Macronomicon
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Chapter 235: Confidence Man
🕑 Added 2023-12-20 20:45:37 +0000 UTC“Care to explain what you’re doing in my domain, human?” A man asked, clad in what appeared to be a roman at-ease uniform, holding a pilum, a helmet resting on the stone throne beside him.
Not to imply romans were the inventers of war. The Demon Lord of War probably just felt like looking that way at the moment, or his appearance was based on the viewer’s mind.
Whichever the case, Perry didn’t have time to admire the view. He should probably start talking, and fast.
“I seek an audience,” Perry said, dropping to one knee and lowering his head as far as he could without losing sight of the god-like entity in front of him.
Power radiated off the avatar of war, and Perry was fairly sure the pseudo-deity was reeling it in so as not to snuff Perry and his retinue out. If he sneezed too hard, he might annihilate everything in the room.
“You brought not one, but two invasive species into my domain, violated my design, and consumed one of my favorite generals?”
“You’re the Demon Lord of War,” Perry said, measuring his snark to be exactly cocky enough to be funny without insulting his audience. “Would you have preferred a gift basket?”
“Hah!” Perry stifled a sigh of relief as the demon barked in amusement. Amusement was good, but he could probably shift his attitude on a dime.
“It has been entertaining. The first interesting problem I’ve had to deal with in a millenia. And you did bring me a gift basket…” he said, gaze drifting towards Gna’kis, who shuddered. Despite having power in the upper ranges of what a Greater Demon might possess, she still came far short of the astronomical power in front of them. There would be no fight.
“What do you want?” He asked, turning his gaze back to Perry.
“You were recently sold an immortality contract regarding one William Kline. I want it.” Perry said.
“William Kline…” the Demon Lord muttered, rubbing his chin. “Suzy! Get me my ledger!”
A chained woman clad in similar robes emerged from the stone of his chair and placed a leather-bound journal in his palm.
“It’s sorted by date,” She said, flipping to the end and pointing it out before returning to the stone throne.
“Kline, Kline…” The Demon Lord muttered, sorting through the last page. “Aha! My broker purchased the account…three hours ago.” He glanced up at Perry, raising a brow. “Impressive speed, young man.”
Perry shrugged.
“He’s an enemy of mine, and I need to make him mortal in order to win,” Perry said with a shrug.
“Do you know what William is providing us in exchange for immortality?”
“The souls of his people, I presume?” Perry asked.
“You presume poorly.” The Demon Lord said, clearing his throat and reading from the ledger. “…In exchange for the residual worship of no less than ten million humans, adjusted based on annual population growth.”
Perry’s brows rose.
Snap.
The demon lord snapped the book shut and peered at Perry. “For your speed and the skill with which you’ve made a mess of my realm, allow me to educate you.”
“As you will.” Perry murmured.
“The worship of mortals is a power all its own, but only someone or something with a Portfolio can use that power: Gods, Demon Lords, Avatars, that sort of thing. This is strong evidence that Alkush was planning to betray me, likely when your friend William sold him the key to unlock its potential.”
His gaze shifted meaningfully over to Gna’Kis.
I see. A two-part deal. Interesting.
“As it stands right now, though, you have eliminated a potential threat and moved a rather valuable contract into my possession. Why should I sell it back to you? You have nothing that I need, nothing that I couldn’t take if I wished it.
“I have a juvenile Demon Lord,” Perry said, motioning to Gna’kis. “I would be willing to trade her for the contract, conditionally.”
“Hah!” the roman general gave another bark of laughter.
“You perhaps don’t understand the nature of Norgosh as well as you think you do. I consume thousands of fledgling demon lords every century. I don’t even have to seek them out. They get eaten by my subordinates, then those subordinates convince themselves they have a chance at destroying me, and attack, inadvertently feeding themselves, and their newfound portfolio to me.”
A filter feeder, then, Perry thought.
“These portfolios are always some small variation of my own, limited in scope, only pushing the boundary of my domain a hair’s breadth. Incredibly valuable to ambitious lesser demons as a ray of hope that they might one day rise above their station…but to me? nearly useless.”
So he can’t see her portfolio? Perry thought. That was strong evidence that his hustle might work. He didn’t allow any of it to show on his face, but the Demon Lord seemed to pick up on some subtle change in Perry’s demeanor.
“What is it?” He asked, peering down at Perry suspiciously.
“May I introduce you to Gna’kis,” Perry said, motioning to Gna’kis, who knelt beside him. “The Demon Lord of Sinful technology.”
The Demon Lord of War sat up straight in his throne, the previous easy slouch no longer present.
“An original portfolio?” he mused, his gaze cutting straight through them.
“I don’t think I need to tell you that Technology and War go together like peanut butter and jelly,” Perry said with a thin smile. “Absorbing Gna’kis could result in the single largest increase in power you’ve experienced in the last thousand years. Maybe even enough to achieve godhood.” Perry said with a shrug.
