Chapter 3 - What is at Stake

  Alex sits there, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as Corvus just blinks a few times, then tips his head to one side. “You want to make a Deal with me, right now?” Corvus asks, then chuckles. “What do you think you have to offer me, for Animus, as you are? Freshly arrived, no contacts, no prospects, no standing.” The crow says, his tone not mocking, just curious and a bit perplexed. Sure there had been other new arrivals who had tried similar tactics, but those had always been the product of misplaced bravado or ego… But Corvus doesn’t get the sense that Alex is the type to fall into those traps.

  Seeing that Corvus wasn’t offended by his proposition, Alex lets out a relieved breath. “Ah, no, I know I don’t have anything you’d want to ‘buy’ from me with Animus. I want a deal with you for mine. I want to trade my one Animus for a service from you.” Alex explains. The man shifts in his seat, looking around the office, taking in the cloyingly mundane nature of it all. “One thing is very clear to me, you know a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. You have to if you’re going to be a guide. And you seem to enjoy doing it. So…” Alex takes a breath.

  “I want you to continue being my guide after our uh, orientation, as you put it.” Alex says, finally putting words to the idea he’d hatched. “You said sometimes these meetings last a long time, and it doesn’t seem like you’re in any rush. Would I be right in guessing maintaining the splinter and this space doesn’t really cost you anything? Would keeping this splinter around be hard?” He asks, this portion of the idea containing the biggest number of unknowns.

  Corvus sits back, his mouth hanging slightly slack. He blinks a few times, then slowly closes his mouth and stands up. Corvus puts his hands behind his back, beginning to pace behind the desk. As he rounds the edge, Alex takes note that, even in his guise, Corvus has crows’ feet. Including wickedly sharp looking talons. The demon looks pensive, focused internally as he thinks.

  After several laps back and forth without speaking, Corvus turns to look at Alex. “You are offering a deal for your single Animus, in trade for continued guidance. Then I must begin by advising you that this deal is… inadvisable.” He says, beginning to circle the room with carefully measured strides. “I thought I had impressed upon you the importance of maintaining that single Animus at a minimum. Your continued existence is what is at stake.” He says, pausing for a breath. “You would be starting your journey here at a significant disadvantage. Being Faded is a serious concern.”

  Alex nods and swallows. “I understand that. I do. But right now, the thing I’m lacking is information, guidance. I know I could ask you ‘where do I go from here’ or ‘what should I do first’, but those questions would just put me a little further down the road. But if I can count on you to help me with being my guide for a while longer, I feel like ultimately, I’ll get that Animus back, plus more, faster than I’d ever have a chance for it on my own.” Alex knows he’s rambling a bit. But he can’t help it. Corvus is his best bet for surviving here, and he knows it. Alex is banking on one crucial detail that Corvus had let slip before.

  Seizing on that thread, Alex makes his gambit. “You said your title gains power by being a guide, the more you do it, the stronger it gets. I don’t really understand how that strength works, but it sounds like it helps you. So guide me.” He finishes, watching Corvus’s circuitous route around the room. As the sound of his proposal fades in the room, the ticking of the clock once more fills the air. At points it’s hard to discern if the sound is the ticking of seconds, or Corvus’s talons against the floor.

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  The moment stretches far longer than Alex is comfortable with, and as he starts to fidget in the seat, Corvus stops his pacing next to him. “I’m intrigued. Let us lay out the specific values and terms.” He says, voice soft but authoritative. “One Animus. For me, that is unfortunately an insignificant payment. My Animus is counted in the tens of millions. My dealings are typically calculated in thousands of Animus to single deals.” The demon says, matter-of-fact. And he watches as Alex’s hopeful expression falls.

  Corvus continues after a breath. “To me, your one Animus has little value. To you, it has immense value. Literally life and death, value. And once you are out in the world here, you’ll realize how much value it will have to others.” He says, adopting a tone like a lecturer. “On the other hand, you are correct that maintaining the splinter costs me basically nothing. Using it as a tool for acting on the nature of my Title provides me with more benefit than anything it costs. Accepting your deal would cost me essentially nothing, but would have immense value for you.”

  He pauses behind the desk again and rests his arm on the back of his chair. “So both the high risk, and the high benefit are solely on your side of the bargain. It’s a bad deal. Specifically for you.” He says, facing Alex with a thoughtful look. “I would advise strongly against making this deal.” He says, then sits back down, leaning forwards with his elbows propped on the desk.

  Alex starts to reply several times, but the words escape him. After several unfruitful attempts, he slumps back in his seat and sighs. “You’re probably right… but I still feel like it’s my best option.” He says, then looks up. Only to find Corvus grinning.

  “Then let’s discuss the specific terms.” The Crow says, tapping fingers together. “You are offering me one Animus in exchange for continued guidance as you venture into Hell. My guidance will consist of advice, warnings, and suggestions on what actions you should take or avoid. I will not give you material aid, nor solve problems for you. It will be your responsibility to make the best use of my guidance.” He pauses for a breath, and sees Alex eagerly nod agreement with those terms. “This splinter will persist, and accompany you. For the most part, I will have it assume the form of a typical crow. Much less conspicuous that way.”

  Alex had been certain the demon was going to reject his deal. But as Corvus kept speaking, the man felt his hope start to swell again. “Yeah, that sounds great. That’s exactly what I need.” He says during the lull in the discussion. Then he frowns as a detail occurs to him. “What about the duration? How long will you guide me?” He asks, not expecting Corvus would attempt to cheat him by ‘guiding’ for an hour before abandoning him, but it is always better to have it well defined.

  In answer Corvus just shrugs. “Until you decide you no longer need it. I am unconcerned with setting a specific cut-off. So we can say that the duration is at your discretion.” Alex seems a little taken-aback, not expecting the demon to be that forthcoming.

  “So, uh, any other details?” Alex asks, sitting forwards in his chair, leaning towards Corvus expectantly.

  The crow smiles and reaches his hand over the desk. “I don’t believe so. Under these terms, our Deal is struck.” Alex reaches to shake Corvus’s hand, but hesitates just for a moment. He pauses, his hand barely an inch from Corvus’s. But the indecision lasts barely a couple heartbeats, and as their hands clasp a weight settles into the room and the man feels it as something reaches inside him and plucks the Animus from within.