D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 3: The Demonic Energised Messaging Operations Neural System

Kat rubbed her eyes. There was fire, a lot of it, but strangely, fear did not grip her. It was a display of various hues, reds swirling into blues, greens vanishing into yellows, only to melt back like churning tides. It was a spectacular sight, and Kat found herself appreciating the rapid shifts in shape and color the fire underwent, content to observe the colors flowing around her as she relaxed until a progress bar materialized before her. Beneath the bar, words appeared, wreathed in flame, burning into existence before cycling to a new response.

SYSTEM STARTING

STABILISING SUMMONING CIRCLE

INITIALISING LANGUAGE MODULE

GRANTING RANK 1 PERMIS- ERROR

COMPLETING BLOODLINE INVESTIGATION

PENDING

ANCIENT BLOODLINE DETECTED

FORM INCOMPATIBLE

DELAYING AWAKENING

INSTALL COMPLETE. THANK YOU FOR USING DEMONICALLY ENERGISED MESSAGING AND OPERATIONS NEURAL SYSTEM, OR D.E.M.O.N.S. WE WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR CONTRACT.

Kat's feet landed firmly on a hard floor, and she gazed around. She stood in the center of an intricate circle that made her eyes swim slightly if she stared too long. Glancing about, she noticed the room was filled with books, stacked along the walls to a height of well over 10 meters before meeting the ceiling. *Lily would have a field day in here.* Kat's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp shout. "Boy, shut down this summoning this instant! Banish this fiend immediately!"

Kat's eyes lazily followed the sound, eventually settling on an old man in a dark robe, standing beside another figure. This second figure was within a small circle and appeared to be around Kat's age, perhaps a bit older. He was certainly young compared to the old man, but why was he being addressed as 'boy'?

"Master, what are you saying? I have finally completed a successful summoning on my very first attempt. I've been your apprentice for ten long years. Give me one good reason why I should end the summoning and lose my chance to be recognized as a summoner in my own right," said Apprentice.

"You're a damn fool, that's what you are, boy! Shut down this summoning right now before I come over there and make you do it myself!" the old man yelled.

*Man, this is a weird dream. Am I projecting something here? Who are these people supposed to represent, anyway? I liked this better when it was just the pretty fire colors.* "You know what? Yeah, just try and interrupt the summoning. Come over here and try. Do it, old man, I dare you. I know you won't because, for some reason, you think I need to end it properly. Otherwise, you would have forcefully canceled the spell; I've seen you do it to other students before. Surely, if it's that big of a deal, you can do it again," said Apprentice, glaring smugly at the old man, challenging him.

"If you really want me to cancel the spell, give me a good reason, not just some sorry excuse."

"You damned brat, you win. But know that you're making a huge mistake. That bitch clearly looks human, human, you fool!" The old man said this as if it explained everything.

Kat turned to look at the old man, and he shivered. *Yeah, serves you right, old man. Come, cower before my all-powerful gaze. Seriously though, mind your language. What did I do to you? Do you think it's polite to speak to guests that way?*

"What does that matter, old man? Plenty of demons can take human form – Succubi, quite a few Pit Fiends, not to mention the Lords and Princes. Why should it matter to me what the damned thing looks like?" retorted Apprentice.

"You unbelievable idiot," said the wizard, his face turning red and his beard swinging as he put his whole body into scolding his apprentice. "Not only is everything you listed at least a mid-tier demon, which, might I remind you, should be impossible because the circle is set up specifically for low-tier demons. Even then, even then, if I was willing to entertain the idea that a weak mid-tier snuck through, none of them, not even the Succubi, would be able to completely hide their demonic traits. The only possible way for this thing to look the way that it does is if it's an exceptionally powerful demon."

*Oooh, yes, fear me, mortals, for I am the great and powerful Kat! I have conquered entire realms for the disrespect you have shown me, haha. This is great.* Kat let her gaze wander around the room, landing on the apprentice, who paled significantly when he met her eyes. *Whoa, this guy's scared of me. Yes, stare into my eyes, young fool.*

"But, b-b-um," the Apprentice stammered, sweat beading on his brow as he struggled to articulate his words. "What about the temperament? We... we... I mean, I set up the summoning circle to accept only the most passive of demons, one willing to act peacefully when summoned. It might be strong, but... but it's fine, right?" Kat mentally confessed, admitting to herself that she'd played a part in the 'passive' aspect. She considered herself generally chill, but this was a dream, so perhaps a little mischief was in order. A smile touched Kat's lips, and she decided to widen it, stretching it further across her cheeks in hopes of appearing even more menacing, though she doubted the effect. Her pink pajamas likely weren't helping her cause.

"Fool! If one part of the ritual has failed, the others likely have too," the old man bellowed, his voice laced with agitation. "It's just as likely to tear us limb from limb as it is to dominate our minds and force us to work for it until our bodies turn to dust. Shut the damned portal down now, before it decides to try breaking free. We lack the power to contain this entity in the slightest." He was clearly exceptionally distressed.

The Apprentice appeared to hesitate for a moment, then extended his hand and began to chant. The words seemed to twist and writhe around each other as he spoke, overlapping, doubling back, and distorting, yet somehow remaining clear to Kat as she strained to listen. "Demon summoned from beyond this plane, I banish you. Demon from beyond this plane, I dissolve any contract we have, I banish you from this plane. Demon, you are no longer welcome here. This circle is not your own; be grasped, pulled, and twisted back towards your home!"

Suddenly, the ground vanished beneath Kat. Once again, she found herself in the realm of strange fire. Yawning, she stretched and twisted as she fell. *Why am I still so tired? This is a rather peculiar dream. Will I receive those messages again, like last time? Bah, who cares. Magic fiery thingy, could you kindly drop me back in my bed, please and thank you.* As if sensing her thoughts, Kat was deposited back onto her bed. She pulled the covers over herself, snuggled into the pillow, and closed her eyes.

As Kat drifted back into slumber, she missed a series of messages appearing as a projection before her eyes:

CONTRACT TERMINATED

FORCEFUL TERMINATION IDENTIFIED

TERMINATION DEEMED WRONGFUL

FULL COMPENSATION AWARDED TO USER

BEGINNING TRANSFER TO ACCOUNT

HALTING TRANSFER

AWAKENING BLOODLINE

ERROR: INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

RESOLVED

INCREMENTAL AWAKENING BEGINNING

INITIATING...

Kat's eyes snapped open, a searing pain erupting from her back. Quickly reaching for her pillow to muffle her screams, she spasmed in bed, her hands gripping the edge for relief, but finding none. Twisting and turning, Kat threw off the sheets in her struggle before the pain began to subside. It hadn't vanished, but it had lessened from the feeling of a steel spike being hammered into her spine to the more manageable sensation of it being slowly ripped out. *This is definitely not how I wanted to wake up this morning,* Kat groaned. She turned onto her stomach, hoping to ease the ache in her back, when she noticed something peculiar. Her back felt strange, as if a small weight were pulling behind her when she tried to roll over. Craning her neck, Kat froze. Sticking out from her back was a long, thin appendage. Ignoring the pain for a moment and trying to sit up, Kat followed the line down past her legs, discovering it ended in a mostly flat, spade-like shape.

*Oh no. No, no, no. Okay, calm down. That doesn't necessarily have to be a tail, right? Surely, it's probably just... um, blankets? In my thrashing, I must have rolled my blankets up, and this is just what it looks like now.* Kat didn't believe her own words for a second. Not only were her blankets red, not black, but she could clearly see them lying at the foot of her bed.