Chapter 27: Post-Contract Negotiations

"You wouldn't want the government spying on our fun, would you?" Katenka swayed toward him, eyes still as hard as before. "You see, there's just one little thing..."

Her fingers walked down his chest toward his pants, but they stopped on his pocket where his official Siberian ID badge lay. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Rick forced himself to think clearly. She obviously had something in mind, and presumably not what she pretended. Since he trusted the government even less than he trusted the demon living in his arm, Rick pulled out the badge.

Katenka jerked her head to the side, toward the simple table in his room. When Rick set down the badge, she floated around behind him, her ghostly body brushing against his back... but her hands reached out to trace a pattern around the badge. A sort of containment field, he thought. Rick generated a sphere of aura around the badge, then glanced back at her.

"Oh, thank fuck." Everything about Katenka's demeanor changed, all the tension draining out of her, and she floated back from him. She didn't look seductive, she looked exhausted. "Keep that barrier up, whatever you do. Tell me if it's going to falter."

"I'm tired, but maintaining something this small is easy." Rick gestured toward the sphere of aura. "That's really enough to hide from the government?"

"It's enough to keep them from listening to us." She swept toward him, but this time she just grabbed his shoulders as if trying to shake him. "You have to get me out of this hellhole."

"That is... not what I expected." Still tired, despite the revelations, Rick dropped down to sit on his bed. Katenka let go and floated some distance away. "Are you going to be fully honest with me now? Because I still haven't signed that contract."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't need any more leverage over me, Rick. You have plenty. Listen, basically everything I said to you was true. The only part I lied about was how much I'm riding along with you. Unless you betray me now, I can leave when you do. I'd prefer that you maintained the contract, but if you insist, there are ways to sever it once we're out."

"What exactly is this 'hellhole' you mentioned? Wherever you were trapped in the Burning Snow? Or do you mean your demonic firm?"

"No, I mean this entire nation, in both realms." Katenka floated on her back in the air, relaxing more the further the conversation went on. "You honestly have no idea what it's like. This is an authoritarian nightmare even for humans, and for demons it's even worse. I'm in a stronger position than most, but everything I've done has been to try to get the hell out."

"And so you targeted me?" Despite himself, Rick was relaxing as well, trusting this version of Katenka much more than those he had seen before. He leaned back against the headboard and regarded her curiously. "How much of this was really coincidence?"

"Some? Most? That's hard to say. I have a strong position with my firm, but unfortunately they wanted me to grant normal bonds to the children of the elite here. The other obvious path is a fusion, but doing that with a human from Siberia, or anywhere in the greater territories, would be pointless. I knew that a foreigner from the Showdown would be my best bet."

"And so you stumbled on me."

"Yes, but you weren't the first." Katenka smiled down at him, her expression much more casual, but with a bit of that predatory look. "Your demon friends spoke highly of you, which got my attention, so I did a little research. I might know a little bit more about you than you'd want. But I assure you, it's in my best interests to serve your best interests."

Rick considered that for a while, part of him wanting to believe her but another part of him still a bit skeptical. "And is that your only goal? Escape Siberia?"

"I've had ideas for what happens after, but they've been theoretical. If you work with me, that could actually be interesting. If you cut me loose, I'll need to find a way into a foreign firm. Long term, I might want to bring a few friends out of Siberia as well, but their positions are so much weaker than mine, it simply isn't possible now. Basically, I just want to live in a proper capitalist society."

"It's not as great as it sounds, trust me."

"No, trust me." Katenka drew herself up, ice swirling around her, and though it had no effect in the human realm, it was still a striking sight. "We talk about Siberia as if survival of the fittest produces the greatest warriors in either realm. Maybe it does, but it also produces villages filled with disease-ridden illiterate peasants. On our side, the lesser demons are used as little more than fodder. It's a horrible system that preys on the weak to enrich the few."

Rick could only shake his head. "Then I have some bad news for you about capitalism."

