Both of us waited in the antechamber as people flowed past us. Some were so young that an adult had to carry them. Surprisingly, they were the only ones that needed help. While there was no one of working age, the older group were able to move on their own. When I asked Ytri about it all he had to say was “They were taken away.” I didn’t accept that vague answer and pushed him but the guy refused to talk about it.

Finally, the last of the group flowed passed us. None of them looked in the same direction as they walked. A few of them even walked backward. Sadly it took me a few seconds to figure out what they were doing. They were acting as a rear guard. They worked to make sure that no one could sneak up on the group undetected.

We followed them outside. The street was devoid of anyone other than those in our group. I was pretty sure that, had this been a movie set in a desert, a tumbleweed or two might have rolled across the street. Everyone ahead of us looked like they were waiting for some signal or direction. As soon as Lucas’s eyes met mine, he raised a hand into the air. That must have been the signal because, as one, the group started to move. At first the pace was that of a slow walk, however, before long it had increased to a light jog as we moved down the street and toward a large junction.

The group turned to the south while I paused and looked to the north. My eyes scanned the street as I tried to get a look at the gate in that direction. A massive plume of smoke and dust filled the air in the distance. Flashes of light lit the cloud up from the inside in bursts. The sounds of explosions and cracks rolled over us. Between each, I managed to make out the faint sound of metal as it crashed against metal.

I turned to rejoin the group and found Ytri and Lance waiting for me. Lance was covered in blood but looked otherwise happy. Given the way his tail wagged, it was the happiest I had ever seen him. If we were not in such a tense situation, I might have asked him about it. Maybe even asked to pet his ears. Those things looked so fluffy and…I forced myself to think about something other than the fluffy appendages.

Lucas led the group down roads and through various turns while the three of us stayed in the back. While this meant I had no say in which roads and alleys we took, the route he chose was fairly empty and gave me a clear line of sight in all directions. Even the alleys were clear enough for me to see the streets that ran parallel to ours.

While Lucas and the other focused on leading and herding everyone else, I assumed the job of watching the streets around us. This meant that I was also the first to notice the group of people that followed us. They hung in the alleys as they watched us pass. Then they used the parallel streets to skip ahead to the next one. With this hopscotch method, they effectively kept an eye on our group as they waited for something.

With a tap to Ytri’s shoulder, I nodded at the sides. He muttered “damn” under his breath before breaking from his spot and making his way to the front. To his credit, he checked up on everyone as he made his way forward. Effectively disguising his trip so as to not alarm anyone. When he got there, he whispered something to Lucas. I could imagine the curses that rolled through his head when I saw his fists clench.

Ytri returned to the back where he continued to help me keep an eye on our guests as the group closed in on our target. Oddly enough, I didn’t see a single guard throughout the entire walk. Even if they were all called to help one section or another, someone should have been left to sound an alarm. The longer we went without a single encounter caused the alarm bells in my head to become more fervent in their need for attention.

As I tried to come up with solutions and plans for each scenario I could think of given our present situation, the gate came into view. The heavy door was closed. A large wooden bar was lowered over it, holding it there. Lucas and a number of the adults ran over to it. As one they tried to lift the bar. Even going so far as to try and just shift only one side. The thing didn’t seem to even budge.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

I spun around just in time to see the guard captain materialize out of a shadow. Around us, people streamed out of the side streets to surround our group. Each of them had their weapons out and ready while their castors held up their wands.

“I have got to say, I did not expect you to go as far as you did.” He looked me in the eyes. As he did I felt as though something was pushing against my mind. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I did expect you to try something. I just didn’t expect you to do so well.”

“Then why did you let me go down there?” It took quite a bit of mental force to speak while I tried to keep whatever it was out of my head. “Why not stop me from going into the pits?”

“What fun would that be?” He laughed, “Plus, I knew my daughter was down there. Speaking of which, where is she?”

“Dead,” Lance growled out.

The demon’s grin dropped a bit as he looked at the beastman. The pressure on my mind dropped away. Lance fell to his knees as the demon spoke. “Shut up mutt. This is between me and him.”

