The Aspirant nodded in cooperation, and then sipped the tea. The temperature was perfect, and warmed the core perfectly. The hydrating factor of the tea as well served to sharpen the mind. The Aspirant felt more in touch with the foyer. The candles burnt brighter and the colors made themselves more vivid. Fresh air circulated their lungs and no longer felt stagnant. Their eyes widened a bit to coincide with sudden raise in their mental facilities. Erwyn noticed and refused to comment on it.
“My first question would be how willing are you to parley as equals?”
The Aspirant was quick to nod their head in affirmation. They sensed that it was the course of action that'd lead them to the best outcome. It'd beat forced service to or being cast into the Sludge with weights strung to them if they refused to serve or barter.
“Splendid. Second question. Do you wish for a traveling partner?”
The Aspirant set down the tea cup and still kept their grip on it. The question was sudden and unexpected. Their body reacted by flexing the fingers quickly and pulling their head back slightly. The warmth felt good on their fingers. The aromatic tea rose close to their narrow nose. They replied with words this time.“Suppose I did.” The shade capitalized and hastily followed up. “Wonderful!”
Erwyn leaned back and tried to regain his posture. It showed too emotion and expressiveness. Ve slipped that this was a deal term that the Aspirant could use as leverage somehow. It was far too sudden to be played off or be used as bait. He was young, and had many more lessons to learn himself about this part of his existence. He decided to press the conversation and attempt to keep the Aspirant off balance.
“I'd like to leave the Sludgelands with you.”
“You ask much of me, Master Shade. I don't know how possible that would be.”
“Do you know how possible the pact binding I can tie you under would be? We could attempt a bind on you for your crime. Really squeeze that ability out of you.”
The Aspirant saw the jaws of this linguistic trap shutter shut around them. Erwyn was asking his demands and is graduating to telling them. His threat was coolly spoken while a steady hand rose his tea cup. It didn't need to be spoken sharply. It wouldn't have been difficult to deduce how unfeasible that situation may be. He followed through with the first sip of his beverage. It was ultimately a trick. He merely heated water. The Aspirant had all of the tea leaves bagged in their cup. It showed power and status that Erwyn craved. Ever out of ves reach and always on the forefront of the mind. Ve knew that he wasn't above deception. He thought that after all, a part of the products sold by a Shade did include the image of it as a secondary feature.
The Aspirant didn't respond to the threat, and instead finished the offered tea. As they set the glass back on the tray the ran a race of ideas through their thoughts. The beast scampered over once more and poured more water into the cup. The aroma was another distraction that severed to derail the train of thought. Erwyn reached out with his tentacled legs and gently wrapped the creature. It came closer and sat while he idly rubbed and scratched the critters face.
With a sigh the Aspirant came to their deduction. “Master Erwyn, you hold a copy of the Vignettes. What's your real intention?” The Aspirant posed the question and waits to see how it's received. Tea settled and diffused into the water. The shade has a harsh smile cross his cracked lips before jovially replying.
“True, Aspirant. Indeed I do! But what I don't have is things to add too it. If I can't show I'm worth owning a copy what fate do you think befalls me? Permitting exit from this place and on my time gives me the chance I may rise above my station. What good is a living document if I lack the means to breathe life into it?”
The Aspirant raised and eyebrow, and the idea slowly stitched itself together. While they had some pieces of information they threaded together they knew they didn't hold the full picture. They couldn't see too far beyond the immediate from being under informed. As one of the common folk they could hide behind pursuit and survival as means to avoid languishing. There was means to improve their situation. Methods that could be employed to provide purpose to prevent withering and rotting. Every entity living or dead has those demands; but the Aspirant knew nothing of a Shades' general needs.
A shade has nothing more than deal making and barter. Shades are extensions of the sludge that forms the bulk of this Place-Beyond. While they had offerings deferred to them often they still need to employ some form of cunning to avoid rotting through. Novelty was important for growth. With the sludge having access to most information from the plane, the first Vignettes were penned to attempt to record all novelties encountered. The Sludge made sure to weave the mana it corrupted into all copies and assign them guardians who could also collect and head hunt for novelty. Each update fed the Sludge and it rewarded the Shade in turn. Not all copies of the Vignettes carried miseries. Most instances of the text had emotions that matched the shade that spawned them. By that intention Erwyn was spawned from a flaw in the process.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Erwyn's eyes slowly glowered by moving the sharp gaze of his eyes over to the scroll. A pause in their conversation rises. He became increasingly aware of his true nature and that of the scroll sitting open next to the Aspirant. The thought of it filled vim in it's totality and he resented it. He couldn't find his true nature, but the scroll suggested it was terror and fear. It was the collection of tragedies and miseries.
The Aspirant plays into the obvious prompting and asks, “The Vignettes? Update them with something uniquely attributed to you? I couldn't dictate to you on how to wield them efficiently. Not yet. If I better understood how they worked I may. What powers them to update each other in the limited ways they can? Obviously it is the sludge. But how is it opaque ooze does that when it's mostly inert and nonmagical?”
