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.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    “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.