Rocky gently floated down in his circle, until he lay on the concrete floor. He looked like he was simply asleep. I stood, and began walking over to him, afraid of what I might find. My voice emerged from between my lips, soft and anxious, “Rocky? Rocky, are you okay?”

At the sound of my voice, his head perked up like he’d been goosed in his sleep, and he looked around. Upon seeing me, he barked and bounded over to me, tail wagging, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He jumped on me, knocking me over, and began licking me all over my face. I wept, overcome with joy upon seeing my only friend restored to health. “Oh, Rocky! You’re okay!” After a moment of reuniting with him, I turned my attention to the demon in the circle. She was laid on her side, breathing shakily. “Are you okay? Hello? Crenirith, are you okay? What happened?” At the mention of her name, she stiffened and sat up.

“I’m okay. I used a little too much Demonic energy at once. That, and the nature of what had been in him caused me to overload a little.” She looked at me and smiled for a moment, then her face became dark.

“HOW. DO. YOU. KNOW. MY. NAME?” She began shaking, whether in rage, frustration or fear, I didn’t know.

I shrank back before her fury, and in a small voice said “You..You said it as you were healing Rocky. You were talking to yourself, crying and sniffling. I heard you say your name.” Her eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth formed a little “o” as she covered it with a delicately beautiful hand.

Her voice was shaky “You…you know my name, and I do not know yours.” She began shaking, fearfully this time. “This is very bad.”

I winced. “My Lady, I don’t want to add insult to injury, but there is also the matter of a contract that was never spoken into existence, nor agreed upon.” I gave her my most apologetic look.

“You mean to tell me that you, a mortal, have my name, and I have performed a service without the aid of a contract? For a creature I cannot touch, and I am owed no payment?” She placed a hand to her face, “What is happening to me?”

I screwed up my face, “Cannot touch? You mean Rocky? What do you mean you can’t touch him?” I cocked my head slightly to the side.

She drew her knee to her chest, and rested her chin upon it, “I cannot leave this circle in which you have imprisoned me. Anything else may enter at will, and exit only if I allow it. I, however, am stuck in this prison until banished back to my realm.” She sighed and drew her other knee up, wrapped her arms around them, and laid her face within. “Where I will be mocked and teased for millennia for this faux pas.”

I inched closer to the circle, taking great care not to break it. “You were overcome with emotion and care for my dog. Just as I was. There is no shame in that.”

Her face snapped up, tears marring her beautiful eyes, “No shame?! What would you know? You’re just a stupid mortal!” She jumped up and turned away from me, striding back to the center of the circle. “Now, just send me home, mortal,” The venom with which she spat the word made it clear that she was hurt and angry, “I’ve no wish to prolong the beginning of my torment. I need to get it over with.”

“Crenirith, no.” She stiffened, shaking. “Please come back over here, Crenirith. I’d like to discuss it with you, if you don’t mind.” She turned, fury upon her face, and walked back to where I sat. I cocked my head to the side, “You have to do what I tell you to do when I use your name, don’t you?”

The shock on her face would be amusing in any other context, “You mean… You mean to tell me that you didn’t know that? You have complete control over what I do. All my actions, all my powers, everything. Once you uttered my name, I was immediately chained to your will.”

I blinked rapidly, the full extent of what I had done washing over me like a tsunami. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. What can be done to remove my control? I’m so sorry, My Lady.” Tears welled up in my eyes. I had no desire to shackle any intelligent being to my will. Not even a demon.

She simply stared at me, shocked. “You want to release me?” She snorted, “That’s hilarious. Me? A succubus? You want to release a succubus from your control?” She laughed “I don’t know if you’re stupid or what, but you can’t just go about ‘releasing’ a demon you have enslaved. Not until your death, anyway. Even then you still have some modicum of power over me.” She shook her head, defeated “No. No, I’m quite literally stuck with you for an eternity.”

