"Alright, boss," Gaius said after he took a moment to process Vasily's ultimatum. "But just so you know, I have no idea how to run a shop." Pointing out his own incompetence quite often worked wonders when Gaius had an inclination to get out of something.

  "You don't have to. That's why I have the bes here." Vasily glanced at the demon who let out a short hiss in response.

  "Bes?"

  Vasily nodded. "Yes. Bes, imp, whatever you call his kind out east. A nasty little bugger, sure, but as a demon, he can't be tricked, can't be swindled, can't be sweet-talked. And he's good with bookkeeping."

  "So what do you need me for, then?"

  "See, I can't possibly personally oversee all my emporiums, and this, unfortunately, results in my employees feeling on occasion like they can take liberties with the stock, underreport profits, and so on. For a while now, I've been exploring other options. The bes here is a prototype. A hellish fiend bound by an air-tight contract won't stab me in the back. And according to my market research, most people don't mind dealing with a bes once he puts his funny hat on."

  The hiss that came from the imp left no uncertainty as to how he felt about the prospect of wearing a funny hat.

  "You knew what you signed," Vasily shot the demon down before he could say anything. Looking back to Gaius, he said, "However, no matter how non-threatening you make a demon look, some, especially those holier types, can't get over their rigid preconceptions. They prefer a human face behind the counter, even one as sleazy as yours. And since I have you now, I'm thinking of using you for a while alongside the bes as backup and a spare pair of eyes. You leave him to do all the heavy lifting, deal with the fussy customers if need be, and write regular reports. You do know how to write?"

  Gaius nodded.

  "Good," Vasily said. "I'm thinking a decade should be enough."

  Gaius' head has been spinning already from all the new information, and now he was bordering on fainting.

  Pulling himself together as best he could, he protested, "Come on. I know the undying have different concepts of time, but ten years. That's too much."

  "You're going to steal from me and then try to argue?" Vasily raised his voice and even despite Gaius' augmented sight, the kitchen started to somehow feel darker.

  "Look." Gaius decided if there ever was a time to press his luck, this was it. "As far as I knew, you were dead. Shouldn't that count for something?"

  "I am dead. And as such, really don't appreciate what you're implying. Graverobbing is still robbery."

  "It's bullshit and you know it," Gaius snapped.

  The imp hissed. "Just turn this schmuck into a zombie already, boss."

  Gaius ignored the remark and instead asked Vasily, "What's with all the hissing?" He needed time to try and come up with a plan to get himself out of this mess.

  Eager as always to show off his knowledge, Vasily explained, "Minor demons like this one are allergic to all kinds of profanity to the point where these words cause them physical pain. Now, even I am not old enough to know the real reason for this, but you heard the bes talk. Can't you imagine some lord of hell cursing their kind to be tormented by the exact words they would enjoy saying most?"

  Gaius tilted his head towards the imp. "Why don't you just ask him?"

  "Pah," the imp spat. "Why don't you just jump off a cliff? There's plenty around."

  "As you can see, he's not talking. And there are limits even to my considerable powers," Vasily said while refilling the mugs for the third time from his bottle that didn't seem to be getting any emptier. "Tell you what, son. I like your style. You got out alive when I lost my head, you didn't faint or try to exorcise me when you saw me for the second time, you shared a meal with an old man, and even pretended to listen to his ramblings. Here's my final offer. You're mine for a year. And you pay for the hat."

  "What hat?"

  "The one I gave you."

  "It was free. And I don't even have it anymore."

  "That's right. It was a gift. And you threw it away."

  "But," Gaius started.

  Vasily cut him off with a wag of a finger. "Your excuses don't interest me, only the results. You're here and the hat isn't. I see it as a personal insult. You pay."

  Gaius had other things to worry about than some hat. "Alright, just dock it from my wages," he said.

  "Wages? What do you think our relationship is, exactly? You are my servant, so you serve me. And don't forget the hat."

  "And how am I supposed to live here for a year without any money?"

  "Do I seriously look like it concerns me in any way?" This time Gaius was on the receiving end of Vasily's raised eyebrow.

  The Koschei's cold uncaring glare hit Gaius like a sledgehammer. There was no animosity in it, just a silent challenge to try and say or do something stupid. To disobey.

