Gao stood at the edge of an intricate runic circle. It glowed with an ever shifting

pattern of translucent colors, turning the stone walls of the summoning chamber into a

hypnotic mosaic of moving blocks. It lit up the specks of dust hanging in the air like rays

of sunlight through an open window, and gave an aura of menace to the wide grin that

spread across Gao’s face. For the briefest of moments, sound ceased to exist.

Red mist, thick and hazy, emanated from the sacrifice. It crept in twisting patterns

toward the center of the circles. Coalescing just above the floor. The dust particles now

glowing with the white hot fury of magnesium embers joined the miasma in a roiling

maelstrom of energy. The mass condensed, becoming more substantial and shifting in

color from red, to scarlet, to black, then to something that was far less a color and more

the absence of reality itself. The overpowering scent of sulfur flooded the room in a

tsunami of brimstone stench.

Then it was over. Sound returned. The light from the runic circle died down into a

gently glowing green. The magical lights along the ceiling seemed to remember they

were supposed to exist and they once again cast their warm glow out as if nothing had

happened, but something had happened.

The creature landed on its knees, arms falling down to its sides, and its wings

slumping to the ground. Rich black hair covered a face that was looking downward and

thus hidden. Gao exchanged a quick glance with Shoichi who was busily trying to fasten

his pants as he moved closer to his friend while giving the circle a wide berth. Gao had

succeeded. He had pieced together the ritual from a hundred tiny fragments of

information and on his first attempt he had actually succeeded. Truly he was a master

mage, but the summoning was the easy part. Now he faced the real challenge. The

battle of wills with a denizen of hell. Gao outstretched his arms with palms up. In the

most authoritative voice he could muster he commanded. "Rise."

The demon raised its hands, fingers pulling back the flowing locks of hair that

covered its face. One bright red eye locked on to Gao. Both he and Shoichi took an

involuntary step backward. She would have been beautiful. Her skin was pale and

flawless with glowing green tattoos that ran the length of her shapely body like elegant

pulsing veins. Her black as night hair was long and silky, cascading down her head and

shoulders like a spring stream down a forest pass. Her horns were attractively curved.

Her spaded tail was long and elegant. Her face was slim and exotic. Her eyes, oh Gods

her eyes… The left eye was bright red and beautiful like the rest of her. The right eye

however, was inky black. Expanding outward from that bottomless abyss was a network

of black tendrils that followed her veins and arteries. The succubus possessed

otherworldly beauty, even as she… Don’t humanize it Gao. Even as it simultaneously

possessed otherworldly repulsiveness.

“Could you cover your right eye again?” Gao bit his tongue after his query. He

shouldn’t have asked her... it, to do that. Even as it replaced the hair over its horrifying

eye, Gao could feel the demoness’ palpable aura of seduction. This next part would

have been easier with the thing’s eye nullifying her unnatural beauty, but he had

prepared for this. He would master this creature. It would be his pet, not the other way

around.

“Kind of creepy,” Shoichi remarked. “I don’t know whether I want to fuck it or beat

it to death.”

“Shut up!” Gao hissed. He cleared his throat, ready to bind the creature to his

indomitable will... He cleared it again, louder this time in an attempt to regain the

demon’s focus. She… it, wasn't even looking at him. The demon was staring at the

sacrifice. The damnable servant girl was staring back at the succubus looking terrified

and completely awkward in her position of nude and tethered to the altar. They had had

to force her participation because she couldn’t just let Shoichi have his way with her like

a good little wench. Now she was distracting the damn thing. Or maybe he was looking

at this wrong. Perhaps this was an advantage.

“Do you like her?” he asked with consummate professionalism.

The demon turned its head toward him and gave a single slight nod.

Excellent, he thought with some glee. “She can be yours to do with what you will

if you so wish. We will need to hash out the details of course.”

The demoness took a moment to examine the rune covered floor. “I shall

requireth an examination of thine girl first. To appraise her value.” Her… its, voice was

low, feminine, and surprisingly lacking in the seductive nature that he had been

previously expecting.

“You speak the Imperial dialect?” Gao said before exchanging a nervous and

excited glance with Shoichi. Shoichi clearly didn’t get the implications. She doesn’t

speak telepathically or even in the same tongue. The tomes were wrong! As soon as we

strike a deal, I need to write this down. Or perhaps, I’ll make my new pet write it down.

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“I doth. Thou art Anorian, yes?”

“Uh, yeah,” replied Shoichi.

“Shut it!” Gao ordered.

“Mmmm. Now, about thine girl?”

Gao looked down at the sand filtering through the hourglass. He had time to

spare. “Shoichi, throw her in with the demon.”

