Does The Demon King Come With A Paycheck? Chapter 1 Part 3

I blinked at that and let out an uncontrollable gulp.

That sound ominous as hell.

...

As I pulled the soft hoodie over my head, the fabric felt like a gentle embrace, instantly making me feel more at ease. I couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh, comfort was definitely key to staying relatively sane. The garment hung loosely on me, and I could already tell it was going to be a favorite.

My attention was captured by the little black cat, its oversized ears twitching in my peripheral vision. It floated a bit closer, its head tilting to the side as it stared at the hoodie with a perplexed expression. I chuckled to myself, maybe it didn’t recognize this odd creation. What was a hoodie to a magical cat anyway?

With a soft sigh, the cat hovered there for an extra moment, eyes wide and questioning, clearly trying to process this new addition before to my surprise, I watched shake it's head and turned it's attention elsewhere.

With a determined flick of its tail signaling its newfound focus, the cat focused away from the hoodie and darted off away.

"Talk about a short-attention span!" I said with a grin, amused at its sudden shift. It zipped off, gliding around, its tiny wings sparkling as it darted from one spot to another. I could just imagine it searching for the same ingredients it had gathered before, this time with a clear goal in mind, the potion it had been wanting to brew.

I tugged the hoodie down and adjusted it a bit more snugly around me, finding delight in the relaxed fit.

Once it had everything it needed hovering around it, the cat returned to me. Hovering in front of my face, it flashed me a triumphant look before gently placing the ingredients into the pot it had prepared earlier.

I watched it hesitate for a brief moment before letting out a sigh and flying over towards the two turnips on the stand, and cutting a few layers off the same one it'd cut off before, carefully, it flew back and gently placed said pieces down inside the pot.

The cat then began to work its magic, manipulating the first ingredient with deft movements. A shimmering light emanated from the herbs as they vibrated gently, rising just above the contents of the pot.

With great concentration, the cat murmured soft sounds, coaxing the elements to combine. Each ingredient joined the bubbling concoction with a flourish, swirling and dancing in a delicate blend that was mesmerizing to watch. Wisps of energy intertwined, creating a captivating mixture that shimmered with an ethereal glow.

With a final, exaggerated motion, the cat flicked it's tail, and the formation in the pot erupted in a soft luminescence, taking on a strange, whispy aura that floated up into the air like tendrils of smoke. To my surprise, the potion began to drift toward the cat, drawn by an unseen force, as if it were a playful wisp itself.

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms, an amused grin spreading across my face. “Hey now, is that safe? You sure you don’t need my help?” I called out good-naturedly. It had needed my help with the hoodie so...

The cat paused mid-hover, glancing back at me with another confident flick of its tail, asserting that it had everything under control. Its eyes glinted with playful mischief, and it seemed to revel in the moment.

“Really?” I laughed, watching the potion twinkle in the sunlight. “You’re going to take all the credit for this one, aren’t you?”

...

The little black cat hovered there for a moment, its large, expressive eyes fixed on me with a contemplative look. It seemed to be musing over something, its head tilting slightly to the side, as if considering its next move. I could almost feel the weight of its gaze.

Unconcerned with what might be brewing in that tiny feline mind, my thoughts drifted back to the potion, still swirling in the pot with its strange, ethereal glow. It looked mesmerizing, and honestly, a bit enticing. I leaned closer, curiosity bubbling up inside me.

Without really thinking it through, I reached out and picked up the pot, glancing back at the cat as it watched me with what I could only describe as shock. There was a flicker of surprise in its eyes, but I brushed it off, too caught up in the moment. “Here goes nothing!” I declared, and before I could second-guess myself, I lifted the pot to my lips and downed the entire contents in one go.

The taste was surprising- sweet yet earthy, with a hint of the turnip. I felt the potion coat my throat as I swallowed, and a wave of warmth spread through me. I glanced down, half-expecting the cat to look horrified, but its expression was a mix of disbelief and fascination.

I caught its wide eyes staring up at me, as if processing what just transpired. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t?” I laughed, feeling a rush of exhilaration. The cat blinked, looking utterly baffled, like I had just pulled off the stupidest stunt imaginable.

As the last drop of the potion slid down my throat, an unusual sensation washed over me- like a warm current of energy flowing through my veins. For a brief moment, the world around us seemed to shimmer, the colors brightening and swirling as if the very fabric of reality was shifting.

Then, unexpectedly, a voice filled my mind, clear and sharp as a bell, cutting through the haze of the potion’s magic. 'You are the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen,' it said, the words laced with incredulity.

