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"UUUUURGGGGH WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" A plus sized elven male slammed his hands on the desk which a man whose appearance frankly screamed "barbarian". With his bodaciously muscular frame that made standing in front of him feeling no different than standing in front of a brick house.
His opulent tailored suit, adorned with gems on his buttons & cuffs, did little to hide his body as it tightly clung to him. Not so much by design but just on account of how ridiculously muscular he was. Even in a fancy suit there was literally no way he'd be able to be mistaken for a standard pencil pushing noble lord.
Meanwhile the elf in front of him certainly felt like a young noble lord; specifically one who had none of the competence yet all the puffed up ego.
He didn't even seem cognizant of the growing displeasure of the man across from him. A displeasure that was fairly evident in account of the writing worm-like veins that bulge out wherever his flesh was visible from under the suit. It was kind of amazing he hadn't already snapped the cloaked elf in half already.
Silently tapping his desk with his wrist resting across its surface; that wood not even having received a single crack despite the flailing blows from the elf. Said elf looking somewhat akin to a beached squid if maybe with less power. Not even eliciting any kind of bang despite all the effort he was putting into it.
Maybe the beast of a man would find some amusement in the pathetic blows of his supposed comrade if he wasn't just as mad at the recent events. Only further pushed by the inane screech of that always cocky fat ass. "If you don't quit it I'm going to have to shut you up myself and you won't like that…"
His words unnervingly calm as he rested back in his chair, it was so passive that one may have mistook him for calm, if not looking like he was edging a couple dozen strokes at once.
Sadly the elf was not too worried about his supposed allies' health.
"Don't act all high mighty when you said you could deal with a problem like this - there was so much that you could have done yet here we are. What the fuck is even happening!" Angrily screaming out as he gripped the edge of the desk while growling like some kind of wild rabid beast.
Though the master of that place was already used to dealing with beasts.
Let alone a mere fattened up pup who already thought themselves a fully grown lion; truly he wanted to teach the brat a very important lesson.
Narrowing his eyes as, for a moment, his eyes become glowing slits that felt as if they could pierce through led walls. That seemed to finally wake the cocky bastard elf from his illusion that he had any real power against the giant of a man. Realising how close he was to saying something that he couldn't take back and that… His life was very much still in danger.
For a moment he started to shiver - stumbling backwards to instinctively get some distance. Yet the intimidation only stopped the gears in his oversized head for a brief moment. When they started to work a confidence slowly came back as he glowered towards the brute.
"Humpf nice try but you couldn't even kill me if you tried to." Crossing his arms with a faintly forced smirk on his face; though it did little to challenge the mood of his co conspirator who was even less pleased that he couldn't put that brat in his place. "So why is Monster Subsumer stopping their activities!"
Practically growling at the end as he stepped forward with a finger firmly pointed towards the man on the opposite side of the desk to him. "These are early days in the game where we should be doing the most!"
Brushing his fingers through his scalp as he started to pace around the room. Although the other occupant was just glad that the braggart was finally done screaming like a rabies addled beast. "Things are not good as the guild has moved out and begun to absolutely scour every goddamned inch of the city…"
"So? Don't you already have connections to that count who rules over the underworld with my help; why not just get him to apply some pressure along with your own? What is the point in being a noble when you don't use your weight!?" Charging over to slap his palms atop the desk.
Finally that did get some actual impact behind it (partly due to him putting his vast mass behind his abrupt desk slam) resulting in pens clattering up. The man who owned that very same desk just silently watched his stationery fly about before finally speaking again. "Do you think I'm wearing this getup for the fun of it?"
That caused the elf to guffaw in a mixture of confusion or shock.
Clearly having little idea what something as minute as his wardrobe had to do with his questions; fortunately the man didn't want the elf screaming again.
"That bastard count has completely cut me off abruptly - ignoring all attempts to get in contact with him but instead uses all his influence on something else. Looking for some brats or something I think?" Shaking his head with clearly no interest in what the man was actually searching for.
Only caring that the count was not helping in covering for his own ass. Crossing his arms with a huge frown on his face as he gnashed his teeth angrily; eyes turning away from the brat to instead turn towards a map full of pins & strings. "I can't risk all this blowing up just to recruit a few more trash."
Scrolling as he struggled to resist the urge to chuck something at the damned map.
"Then the fuck we supposed to do after my guild invested in you, after I invested tons into your little group of monster freaks, huh?!" Very much not happy with the answer he eventually got.
Surprisingly he actually had the self-awareness to look embarrassed at being called out by who was actually one of his top investors. "I am trying to get some ministers to block the guild. Still there are nothing directly we can do against an entity the size of the guild; we are talking about the strongest fighting force except maybe that crazy demon broad…"
"That doesn't answer the question of what the fuck we should do other than wait and hope that they somehow are looking into some other grand scheme?!" At this point the elf seemed ready to pull his hair out as he began to madly pace again. Although, now, the other man seemed rather calm.
Almost serene.