I stroked my beard, thoughts racing. “An eternity, huh? A full-on succubus?” I looked at her appraisingly, and she turned her lip in disgust. “Well. I have an idea. You may, or may not like it, but it’s an idea, nonetheless. Would you like to hear it?”

She snorted. “Yes, fine. What is your idea, mortal?” I smiled.

“Well, since you’re already inextricably bound to me, how about you stay here with me on this plane for a while? You’re already fond of Rocky, and I feel indebted to you. Twice over with the whole name thing.” I shrugged and looked into her disbelieving eyes.

“You…what? You’re proposing that I, a succubus, live with you? What would that accomplish? Other than to humiliate me?” Her cheeks flushed.

“Well, you’d get to pet Rocky any time you wished, for starters.” I watched her face closely, and saw the hopeful glint in her eyes. Her voice was wary, “Really? I’d get to pet on your dog any time I wanted?” I nodded, “Of course! He loves attention. Can’t really spoil him any more than he already is, y’know? Ain’t that right, buddy?” I ruffled his fur and squished his face, earning a lick. Crenirith looked wistfully at us, and her shaky voice rang out “Okay. What exactly are you proposing, mortal? I’m torn, honestly.”

I sat back, my hands behind me, bracing my weight. “Well, let’s see. I’m assuming you can change your shape, correct?” She nodded, eying me warily. “Well, we will start there. Rule Number One - You change your shape to be more human-like, with features I like, of course.” Her lip curled in disgust. “Rule Number Two - you live with me as my partner. Whether you, in truth, are or not. Appearances must be maintained. I can’t have a beautiful woman living with me in my small home without attracting gossip. And trust me, that’s the last thing you want.” She nodded, “Rule Number Three - you shall not harm me in any way, nor through inaction cause harm to come to me.” Her lip curled, but she nodded, “Rule Number Four - you will help me to find a better way to support us all. If you’re going to live with me, I’m assuming you have to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, all that stuff. I have to provide for you. No offense, My Lady, but I don’t think you would survive very long in the workforce. We might find something for you to do to alleviate any boredom, but I don’t think you’ll find much gainful employment.” She bristled at my statement at first, then nodded. “I concede that point, mortal,” She sighed “I may be a demon, but that is precisely what will keep me as an outcast among your kind.” I nodded my assent. “True. There will always be some, however, that you’ll mesh with. Always are. And this brings me to my final point.” Her ears perked up, “Rocky, will, at some point, die of old age. This is the way of life.” I sniffled, recalling how close I’d come to losing him after my entire family had died so close together, “By then, I’ll be better able to deal with it, and after a time, I’ll wind up getting another dog.” I looked at her, then. “Rule Number Five - you’ll always have a dog to pet and play with. I swear it. It is the absolute least I can do. I love dogs, and want to always have at least one.” She snapped her face towards me. “Wait. At least? You mean you can have more?” I looked at her, shocked. “Well, yeah. You can have as many dogs as you can care for.” She smiled, full of glee. “For that, mortal, I would call you Master.” I shivered at the thought. Regaining my control, I cleared my throat, calling her attention to me, but she could barely tear her eyes from my dog. “Yes?” I gazed into her electrifying eyes and shivered. “Answer me true, Crenirith.” She stiffened “Will you abide by the rules I have set forth?” She nodded, smiling this time.

I took my knife from its sheath, and held it before the circle. “I command you, Crenirith, to abide by the rules I have set forth, and to begin your new life by mine and Rocky’s side.” I struck down with the blade, severing the circle, and shattering the blade in an explosion of smoke. Once it cleared, standing before me was a woman of the utmost beauty, who extended her hand to me. “Hello, Master. I am yours.”

I shook my head, and kissed her hand. “Let’s go home. Pick him up, he loves being held.” She squealed with glee and scooped Rocky up, nuzzling into his fur, and followed me to my car.

[WP] Your dear pet is ill and as a last resort you summon a demon to heal them. What you did not expect was for the demon to be equally concerned for the wellbeing of the animal before any contract was signed.

