Self-Summon [Demon Summoning/Evolution LitRPG]

[Bind resisted]

[Obstinance increased]

[Bind Resistance Lv.2]

[Obstinance increased]

“Ugh, just an Imp?! And… frits! It resisted the bind! Should I Banish?!” Gelic’s new Summoner quickly went from disappointed to panicked in the blink of an eye. She took a moment to regard him, a tall young man of decent stature, far better built than any of the other Summoners she’d met so far.

“Don’t worry, my Bound is trained on them,” a woman in the room spoke up. “Feel free to negotiate.” She was about the same age, looking far more dignified and refined, especially with the way her hair was tied back, reminding Angelica of some of her prissier teachers at the religious boarding school her mother had her attend during the junior-high years.

Also, her Bound? So… another Demon? This made the Imp glance around more frantically. What she initially mistook for a gargoylic bust was actually a Demon standing on a vacant pedestal. They sort of looked like a beefy crow. However, the wings were more bat-like, and wrapped around its body almost like an overcoat. As expected, its gaze was locked right onto her, not blinking for even a moment. If Gelic tried anything, she had no doubt it would pounce at her, or more likely flap at her. Of course, she scrutinized the avian first.

[Demon | Alias: Xinder | Demon Rank: Hellion | Status: Bound]

She had to guess that since it was a higher rank, Xinder could most likely dispatch her easily if the desire struck it. To get a better threat assessment, Gelic peered around the rest of the room to see if there were any other mighty beings she might want to avoid antagonizing. But her Scrying Eye picked up no other Demons. Besides the undoubtedly overpriced decor she’d come to expect in Summoner manors, all that was around were humans. There was her Summoner, Rastille, who was at Disciple rank. The woman who had vaguely threatened her was Vystal, also a Disciple.

“Why don’t you just send it back and try again?” And then in the corner, barely watching the proceedings while lounging in the aptly named lounge chair was a third human, Sperado, who was an Apprentice, whom she thankfully didn’t get summoned by. Not just because of the higher rank, but because that man seemed like an utter pain in the butt to deal with, the kind of personality she wouldn’t want to obey.

Actually, now that she got a better look at the trio, hadn’t she seen these scuffnockers somewhere before? Yes! The night of her trash fiasco, outside the convenience store while Angelica had been scarfing down life-saving food. This group had come running by, harping about something they couldn’t find, and the woman had mentioned a Bound then too. They must have been hunting for the Malignant she’d killed. That made so much sense now.

Okay, they were less weirdos than her first impression assumed now that she had context. But, uhhh, still a strange bunch. Sperado excluded, the other two seemed far more competent and capable as Summoners than Lustre or Garvin had been. Well, perhaps not Rastille, since he had summoned her, a lowly Imp after all. Or maybe that had more to do with her prowess as a Demon, able to intercept a summons when she wasn’t exactly wanted.

Speaking of, her master spoke up again. “No, I’d rather conserve my mana for the fighting ahead, assuming this thing is capable. Erm, not that it really looks like it. Can you fight, Demon? Declare yourself, Imp. What’s your name and capabilities?”

“Okay, first of all, rude.” Maybe now that she’d gotten used to being summoned, and likely bolstered by the fact that she hadn’t been bound, she wasn’t feeling the fear nor desire to be so objectified and subservient. Nor was Angelica attempting to speak with an unrefined youthful intonation to make herself sound super innocent like she had with Lustre. Though her voice still came out a bit that way, along with its usual hoarseness. “I am not an it, I am a she. My name is Gelic.”

“You… Demons have genders?” Rastille appeared genuinely astonished by the revelation.

“I mean, makes sense doesn’t it?” Sperado chimed in with a huff. “How else do you think incubi and succubi differentiate themselves?”

“Hmm, I just asked my Bound,” Vystal went next, “And—he apparently—said that some do and some don’t. Others will just pick one if they feel like it, but most don’t care.”

“Well, my apologies for my ignorance, Gelic,” Her Summoner seemed almost like he meant it for a moment. “Now help me alleviate my nescience even further. Do you know how to fight?”

“Erm, well I’ve never been properly trained, if that’s what you mean.”

“Not off to a great start,” the burly man sighed. “Maybe I should just Banish it—her. Alright, have you ever hunted Malignants before?”

