Chapter 313: Status Sheet

The next several days after Jadis’ first meeting with the high priests were an absolute whirlwind of stressful activity. As she had expected, much of her waking hours were taken up by further meetings with the priestly envoys, but there were other kinds of meetings to take up her time as well. Meetings with Vraekae and Willa to go over the reports concerning the expedition, meetings regarding the Roiling Reavers and Sorcha, meetings about Fortune’s Favored and the company’s status; meetings, meetings, meetings. While Jadis couldn’t in all honesty say the meetings were worse than some of the rougher days she’d had during the expedition to the mountains, Jadis still found herself thinking wistfully of the days when all she had to worry about was life and death, rather than making some kind of legal or political misstep that could unintentionally screw either her future or the futures of her companions.

It didn’t help Jadis’ concentration that Kerr had obstinately refused to reveal whether or not she’d been fertile during their impromptu unprotected night of sex. Jadis was fairly certain Kerr was just messing with her head, but the woman was just crazy enough that Jadis couldn’t discount the possibility.

Thoughts of parenthood aside, one of the most important things that Jadis had to deal with was securing approval from the priests for Alex. That had, naturally, involved physically introducing the demonette to the group at the next meeting where all the priests were gathered a few days later. Popping open a box and having Alex crawl out had elicited some interesting responses from the gathering, including three different attempts at smiting the demon, four different spells that Jadis couldn’t even guess at their power or purpose, and one chair that had been thrown with extremely impressive accuracy.

Jadis was just glad General Egilhard hadn’t been invited to that particular meeting.

Convincing the high priests that Alex wasn’t a threat hadn’t been easy per se, but it hadn’t been quite the impossible task that Jadis had feared it would be. Part of that ease stemmed from the fact that Jadis had a rather large ace in her pocket in the form of a literal god. D had answered her questions in regards to Alex which was something the high priests took very seriously. Not without debate, but seriously. It also helped that both Myron and Vita were avatars, which meant that they had direct lines to their own gods to give them guidance. When confronted with Alex, neither could say that their individual patrons were warning them of danger. Vita claimed that her goddess, Ulya, was giving her a clear indication to walk with caution, but Myron’s only discernable directive was to analyze, analyze, and analyze.

One suggestion that Jadis made regarding Alex was for Sholto to use Rowen’s Medallion of Truesight on the demon. She had originally planned on asking Vraekae to make Alex a mercenary badge so that her status sheet could be viewed and examined. The artifact that Sholto had brought with him from the capital could accomplish the same feat, though, which Jadis thought was the better option.

Jadis did her best to explain to Alex what exactly they wanted to do, trying to give her the same level of respect and autonomy as anyone else deserved when it came to the privacy of their status sheet; however, Alex simply did not seem to catch on to what Jadis was telling her. It might have been because the concept of a status sheet was too hard to explain with the demon’s limited vocabulary, or it could have been that Jadis just wasn’t doing a good job at presenting the idea. Jadis’ true fear, though, was that Alex didn’t understand the idea because she didn’t have a status sheet to begin with, therefore the idea was completely alien.

That fear was all but confirmed when Sholto used the golden artifact to examine Alex and revealed that all that the detection enchantment was showing him was the same kind of information that he would have received if he had used it on any other demon. In conjunction with the enchanted device shaped like a plate that Vraekae retrieved from her office, Jadis and all the priests were able to see what Sholto could see while using the artifact.

“Rather low health for a greater demon,” Oswin mused as he drummed his fingers on the table. “But other than that anomaly, this does nothing to prove your presumption that Alex or any other demon has access to the System and are capable of gaining classes.”

“That’s an interesting name, though. ‘Bonded Alex’. Sort of implies a strong relationship with someone, doesn’t it?” Sholto mused as he scratched his green nose. “Almost like a bonded class.”

“Greater Demons typically possess a two-part name structured as an ‘adjective’ and ‘noun’ combination that represent aspects of their unique nature,” Myron intoned as his many stone hands scribbled away in two different books. “While I am unaware of any greater demon having been recorded as possessing an actual proper noun as part of their naming structure, Bonded Alex does not deviate from the expected format.”

Bonded Alex.

Jadis looked at the black and neon blue demon with worried eyes. She didn’t have to wonder who that “bonded” was in reference to. Jadis had just experienced Kerr receiving a bonded class thanks to her involvement with her. Considering how attached the demon was to her, she couldn’t be wholly surprised that Alex had also unlocked a bonded class. Of course, Jadis still felt blindsided by the revelation, just not completely lost. She really had been underestimating just how strongly Alex felt about her.

Well. If anything, the knowledge that Alex had taken a bonded class because of her just further pushed Jadis to make sure that the demon got every possible chance to show that her nature was far more complex than these people thought it to be.

“I’d like to give her a mercenary badge,” Jay spoke up, addressing Vraekae who sat at the far end of the table once again. “To see how that interacts with her status sheet.”