For a moment he seemed to be thinking about something else as he absent mindedly looked down at the closed draw of his desk. One far too large to hold a diary or some stationary. Not to mention the sheer security embedded; the wood plating just be a meager exterior fixture on what was essentially a safe.
Finally he appeared to make up his mind with a long drawn out sigh - leaning over to begin unlocking the vault with a faint frown. Soon it came open with a series of rather sharp clicks. "I will contact the one who granted me the insight to develop the technique… I only hope the price won't be too great."
With that he reached into the heavily reinforced door of the strongbox to retrieve what hid inside; though what he pulled out caused the elf to sputter in shock.
A black witches hat.
It was a fairly standard, if clearly showcasing various marks of age, if not for the sheer size of the brim making it a guarantee that it would hide the eyes of the wearer. The tip of the hat was also crooked as it limply fell towards the back. What really caught attention was the depth of the black colouring along with the crimson stitching that combined with a set of buttons to make a face with an eerie cheshire grin.
Even though the head was obviously very sturdy (even if it had clearly seen better days with the fabric being frayed, burned in some places and a noticeably hole on the side of the brim) it took care. Holding it with such delicacy that was not exactly expected from someone like him. Walking around to the front of his own desk in an almost robotic manner.
As if he was afraid that whatever abrupt movement he did could be misconstrued by that hat that eerily felt as if it was… Watching them.
"W-What the hell has a hat got to do with any of this?" Although his language was as crude as ever, there was a noticeable difference, his voice carrying a certain amount of fear. Despite his dismissive attitude he clearly kept sneaking wary glanced towards the hat.
Though the room owner did not yet answer as he reached into his jacket to pull out a knife that had been carefully sheathed inside. Resting the blade on his finger only to quickly drag it across. Ignoring the squeamish reaction of the elf as he began to paint a picture on the table in front of the hat.
"That's a bloody pentagram?!" Hawking as, even if he wasn't the smartest cookie, he at least watched enough media to understand what something like that meant in a fantasy world.
When he finally finished he had drawn a bloody pentagram encased in a circle of thorns. Finally letting out a deep breath as he placed the hat atop that sign after making sure to clean the wound in order to avoid getting any blood on the hat. "This is a relic that belongs to the archdemon of wishes; the Draemer."
"So you think some random mangey hat along with a freaky symbol made out of blood will be enough to summon one of the most powerful entities in myth?" Gaining some confidence back-
"Hmpf disrespectful fat brat who only has memories of two lives thinks he could question what my master can or can't find possible?"
-until a voice randomly huffed at him. Looking at the muscle man showcased it clearly wasn't him so the elf slowly turned his head to look towards the hat they were talking about. A slight change occurred with that hat; the button eyes were no longer normal but instead glowing and strangely narrows.
One "eye" glowed with an indigo glow encased in crimson lightning while the other a navy with the exact same crimson engulfing it. The mouth of the hat even formed a crooked cheshire grin as it studied the two in front of itself. "You brats must have run into some big issues if you are using little ol' me."
Its voice was just as crooked as its smile - only made more unsettling with the powerful aura that strangely made them feel… Lighter? Something that even that dumb elf couldn't help take personal note of due to the discrepancy.
Instead he was getting… Buffs?
"Y-You are an archdemon?" He asked with a surprisingly proper bow towards the hat; far more etiquette than he has ever shown in either of his lives.
Refusing to raise his head.
Even if that politeness was only met with the vicious unadulterated mocking laughter from the very hat he was actually bowing towards. That hat was really having a great time as it surprisingly answered. "Heh me the respectable archdemon of wishes and ignorance - I merely act as an avatar as his first creation - you really are a suitable pawn if only for how funny you are and how well you fit his granted divinities!"
"The adventurers guild and the god hunters are nosing about our business. I'm sure you are aware that it will be difficult to free your master if they are sniffing about…" Glancing towards the elf who was bowing but seemed pleased enough that the elf at least knew how to act around an archdemon.
Since just using a mere virtual avatar will not stop a being like that to strike someone down for good.
However the attempt to divert the hats attention did not appear to have pleased it; narrowing its eyes as a dark abyssal aura that sparked with crimson lightning sparking out. The voice of the hat changed to become more androgynous. "Chehehe~hahaha~ you have failed me once already yet come in front of my hat, groveling, to ask for more handouts~[question mark]?"
It was a beautiful voice that caused their hearing to strangely improve - even the flapping of a flies wings became audible to the two. Eyesight so great that colours they didn't have names for had appeared. Yet it was far from being a blessing when their minds were not made to be able to handle so much information.
"Chehehe~ ask the elf whether you have ever failed and you'll know the truth - still I was gracious enough to give you your soul back to try again[fullstop]. A little more help would not be out of the question as I am the one who lives in dreams but payment will need to be expanded upon[fullstop]." Such a statement caused them both to shiver yet at least the inverted pressure vanished.
"Seems like you have been rewarded for your bravery; leaving negotiations in my capable seams. The lord of wishes, deals and ignorance always has favoured the foolish I suppose!" That laugh not missing the chance to laugh at their plight.