Belrye and the Summoner

"Oh, uh, just sibling please." You suppose you should have been ready for that.

"Ah, see? This is why I ask," Tom writes your name down, then checks a calendar on the desk and writes today's date, "Sibling it is!"

"So, uh, what exactly am I supposed to do here? Like I was assuming we were talking about things like shoveling the walk or painting walls. But after seeing, well…" you nod toward the door where Kletano had left, "I probably shouldn't assume anything."

He gives you a grin. "Well, let me tell you a bit about our work here. Let's take a walk. He rises from his chair and leads you to the same door Kletano had left through. In the back of your mind, you were expecting a torchlit corridor stretching down into darkness, distant roars, and magic words echoing up to you. Well, you were right about the corridor part, though it is lit with the kinds of lightbulbs you would see in any other building. As you walk, you pass another demon. This one is female and seems to be in a bit of a hurry carrying a mug of coffee. She and Tom exchange nods as you pass.

"New brother?"

"New sibling, actually"."

"My apologies! Welcome, new sibling! Sorry, late for a meeting." This all seems oddly familiar, like what you might see at a typical office. What is going on here?

A few steps later, Tom leads you through a side-door and into a room. This is much more what you were expecting. An old woman in a pale gray robe is seated behind a small desk, with several shelves of books behind her. She looks at you, and then turns to Tom.

"Hello, Terra. A new sibling has joined our order." Turning to you, he begins to explain, "So, let me tell you a bit about our order. As you have started to see firsthand, there are other planes of existence out there besides our own. In fact, there are a vast multitude of them, populated by an equally wide variety of creatures. Our mission here is to begin to establish diplomatic relations outside of our plane. We feel that it is better to reach out on our own, rather than wait to be contacted by the first one to take an interest in us."

"So, since those are most definitely demons, I'm thinking you chose Hell. Don't get me wrong, I've never been the religious type, but…"

"But why Hell?" Tom asks rhetorically. "Actually, Hell and Earth have a long and complicated history together. At times it has been peaceful, and at other times less so. We felt the best place to start was with a society we have some common history with. Another reason we were drawn to Hell was because their society is quite stable. While their system of government resembles ancient feudalism here, the overall structure has not changed in thousands of years."

"Also, the council chose Hell, and that was that," Terra chimes in, casting a glance at Tom. Something about her expression makes you uneasy.

"Ah yes, not everyone agrees with the council's decision, but I suppose time will tell. What we are doing now is something of an exchange program. We are summoning demons and helping them to integrate into our order. Your job will be to assist with this summoning and training process. I am sure it sounds a bit scary, but don't worry. Terra here will be training and supervising you." She gives you a confident nod.

This all sounds quite fascinating, but at the moment you have a more mundane concern. "So, um, what is the pay cycle here? See, my landlord is kicking me out in a few days."

"Oh," Terra replies, "that actually makes it easier. You see, we typically prefer summoners stay here at the temple. You are free to come and go, of course, but the nature of your duties make it far easier if you are on site. It sounds like that will not be a problem?" You shake your head. "Excellent. As for your things, let me show you to your room."

The three of you leave and continue further down the hallway, reaching an elevator that appears to have been installed much more recently. "Summoning section five," she says as you enter, and the elevator dings. You feel the elevator start to move quickly downward, before it comes to a stop and the door opens. This, you realize, is more like you expected. The walls are made of stone brick, and strange symbols cover the walls and ceiling. The corridor is lit by torches in wall sconces, and robed figures occasionally move from room to room.

"Yours is the first room on the left, so it should be easy to remember. Summoning section five, room one." She points to an unmarked stone brick beside the door. "Press your hand there."

You press your palm against it, finding it strangely warm. After you pull away, the brick starts to glow with another strange symbol. "There, the room is now keyed to you. This door will only open if you press your palm against it. Quite an effective door lock, wouldn't you say?"

"So wait, does this mean I'm some kind of wizard?" The strangeness of everything is starting to sink in.

"You are no more a wizard than a programmer is a mage. The world is governed by certain rules. Through our…'partnership' with Hell, we have gained access to new types of technology, which work in ways you are unfamiliar with."

You experimentally put your hand back against the stone, and the door opens smoothly inward. The room is about the size of a typical bedroom, and has a bed and writing desk inside. One thing you note is the lack of a power outlet. They must not have electricity down here. An hour ago, you would have thought that strange.