A flicker of surprise flitted across the magistrate’s face, but before she could say anything Steingrimur spoke up with a growl.

“Why? Anything a badge could do, that trinket around Sholto’s neck can do. If that thing can’t see a sheet on this demon, what difference is a badge going to make?”

“Consent.”

Jadis’ three-voiced answer prompted various surprised reactions from the priests around the meeting table mixed with heavy doses of doubt. Leaning forward, Jay motioned towards Alex who quietly sat between her and Dys.

“No, really. Consent. Since that Truesight-whatever thing is an artifact, I figure it was probably used by some past hero, right?”

“Indeed,” Aurea answered her question. The beautiful priestess was looking a little subdued this morning, which Jadis thought might have something to do with any preconceived notions the woman might have had about the only living Nephilim having not been met. “The Hero from around two thousand four hundred years ago, a time before your people were… thought to be extinct.”

“Right. And I’m sure it’s seen use since,” Jay nodded her head while leaning back in her chair. “If all demons have status sheets, I’m sure that artifact would have picked up on it before now.”

“Except!” Syd held up a finger. “Having actually spent time communicating with Alex, I can tell you that the way she thinks is not the same as how any of us think, and I don’t think that’s unique to her. I suspect that demons have just as much intelligence as anyone else, however, their brains are hardwired differently so they don’t process things the same way. I mean, they don’t breathe. They don’t eat. They don’t sleep. I don’t think they even really perceive sensory input the same way as we do.”

“Which is why I think that since her mind doesn’t work the way ours do, her status sheet probably doesn’t work the way ours do either,” Dys followed up as she put a hand on Alex’s monstrous shoulder. “Alex can read, but only because I showed her what letters are. It wouldn’t make sense that her status sheet would be formed of letters and numbers when demons don’t even operate like that. Their status sheets would have to come in some form that they innately understand, rather than a format that would require them to have knowledge of a letter system they can’t possibly possess.”

There was a long, long minute of silent contemplation between the high priests before any of them responded to Jadis’ theories. When one of them did, Jadis wasn’t surprised to see it was the Golem, Myron.

“In support of your theory, I can confirm that the Temple of Metethys has records of individuals who were born blind and remained so before reaching the age of majority for their race and unlocking their primary class. When such individuals later had sight given to them by priests, they were asked questions concerning how they viewed the status sheet in their mind. Such individuals stated that they did not ‘see’ a status sheet in the same way that is commonly described, but instead ‘heard’ the status sheet. It was only after they had been given vision that they began to see the status sheet.”

Jadis smiled at the stoney priest. She wasn’t sure if he had any real interest any helping Alex, but the example he’d just provided was excellent evidence in favor of her theory. If blind people didn’t see status sheets, why would demons, who didn’t seem to think in words, have status sheets like that at all?

“A fair point,” Oswin nodded his head as he wrote a few notes down on a parchment he had before him. “However, I’m sure that temple records can confirm that such blind individuals still had visually readable status sheets when detection spells such as Rowen’s Medallion of Truesight was used on them.”

“Partially correct,” Myron said, holding up one finger. “We have no record of Rowen’s artifact being used to examine such an individual and therefore cannot confirm. However, we do have records showing that such blind individuals did have normal status sheets when mechanisms such as mercenary badges or similar devices were used on them.”

“I won’t argue against that,” Jay interjected before Oswin or anyone else could say more, “but I don’t think that invalidates my point here. If a blind person got a badge, that meant they consented to have it. They wanted their status sheet to be legible for others to understand it.”

“Look, it can’t hurt, can it?” Lonan, the halfling priest, spoke up. “I mean, it isn’t like we have any precedent for something like this, right? None that I remember from any records I’ve ever read. Why not try it and see what happens? I, for one, am interested in learning as much as we can from Alex about demons.”

“The demon known as Bonded Alex poses a unique research opportunity,” Myron agreed in his dispassionate voice. “We should take advantage of every available avenue to gather data.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Sholto expressively shrugged his shoulders. “We get a demon who is contractually obligated to follow mercenary operational laws? Doesn’t seem like a big loss to me.”

“Agreed,” Vraekae finally said, putting her verbal seal of tentative approval on the process. “We’ll take a recess here. It will take me some time to arrange proceedings.”

With that, the meeting took a reprieve while the Magistrate went about getting things set up for Alex to receive a mercenary badge. Jadis was fairly certain that Vraekae would want as few people around to witness the process as possible, so that probably meant she was going to have to clear much of the building so that no one would be around to observe Alex in the chamber where the magic ritual for a badge was done. Jadis didn’t know how long any of that was going to take, but while she waited, she spent the time trying once again to explain the situation to Alex.

“Status sheet,” Jay tried again. “Jadis has a status sheet. Aila has a status sheet. Alex has a status sheet.”