“What are you doing to him?” I asked in the vein hope that whatever it was would stop if I could just get the demon's attention back on me.

It worked. The demon’s gaze returned to me as he spoke. “Well, it seems you have a knack for getting people to trust you. So,” the thing looked like it was thinking over something, but I was pretty sure it had planned this conversation out long ago. “How about making a deal with me?”

“What kind of deal?” I asked, curious about what it would offer. Not that I was willing to take it. Not with the stories about deals between humans and the fae or demons. No matter what you get, it is never worth it. But I needed to do something to keep the demon focused on me and give the group time to get the gate open.

“I will let the entire group of prisoners go free. I will even let you keep a few in the city, with slave collars of course.” A shiver ran down my spine at the thought that such a thing even existed. Thankfully the creature didn’t seem to notice, or if it did, it didn’t care. “I will even let the other groups fighting across the town go without punishment. Well, most of them. Someone has to pay for breaking down a decent section of the wall. That alone killed a fair number of guards and civilians by the way.” It didn’t sound like it honestly cared about the deaths, but that didn’t stop it from trying to use them to get to me.

Surprisingly, my tone was flat as I asked the question it wanted to hear. “And what are you asking for in return?”

“I just want you.” It flipped a hand in the air. “Well, you, your elven teacher, and the guildmaster.”

“I get the other two, but why me?”

“Because, with a little training, I think you might be of some use to me and my family. Plus, my daughter wants you.” This guy sounded like a doting father. If not for the fact that he was doing so at the expense of others, especially me, I might have helped the guy, demon, whatever.

“And if I say no?”

“Then we will kill everyone here.” While it wasn’t the best solution, Ytri and I would respawn. Or it would be if Linda and Michael didn’t know where I would respawn. His wide grin revealed fangs not dissimilar to his daughters. “Not that you would do such a thing. Not with the amount of power, money, and influence you stand to gain.”

Nope, I was not going to fall for his offer. But, how long could I keep this conversation going at this rate? I was pretty sure that the demon was as powerful as Barti, if not more so. I was probably dead the moment this turned into a fight. Speaking of death, something about what he said and how he reacted was odd. I latched onto the question and ran with it. “Wait, why are you not pissed that your daughter is dead?”

His laugh was low as he wiped his eyes. “You think that you travelers are the only special people out there? That you are the only ones blessed by a greater being? The Demon Lord conquered death long ago. Thanks to our Lord, my daughter will rejoin the land of the living in the next day or so. Though, it will be annoying to go pick her up. Maybe I will make that your first quest for me.”

I had nothing to say to that. As I looked around for some sort of inspiration I found that the group behind me had managed to move the bar a good foot before it got stuck a second time. People rushed to and fro as they tried to free the bar.

“I will give you five minutes to decide.”

When I turned to Ytri I saw the fear plastered on his face. His eyes were locked onto the demon as his body shook. I tried to get his attention away from the demon by placing a hand on his shoulder but the guy vanished. He appeared a moment later in a crouch a dozen feet away where he held his head in his hands. As I looked around at the rest of the group, I found that most of them were in similar states. In fact, everyone but those working on the doors looked to be just as scared.

As I saw this I realized I was on my own and I had to make a decision. While I could take the demon’s deal and effectively sell my soul to him and his daughter in return for everyone’s life I doubted I could get out of the deal afterwards. Something about how realistic the game was told me that it wouldn’t be possible. Hell, I was pretty sure that the deal would somehow find me in the real world.

Then again, I could fight the demon and his lackeys. It was suicide but we all knew that. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t use the fight to buy everyone enough time to get away I was killed. Hell, if I got really lucky, someone might come to save my ass.

Speaking of which, I turned to check on their progress. The group had stepped back as they let a few cast spell after spell at the bar. Based on how little progress they had made so far, I would likely be dead before they made it even halfway through. Even Lucas’s laser seemed like it was doing little to no damage. Which was weird because the bar looked to be made of wood and nothing else.

