He gestured at the spear with obvious frustration. "Magnificent weapon, but completely unusable. I've tried everything to break the curse, but it's woven into the weapon's soul. It can't be removed without destroying the spear itself."

Jack reached toward the weapon, his clawed hand extending.

"I wouldn't," Kaedor warned. "Even brief contact is unpleasant for most demons. Some describe it as having their soul slowly pulled apart."

Jack's fingers wrapped around the shaft.

The moment his skin made contact, a voice erupted in his mind.

{OH THANK THE FORGOTTEN GODS, FINALLY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BORING IT IS BEING STUCK IN A VAULT FOR DECADES?}

Jack's expression didn't change, though internally he noted the weapon's immediate enthusiasm.

{Wait, wait, you're not screaming. You're not dying. You're not even flinching. What are you?}

Jack lifted the spear from its mounting brackets, testing its weight. Six feet of perfectly balanced death, lighter than it looked, the four-bladed tip catching the magical light in ways that made it seem to shift between solid and ethereal.

Kaedor stared, his merchant's mask slipping entirely into shock.

"You're... you're not affected?"

{He's HUMAN! Oh this is MAGNIFICENT! A human in demon territory, disguised so perfectly even this idiot merchant can't tell!}

Jack spun the spear experimentally, the weapon moving through forms with natural ease. The balance was perfect, the reach ideal, and the four-bladed design meant any thrust would create wounds that couldn't close easily.

{Listen, human, we need to talk about your situation. You're in deep trouble here, surrounded by demons, clearly on some kind of mission. I can help! I'm an excellent judge of tactics, a brilliant conversationalist, and I make devastating holes in demon anatomy!}

"How are you holding it?" Kaedor's voice climbed toward panic. "The curse should be killing you right now!"

Jack turned to look at the merchant, the spear held casually in one hand. His red eyes visible through his visor carried no strain, no pain, nothing that suggested the weapon was draining his life.

"Maybe I'm just stronger than your other demons," Jack said simply.

{Oh, I LIKE him! He's got style!}

Kaedor's mind raced behind his eyes, trying to understand what he was seeing. A Dread-rank demon holding a cursed weapon that should be killing him, showing no effects whatsoever.

"That's... that's impossible. The curse doesn't care about strength. It drains life force too fast. Even Nightmare-rank demons couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds without…"

"Maybe the curse is broken," Jack interrupted, still testing the spear's balance. "Or maybe it only affects certain types of demons. Either way, it seems like I can use it."

{Are there any attractive female demons around? Because if you're going to be wielding me, we should probably discuss your complete lack of an heir. Very concerning from a legacy standpoint.}

Jack ignored the spear's internal commentary, focusing on Kaedor's reaction.

The merchant's expression cycled through shock, confusion, calculation, and finally landed on opportunity mixed with wariness.

"You can actually wield Oscar," Kaedor said slowly, his rings clicking together as his hands moved in unconscious gestures. "That's... unexpected. Very valuable."

He studied Jack with new intensity, reassessing everything he thought he knew about this soldier who'd killed two Dread-rank demons and now could handle a weapon that should be lethal to any demon.

{Tell him you want it. This merchant is clearly trying to figure out how to use this to his advantage. Strike while he's off-balance.}

"This weapon," Jack said, his flat voice carrying across the chamber. "It works for me. I want it."

Kaedor's surprise shifted to calculation, then to something approaching satisfaction.

"Of course you do. It's powerful, you can wield it, and it would make you... considerably more dangerous than you already are."

His mind was clearly working through the opportunities.

"Let's discuss terms," Kaedor continued, his confidence returning now that they were in negotiation territory. "I didn't bring you down here just to admire my collection, Jakar. I wanted you to see what serving me could provide. Access to weapons like Oscar. Armor, artifacts, resources that the others simply cannot offer."

He gestured around the fifth level, at the other unique items in their alcoves.

"Loryn can teach you about demon creation. Rynath can offer intelligence networks. But I can give you power itself. Tangible, overwhelming advantage in combat."

{He's making his pitch. Offer the thing you want as proof of what else he can provide.}

"Here's my offer," Kaedor said, his rings catching the light as he gestured. "Choose to serve under me. Become my personal enforcer, my problem solver, the demon I send when violence is the answer. In exchange, you can take any one item from these vaults. Including Oscar."

He let that sit for a moment, watching Jack's reaction.

"Any. One. Item. Weapons, armor, artifacts, materials. Whatever you want, it's yours. Full ownership, no strings attached beyond your service to me."

{That's actually a decent offer. Though the 'no strings attached' part is definitely a lie. Merchants always have strings.}

Jack remained silent, letting Kaedor continue his pitch.

"Loryn showed you how to create demons. But what good is an army if they're poorly equipped? I control the armory. Every weapon those created demons use comes through me."

Kaedor walked closer, his confidence growing as he warmed to his sales pitch.

"Rynath gathers information, but information alone doesn't win battles. Power wins battles. The right weapon at the right moment wins battles. And I will provide that."

He gestured at Oscar.

"That spear, for instance. It has properties beyond the obvious. The four-bladed cross design ensures every thrust creates wounds that won't heal normally. The white tip negates demonic regeneration. And it's..." he paused, clearly debating whether to reveal more. "It's particularly effective against demons. Almost as if it was designed specifically to kill our kind."

{Oh, he has NO idea. Tell him about my special ability! Actually, no, don't. Let's keep that surprise for when we're stabbing Pho. Staby, stab, stab!}

"The curse that makes it unusable for most demons also means those same demons can't defend against it properly. Their magical resistances, their natural durability, all of it is weakened against Oscar's strikes."

Kaedor's eyes gleamed as he kept going.

"You could walk into battle wielding a weapon that no other demon in this fortress can use. That alone makes you invaluable."

He stepped back, spreading his hands in an encompassing gesture.

"So. What do you say, Jakar? Serve me. Take Oscar. Become the most dangerous demon in Pho's fortress not named Pho himself."

{He's trying to close the deal before you think too hard about it. Though honestly, taking me is obviously the right choice regardless.}

Jack studied Kaedor for a long moment, the spear still held casually in his grip. His confidence was returning, but underneath it, there was still that edge of wariness.

Fear of what Jack represented, mixed with desire to control it.

"One item," Jack said slowly. "Any item."

"Any item," Kaedor confirmed.

"And if I choose Oscar, it's mine. No taking it back."

"None whatsoever. Well," Kaedor smiled, "beyond your service to me, of course. But that's the foundation of the agreement."

{He's definitely planning something. Merchants always plan something. But hey, you'd be planning to betray him anyway, so fair's fair.}

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