When selecting a magically bound servant it is important to first determine the roles which they'll need to fulfill. No single option is perfect for all situations, as each style of servant has distinct advantages and disadvantages. As an example, a tamed beast is a cheap and effective at pulling a cart or plowing fields. That same beast would be much less useful, however, if you needed it to file paperwork to balance your budget. For the majority of applications, the most affordable and safe choice is either a tamed beast or, if it is legal in your nation, slaves. In the case of repetitive tasks over a long period of time more permanent solutions such as golems or, again depending on local laws, the undead may prove more profitable. Be warned however that it often takes considerable time for the profits from a golem or undead's longevity and tirelessness to make up for the steep initial costs of production. Demons are sometimes said to be the most universally capable of magical servants. While that is true in terms of usefulness alone, the large initial price of a summoning and the high risk of subversion make them much less popular in practice. In general, demons should be considered an absolute last resort and avoided if at all possible.

-Excerpt from Solving Problems with Inhuman Resources

Three rough looking youths sit around a small table outside a quaint coffee shop on a beautiful sunny day.

"So, mind finally telling us what the hell happened back there?" asked a bleary looking Bark, rubbing his temples. "One moment I'm collecting swag and the next I'm cold, naked, and with a pounding headache."

Cob chuckled as he thought back to the sight of Bark and Jericho hiding behind trees and shuffling through back alleys as they returned to town. They had been unwilling to wait in the woods as Cob went to fetch some clothes for them since, in their compromised state, even the weakest monster would be a fatal threat to them. By some miracle they had managed to reach Jericho's house without being spotted. Their panic had been infinitely amusing to Cob. So fixated had they been on the immediate situation that they had yet to discuss the cause of their misfortune.

"You got beat up and mugged is what happened" said Cob with a wide grin.

"I know that! What I'm asking is who did it. And why are you the only one that didn't get ripped off?" The pounding headache was making his 'friend' Cob seem even more unbearable than usual.

At that moment, a cute demi-human waiter approached the table carrying a delicious looking chocolate cake and cup of coffee, and gracefully set them on the table. "Here's your order, sir!"

Cob nodded in thanks and took a sip of his coffee. The food here was excellent, but it was the staff that kept him coming back. Those fluffy rabbit ears just set his heart at ease.

"How about orderin' me somethin'? We're pals ain't we?" asked a drooling Jericho as he stared fixedly at the cake.

"Buy your own" replied Cob as he shoveled an unnecessarily large bite into his mouth. Smiling smugly, he added "oh that's right, you can't, can you? Because you got robbed when you tried to rob somebody! Gha hahaha!" Specks of cake flew from his mouth as he laughed at his 'friends' misfortune.

"Alright fine, you're great and we're terrible. Very funny. Now tell us what happened."

Cob washed down his cake with a sip of coffee and decided to relent. "As far as I can tell, you were both ambushed by some monster. Probably a servant of Cithlar. It attacked by clinging to the roof and dropping down on your head like a slime. As for what it was exactly... I'm not certain. It looked like it was made of mud or clay. Probably a bound Earth Elemental. Or maybe a slime that mutated with Earth affinity?" Cob took another bite of his cake and then continued. "Whatever it was, it was tough. I nearly split it in half with my first attack, and it just reformed like it didn't feel it. I cut off its arm after that and it activated some berserk skill and injured my leg and then just put its arm back on. At that point I decided it was hopeless, so I heroically carried the both of you outside and saved your lives."

"Somehow that doesn't seem like something you would do... well, we got out with our lives and weren't turned over to the guard so I'm thankful for that at least. Why did the monster take our clothes and not kill us, though?"

Cob took a sip of his coffee and contemplated. "That I don't know. Normally if I encountered a weird monster I would ask for advice from an experienced delver, but it would be a bit awkward explaining where I saw it... you two can do what you want but I'm giving up on that place. We might be able to kill that monster if we all worked together, but who knows what else is in that house. There could be dozens of those things in there for all we know. I prefer to play it safe and grind in the dungeon for a while."

Bark looked at Cob with disgust. "This is why you'll never get anywhere in life. You have the talent but no ambition. You give up too easily. All we need to do is take out one little dirt slime and we have all the riches of a high level enchanter! Don't come begging us for a handout when we strike it rich without you, isn't that right Jericho?"

"...I'm hungry."

Mud set aside the book on demonology and began writing on a piece of paper. Splitting its focus, mud tried to think in the direction of the demon.

Jabraxicalicomixelwalkydoopilous, I have questions for you.

The demon stirred and looked at Mud. "Please don't use my true name so casually. Even if you're just thinking it, it could cause problems if anyone with psionics was nearby. Just refer to me as Jabrax in casual conversation."

Jabrax, why do humans cover themselves with plant fibers?

Surprise crossed her face. "That's your question? That's... definitely not what I expected. Uh, but I'll answer you. Humans are really ashamed of their disgusting bodies, so they cover themselves up, especially their naughty bits. They usually cover themselves up with things that are soft and comfortable, since their frail bodies can be damaged if they wear something too rigid. Clothes also help protect them from environmental hazards like low temperatures and strong sunlight. Basically, humans are pathetic and weak."

If humans wear clothes because they're pathetic and weak, why are you wearing clothes? Are you pathetic and weak too?

"Of course not! Demons aren't like humans, and since we're perfect we have no need for shame. Anyway, when I was summoned my body was pulled from the abyss without any tools or accessories. A summoner would have to be pretty stupid to let a demon come with any equipment. Cithlar gave me these clothes after he called me because he said it was 'distracting'. I kept them because I think they look nice. They really suit me, don't you think?" Jabrax did a little twirl to show off her tank top and shorts.

Why did The Master summon you? What purpose were you to serve?

"Oh, you're asking why a lonely old man, living alone, would summon a demon that looks like a cute girl?" she asked, taking an alluring pose.

Yes.

"...you're no fun. Fine, he was just keeping me here to harvest parts from me for his alchemy. He wasn't even interested in making a deal. Whenever I tried to seduce him he would just paralyze me. It was really annoying. Come to think of it, him dying was probably a lucky break for me, since I got to meet you."

How can I most quickly improve my combat abilities?

Jabrax put a finger against her chin and took a thoughtful demeanor. "The fastest way for someone as weak as you to get stronger is to gain experience and level up or get better equipment. You probably couldn't wear normal armor, but a weapon should improve your killing power. As for leveling, just kill weak monsters, like the kind you find in low rank surface wilderness. You should be able to take out weaker creatures if you sneak up on them, although it will be a bit risky. If you let me out, I could help you power level by fighting stronger monsters. I'm pretty good in a fight." Jabrax flexed her thin arms to accentuate the last point.

Mud lifted the thick stack of papers it had written on during the conversation and slithered over to the runes which it now knew was a Magic Circle of Binding. Careful not to disturb the markings, Mud stuck the stack of papers past the boundary.

Take these.

"What is this?" asked Jabrax as she snatched the documents.

This is your contract.

"All of this!? The print is tiny, and how many pages is this?"

Thirty five.

"I know that book says you should be careful when making contracts with demons but this is... I've never seen anything like this. Who actually uses the word 'hitherto'? And what's with this massive list of objects in the middle? Uh, you know what, nevermind. Just give me some time to read this."

Mud was fine with that. After all, the conversation with the demon had given it another goal for the moment. It was time to go hunting.