"You will be able to get moved in after you see the other room." She leads you out (it looks like the lock only works one way), and gestures to the room on the other side of the lock stone. "So, your right hand opened the door to the left. Now use your left hand. The same stone unlocks both doors. Since it is between the doors, use the hand closest to the stone to unlock the door you are standing in front of."

You press against it, and as the door opens you walk inside. This room looks far more like a dungeon. It is unfurnished, apart from a set of four shackles hanging from the ceiling, a sink, a floor drain, a table, and a single chair. "This room is where you will do the summoning. It is left unfurnished since each summoner tends to set things up differently. Unlike the other room, this room is keyed to you for both entering and exiting. This is done as a safety precaution, but we will talk more about that later."

The next few hours are a blur. You are shown the rest of the facilities, ranging from restrooms to summoning-ink storage. This is followed by Tom driving you to your house to collect your things (What possessions you have left fit in a suitcase.) The two of you talk the whole way, but it all goes in one ear and out the other. You come back to what is now your home as the Sun is rising, make your way to summoning section five, room one, and fall into bed. You don't even remember your head hitting the pillow before you are asleep.

You are awakened sometime later by a pleasant chiming sound. You are not sure where it is coming from, but as soon as you sit up in bed it stops. Unsure what else to do, you arrange the items from your suitcase in the room. The old photo goes on the desk, your spare clothing goes in the closet, and a few minutes later you are moved in. It still doesn't feel like home, but maybe that will change with time. You take a change of clothes and a towel, then head to the shower.

After your shower, you are finally feeling more like yourself. Fifteen minutes to just process everything that has been happening made a big difference. You also had a chance to look at a clock, and realized it was evening again. You had slept through the day, but that meant surprisingly little with most things beneath the surface. You make your way to Terra's office, assuming this should be her shift again. Sure enough, you find her there. Sitting on the desk are a robe and a thin, leather-bound book. "Ah, welcome back. Did you sleep well?" You nod in reply. "Excellent, you looked pretty glazed over at the end of last night. So, excited for your first summon?"

"Yeah. And more than a bit scared. I've seen enough movies to know I don't want to do this wrong."

"Movies often get things wrong, but that is one thing they are right about. Here," she gestures to the book and robe, "these are for you." She gives you a moment to put the robe on over your clothes. For as hot as it looks, you find it surprisingly comfortable. "Now, let's go to your summoning room and get started. The process takes a while and must be done carefully, but it is not complicated." The two of you walk together down to your summoning room. It still looks just as uninviting as it had the night before. Still, you open your book and start looking at it. Inside is a large collection of symbols, diagrams, and instructions.

"Now, there are two main things that we will need to do, and they must be done in this order. First, we will be making a ward. And second, we will be making a summoning circle. Now, the rooms themselves have a very powerful ward on them that prevents demons from perceiving anything outside of these walls. Once they have been properly trained, you can allow them out. Any questions so far?"

"So this room looks really uncomfortable, especially with the shackles and stuff. From what Tom was saying, shouldn't the room be setup to be more welcoming first?"

Terra lets out a long sigh. "So, when a demon arrives, we never know who we are going to get. Some are easy to work with, and others are definitely not. Some are immediately hostile. This room is here to contain them until they have been prepared to work with us. Brother Tom has never seen a demon who hasn't been fully prepared yet, so his head is a bit in the clouds when it comes to the whole process." Something about her phrasing again makes you feel uneasy, but since she is the expert here, you decide to follow her lead.

"Wait, so the demon is locked in here, right?" Terra nods. "Shouldn't there be some sort of toilet or something in here for them? Like I get that a bed can be added, but I don't see any sort of plumbing in here aside from the sink and that drain."

"Oh, right. So demons generally don't need to eat, though there are some exceptions. For example, a lust demon feeds on lust, a wrath demon consumes anger, etc. Since they don't eat, there is no need for a toilet. The same goes for drinking. They are able to eat, but it is not needed for them. Getting you aroused and eating the emotion is like a late-night taco run for a lust demon."

She walks you through the process of drawing the ward on the floor, using a large bottle of ink and a fingertip. The symbols, while strange, are not too complex. As you complete the final symbol, it glows brightly along with the ink on your fingertip. Over a few seconds, it fades to a dull green, and the ink on your finger disappears completely.

