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Wilson stood in his little camp, sighing. He was set on food, had a decent log suit and a backpack for gathering, enough wood, twigs, grass, and flint for any tools he could need to make. He'd be okay for now, but something seemed... off. It was his fourth camp like this, but he was always prepared to run, keeping anything essential within quick reach. To try and head back to the exact same camp was never all that bright, especially as you traveled further out, or were chased from your camp by hounds. He really hated them, but they had their uses, especially when he'd stumbled a bit too close to a Spider Den. He frowned as dusk fell over him, grabbing some of the stone wall pieces he had and arranging them in a little half-blockade around the camp. It was just enough to stop any frontal attack, and with his back to the cliff, he had only two entry points.
He started a fire in the pit, adding a few logs. He hated adding sticks or grass, he needed those for other things. With a frown he dumped the crumbling flower petals out of his pockets, adding them to the fire. He wasn't really that hungry, could do with some berries or seeds, but didn't want to waste it if he needed the sustenance later. A squeak caught his attention, a trap he'd set down to give him more space had fallen over. The rabbit inside nearly escaped as he picked it up, but fast reflexes saved him from loosing the creature. He knew he could easily snap it's little neck for a morsel, he'd done it before. This time, he simply held the creature, stroking it's fur gently for a few moments before he let it go. The rabbit took off, diving into a rabbit hole before night could fall. "Bye little critter," He murmured.
Night fell and a crescent moon rose, Wilson dug his fur roll from his pack. It was kind of worrisome to be sleeping at night here, but he needed the sleep. He had enough food to make up for how hungry he would be later. The scientist settled in, arm pillowed under his head to sleep.
Something startled him awake. Night was in full sway, the moon only half across the sky. His fire was low, and Wilson sighed, getting up and adding a few logs. As the flames roared up, he jerked back at the face of the man who brought him here, staring at him. "Say Pal, you look tired," Maxwell purred in his cool, mocking voice. The scientist rolled his eyes, "Screw you Maxwell, you rotten bastard. I might not be so tired if I didn't have to deal with all these monsters you keep sending at me." The demon looked taken aback for a moment, "My what a mouth you have on you. Is that how a gentleman talks?" "You're no gentleman yourself," he snapped, settling back into his fur roll.
"Letting your guard down around me?" Maxwell asked, stepping around the fire pit, cigar in hand trailing thick black smoke. "Not in the slightest, I'm tired, go play your dirty tricks on someone else." Maxwell grinned, taking a drag from the cigar, blowing the inky smoke over top the scientist, causing him to cough and burrow deeper into his roll. "Poor little scientist, talking to rabbits for company. It's okay, Wilson, if you go insane here." The smaller man glowered from inside his little bed, "Oh, because you want to enjoy me frolicking through the woods 'till your pets kill me?" A soft, throaty chuckle, "Not at all. In fact, I kind of want to see you thrive."
"I'm not making any more deals with you, one was enough to put me here, I don't want to imagine what another would do." Maxwell conjured a chair, settling in and looking as though he wouldn't be leaving soon. "The fresh night air is nice, it is a shame you're hiding from it. I doubted you would want another deal with me, but I thought I might as well offer it. I was thinking I could have my creations wander about in... other directions from you, for a while." "What's the cost?" Wilson sat up, adding a precious log to the fire since Maxwell was intending to stay and disrupt his plan for the night. "Well, there isn't much of a cost, honest. It would be a favor, that I can come to collect at any time." A pile of logs popped up beside the fire, "I don't mind to stretch the night out to give you time to think on it."
Wilson frowned, "Could you divulge the nature of this 'favor', or would it be anything you decided you wanted from me?" Maxwell smiled, his teeth narrow, pointed and gleaming in the firelight, "Such a fast learner, I should have expected you to be checking for loopholes." Wilson wasn't sure the comment was entirely a compliment. "Well, try to narrow it down so I know what I'm getting myself into this time." Another grin stretched across the demon's face. "It's simple. If the situation arises, and I ask, all you have to do is keep me company for a while. No tricks, no secret loopholes, simple as that."
The smaller man thought it over, adding some of the conjured wood to the fire, letting it burn a little brighter, "No catches?" Maxwell shrugged, "Not really, I may decide to visit you more often, checking in to make sure my end of our little deal is held up. You'll have time to explore here, but if you do go deeper in to the rabbit hole, I won't be able to help you. All part of the game, you see."
"I'm not so sure I like the sound of your 'game' Maxwell..." He didn't want to admit it, but the offer seemed benign. There had to be a trick somewhere... "I will give you my word, and we can even shake hands if you like. It will be a formal deal, I can write up a little contract if it will make you feel better about it." A long moment of silence fell between them, the fire crackling softly, creatures of the night shuffling about just outside of the firelight's reach.
"Fine..." "I'll write up that little contract then-" "No, I'll remember. I'll keep up my end, as long as you keep up yours."
--
Months down the road, perhaps years even, this simple memory of calm flitted through Wilson's mind. "Why don't you keep us company for a while?" The weary, broken man in the shadowy chair murmured. Wilson blinked, setting the divining rod aside and settling at the foot of the 'Throne'. "You remembered?" Maxwell asked, his voice soft and weary, his old British accent sneaking though. "Of course I did, you held up your end."
A soft chuckle, "you speak as though I could force you to hold up yours." "A deal is a deal. How long do you think those torch pillars will last?" Maxwell shrugged as much as he could in his bound position. "No one ever made it this far, so I don't know." "I'll stay as long as I can," he said, leaning his head back against the arm of the Nightmare Throne. Maxwell smiled, a crooked, but all too human smile, patting the top of the Scientist's hair with the tips of his fingers. "Thank you, for staying."
They sat together, even as the fires in the pillars dimmed and went out. Nothing came, and time marched on. But they sat together, peaceful, and as close to content as they could be. It was alright, to be trapped in that dark room. They weren't alone anymore, which was more than enough to keep the monsters in the dark at bay.