That brought me to my last option. I could use my SoulStone. Not that I expected it to bring me close to even with the demon, but the boost might be enough to at least buy me some time. But if there was ever a time to use a trump card, now would be the time to do so. I mean, what did I have to lose? It wasn’t like he could kill me twice as hard.

“Incoming message from user VeiledInsight: ‘I am almost to your location. Have you been paying attention to the in-game forums? – Xander’” my AI said. Its voice caused me to jump. The demon raised his brow at the motion but said nothing. It seemed like the damned thing was really going to give me the time to think over its offer. Then again, if it didn’t keep its word here, why would I trust any bargain I made with the thing?

“Reply, ‘Not really, been a bit busy. Can we talk later? I am in a bit of a situation right now.’”

“Sent,” my AI responded. It took only a couple of seconds before it spoke once again. “Incoming message from user VeiledInsight: ‘Anything I can help with? I should be there in ten, maybe twenty minutes.’” How was he here? Wasn’t there something that blocked powerful people from being able to enter this town, or had he found a way around it?

Not that it mattered. I would likely be dead by the time he got here. “Your time is nearly up,” the demon called out in a calm voice. He sounded like he was just waiting for me to accept the inevitable. “You have one more minute to make up your mind.” For a second, I debated just logging out of the game and letting what happens, happen.

But that would do me no good. Not only would neither side ever trust me, but I was fairly sure I would find myself in this situation a second time the moment I logged back in. As I let out a resigned sigh I realized I had no choice. I had to fight him. “AI, send a reply. ‘Thank you for trying but by then it will be too late.’”

“Reply sent.”

I didn’t hesitate to reach into my inventory to pull out the Soulstone as I started to talk. While it wasn’t much, I was going to try to buy more time with a useless monologue of my own. “While your deal does sound enticing, there are many stories from my world. Stories of demons of all kinds. Stories of wishes and deals. But do you know what the commonality between all those stories is?”

A wide grin stretched his lips far enough to show off his fangs as he proudly proclaimed, “That both parties get exactly what they ask for.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Sure, you could say that.” My eyes looked at the SoulStone. It felt like it weighed nothing and was heavy enough to crush me at the same time. “The stories tell of how the demon gets the upper hand on their victim. How they use the wording of the contract or various loopholes they built into it so that they can get everything they want while giving the human nothing in return. Most of these deals result in the human being bound into servitude while others go so far as to claim the humans very souls. You can imagine how well this goes over for the human.”

“Ah, that is true.” He rolled his eyes. “But it isn’t like I am hiding what I want.”

“No,” I pursed my lips as I nodded. “You are right. You’re being very clear in what you want and why. The issue is, I don’t want to serve a demon. Especially as I don’t know what I would have to do or the limitations of what you could do to me. Hell, you might be able to order me to do something I would never agree to and I would have no choice but to follow through.” Suddenly a bolt of fear shot down my spine as I imagined the demon or his daughter ordering me to never leave the game again.

“And if I agree to limit the contract?” It posited. “Say, add a time limit. Or does this have to do with the beastman? Maybe I could give you time off to go and save more lives. Or is it money you are looking for?”

I pretended to think about the problem as I rotated the sphere before I finally responded. “No. I think that the issue is that the contract is a little too vague. Too open-ended. At least for me.”

“So, you are rejecting the deal?” It asked.

My eyes lifted off the orb to meet his now scarlet red eyes as I spoke, “Unfortunately for both of us, yes.” I pulled up the SoulStone’s description and focused on the section related to how to use it.

Item:

SoulStone

Special:

Soulbound to Kyren Vulpier

Use:

Pour a bit of mana into the stone, then accept the prompt.

Permanent:

Increase all stats by 10.

Other increases will be determined by the system.

Physical changes.

Soulbound item.

