Rise of the Devourer

Noah walked through the streets of Windrest, taking in the sights of the buildings, people, and streets. He hadn't really had many opportunities to travel on Earth. With money being tight, survival had always taken priority over anything else. But now that he was here, Noah almost felt like his desire to explore the world was coming true, even if it wasn't the world he'd thought he would be exploring.

"Is there something in particular you want to buy?" Aurelia asked.

"Yeah. I broke one of my daggers in the spar, and Raesar told me to get a spear. I've been thinking about that," Noah replied. "Although, half the fun in shopping is just wandering aimlessly and looking around to see what's there."

"Feels like a lot of wasted time if you already know what you want," Aurelia said.

"It's not a waste if I have fun," Noah replied with a smile.

After a few minutes of walking, Noah spotted the central plaza. It was the sound that reached him first, as crowds of people, both human and otherwise, walked around the city. Turning a corner, he saw the marbled central area with a giant swirling tunnel of wind holding up a massive ship tied to the plaza with chains.

"What's that?" Noah asked.

"That's a wind raft. A kind of airship. This one is just for display. Something something historical replica? The northern end of Windrest has a wind raft port; they go to all the major cities in the Melior Republic."

"They look an awful lot like blimps, but with wings attached," Noah said, glancing up at the wind rafts.

"You said you wanted to buy a spear, right?" Aurelia asked.

"Yeah," Noah replied.

"Well, I know a place that can get you that and also look at that contract for you at the same time," Aurelia said.

"Oh? What kind of place handles both legal issues and selling weapons at the same time?"

"You'll see," Aurelia said with a smile.

Walking through the plaza, Noah made his way through a thick crowd of people, trying not to lose sight of Aurelia as they moved forward.

Taking the eastern road out of the central plaza, the two made their way through the main street before Aurelia pulled Noah into a side section that was quieter than the rest.

Noah walked alongside the road, glancing at the shops without any names on them, displaying all sorts of strange items set behind glass-paned windows that shimmered with mana if he looked too closely at them.

"Here it is," Aurelia said, standing in front of one particular shop. The top wooden bar bore a strange emblem and crest, though Noah had no idea what they denoted or meant. The display in front featured random assortments like a peculiar watch, a scroll tied up with a seal upon which a butterfly sat, and a weirdly ominous-looking dagger with serrated edges that resembled teeth marks.

"Are you sure this place sells weapons? This entire alley gives me the creeps," Noah asked.

"I'm sure. Now stop being scared and follow me," Aurelia said, grabbing Noah's hand as she walked through the door.

"Hey Josiah," Aurelia greeted, raising her hand.

"Ah, my dear firebird Aurelia! It's been too long!" the gangly redhead said, walking towards Aurelia as he embraced her in a hug.

[Rune-crafter lvl - ??]

It took Noah a moment to realize that he was not speaking the same language as he had been all this time. The man, Josiah, turned to face Noah, adjusting his monocle as he inspected him. "And who would this gentleman be?"

"This is Noah, a friend. We're traveling together," Aurelia said.

"A pleasure to meet you," Noah said, extending his hand.

"A pleasure it is," the man replied, shaking Noah's hand. "You're not from Erandir, are you?"

Noah paused. "How could you tell?" He asked.

"You spoke my tongue," Josiah replied. "It's not a language found in this world."

Noah looked at the man, unsure of what to make of the statement. "Are you also…?" He trailed off.

"Oh no, not at all. I was born here. But my great-great-grandfather came to Erandir from Netrilos. We have almost no cultural marks left of his home besides the language he brought with him," Josiah replied.

"Josiah comes from a family of renowned genius crafters. He's also been a great friend of mine after I moved to these parts, and made my gauntlets for me," Aurelia said.

"Nonsense. I'm merely average. But speaking of your gauntlets, where are they?" Josiah asked.

"I lost them. Got captured by a cult, barely escaped. Looked for them everywhere but no luck. I think the cultists must've sold all my gear," Aurelia said, her smile slipping at the memory.

"Ah, my dear, that is most unfortunate. But perhaps this is a good thing. I've just gotten my hands on some powerful fire spells, and had been itching for a chance to use them. What say you? Want me to make you a custom spell-bound set?" Josiah asked.

"Would… that not be too much work? I need to leave the city quite soon," Aurelia asked.

"You wound me by saying such things, my friend. For you? I'll get it done within the day," Josiah replied.

"Then I would really appreciate it, Josiah," Aurelia said, and the redheaded man smiled.

"Is there something your friend would like as well?" Josiah asked, looking at Noah.

"Yes, actually. I'm looking for a spear, possibly one that would suit my specific battle style. But before that, I've got a magical contract that I wanted someone to look at," Noah said, taking out the scroll.

"Ah, a contract. Sure," Josiah said, and Noah handed the scroll to the man. "Oh, the guild registration. Yeah, I've seen this before. Let me just take a look."

Noah watched the shopkeeper move to the back, placing the scroll on a table. Josiah selected a quill, dipping it in ink as he pressed it against the scroll. The paper lit up, words glowing and swirling all around the man as the contract began to vibrate with mana. A moment later, the words rapidly rushed back onto the paper, settling down as the magic faded.

"It's a pretty standard contract. You'll be bound to the guild, and they'll have legal jurisdiction over you. So if you were to get imprisoned for life, the guild will have a say in what's done with you. It's likely the best option for you to pick since the guild works with almost all kingdoms on Erandir and has peaceful ties with most," Josiah said.

"Alright, that's basically what I was told as well. Thank you," Noah said, putting the scroll away. "Hypothetically speaking, by the way, what would happen if I tried to break this contract?"

"There's a spell attached to it, which will inform the guild of your location at all times using your own mana. They'll send people after you until you're eventually captured or manage to escape to a place they cannot reach. I would not recommend doing that, though. You'd be marked as a fugitive across Erandir. Which is far worse than committing a crime within a single kingdom."

"An international criminal, huh? Not quite the life I would pick, but it does sound badass," Noah said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot," Aurelia said, slapping his shoulder, and Josiah laughed.

"It's been a while since I saw you this cheerful, Aurelia. It seems your new friend has been good for you," Josiah said with a smile.

"I tell her that too, but she refuses to believe it. I'm an amazing presence to have around," Noah said with a smirk. "Anyway, I have one last weird question. Regarding magical contracts. Can a soul pact be broken?"

Josiah paused, his smile slipping. "A soul pact?" He asked again.

"Umm, yeah. Like, with a god, for example."

"No," he replied. "Not unless the god in question explicitly tells you that you can."

Noah frowned for a moment, trying to think over how much he could say here. "But what if you're the one who initiated the pact, and the god accepted it?"

"A pact initiated by you... hmm. It is possible. As the holder of the pact, it is within your ability to break it, but against a god... the difference in spirit is so vast that the god would simply overpower your soul and break the pact, whereas you doing that would destroy you," Josiah said, humming. "But. If... hypothetically. You can kill yourself, trap your soul in, say, a soul-gem, anchor yourself to Erandir, and then return to a body once more, to the pact you would be considered dead. And thus, it would dissolve on its own."

"Is that actually possible?" Noah asked.

"Not really," Josiah replied. "When you die, you go to the underworld. And the god of Death is not one to let wayward souls leave his domain."

Noah nodded, satisfied by the answer. Aurelia began discussing the details of her gauntlets with Josiah, as Noah stood nearby, letting his thoughts drift. A way to break a soul pact. He would have to look into this.

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