Alex took a slow, steady breath. "Great. Since we've reached an agreement, I'd say we're all set."
"Yes," the Bat hissed, its long, spindly fingers twitching. "We are all set... once we sign the contract."
"A contract?" Alex asked, his heart beginning to thrum against his ribs.
"Of course," the Bat sneered, "How else would the souls find their way to us? Besides... we couldn't let you crawl back trusting only your 'good character.' The Abyss requires an accord."
"Sure. Of course. Great," Alex muttered, his mind racing.
[A Contract in the Abyss is no mere parchment, Alex-boy. It is a living entity. Once signed, the debt is automated. When you 'harvest' a soul, it will bypass your conscience entirely, flowing through the contract and directly into the demon holding the contract. It also acts as a leash if you fail to pay, the Abyss itself will collect the debt from your either your soul goes to the demon or you will be punished severely.]
Okay? Then what do I do? Alex thought frantically.
[The Abyss mostly recognizes binary agreements. One Provider, One Recipient. You have one soul, but you have five monsters standing in this canyon.]
[Only one of them can sign for the 'Demons' And in the Pit, the one who signs the contract is the one who 'owns' the souls]
I've got this, Alex thought, his jaw tightening. He looked directly at the Bat-demon, ignoring the heavy, uneven breathing of the creatures surrounding them. "So, let's do this."
The Bat-demon's grin split its face, revealing rows of needle-like teeth, The air suddenly ignited, a tear of violet flame manifesting into a sheet of black, obsidian-like paper that hovered in the air, vibrating with a low, dissonant hum.
The Ape, the Jackal, and the others had been sidelined, dismissed like common dregs. They watched as the Bat reached out a clawed finger and dropped a single drop of ink-black blood onto the "paper."
ROAR.
The Ape-demon's patience reached its limit. With a sound like a collapsing mountain, the massive beast lunged. His fist, the size of a wrecking ball and glowing with heat, slammed into the side of the Bat-demon's face.
[SIGN IT! DON'T LET IT GO!]
[SIGN IT!]
[SIGN IT!]
The impact was sickening a wet, crunching sound of hollow bone shattering. The Bat was sent spiraling into the canyon wall, Alex didn't know how but he knew he just need to nod mentally and His name flared in white light across the black obsidian, and the contract dissolved into a cloud of burning ash.
[TIME TO LEAVE]
"I signed it!" Alex screamed, though no one was listening.
As he ran away The Ape was a blur of gray fur and violence, swinging a pillar of rock into the Bat's broken face, while the Jackal's serrated tails tore through the air where Alex had stood seconds before and as the spider and snake tore at each other.
[I SAID TIME TO LEAVE!]
Alex didn't need to be told twice. He bolted toward the silhouette of the city in the distance. Behind him, the canyon was a storm of agony; the shrieks of the Bat and the guttural roars of the Ape grew louder and louder.
[WAIT.]
"WHAT?" Alex gasped, his lungs burning.
[IS THIS REALLY THE WAY?, GO BACK! GO BACK AND HELP THE SPIDER! DEFEND YOUR WOMAN!]
"MY WOMAN!!??" Alex shrieked, nearly tripping over a rock.
[LOOK AT YOURSELF. ONE MINUTE AGO, YOU WERE STANDING EQUALLY WITH THEM, AND NOW? NOW YOU ARE RUNNING LIKE A SCARED RABBIT. ESTABLISH YOUR AUTHORITY; DON'T BE A COWARD.]
[By the laws of the Abyss, that leathery bastard isn't a predator anymore; he's your employee. Until he delivers his side of the agreement, he is tied to you. If he fails, it's either his death or the contract will strip him bare, revealing his Full True Name and allowing you to enslave him forever. It's beautiful.]
[He's going to crawl to you, Alex-boy. He'll find you at the gates, broken and bleeding from the Ape's fury, and he'll deliver those thousand souls on his hands and knees just to keep his soul from becoming your property. Get to the city]