I looked into the ancient book once again, double-checking my work. All the sigils and seals were in their proper places, all sacrificial items were of the highest quality, fresh, and in one case, alive. It seemed all that I had left to do was recite the words, spill some blood, and the demon would be summoned. I had ringed the area with battery powered LED lamps for illumination. It was dark in the warehouse, after all.

I took a shaky breath. Any mistakes could spell certain doom for me, but most especially for Rocky. I’d long since run out of options to take care of him. None of the doctors could determine why a healthy two-year old mutt would suddenly lose weight and decline the way he did. They all told me to simply prepare for the inevitability of losing him, but I wasn’t ready. He was all I had left of my father after his battle with cancer. Steeling myself, and recalling my pronunciations, I readied the razor-sharp blade that I’d crafted and honed myself out of the requisite materials.

I raised my arms in supplication and spoke. “Magne et potens daemon de regnis imis, coniuro et abiurabo, nunc mihi appare!” The air began to vibrate within the circle. It was working! I took my fear and excitement, and compartmentalized it within. I still had work to do and the hardest part was yet to come. I readied my blade over my forearm, and spoke again, shaving a swath of hair from my arm. “Gusta carnum meam, et cognosce me, o magne et fortis daemon!” I cast it into the circle, where it vanished in a puff of smoke. A glowing, swirling disk of red light appeared at the center of the circle, in the floor, lazily spinning about. I shivered, knowing I had to do two more repetitions, with different items. Clearing my throat, I intoned a second time “Magne et potens daemon de regnis imis, coniuro et abiurabo, nunc mihi appare!” A faint rumbling was heard, and the entirety of the old warehouse I had snuck into began to tremble. The circle rose and fell three times. Each time it did, the outline of…something appeared momentarily, then disk vanished. I drew the razor-sharp blade across the back of my forearm, neatly parting my flesh. I sheathed the blade and, drawing a small, thin-walled vial from within my robes, captured the freely flowing blood. I corked the bottle and cast it into the circle as well, watching as it halted in mid-air, and slowly tumbled about. “Bibe sanguinem meum, et cognosce desideria mea, domine magne et magnanime profunde!” The cork popped free, and the bottle tipped back in a 45 degree angle, and my blood simply…disappeared. I watched, somewhat horrified as the remaining traces of my blood were methodically removed. I swallowed audibly as the glass fell to the floor, shattering. I quickly applied a styptic to my wound, and then wrapped my arm in gauze, not wanting to stain the floor with my blood. Raising my arms a third, and final, time, I spoke the words to conjure the demon again. “Magne et potens daemon de regnis imis, coniuro et abiurabo, nunc mihi appare!” The center of the circle seemed to bend and dip in two places. Cracks could be seen radiating out from the circle, but never touching it. I picked up the piglet I had raised for the past three months, feeling it squirm mightily. I dared not sedate it, as I needed it fully aware and alive for this process. “Accipe hoc sacrificium, et utere coram me appare, potentissime ac benevole domine dominationis vestre.” I took a half-step back, and launched the heavy piglet into the circle, whereupon it halted, as if caught in a spider’s web. I watched, terrified, as the piglet was turned this way and that, squealing in fear. Its cries were cut short, as its head was seemingly, slowly bitten off. The blood of the piglet flowed down the body of the demon, making it partly visible in a terrifyingly slow reveal. The piglet was held aloft, upside down, and gently milked of its life-giving fluid, and then consumed in a macabre spectacle. The blood flowed down the creature’s body, far more than should have been possible, revealing a rather human looking woman, with a large pair of leathery wings at her back that pulsed gently. She had a pair of curled ram’s horns jutting out from the sides of her head. Her body was lithe and fit, her legs appeared to be those of a goat’s from the knee down. She was dressed in a fine leather corset, decorated with some of the most intricate scrollwork I’d ever seen. Her lower body was clad in a thin, short skirt, with a cutout for her long, spade-tipped tail. As I stared, transfixed, the blood began to flopw up towards her mouth, and she swallowed it greedily, like a man lost in the desert. Her eyes opened, the irises a brilliant, almost glowing, shade of violet, and she faced me, gazing at me like a wolf would a lost lamb. I shook my head, trying to steel myself for the final part of the summoning. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I placed my right hand over my heart, and bowed to a thirty degree angle. “Ave, et salvete daemonium potentem!”

