Chapter ???

As with most days, as soon as William began to stir from his sleep, the nagging and pestering started.

Oh, finally decided to rejoin the waking world Will? I must admit, I’m surprised you managed to sleep so long with your ugly mug pressed into the table like that.

William could certainly feel how uncomfortably his face was pressed against the surface of his desk, and so immediately started lifting his head, blinking his bleary and unfocused eyes. That didn’t really help to make the world less blurry though, not until he lifted up his glasses from where they hung around his neck and sat them on the bridge of his round nose.

“Oh dear, guess I must have accidentally dozed off,” Will murmured, running a hand through his grey hair as he looked around his dimly lit desk with some bewilderment.

Dozed off seems a bit of an understatement. You’ve been asleep for ages Will! Selfish of you, really, I’ve been stuck here bored out of my mind, as usual.

“I thought you were the one telling me to get more sleep?” Will asked, standing up to stretch out his thin body, muscles feeling cramped from his poor sleeping position.

I told you to sleep more regularly so you’re not staying awake for days at a time and then crashing for sixteen or more continuous hours!

“You know it’s hard for me to sleep with all the voices in my head,” Will said pointedly, reaching his fingers up under his glasses to rub his eyes as he turned and walked over to the door of his study. As he passed by a mirror leaning against a wall he glanced into it, catching a glimpse of his reflection. His hair and moustache looked a mess, and the skin under his purple eyes seemed darkened with weariness.

Hey, I can be quiet! If you need a nap, just say the word.

“Then how about you practice being quiet now then, hrm?” Will retorted as he started descending the curving tower staircase, boots loud on each stone step.

Yeah but you’re not trying to sleep now, and also did I mention how bored I’ve been? I’ve been so fucking bored Will. When you’re asleep I have nothing to do, no one to talk to!

“How about talking to Bones?” Will suggested jokingly, gesturing to the half rotten corpse that stood near the wall in the downstairs room, dressed in a tattered and moulding suit. Bones glanced over at William with his dark empty eye sockets, nodding a polite greeting.

I don’t know if maybe you haven’t noticed Will, but corpses. Can’t. Speak. And also, Bones can’t even hear me, you stupid twat.

Will made a gesture towards the corpse, who nodded and shuffled off into the kitchen area, well, the part of it that hadn’t been taken over by William’s various alchemical equipment and experiments. Will sat down at the small table which was covered in various books, scrolls, potions and enchanted items. He stacked up some of the books to make enough space on the table just in front of him.

I can’t believe the absolute mess you have let my tower become. Letting a corpse walk around inside isn’t even the worst of it! Weren’t you ever taught how to tidy up?

“Not this again,” Will murmured under his breath, frowning. “No actually, my education at the academy was strangely bereft of learning how to do any menial tasks.” As he finished speaking, Bones approached the table, setting down a cup on a saucer in front of him. The hot steam rising out of the cup brought the smell of tea to William’s nose, and he picked up the small spoon on the saucer and started stirring it.

You could at least summon a demon servant or something, I’m sure one would be a lot more helpful than this sack of rotting flesh you like to keep around for some unknowable reason.

“I don’t want any demons going through my stuff! Besides, this is how I like it, I know where everything is!” Will retorted defensively, scowling as he brought the cup of tea to his lips and took a sip of the hot liquid.

Oh really? What about that book you spent hours searching for the other day huh? Did that one just happen to slip through your immaculate organisation system?

“Can you just give it a rest already, Azrael?” Will snapped in irritation, finally making eye contact with his conversation partner for the first time that day. The apparition took the form of a very tall, well-built man with dark slicked back hair and pointed dark beard edging his strong jaw. His long nose sat between two eyes of pure black with pinpricks of light as their pupils. His pale skin had black cracks across it radiating from the eyes, and dark wisps of smoke curled through the air from them too.

The man was seated on the chair across the table from William, his mostly incorporeal form just barely able to interact with the physical world at times. His legs were crossed, and his black clawed spindly fingers drummed on the surface of the table absentmindedly. He was dressed in a dark jacket and pants with a white shirt. He raised a long, tapered eyebrow at William, his expression both questioning and mildly surprised.

“I’m trying to enjoy my tea,” Will mumbled in addition, glancing away from the spectre.

I see that, as usual, you can’t handle a little constructive criticism, Will, Azrael commented in a deep, ethereal voice that only William could hear, lifting up his hands in a shrug of dismay. 

“You have been on my case about this for years Azrael, and you know I’m not going to change my stance on it, so why bother bringing it up anymore?” Will asked huffily, taking another sip of tea to try and calm his irritation.

Well, what else exactly are we going to talk about? We’ve run every conversational topic into the ground by now, and we never go anywhere to see anything new, Azrael pointed out in a slightly chiding tone.

“How about you just stop talking then? Forever? That sounds like a swell idea to me!” Will said with an intense glare.

Don’t be stupid Will. Without me to talk to, the isolation would have driven you insane many years ago, Azrael argued back, though in a languid manner, waving one clawed hand through the air for emphasis.

