Soul LeaseChapter Archive

The Borrower’s Other Name

That morning

Reyn woke in time to stop Neris from pledging ten years of her life for his treatment. He arranged for Dask to assume her temple loan, then used the First Abyssal Script to claim Dask’s soul through the contract’s incorporated claims; Reyn received the twenty crowns, while the temple flagged the document for audit at first bell.

A Debt Without a Debtor

The hour before the first bell through the start of the morning audit

Reyn spent six of the twenty crowns on medicine, then used Dask’s captured soul to locate Dask’s claim schedule and seal. The temple audit accepted the consolidation documents and formally released Neris’s pledged years, but made the loan provisional until Dask appears in person by second bell.

A Face at Second Bell

That same morning, before second bell

Reyn used his control of Dask’s soul to bring him to the temple, where Dask affirmed the consolidation and Pell finalized the loan. Neris received confirmation that her pledged years were released, while Reyn gained recognized control over Dask’s claim schedule; Dask warned that his collectors would demand their share at noon.

The First Share

That same noon

Reyn forced Dask to revoke his collectors’ commissions in front of Pell, then secured Merrit and Senn as agents under a new contract that routes collections through him; the first payment is four crowns, and he spends two as an advance. Neris’s suspicion deepens when she sees Reyn make Dask obey, while the collectors reveal that the debtor behind the next claim is scheduled for Temple default assessment tomorrow morning.

A Month Bought in Ink

The day before Teren Vask’s scheduled assessment

Reyn acquired Teren Vask’s original twelve-crown claim, paid three crowns to stay the Temple’s assessment, and advanced two more under a second mortgage that pledges Teren’s remaining soul value on default. Dask was forced to endorse the transfer in front of Pell, who retained the mortgage for a first-bell audit tomorrow; Neris saw the predatory bargain plainly and left more wary of Reyn.