  Gaius had no desire to get a first-hand taste of Slavian magic. He had some coin stashed away for his travel expenses. "Fine. I'll pay," he agreed.

  "Good." Vasily got up and offered Gaius his hand.

  Growing up in Mystlund had taught Gaius that in the end, powerful wizards always got what they wanted. And seeing how his other option was becoming a zombie, spending a year in a rustic mountain town writing letters, wasn't all that bad. He accepted the handshake.

  The moment he touched Vasily's hand, Gaius felt a wave of heavy leaden darkness resonate through his joints. Acting on instinct, he jerked the hand away and put a few steps between him and the old man.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "What was that?"

  "A curse," Vasily replied nonchalantly.

  "Alright, don't make me hurt the imp here," Gaius said. "What curse?"

  "The one that ensures you don't get any funny ideas and try to abandon your post. You leave the town for over a day, and your heart stops."

  "Isn't that a bit excessive? I know not to cross a master wizard. I wasn't thinking of running."

  "Even so. And while we're talking about master wizards, if you manage to find one and he helps you lift the curse, I'll know. Then I'll be forced to make an example out of you. And that will not be quite as pleasant as a simple heart stop, believe me."

  A year in Siembra was nothing. Missing his score of a lifetime, on the other hand, that was almost enough for Gaius to try his luck against Vasily. Almost. "Look, just give me a week, then I'm all yours." He put all of his sincerity into those pleading words.

  Vasily shook his head. "As I said, where I come from, a man's words have weight, and who would I be if I went back on mine? Once the year is over, you're free to do whatever you please. Until then, you're mine."

  It was a lousy deal, but Gaius couldn't find a way out of it that didn't involve fighting an undying sorcerer of immense power who just happened to be one of the richest beings in the world.

  Gaius knew that this was a fight he would lose.

  Back in Mystlund, gifted children were better at weaving spells than he was. And his martial prowess peaked when he once knocked out an arrogant knight dressed in a rusty plate.

  After a few silent moments of intense thinking, Gaius came to a realization that to date no one had ever succeeded in stealing any of Caladonian relics. Once he crossed the border, he would be the first. This job was too big to have a sensitive time frame. He would simply need to keep his head down for a year. His client would understand.

  This is what he was telling himself when he opened his mouth to say, "Deal. Just don't expect too much from me."

  "Something tells me, you'll do just fine." Vasily grabbed the corners of the table cloth and jerked it towards himself. Instead of sending leftovers all over the floor, it returned to its original compact form and then went back to the old man's pocket.

  Standing by the once again bare table, Vasily wiped a wisp of foam from his beard. On the stove, the imp burped then giggled at the noise he produced.

  "What now?" Gaius asked, feeling defeated.

  Alefs, demons, undying wizards, and even some locals who already had it out for him. There was a breaking point even for someone as worldly as Gaius.

  As spry and energetic as ever, Vasily led the three of them to the stable. Once inside, he approached the horses. The creatures greeted their master with a pair of whining neighs.

  "This was a potion store," the old man said with his back turned to Gaius. "I don't want people to come in and be disappointed. You keep selling those. And as for the rest, you'll be getting new deliveries once a week. Leave your requests for the next shipment and your detailed report among the outgoing crates."

  "My head's a bit fuzzy here, boss. What shipment?" Gaius asked.

  Vasily stepped away from the caravan and snapped his fingers.

  Had Gaius not been sensitive to the flow of mystical energies, the grandeur of what happened next could have passed him by. He was, so the overpowering flow of pure primal force that followed went straight to his head and nearly knocked him on his ass. He stumbled backwards, bumping into the imp.

  "Watch where you're putting those stilts, pal," the imp protested.

  Once Gaius regained his footing, the first thing he noticed was a distinct lack of a caravan. Then, he spotted Vasily standing by the hole leading downstairs.

  "Come, come," the old man beckoned him over.

  The half-finished basement was now positively stacked with crates, sword racks, and armor stands.

  "This can't possibly be profitable," Gaius said.

  Teleportation spells were costly. To the point where the absolute majority of trade and travel was conducted by ship and cart. Moving all the stuff currently sitting in the basement could bankrupt a small kingdom.

  "It is for me," Vasily replied.

  "For real?" Mere moments ago, Gaius was certain he was done being shocked for the day, but yet again he found himself completely dumbfounded.