“Ah yes, you and the rest of them have really made sure I am the picture of a truly sound mind!” Will quipped sarcastically in response, followed by a small, slightly manic laugh.

Well, it seems like someone got up on the wrong side of the desk this morning, Azrael snarked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Will was about to respond when he was suddenly startled slightly by a fit of loud, calamitous barking coming from outside the tower. His eyes widened in surprise, and he set his teacup back down on the saucer.

Is it that time of the month already? Oh goody, Azrael said in a tone dropping in sarcasm, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Will pushed his chair away from the table and got to his feet. “I thought you were just complaining about nothing ever happening. This is something,” he pointed out as he headed towards the great oak front door of the tower.

Yes, but he’s disgusting! He’s not someone I would ever spend a second of my time in the vicinity of willingly, Azrael continued to gripe as he followed behind William, who opened the door and stepped outside.

Trees surrounded the tower on all sides, as it was in the middle of a swampy forest. The sun was high above the clearing, so it seemed like it was probably noon. Will usually found no point in keeping proper track of time. 

Will’s eyes were instantly drawn to the massive creature who stood in front of the tower. The black dog was probably several stories in height. Its form had a wispy, phantasmal nature to it. Almost ghost-like in the same way Azrael was, except Will knew that this creature was more solid. The dog was facing away from the tower and towards the forest as it barked, warning William of the presence of a visitor.

Turning his attention towards where his guard dog Shedder was facing, William spotted a large figure coming out of the trees. The lumbering humanoid creature was all fur and muscles, long dark hair obscuring its face, and through the locks protruded a double set of long curved horns, a tell-tale sign of the creature’s demonic nature. It placidly followed behind a much smaller figure. Its tiny master was only around three and a half feet in height, and that small stature plus the long, pointed ears that came from the sides of his head made him recognisable as a goblin.

But this goblin was a bit different than most others. Dressed in a tattered and mouldy cloak, a mess of white hair poked out from under his hood, falling across the right half of his face. The main feature on the visible side of his face was a large white eye, without iris or pupil. Below his button nose, a grin full of sharp black teeth split his face open. Black ooze dripped from his mouth, running down his chin. Though small and slight in stature, the goblin carried a pack that appears to be three times his size on his back, seemingly without difficulty.

Suddenly Shredder took off towards the visitor at high speed. He easily knocked the goblin off his feet with his big head and pinned him on his back with his snout, before he started licking the little creature with his massive tongue which was nearly as large as the victim of his affections.

Sticking his fingers in his mouth, Will was able to make a loud whistling noise to grab the dog's attention. “Shredder! Go easy on him!” he called out to the hound. Shredder glanced over at his master for a moment, before quickly picking the goblin up in his mouth and carrying him over to Will, the demon following behind. Shredder sat in front of William, then dumped the goblin on the ground in front of him, who was now covered in slobber.

The goblin didn’t seem upset at all about the events though, he simply picked himself up off the ground and straightened up, grinning up at William.

“Hello Randall,” Will said with a smile. “It’s nice to see you.”

No it isn’t. It is never enjoyable to behold this foul creature, Azrael grumbled from just behind William. Will elected to ignore him.

“We is glad to see you as well! Those last demons you traded Randall sold very well, especially in Rhaveth. Demand was high, so if you have more, we will be happy to take them off your hands!” the little goblin Randall exclaimed gleefully.

Will looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I’m glad, but I probably don’t want to make too many of them. It might rouse suspicion, or get the attention of the council,” he explained regretfully.

Scared of a few wizards Will? Pathetic.

“But if you made a lot of money off those last ones, maybe you could give me a discount on the food this time?” Will added hopefully, still ignoring Azrael’s remarks.

Randall’s brow lowered over his eye in an expression of annoyance. “You trying to cheat Randall? Think you can pull a fast one on us, huh?” the goblin snapped indignantly.

Will quickly raised his hands in concedence. “Come on now Randall, we both know the things I trade you now are worth much more than the food you give me. In fact, I should probably be asking for my fair share of your profits.”

The goblin looked even more outraged, glaring up at William with his pale, empty eye. “But Randall does all the hard work! All the walking to take the stuff across the land and finding the customers! You just sit around here all the time playing with magics!” Randall accused, pointing a clawed finger from one of his blackened, necrotic hands up at Will.

William bristled at this slightly, feeling a tightness in his chest as Azrael’s fury at the comment surged through his body. Why this little…! You should squash him like a bug for such a remark! Or better yet, feed him to Shredder!

Silently willing the spirit to calm down, Will cleared his throat. “If you think so little of my craft, then perhaps we needn't bother trading anymore, hrm?” he said as blithely as he could manage.

Randall went quiet for a moment, the anger falling off his face and being replaced by a thoughtful look. “Okay okay, you twist Randall’s arm! We will give you a discount this once, but you have to give us at least one more demon to sell. We have a very interested and well-paying buyer lined up for one, so better make it a good one, like Marigold!” the goblin gestured to his demon servant, whom Will had bound for Randall to protect the tiny merchant in his travels.

