"Your offer, I accept," repeated the pale and still very naked man. "Tentatively of course. We still have to hammer out the exact amount for my services, and of course I wish a magic item per diem to limit the length of my services. I prefer any Cacodaemon scrolls you have left of course, but I will take any wondrous items or medium powered items as well. "
"What offer are you talking about?" asked Rasmus still confused and since he was negotiating with a fiend, fearing for his life. He knew he would require some form of sacrifice to bind this creature to his service, but he thought he would have a bit more control over that discussion than what was going on. The mage feared he was getting railroaded and somewhere down the line his soul would be at stake.
"Your soul? Pffft...," scoffed the pale man. "Oh sorry, I mismatched the telepathy thing again. Even over the millennia, I still haven't really mastered that. I will try harder to let you keep your thoughts private. As I was saying, the denizens of the pit don't require your soul as a bargaining chip. It's normally assumed that anyone who deals with my ilk have already forfeited that. As for the negotiated fee, I saw you were going to offer me gold earlier, and I gladly accept your proposal. Given my station and the estimated time of completion, I would say 2000 gold pieces should suffice, payable of course in precious metals, gems or jewelry. My magical item clause should cover and limit any time overruns; also I would like my cow no smaller than 1000 pounds and no older than twenty four months."
Rasmus did recall making such an offer in his thoughts, but didn't think it would be taken seriously or even accepted. "Wait, let me be sure of what I get in return. You will free me from this tower?"
The pale man shrugged. "Such small minded thinking. I was going to offer what all mortals want….."
Rasmus was puzzled, he would have thought this creature was mocking him, but it didn't seem that type of sort. "And what do you think I….desire?"
"Power, fame, and love of course. Not necessarily in that order but easily accomplished given what I've read from your mind. If you want, you can also replace fame with wealth, but I don't think you require any treasure given your family background."
"Yes…I mean no," stammered Rasmus. "I just want to get out of here. Use your magic to break me free of this tower."
"Such a small goal, but as you wish," sighed the pale man. "So with the tedium of negotiations out of the way, we can sign the contract." With a flourish , the creature produced a scroll with the stated terms written with jet blank ink on its dry yellow parchment. It offered a small ebony letter opener to Rasmus, who knew that it would require his blood.
"Wait….this is too easy. You broke free from the circle, had me at your mercy. Why would you agree to serve me? You could easily take what you want and more from this room alone. Well, everything but the cow of course."
The pale man chuckled, revealing several sharpened teeth. "I see your master has neglected instructing you on the finer merits of customer service. Aye, it applies to wizards as well as fiends. As a case study, let's say Lord Lero was hired by a town to slay…uumm goblins, kobold, orcs or some such tribal creature. Easily enough done given his power. It might take him awhile to find their lair and then he has to go through the drudgery of fireballing them room by room, and afterwards he has to widen his search to make sure there were no survivors to properly earn his bounty. Or…he could simply fireball the townsolk's primary municipal building and simply loot their belongings. Both are readily accomplishable by your master, but one is certainly quicker and easier than the other. Knowing this, why would he choose the longer more mundane way? First is the value of networking. Who knows when your master might require the services of a farmer or a blacksmith, or in my case a wizard or sage that specializes in lore that eludes me, or even an ally against a mutual foe. Besides the importance of growing one's fame and cadre of allies, do not underestimate the value of return customers. No one is going to seek an audience with your master if he has a reputation of simply destroying and looting petitioners. It might seem trivial to you, but as an immortal being I can tell you, that a steady flow of trivial jobs adds up to a very tidy secondary income stream. Also, if Lord Lero has a reputation that he performs his services admirably he can not only charge more later, but other towns folk would soon be scrambling at his doorstep. Perhaps even a powerful patron like a king might seek his aid, and who knows where that will lead."
Rasmus considered mentioning that in the past, a few merchants or town council men sought the aid of his master, but made the mistake of attempting to talk to him as an equal. They ended up polymorphed into frogs, turned to stone….or worse. The creature probably already knew that, given its penchant for reading his mind, so Rasmus decided to remain quiet about the matter.
"So, are you satisfied with my motivation, " asked the pale man. "If so we can begin, as soon as you sign this contract."
Sensing this was all an elaborate trap, Rasmus hesitated, but then he did recall this creature's large albino biting insect form. While the threat wasn't made directly, he had a strong suspicion that if peaceful 'contact' or a deal wasn't reached, then other more violent forms of outsider 'contact' will be applied, presumably one that requires his head to be bitten off. Reluctantly he took the letter opener, pricked his thumb and roughly inscribed his personal rune onto the pale man's contract.
Rasmus expected darkness to wash over the room, lightning spewing from the roof, or the pale man reverting to his ravenous true form, but nothing of that sort happened. The pale man simply examined his mark, before rolling up the scroll so thin that it vanished.
"Excellent!" the pale man replied. "Now let us begin, but before that ….help me procure a robe or some other clothing if you please. I do have my modesty and I prefer not to work in the nude. "
