I hate humans. Especially modern humans. It’s the smell. Chemicals that make a pathetic attempt to cover the cloud of feces, urine and sweat that lingers about them, not to mention the rotting food every time they open their mouths. Modern women are the worst of the lot because they think they are so much better. All the ‘products’ they use, all the time they spend grooming themselves, all the expensive clothing, none of it covers up that underlying stench.
“Please…” the bloody mess in the alley moaned to no one in particular. Their attacker was gone before I arrived and I was nearly certain they didn’t know I was here. That’s another thing I hate about humans, the lack of awareness. I also hate-
“Sir, should I dispose of the mess?” Gabe interrupted my thought. Probably for the best, I could go on for hours. I sighed and tapped my cane against the asphalt as I thought. I did have a soft spot for children. They smelled just as bad but they were too stupid to know any better. This one couldn’t have been more than ten, I was certain…mostly. “She’ll not last much longer, sir.” Gabe added, helpfully. “Yes, I know that.” I snapped, “I’m thinking.” Behind me the sound, and a moment later the smell, of a lighter burning cheap tobacco made my right eye twitch. “Gabe.” I said threateningly.
“It’s my smoke break sir and you are in the alley.” He replied, clearly not caring one bit for my discomfort. I turned back to glare at him while I jabbed my cane in the direction of the girl bleeding out in said alley. He just shrugged. I hate demons a lot less than humans most of the time but Gabe was quickly moving up my list. They didn’t smell nearly as bad, unless they decided to take up smoking just to piss me off. I sighed again and turned back to the mess behind my restaurant.
After a moment more of thought I sighed again, in defeat this time. God damn children dying in my alley. I waved my hand and said “Get her to the workshop and keep her alive until I get there.” He chuckled in response and as I turned to pass him on my way back into the restaurant he asked, “Should I inform the mistress?” I jabbed my cane into the top of his foot as I passed and hissed “Don’t you dare. I will never hear the end of it.” His laughter echoed through the alley as I slammed the door. It was so hard to find good help, but Gabe had been with me so long I would never replace him and he knew it. Asshole. That brought a smile to my lips, I did love modern swear words. So much more variety nowadays. I remember when bastard and whore were the height of insults. Yelling at minions, who did not have mothers and would sleep with anything that had a pulse, simply did not have the same satisfaction with such a pathetic arsenal of curses. I paused mid step as a thought struck me. Demons were rather fond of asshole's, they probably didn’t consider that a curse either. Dammit it all. A waiter wove around me like I wasn’t even there.
I looked around and the busy kitchen distracted me for a few seconds until I remembered the child who was currently bleeding out and I sighed, then resumed my walk, moving just a bit quicker, not that I would admit that to anyone else. I didn’t care about humans at all. But I did have that soft spot for children. Yes, that was all. Satisfied with my reasoning I headed upstairs quite quickly and grabbed everything I might need, leaving my cane behind. Eve was nowhere to be seen thankfully. That moniker always brought a smile to my lips. I named all my demons after significant figures in one religion or another, out of pure spite. I did not return the way I came and instead took the private elevator from the fifth floor directly to the sub basement.
I emerged to the scent of blood but I recognised it as the child from the alley. I hurried past the central area to one of the secure workshops in the back, following the smell. The child was already naked on the steel table and Gabe was standing over her with a book in one hand, his other holding a bloody rag over a wound in her abdomen. He was not performing some profane ritual, no he was reading a trashy romance novel while putting in the minimum amount of effort required to follow orders. I glared at him as I sat my supplies down on the table beside the almost dead child. “I decided to save this child, Gabriel. I will be quite cross if she dies at this point.”
“Child?” he said and I turned away from the tools I was preparing to look at him. He pointed his book at her bare chest and I turned to look. I didn’t see anything noteworthy so I turned back to him and raised a single eyebrow. He chuckled and said “Far be it from me to ruin your flimsy justifications sir.” I ignored him and retrieved a small red vial then waved Gabe away from the table. As soon as the rag was removed blood started to flow from the open wound but it was weak and I could hear her heart slow down. I poured the vial over the wound and grabbed a second, tilted her head back and poured it down her throat. When she started to gag I covered her mouth with my hand and waited until she swallowed before releasing it.