The demon Lord’s aura became crushing, forcing Perry to the floor as he took control of the room.
“Give her to me.” The Demon Lord said, reality warping around them as Gna’kis began to be dragged through the air towards the man in the chair, whose features began to take on a monstrous air.
His skin darkened, jaw growing wide and slavering as he opened his ever-expanding mouth filled with teeth, drawing Perry’s pet Demon Lord in.
“Gna’kis, show him your soul.”
“Jeez, making a girl show that to a stranger,” Gna’kis said, unbuttoning her blouse. “You’re such a perv.”
“Before he eats you, please,” Perry said, tone edged with urgency as he struggled to rise.
Gna’kis rolled her eyes and drew her shirt aside. rather than flesh, what was revealed was the roiling mass of her soul, cut and scarred from years of modifications stacked on top of each other, with a multitude of intricate modifications to her behavior and personality.
Thousands upon thousands of modifications clumped together in an intimidating snarl that only the most advance soul-reader could make heads or tails of.
Perry was wagering everything that the Demon Lord of War was not the most advanced soul-reader.
Gna’kis halted halfway towards the demon lord’s mouth.
“What…is that?”he asked.
“A little insurance policy. You wouldn’t want to eat it, trust me. It might…upset your stomach, so to speak.” Perry said with complete confidence as he was allowed to climb back to his feet.
“Hah. Hah. Hahahahaha!” the Demon Lord of War began cackling in his throne, allowing Gna’kis to fall back to the floor as he slapped his knee in amusement, his features returning to those of a human.
“Alright, I’ll bite, little creature. What are your terms?”
“Give me ownership of William Kline’s immortality contract and I’ll remove the ‘insurance policy’ from Gna’kis’s soul.” Perry said. “You may then absorb her Portfolio at your leisure.”
“A fair bargain,” the demon lord said, holding up his palm. A mote of light formed into a tightly wound Orduun scroll. The scroll unfurled, and The demon lord seized one of the names on the contract and squished it into dust before making a ‘pulling’ motion.
“Paradox Zauberer.” Perry’s name was ripped from his lungs as if he’d been subjected to a vacuum and the only way to release the pressure was to speak his name.
Perry’s name floated across the gap between them and alighted gently on the contract, searing into the magical script.
A moment later, the toga-clad demon casually tossed the contract across the room to Perry, who caught the heavy scroll with a slight stagger.
“You’ll have to read the fine print, but be aware that you’re now responsible for keeping Mr. Kline alive until he violates the terms of the agreement. Should you default…”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Perry said with a smile before turning to leave.
The door behind them no longer existed.
“And where do you think you’re going?” the demon spoke from his throne.
“Back to Earth.” Perry said, turning back to face the godlike being. “Did you think I brought the tools to remove Gna’kis’s modifications with me?” Perry asked, with – in hindsight – perhaps a bit too much snark.
“Insolence.” The demon lord of war spoke, rising from his throne and tapping his pilum against the stone floor. The simple act pancaked Perry and Gna’kis to the ground. Perry might’ve been able to put up some token resistance if his System had still been there, but alas, he was completely mortal in front of this immortal perversion of human nature.
“I have upheld my side of the bargain, and given you an object of great value. It would be the height of foolishness to simply let you walk out of my domain without some kind of collateral. You may leave Gna’kis here and retrieve your tools.”
“No.” Perry grunted into the floor, inhaling the fine layer of dirt on the stone.
“No?” the Demon Lord asked cocking a brow before stepping off his throne and squatting beside Perry, so they were face to face.
“And why not?” he asked in a quiet tone.
“While I’m gone, you’ll feed her to a subordinate, who will absorb the brunt of the insurance policy. Once its been spent mutilating their soul, you will absorb the subordinate, bypassing the protection entirely. Once that has been done, my side of the agreement will have been breached, having failed to remove the insurance policy in Gna’kis’s soul, and you will repossess the contract, leaving me with nothing.”
“Done this before, haven’t you?” The demon lord spoke with a faint smile before standing and returning to his throne, the pressure on Perry easing up as he sat down.
Perry gasped, sucking in a lungful of air as he pushed himself up to his knees.
“You’ll understand if I need…collateral.”
“My word.” Perry offered.
“Not quite good enough.” The demon retorted.
“My soul,” Perry said between panting breaths, tapping his chest. “Collateral. Put your mark on my soul. If I don’t come through on my side of the agreement, you can take the entirety of my soul as it is.”
As in, a tiny, soap-bubble thin surface whose loss would be equivalent to a night of hard drinking.
“Your soul? Paltry compensation for the worship of millions and the loss of a Portfolio.”
“Not to sound…arrogant,” Perry said. “But do you even know who I am?”
“No. Suzy!”
‘Suzy’ emerged from the throne and handed the demon lord a dossier.
The toga wearing demon grumbled, flipping through the ‘Paradox’ labeled folder.
