“How? You had a year left not that long ago!” Jasper exclaimed.

The grin on Bartholomew’s face grew wider as he watched Jasper and Ethan. He drummed his fingers on the desk and chewed on a coin as they talked.

“Using the extra set of arms takes a lot of energy, Jasper. I’ve only got just over two months left, and that’s being generous,” Ethan said.

Jasper cursed. He leapt onto the counter and grabbed Bartholomew’s collar. He shook the huge man violently, knocking the coin out of his mouth. The gremlin pulled Bartholomew down to eye level and bared his teeth.

“You heard the man, you fat bastard. We both know you only brought the topic up because you want something else, so lay it on the table,” Jasper said.

Bartholomew lifted Jasper up with a single massive hand and tossed him off the desk. The gremlin spun in the air and landed on his feet atop a pile of glistening coins.

“For a moment, you reminded me of an old acquaintance I had,” Bartholomew said with a smirk.

Jasper returned the man’s grin with a snarl.

“I remember him too,” Jasper spat. “He’s dead and gone.”

Bartholomew shrugged carelessly, his rolls of fat jiggling at the sudden motion. With a grunt, the huge Vision pushed himself to his feet. He swept the remaining few coins off his desk and slammed his hands down on top of it.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. I don’t think threatening your only chance at salvation is a wise decision, little one.”

The yellow light in the room abruptly darkened. Jasper’s eyes sparked with dark purple energy as he leapt back onto the table.

“If our quest is hopeless, Bartholomew, that would be very unfortunate for you. There’s no reason for me to be cautious about anything if we’re already doomed,” Jasper said quietly.

“Bluster and desperation,” Bartholomew said dismissively, but a small bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Do not forget who I was and what I am capable of,” Jasper hissed.

Lightning crackled down the gremlin’s arm and drilled into Bartholomew’s hand with a loud bang. The huge man let out a yelp and yanked his hand back. He rubbed his hand and sent Jasper an annoyed look.

“Your point is made, Spider,” the man said, smirking slightly.

The lights dimmed further, and Jasper bared his teeth.

“I might just lose my temper now, Bartholomew. Maybe I’ll just take what we need from your corpse,” Jasper said.

Behind Jasper, Ethan grimaced and pressed his hand against his chest. Bartholomew paled at the sight and raised his hands placatively.

“My apologies, Jasper. Your earlier assumption is correct. I do want something.”

“Ah, good. That’s more like it. Start talking,” Jasper said as the lighting returned to normal and he hopped back to the ground.

The riches and splendor that covered the walls and floor vanished as if they had never been there. At the same time, sheets of paper and letters popped into existence, covering nearly every square inch of the room.

The floor rustled and Jasper’s head popped out from a particularly large pile of papers. The gremlin struggled out of the pile and pulled several sheets out from his clothes.

“What is this trash?” He asked.

“Wealth, little gremlin. One of the most powerful forms of it,” Bartholomew said.

Drool started to drip from Bartholomew’s mouth again. Seemingly unaware of it, the fat Vision reached down and grabbed a paper from the floor. He slapped it onto the counter and smoothed it out.

“These are contracts. Promises made between me and my little friends. It’s what keeps us responsible for our words and actions. And they are worth very much to me.”

“This is blank,” Ethan said with a frown while he peered at one of the papers.

Bartholomew let out a deep laugh.

“To you. It wouldn’t do if everyone could see just how rich I was, would it? It could invite unscrupulous folks to try and steal my hard-earned money,” he said.

“Get to the point, fat man,” Jasper snarled. “We both know nobody would ever try to rob you.”

The huge Vision shrugged. He snapped his fingers and two sheets of paper launched from the ground to his hands. Bartholomew held them up so that Jasper and Ethan could read them. As they watched, lines of ink appeared across the pages and formed into sentences.

“One of these is the contract we made with you,” Ethan observed.

“And the other a contract with some of my other friends,” Bartholomew said, handing the paper in question over to Ethan. “Friends that have requested some assistance and paid a great amount of money to ensure its quality.”

Jasper and Ethan exchanged a quick glance. “Are you insinuating…”

Bartholomew’s grin grew wider. “Even now, neither of you are weak. You will take this job.”

Jasper grabbed the paper from Ethan’s hands and scanned it. He let out a hiss of annoyance and handed it back to the tall swordsman.

“I can’t read. What’s the job?”

“Escorting a caravan,” Ethan replied.

Bartholomew nodded, rubbing his large hands together happily. “Exactly.”

Ethan put the paper down on the counter and tapped one of the paragraphs with a calloused finger.

“This is nearly a month of travel. I will not make it back to Rellen in time to acquire the key,” Ethan observed.

“I am well aware. It was only a matter of time before you brought your precious key up,” Bartholomew said.

He reached into his suit pocket and removed a small bronze key. A clear gem was nestled in the center of its handle, but grime had tarnished it so badly that it was almost unrecognizable. Jasper and Ethan both took a step forward. Bartholomew pulled his hand back with a mocking grin and shook a finger at them.

“Ah, I can practically taste your greed. Not that I blame you. There is nothing greater in life than wealth. Which is why I shall be giving you this little key before you depart on your trip, provided you sign a contract.”

Ethan drew in a sharp breath. He glanced over at Jasper, who gave him a reassuring nod. The swordsman swallowed and held his hand out to Bartholomew.