“A proposition I can't refuse!? Now this, I simply must hear.” said the demon, radiating lazy but potent killing intent.

Wren rolled his eyes and said, “Now don't get your dick barbs caught in your loincloth. I'm actually here as a favor to you.”

Displaying a row of even and brilliant carnivore teeth, Rozchereck smiled widely as he said, “A mortal coming to do an unsolicited favor for me? And I suppose you want nothing in return for this kind show of magnanimity.”

Wren mulled over his next words carefully before he said, “Aside from keeping the portal open for me briefly on your return to the Abyss and letting me be on my way once I get there, not really.”

Rozcherecks smile grew even wider and a little manic as he said, “You're going to release me to return and all you want from me is to hold the door for you like a gentleman? You're right. That is a proposition I can't refuse.”

Wren painted a little hesitance into his face as he said, “I could do more than that for you but...”

The demon laughed obnoxiously, looking Wren up and down lewdly and said, “I'm sure there is. Alright, tasty morsel, dangle your bait and see if I'll bite.” Rozchereck snapped his teeth to emphasize his point.

Wren steeled his nerves and launched into the main point, “I could be considered an in-name disciple of Medical Lieutenant Abdazul. I am ready to claim my journeyman aura mantle from a Greater Alchemist Protectorate board.”

Thanks for the random dead demon's name, Buzz.

The predatory glint in Rozchereck's eyes died like a candle doused with a bucket of water as he said, “And since I'm still technically active duty, if you are truly a medical lieutenant's in-name disciple, I would be obliged to escort and keep others from claiming you until you passed or failed the test. Well that puts all of this in a whole different light doesn't it? I assume your mentor is dead... A little mortal, barely out of his diapers, wants to go to the Abyss, conveniently stopping by to free me first... and how can I refuse?

“You will prove your claim in some way. I doubt you have a seal since you were a mortal plane desperation choice but I will not expend the effort for an annoying little pretender with weak skills. I warn you. I'm not an ignorant grunt. I clawed my way up to Captain before my unfortunate imprisonment here and have had plenty of opportunities to witness medical craft in practice.”

Wren smirked then said, “Simple enough. I'll show you the defining skill necessary to pass the journeyman test.”

This would be a hell of a lot more impressive if I still had a Tier V sealed soul to do this with but I guess this imp caster soul will have to do. It's only Tier IV but it's got richer content than most early Tier V melee types. That it's a devil, should appeal nicely though.

Wren pulled out a crystal vial and a glittering black cube-like cage the size of a fist with a miniature imp shaped, dark gray glow within. With the soul in question being inside a proper seal box, similarly tiered and not still with it's physical vessel, it was short work to liquefy the imp's astral shell before setting the core free to pass through the astral veil. With the crystal vial stoppered, Wren arched an eyebrow and looked at the demon with faint challenge.

Rozchereck wiped the astonishment off his face and affected a look of condescension as he said, “Little more than the first step. In a camp, you'd still have to be someone's play thing to keep yourself safe with that amount of ski-”

Anticipating the inevitable unreasonable demand, Wren carefully controlled the spirit liquid through a diamond, causing the gem to turn muddily flawed, and infused the remaining amount into a glistening red apple. Adopting a heavy lidded and intentionally flirtatious expression, Wren misted the apple with his breath before wiping it with a cloth and slowly raised it to his mouth.

Rozchereck audibly swallowed dryly before speaking hastily, “W-wait! I will need to test the quality of the product.”

Wren paused but didn't immediately respond, waiting until the building saliva in the demon's mouth made him swallow a second time before Wren said, “Then I suppose I should test the quality of you sincerity.”

Rozchereck thought furiously enough for it to show visibly before he said, “I will offer you the privileges of an aid-de-camp if you will accept the responsibilities.”

Wren sneered, “If you were a major or higher, that might be considered a generous offer. As a captain, that title means little more than a favored fuck-toy under your protection. My skills would be overlooked in favor of our relationship, tying my advancement to yours... Plan on using me for my skills and trading my services for a cigar and slap on the back from any general or city lord that wants to have a go at me? What, would you personally bend me over your desk for the major in your direct chain of command? At least a claimed first or second concubine wouldn't be expected to spread at command for your superiors. Not that you wouldn't want them to unless they were pregnant.”

Rozchereck, Who never took his eyes off the apple, said, “So what do you want? I could pay a curse master to turn you into a woman and make you my legal wife. I'm sure mine has left me for someone else after all this time. A journeyman medical alchemist is a decent choice for an ambitious captain. Little risk on your side, as long as I keep getting stronger.”