The sacrifice started screaming through her gag. It really isn’t fair to call her a

sacrifice, mused Gao as Shoichi untied her tethers. Lust was the sacrifice. Hell, the little

bitch didn’t do anything. Maybe she’ll be more useful now. The demon caught the

stumbling girl and pulled her to the floor, wrapping her body around the little wench.

Was this going to get erotic? He looked down at the hourglass. That I don’t have time

for.

“That’s hot.”

Gao held up a hand for Shoichi to shut the fuck up.

“Do you think we’re going to get a show?”

“Would you shut up!” Gao hissed. He really needed to get better help. “I’m trying

to hear what it’s saying.”

Leaning as close to the circle as he dared, he tried to make out the whispers.

The demon released the wench, who slowly and shakily got onto her feet. Gao cursed

himself for missing the brief exchange.

“Now, go and standeth behind mine Master and await orders.”

With eyes locked onto the stone floor and fists clenched tightly to her sides, the

girl moved toward Gao. This seems too easy, he thought. Both men watched as the

abused servant girl took a position three steps behind Gao.

“Thine girl. I find her acceptable. Does thou wish for a pact then?”

Gao looked down at the sand falling into the lower half of the hourglass. “Ye,

yes.” Hesitation threading its way into his voice. Something’s wrong. This is just too

easy.

The demon nodded and motioned him closer. He wasn’t going to fall for that.

Gao double checked his position near the circle. He was still well on the correct side so

he merely leaned forward a little.

“Sendeth unto me mine Master.”

“What?” Gao asked just before he felt two powerful hands slam into him with a

guttural, vengeful roar.

Gao tried to avoid the waiting embrace of the demon as he fell forward. Tried to

divert his momentum off to the side, but it wasn’t far enough. A slender, femine hand

wrapped around his wrist, then the floor jumped up to greet his face. Pain flared in his

arm, his nose, and along his throat as hot breath caressed his ear. “Now we shall make

our pact,” the demon hissed. Gao could barely make out the screaming over the

thundering of his own heartbeat. The wail of pain warred with the roar of hatred, but

really, if he thought about it, the only thing that truly mattered was himself and the

demon now on top of him.

Gao grit his teeth and said nothing. In the distance, the screaming hatred won

out over pain. Dull and squishy rythmic thumping echoed throughout the stone walled

room. “No? Does thou not wish for a pact? Ah, I see. Thou awaits thine friend?” It’s

fingers wormed their way into Gao’s hair and violently directed his face to the right. The

rhythmic squishing sound. It was Shoichi’s head as the naked wench, her skin drenched

in blood, lifted it off the floor and slammed it down against the stone. Again and again

until the skull must have given way and only the skin was left, just barely holding in the

pulped interior.

“What do you want?” Gao asked through gritted teeth.

“Ah good. What I want is simple. I shall let thee live. Thou shalt deactivate the

runes and thou shalt bind me to thine world.”

“If I don’t?”

Gao felt it shrug. “Thou hast given me freedom from mine prison. Thou is getting

a good pact, but… humans live for what? Eighty years? I hath slept for longer. Another

shall summon me. Thou willst die before thine ritual’s time is up.”

He didn’t think about it too long. Live with almost no consequences or die. “One

amendment.”

“Hmmm?” amusement evident in her tone.

“What went wrong? You don’t act like a succubus.” Might as well find out where

he had errored. Next time he’d get it right.

“Suc-cu-bus? Ahhhh. I shall accept this amendment. Doth we have a pact then?”

“Yes.”

The pain in his arm instantly disappeared. She was still holding him though.

“Thine runes.”

He breathed a word of power and the lights went out. “I, Gao Zheng, invite you

onto the mortal plane.” He waited. The demon had drawn in a sudden breath and fully

released him, but that was it. He had been expecting more. Lights or an ominous sound,

or something.

“Ah good. Now for mine part. Thine error. Thou wished to summon a succubus?

Thou needeth lust to summon a succubus. Thou used hate and a great will for revenge.

Did thou trully think rape wouldest give thou lust?” it laughed. “Thou art a stupid mortal.”

Gao rolled onto his back and watched the not-succubus gimp toward the door;

favoring its right leg. She stopped and turned to the still enraged girl.

“Hey, girl.” She pointed at Gao. “He is the reason thou were raped.”

The girl’s fiery gaze locked onto him. Her mouth opened into a blood curdling

howl of rage and hate. If there was one lesson to be taken away from this botched

summoning. It’s that an irate girl, hyped up on a demon’s rage buff, can cross a room

faster than an academic mage can cast a spell.