The summon ended somewhere after the sun reached its zenith. I find myself back in the cell with Harijia looking at me through the bars of the closed door. The sheaths for my claws are gone as well as the collar to my great relief. Mechanically I discharge at the back of the cell. The headache is barely bothering me anymore, but I won't be let out until I do. Ambling back to the middle of the cell, I've reached a conclusion. The duration for how long I'm summoned is increasing, both with Ara and with Mari, and in front of me is the only person from whom I can expect any kind of answer.

"How was it?" comes the neutral question from Harijia.

It probably can't hurt to tell her. I'm not going to fool her into thinking I'm stupid anyway. "It was the female human. She wants me to learn how to be weak and stupid." The grin spreading across Harijia's face is not helping my mood.

"And how is that going?" she asks with barely held laughter.

"I'm doing great." I can't hide the chagrin in my own voice. " I was so nervous I startled at anything. Then I took so much time thinking on how to act, I had to be asked anything two, three times before I'd do anything. I kept looking to Ine, another human for confirmation I was doing it right. Everyone was very amused."

Harijia lets out the reptilian equivalent of laughter, which turns out to be normal laughter with a bit more of a hiss in it.

I leave her to it for a while. Ine had a similar reaction, so it was not unexpected. When she finally calms down I can ask her about the summon time.

Harijia enters her explanation posture. I honestly prefer her more that way, she's less likely to try and influence me, though I've learned to not take her information as the absolute truth. "I'm sure I mentioned it some time. Stronger summoners will result in you staying there longer. Your Ara and that dungeon fairy are growing in strength and skill. When you grow stronger faster than they do, the time will become shorter. It should balance out at a week or so with a maximum of a month unless they use a stronger than normal ritual."

I nod. I don't think it's pure strength, so it's likely that their familiarity with summoning me is the deciding factor. I'm not against it as it takes me away from here. Something must have shown on me as Harijia sighs.

"I can tell you don't like it here, devil knows why." Only the tip of her tail end moves as Harijia ponders. "At least wait until you're mostly grown, say two years old, before you try your luck surviving outside." She waits for my reluctant nod. "Believe it or not, but I want you to survive." She sighs again and gestures in the direction of the cavern. "Plenty of grunts in there to do heavy work, but demons like you are one in ten at best."

"There is a devil who will tell you about various beasts, another who will tell you about the lands and plants and one who will tell you about devil settlements and culture. It's knowledge you'll need. I won't tell you who is who though." A small grin creeps over her face. Her grin gains a bit of an edge as she continues. "If you can't find them, then I overestimated you."

The next topic I want to know about is when the older and strong individuals will be taken to their 'next stage'. I can already feel myself tensing just from the atmosphere of this place. It makes me realize how much I was able to relax during the summon. From what I can tell with the others, it's quite the opposite for them. I'm more determined than before to find a place to hide and wait for this to blow over. To my relief, Harijia tells me it will only be a few more days.

The next days are more of a nightmare than I could have expected. All of the weaker demons have found a hiding place. Mine is together with some other swarmlings on a narrow ledge near the top on the cavern wall. From here I can see the chaos below. The older swarmlings roam around in three packs while the other demons tend to roam alone. When individuals or groups meet, fighting almost always follows. For all the noise and bloodshed, there are still no casualties. Some I recognize, some I don't. The spiked bear is down there. So is Torn and a winged serpent. Keepers are quick to take heavily injured individuals away. Among the Keepers are a few I recognize: Twins, a giant spider with two heads, one at each side. The bear-demon I've seen before, though he looks a bit bulkier. The most ridiculous change is in Harijia. I assume it's Harijia, at least, and the one time she passed below it did smell a bit like her. Her body is as thick as I am high and at least twenty meters long if not more. The only recognizable part are her limbs, still in the same general shape, but longer. Nothing, no matter how crazed, attacks the Keepers.

I understand what is happening. It's like the small fights for dominance within the swarm, but among creatures so much stronger it belies my imagination. Trees are felled here and there and I start to see why the ground is so uneven in most of the cavern and why the wall is so craggy despite there being no weather down here. 

The competitors below don't hold back and for the first time I see demons using magic. Sort of, at least. It's nothing like what Ara or Mari does, nor do I think Tarvinder would call this magic. This is what he called abilities. Quite common among the swarmlings is to become blurry to see. It makes them harder to see, especially when they're stalking through vegetation. One group of them uses this for devastating surprise attacks. Some of the serpents even manage to change color to match whatever place they hide at.

One wolf-type demon catches my interest by running straight up a scree slope and then up the wall as if it's just a different floor. The second group of swarmlings has similar abilities, making the most of their mobility. With the stronger and bulkier demons, abilities that enhance their charge or push others away are most common. The third group of swarmlings are the bulkier ones, but still barely have any of this. I can see the benefits. A few demons have mastered deafening roars, while smaller creatures have piercing shrieks. I can sense some kind of influence being carried on their voices, which barely affects me or the others with me.

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Acid is being launched and one demon periodically releases a fog with what smells like a mild poison. Flashes of light threaten to temporarily blind anyone looking at it. Other demons don't have flashy effects, but are formidable nonetheless. The spiked bear can launch several spikes around himself with a swipe of its tail and those spikes regrow at an insane speed. I see Torn a few times. He has masterful control over the scales that now cover his entire body. At will, he can set them upright so his body is covered in razor-sharp blades instead of a tough armor.