“I have killed a Malignant before.” No lies there, just hopefully he didn’t ask for a literal bodycount because then she’d just have to repeat herself.

“Okay, that’s better.” Rastille nodded, feeling less buyer’s remorse, though they hadn’t sealed the deal yet. “What abilities, or Active Skills as some of you call them, do you have?”

Well, she should probably leave out the more Demon-specific ones like Bind Break, and the non-fighty ones like Reprint. “I know Stab and Frost Touch. Oh, and Transfiguration!” She mentioned the last one because Summoners always seemed to get into a tizzy whenever they found out.

“Lying isn’t your strong-suit, Demon,” Vystal commented from the sidelines. “Pick something more believable next time.”

“Well, she does know Frost Touch,” the Imp’s master confirmed. He held out his hand and touched a nearby vase. A second later, it was covered in a healthy sheet of cold. “Using that straight from her.” There were slightly surprised looks all around, but none more than from the Demon herself.

Had… Had Rastille just stolen her power?! For a quick confirmation, she made a slightly slick spot beneath her foot that no one would see, confirming that she could still perform it. So not really stolen, more like borrowed or mimicked. Were all Summoners capable of this?! If so, that made way more sense about how they were strong and powerful, and why they needed to summon in the first place. Was it all just borrowed Demon magic, or could they perform innate spells too? So many more questions, but she’d just be proving her ignorance if she asked them now. Maybe another visitation with Fioso was due.

“If she has Transfiguration, then it’s beyond my capabilities to use. But proving the truth should be simple enough. Right, Gelic?” The man looked at her with expectant eyes. Her worth had been steadily growing in the reflection of his eyes, so it was best not to let him down.

The Imp vanished, but what took its place was not the likeness of Angelica Hallow. She’d sworn to not so casually reveal her true self anymore. As far as she was concerned, her original likeness now belonged to Merlina the Summoner. Only her closest relationships would know otherwise, which pretty much meant a handful of friends, her mother, and her landlord.

So what she became was Rastille himself, a perfect replica, or at least what she could see. Well, maybe not perfect. She wasn’t quite sure why she did it, probably just for her own amusement or to get payback for being asked to perform what felt like parlor tricks, but she chose not to spawn with any clothes on, remaking her master in the buff. So it was probably not the most precise, having to estimate what his figure looked like under his clothes, but she imagined he was actually pretty stacked and muscular, and her form reflected that.

What she didn’t want to imagine, nor recreate, was whatever he was packing in his pants. Plus, she knew guys could be rather sensitive about that, so the reaction could go very wrong if she either made it too big or too small. So instead, the area was completely smooth like a doll, preserving Rastille’s shame, or just enhancing it if he didn’t care for the image.

“Holy… not only does she know Transfiguration, she’s a damn prodigy!” Sperado excitedly sprung from his chair and rushed over to join the others. He then flung his arms in the direction of his female friend, presenting her as if she were a grand trophy. “Do Vystal next, Gelic! I beg you, it’ll be amazing!”

“Don’t listen to him, Imp!” the muse of the inspiration demanded.

So Angelica didn’t, not that she would betray a fellow woman like that so easily, at least not without cause. Still, she didn’t want to ignore the opportunity, turning into the requestor, becoming a nude Sperado, whose depiction wasn’t nearly as flattering.

This made Vystal crack a bit, breaking through her strict demeanor, spitting off to the side, amused by the antics. “I will admit, it is very impressive for an Imp. She is actually an Imp, right?” The woman looked over to her Bound and undoubtedly received telepathic feedback in return. “Yes, Xinder has confirmed it.” And Angelica couldn’t hide that if it wasn’t the truth, not yet, still needing the Identity Fraud skill. Would they know her identity was being altered, though? More questions.

“Alright, I do not doubt you, Gelic,” Rastille took back control over the situation. “I am willing to make a deal with you. What are your terms?”

Ah, finally, the actual negotiation. She cleared her throat. Did she have a throat? Or was she just all throat? Whatever, not important. What was important is that she presented herself as a consummate professional coming to the table, wanting her offer to sound legitimate and well thought out. “I would like 100 Essence per hour of my time, until either the hunt is over or sunrise at the latest, and 20 Essence per Malignant killed.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little steep?” Her master furrowed his brow. “You’ll be getting Essence per kill already from their bodies.”