The jagged wound was closing but as I focused with all my senses trained on the almost corpse before me I knew it was too late. I nearly sighed in defeat but then my pride welled up. I was…admittedly not ancient, but certainly an old and respected vampire. Not to mention a warlock. If I decided a stupid child was going to live then they were going to live. It was only a single stab wound dammit. I invested a bit of my own Significance and whispered a few words too low for even Gabe to hear. Not that he would care. A purple light suffused the area around the wound. I focused my will and a circle of runes pushed their way into reality like maggots breaking through flesh. I looked at my work. Alright, maybe it was more of an oval than a circle. The table was not large enough to ‘circle’ her whole body and keep the shape perfect. A black smoke swirled through the purple light, twisting out of the wound like a worm in shit.
“Gabe…what do you make of this?” I asked and stepped back. He walked up to stand beside me on my left and said “That looks like a curse.” I nodded and on my right Eve said “A nasty one at that. Can I eat it?” I had been trying to ignore her even since I felt her enter the basement. The age old ‘don’t acknowledge the demon and it will cease to exist’ never seemed to work on her unless I wanted something, in which case I could never seem to find her. I still ignored her. “The curse or the girl?” Gabe asked and my eye twitched. God dammit Gabe, don’t engage. I could see her shrug from the corner of my eye.
While Gabe looked like a tall, whipcord thin Italian American, Eve looked like a rather plain Irish woman. Dull red hair, too many freckles on pale skin that burned easily in the sun. No chest to speak of and hips that couldn’t bear a child if her life depended on it. Thankfully it didn’t.
She was however, the smartest succubus I had ever summoned from…I forget which circle of hell. Her personality also wasn’t a complete dumpster-fire. Which is why she is still around. As hard as it was to find good help from the denizens of hell it was infinitely harder to find a succubus who wasn’t a total piece of shit. Believe me, I tried countless times before I found Eve. I realized I was fully looking at her when her sinister smile snapped me out of my thoughts.
“So…what are we doing?” She asked. Maybe she wouldn’t be a distraction after all. “Saving the child.” Gabe said and the sarcasm when he pronounced ‘child’ was clear. Eve raised a single eyebrow and I went back to ignoring her. My attention returned to curse. Her bodily functions were slowed by the runes but the curse was a problem. My elixirs would not heal her fully while it was present and she was too far gone to survive the removal of the curse. I had fully planned to patch her up and dump her back in the alley where I found her. I closed my eyes and sighed. There was only one thing I could do at this point and I was loath to take on the responsibility. Pride warred with the desire to not get involved in…whatever this was.
“What do you think?” I asked no one in particular, my eyes still closed, head tilted back as I tried not to sigh again.
“You hate vampires, especially newborns.” Gabe said.
“You also hate teaching and effort in general.” Eve added helpfully.
“Remember what happened last time?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah, but we also got to eat him.” Eve argued.
Gabe chuckled darkly and said “The walls are not that thick mistress, you eat vampire nightly.” I could feel Eve’s smirk even with my eyes closed and I had to repress a groan. Demon humor was both crass and childish. “Enough.” I said and opened my eyes to stare at the nearly dead child. I could hear the slow beat of her heart as I tried to stamp out the desire to uphold my frivolous commitment from earlier that night. A small warm hand grabbed mine and squeezed. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Eve asked and I just knew I was going to regret this. I retrieved the pen knife from amongst the tools I brought down and pricked the index finger of my right hand. I squeezed a few months worth of Significance into a single drop of blood and let it fall directly into the still open wound of the child.
“Gabe, bring my needles and ink down please.” I paused a moment before adding “The good stuff. We might as well do this right.” Eve released my hand and walked around the table eyeing the girl. “Why this one Atticus?” She asked after Gabe left the room.
“You know how I feel about children.” I replied and she snorted.
“You don’t kick them when they walk by, that’s hardly a reason.” She paused to look up from her inspection. “Besides, how is this a child?” I started, looked at the table and then back to Eve. “What?”
“She’s got to be at least twenty, a few years older probably.” I racked my brain for a few seconds before Eve took pity on me. “You need to spend more time around mortals.” She said “This culture-” she waved absently “considers eighteen years to be the end of childhood.”
