The heated debate between Pig-faced and the elf lasted for a while, and Eric didn’t dare to interrupt at any point. He just observed them quietly, hoping he’d be able to pick up some non-verbal cues. The elf was surprisingly human-like in her mannerisms, acting like a human who is tired of someone’s shit and is about to get physical with them. However, her manners were more reminiscent of masculine male behavior among humans, acting as if she was used to being the stronger one in the room, which was strange considering that Pig-faced was about two to three times her volume. Sure, she was noticeably taller than him, but Eric had witnessed several times that mass times acceleration is a force to be respected and reckoned with.

Luckily, Pig-faced did manage to calm her down enough to have a reasonable conversation with her. And it was clearly about Eric since she didn’t bother to hide her looks directed at him. She even pointed straight at him a few times.

And since Pig-faced said he wanted to kick Eric out but others wouldn’t let him … clearly the elf was either in a hurry or had concerns about Pig-faced’s subjective opinion getting the better of him.

Maybe both.

As soon as the elf left, Eric decided to press the advantage, “She is in quite a hurry, isn’t she?”

Pig-faced waved his hand off, “Don’t even get me started. Those made in Zadyja’s image are nothing but trouble, and now I have to deal with you too.”

“Oh, come on! I thought we finally started understanding each other. We even had a nice conversation about gods. Have you ever heard of a demon being interested in gods? Good gods, not the bad ones.”

“No, I didn’t. But that only tells me you are something far worse than a demon. But anyway,” Pig-faced stood up with a loud sigh, “I’d love to chat with you some more, but unfortunately, we’re out of time. So I guess we will be going straight to business from now on.”

“Finally!”

“So, your devil knows where the guardian is.”

“Yes, she does.”

“And she will lead us to it?”

“Yes, she will.”

“And in exchange, she wants to collect the guardian’s blood. Is there anything else she wants?”

“Yes, there is one more thing. She says you have a capable healer in your group. She wants your healer to heal my wounds properly, the ones your arrows made. She did her best, but she is not a healer, so she thinks the wounds didn’t heal properly.”

“Hmm … she can bring you back from the dead, but she can’t heal you properly?”

“She tried explaining it to me, but I am too ignorant of magic to understand. The point is, your healing mage needs to heal me properly. That is one of the conditions. I think she is worried we won’t find a good healer where we are going, so she wants to make sure I get healed properly beforehand.”

“I don’t think that will work, but our mage can try if you are so insistent. Anything else?”

“We will also need you to build something we will use to transport the blood. She is a mage, not an artisan, and I am pretty much useless in that regard. We will need you to build us a cauldron with wheels or something similar. I trust that your dwarf will come up with the best solution.”

“That will require a lot of work. And resources. We will have to gather the materials. It will take time. And my party mates aren’t the most patient people.”

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“We can help you with it. Tell us what you need to build it, and we can get it for you. As for time, I am sure your mates will understand it will take you more time to find the guardian on your own than to build this thing. Not to mention the dangers you’ll avoid.”

“And in exchange, you will help us defeat the guardian.”

“She is willing to help you fight it. I am not a fighter, so there is nothing I can do, but she is very powerful and can tip the scales in your favor. After all, you said it yourself: she is a small deity. Surely, getting such a small deity on your side is worth the risk.”

“And what guarantees do we have she won’t stab us in the back?”

“And what guarantees do we have you won’t do the same? We’ve been over this. What guarantees do you want? A contract? To be upheld by which court?”

“Hmm …” Pig-faced’s eyes went wide with realization, “That’s actually a great idea! Yes, we could make a contract with your devil!”

Eric’s brow raised involuntarily, “Are you serious? I was just joking.”

“If your devil would make a blood contract with us, then we will have no issues with her.”

“First of all, what is a blood contract?”

“Generally speaking, demons and devils are chaotic, unruly creatures. But as always, there are a few exceptions. Devils know their kind can’t be trusted, so the few lawful devils out there will make a blood contract to assure mortals they won’t trick them. Of course, the mortals in question can still be fooled if the contract is worded in a certain way, but I will make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Is this contract magical in nature?”

“Of course it is. Blood is a very special thing, and the blood of a magical creature is essentially priceless. A devil would only spill her blood for something she is absolutely dedicated to.”

“And this magical contract will force her to comply?”

“It can’t really force her, but she will suffer terrible consequences if she breaks it.”

“Like what?”

“She will lose her powers.”

“She will lose her magic?” Eric gave Pig-faced a look of surprise.

“Not just magic. She will lose all of her powers. She will revert back to being the ordinary demon that she used to be.”

“Can this … contract make her lose her powers even if she doesn’t break it? Is there a chance to abuse it somehow?”

“It all depends on how the contract is worded.”

“But … like, how … usually when the contract is broken, someone has to administer the judgment. Who does it in this case?”

“Sudija does it.”

Eric squinted his eyes in confusion, “What?”

“Sudija, the great judge. You can consider her a goddess of judgment. She is the god that judges divine and magical matters.”

Pig-faced leaned in towards Eric, “Did you have a memory loss or something?”

“No, I didn’t. I just come from a different world.”

“And there are no gods in your world to administer judgment?”

“As far as we are aware, there aren’t any gods at all. Some people think there are, but there is no evidence for it. Are you absolutely sure that my devil would lose her powers if she breaks the contract?”

“That’s right. Ask her if you don’t believe me. But demons and devils are cursed creatures. Some of them enjoy danger. They enjoy walking the thin line. And some devils who think too highly of themselves love making contracts just for fun. They think themselves so good at deceiving people that they feel they need a penalty to make the game fun.”

“You think they perceive it as a game?”

“Some of them do. Most devils are petty. And by the way, I look forward to finding out what your devil is. Speaking of which, have you signed a contract with that devil of yours?”

“We do have a deal, but it’s neither signed in blood nor magical in any other way. It’s a simple deal between two people where she keeps me safe, and I earn my stay by doing her chores.”

“Has she ever told you about the blood contracts?”

“No. I never asked her to provide any assurances. I don’t think I am in a position where I can make any demands … since I’m completely dependent on her.”

“Hmm … ok, I can understand that. But still, it’s rare for a devil to act as someone’s provider or a bodyguard.”

“I guess I’m really great at doing chores,” Eric responded with a forced smile.

“Maybe you are … but I bet that devil has some very serious intentions about you. Not right now, but once you escape from this dungeon. There is no way a devil would save a life that isn’t useful to her. Very, very useful.”

“Again, it’s not like I have any other choice. I am entirely dependent on her and am completely at her mercy.”

“Maybe you do have a choice … but we will talk about it some other time. We need to survive the guardian first.”

“So, do we finally have a deal? My devil will lead you to the guardian and help you defeat it, and in turn you will heal me properly and make us something we can use to transport the blood with.”

Pig-faced made a dramatic pause before answering, causing Eric’s brow to twitch involuntarily.

“Sure, we have a deal. But only if your devil is willing to sign a blood contract with me.”