Shortly after the ghost’s remnants faded into nothingness like some kind JRPG boss, Kal left Greg’s body and returned to the bat. Greg had all of a few seconds to experience the demon-enhanced physique before Kal withdrew his soul, causing Greg to immediately collapse from the weakness and injuries he sustained. He cursed after catching his breath and propping himself up against a tombstone. His throbbing head caused him to grimace.

Taz took the bat from Greg and stored it back in his armband with an extending glob of oozing blood.

Seeing this, Greg asked, “What the hell is that anyways? Why a bat?”

“I wanted a weapon, and guns are expensive. Blades take skill and are messy, so, I picked up a cheap baseball bat, summoned a guy I knew from my fraternity, Het Epsilon Lambda, made a deal with him, and bound him to the bat. The armband,” he tapped the metal trinket he wore on his upper bicep, “was some cheap piece of junk I picked up at one of those knockoff jewelry kiosks at the mall. I carved a couple of runes, soaked it in my blood, and then carved a corresponding rune on the bat.”

Greg thought for a moment. Then, in between pained breaths, he asked, “Deal?”

“You might have noticed he’s a bit… wild.” Taz shrugged. “As long as I use him to beat the crap out of something every now and then, he’ll stick around.”

“And why did you give the bat over to me?”

“I wanted to see how you’d take being possessed. Turns out, you’re a near-perfect vessel for possession.”

Greg wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“It’s a good thing. That opens up a lot of options.”

Greg, curious as to where this was going, asked, “Options for what?”

Taz shrugged, gestured to nothing in particular, and said, “Just, in general. There are a lot of different demons, spirits, and other entities that have all kinds of uses. Information gathering, temporary enhancements, defense, travel, the list goes on and on. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot that would help with something like an office job, but anything that requires any amount of skill or effort can benefit from a contracted entity providing enhancements or whatever.”

Greg thought about what all he might do with a cadre of demons and spirits at his disposal. He hadn’t known until just now that demons and spirits were so diverse in their capabilities.

Almost immediately, a small, sobering thought came to him. Would I have flunked out if I had a knowledge demon at my disposal? That notion was quickly squash, however. Greg hadn’t even been aware of the existence of the occult until after he had been evicted from his dorm. There had been no opportunity for him to learn of the unmundane or the potential benefits that field held.

Shaking his head, Greg said, “Well, that’s certainly a lot to think about. But, let’s save that for later, for now, let’s go report back to Amar and head back home. I’m tired as hell, and we need to treat those burns.”

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Taz nodded. He helped Greg to his feet, and they supported each other as they limped back to the main building.

---

Amar had been shocked that a malevolent spirit had hidden itself in his cemetery. He apologized for the danger he had inadvertently put them in, and promised that he would thoroughly search the grounds for any other nasty surprises before letting anyone else in. He also promised a hefty bonus, saying it was the least he could do to make up for the blunder. Thankfully, Amar kept a rather comprehensive first aid kit stocked in his office, not for himself, what with him being undead and all, but for the mourners and visitors. This kit included a balm for burns and rashes, which Taz immediately put to use, soothing the scars that ran up and down the backs of his legs.

Amar offered to drive them home, which Greg and Taz both greatly appreciated.

---

Over the next day or so, Greg thought about what Taz had said. He let his mind wander, thinking over the possibilities of having numerous entities at his side, assisting him in whatever endeavors he might undertake.

Which inevitably led to the issue of his parents and him flunking out.

He was pretty sure that they’d be disappointed, but still supportive of him. Which only made him feel worse than if they would hate him. His parents didn’t deserve to have their selfless efforts wasted like that.

So, what could he do about it?

He couldn’t lie to them; even if he did, all they had to do was look up his graduating class and see that his name was missing. Or find out with a simple call to the registrar’s office. There were too many ways for them to find out.

With that in mind, he had to plan around the fact that he was no longer enrolled. Could he say that he had decided to drop out? That he decided a higher education wasn’t what he wanted from life? It was a decent excuse, but it needed more to it. Greg had been enthusiastic about getting a degree and a high-paying job, if only to support his parents in their old age. They had tried to say it was fine, that Greg didn’t need to do that for them, but he knew they were worried about retirement. The state of the economy had made life difficult in recent years, and his parents had decided to support Greg rather than save for retirement. The amount they had spent on Greg’s education was to ease the burden of future loans; to make it easier for him to repay his loans once he got out of college and found a job. The least Greg would do was pay them back for that. It would ease his conscious and prove that Greg could provide for himself, which would ease any worries his parents might have after learning he was no longer pursuing a higher education.

A steady source of income, and an excuse as to why he dropped out. Two objectives that would alleviate at least some of his guilt and self-pity.

Finding a job that paid enough and didn’t require a long internship and a degree, which would be by far the most difficult objective.

Was there some job out there that only he could do? Taz had said he had an affinity for possession and channeling. Surely there was some role that would require a specialist with those capabilities.

Wait. He was thinking about this all wrong.

Taz had listed a myriad of entities he could utilize. Not once did he indicate that Greg was limited in any way in this field of abilities. Did that mean Greg had the ability to essentially become a specialist in any field, just by summoning the right entity? Perhaps he could channel a famous scientist and find work in a lab somewhere. Or maybe allow a demon like Kal to possess him, enhancing his physique, and tryout for a sports team. Surely being able to body even the largest of defensive linemen would earn him a spot on a national football team? Taz mentioned information gathering as one of the possibilities. Being an investigator for the police or a higher investigative force sounded appealing.

Greg saw the many paths laid out before him, and he smiled.

The second morning after the infamous night shift, Greg sat down with Taz for a talk.