“Didn't your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?” the man asked. Alphonse could practically hear the clack of the man's teeth as if he was trying to bite back what should have been simple small talk. It was a strange question, since they'd already been driving about three hours with nothing but the sound of the heater cranked up all the way. It was also an incredibly indelicate question since the man had picked Alphonse up on the side of the road with said parents clearly out of the picture.
The truck slowed as they turned off the main mountain road and dipped forward a bit onto the rough dirt. The strapped-down supplies in the truck's bed rattled as the wheels powered through ditches and forest debris.
The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, forming a crawl of shadows that made it difficult to see the natural trail that stayed existent thanks to the passage of heavy-duty vehicles. Through a break in the trees was a brief view of a tall outcropping of rock that stuck out of the mountain through the forest canopy. The rock almost looked like a chimney, so the town it stood above and the rock itself had been aptly named Chimney Rock. The small town with a population of no more than two hundred had mostly avoided the chaos running rampant around the state of North Carolina.
They'd mostly avoided the Blue Ridge Parkway after seeing the smoke rising from the general direction of Asheville. The vehicles would be backed up fifteen miles to Black Mountain, and then more would show up from the eastern part of the state. The projected half-foot of snow wouldn't help matters either.
There were reports that many of the major cities along the United States' east coast had descended into full-blown anarchy. The resource crisis entered a new stage with the threat of suspended trade agreements between nations. Everyone seemed to have a claim of territories in the Arctic, and many were prepared to wave their nuclear weapons around like wannabe gangsters with pistols. It seemed like only a matter of time before one of them accidentally (or purposefully) pulled the trigger.
But Life always moved on to delay what appeared inevitable.
The older man looked over at a young Alphonse sitting in the passenger seat as the road evened out for a brief moment. The boy, around thirteen-years-old, had heavy bags under his eyes, but the streaks on his face from crying were long gone. He had just stared out the window as the forest of steel buildings in the city of Charlotte made way for one of trees.
The man obviously knew that his first attempt at conversation had been a poor one, so he decided to switch tactics.
“Ever been out of the city?” he asked. He scratched awkwardly at the touch of grey gracing his sideburns.
Alphonse shook his head and didn't take his eyes away from the trees.
“That's a shame,” the man responded lamely.
He drove on in silence, and Alphonse spared one last glance at Chimney Rock. An American flag waved in the breeze from a tall pole. A group of people had gathered to stare out over the mountains. A few of them had their arms raised in a salute.
The man almost jerked the wheel when Alphonse suddenly spoke up, “Why did you bring me along?”
“I think I was tired of being alone,” the man answered. “People don't last long in this world without companionship.” He looked at the boy and grinned. “And I didn't really have time to find myself another dog.”
Alphonse stared straight forward and refused to meet his gaze. “No, my parents never told me that. I figured that out for myself.” He didn't know why he decided to answer the original question.
The older man frowned. He probably expected some bitter resentment towards the parents that had neglected him, but Alphonse was long past that point. “So, why did you come along then?”
“I guess I was tired of being alone too,” Alphonse answered.
The silence lingered for the rest of the drive. At one point the man turned on the satellite radio, but only long droning tones came through due to the signal being interrupted. Thankfully, the local radio station was available to provide some news, but the host seemed particularly obsessed with Bob Dylan and played “The Times They Are a-Changing” twice over the course of an hour.
They were truly in seclusion when the static started to build up. The man left the radio on until the sound became unbearable, and he was forced to sever their last connection with society. The truck briefly pushed up a steep incline at one point and was forced to maneuver around dense foliage as any semblance of a road vanished.
Alphonse showed his first real emotion as they circumvented a wall of natural stone that eventually revealed a small A-frame cabin. It had the worn look of old refurbishment on its sides like something out of the old eighteenth century with an outhouse to boot. Stacks of firewood lined the narrow front porch with an overhead balcony, and there were clear stacks to the side covered by tarps. On the opposite end were wine barrels that had been converted into rain collectors that could easily hold fifty to sixty gallons each. The pyramidal structure also had a number of solar panels covering each side and a large concave device that almost looked like a satellite dish.
It wasn't until Alphonse actually saw it that he realized his life had changed forever. He'd never felt much of a connection to anything or anyone in his community, but it was familiar, and this wasn't. When he had no home to go back to and no family to claim him, some random man had approached him on the side of the road and asked if he wanted to come along. He hadn't even considered the risks at the time, but he had accepted the offer all the same. He'd been desperate and sensed no ill-willed intent. The man just looked sad with a little bit of hopeful.