“Really?” I asked and looked back at the girl. “She looks so young.”
“Better medical care, plenty of food and good hygiene make a big difference.”
“Huh.” I guess I did need to pay more attention. When was the last time I read a medical journal?
“Atticus.” Eve said and I looked back at her. Her lips curled down slightly and had one hand on her hip, tapping her foot while she stared at me. “You're forgetting something,” she said.
“What?”
“You have to drink some of her blood to complete the connection.”
I blanched in disgust. It’s been so long I had forgotten that part. I never would have started this had I remembered. It’s been years since I have drank anything but demon blood, specifically Eve’s. Without breaking eye contact with her I dipped the tip of my pinky into the open wound, hoping the intestines were not perforated, and pulled some of the girl's pitiful Significance into the blood. I could see the lust in Eve’s surge as I popped the finger into my mouth without grimacing. The oddest things turned her on and I knew that tonight she would be insatiable. The blood tasted horrible, like diabetes, stupidity, roses, and rancid cheese. I was getting distracted. My focus returned to the girl on the table. Short, even for a female, mixed race, Asian and something else, maybe South American. Dark hair that would have fallen to the middle of her back if not for being splayed out on the table in a wet, disgusting mess.
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Blood, spit and probably a bit of vomit, based on the smell, covered the right side of her face and trailed down her chin and chest. It was not a good look. I retrieved a few rags and some alcohol to clean her up while Eve circled us like a vulture. Gabe returned shortly and I began the long process tattooing the runes across her flesh. A razor to shave the side of her head where the mental monitoring runes were inscribed. A tailor's tape to measure the exact circumference of her chest where the binding runes would go, circling her heart where a vampire's Significance gathers. Runes of absorption around her left forearm, extended down the inside of her wrist to her palm. Runes of expulsion mirrored on the right arm but in reverse. Focusing and refining runes in a perfect circle around her navel and on her lower back to filter and enhance the Significance she will absorb when feeding. A line of strength runes, straight from the base of the heel up the back of the leg and ending where muscle turns to hip. Speed runes in the same place on the other leg.
The ink itself was created using an infusion of my own Significance years ago and would turn the runes from an archaic form of shitty communication, or pretentious art in this case, to reality warping conduits of infinite cosmic potential. Or magic if you were a plebeian. Certainly the girl would think they were magic, I hated Americans, too much TV rotted all their brains.
“Ahem.” Eve coughed, interrupting my work. “You're just stabbing her now. What did the poor, unconscious, cursed victim do to suffer such wrath?”
“Nothing.” I mumbled. A few minutes later I was done and stepped back from the table. Gabe was reading the corner and Eve was still circling the table. “Alright.” I said “ As soon as I disable stasis she is going to start the transformation; the curse should be consumed by the vampirism, the wound should heal, the binding and monitor runes should activate and in a few days it will be done.” I circled her once, in the opposite direction as Eve. “Did I miss anything?” I asked the room.
“The runes all look correct.” Eve said.
“She’s going to need food.” Gabe added and I froze. Oh my god. I was going to have to feed her.
“It’s not too late for the furnace.” Gabe reminded me.
“You’ll also need to register her.” Eve added. I had forgotten about that as well. I was starting to remember why I hated vampires. Nosey, controlling bastards who thought they were gods gift to the humans they preyed upon. “Alright” I said, beginning to pace. “I clearly didn’t think this through. She is going to need a minder. Who has the time and room in the contract for some modifications?”
“How about Aisha?” Gabe said.
“Which one was that?” I asked.
“The dretch you summoned about ten years ago.”
I couldn’t stop from scoffing “Barley more than a child herself.” I said dismissively. Eve chuckled “She has three masters degrees and is working on her fourth.” Hmm, perhaps she was worth a bit more consideration. “Ten years ago you say?” I said, turning to address Gabe.