What I do not see is casting spells like I've seen Mari and Ara do. These demons can use the magic inside them, but they do not manipulate it. It doesn't matter, me and some of the smarter swarmlings chatter excitedly about what kind of special things we would like to do. I conclude I want all of what we've seen. A powerful charge, being able to change my size, a voice filled with power, being able to hide well and to move anywhere at my best speed. 

The reason for the conflict becomes apparent on the day of the advancement. That morning, suddenly everything is quiet. The more experienced of the swarmlings start to climb down. I don't know what gives them the confidence that it's over, but they've been through this at least once already. Following their example, I climb down. We rush to the small stream and drink our fill. Not eating for a few days is no problem, not sleeping was becoming a bit of a problem, but I had become very thirsty.

At the central clearing the demons who had the greatest success in the last few days stand proudly in the centre. Wounds sometimes still in the process of closing, they stand and glare at anyone trying to come closer. At one end is a small group of five without any wounds or signs of battle, I can't remember seeing them in the last few days, but it's a big area, I can't see everything. In total around fifty demons of different species are gathered here, a tenth of the total population. It makes sense if we're supposed to move on after five years and this happens every six months.

The other demons are arranged around the middle with the obvious losers standing closer to the treeline. It's not the wounds, but the air of confidence or satisfaction around those demons. All in all, there must have been a hundred demons involved in the fighting, but only fifty are here. The real losers of the battles do not even show themselves.

The elders keep their distance from one another, but us younger ones mingle freely. The exhilaration now that the tension is gone makes me giddy. The sense of relief is palpable in the air and makes everyone energetic. Without regard to what species others are we're playing and relaxing together. A small serpent is wrapped loosely around me as I run around. It's obviously pleased at going faster than ever before. I just enjoy running and the extra weight adds a bit of a challenge.

I pause as silence starts to spread over the clearing. From some distance I hear strange voices. Is it strange to know the voice of almost every devil or talking demon at least somewhat? I can't make out what the voices are talking about, but I don't recognize them and they're coming closer. The serpent still wrapped around me squeezes lightly, maybe trying to make me go fast again. I flex the spikes on my back. It understands my intentions and unwinds itself. At a leisurely trot, I head back to the more central area. I'm in time to see the group arrive. They're devils clad in strange armors and robes walking together with great demons. Each of them feels strong, very strong, just like that one devil that summoned me.

They walk among the winners of the last few days of fighting. I can hear them asking about strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Are these what Harijia called agents? As expected, the ones closest to the centre of the clearing get the most attention. Keepers are wandering around, stopping here and there to speak with both demons and devils alike.

Before long I spot Harijia with around ten of the younger demons and I make my way to her. There are a few more like her, talking with the younger ones. On my approach, she and the whole group look at me.

"Now you're here, let's start with the lecture." Without waiting for me to get settled she gestures towards the groups of talking demons and devils. "These special days are on different moments in different places, so as many agents as possible can attend. I believe the custom started as a way to lower the threat of war. You'll learn what war is some other time. After staying five years in a place like this, what they call a 'farm', the devils have to let you choose to serve with an agent, at one of their courts or to let you go off on your own. This Covenant is the result of the Great Uprising, ask a historian about it if you want to know more, but it mostly limits which species and the time for which devils may hold them."

"Every five years, you'll have the choice to agree to work for another five years or to look for something else. Only here and now, after your five years at a farm, do the agents come to look at you. Any other place to go to afterward is up to you to find. You don't have to concern yourself with it yet, though. Once you're here longer, we'll tell you the difference between the various places you can end up at. For now, try to stay out of the way."

As the other young demons go off to run off their excess energy I hang around Harijia a bit longer. I've found her skills to affect my mood are greatly reduced when I don't look at her, so I observe what is going on around us while we talk. It's interesting to note that the swarmlings who fought didn't make it very close to the centre, but do receive quite some attention.

"What makes us special?" is what I ask, instead of what I really want to know.

"Demons? We can be summoned, you know that. It would happen to most of us at some point and some more than others. As you also know, devils can be summoned too. They don't like to talk about it, though. It makes our bodies and minds grow. Some do well with it, like you, others go insane."

I hear scales slide over scales as Harijia changes position slightly.

"Swarmlings? Nothing much. You're mostly not bad all-rounders. Good offense, decent teamwork and decent mobility. There are always agents looking for those qualities. However, I think you really want to know is 'why you'. Why do I push you so hard."

I risk a glance at Harijia and find her looking at me. I nod at her before looking away.

"Because I do get punished if you cause trouble. I also get rewarded if you do well. Besides, I owe it to the devils. You could be very useful when raised right, it's the least I can do for them. Additionally, if I have to let you leave and you die, it would be considered my fault. If you consider that, wouldn't you have done the same?"

"That's true," I answer. She's absolutely right, why would I have to care about what others want and need? I can't feel angry about it, but it's very annoying and tiring. "Can you stop it?"

Scales rustle again. "That depends on you."

Nothing more needs to be said on this, so I leave it be.