Valthar watched carefully for Mikayla’s response as he pushed the contract paper to her.

  “Conditions 5, 7 and benefit 1.” She whispered, eyes narrowing just a smidge as she stared back. “Why those three in specific? Did you antagonize someone from my family?”

  “No no no! I never even met another Silverfang.” Valthar panicked a little before noticing her life force pulsing stably, with no sign of worry or animosity.

  Mikayla said nothing, letting silence make clear she wanted more from his answer.

  Valthar’s eyes fall down to the cane in his hand, a symbol of comfort he might not have needed if he had been more careful on what he shared during his time with that first caravan to Deep Bonfire.

  “It is frighteningly easy for a group to throw someone away and I don’t want to set my life around a family only to end up being cut off again.” Valthar said with finality, his shoulders tense as if pulled down by a bag of rocks.

  Her clear nails tapped rhythmically against the table and her silver eyes burrowed into his.

  “ thenIf you have no intention of allying yourself with the Silverfang family then why did you get in contact with me?” She asked with a confused expression.

  Vassal status was one of the best benefits Mikayla could offer, so after such firm rejection she was lost on how to recruit Valthar.

  “Someone told me using dark magic without Silverfang's permission would lead to death so… I came looking for it.” He answered.

  “Ah yes it was about permission.” She nodded, before crossing away the lines written on the contract with the tip of her finger. “So I take you’d rather be my personal operative than a Vassal to the family. Even if that meant less access, less flexibility and less protection?” Mikayla asked while licking her lips.

  Though in reality before reaching a 4th ring level of strength even dark mages would not need to be affiliated to the family or to a Silverfang to operate within Deep Bonfire, just a simple acknowledgement would suffice, yet she didn't mention that to Valthar.

  Mages were already a minority in these outlands and healers were even fewer, if she could get a healer not even as a Vassal but as a personal operative, then in a few years nobody of her generation would be able to compete with her for resources within the family.

  Granted that also depended on Valthar’s capability, but after seeing him cure Damian before her own eyes that was an easy bet to make.

  Suddenly Valthar felt a quiet pulse of desire within her and couldn't help but lose himself in those silver eyes for a moment.

  ‘No, it’s not that type of desire.’ He took a deep breath and nibbled on another breadstick, trying to ground himself out of flowery delusions.

  “Yes, I much rather be a private operative.” Valthar nodded instantly, unintentionally following along with the dichotomy the question had posed.

  Mikayla smiled with satisfaction, just wide enough for her sharp canines to show.

  Swiftly she turned the contract around and wrote new terms on the back of it, passing it to Valthar before he even had time to think.

  —--------------------

  While this contract stands Valthar (The dark mage - healer) is entitled to and bound to the following.

  *Any ‘my’ or ‘me’ in this contract refer to Mikayla Silverfang.*

  Benefits:

  1 - Permission to use dark magic within Deep Bonfire, the Underground District and areas under my control.

  2 - Direct protection by me or my combat teams.

  3 - 50 silver per week

  4 - Ways of contacting me directly.

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  Conditions:

  1 - Priority service to my Vassals.

  2 - A tax of 15% of all profits you incur, sent to me.

  3 - Subservience to me.

  4 - 15% discount to my Vassals.

  This contract is null and void in case of my death.

  This contract is temporary in nature with a base duration of 5 years.

  —---------------

  Reading the terms Valthar felt his luck was finally changing for the better.

  Not only did the contract offer the permission he seeked but also secured protection and 2 gold a month, all this together was enough to live comfortably in this area…

  Well, maybe not in the upper area of Last Torchilight but surely more than enough to live well in the Underground District or in Deep Bonfire.

  Naturally he intended to sign it off immediately.

  “Here in the Outlands people who can’t use elemental mana also use blood to sign contracts?” Valthar questioned.

  Mana contracts at the end of the day were just paper permanently marked with mana that the empire enforced through the noble houses.

  For those who couldn't wield elemental mana using blood was the simplest workaround, since the person’s mana was still present there even if they lacked the affinity to control and cultivate it.

  Even Valthar himself with his broken mana veins had some mana, though the amount present was so small even a two year old would have a denser mana concentration.

  “Blood works but you could just use dark magic, this contract paper is especially made so even demonic mana would mark it.” She said casually.

  “I’m not that type of dark mage, I don’t deal with demons.” Valthar defended himself.

  Still a small doubt formed in the back of his head, this had not been the first time someone guessed he had something to do with demons, so he sent a bit of life force into the paper.

  To his relief the contract didn’t react in the slightest.

  “Just tried with my energy and it didn’t react, blood will have to do.” Valthar sighed with a smile.

  Mikayla’s head tilted on the other side of the table, she had never seen a dark mage that didn’t do at least one deal with a demon nor had she felt any mana fluctuation from Valthar’s hand just now.

  Valthar turned around to grab a knife from his traveling sack only to remember he had left the sack at Lamia’s Burrow.

  “Do you have something sharp? The sharper the better.” Valthar asked as he prepared himself for some pain.

  “Where do you plan to cut?” Mikayla asked gently as she stood up from her chair and walked towards him with soft steps.

  Valthar could smell her scent of forest rain as she stood by his side, without much thought he raised his arm and pointed at wrist.

  “Right here, with how little mana I have a lot of blood will be needed.” He explained.

  In a moment Valthar felt her hand take hold of his wrist, her soft fingers so strong Valthar couldn’t even imagine freeing himself… not that he’d ever try anyway.

  Gently she positioned his hand over the contract as the finger nails of her other hand turned from clear to a dark purple, her mana enhanced pointer finger approached his skin and stopped just shy of touching.

  “Ready healer? Cause I got no healing potions on me.” She asked in a playful whisper, bullshiting just to see his reaction.

  Her body was close, so close Valthar could feel the heat from her chest as it almost touched his shoulder.

  “G-Go ahead, I can heal such a small wound in an instant.” He nodded, trying to sound confident as a deep blush crept up his cheeks.

  Mikayla’s finger nail sunk into his vein, so sharp he only felt the pain flare once she pulled it out and his blood started pouring onto the contract.

  There was a lot of blood but Valthar couldn't pay attention as he felt something stir inside his chest.

  Not his heart mind you but his energy ring, even without a direct command his body was already sending life force towards the wound, this would be a boon in normal circumstances.

  Yet unlike normal moments this time he didn’t want the wound to close too soon, since if the blood spilled wasn’t enough to activate the contract he would need to ask Mikayla to cut another wound open.

  That shouldn't matter much, but for some reason just the thought of doing so left him embarrassed, so he shifted his attention inward guiding the life force to stay near his wrist but not flow into the cut, that way he’d be able to heal himself immediately as soon as the contract was done.

  To his surprise however his efforts were only half effective.

  ‘This is way faster than my normal healing speed…’ Valthar watched as he felt the cut close itself at a speed only a few seconds slower than if he had infused it directly with life force, crazier yet the amount of life force being consumed was negligible.

  As if his body was reacting to the presence of life force itself the healing was faster than normal body recovery by multiple times, which luckily didn’t heal his wrist completely before the contract paper pulsed with blue with a blue light.

  ‘I need to look more into this… but later!’ Valthar thought to himself, already too tired from today to look into it now, especially when he still needed to explain Damian’s situation and changes for the couple that stayed at Lamia’s Burrow.

  But for now his only focus was on the meal that should soon arrive and the satisfaction of a day full of rewards.

  As if answering his thoughts a knock rang on the door of the private room, both his and Mikayla’s eyes shifted there as blood dripped from the table onto Valthar’s lap.