Divine Beast Ascension

565 But I Thought You Were Once Human...

“Contract?!”

Without intention, Oli blurted that out for even Herman to hear. “Herman, I’m sorry about that–”

“There’s no need to be sorry. I’m the one who requested a contract to be made,” Herman stated, looking up at Oli with a firm gaze full of admiration. “I ask to serve you because I feel your actions to bring my family under your wing, and everything that you and your clan’s continued support brings us, deserves the utmost gratitude.

“I was an aging elder only a couple of years ago. Yet now, I’m a mid-perennial and haven’t stopped climbing the ladder of cultivation. With the help of you and your faction, I’ll become a king. And if I serve you as I wish, then there are chances that I can even become a god, able to overlook and watch as my family and clan prosper.”

Hurman paused for a moment as he softened his expression. “... Oli, Master Eeole has made me an offer similar to what he gave to Jarrit. He offered to not only raise me as a king or a god, but as what eventually surpasses the gods of this world. And I turned him down.

“I declined because if I could choose, I would rather work by your side, Oli. Whether as partners or as your right-hand man to help manage your armies, fight your battles, or represent your interests when you’re unavailable. From what Master Eeole has said, you’ll one day out-grow this world. And when that time comes, I would like to leave with you, as soon as I’m strong enough to join you beyond the world of Dominus.”

Oli raised his hand to cut off Herman’s plea. “Why? Why would you want to offer lifetime servitude? That’s no better than volunteering to become a slave.”

But Herman’s amiable expression didn’t waver. “Because I strongly believe that what goes around comes around. If I go around with someone like you, showing my gratitude and loyalty, then what comes around is prosperity and growth for both me and my family. If I hadn’t stood by that belief, I would’ve forced myself to become a perennial ages ago with a lackluster technique that wouldn’t be as fitting as what you’ve given me. And I would’ve gotten stuck in the perennial realm, just like my friends Tranton Forell and Jarrit.

“Oli, I’m not saying I want to call you master and lick your boots. I want to serve by your side and offer whatever services I can to help you in whatever situation you find yourself in. Please, if you don’t accept my offer now, then give it some time for further consideration.”

.....

Caught at a loss for words, Oli scoured his mind for some kind of logic or reason to support what he wanted to say. “... Herman, I’m spending a lot of time acting in secret. I can’t just have you at my side at all times.”

“Perhaps that’s the case now, but it won’t always be like that,” Vloz cut in. “If anything, I believe the time you need a bodyguard is nearly upon you.”

Blinking, Oli asked, “And why is that?”

“Perhaps in Nightscape City you won’t struggle much, but things will be different at the quadrant capital,” Vloz insisted. “Unless you plan on having Zelsh escort you everywhere, having Hurman by your side will be a huge help.

“And let’s not forget one important fact of the past. Before your father was able to enter Devil’s Canyon, he was targeted by perennial assassins. According to Eeole, they had been hired by Lord Zrand from West Quadrant. But Eeole believes that was more of a cover-up, and that it was Kartzal’s wish to never let an ape get the better of him, since your father denied serving Kartzal in front of the whole world.”

Herman chimed in with perfect timing and understanding, “If you permit me to serve by your side, I would be fine with laying down my life to protect you. So long as you live, my family prospers. I would become a worthy sacrifice for my family to receive even more support. That’s my reasoning, Oli. I want to serve you for the irrefutable benefits it will bring to myself and my family. Isn’t it for similar reasons that you agreed to work with Master Eeole in the first place?”

Finally, Herman’s and Vloz’s words struck a cord in Oli’s heart, breaching Oli’s hesitant, mental panic. A bit calmer, Oli exhaled slowly before saying, “And I suppose a contract would make it impossible for you to betray me while we work together. So I can’t complain about that, perhaps.”

“What do you have to lose?” Vloz asked. “Eeole said he wouldn’t be here because he wants you to make your own decisions regarding any and all contracts you personally accept or offer. But Eeole did mention that he was jealous of you because someone like Herman chose you, Oli, over him.”

“I just… don’t want to overcomplicate things and ruin the steps that we’ve laid out. And I struggle to… trust the unconditional support of others,” Oli admitted with a sigh.

Confused, Vloz questioned, “That doesn’t make sense. You’re working with Eeole and always welcome the support of your family–”

“It took years for me to break down those mental barriers with my family. Years of me growing up alongside them,” Oli answered, getting blunter as he continued. “I trust you, Vloz, because you’re the lifelong friend of my uncle and I can easily understand your motives. I see you as one of the most intellectual people I know. And, because I know you, that helps me understand and predict your motives and actions.

“But… I can’t say the same for Herman,” remarked Oli, shrugging back at the swordsman on one knee. “Due to certain things that have happened in my life, I… struggle to understand and relate to your feelings. The only reason I’m working with Eeole is because he can offer me something no one else can. And because he’s so powerful that I had no choice but to play along with whatever plans he had for me. It was only after Eeole had kidnapped me and forced me onto a path I never knew existed that I fully accepted working with him. That’s when I asked him for a reward that should be impossible to fulfill without Eeole’s future support.

“So no. I didn’t accept Eeole’s plan blindly or with great confidence. I did it because I wasn’t strong enough to say no.”

Pausing, Oli glanced at Vloz’s and Herman’s body language to deduce their feelings.

Vloz had taken a single, small step backward. But the leopard’s eyes remained firm. Hurman, on the other hand, was unfazed by everything Oli said.

“Herman… It’s hard for me to admit this, let alone accept what feels like blind admiration from some seeking to take advantage of me–”

“I don’t mind if you see me that way,” Herman stated, catching both Oli and Vloz off guard. “I am doing that. I’m pledging my life to you because I’m convinced it will bring me and my family great benefits. In a way, I would be taking advantage of you from my selfish request to serve at your side.”

Sighing, Oli replied, “But Herman, that’s the thing. I struggle to relate to you. It’s one thing to work with someone I can’t fully relate to or understand. But to accept your blind fealty… It just feels like there’s some catch that will one day appear, hunt me down, and bite me in the ass. From my experience, that’s what comes from pledges like this.”

A bit baffled, Herman stared back at Oli but struggled to come up with a well-worded question.

However, Vloz squinted. A strange thought popped into his head before he telepathically asked Oli, ‘Is this, perhaps, bias from this world or your last world?’

Caught with his mental pants down, Oli replied, ‘That… might be the case.’

‘But you’ve never expressed this before,’ said Vloz. ‘Why now? And why with Herman of all people, someone who helped you in the past?’

‘Because this is the first time someone has blindly pledged to me. Where I come from, such a drastic pledge comes with amazing results five percent of the time, or with a knife in my back ninety-five percent of the time,’ Oli explained.

‘And you think a world isolated from your last one will uphold the same societal norms and characteristics?’ Vloz mentally asked.

Oli immediately replied, ‘Things are different here, to some extent.’

‘To what extent?’

‘Well, you’re not a human. Mom and Uncle aren’t humans. You’re different. And even if Eeole is human, he’s so powerful that I can’t say no, and I need to fulfill some sort of role in his plan before he would ever consider betraying or killing me outright,’ Oli telepathically reasoned.

Instantly stupefied, Vloz’s face scrunched up in confusion. ‘Oli… I thought you were once a human. Yet it sounds like you’re actually biased against humans.’