“Status… Sheet…” Alex repeated as she stared at the crude drawing of a status sheet that Jadis had drawn on a borrowed piece of paper. “Letters…”

“Letters and numbers, yes,” Jay sighed. It didn’t seem like they’d quite made a breakthrough in understanding. “Letters and numbers for Jadis. Letters and numbers for Alex.”

The high priests, all of whom still lingered in the room, threw both cautious and curious looks Jadis’ way while she tried to explain things to Alex. They spoke mostly in pairs and small groups, discussing what they thought of Alex, and also of Jadis, and the implications of the situation, both current and in potential. Since she had a couple of extra sets of ears and eyes to keep track, Jadis was able to follow along with their concerns well enough to get the impression that most were focused on what this information might mean for the war against the Demon Lord. Jadis didn’t know much about the shadowy counterpart to the Hero, but considering the situation she was currently in, she thought it was about time that she got some more details on the individual. She’d have to ask one or more of the priests what they knew. Considering their positions, they had to have some in-depth knowledge, she was sure.

As she pondered who best to ask, the goblin high priest broke away from Lonan and Myron to head her way.

“Here, try this,” Sholto said as he approached Jadis and Alex, his small green hand outstretched. “If all this nonsense you’re spouting has any basis, then I’d wager your pet demon here would need a boost of some kind to really understand what you’re banging on about.”

From his hand dangled the shining golden Truesight medallion. Jadis stared at it, both taken aback and a little suspicious.

“Letting Alex touch that isn’t going to count as sacrilege or something, right?” Jay asked with narrowed eyes.

“And it isn’t going to hurt her or something like that because she’s a demon, is it?” Dys added with a scowl.

“Tits on a toad, you’re suspicious,” Sholto cackled in response to her questions. “It’s not that kind of artifact. And do you really think Destarious is the kind of god to give a shit about sacrilege?”

“No, that hasn’t been my experience of him,” Jay murmured as she took the medallion from the goblin. Turning her attention to Alex, she motioned for her to lean forward. “Here, try this on.”

Putting the artifact’s chain around Alex’s neck, Jadis showed the demon how to hold it and then explained how to push magic power into it. The process of explaining to the demon how to put her magic into an item took a few minutes, but honestly wasn’t as bad as Jadis had feared. Alex seemed to have an instinctual understanding of magic. That, or she just knew enough from seeing other examples of Jadis and the others using magic items that she understood what was needed.

Soon enough, Jadis could feel the magic coursing through the artifact as Alex pointed it at her.

At first, there was no reaction. Then, almost like someone had poked her with a hot firebrand, all of Alex’s tentacles began to twist and curl in excited motions. She practically vibrated as she changed her facial expression into a bright, joyful grin.

“Status… Sheet

…” Alex said, pointing at Jadis. “Status… Sheet…”

“I think she just might have had an epiphany…” Sholto mused as he scratched at his chin.

“Good, good job,” Jadis praised Alex. “You’ve got it!”

The revelation had come just in time, too, as Vraekae soon returned to escort Jadis and Alex to the chamber where the demon could undergo the ritual to receive a mercenary badge. While Alex had been obviously willing to agree to anything Jadis suggested to her, her enthusiasm had clearly increased when Jadis once again explained to her what the chamber was for. In no time at all, Alex had undergone the procedure and had a mercenary badge tuned to her. Not wanting to waste another minute, Jadis rushed with Alex and Vraekae back to the meeting room with the priests where they could all see exactly what information the badge held.

As soon as Syd had placed the silver badge onto the enchanted disc in the center of the long table, an illusory image appeared in the air above it. The image was… confusing, to say the least. A bizarre scramble of shapes and colors floated in a wide scramble, moving and twisting in vaguely disquieting ways. It was almost like looking at an optical illusion and, after only a few seconds of trying to stare at the image, Jadis’ eyes started to hurt.

“What in all the abyss is that?” Doru complained as he averted his eyes. “That is not a status sheet!”

“No, it’s something—wait!” Lonan said, pointing at the image. “There! Is that a number?”

“I don’t—hold on, I think I see what you mean,” Oswin said slowly, squinting at the bizarre jumble of colors and shapes. “Is that a two?”

“I believe it is,” Vita purred as she leapt up onto the table and took a few steps closer to the illusion. “And I believe that right there is the letter A. In fact, I think that might be something close to an L next to it.”

Indeed, Jadis could see it now, too. Definite letters and numbers, all of them slowly coming into focus as the strange image seemed to twist and unblur itself, like some kind of kaleidoscope rearranging itself. It was a slow process, but before too long the gathering was left staring not at a jumbled mess of incomprehensible colors, but a true status sheet, one that looked identical to any other that Jadis had ever seen, including her own.

As much as Jadis wanted to proudly celebrate and shout “I told you so” at Vraekae and the priests, she found that she was far too distracted by the contents of Alex’s status sheet to do any of that. She imagined the silence coming from the high priests probably had something to do with Alex’s primary class as well…

“Status… Sheet…” Alex proclaimed with a satisfied smile.

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