The man noticed Alphonse with that conflicted stare and nodded in understanding. “Sometimes you need to take risks. Yours paid off this time. There is some comfort out here, but you'll have to learn and work for it. I'll teach you how to track the wildlife and hunt with a bow. You'll cut wood, cook and all that other survivalist shit. Sound good?”
Alphonse looked at him and nodded.
“Don't display too much enthusiasm,” the man said jokingly. “So, maybe you'll tell me your name now?”
The boy stared at the cabin for a few seconds before returning his attention to the man. “Alphonse.”
The man held his hand out to him. “Name's Edward Kneller. Pleased to finally meet yah, Alphonse.”
After shaking hands, Alphonse pointed to the outhouse. “Do we seriously have to go to the bathroom there?”
“God, I sure hope not,” Edward said with a laugh. “If the indoor plumbing busts, then I guess I'll really consider it the end of the world.”
Alphonse wanted to believe he was decent at reading people, but recent events clearly contradicted that assumption. His decision when he was a boy to go with Edward Kneller had been the correct one. If that was the case, he figured he was due for getting it right.
He let out a strained breath and rested his head against the wall as he stared up at an unseen ceiling. The beastkin women had shown him one of the secret passages that branched off from the Submerged Oasis that led to a number of rooms where he could have some time to think in solitude.
It had done him some good. His adoptive father always had some wise words and philosophy to deliver when he found himself struggling with a lesson. The man had an uncanny way of gauging his ability and making every new task something just beyond his understanding. Alphonse never imagined that studying the human condition was necessary when living off the grid, but it didn't take him long to find out that it was meant for him to reach an understanding of himself as a person. It was something he didn't have the luxury to consider when he lived in the city with a broken family life.
Sometimes there wasn't much room to make calculated risks when the alternatives were obviously worse. Edward Kneller was right about humans and their need for companionship. Alphonse wouldn't last long in this world without it. It was also plain that he would be starving for it since he knew what it was like after his friendship with Alex. There were some good times that he wanted back, but they were also bitter thanks to his situation.
Alphonse wondered if he could get along with Kirie and Asa in a similar way, but it might be difficult given Asa's aloofness and Kirie's contentious attitude.
His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the soft padding of footsteps approaching down the hall. He bolted to his feet on pure instinct and fully faced the squat archway leading from the room. He relaxed when the familiar white-robed beastkin woman stepped inside. She made a slight bow towards him with her staff gripped in both hands.
“Pardon the interruption,” she said.
“It's no problem,” Alphonse answered, a little faster than he would've liked.
There was an awkward silence between them. Alphonse folded his arms over his chest and pretended to be lost in thought, but it was impossible with the woman's eyes boring into him. She betrayed no emotion and made no indication of moving any further into the room. It took all of his focus to remain still and not give away just how uncomfortable he was.
“I would like to apologize on behalf of my mother,” she finally said.
Alphonse arched an eyebrow at this. “Apologize?”
“Yes, I'm sure you are aware of her strategy. It is plain that you are exhausted and, understandably, mystified by everything you've been told in such a short amount of time. I'm actually surprised that you haven't displayed any sort of animosity towards her. Thank you for that.” She made another bow.
Alphonse shrugged. “I'm pretty much convinced that both sides have risk. I can't blame her for wanting to get her daughters out of this place. What kind of parent wouldn't do everything she could for the sake of her children?”
“It is as you say,” Asa said. “The same may be said for Kirie and I as well.”
“I'm outnumbered here, unfortunately,” Alphonse commented.
The beastkin woman bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she kept it clamped shut. Alphonse appreciated it. He was getting a little sick of people telling him how sorry they were.
“I'll be honest,” Alphonse said. “Your sister saved me, but now that I know the circumstances, she worries me the most.”
He wasn't surprised when Asa caught on to the underlying meaning of his words. “Kirie would never do that. We don't know what would happen if the owner of a contract perished.”
“Maybe you don't know,” Alphonse countered, maintaining the calm in his voice. “But what about your mother?”
Asa had no rebuttal. Rinka clearly had plenty of experience with the Construct Contract, but her daughters might only be vital accessories to a deal.
“All I have to give is my word,” Asa said. Alphonse could almost feel the defeat in her response.
