I awoke within an old bar that had clearly seen better days, the mostly wooden interior was clearly worn but well used. Bizarrely enough the timber had dimly glowing embers within despite no char on the wood.

There's a low acoustic guitar playing a familiar but unrecognisable tune, whilst no one else is visible within the confines of the bar. I wander over to the counter and a glass appears with a golden liquid within, as soon as I touch the glass an ornate scroll rises from within the countertop emerging from the wood itself.

Releasing the glass and unfurling the scroll the text within is harrowing, my soul was bought, my life is owned and I had to earn my life back. Upon reading the scroll it immolated and a manacle of smoke forms around my left wrist, taking a swig off the golden liquor I spy a cheery bartender.

The bartenders red skin was disconcerting, but but his devilish grin was truly unsettling. Clearly he held the upper hand and was about to cash in my worth.

"Greetings lost one" He enthusiastically spoke with his grin never leaving his smug mug.

"So I'm yours?" I enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed, you came at quite the bargain. You could even say wholesale"

"What is the worth of a man?"

"It varies... But you yourself not so much."

This left me stunned, I was told I'm worthless and bought in a mass bundle. "Surely you wouldn't buy someone useless. There's a purpose behind buying things, you gave me drink and are actually talking to me alone. What are you after?"

"Cheap but not stupid. There may be some use of you yet my boy, you see there's a job that needs doing but I can't quite go do it myself. So I bought the lot of you."

After his words leaves his lips, the faint silhouette of a hundred odd people appear in the bar for a second before immediately disapearing.

His grin enlarges "I may be talking to you now, but I'm also talking to them. You are not worth nearly as much as you think, your life was nothing. You didn't commit to sin or uphold virtues, you just floated on life to wherever the world took you."

"Surely my life had some meaning" I state "I lived and brought no harm, gave to charity when I could" offered half in shock and other in desperation at the notion I wasn't good enough nor wanted enough for heaven due to living such an apparently bland life.

He raised an eyebrow at that "Would you say your pittance of charity, the tossing of coins to a busker is a small act of kindness true. But did you think all the little lies and pinching from work weren't going to weigh something"

"If my life is so worthless then how can I do something you can't?"

"Simple, I'm in my domain here and it's more convenient to have minions do these jobs. As for yours, you are to be sent to a world and lay down roots for me, place an anchor for me and my employees. If and that's a strong if, you manage to accomplish this the deal is completed, our ties severed and you'll be free of anything to do with me" The demon offered his hand.

"How am I to do this, do I grow a tree? Steal a ships anchor? Or is there non-literal meanings here?" I take another sip to help calm my nerves, but the drink burns as if I was drinking literal fire rather than ethanol.

"I'd be a poor lord to send my servants without the tools to accomplish the task. I'll grant you access to the system, which'll give you the power and knowledge to do my bidding."

I'm not sure exactly what the system is, but he's giving me the feeling that the less I borrow from him the better. He's a loan shark with a captive audience.

"This system gives knowledge and power? If I'm to lay an anchor is it truly needed? Surely the knowledge would be enough, I could borrow a book." I respond with a small smile

His smile flattens for a moment.

"You'll turn down power?"

His brow creases.

"You'll ask for a book?"

And a wiry smile creeps onto his lips, though his eyes seem to have gained a harsh glow and the embers in the room grow in brilliance till they resemble the stars of the sky.

"You're a fool human, given a chance at life and the means to reach heights unimaginable, but you spit on my offer." The outstretched hand's finger tips grow into claws.

"I'll do the job for my life, and I'll happily take the knowledge to do it, but in all due respect I'll avoid any undue debts. The more you give, the more you will take and I don't want you taking everything."

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The embers fade back to a dull glow and his eyes return to just fiery orbs, his grin returns to his smug mug. "You didn't fold, good. I'll change the deal, I'll give you a tome on the barest basics and awaken your spark but should you fail to be amongst the first ten to lay proper anchors, I'll give you more power and the more you fail, the more I'll give"

"I'll accept, but I won't let you take all of me. I will see this through" as I clasp his hand his claws dig into mine and I'm enveloped by a burning sensation throughout my entire being, not just my body but my very soul itself.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, I find myself still at the bar holding his hand.

"The pact is sealed and off you shall go, please disappoint me."

After his utterance my world disappeared and I felt as though I was falling through myself without a true direction rather than inwards. Several long eternities later I come to after having the wind knocked out of me.

It felt as though I had fallen 5 meters only to land face down, everything hurt and what was worse, I had no idea where I was. I seemed to be in a clearing of some wood in the shadow of a mountain that seemed to be at least 400m high.

A throbbing sensation entered my eye as text appeared within my vision:

New user detected, initiating startup...

As quick as the the throbbing had arrived, it was replaced by the sensation of my eyes and brain melting.

"Nice try, but no. You said you didn't want the system and as such I'll fulfill that sentiment." An unwelcome and smug voice offered.