“About, yeah.” he replied and Eve sighed “It was seventeen years, three months, twenty four days and just over eleven minutes.” She said in a clearly disappointed voice. This was why I loved her. Mind like a steel trap. Too bad I hated demons, succubi, women, soulless redheads and...bah, whatever! I absently tried to tap my cane in thought only to realize I left it upstairs. I finally recalled Aisha. Tall, brown hair and…that was it. It’s fine, I got this. I nodded thoughtfully and said “Yes, yes, I think she will be perfect. Fetch her for me, will you Eve… and Gabe, bring me my grimoire.” Eve burst into a puff of black smoke that looked like a larger version of the curse inflicting the ch- ahem, young woman on the table.
“And someone bring me my damn cane!” I yelled as Gabe left the room like a proper person. He returned shortly with both my cane and my grimoire but Eve took long enough that I felt sunrise even two stories beneath the earth. Turning a vampire during the day was a dubious process at best, which meant this farce was going to go on for another twelve hours at least. I should have turned around the moment I saw the damn girl. Instead I focused on my grimoire while others caught Aisha up to speed. Even after listening to them and stealing a few glances at the dretch I couldn’t for the life of me remember her beyond a passing manner. I hated dretch's. With barely any more Significance than a baseline human they were the weakest of the demons and more often than not, the stupidest. I normally summon them in large batches and weed out the duds over a few weeks. Yes, that must be why I don’t recall her. Too many in and out to remember them all. Satisfied, my full focus returned to the grimoire until I found her entry. Date, name, physical description, personality traits, abilities. I skimmed them until my eyes found the rune of binding. I felt the connection stretch across the room towards the young women chatting with Eve and Gabe comfortably.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Eve’s game was. She rarely paid this much attention and has been nothing but helpful today, which was not in her contract so it almost never happened. Hmm…maybe that wasn’t true, I couldn’t actually remember the last time she was a problem. I shook my head, amused by the image of all the antics we had gotten up to over the years. I refocused on the book and reviewed Aisha’s contract. Very basic. Financial support, education, yada yada yada. Minimal violence and loyalty compulsion. That was it. Plenty of room for more without complications.
I coughed to get everyone's attention. No one even noticed. I sat my book on the table and tapped my cane, hard, three times on the concrete floor. Three sets of eyes focused on me and two of them were filled with amusement. At least the new girl was not corrupted yet. “So, Aisha, I assume the rabble has brought you up to date?”
“Yes sir.”
“And, your thoughts?”
“I’m willing to adjust my contract based on the description by Ms. Oxley.” Eve was the only demon to share my last name. We were not married. I hated the concept of marriage. A disgraceful institution which was- the knowing look on Eve’s face brought me up short, cutting that line of thought off. “Ahem, Yes, good.” I said. “Any questions?”
“Yeah. What do I get out of it?” Demons, a one track mind.
“One hundred and forty two point three percent increase in your allocation of Significance if she survives the year. Increased to five hundred percent after fifty years if all parties are satisfied.” I replied. Demon contracts were a funny thing. The inexperienced demon summoner thinks that you need a thousand clauses and sub clauses, that everything needs to be perfectly defined and outlined. A good contact is almost the exact opposite. Too many details takes too much Significance, is too easy to break and far too restrictive on both parties. The trick is to find demons that want what you want already and bind the contract in such a way that both parties are free to do what they want while also increasing the Significance of each over time. The only downside is the snark that comes along with it. In the instance of Aisha’s contract, the all parties satisfied clause means that myself, her and the soon to be apprentice must all be pleased with the arrangement after the given time.
“Done!” She said almost immediately, nearly vibrating, and failing to keep the goofy smile off her face. What a horrible negotiator. What did she major in, capitulation? “Good.” I said and looked at my watch. “Be back in four hours with appropriate clothing and anything else you think might be necessary.” After a few moments of thought where Aisha looked like she was about to bolt any second I asked “How's your blood purity? I don’t want her developing bad habits and would like to start her on demon blood immediately.”
She looked crestfallen and lifted her hand up, tilting it back and forth. “So so. I’m barely into the range of lesser demons; I rarely have sex, always consensual, eat mostly beef and pork, have never killed an innocent out of malice and only have…three active curses.” Weak, but the rest was good. Raping, killing and eating a innocent mortal was an excellent way to taint your blood as a demon and was the major reason most of them were so weak on the material plane, no self control. Too many curses just slowed down growth and didn’t have much of an effect on purity unless they were particularly nasty.
