"Ah… deals, deals, deals." He smiles, spinning a card between his fingers. "Every favor comes at a price. Too much… and you lose leverage. Too little… and they will take it by force. You must learn negotiation, cunning, timing, and subtlety. The spirits are clever, apprentice. They smell hesitation, fear… weakness."

He steps closer, whispering as the shadows curl around him. "Learn to give just enough, demand just enough… and perhaps, one day, you will bend them as I do. Misstep even once… and the consequences will linger… long after I have turned my attention elsewhere."