“Nonmagical to you, perhaps. The sludge itself is coded with information. Too much of it. Most of it is junk! Waste from other Places-Beyond. I don't propose we go gallivanting after the source of magic. If anything found that everything changes. No, I don't want to chase magisterial tales. I want to chase legacy. You're how I shall do it.”
“Me?” The Aspirant was surprised, and moved their body back into the couch. A defensive gesture, as if moving further into the felt would somehow serve to protect them from the contents of the conversation.
“A minor shade who gave up the game. Showed someone the magic that weaves us together. We spend too much time focusing on the thread. The sludge, the vegetation, the sun, whatever object that is the blood of the any particular plane. I wish to focus on the needle.”
The shade rose. His core remained curled and seated while the tentacles around him rose. When his tentacles fully extended he unfurled himself and began extending to his full size. He tried to make his face as inviting as he could- the bone plates on the side of his face doing their best to be a facsimile of a smile. “Walk with me. I'd like to discuss this further in the study.”
* * * * *
Sitting in the study, Erwyn took his chair. It was regal and befitting someone far above his station. Delicately carved wood that was polished and lovingly lacquered. Upholstered to support his unique body shape. The legs on it are long and high up, giving vim ample space to maneuver their tentacles around it without requiring them to be formed into more traditional legs. Erwyn's suckers would pop as they shifted and readjusted every so often. The chair the Aspirant in was of lower quality. It was built in a way to diminish who sat in it. It forced them to crane their neck upwards to look in the bony face of the shade. The bone plates that make vis cheeks moved around as he settled himself.
“I supposed we should get to drafting the contractual terms.” Erwyn agreed as he nodded. He withdrew a large slate tablet, and some chalk. His talons grasped it and he began writing slapdash and haphazardly. “The major tenets we'll lay out. I'm going to form specific language after we agree what these major tenets are. I'm going to start with my most important condition. You won't be too far away from me. Physically, I will always be close by. I won't be over your shoulder but you'll always be within a beck and a call of me. This is non negotiable. I cannot teach you if I cannot be beside you.”
“Always? Even when...”
“Unless I will it otherwise. I do plan on taking trips to my well and I'm sure that business will call me away from you. Unless you see it fit to be my servant and be attached to me by a length of chain, I can't propose a better solution that mitigates you being a flight risk.”
They conceded that point, and hastily. They were smart enough to figure out that clause would be able to be used both ways. If someone came to punish Erwyn because of the flagrant rule violation he's about to undertake it would be good to have a way to force the return and dismissal of them self from that situation. As long as ve willed it, which made the Aspirant hope he had plans on keeping his student around for the long haul.
His talons hastily scrawled the following proposed section. “The Aspirant will accompanied by The Shade, Erwyn for the duration of time it takes to execute the contract. The term will be as long as required for completion of contract. Only at his leisure will he summon or dismiss the Aspirant. Further interactions between the both parties outside of the scope of contract, or, after successful completion, are not guided by this document. Nor are non-business interactions had between these two individuals included in the scope of this agreement.”
He placed the slate to the side, and flipped it face down to conceal it's contents to the Aspirant. Erwyn does this to give the Aspirant no chance to fight him immediately. Reduce their time to spin thoughts on what arguments can be made. The Aspirant brings this up, and Erwyn grins. He flips over the slate and lets the Aspirant look it over. It takes time for it to be read, and they sound out the words under their breath. So far it looks to be acceptable but they wish they had a firmer grasp on letters.
“The Aspirant (hereforth, the signee) for a term as long as required for completion of contract and only at his leisure. Further interactions between the two outside of the scope of contract or after it are not guided by this document.”
Erwyn continued penciling and penning the terms. Ve looked up and waited for the Aspirant to finish. When it was polite to do so, he stated his second condition. “You are officially my student. You are also my official travel partner. If we need to get represented for some form of adjudication that is my domain. I will handle that without contest and resolve any issues that may arise.”
Hastily the Aspirant spoke, “I agree to that.” With a nod, both parties continued their particular responsibilities.
“You'll be keeping me safe. While we do ultimately depend on each other it is clear to you that one of your duties is to ensure my continued existence. The contract will specify which things I demand to sustain myself, and you will obtain them. This part will not be as negotiable as the others. I'm not asking you to bleed yourself on someone's sword or be the test for how potent their magic is. But you do need to understand that you're swearing yourself to me, and parts of that involve physical service. I'm not a fair master but I am just.”
“We're going to argue this point for a long time, master shade. I'm more constrained by limits in this place than you are. There's more things I cannot accomplish versus those that I may.”
“With a compulsion you could go past those limits. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it would be a voluntary compelling if you agreed too it. I'm sure you know the alternative choice.”
“Well.” The Aspirant huffed, “Until I see the particulars this is going to be our sticking point.” The Aspirant knew that this was going to be a long fight ahead. They reclined back in the chair, and craned their neck upward to look upon Erwyn once more. Nothing ventured meant nothing gained.