"Now," she says, "this ward will prevent the demon from being able to harm you. They will not be able to cause you physical pain. However, they are still fully capable of lying, tricking you, angering you, insulting you, etc. Be prepared for that. They are also prevented from directly damaging or touching the ward or the summoning circle you will be drawing next. Again, though, they can trick you or try to indirectly cause you to do it. The ward itself is very fragile. A single smudge is all it takes to deactivate it. Be exceedingly careful about that."

"So, let's get started on the summoning circle. By the way, before you complete that, you will need to let me out of the room. The ward protects you, and only you. Once you have summoned a demon, it is not safe to bring anyone else in here, either demon or human. I will guide you until you are ready to draw the final symbol." You nod.

"Okay, this is where things get interesting. First, draw a circle like the diagram here." After you have drawn it, she says, "Very good. Next is the symbol for the type of demon you will be summoning. I have been told by the council to have you summon a lust demon."

"Oh, uh, okay. What are they like? Do they try to seduce you or something?"

"Lust demons are pretty basic, actually. They feed off of human lust in the same way that you eat food. They can actually starve if they don't get enough of it, but the more they get, the more powerful they become. Their abilities are generally limited to body reshaping, either their own or others."

"Am I supposed to try to resist being attracted to it?"

"Actually, attraction is encouraged. But don't lose sight of what is going on. You can feed them lust, but be sure not to let them manipulate you. Normally you would have spent weeks or months training for this, but we are actually quite short on summoners."

You mull that over for a moment, then nod and examine the symbol. It is rather simple, yet still looks oddly suggestive. You then start carefully drawing it out on the floor. It takes a little time, but you finish copying it with Terra's supervision. This is followed by the remaining symbols, one by one. Eventually, you stand up, stretch, and admire your handiwork. There is one line left on the last symbol.

"Okay, time to let me out. Now, the next section of your book explains everything you need to know. But if you have any questions at all, as long as the demon is safely restrained, you can come and ask myself or any of our brothers and sisters." She demonstrates to you that she is unable to open the door, even pulling back with all her strength. You walk over and let her out. The door feels heavy, but there is no resistance otherwise.

Now alone, you decide to check the book before drawing that last line. It is less a set of instructions and more a set of guidelines:

• The demon feeds on your lust and gains power from it.
• The more lust you feed it, the more it can reshape itself.
• The demon can reshape you as well, though doing so requires more lust.
• It wants you to be attracted to it, and is generally very open-minded about changes.
• They are low-ranking demons back home, so kind treatment goes a long way.

And so, with a bit of rushed instruction and five bullet points, you complete the final symbol.

Nothing.

You flip back to the summoning circle reference, comparing it to what you drew. Everything seems to be matching up. You are struggling a bit to read the symbols, though. Was it always this dark in here?

Suddenly, a blinding flash from the center of the circle startles you, causing you to drop the book and step away. It is strange to look at, burning your eyes like staring at the Sun, only it appears to be pitch black. It slowly expands to fill the circle, stopping when it reaches the edges.

"H-hello?" You hear a voice coming through it, like someone speaking on the other side.

Thinking about another few bullet points that really should have been in that list, you reply, "Hello. Are, uh, you a demon?"

There is a sound like a distorted gasp. "You're a human? Are you summoning me?!" From the description Terra had given, you were expecting something a bit more sudden and forceful, like the demon appearing on the floor or suspended in midair.

"Yes, you are being summoned. Could you come through the portal-thing, please?" You see the edges of the portal starting to flicker back toward the center.

"Oh, okay! Hang on, let me grab my—no, there's no time! Okay, coming through!" With a single bound, a demon leaps up through the portal, standing with its hooves on the edges as the portal closes beneath them. After it closes, you are finally able to get a good look.

The demon stands at about five and a half feet, you would guess, and is covered in short, brown fur. They are also completely naked. Figuring that a lust demon wouldn't mind, your eyes drift from the large, curled goat horns, down the face, and down to their body. You first notice a good-sized pair of breasts, fully exposed. As you look down further, you see their body is fairly lean. Though between their legs, rather than seeing the pink slit of a pussy, you see the sheath of a cock and a pair of rather large balls.

"Sorry, I know you were probably hoping I would be stacked and hung and stuff. But I can be! I promise! And—"