"What, are you saying you'd rather live under a fascist government?" She folded her arms and regarded him sternly. "I'm not naive, Rick. I know your system is harsh, but it's also produced so much good in the world."

"That might be true, but I've spent most of my life feeling that system kick me directly in the face."

"Mmm, I can see that we're going to disagree about a few things. But if you take me out of this place, I don't care about your political beliefs. I'll give you as much power as I can to make that happen, though we'll need to be careful until the Showdown leaves Siberia. Or more accurately, until we're away from the Burning Snow long enough for any lingering connections to fade."

Since things had turned out better than expected, Rick regarded her with a new set of questions. "If we're being all direct with each other, maybe this would be a good time to be honest about all the ambiguous contract stuff. You lied about me being able to shut you up, apparently."

The ice demon winced at that. "Yes, I did, mainly because I was trying to obfuscate my plan. This is going to have to be an agreement with some trust between us. What I can promise you is that I won't be voyeuristically looking over your shoulder at all times. The exact mechanics are difficult to explain, but you can think of me as between demon and human realms, linked by your mind."

"Then... if other people were looking in..."

"You'd look like a crazy person talking to yourself. No one else can hear me, unless you make an investment that allows me to manifest physically. But that would be a more drastic measure, not something we need to get into."

"No, let's do that." Rick laced his fingers over his stomach and regarded her. "What exactly can you do for me, other than loaning lucrim?"

"For a start, you should be mostly immune to demonic manipulation now. I can advise you of anything I notice, and the effects themselves should slip off you. What I said about draining from your opponents is true, and I happen to be unusually good at it. That probably won't ever decide a battle for you, but it should improve your stamina. That's all you get for free."

"But if I invest lucrim into you?"

"Then it depends on how much you're willing to spend." Katenka continued with a casual shrug. "With my help, you might be able to create some kind of ice spike, but I wouldn't rely on it. With just a little lucrim, I can make you immune to cold. Maybe to drowning, though I wouldn't test that recklessly. If you're willing to throw in a lot, you could temporarily manifest me in the human world, like demon leaders do, but that will be expensive and it would probably exhaust me for days."

"Good to know." It had all been a huge risk based on incomplete information, but Rick was finally starting to believe he'd made the right decision. He'd feared demonic bonds for years, but it looked like he could get along with Katenka. "I think we can work together. Help me compete in the Showdown and I'll definitely make sure you get wherever you want to go."

Relief was visible on her face as she took a deep breath, then the expression disappeared into a mask. But that mask soon relaxed into a smile. "I told you that you weren't the first, Rick. A human who stumbles into the demon realm and gives out his blood to demons like Bftgage and Ythsil? That's unusual. I thought that you might be my ticket out of the Burning Snow, but I don't mind working with you."

"And I don't regret making the contract with you, even if you're a horrible demonic temptress."

"Heh." Her chuckle was still more like ice breaking than a human sound, but it felt authentic. "I do hope this will be fun. There are so many somber warriors here who care about nothing but bloodlust, it grows rather dull."

"Actually..." Rick sat back up, looking at her curiously. "You know, I've never really thought about demons having relationships. That can happen, right?"

"Where do you think baby demons come from?" Katenka smiled, but it was a weary expression. "What you may not realize was that forming the contract was actually more exhausting for me than it was for you. Especially because I've been nervous that you would decide to turn me in the entire time. I will be going dormant, which means you won't be able to contact me even if you need to."

"So it's a good time to take a shower without you being a problem?"

"I'll take pictures and use them as blackmail in case you ever turn against me." The demon began to fade, but then resolved a little more and looked back at him. "Thank you for this, Rick. I'll make sure it isn't charity."

He waved off her thanks, but he wasn't sure if she saw, since she was already fading away. When he concentrated more carefully, he thought that he could actually feel the difference in his portfolio. Even if it wasn't official yet, he had access to a significant quantity of power via the demonic bond. Everything else she had promised was absent and her presence itself lay still.

Rick glanced at the clock, groaned, and then shuffled to take a shower. That had not been the day he expected, but he didn't have any room to complain.