“If it was anyone else in a similar situation,” Alphonse said, “It probably wouldn't mean much.” He hated to give her the painful truth, but it was necessary. They didn't know how willing he was to take risks.
Asa made a deeper bow this time and made no further comment as she departed.
Alphonse watched until the darkness consumed her form. He noticed that her shoulders were slumped, which meant his comment had the intended result. There might be a slip-up on their end if they thought he was leaning towards not accepting the deal.
He needed Rinka to be more forthcoming about the nature of this bond.
"You're really willing to give something so powerful to a stranger?" Alphonse asked when he returned to the oasis. He gave Rinka a hard stare in an attempt to get some sort of reaction out of her. She stood at the same spot on the dais as if she hadn't moved during his time away. "And your daughters?" he added.
Alphonse managed to glean the slight twitch of her mouth with the last bit. Just as his silence was enough for her with the mention of his betrayal, this was also enough of an answer for him.
Both parties were desperate. Both sides were taking a gamble. Yes, he would lose something to take this book of equivalent exchange, but it wasn't just the book he was receiving. He could also potentially gain two allies. Alphonse wanted further confirmation for the last part of this deal because of one important loophole.
They would be bound to me by the contract, he thought. But what happens when I die?
They wouldn't kill their mother to possibly break the bond, but a complete stranger was entirely plausible. He needed to consider all angles. It was a cruel question to pose, and he didn't know how to go about it delicately.
"I would have your answer to my question first," Rinka said.
Alphonse blanked for a second, but then he recalled their last exchange, “...what do you want from this world?” she had asked.
"Fair enough." Alphonse sighed as he considered how to word his answer. It almost sounded silly to him. "A home. I just want a home. That's all..."
Rinka stared at him unblinking. A sad smile formed on her face and she nodded. "I see...a home. I'm relieved to hear that. Yes, I want my daughters to be free and happy. That's all..."
“Then I need you to tell me the nature of this bond,” Alphonse said. He knew that she would anticipate this question, and he had given ample time for her to decide whether to be truthful or not while he had dealt with his own internal struggle.
Rinka's arms swayed at her side, and she lowered her head almost as if the soul had left her body. She was plenty aware of the implications.
“I created the bond –“ Rinka started “– to save my daughters from a terrible threat. I was powerless, so I sacrificed something that once made me who I was.” She stared at the book, and her mouth twisted into something that Alphonse interpreted as rancor.
“It craves knowledge,” she continued. “It wants something that is unique to its owner that it cannot have from the world itself. To have a Construct Contract is a test of restraint. The bond I made sacrificed part of my individuality, and so the bond is one that interprets all involved as a single entity.”
Alphonse made certain to observe Kirie and Asa during this exchange. Asa's eyes went wide as saucers, and Kirie let out a stream of silent curses. Neither of them seemed to notice him staring.
I'm going to assume...they didn't know, Alphonse thought.
“Then that means...” Alphonse started.
Rinka mercifully answered the question without him having to ask, “Yes, if the owner of the contract were to die with this bond, then it would transfer to someone else who is part of it.”
So, that was it. Rinka had just fully admitted there was a distinct possibility that one her daughters could kill him. He was a stranger, and they might deem him dangerous since he knew their secrets. The one to do it would certainly be Kirie. She seemed like the best candidate who could suppress her remorse if the deed was done.
“Please know this,” Rinka said, the distress in her voice rising. “If either of them became the owner of the contract, then I know they would not hesitate to use it if it meant saving the other. I have no wish to place the burden of this contract on my daughters.”
And so that burden of restraint falls to me, Alphonse thought. It was a sensible argument for keeping him alive.
Her explanations of the contract reminded him of something similar from a discussion he had with his father. His father was well-read and one of those individuals with an abundance of random information.
The contract seems like...a Faustian bargain? 1A pact whereby a person trades something of supreme moral or spiritual importance, such as personal values or the soul, for some worldly or material benefit* I think that's what it's called, Alphonse thought. It wasn't exactly the same, of course, but similar enough to hammer home just how dangerous it could be if he decided to use it.
He turned to Kirie and Asa, but this time he made it a point to approach them. He willed his trembling legs forward. He didn't feel the pain in his injured leg.
It was at this moment that Alphonse realized he didn't need to ask his question directly. He would know their true intentions from them another way. He needed to believe them. He so terribly wanted it despite the rational part of himself screaming that he was letting exhaustion and misguided hope cloud his reasoning.