Wren tossed the apple over and as the demon devoured it, he said, “90% efficiency. With a little growth and practice I'll be ready for master's mantle. Legal wife your sister! I'll be your lay-lord, in secret of course. Don't want to ruin your career from shame.”

Rozchereck laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke of his life before he recovered and said, “The snack bought you my protection to the test and a small favor mark to scare off the city rats. If you live long enough, maybe you'll change your mind after having tasted a little suffering.”

Wren sighed and said, “Sorry you feel that way. I was tempted to fully restore you before we left, maybe even advance you a little. I should probably save my effort for someone who'll appreciate it more sincerely.”

The demon looked at Wren dubiously and said, “My blood is strong and potential tested indigo. I could be an archdemon with a little good fortune. After a hundred years or two on the battlefront, You wouldn't have much use to me anymore.”

With genuine sadness, Wren said, “While you were trapped here, the Outlands have been folding up like a paper fan and fusing together. You've missed the first portion of the Great Merge. There will be no more Host wars, at least not until this arm of existence finally dies. Both the Infernal and Abyssal realms are consolidating their power to sally against the outsiders and earn the right to walk the Darkened Path to elsewhere. The Celestial Host will be praying to Seventh Peak to be granted a new material plane to govern. You were on an artificially iterated world or I'd never have found you.

“The Abyss is growing more volatile by the hour, scrambling to procure and protect what scant resources are available. Ambitious military officers are more likely to get both of their hearts crushed and their throat slit than a promotion right now. I can do far more than just give you a little bit of recovery but you're already stronger than me. If I strengthen you with all I've got it won't be a hundred years or two till you're Tier VI, it'll be a week or two... at most a month.

“You look at me and see a mortal, a weak existence that's barely Tier IV. You probably think I achieved it with the help of my mentor and a little luck after being carefully reared from four or five. Less than two weeks ago, I was Tier I, at least this version of me. If I was in a hurry to become a demigod, I could already have had it but there's no way I'm rushing that far, that fast. There's much more to power than Tiers. History is riddled with examples of Tier III mortals slaying a god... Shit, done it myself more than once.

“So think hard once more. Fight your one or two hundred years to climb up to archdemon just to lead an army against endless hordes of outsiders as Mother Midnight and her children lounge on her domain linked pleasure barge or follow me and grab what you can from the Abyss before it crumbles away. I'm a little over oathed. Despite that, I could squeeze out one to promise you peak Tier V before we leave but my demand is highest subordination.”

The demon looked at Wren like the man was insane and said as much. Wren looked at the demon aggravated and a little disappointed as they both lapsed into silence for a few uncomfortable minutes. With a wave of void power as strong as he could generate, Wren drew at the dimensional wards until they all gathered in one spot and flared to brilliant, deadly radiance before force breaking it with a dimensional locksmith secret in one slow, smooth movement. As the manacles on the demon began slowly dissolving, Wren brought out Sable after giving the disoriented assassin a few seconds to wake up.

The demon stared in astonishment as he saw the 'weak' Tier IV pull an attendant out of nowhere that was almost as strong as Rozchereck currently was. He looked on in horror as Wren called a devil out, that carried a Tier VI presence, for an update. He started feeling a little faint as he heard a bit of conversation between Wren and his father's call mark, talking about the seizing of a Balance Keeper way-station that his father and sister, Satyra had accidentally targeted at nearly the same time.

Wren shared his plan to make a trip to the Abyss and to pass on a word of thanks for the assistance of her attendants. He also wanted to see if she could make a little time for her attendants to give his friends a little nudge once they reached Tier IV. He was a bit concerned that they'd have a hard time finding their own paths without having to struggle through the information freeze out that the SYSTEM would impose on them if an alliance didn't take interest in them.

Hiidan said, “Why haven't you subordinated this little guy here yet? He'd make a good little helper for what you're about to do. Little weak for my tastes but with your overly zealous tendency to become attached to anyone who shows you a spit of kindness you'd probably have him knocking on the door of Tier VII before you even start pushing for world god.”

Wren laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “Apparently I'm not persuasive enough and I don't want to force the issue if he's unwilling.”

Hiidan snorted at the wobbly demon and said, “Just as well. If he won't show you any gratitude when you give him coal in the winter, he'd only try to steal your firewood in the spring. I'd offer to tear a hole for you to the Abyss but there's really no telling where you'd end up. Just ditch him once you get to the other side and find yourself a mercenary or two in Pandemonium.

