Jeremy felt a slight tug. It felt like something was calling out to him. The wizard felt the denizens in his soul stirring, as if hearing the same call.

Someone was summoning demons.

He was a bit alarmed that he could sense the call. Then again, he was a living conduit to all things infernal — and he was nearer than the others.

Jeremy tried to release his consciousness to follow the summons — and failed. The connection was too faint. Fortunately, he had a way to strengthen the connection.

On the top of his head was a mask of ivory shaped like a skull. It was concealed by his cowl, so very few had a chance to see it. Not that he wanted people to see it. It looked more like a pumpkin carving than an actual skull. He found it more comical than scary.

The wizard pulled down the mask over his face. There were demons that used skulls as headdresses and a few wore them as masks. He looked liked none of them — but the summoner probably had no idea of what demons looked like.

The call grew stronger. His skull mask allowed him to project his consciousness to people around him — now, he had to channel the projection to one single point. It took a lot of concentration — around a tenth of the effort he used to keep the howling demons at bay.

A projection of himself separated from his body — traveling through the ether and returning to the material. It was a shorter distance than going from the ether to the infernal realms, which gave him the advantage.

Jeremy’s projection appeared within a warded circle. To his surprise, it had an actual body instead of the wispy ghost-like presence he was expecting. There was something in the summoning that allowed his projection to draw from both the ethereal and material plane to create the body he was in.

It wasn’t a perfect duplicate. The wizard could access a mere half of the mana provided by his conduit to the infernal realms. It probably had something to do with crossing multiple planes — even if it was just going back and forth. It was an interesting discovery — but he had more immediate concerns.

Jeremy scanned the room for his summoner — surprised to see there was none before him. The sound of shuffling robes drew his eyes to a corner, and towards a cowering wizard.

He smiled. He would play the part well.

“You expected a demon wizard?” Jeremy tried his best to sound diabolical. “Speak — for death itself stands before you.”

The wizard panicked, cowering even more. He pulled out a scroll from his robes and started to chant.

Pain flooded Jeremy’s senses — the type of pain that would leave a demon twitching on the ground, or about two-thirds the output of his staff. Speaking of which —

He placed his hand to his side and summoned his scythe. It wasn’t the painful Staff of Pain — it was merely a replica forged from the remnants of his traveling spree.

“Enough of this,” Jeremy hissed.

He crossed the circle, knowing it would do little to impede him. As he slowly walked towards the wizard, he realized the reason for the cowering. His life ward was set at maximum and the summoning somehow managed to strengthen the conduit’s effects.

The poor wizard was feeling infernal malevolence while his life was ebbing away.

Jeremy set his life ward to a minimal level. He was just some kind of simulacrum — but the life ward was still ingrained in his mind.

Plugging the conduit was more difficult. That required a conscious effort to stop — and infernal malice was difficult to filter.

“Rejoice, mortal. I have deemed it worthwhile to heed your summons.”

Jeremy wondered if arrogance was the best way to go, considering the wizard was probably panicking.

“Mister… Lord Death,” the summoner stammered. “I did not mean to summon you.”

“That matters not,” Jeremy backed away to give the man a chance to compose himself. “I am here. What is it you want, Clarence?”

“My name is Solokor — not Clarence.”

“So you wish, human. So you wish.”

Solokor — no, Clarence looked confused. He was probably doubting his very existence thinking if his parents were really his parents.

“Again, Clarence,” Jeremy emphasized the name. “What is it you want?”

“The duke,” the summoner replied. “I want the duke dead.”

“I can certainly hasten his death,” Jeremy replied while thinking of giving the duke a couple of sugary cakes that Sebas made. That should shave a few minutes off the duke’s life — or more if the duke takes a liking for cakes and sugary food.

“There is a price.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I know this,” Clarence’s eyes started to brighten. “A life for a life.”

“Indeed,” Jeremy winced inwardly. He would have preferred gold or gems. “But do you think your life is worth as much as the duke’s?”

The summoner seemed prepared for the question.

“Five hundred lives — bound to this gem.” He offers an emerald to Jeremy. “I’ve secured them in a prison outside of the city. Crushing this gem will end all their lives.

Jeremy took the gem. It certainly piqued his interest. Clarence linked the lives of five hundred people to a single gem. He probably thought it was some kind of curse — but Jeremy knew better.

That was resonance.

He wanted to take the gem so he could immediately study it — but he doubted he could do so in his summoned state.

“This gem isn’t enough,” he held it up as if examining it. “The duke is wealthy. A sacrifice of gold is needed to seal the deal.”

“How much gold?”

“Under normal circumstances, it would have been his weight in gold,” Jeremy started. “But I like you, Clarence — five thousand gold should be enough.”