I held my position until she spoke. “Rise, mortal. Look upon me, and speak.” I swallowed and rose from my bow, meeting those enchanting eyes. “I bid you Well Come to Earth and the mortal plane, My Lady.”

“Thank you, pet. Now, Why have you disturbed me? I know you seek health and life for one dear to you, but I do not see them in evidence.” I looked around, realizing that Rocky had apparently wandered off.

“Ahh… one moment. He seems to have wandered off. My deepest apologies for this delay. May I go fetch him, My Lady?”

She made a shooing motion and smirked at me, then began examining her long nails. I hurried off, calling my dog’s name. “Rocky? Rocky! Where are you, bud?” I clapped my hands and gave a sharp whistle, which echoed in the empty confines of the warehouse. “He can’t have gone far. I made certain to shut and lock all the doors. Rocky! Where are you?” A soft whine to my left pulled my vision to his sprawled form.

He was laying against an old crate, his tail weakly thumping against the ground. I rushed to his side, hot tears falling onto his prone form. “Hey buddy. You gave me a scare. I thought you’d left me.” I smiled, tears streaming from my eyes as I picked him up, and cradled his large, yet alarmingly light body to my chest, and walked back to the circle, where the Demoness was watching with curious interest.

As I walked into the light cast from the lamps, her eyes went wide, and a smile spread across her face, “PUPPY!” she exclaimed, sounding like nothing more than a ten year old little girl.

“Aww… He’s so cute! I want to pet him. Can I pet him? He looks so soft!” Her rapid questions left me confused, as did her high-pitched squeal that hurt my ears, but made Rocky give a weak howl.

It was at this moment, that the joy faded from her face, to be replaced by worry and…fear? “Oh, no. What’s happening to him? Why does he sound so weak? Let me help him! Please? I want to help him. I’m going to help him.”

“Please, My Lady.” I looked at her then, unashamedly sobbing, “He’s all I have left. I don’t know if I could stand losing him right now. Everyone else has died, and he is the only family, the only one who I can love, that I have left.” I knelt, and laid Rocky into the smaller circle that would allow the Demoness to interact with him.

She took a deep breath and, closing her eyes, she shook her hands as if she were flinging water off them. She spoke softly, as if she were talking to herself. “Okay. I can do this. I can fix this puppy. I can make him better. I have the power and ability. I am strong and powerful…” She faced Rocky, and spread her hands out towards him, and he rose into the air, spinning gently. Her eyes unfocused as if she were gazing at something far into the distance, and she grimaced. “He is very sick. I…I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this before.” A single tear escaped her violet eye, and rolled down her beautiful face. “I’m not giving up. I’m fixing this doggy. Don’t you worry, boy, I’m going to save you.” She took a deep breath and nodded once, “No matter what it takes.”

I sniffled and knelt, watching the spectacle, as this weeping Demoness began to channel what had to be astronomical amounts of raw energy, and performed some sort of what could only be described as magic, and cast narrow beams of green light from her fingers into my dog. “Something is eating him alive from the inside. I’m going to stop it. I’m going to save this little doggy.” She sniffled and pushed harder, and I saw those beams intensify, as her raven hair began to stand out from her head. She started murmuring to herself again, softly “Just a bit more… I can do this. I know I can do this. Come on, Crenirith, you can do this. Just a bit more!” She grunted and began a low growl which crescendoed into a shout, as blinding white light erupted from within her circle, and she collapsed.