“With all the Host wars in the Outlands grinding to a halt, they'll be desperate enough for work that you'll have to be careful or all the Tier V one's will be licking your feet so hard they might grind off after you show a bit of your alchemist skills. Just don't stick out too much or you might find archdemons fighting over who gets to own you. You might end up suffering quite a bit before your sister or I could send someone to fetch you out... Crap, your sister just finished their boss. If she starts looting before I get there, she won't show her old man any face.”

Hiidan disappeared as Wren turned to Sable and said, “I just wanted my new acquaintance to know I wasn't truly alone. I'll send you back now. Oh, and be nice to the new girl. I've already asked the same of her. She hasn't had much contact with mortals so she'll be a little rough around the edges. If you show a little tolerance I'm nearly certain she'll make it up to you.”

Hiidan nodded again before Wren sent him back but dropped him off in the cabin's bed. Now that it was clean and the cabin had a chance to be aired out, Wren figured Sable would like the accommodations better than a dew soaked cot in the garden. Wren marshaled his anticipation, adopting resting bitch face as he turned back to Rozchereck.

“A year and a day. It's enough time to see if we're compatible. You might not even want me after that.” the demon said.

Wren replied, “The portal isn't open yet? I'm sure the trip to Pandemonium isn't going to be short and I still have to pick up my mantle first.”

Looking aggrieved, Rozchereck said, “ A century. Those mercenaries wouldn't offer more than that, even if your father was a demon prince.”

Becoming legitimately annoyed, Wren said, “It's not a matter of time. It's a matter of commitment. I'll admit, the way I introduced myself to you may have given you the wrong impression of what my goals are but since you're not one of mine I don't feel like enlightening you. If the next words out of your mouth aren't what I want to hear, don't bother saying anymore.”

Resigned but not beaten, Rozchereck said the the highest oath of subordination while twisting a curse of mutual destruction into it that would see his soul run down their bond and detonate directly on Wren's should his new master knowingly send the demon to his death.

Wren smiled sharply as he said, “Now that's how a bastard of royalty should act.”

The smug humor on Rozchereck's face died as he said, “You don't even look surprised, much less angry. You knew I was a royal bastard!?”

Wren chuckled and said, “If I didn't, the death curse gave you away. No demon is stupid enough to take a royal descendant as a subordinate. Shame I'm not a demon. Doubly so, that I'm a maelstrom born Void Denizen's son. That curse of yours will give me something to munch on for awhile. Maybe a week, give or take a day or two... I could rush it but why bother. It's not like I plan on trying to kill you, especially after I'm done investing.”

Wren handed a flame of purity enchanted diamond the size of a golf ball to the demon before wrapping him up, instructing his manifestation to channel the rest of the 'dirty stuff' into the demon through the diamond. After Aaron, there wasn't enough to push Rozchereck into Tier VI but Wren didn't have another bunch of purifying items readily on hand to deal with soul-eater's addiction anyway. The diamond that Wren had Usuway help him make while they were running around was sufficient to deal with the amount he did still have, though.

Before the imbuement was finished, a bored looking Mage followed by a furious Knight and agitated looking Senega walked through a gate portal. A sheepish looking Glaucous ducked his head through it as well before it closed.

Knight launched into his tirade immediately, “You are truly insane. The Abyss!? I'm nearly speechless!”

Wren glanced to the side as he muttered, “Pity, the 'nearly' part.”

Assassin slithered out from a dark corner of the cave and said, “Are you fooling? If we hadn't already set our plans I'd be tagging along. It sounds like a lot more fun.”

Wren said wryly, “You know, I feel a lot more confident in my plans before you start endorsing them. Don't you have a lover somewhere in need of being knocked up?”

Assassin, face full of trollish schadenfreude, said, “Even if Healer was ready I wouldn't miss this chance to see your bacon get chewed.”

As Knight silently fumed, trying to organize his thoughts, Mage chimed in, “A fully subordinated royal blood? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to compete with your sister for most unique followers. You'd lose so far but, if the trend continued, it might end up being a tie.”

Senega said, “Is there no way to dissuade you from this course? The Abyss is a treacherous place at the best of times. As it is now, well, even I wouldn't tarry there longer than my business required and I'm a fair bit stronger than you.”

Wren looked at the varied expressions of the four world gods and said evenly, “Crucible of Last Hope.”

Assassin and Glaucous both wore matching looks of confusion as understanding dawned in the faces of Mage and Senega as they bowed respectfully and took a step back, leaving Knight with an expression of helplessness.

