Sachihiro

I walk into a set of dark gloomy rooms following the unassuming young man through the grinding door. Nilsa is alert behind me, her feet stepping lightly, her center of gravity shifting as well in readiness for an ambush of any kind. I recognise that stance and its not something a human can do so whatever she may be she isn't human, got it.

The is a fire burning on the small fire place setup with comfortable practical padded chairs around it. There is a book case just out of arms reach and a little table with water stains from a cut or a mug repeatedly placed on the same spot many times through the years. The is still a frigid air in the room even with the fire blazing.

"This way please." The young man indicates and I follow him around the curved and into a short passage with two doors on the sides and a single door ahead.

We walk to the door that's straight ahead with the spirit wards marked on the door and the source of the cold fridgid atmosphere in the room. Also the source of the spirit bond that I feel tenuously tethered to me, one of six I am yet to discover to whom it ends. "I'd like to see your master alone."

I say to the young man and walk past him and open the door without any preamble. The room is freezing cold to the extent that my breath mists as I exhale. There is an old almost dessicated corpse of a man lying on the bed looking at me with beautiful blue crystal clear eyes on a face that's sunken and dry.

"Greetings master of my master." The thing sends to my mind in a tired voice that seems to have taken effort to project as far as it was even as I stand less than 2m away.

"I am no master to Albert the Child Molester." I send back walking forward slowly, cataloguing everything within the room whilst keeping my eyes straight on this creature before me.

"None the less you are the being that banished him to the spirit planes and as such you have the authority to summon him again should you ever choose to." He sends again with less effort and less exhaustion in his voice as I walk up and stand right next to the bed.

"What is your name?" I send placing my hand on his bony dry arm so we can send easier to each other.

"I am known as Keir Airell a sorcerer with the Brotherhood of the Order for the past 30 odd years." He responds with much less effort and quicker.

"Why are you in the condition you are in?"

"Being untethered to the world my physical body is rotting away with my spirit bod being drawn closer and closer back to the plane." He doesn't even hesitate to answer my questions and I sense no falsehood in him. Everything he says rings as truth and I feel a surety in that realisation.

"I know of another possessed being hybrid thing and she wasn't in this condition even before I claimed her." I wave a hand to convey his condition but he takes no offense.

"You speak of the slave girl, she is more physical than she is spirit and may last longer in the flesh than the rest of us can."

How many of you are there?"

"There are seven Master."

"What is your name?"

"Keir Airell-" it says with a hiss.

"What is your true name?"

"Sshhhh..." It hisses and spits, the spirit within the being coming forward.

"What is your name spirit!"

"Sshaaadshhhh....!" It hisses with long dagger like fangs bared in threat but unable to truly get to me somehow.

"I command you to name yourself!"

"I ama Saliyasis I am Saliyasix I am Caliyacsis I am clraryux I am #&#-£-££-....!" The thing howls naming itself out loud blinding the room in a cold bleached hue.

"You have no power over me daemon." I say to the thing for that's what it now was. To fuse the flesh and the spirit this way was to create a physical spirit creature exactly like daemons were composed. Daemons, fat Albert had been creating daemons with his meddling with nature.

"I have no power over you."

"You have no authority over me."

"I have no authority over you."

"You have no authority over those who come to you in my name."

"I have no authority over that come to me in your name."

"I bind you to me now and forever more."

"I am bound."

I exhale sharply, the frost leaving the room quickly as it gets warmer and my blood starts circulating into my extremities again. My heart is racing and my palms are sweaty, that was intense and that was amazing. I could feel myself pushing against a tremendous force much greater than I am or ever imagined myself to be.

But the backing from that force is tenuous at best, with many isolated pieces that are not working together. I had just stolen a small piece of a huge organism and this piece was glad to be free from the bigger organism, even if it struggled against my claim.

My spirit energy is all but depleted in that ceremony but I was willing to take the risk seeing that Katya had taken so little spirit energy to claim. I am exhausted, but exhilaration, mana, and amazing vitality is keeping me up as I had now claimed second spirit creature for myself.

"What did you mean I could summon any creature I banish?" I ask just to confirm I had heard correctly earlier.

"You can resummon a creature you banish as part of yourself. Whatever it is you did to him you put are large part of your very soul inside of him as you banished him claiming him as your own. Had the banishing failed you would have been claimed as his own, it was a very bold move Master. I extol your bravery for I assure you risk of belonging to Albert is a torturous fate indeed."

He sends reverting back into something that resembles a human. The dark constanence of a vampire like spirit slowly fading from him. I really had no idea I was playing with the fate of my soul on that one and probably shouldn't do it again. Better to die cleanly I always say.

"Can I resummon Albert at any time I want?"

"When Master acquires enough spirit energy some day Master will be able to summon both creatures banished to the spirit plane."

Ahh... the Lilithian what what creature from the dark dungeon in Eldritch. I had almost forgotten about that one, and a truly formidable creature it was. We'd probably be all dead if I hadn't manage to send it away with how it had just changed form and gotten serious. Shit, it would be a totally overpowered ability if I could summon and control that thing somehow.

"Whats is the most relevant thing you think I need to know?" I ask carefully, testing the binds of our new bond.

"There is blood on the floor under my bed, it is cursed orphan blood I acquired myself. If I drink it I will be able to temporary be out of your control for a few moment's and you your corpse to anchor myself into the world." He hisses and my eyebrows rise in surprise.

"How easy is it for you to make such a potion?"

"I would require another 16 years to be able to gather all of the ingredients again."

"Why didn't you use this to get away from Albert?"

"His hold was too powerful Master, yours is still weak. There are still ways around it for at least the first 100 years."

"Interesting..."

I move the bed with a heave and immediately feel the pentagram drawn under the bed more than see it with my eyes. It shines brightly in my awareness though and the one on the underside of the wood of the bed frame to cover this one up. "Unlock this."

The ward fads slowly and spatters out. A circular whole is left in the ground in which I put my hand. I bring out the vial of blood and store it in my ring.

"Albert is no longer your master, I am now. You will not betray me yo anyone or anything, you understand?" I say emptying out the safe before standing.

"Yes Master."

"Good. Now, tell me all you know about Circle operatives that have infiltrated the Order." I command and the thing starts talking fulfill my entire mission to Tiba in a single afternoon.

Nilsa and I walk back to our traveling group and I am in a good mood today. I think I can go home now, just like that most of my mission is over and I can go see my kids. I'm giddy with happiness but of course I still have a few things to take care of, dot the 'i's cross the 't's. And anyways there is no 100% way I can confirm all of the names he gave me to be accurate but I have certainly done my due diligence in the questioning.

The thing is also healing rapidly now that its getting an infusion of spirit energy again. But now my spirit energy reserves have been permanently reduced by half for as long as I have that thing as my summons. I didn't feel it with Katya cause her demand is miniscule as she is mostly flesh but the creature pretending to be a human name d Keir Airell is more of a drain on my reserves.

I'm starting to see the cost of spirit summoning and why no one just summons a whole host of powerful creatures. Erena's party doesn't stay in a the Order Palace long and in no time we are being escorted out. There is an air of optimism from the advisors and Erena is in her carraige with her maid. The horses are rested and not facing the hot sandy wind anymore as we travel back to the city.

Everything is looking up. I grin at the guard with his helm held in his lap, one of the two Awakened warriors forever on Erena's side. He ignores me but nothing can ruin my mood today.