No, my mind is clear, Alphonse thought. I've handled far worse.
Their expressions shifted to something much like their mother's as Alphonse stood before them. Even Kirie suppressed her scowl. There was no denying her interest in what he planned to propose.
Alphonse mirrored Kirie's previous stance and crossed his arms to assume an air of calm. “What about you two? Why would you even want to join me?”
They glanced at each other uncertainly.
Asa spoke first, “There is something we need to do. Mother saved us in the past, but she paid a price to the contract. If you agree, then we can leave this place and help with your goal as well."
Kirie jumped in next. “Trust only goes so far. I get that, but trust us when we say that we will work with you -- even if you're weak.”
Alphonse sighed. Did you have to add that last part?
He looked to Asa. "Can you perform an appraisal spell and show me your information?"
Asa didn't hesitate as she performed the incantation for the spell. She immediately understood what he was asking and waved a hand in front of her. A transparent circle appeared, and a line moved around the circumference, much like a radar. After a few seconds, words appeared displaying information about Kirie and Asa:
Name: Kirie
Class: Warrior
Identification: Demihuman
Name: Asa
Class: Healer
Identification: Demihuman
I figured as much, Alphonse thought. The original denizens of this world don't have stats. Not even demihumans. It's reserved for outworlders like me. They only improve by normal means. But I've come this far. I've taken so many gambles.
He pulled up the profile that displayed his own information:
Name: Alphonse Kneller
Class: Scout
Identification: Human
Health regeneration: .6/s combat exclusion: 1.5/s
Stats: Vitality - 10 Endurance - 10 Strength - 5 Agility - 15 Intelligence - 8 Focus - 6 Dexterity - 16 Sneak - 20 Perception - 18 Proficiency - 8 Constitution - 8
Resistances: Poison - 15 Paralysis - 12 Bleed - 12 Fortitude Debuff - 15 Curse - 13
He closed the profile. Truth be told, it wasn't confirmed exactly how much the stats actually helped outworlders. It was almost impossible to separate natural gains from the System, and the people of Earth didn't seem to have a full grasp of it either. All they knew was that they did contribute in some ways.
Alphonse considered his stats with lower values. If these two end up joining me...I wonder...
He shook his head as too many ideas formed. He needed to focus on one thing at a time.
“No more questions,” Alphonse said. He addressed the catgirls, “Fine. If you think you can handle it, then prove it.”
Kirie let out a boisterous laugh. “Prove it? Ha! I don't even need that stupid stat handicap you outworlders have. I'll destroy whatever gets in our way!”
Asa drove her staff into the floor confidently. “My support skills have been developed since I could walk. None are more dedicated than I am. I will keep us alive.”
Their choice of words sat right with Alphonse, and it seemed his own had them both riled up. They weren't careful about what they said, which boosted his confidence in them further.
Whatever gets in 'our' way. I will keep 'us' alive, Alphonse repeated it in his head a few times.
He grinned. “Alright then.” He stood in front of the pedestal and rested his hand on the book. “Fine, what the hell! Let's do this!”
Rinka leaned forward and laced her fingers. “Wonderful. When you are prepared to make an offer say, 'I invoke the Construct Contract.' Then, make your offer. The contract will tell you if it is sufficient. If it accepts, give your blood to sign and seal the deal.”
Alphonse nodded. "Alright."
He started with some basic offers. Unsurprisingly, the contract denied him. The offer needed to be equivalent to its own power.
Alphonse attempted to offer his extra health regeneration, something unique to outworld adventurers. He was denied.
Shit, what do you want from me? Something permanent? Something that gives me an edge?
His health regeneration did give him an advantage over native adventurers. It put him at a slight disadvantage against outworlders if he lost it. It provided extra vitality recovery when in battle, but it only had noticeable positive effects for injuries when outside of battle. Physical damage done to his body during combat still hindered his movements. Also, since he didn't even have a number to associate with his health, he wasn't sure how much it benefited him specifically.
He needed something equal to the contract.
His eyes widened. That's it! But...
He stared at Rinka.
The catgirl mother tilted her head. “Oh?”
Alphonse held out his hand. Just like this contract, the world was about give and take. He'd lost sight of that. But sometimes the world took more than it gave and vice versa. Perhaps this contract could tip the scales.
“I invoke the Construct Contract...”