The newly released Rozchereck, asked with mild curiosity, “The place where the old and crippled go to kill themselves all the time? Why would you want to go there...ugh, master?”

Wren said, “To resolve an iss-”

Knight interrupted, “Silence, demon! Consider yourself fortunate you belong to my mistress' brother or I'd slay you off-hand...” Cutting his own palm on the orb, Knight threw the orb, breaking it on Wren's chest as he finished, “Take my new avatar with you then. If you refuse, you don't go. No discussion.”

Ignoring Wren's blistering comments, Knight told his clone, “If you return with him alive, I will consider myself mistaken and we will fully join again. If he dies, then die with him. Perhaps if someone else's life hangs in the balance he will curb his suicidal antics.”

Blackguard responded, “I would have, even if you didn't say it, pompous ass...Pardon the foul language, Your Highness. I serve at your pleasure.” Though he said the last at Wren, it was definitely couched to be a barb at Knight.

Knight's face screwed up into a mask of rage as he said in a barely controlled tone, “Please take me from here, Mage. The stench of demon and the braying of a base donkey are both far too unpleasant.”

As Mage complied, managing graceful diplomacy in all but her curved eyes, Assassin looked close to falling down with laughter while sinking into shadows. Senega paused for a moment to request a few different plants and seeds, should Wren encounter them, before walking through the cave wall. Wren looked toward Blackguard at a loss.

Blackguard looked just clueless how to remedy the awkwardness of his presence as he squeezed out, “I don't really have anywhere else to go if you don't let me come along. Knight will likely track me down and slay me if you leave me here. How about this...” Blackguard began an oath of full subordination until such time as Knight should ever accept him back.

Wren interrupted, “Not necessary. Just cooperate with me, alright.”

Blackguard chuckled and said, “I know you and the rest of me who's taken to calling himself Knight doesn't remember but I once jokingly said I'd accompany you to hell as long as your mother didn't turn out to be in charge of it. Who knew it would end up being the Abyss?”

Wren perked up a little and said, “Roz, let's get this show on the road... What should I call you? Blackguard seems a little, I don't know, rude.”

As a portal the color of dried blood opened, Blackguard replied, “Petre was my name. You used to call me Pete, Your Highness.”

Wren said wryly, “Tell you what. I'll call you Pete if you'll call me Wren instead of ridiculous noble titles. I don't really like them and where we're going it'll draw attention I really don't want... Goes for you too, Roz. I don't want you to die of embarrassment the first time you'd have to say it in front of another demon, your curse might count it.”

As they stepped through the portal, Petre said, “He cursed you!?” Killing intent began rolling off Petre thickly.

Wren tried to laugh the tension away as he said, “Curses are junk food for me, Pete. Let it slide. Your average demon would rather fight to the death before agreeing to subordination much less a royal blood.”

Arriving in a desolate flat land of baked and cracked earth with a beating red sun overhead, Wren said, “Um, Pete... You look a little washed out in color.”

Petre nodded and said, “And you look more vibrant. Knight kept most of the power of existence within me for himself. I shouldn't be at a disadvantage...Your demon doesn't look over defined to me so it's not all that bad.”

Wren looked concerned as he said, “Roz wouldn't but he's not fully complete anymore himself... Don't look like that, Roz. The strongest part was from the iteration we left and most of the others made it back to you but enough were lost to matter... Okay, we're in no big hurry. Let's take a quick break to re-outfit before we get started.

Wren drew the two to his domain. Rozchereck looked around, mildly impressed while Petre looked mildly uneasy.

Wren said, “What's up, Pete?”

Petre shook himself briskly before he said, “It's nothing. I just feel a little small here.”

Wren's brows creased as he led them to the garden and through the ward locks. Upon seeing Vigna, Rozchereck started stalking over as the dryad gave a mild look of interest back.

Wren casually said, “He has a barbed penis. If that doesn't dissuade you, then whatever. If he forces himself on you then you can take as much of his vitality as you can handle. Don't outright kill him, though. Leave at least a year of life spirit at least.

At the mention of barbs, Vigna's interest died and after permission was granted for vitality draining it returned as Rozchereck changed trajectory, acting as if his goal had been one of the fruit trees all along.

“So this is the tree you got that apple from earlier. Nice apples,” Rozchereck said with false cheer.

Vigna moved in front of Rozchereck and bowed, making her exposed breasts swing hypnotically to and fro and said, “Your appreciation is received.” Turning around she bent to pick up some imaginary obstruction and glanced behind her to see Rozchereck failing miserably to not look.