Startled, I stumbled back slightly, eyes wide. “What the-?” I gasped, looking down at the cat hovering in front of me, still wide-eyed and flabbergasted. There was no denying it, I could hear its voice in my head!

'Seriously, why on earth would you do something that reckless?' The voice continued, exuding a blend of exasperation and amusement.

“Uh, is that… you?” I stammered, feeling utterly bemused. It seemed impossible, yet here I was, having a conversation in my head with a cat. “How is this even happening?”

'I brewed a potion that was supposed to enhance our connection, but I didn't think you’d chug it down like some careless fool!' The cat’s voice sounded exasperated, yet I could sense an undercurrent of affection amidst the irritation.

I laughed nervously, glancing at the potion pot as if it were to blame for my current predicament. “What did you expect? I was curious!”

'Well, you certainly are curious, I'll give you that,' the cat replied, its voice lightening just a touch. 'But curiosity doesn’t excuse idiocy. Now we’re stuck with this connection. You’d better get used to my thoughts rattling around in your head.'

I tilted my head at it. "I am cool with it." A beat passed. "You can shut it off when I am sleeping though right?"

It blinked at me for that before letting out a sigh. 'Of course I can.' A beat passed. 'I thought you humans didn't like sharing connections though?' I had a strange feeling that something went unsaid with it's words but I couldn't really figure out what it was.

"You kidding? You have any idea what my home world would pay for a potion like that!?" I said with absolute conviction. People would kill for this kind of thing!

'Well... your odd beliefs aside... it’ll be more than just a commentary,' the cat chimed in, a hint of playful mischief returning. 'I’ll be your eyes and ears... and I assure you, I’ll have plenty to say about all your choices!'

"Cool." I deadpanned before letting a grin take over my face.

The cat just let out another sigh, though I noticed a lot more affection in this one.

The two of us fell into a nice moment of silence as we just stared at each other, me mostly in curiosity and the cat mostly judging its own choices from the barest hints I got out of it- and at that thought the little furball's face twitched and the cat faked a freakin' cough with a paw.

It's voice, carrying a blend of exasperation and amusement, echoed through my head once again 'Well, it’s obvious you must have some questions now. About this island, for starters.'

"Eh, who needs spoilers this early?" I immediately responded cheekily.

The cat twitched at that.

'...Perhaps then, about the strange words etched in the sand and those numbers beside them-'

I've played games in langauges I didn't understand before, it's all about trial and error baby!

The cat gave me a very long look for that one before what looked suspiciously like a smug smile filled it's face.

'...the rising counter, currently breaking records-'

"Do I get a trophy?"

The cat shook its head slowly. 'If at all possible, I hope to the sages of the future that no one ever learns of this sordid attempt at-'

"Ya lost me at sages, won't lie."

 The cat gave me a very long look for that one before what looked suspiciously like a smug smile filled it's face.

'The Turnip.'

I leaned back slightly at that, a slightly amused look on my own face. “Yeah, I mean, all that stuff is definitely curious...” I started, but then my focus drifted. I couldn’t help but smirk, an idea bubbling up. “But honestly, I was just wondering if you could whip me up a pair of comfortable jogging bottoms to go with this sweet hoodie.” I tugged at said hoodie.

There was a pause, and I could almost envision the incredulous stare the cat would give me. 'You’re still thinking about clothing?' The voice brimmed with disbelief, followed by an unmistakable tone of irritation. 'You mean to tell me that with all the mysteries surrounding this island- your utter lack of understanding of the magical elements in front of you- you’re still worrying about clothing?'

It was hard keeping a straight face as I nodded at the cat.

I could practically hear the cat’s exasperation radiating through the connection. 'You are the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen!' it repeated, this time with added emphasis, as if to underscore just how ridiculous I was being.

I chuckled to myself, enjoying the quirkiness of the situation. “What can I say? Comfort is key.” I declared playfully. At the suffering look that took over the poor creature, I put both my hands up in mock-surrender. "I am kidding, I am kidding! Explain away ya little rascal!"

It let out a relieved sigh at that.

Jogging bottoms can come after.

...

The cat let out a dramatic sigh, and I could almost picture it settling into a more serious demeanor. 'Now that we can actually communicate,' it said, voice steady, 'we need to establish three important ground rules.' 

"Hit me psychic hoodie maker!"

It's mouth twitched at that before it faked another cough with a paw- Freakin' adorable- and continued on as if I hadn't said anything.

'First and foremost,' the cat continued with an air of gravitas, 'you must promise not to create any more- What did you call them? Turnips! That's the word you used, no more of them! One could threaten the very world!'

