blue ocean waves.

"I... thanks," I stammered at my feline guest. "You're pretty special yourself, Cali."

She giggled, her cat ears twitching adorably. "Oh, you charmer. But seriously, Ioan, have you ever thought about leaving Svalbard? There's a whole world out there!"

As Cali's words washed over me, I found myself nodding along, feeling entranced by her melodious voice and the promise of adventure. The idea of leaving Svalbard, of exploring the world beyond the snow-covered ruins I currently inhabited, suddenly seemed not just appealing, but absolutely irresistible.

"Think about it," Cali said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I could use someone like you in my trade. Someone clever, brave, resourceful, special... strong." She reached into her coat’s pocket and pulled out a small, ornate gold scroll case.

"What's that?" I asked, my voice sounding weirdly distant even to my own ears.

Cali smiled wide, her eyes sparkling like sapphires. "Just a little agreement. A formality, really. It would make you my... business partner, of sorts, just until we reach the ocean."

She unrolled the scroll, revealing a complex document filled with intricate script. I squinted at the scroll. I had no idea what was written there.

"Don't worry about the details," Cali purred, producing an elegant, gold-wrapped, onyx-coloured pen with a wickedly sharp tip from the other end of the golden tube. "It's all standard contract stuff. Just add a little signature to seal the deal, right here and we can be on our way to grand adventures in a day or two! Why hide out here all alone, waiting for the glaciers to engulf this forsaken land when you could enjoy coconut milk on a sunny beach listening to the waves lapping against the shore along with… me?”

My hand reached out, almost of its own accord, towards the pen.

Something in the back of my mind nagged me that this was wrong, stupid, that I should read the contract, that I should be more careful. But Cali's eyes were so blue, so deep, and I felt like I was drowning in them, my thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind.

Just as my fingers were about to close around the pen, I felt a sharp pain in my hand. Stormy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the past few minutes, suddenly sprang into action. Her tiny teeth sank into my flesh, and with surprising strength, she yanked my hand away from the pen.

The sudden pain of the bite cut through the fog of calmness engulfing my mind. I blinked rapidly, feeling as though I was waking from a deep sleep. The fingers of my hand, forcefully guided by Stormy's insistent tugging, brushed against the cool surface of my Astralscope goggles sticking from my pocket.

When did I put it there? Why did I put it there? I couldn't recall when I pulled it off my head. Why didn't I look at the merchant with the Astralscope to begin with... when she was clearly a creature from the book of monsters!

“W-what sort of a pen is that?” I blinked at the gold-encrusted pen held in the merchant’s fingers, trying to focus my scattering thoughts.

“That? That’s just an ordinary pen,” Cali's expression flickered, a flash of frustration crossing her features before her smile returned, albeit slightly strained. "Oh, Ioan. Don't you trust me? It's just a little signature between partners, an agreement, a fair trade… just a bit of service for me, in exchange for the multitude of southern wonders I could show you."

Stormy hissed loudly, her fur standing on end as she jumped onto my shoulder.

I slid the Astralscope goggles atop of my eyes and quickly retreated from my seat, staring straight at Callista. Blue, shimmering strands stretched out from the pulsing gemstone on her neck, crawling across the entire pub akin to the legs of gargantuan alien spider, reaching out to me like some sort of living thread.

“What’s wrong, Ioan?” The merchant saw my aghast expression. She stood up from her seat too, leaving the gold tube, the contract page and the golden pen sitting on the wooden table.

“Listen,” I said, trying to remain calm as I retreated back to my pile of blessed earth. “I’m not signing whatever that is. I can’t read that language and I don’t want to be bound into anything I cannot fulfill.”

“Come on! It’s just a basic mercantile agreement!” Callista insisted, her voice filling with frustration, her blue eyes boring into mine. “It just makes sure that you remain loyal and respectful. A simple contract, binding you to my mercantile endeavors, for, say… a year or two? You’re young, if a bit thin. It's a small price to pay for the opportunity to unlock your true potential, don’t you think, Ioan?”

The gemstone collar on her neck ignited with radial silver-blue shimmers, wriggly threads dancing across the entire pub like parasitic worms. My mind suddenly went blank, my feet taking a step towards her on their own accord.

"That's it," Cali sang, her voice perfect, her figure alluringly captivating. "Come here and sign the contract."

I idly noticed that my feet took another step forward. The rational part of my brain was suddenly gone, lost somewhere in the depths of distant space.