A twitch of recognition. An instinctual tap that demands attention. A chill of excitement that crawls up the spine. A thrill of ecstasy that delights one's body. A curious throbbing behind the eyes.

The individuals sitting at the circular stone table each felt at least one of these sensations. Their eyes were seized by the thick book with red binding sitting at the head of the table. A soft murmur spurred their thoughts as a calm breeze entered the chamber. 

The tome's owner sat hunched forward with a deep hood pulled low to conceal his features. Layers of robes and flowing scarves covered his body entirely, save for his hands. Various shades of black differentiated the independent fabrics and contrasted with golden accessories emitting a dull glow. He tapped his long finger and propped an elbow on the table as he fell into deep contemplation.

He eyed two of his comrades on the opposite end of the table. They wore plain white masks lacking holes for sight, but he felt their gazes on him all the same. They shared the same seat and held hands with their fingers intertwined affectionately. One of them whispered something inaudible, and the other let out a high-pitched giggle.

To the right was a dark-skinned behemoth, easily the size of five strong men, covered in crimson tattoos depicting gore and forms of unrestrained violence. A collar forged solely of topaz gripped tight around his thick neck. His eyes were concealed by matted hair pushed aside by a pair of curled horns. An open smirk crawled along his face, expanding his squared jaw and revealing a set of sharpened teeth.

The last member sat to the left - a skinny humanoid monster with a pale complexion and insane, wide eyes shivering uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth as if a chill settled in his bones. The collar of his blemished black suit was opened to reveal a mark of coiled thorns and curling fire. Sharp black nails clawed slowly at his chest and drew trickles of blood.

The robed individual at the head of the table stopped his finger when he finished observing his comrades. “I assume you all felt it.”

The rest of the group turned to him expectantly, save for the pale one trapped in his disturbing thoughts.

The scarf covering his mouth curled up in a grin. “Rinka's been naughty.”

The insane one hugged himself tighter and almost fell into convulsing. “Another owner of the contract! Poor bastard! Oh, I would so love to see how he uses it.”

The twins spoke in unison with young male and female voices, “An outworlder. Bold. Sacrifices much.”

“Outworlder,” the dark behemoth muttered. His deep voice echoed throughout the chamber despite his lowered tone. "Did he receive anything else?”

“Two bonds. Demihumans,” the girl said.

“Stats given to demihumans,” the boy said.

They synchronized again. “Mana lost for contract.”

This piqued the large monster's interest further. “You mean, his mana pool?”

The two masked ones nodded.

The robed individual went back to tapping his finger. A number of possibilities formed as he considered the character of this particular outworlder. The short, dull notes of his nail tapping the stone echoed in his ears. A low thrum formed as he tapped faster, as if he'd been submerged in water. His finger suddenly stopped and hovered over the small indent he'd made in the table. He curled his fingers into a fist and settled it in his lap to exercise restraint.

Mana pool, he thought. He plans to rely on native growth. Though he will have access to passive abilities which don't require mana. Interesting. A frown formed as he considered the human's second deal. But how does one explain the stat transfer? Does the contract consider it an exchange? He briefly deliberated on some theories, but eventually decided that brooding was a waste at this juncture.

He ran his unseen eyes over the others at the table. This was the first time in a while he'd seen his allies express their emotions, and if he didn't see it, he heard it. Well, except for the crazy one who enjoyed taking off layers of his own skin.

He addressed the behemoth, “What are your thoughts, Div'gen?”

Div'gen crossed his bulky arms. “Rinka wanted her daughters free. She was desperate. I don't know how she convinced someone to strike a deal, but I have to admit, this human sounds resourceful.”

“Clever,” the masked female chimed in.

“Adaptive,” the male concurred.

"He transferred his stats. Perhaps he is the type who considers the distant future," the robed one said. He opened his book and flipped a few pages to observe some of his own dealings in the past. "A future beyond individuality. Though this is just a theory, of course."

The chamber rumbled as if receiving his last word as a signal. Stray rock and small debris tumbled down the walls. A stalactite broke free from the ceiling and exploded when it collided with the table. Fissures gradually parted near the exit of a tunnel and a cloud of embers burst forth. The table nearly split in two and released a whirlwind of dust.

The robed leader closed his book and heaved a heavy sigh. "How troublesome."

It was a common occurrence in this place. The disturbance never took long to find the robed leader and his comrades. The confined halls and expansive chambers were interconnected by snaking tunnels in an endless labyrinth. And like a snake, it pulsed and breathed -- hundreds of snakes slithering and consuming each other.

They waited until the quakes subsided.

“We need a new place,” the leader said. He looked up and observed the hole in the ceiling left behind by the stalactite.

Div'gen slammed his fist on the table and made a few cracks of his own. “Korv! Crawl out of your sick fantasies! We're moving on.”

The pale humanoid across from him didn't seem to hear. “Oh! I wish I could've seen her daughters one last time. They were so cute back then. I bet they've grown into fine young ladies.”

“Sick fuck,” Div'gen growled.

"Yes, I imagine burning down a village did wonders for their character," the female masked one giggled.

Her twin's voice raised in pitch to match her as he held a hand over his mask.

“At ease.” The robed leader raised his hand in a soothing gesture. “I will journey first this time. I would prefer to be alone with my thoughts.” He turned to the masked twins. “How much time do we have?”

The younger humanoid monsters rested their heads together and hummed to themselves. “Two days seventeen hours forty-seven minutes.”

He rose from his seat and made his way to the exit. He looked down when he reached the entrance to a tunnel and saw the bubbling magma-like fluid reach up for his bare feet. Some of it splashed high enough to lick his skin. He felt nothing.

"I won't be long."

His subordinates fell into another discussion as he departed. He hoped it proved fruitful, and that they were all still alive when he returned.

The final contract received an owner, and it was a human no less. An outworlder human. One from that place called Earth.

The Construct Contract is a greedy, delicate thing. Give up too much for too little, and the effects started to show. Korv was the perfect example of overuse. Once an intelligent man, a scholar and general, and now turned into a sick, deranged lunatic.

They wanted out of this place, but someone like Korv needed to remain. No sides benefited from someone like him being out in the world.

Div'gen mentioned 'desperation' as Rinka's main reason behind choosing this human. The robed one disagreed with this assessment. Rinka didn't take chances on anyone. She saw something in this human. She would never entrust her daughters to him otherwise.

What do you see that I don't, Rinka?

The tunnel shook and woke him from his thoughts. He raised a hand above him and caught a falling rock without taking his eyes away from the darkness of the tunnel. The rock turned to pebbles in his grip, and he brushed the residue off one of his robes.

How many years has it been since you tried to kill me? Gods, do I miss you. Ah, well...in due time.

He was looking forward to seeing how events played out on the surface. When humans lack a common enemy, they descend into fighting amongst themselves. No, that wasn't entirely correct, he thought. They fought each other regardless. It took a worldwide catastrophe for them to even have a semblance of full cooperation. He assumed that the intruders from Earth were the same.

Humans are all the same.

If the humans kept up with their silly games, he figured that he and his subordinates would need to make some changes. He also wanted to meet this human that Rinka held in such high regard.

First, they needed to complete their objective and escape this damned prison. Hopefully, the human and his beastkin companions survived until then.