I waved her over and picked up my knife from the table. She didn’t hesitate but did look a bit nervous as she pulled her collar down. Eve chucked and I rolled my eyes, leaned my cane against the table and pulled her hand over, pricking her finger with the knife and licking the drop of blood off the end. I tried not to grimace but by the look on Aisha’s face said I failed. It tasted like tar, violence, pennies and piss. I was spoiled. Eve was young when I summoned her and hundreds of years of consensual sex with a single partner on a near nightly basis has led to a purity beyond anything I have ever tasted. Basically ruining any other blood. She was the culmination of years of planning to create the perfect feedback loop. She draws power from the act and I draw it from her blood. She could tell when I was thinking about her, and I could tell that she could tell. I could feel her stare even though I was focusing on Aisha.
Aisha was beyond a dretch now but I couldn’t determine the type of lesser demon she was based on the taste of her blood alone. “What type of demon did you evolve into?” I asked.
“Intellect.” She replied, a bit of pride creeping back into her voice.
“Oh, that's excellent. Congratulations.” I said, giving her a nod. The three degrees made more sense now. Intellect demons devoured the intelligence of sapient beings. It sounded brutal and to be fair, sitting through a college lecture could be horrible if you had a bad professor. Eating a mind was not the only way to consume intelligence and was awful on blood purity regardless, so it was not encouraged. After a moment more of consideration I decided that I didn’t actively hate Aisha, she would do. “Alright Aisha, keep up the good work and don’t let…” I realized I had no idea what the girl's name was. Gabe jumped in “Her name is Kali Odedra, according to her license.”
“Yes, Kali, a good name.” I nodded along. “Don’t let Kali cause any problems. Remember, she is bound and monitored but not under contract. Don’t forget to file the correct paperwork with the council. Only let her drink your own blood. You're going to need to eat more red meat and drink plenty of fluids yourself as fledglings are both stupid, and ravenous.” I eyed her closely as I thought about other things that might arise. “Try to avoid fornicating with her until she settles down. Use your own judgement though.” She replied with a serious nod. “Oh, and someone find out who stabbed her and why. We better get ahead of that.”
I looked at Gabe and Eve. “Anything I missed?”
“She’s going to need a larger stipend and an expense account.” Gabe replied.
“That’s true.” I nodded sagely. “Fledglings are a menace. Make it happen. Anything else?”
“When can I bring her around?” Aisha.
I almost gagged at the thought “When she stops shitting and pissing everywhere.” I said immediately. “Alright, Gabriel you're in charge, get the hose and when night falls disrupt the runes and everything should start up. I’m going to bed.” One more look at Aisha who nodded and I made the changes to the contract in my grimoire. It would take a few minutes to propagate and then everything would be set. I snagged my cane and left my tools on the table for Gabe to clean up. Eve actually followed me and when we were alone in the elevator I looked at her. “What are you playing at?” I asked.
She chuckled and bumped me with her hip. “I’m just excited. You've been apart from the world for too long. It was getting boring.”
“What? I run an extremely successful restaurant and bar. I’m a man of the world.”
“Uh-huh. Why did you start that particular business up again?”
After a few moments of thought I said “To gather information during the war.”
“Right, and what war was that?”
“The one after the other one, with the Germans…I think.”
“And when was that?”
“Umm…” I tried to think of some point of reference. “Just before I summon Aisha.” I said proudly. Her shoulders slumped and she patted me on the back. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“What?” I asked.
“That was almost a hundred years ago.”
“Really?” I replied as we exited the elevator on the fourth, and top floor, where we lived.
“Yes Atticus.”
“Huh, it seems like it was just last week. Maybe I do need to get out more.”
“You do.” She replied as she helped me out of my clothing and began massaging my feet after I lay down. “But I have everything I need right here.” I explained and sighed contentedly. I did not hate foot rubs. Sometime during the night I felt the runes I lay earlier activate and a new awareness bloomed in my mind. A new daughter born and a new apprentice bound. I had not had much luck with either in the past and I just knew this was going to be awful. I groaned aloud and Eve asked through a fugue of sleep “What’s wrong dear?”
“What if she’s a complete idiot?” She just chuckled and went back to sleep.