The demon lord’s brows gradually climbed as he read, glancing up at Perry. For a long moment he seemed to weigh his decision, stewing on Perry’s file.
“Yes, that will be sufficient collateral.” He said, handing the dossier back before stepping off his throne and poking Perry in the chest.
Perry muscled down a reaction as searing black script spread outwards from the demon lord’s finger.
“Renounce our bargain, and this spell will tear your soul from your body and deliver it to me. Or if I grow impatient. When I have the Technology portfolio, it will unravel on its own. Understood?”
“Understood.” Perry said through gritted teeth.
“Good.”
Comments
Astral Broker
Thank you for the chapter! So exciting. I’ve been waiting to see what Perry’s “Magnum Opus” would be since we met Matador, and I can feel that we might be close to its creation. Especially excited from the soul manipulation angle, since it seemed like a big part of the Opus’s was having parts of their creators souls.
Person
Yep. Once he secures the rest of his soul, ya king out what he has now might be an important step.
Paratus
"Perry was wagering everything that the Demon Lord of War was not the most advanced soul-reader." Cause that.
Cory C.
Pretty sure he has no plans to give up Gna'Kis.
STORRM
not what i was expecting.
lewdlegume
FWIW I definitely don't feel, as a reader, like Perry is missing the vast majority of what makes Perry Perry. The snark's still there, the disdain for authority, the bit of banter with Gna'kis, the mental Snap all feel a bit too human for a sack of viscera hanging onto sapience by the merest veneer of a soul. I dunno. Just seems like a fully functional, if urgent Perry to me. I can definitely understand retaining intelligence, given we've seen no indication to its loss in previous soul damage scenarios, but this seems like a far more functional being than the bit of damage from three years prior, given his very apparent motivation, sense of self-preservation, and wit. Definitely IMO merits some sort of explanation, like some emergency soul facade constructed by two of the foremost soul experts in the world and maybe some neuronal programming to direct the flesh calculator that is Perry's brain. To me it probably also merits some serious changes to Perry's behavior.
Nathan Quitugua
That or it looks like a regular soul in its current weakened state whereas with a majority of his soul sealed in a bottle in a separate location
Hayden Leech
His usual MO?!? Yeah! What he is hiding is unbelievable desperation! This is his one way out of this epic fuck up. Perry lost. His soul is literally trapped in a bottle getting distilled out of existence by an immortal dragon. I don’t think Perry has the luxury of long term planning at the moment.
ranoche
R
ranoche
Pe
nugitoBambino
I was reading another Patreon chapter the other day and the protag got hit with a mind alteration (not quite control, but close). This annoyed half the readers with the other half arguing that the protag can't always win and therefore the mind control is fine. This arc, and story in general, handles this problem super well. Perry absolutely and emphatically lost to Billy in round one, with real consequences (his literal soul) but we see him hanging in there and hustling on round 2 - it's great story telling. And throughout it all Perry has agency in his actions good or bad
Macronomicon
I like to think of it as lingering intelligence from the System, which beefed up his physical brain to peak human before modifying him further supernaturally, so he's still got some I.Q. to swing around.
Hayden Leech
Huh. I kind of thought the vast majority of Perry’s intellect was ripped away. Which would’ve made navigating this situation impossible. Something about Perry losing “math”
Macronomicon
Hey no problem, could've made it bigger but I ran out of gas early in the day.
BluEarth
I really liked this chapter having Perry swindle a major demon lord is awesome!
InsertNameHere
He said his soul as is so the demon will just get the tiny bit he has right now rather then the actual main part of his soul that Tyrannus has
Tate Browder
Seems to me that if he fails the contract, his soul will get taken but he will be able to keep gnakis as she part of the contract
Phsteven
What I'm betting he is going to do is kill the Dragon, betray the demon, have his soul "as it is" ripped out to pay back said demon, then take back his monstrosity of a soul/parasite/nanobot hell that was stolen by one Mr. William.
Terry Stevens
I dont want to sound dickish to those who read this, but I kind of hate chapters like these. They may be important for the story, but they feel like filler chapters, just released to stick to a schedule. I would prefer, if Macro posted that he needed to make a two part chapter, and delayed it till the next chapter came out. I dislike it when the chapter feels like everything has happened in a five minute period, and it could have been made as part of a more significant chapter. And really sorry for repeatedly typing Chapter, Chapter, Chapter. Again, not to sound like I’m complaining, not angling to get my own way over everybody else.
Daemion
I'm fairly certain Perry is hiding at least one other surprise. Making a honest deal with a demon lord doesn't seem to be his usual M.O. so he's probably looking to get out of this without losing his pet demon lord. He only promised the portfolio, not Gna'kis herself, right?
Daemion
Because from the outside it looks like it's still all there.
mhaj58
How can the Demon not realize Perry is missing most of his soul
Andrew
Thank you!
Gam
Perry should add another surprise after removing the current one.
Hayden Leech
Hey-o! Nice.
vetro 26
Clever
Matt R.
Noice