Wren sighed and said, “No baiting or glamours on my people, Vig. Come on now.”

In a low voice, Petre said to Wren, “It's hard to say who's the predator and who the prey between those two.”

Wren said, “It better be neither unless they don't mind pissing me off but I'm not a hard ass. Let them have their fun as long as it doesn't cross the line.”

After conjuring a spread on the stone table in the garden, bidding them to enjoy themselves, Wren moved further in. Passing through a second set of ward locks, reinforced with dimensional aspect protections, Wren walked through his carefully tended and individualized plots to the center where the 'berry wheat' was. Forcefully maturing one of the three stalks, he broke it off and dropped two of the eight multi-colored 'berries' into the soil before returning. Walking around the table, Wren gave three to Petre, two to Rozchereck and one to Vigna.

Wren said, “Don't overthink the dividing. I handed them in order of need... Vigna, technically you don't need any as proximity to it's source and the soil of my domain would probably enrich you over time but it didn't feel right to not give you one.” Leaning in closer, Wren whispered, “You could always give it to Sable. Much like you, he'll be spending much more time in here but he doesn't have roots and the water alone isn't as good. Might be overselling it a little but you're the protector of my garden and he's my bodyguard. I really do want the two of you to get along, if nothing else.”

After Petre ate the 'berries', his color and definition improved enough for him to look 'normal' in Wren's vision. As the tension faded from Petre's shoulders, Wren relaxed a little too. It didn't seem unnatural but for some reason, Wren felt unreasonably concerned for the man he'd hardly knew for more than an hour. Wren just wrote it off as one of those times where he just seemed to click with someone but since the man in question knew the him before he was Wren, he couldn't help but wonder. He wasn't quite ready to ask about it yet, though.

After everyone had finished eating and ran out of easy conversation, Wren took them to a warehouse behind his cabin. Walking them through another layer of wards and locks, he showed them where the high-end equipment was. Wren handed the last two suits from the battle suit set he had stolen that went with his own and Sable's, pugilist and defender. Annoyingly, he had to add more EE to the pugilist suit for it to finish adjusting to Rozchereck's intimidating frame. Under Vigna's scrutiny, the demon's obscene bulge started showing more definition until secondary smaller definitions began appearing which made her look hurriedly away.

Lady, I told you. Didn't you believe me? I'd explain that he can control how hard the barbs are but a few of my other iterations sadly know first hand how little practice Rozchereck's actually put into that particular training... Poor Pete. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to compare yourself to others? At least your junk doesn't turn people's insides into salsa when you get carried away.

So that Vigna didn't feel left out, Wren let her pick out a few garden safe weapons. While she was distracted testing a wand out, Wren directed them towards the more offensive arms and after Petre's relatively unsurprising choice of long sword with flashy elemental additions and a lightweight force shield, Rozchereck sifted out a few wands and hidden weapons before finally choosing a stave that Wren had made himself, with the lesser version of still body on it. Wren couldn't help but feel a short-lived burst of pride and pleasure at something he made being selected over the rest.

“After taking all that other stuff, I went for something I didn't think you'd miss as my show weapon, Wren. The enchantment's not great but it'll do. The material's tough and that's what really matters,” Rozchereck said considerately.

Deflated, Wren mumbled, “I made that.”

Rozchereck stopped and reexamined the stave, “In that case, it's pretty impressive for a hobby work.” Under his breath, the demon muttered, “Thank the order within chaos you decided to become an alchemist.”

Wren said, “Ooookay, enough outfitting. Let's get moving.”

After returning Abyss-side, Wren asked how far it was to the nearest Protectorate board which Rozchereck responded, “About two days walk that way, towards that ash cloud on the horizon.”

Wren summoned his artifact augmented spectral transport and said, “Thank whatever you were thanking earlier that I'm not just an alchemist. No hoofing required.”

After two hours and a growing look of confusion and worry on Rozchereck's face Wren asked, “Where's this town at, Roz?”

The demon responded, “The Abyss is ever changing aside from a few unique features. What has me concerned is the lack of any evidence that anything was ever here. Changes or no, I'd still plot towards the ash cloud. It's closer to the destination you spoke of earlier.”

A few more hours passed before the demon's sharper senses picked up traces of life. Slowing down and following Rozchereck's directions, the group finally found an outpost. Lowering down, Rozchereck suggested that they remain at a distance while he went to get directions. Minutes of chatting later and Wren could hear discordant shouting and more men coming out to surround Rozchereck. The moment that one of the men stabbed out at his demon companion, Wren sprung into action.