"...Okay not gonna lie, not what I expected!" I chuckled. Honestly out of a hundred things that wasn't even in the top fifty of my list of concerns!

I tilted my head, rubbing my stomach absentmindedly. “A turnip? Really? It hasn't even threatened my stomach...” I pointed at my belly, grinning at the absurdity of it all. The cat’s face twitched, clearly torn between maintaining its stern expression and the undeniable urge to roll its eyes at me.

'Do you have any idea what kind of chaos one of those can unleash?' The cat shot back, eyes narrowing slightly, though the seriousness of its tone might have been ruined by the twitching whiskers. I couldn’t help but snicker at the sight.

“Look, I understand we’re in an unusual situation,” I said, trying to suppress my laughter, “but if a turnip can cause apocalyptic disaster, ya'll might have bigger problems!"

The cat huffed, but I could sense the budding frustration mixed with the thrill of having this bizarre back-and-forth. 'Just trust me, alright? Those things are dangerous. No more of them, understood?'

“Alright, alright!” I finally relented, throwing my hands up in mock surrender once again. “No more magical turnips. But you have to admit, your concern sounds almost...dramatic.”

'Dramatic?' the cat echoed, its voice taking on an incredulous tone. 'You just drank a potion without a second thought! I think dramatic fits the theme here!'

“Touché,” I replied with a chuckle, enjoying the lighthearted banter. As much as the cat wanted to seem all ominous and serious, I couldn’t help but enjoy the rapport we were building- It felt so very, very out of the norm for me.

And depressingly enough, I wasn't even talking about the fantastical nature of it all.

I raised an eyebrow electing to move past said depressing thought and judging by the sudden change in the cat's expression it'd picked up on it. “So what’s the big deal about this turnip, anyway?” A beat passed. "Wait, hang on you specifically mentioned what I called them... What do you call them exactly?" I questioned, genuinely curious.

'Seeds of Yggsarath.'

I blinked at that and let out an uncontrollable gulp.

That sound ominous as hell.

The cat, at the look on my face, adopted another serious tone. 'It’s a myth to begin with. While it takes the form of a vegetable, it’s actually the only ingredient in the world that shapes its own destiny. In doing so, it’s effectively the only ingredient that can pass as any singular or multiple requirements within even Founding Magic itself.'

What the hell is founding magic and why did it sound like something out of a freakin' horror!?

At said thought, the cat raised a paw and idly pointed out that it had no true inkling itself as to that magic.

I nodded along slowly, trying to digest the gravity of its words. “Okay, so it’s some kind of magical superfood. But... what does that mean for me? I’ve been taking bites out of it on a daily basis!”

The cat looked thoughtful for a moment before clarifying, 'You can still take bites out of it to improve your abilities as you're not actually harnessing it that way, more just... well, eating its magic so to say. Just… be careful not to push too far!' 

At that, my eyes widened in slight excitement. “Aha! So my theory was right! It does enhance my abilities! That's great news!” A beat passed. "Wait, what about the hoodie, did we doom the world making it!?"

The cat rolled its eyes at that. 'Creating fabric isn't quite on the same level as harnessing the powers of fate, besides, provided you don't use up an entire seed at once, none would notice it. Should the seed not return itself to full, is the moment we ought to panic.'

"Oh, so you can make me some joggin bottoms with it, is what I am hearing?" I deadpanned.

The cat let out an exasperated huff, its fur bristling slightly. 'That’s not the point! All my knowledge of it is based on myths! While I doubt creating more fabric, or a lower-grade potion is enough of a conduit to break the world that doesn't mean you ought to test it's limits!' The cat frowned heavily and pointed a paw at me. 'And you definitely can’t create any more of those seeds. When we leave the island, we won’t be able to take them with us!'

I tilted my head at that relatively intrigued. “And what happens to the turnips when we leave?”

The cat shrugged slightly. 'They’ll likely just spread out across the world. And who knows what could happen should they land in the wrong hands? Chaos, destruction, you name it.' 

I frowned, the implications of that settling in. “So all this time I’ve been casually biting into what could be the biggest magic bomb on the planet?”

'...I suppose,' the cat remarked, exasperation creeping back into its tone. 'Like I said however, without any powerful magic involved, it's relatively harmless- But the moment we leave that harm rises greatly depending on where they end up.'

"Eating them is safe then?"

The cat nodded slowly.

"Why don't we just eat an entire one at once then so it doesn't regenerate?"