Temporary Buffs:

Mana High* (5 minutes)

Pain Immunity* (5 minutes)

Demigod Regeneration* (5 minutes)

Demigod Strength* (5 minutes)

Description

This object will merge both your soul and your physical body. This has a chance to change your species and increase your capabilities. What you are changed into is based on your previous actions, skills, soul, body characteristics, and mind. Once this has been done, it cannot be undone. After the transformation is completed, this item will change into an item to suit your new body.

As mana poured from me and into the object, another prompt forced itself directly into my line of sight.

Would you like to use your SoulStone? WARNING! This is permanent and cannot be reversed.

I accepted the prompt without bothering to read the thing. As one, the prompt and every other window vanished, leaving me looking directly at the demon. Even though we both knew the time was up and that I was stalling, he simply watched me. It was as if he was saying to me that no matter what I did, he could stop me. That no matter what I did I stood no chance.

Golden light flared as the SoulStone activated. It intensified as the symbols etched into the stone started to peel themselves off the surface. They floated out to circle me as they formed into a complex ring. The air around me became heavy with mana as the ring formed. The pressure of it was enough that I could feel it pressing against my skin as more mana continued to flood into the spell. As the circle finished, it flared as a new window popped up.

This window reminded me of a computer's command prompt. Only, this one looked like it was somehow unstable. The edges waved as the static crackled across the middle.

[00:00:01] [System Alert]: Demonic taint detected

[00:00:02] [System]: Attempting Correction

-> Correction attempt #1… FAILED

-> Correction attempt #2… FAILED

-> Correction attempt #3… FAILED

Demonic taint? My heart pounded in my ears as I read those words. While I knew that Linda had tricked me into ingesting her blood, I didn’t think it would have any real long-term effect given that the bond she wanted didn’t form.

[00:00:17] [System]: Escalating to Local Host

[00:00:17] [System]: Local Host… CONNECTED

[00:00:19] [Local Host]: Issues exceed local parameters

[00:00:19] [Local Host]: Escalating to System Administrator

[00:00:19] [System]: Contacting local Admin

-> Admin 7F3A9C1E6B2D … CONNECTED

[00:00:27] [Admin]: Escalating to Deities

[00:00:27] [System]: Contacting Deities

-> Deity Nanook… CONNECTED

-> Deity Rati… CONNECTED

-> Deity Kuebiko… CONNECTED

-> Deity Anuket… CONNECTED

-> Deity Hephaestus… CONNECTED

[00:00:32] [Deities]: Reviewing system logs

[00:00:39] [Deities]: Scanning user history

[00:01:01] [Deities]: Initiating deep scan

-> Deep scan… COMPLETE

[00:01:36] [Deities]: Discussing resolution

[00:02:05] [Deity]: Deity Hephaestus

-> Initiating alternative scan

[00:03:09] [System]: Scanning for alternatives

-> Viable alternatives found

[00:03:10] [Deities]: Deity Rati

-> Requesting Deity Inari’s assistance

[00:03:10] [System]: Contacting Deity

-> Deity Inari… CONNECTED

[00:03:24] [Deity]: Deity Inari

-> Reviewing logs and scans

[00:03:26] [Deities]: Deity Hephaestus

-> Proposing status change

-> Approval required

[00:04:18] [Deities]: Deity Inari

-> Status change… APPROVED

[00:04:23] [System Override]: Deity Inari has overridden standard protocols

[00:04:23] [System Warning]: Transformation-induced pain reduction limited to 10%

[00:04:27] [Deities]: Deity Inari

-> Acknowledged system warning

[00:04:27] [System]: Applying correction

[00:04:28] [System]: Recalibrating parameters

[00:04:29] [System]: Reloading updated configurations

[00:04:32] [System Update]:

-> System correction… COMPLETE

-> System recalibration… COMPLETE

-> System configuration reload… COMPLETE

[00:04:41] [System]: REBOOTING…

-> Reboot… COMPLETE

[00:04:44] [System]: Reinitiating transformation sequence

-> Reinitiating… COMPLETE

[00:04:45] [System]: Species changed

-> Human to Kitsune – Demonic

[00:04:45] [System]: Class changed

-> Elementalist to Arcane Elementalist

[00:04:45] [System]: Transformation successfully initiated

The text flickered, starting and stopping as the system worked through something. Almost as soon as I finished reading the last line, the window fizzled out of existence. Without warning, a loud cracking pop sound filled the air. My world went white as mana forced its way into my body. Flowing up my arms and legs before coursing through my torso and into my head.