  "Oh yes," Vasily said. "I figured out a way to cut the reagent cost down to almost nothing."

  Gaius couldn't help but laugh.

  "He's losing it, boss," the imp pointed out.

  Gaius shooed the imp away. "You stumble onto what is perhaps the most monumental discovery of our time and you use it to make some money?"

  "Yes." Vasily nodded.

  "And what if someone learns your secret?"

  "The other wizards worth their salt know all about my discovery. And while they're oozing vitriol on account of not being the ones to discover it, we have an understanding."

  "Understanding? Not to question your power, but you're one man. You'll have armies knocking on your doors once the word gets out."

  "Hubris, son. It's always hubris," Vasily said. "I gathered all those stuffy robe-wearing fools and challenged them to figure out how I did it. Barring any sudden breakthroughs, it should take them several decades at least. By then, I'll move on to another enterprise. And while they're busy figuring out my riddle, they're not helping their grubby monarchs knock on my doors, as you put it."

  In a way, given everything Gaius knew about high-ranking wizards, that made a certain degree of sense.

  His mind would have been racing right now, if not for this being the single most exhausting day of his life up to that point. So instead, the insides of his head felt like they were all slow and gelatinous.

  Gaius barely heard Vasily as he imparted his instructions on how to properly compose reports and requisition new goods.

  The old man was standing by the stable's exit when he once again invited Gaius to follow him.

  "Come," he said. "I need to show you one last thing. You know, so you don't discover it on your own and then dilute your reports with useless panicked complaints."

  Back inside the store, Vasily headed upstairs. "I assume you picked a room you'll stay in?" he asked. When Gaius nodded, he continued, "You can rent out the rest. The bes knows the prices. But be sure not to send anyone in here." Vasily entered a room directly across the hallway from the one Gaius now called his own. He left the door open.

  Gaius freed himself from any expectations by that point. He didn't even try to guess what he would see inside.

  The first glance was disappointing. The room was unremarkable.

  Paying no attention to Gaius and his lack of excitement, Vasily approached the chest of drawers by the wall. He slammed his fist three times into the side of the thing. Each of the knocks resonated with magic.

  After the third knock, the hardy piece of furniture lost most of its substance. The faint smell of sulfur Gaius sensed earlier intensified. Behind the chest's now translucent fa?ade, a pool of fire illuminated a set of craggy red-tinted walls covered in elongated scratch marks. Gaius' eyes screamed for mercy.

  "This what I think it is?" Gaius asked.

  "Yes." Vasily stepped away from the wall. "The bes can't maintain a physical presence in our world for long. This was our compromise. His own pocket of hell right on the premises."

  "And I have to live next door to it. Great."

  "It's perfectly safe, son. I just wanted to warn you in case you ever heard a faint whisper in your dreams telling you to go out and start butchering strangers indiscriminately. Don't listen to that whisper, is what I'm trying to say here."

  "Thanks. I feel much safer now." Gaius walked up to the portal and peeked inside. "This looks like hell alright. But you're Slavian. Shouldn't you guys have your own hell?"

  The old man wasn't able to contain a snort. "It's just an ocean, son. You really think a big puddle separating our two continents warrants a whole new underworld? We have our names for things and our fables may be slightly different, but they're still describing the same place."

  "Well alright, then," Gaius said, too tired to be amazed or terrified anymore.

  Vasily returned the room to its original mundane state. He then approached the window and spent a few moments taking in the sights and the cool night air.

  "Not exactly how I expected this trip to go," he said. "If you could be so kind to pay me for my hat, I'll be on my way."

  "Remembered about that one, eh?"

  "I never forget what I owe and what is owed to me, son. You should make it your habit too. A bit of professional advice now that we're colleagues and all."

  Having counted the coins, Vasily gave Gaius a short, "pleasure doing business with you" nod and started chanting.

  Moments later, Gaius was looking at a grey hooded crow perched on top of the window sill.

  Then, with a short hop, it took flight, lifting itself towards the clouds, above the magnificent light show Esven promised earlier and Gaius happened to forget all about.

  Gaius stuck his head out of the window and watched the avian version of Vasily fly further and further away.

  "You know crows aren't nocturnal birds, right?" he shouted.

  A single coughing caw was his answer.

  Story Facts - Chapter 6