"Because it is already in existence. The moment you split it in half, and allowed the day to turn, was the moment both halves fixed themselves as facts in this island.' The cat remarked somberly. 'If you eat a whole one, the island will simply grow the second back out of nothingness the moment the day passes.' 

A worrisome beat of silence passed after those words.

"Huh." I let out a heavy sigh. "You're right, I am an idiot."

'A very lucky one it seems,' The cat sighed.

“Lucky, huh?” I echoed, raising an eyebrow. “Not sure how lucky I feel after being told I've been eating a potential world-ending turnip!” I chuckled somewhat uneasily.

I mean sure the cat said that was fine and all and... honestly, I probably wasn't going to stop at least taking bites out of it- If only because it was the only way to actually boost one of those stats at the moment... It was still a little crazy to think about though.

But as they say, no pain no gain!

Thankfully, judging by the shrugging cat, it didn't hear that part.

'You could be in a much worse position, trust me at the very least you stopped at two. But speaking of luck, we need to move on to ground rule number two. You need to learn the language of those strange words you've seen.'

I blinked, caught off guard. “Wait, what? You mean I have to spend time taking lessons with you?” I questioned a tad excitedly to the cat's surprise.

I definitely wasn't against that!

Holy crap, talk about a windfall... though the idea of learning a whole language was... I quickly slapped both sides of my face- No! I was absolutely going to do it. I had to.

There was no point to this all if I was going to half-ass it.

'Exactly,' the cat affirmed with a serious nod and mild surprise on it's face. 'The language is crucial to navigate the world, understanding will be essential.' 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, you already know I am not against spending more time here.”

The cat’s expression softened slightly, but then it grew somber again. 'Good to hear, but it’s worth noting that I can only offer you the basics...'

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you mean? You seem pretty knowledgeable!"

The cat's expression turned into an appreciative one at that, albeit for a moment before it settled back into a somber one once again. 'To you perhaps... but... well, let's just say I am not necessarily kept privy to anything that doesn't benefit your kind.'

The smile on my face slipped at that as, for likely the first time since I'd gotten here, a glimpse of something familiar filled my mind.

Something I'd really tried to not think about all too much.

I'd adapted to this whimsical place because, well, my homeworld wasn't exactly a utopia- and the cat's face right now was... and its emphasis on the 'your' part...

"...Do you mind explaining that a little more?" I questioned genuinely and without a hint of laughter, which seemed to surprise the cat again before it frowned.

I watched it idly hover up to eye-level with me, it's gaze searching for something, before to my surprise, it reached a paw out to my forehead.

I expected a hint of magic or something really but nothing happened. The cat just left the paw on my face as it appraised me for some reason.

After a somewhat strange moment of just waiting, the cat moved it's paw away and slowly settled down on my shoulder, on top of the grey hoodie.

'The humans who rule the world... don’t regard lesser creatures like me.'

For the first time since I'd shown up in this island, I think I might've just felt the sun's heat a little more.

The cat elected to continue on in my silence while sighing. 'All I can really teach you is the basics of the language itself. It's all I know of it.' 

“Fair enough,” I replied. “I’ll take what I can get. Learning the language is a solid start!” I let a small grin light up my face as I turned to face the cat on my shoulder.

The cat’s ears perked up at that, a glint of determination reflecting in its eyes. 'Exactly. If we’re going to face this world, knowledge is your best asset.'

We're.

Partners in crime it was!

“Alright, then,” I said, feeling newfound determination. “What’s the final rule?”

The cat took a deep breath, its expression turning serious once more. 'Once we leave this island, it is absolutely essential that you don’t reveal the fact that you’ve been here.' 

I blinked, bemused. “Why not?” As I idly lowered myself down onto the ground into a cross-legged position, the cat still on my shoulder as I stared at it while leaning back against my arms.

The cat’s gaze sharpened. 'Because this place is a secret known to few. The moment you mention having been here, you’ll attract unwanted attention. There are forces at play that would exploit your experience, at best.' 

It emphasised the hell out of the last word there.

I furrowed my brows, absorbing that information. “So the island is a secret, and I’m not supposed to talk about it?”

'The few that know of it's secret- those people would take it the wrong way,' the cat warned. 'Trust me on this. The fewer people who know, the better for both of us.' 

I nodded, accepting the depth of the cat’s concern. “Alright, I get it. No mentioning the island. I’ll keep that close to my chest.”

'Good,' the cat said, visibly relaxing a little. 'Now, let’s get started on those lessons. The sooner you learn, the better.' 

With a determined grin, I took a deep breath. “Bring it on!”

...

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