As soon as it stopped forcing its way into my body, the mana started to pulse. It felt almost like a heartbeat. With each pulse, I can feel something move. A muscle twisted here, some fat squished there. While it felt odd, it didn’t hurt.

Almost as if the mana had been waiting for me to have that thought, bones start to snap and reform. The worst of which is my hip bone. It felt as if the thing had been turned into powder before it reformed. I was fairly sure that its shape and size had completely changed. It was quickly followed by a sharp pain in my hips followed by an intense tugging sensation centered on my balls.

They felt like they were being yanked upward. It wasn’t the only part that felt that way. It was quick followed by everything else down there. As they moved, I was fairly sure something was squishing my organs upward as they made room for something.

Before I could think about what was going on, another sharp pain radiated from the base of my spine. It felt as though a dull knife was being used to dig into the base of my spine. As that pain moved outward something else stabbed into the top of my head and caused me to blackout.

I must not have been out long because I was still standing as the world snapped back into focus. I watched as the mana around me was absorbed into my body. Every part of my body suddenly felt more alive than ever before.

My body felt lighter and more powerful. I felt as though could lift a mountain. Yes, I know there is no way I could lift a mountain and while I wasn’t stupid enough to try, the amount of power that flowed through me begged to be used.

Around me, the world blossomed with color and exploded with noise. All of it was distracting but none of it held a candle to the sheer volume of new smells. Of which, one in particular caught my attention. It was the smell of fur and wet earth. The wild and of a campfire. It reminded me of what I imagined it would be like to live in a cabin in the woods. What it would smell like if I were locked inside with a dog as it rained outside as both of us curled up near a fire. Whatever trance I had fallen into thanks to that smell was broken as I felt something whip around behind me.

I reached back and found a very fluffy tail. It hurt when I tugged on a tuft but, unlike the previous times, I found that it was made of flesh and fur rather than mana. My hand lifted from my ass and made the trip toward my head where something else twitched. Unfortunately, it snagged on something on my chest. Something soft. Something that felt not too different from a water balloon.

The part of me that was freaking out wanted me to ignore the feeling. To run away and not look back. To deny any and everything that had happened. The practical part of myself knew better. I had to know now because I couldn’t afford to be distracted if I wanted to do my best in the upcoming right.

So, I hesitantly looked down until I found myself looking at two very round, very firm orbs sitting on my chest. Thankfully the dress was tight enough to hold them in place, but not so tight that they were squished. I closed my eyes as I prayed to the gods that they only changed my race. That these changes were from that and not from what I feared. My hand lowered slowly, probing through my dress where my little partner sat.

Nothing was there. Well, not truly nothing. I felt something down there. A single, soft rub down there sent a bolt of electricity to my core. The feeling was alien yet not. Something about it nearly had me repeating the motion. Thankfully I managed to yank my hand away before I did something stupid.

Still, this confirmed my worst fear. The game had found a way to change my gender. Even when I denied the class that it offered it had not given up. It managed to find yet another way to force the change on me. I took a shaky and deep breath as I tried to center myself.

I flexed my hands as I prepared for the upcoming fight and found one of my hands was still holding onto something. Which was odd as the only thing I had out before the transformation was the SoulStone. With a shake of my head, I tried to shove it into my inventory. It refused to go inside the window. I had to assume it was like the Shackle Key in that it couldn’t go into an inventory. I would have to hold the damned thing through the fight which would sharply limit my options. God how I wished for at least one pocket in this damned dress.

Curious as to why the demon was being so quiet, I looked up at him for the first time since I had used the SoulStone. His face was a mix of shock, awe, and pleasure. As our eyes met I found his filled with lust. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips as he spoke. “Oh, you and I are going to do great things together.”