“I have a diamond that should be worth twice that.”

Jeremy nodded. He walked towards the summoning circle — placing the gem at its center. While stooping, he noticed another circle beside the one he used.

“Place the diamond within the circle. One of my attendants will take it come nighttime.”

He pointed to the other circle. “You have other plans?”

“A contingency, Lord Death,” Clarence fumbled at the words. “I expected demons — not you. I will implore the other demon to send its minions to attack the duke’s estate while you do your work.”

“Baelneroth?” Jeremy spoke, recognizing the runes that summoned the demon. He didn’t intend to get entangled with the demon before he worked out what to do with Cloudy — and the demon would recognize him, ruining his ploy.

“You’ll send in demons when death is already on the job?”

“Merely to deal with the lackeys and provide a distraction.”

Jeremy frowned beneath his mask. The summoner was keeping things from him.

“When do you want it to happen?”

“A week from now. On the third,” the man eagerly replied. “The demons will attack at midnight. With you there — it would seem like the duke died of fright.”

“Your request is noted,” Jeremy lowered his voice. “Leave the gems on the circle. They will be taken by midnight.”

He didn’t wait for the summoner’s response — willing his consciousness back to his body.

The simulacrum’s body seemed to crumble into nothingness, not even leaving traces of dust. Jeremy stared at his disintegrating hands — wondering if there was a way to replicate the magic.

He found himself in his lab once again.

The wizard was thrilled. He discovered new magic as well as a gem that promised another glance at the secrets of resonance.

The duke could wait. Baelneroth’s minions weren’t formidable. They were just the popular choice only because they were accessible, willing, and cheap.

Jeremy ran to the shop — eager to share his discoveries with Sebas. He also needed the butler to make a gate to get the gems — preferably after Baelneroth’s visit.

He saw the farmhands on his way to the Corner Shop — noting their bare feet. He remembered them saying something about drawing power from the ground. It seemed inefficient and unhygienic. He could probably do something about the efficiency — but not the jerms.

There were customers in the Corner Shop™. He waited by the door until they left, letting Sebas do the work.

He greeted them politely as they headed out — he did not expect shrieks of terror.

One of them shrieked and fainted. The other backed into a corner and kept screaming.

What the hell was happening? He didn’t even have his staff!

Jeremy could see Sebas frowning and gesturing to his face — it was the mask. He slid it back to the top of his head — stopping the enchantment that broadcasted his thoughts, and the infernal malevolence that came with it. Speaking to them probably prompted the connection.

At least the two would have a tale for their friends.

***

Sebas worried for his master — he could now feel and answer demonic summonings. Of course, he didn’t get the most obvious implications — he even seemed happy that he was summoned.

He even asked him to replicate the spell. Fortunately, it required diamond dust to perform — and he was too cheap to go through with it.

His master was more concerned over the summoning and the resonance than the five hundred lives Clarence held hostage.

At least they would be heading there soon. They were just waiting for Shelby to come back with Master Jeremy’s staff.

The snail seemed to take a liking to it. Sebas even heard Shelby clicking and whistling at the staff — as if talking to it.

She arrived before dusk, bringing along a handful of the farmhands and the three golems. She took it to herself to guard the boys while they were mining — though that didn’t explain the staff.

Sebas saw his master and the snail meeting. The staff was handed over and the two parted after their usual show of affection. It was nice to have a pet — even if it was a gargantuan snail. In his mind, Shelby probably thought his master was the pet.

“Shall we go?” Jeremy said as he walked to the door.

“I’ll close up,” he replied. His master was taking things so casually. It was like they were going for a trip instead of confronting a dangerous wizard.

“Here’s the location.”

“That’s around twelve miles east of here,” Sebas judged. Their tracking spell noted the exact location of a given place relative to a single point — and they chose the Corner Shop as that point.

“Get ready, Master,” he warned. “I’m opening the door.”

A doorway appeared in front of them. It was safe as long as he didn’t turn the know and open it. After that, anything could happen.

Sebas opened the door wide, quickly stepping back to ready a spell.

There was nobody there.

He could see the summoning circles — one obviously used to summon Baelneroth.

He shuddered. He was to be the vessel for the demon — allowing the cultists to summon demons as they pleased.

His master eagerly headed to the other circle and picked up two gems. One held the lives of five hundred people — the other a fortune in gold.

Sebas wondered what his master valued more.

Jeremy threw the diamond at Sebas, seemingly uninterested.

“We need to find these people, Sebas.”

The butler sighed in relief.

“We need to learn how Clarence connected their lives to this gem — and we need some way to replicate it."