William set his mouth in a firm line. “I… I don’t…” then threw his hands up slightly in defeat. “Yeah, sure, fine, I’ll ‘make it a good one’. Just wait here while I find a ‘good one’ that I ‘made’ earlier.” With that he turned around and stalked back through the door.

“Throw in some other stuff too! You don’t know how much of a bother it is to get out all this way!” Randall called out after Will as he disappeared inside.

“Yeah, that’s kind of the point of living in a swamp, so no one can be bothered to disturb you,” Will muttered to himself as he started searching through his piles of stuff for a demon-bound object that he had prepared earlier.

I thought you liked the goblin? Azrael asked with confusion, watching on as Will searched. Though I understand completely if his high-pitched voice was finally getting on your nerves.

“He’s personable, it’s just I know he’s ripping me off every time we trade,” Will explained, moving onto the next pile in his search.

That’s what goblins do, genius, Azrael commented condescendingly, and out of the corner of his eye Will could see the spirit idly examining his claws.

“Well, he’s been bringing me food here every month for nearly thirty years, so I have to be grateful for that. It isn’t an easy trek to make, and you know he hates forests,” Will mused, heading over to the staircase so he could continue his search upstairs.

You mean he’s been taking advantage of you for thirty years, Azrael corrected, following close behind as Will entered his study and continued his search. Also, why is it taking you so long to find it? I thought you knew where everything was.

“I’ve just…temporarily misplaced this one… I’m sure I will remember where I put it in a moment…” Will grated out the excuses through grit teeth, not wishing to be heckled anymore by his ghostly companion.

Have you considered trying to bind some higher-level demons for once Will? It's much more fun, since they can talk and you can watch the horror fill their eyes as they understand what you have done to them, Azrael suggested casually.

Will tried not to let the spectre see how he grimaced at the thought. “I'm not taking suggestions right now,” he said dismissively, followed by “Aha!” as he pulled an item out of a pile and held it up. It was a small round silver music box he had bound a lesser mid-tier demon like Marigold to in case he needed one.

Okay Will I know what I just said, but you don’t have to give that awful little creature a better demon just because he asks for one! Just give him a greater low-tier, he won’t know the difference, the customer won’t know the difference, Azrael said pointedly while Will brushed past his ghostly form and headed back down the stairs.

William decided not to try and defend his decisions again as he reached the first floor of the tower and headed back over to the door. As he stepped back outside, he was greeted with the sight of Shredder throwing the goblin up in the air and then catching him in his mouth, over and over. Randall, now even more coated in dog saliva, was laughing, while Marigold sat with the goblin’s massive pack near the door of the tower and watched them silently.

The giant dog noticed William had returned, and quickly brought the merchant back over to the door, dropping him in front of the steps again. Randall got to his feet, swaying and staggering a little before catching his balance. He gave William a sharp and expectant grin. Will handed out the music box towards Randall.

“This one is a lesser mid-tier demon like Mari,” Will explained as the goblin took the box in his black hands, white eye examining the item intently.

“Good, yes, and what else?” Randall asked, turning his gaze back up to William.

Eyebrows knitting together, Will frowned. “Just this is worth far more than anything else I have ever given you. You know how strong Mari is, how valuable a demon like that should be. Plus, you agreed I could have a discount, so this should be enough for trade this time,” Will said quite firmly, trying to steel his expression.

Now it was Randall’s turn to frown. “Fine fine, you get your way this time,” he said as he slipped the music box into a pocket of his pack, then opened the top and started trying to reach inside. Soon Marigold stepped up behind Randall and put his hands around the goblin’s tiny waist, lifting him up slightly so he could more easily access his inventory. Randall started pulling out several large parcels wrapped in paper and twine, which he handed over to William.

“Thank you, Randall,” Will said, not needing to open the packages as he knew that they would contain the usual assortment of long keeping foods such as dried meats and beans. Azrael often got on his case about how unvaried his diet was, but he was actually quite a picky eater, and plain foods suited him just fine.

Before Marigold set Randall back down, the demon lifted up his tiny master to nuzzle him affectionately with his hair covered face. The goblin gave the demon a pat on the head in return, before he was lowered to the ground again. He picked up his pack and got it situated on his back once more.

“More demons next time!” the goblin said as he pointed up at William. “Randall is good at covering tracks, we won’t get caught.”

Will sighed. “I’ll see what I can do Randall. Take care out there.” Will knew that the goblin would be wanting to leave immediately to make it out of the swamp before dark.

Randall smiled again and his clawed hand grabbed the golden locket which hung around his neck, which Will knew contained a pressed swamp marigold flower. “Don’t worry, Mari always keeps Randall safe!”

Will stood and watched as the goblin and the demon headed back off towards the tree line, Shredder whining as they left. William turned and headed back into the tower.