My watering and treacherous eyes return to function as silence returned to the clearing, an unwelcome one. I'd always heard that quiet in a forest was a dangerous sign so I set out to find a decently hefty stick I could use as a club. Finding one wasn't the problem, actually modifying it was. The wood was of an unfamiliar sort and these branches were rather more flexible than varieties back home...

Thoughts begin to drift back to the life I'd left before being wrangled by my little remaining psyche. The branches seemed to flexible to make a proper club from and I was lacking in a knife to make a spear so I take it upon myself to take my belt off to attempt to lash to the end of a branch. "There we go, I dub thee Stonestick"

The crude craft is barely capable of being called a maul nor a sledge hammer, those tools would actually last and I'd be surprised to get anything more than a swing out of it and even then the head wasn't very secure.

Since waking up here and wandering the pain and shock had mostly faded to memory but there was still a warm sensation building up in the center of my chest. I raise my shirt and feel my back in search of any injury or blemish that could be causing this but don't even find a bug-bite.

Warmth still growing was becoming uncomfortable so I sat under the shade of a large tree, resting Stonestick next to me. "Unreliable or not, respect what you make and it may hold true, discard your crafts and see them discard you."

Sitting under the tree with myself for company thoughts run freer than company would allow, only to be interrupted by a dull thud on the grass in front of me. A chunky leather-bound book the size of a textbook with the title of The Fools Errand for fools, "just great" I sigh. Flipping the pages reveals nothing beyond the first page, just a blank white book. I return to the front page and It seems absolutely delightful.

Reading aloud for the forest and myself to hear"The Fools Errand for fools is a comprehensive guide for fools enacting the wills of their great master. We understand that undergoing such an arduous task will not be easy so we'll prepare you as best we can to ensure maximum satisfaction.", satisfying me or Red? "This comprehensive guide will explain in great detail how to wield the arcane forces within you (that warm feeling) and guide you in being promoted."

The book contained nothing else, no information on what the arcane forces were or how to fill in the rest. "Comprehensive my arse."

Focusing on the warm feeling, I try to will it to move, but nothing happens. Instead I try to squeeze or compress it which gains some ground, focusing hard I compress it to about the size of a fist before it stops and grows cold. In a panic I immediately try to pry it apart but to no avail, the warmth completely disappears before I feel what seems to be a lump or mass of something pressing inside me behind my sternum. It's an uncomfortable feeling that gets worse as it starts to pulse in tune to my heart.

Nothing feels different, just weird, as if some fist sized mass was pulsing behind my sternum. "Probably safe to call it an arcane or mana heart I guess? Or maybe I somehow got magic cancer."

"Speaking of cancer, I'd need a doctor but I haven't seen any signs of smoke but my view isn't the best down here." My thoughts seemingly just for me and this empty patch of land to hear seemed to be a great sign on my psyche.

Gathering some smaller sticks and twigs as I walked towards the mountain in hopes of getting the lay of the land, whistling an off tune song to keep my company to the point I had neglected some knowledge I had recalled.

Bending down to awkwardly grab another small stick for my growing collection-

Snap

Dropping everything I lunge to the right but I'm not fast enough, claws scrape my back peeling away strips of flesh. My ungraceful dive leaving me slamming into a tree aggravating my back and making my shoulder aching thoroughly. Scrabbling up desperately I face towards my assailant and see a big wolf, the size of a small hatchback, Circling me I can see it's not in the best shape, otherwise I probably would of died a second time, It's ribs showing through it's fur are telling me this creature is mightily hungry and that someone had been ringing the dinner bell nonstop.

I maintain eye contact waiting for it to lunge as I counter circle towards the pile I'd dropped, the beast crouches down ready to leap and I dive landing competently enough for a noncombatant. Thankfully the dive was able to avoid the jaws and claws of this wolf, coming up from the ground I raise Stonestick and hold it aside ready to swing. The pain of my shoulder and shredded back are distracting but the adrenaline is making it bearable, alongside my racing heart the manaheart tries to keep pace, sending pulses of heat throughout my body.

Not letting the wolf dictate the fight any longer I charge forwards, this unexpected outcome surprises the wolf enough to give me to swing at it's head but I wasn't quite fast enough to secure the blow, narrowly dodging Stonestick's strike the wolf weaves towards me so I shove the handle into it's mouth to hold it at bay. Unable to keep a hold of Stonestick the thrashing wolf was able to tear it from my grasp and toss it a short distance away. Immediately chasing after my only weapon I hear the wolf bounding after me, scooping down I grab the handle and turn with my entire body, swinging with all the force I can muster. I pray the head doesn't fly off and crunch. Stonestick slams into the beasts eye caving it's skull into it's brain but also completely shattering my mighty weapons head. Stonestick's shards lacerate the belt into useless scraps whilst embedding shards into it's cranium, the haft of Stonestick had snapped into a splintery point. As the wolf staggered from it's daze I charge, thrusting the makeshift spear into the weakened skull and stirring it's brain into useless mush and ending it's life.

The end of the battle turned off the adrenaline tap leaving my body drained and weak, so I lie against the fur of the wolf and let sleep claim me.