Kalea looks at me incredulously when I present her with two little blobs of wax. I don’t get it till she waves her hands in front of me. I facepalm, I had completely overlooked that the bandits had put her in anti-caster gloves, leaving her unable to use her fingers.

Fine, I sigh, if you swear not to harm me, I will release your bonds. Then you can either put them in yourself or go away completely if you’d prefer. She snorts, no thank you, I won’t be tricked with a vague oath like that. Ok, fair enough, I say, how does this sound?

Do you, Kalea, Daughter of Tiamat, swear on your name of Vivex Darastrix, that you will not knowingly and willingly cause harm to me, Zafira Moonchild? For as long as I do not knowingly and willingly cause harm to you.

Kalea studies me intently, but after a while, she nods. Fine, if that is what it takes to regain my freedom, so be it. Oh no, I exclaim, I will release you even without this oath. It’ll just be after I have finished my business with these gentlemen here. And I will feed and protect you till that time. Kalea raises an eyebrow, and how long would that take? I was planning to torture them for a week before finally killing them, I confess without any remorse. Kalea considers her options, that would be an inconvenience, but admittedly a minor one compared to what these pests would have done to me. And you would ask nothing of me for this, I’d just need to wait a week? I nod, I just want to be able to sleep without worry and be able to focus on my task at hand.

She sighs, I cannot imagine why an infernal would forgo a chance to extort major concessions from a being of my power when given the chance. But very well, I see little downside to this oath as I wasn’t planning to harm you anyway, and I would rather spend a week less being shackled like this.

I open my mouth to correct her and remind her that I’m not an infernal. But I freeze before I even start speaking, how much do I know about infernals? They live in a hell dimension and can be summoned to this world. While I wouldn’t call my old world hell, it certainly wasn’t a paradise. And I’m pretty sure infernals would also think the world they grew up in was not that bad. I live by my own rules, without any regard for the existing social structures in this world. At least when no one can forcefully make me obey them. I love contracts, and although not maliciously, I will often only see my interpretation of words, even though it’s ‘obvious’ to everyone else that that was not what was meant. Fuck, I am an infernal, or at least close enough that the difference is purely academic. I close my mouth again, and motion Kalea to continue.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I, Kalea, Daughter of Tiamat, swear on my name of Vivex Darastrix, that I will not knowingly and willingly cause harm to you, Zafira, Kind Infernal. For as long as you do not knowingly and willingly cause harm to me.

I wince at her addition but decide to let it slide, as I feel the magic of the contract take hold. However, as soon as it is completed, I feel a sense of dread coming over me. I hear laughter en mirth in the wind and the rustling of the leaves. Even the fire seems to join in on the laughter of the birds. Kind Infernal, a fitting title, yes, this is how she shall be known to the world. FUCK, I scream, as realization dawns on me. The spirits have taken a liking to the title that stupid dragon gave me. This is going to stick around, and there’s probably nothing I can do about it.

Kalea looks at me questioningly, as I start to undo her bindings. What is the matter? I would have thought you would be happy. The spirits have a weird sense of humor, I reply. They liked the title you gave me, so I’m pretty sure that’s how I’ll eventually be known to the world if I gain any renown. Hmpf, she grunts, just kill anyone who calls you that if you truly don’t like it, that should fix it. I shake my head, yeah, no, I don’t think even that would work. When the world itself wants to give you a name, there’s not much you can do about it. Just like how it would make the name of Vivex Darastrix fade into oblivion, no matter how hard you tried.

What are you talking about? Kalea asks suspiciously. What? I return the question. If you break the contract I mean, you did swear on your name. Kalea chokes, you mean I would lose my name if I break this oath? Euhm, yes? I reply hesitantly, that’s what we agreed upon. I don’t understand the words Kalea speaks next, but I’m pretty sure she’s cursing quite heavily going from her body language. She looks at me like she is going to eat me, but closes her eyes instead, and breathes deeply to calm herself down. Fucking infernals, I should have known better than to strike a deal with one. No matter how sweet it sounds, there’s always a catch.

I smile apologetically at her, I’m sure she won’t believe me if I tell her I honestly didn’t know she didn’t realize that was the meaning of the contract. So I don't bother, it won't matter anyway, I’m already an infernal in her mind. And since I am just about to start a week-long torture session she’s free to watch or not. I’m pretty sure the difference is once again purely academic.