“I know what I’m worth.” She really didn’t. Angelica had no idea, but she’d gone with the nice round numbers as a baseline to see the reaction and adjust from there. “Yet I am willing to adjust if you can’t afford it. I will lower that to 50 Essence an hour and 10 per kill, but in exchange, I want a thou—no, two—no, $500 per hour and $100 per kill.” Yes, that sounded like a reasonable exchange of money to Essence, hopefully.

“Why would you want money?” The man pondered for a moment. “Well, that’s not my concern. But I will accept the deal on one condition. We’ll leave the first kill to you, and if we’re not satisfied, then I reserve the right to end the Contract then and there. You’ll still get paid for that one, however.”

“Yes, that is fair.” Gelic saw no issue. If she struggled with the job, it’d be better for everyone if she just called it quits there. “Oh, one more thing before we do the Contract. I listed Stab as a Skill, but I do not have anything to stab Malignants with. May I have some form of stabbing utensil?”

“Sure,” Rastille agreed. “But we’ll give it to you after we make the Contract. I’m sure you understand. But that can be right now, if there’s nothing else.”

“No, that’s good,” she assured him, thinking of no other terms to add at this time. “Then I will hunt Malignants with you until we see fit to part ways.”

[Contract Accepted | Current Contract: Hunt Malignants | Reward: Essence and Money]

The Demon Growth System really boiled it down to its base components, huh? Maybe if she requested it to elucidate more, it would, but her memory wasn’t that short. The only issue was that it made it feel like the Contract wasn’t noting every detail it should. Hopefully it was fine, but she’d press the issue if it actually became an issue.

“Here, Gelic,” Sperado came over a second later with an ornamental dagger in hand, giving it over to his former copy since she’d changed back already. “And for the record, I’d say that’s roughly the right size, more or less.”

That made Gelic study the length of the dagger once more, making her internally groan, but not verbally, as to not give the man the satisfaction, if they even believed a Demon could be perturbed by such things. She then unsheathed it to confirm there was an actual working weapon inside and set the cover aside. Then like a freak from the circus, she swallowed the blade whole, raising eyebrows once more. Did they not know about Second Stomach? “Keeping it safe for later so I don’t poke someone’s eye out,” she tried to reassure them.

Her master brushed it aside and directed, “Well, if you’re good to go, then get on with the hunt. I’ll be following close behind to see how you do.”

“Err-kay.” Gelic felt like it was all a bit abrupt. “So where do I go exactly?”

“To the nearest Malignant…” Rastille sounded a bit annoyed now, as if that should be obvious.

“Mhmm, and where’s that?” She felt like it was a very justifiable question to ask, but it just peeved the man even more.

“Wait, do you not have Malignant Tracker?” He sounded absolutely befuddled. “I thought all Demons had it.”

“Hmm…” Vystal glanced over to her bird friend. “Xinder says that they get it very early on, though he can’t exactly remember when. So it’s possible she doesn’t have it if she’s a newborn.”

“Damn it, just what did I agree to?!” The buyer’s remorse was back.

“It’s fine, Gelic can take mine.” The woman intervened since it looked like Rastille was weighing dissolving the Contract already. “My Bound knows the superior version anyway, so I can just channel his. Will be a bit more mana than I’d like, but it will be interesting to see just how superior it is.”

Huh, so apparently the Summoners did in fact call it mana instead of Manifest Points. Must be a human thing.

Vystal removed the pendant she was wearing then went over and kneeled behind the Imp. Gelic had to stop herself from wriggling, because whatever the woman was doing felt ticklish. She then felt a slight constrictment around the nubs on her back, guessing the chain must have been tied around her not-really wings.

“How does that feel?” The woman asked after the necklace was apparently secure.

[Rune: Malignant Sense Lv.1 equipped]

[New Rune discovered. Gnostic Attunement increased]

“Itchy…” was all the Demon could say in response, so she felt the need to clarify, not referring to the jewelry. “I mean, I feel an itch of something in that direction.” Gelic pointed at a painting on a wall, meaning to imply that she was being guided beyond it. Honestly, the itch bothered her a bit, but it felt like she’d get used to it. Assumedly, there was a Malignant in that direction, though it definitely wasn’t very specific. Perhaps the clarity improved with higher levels.

“Then it’s working.” Her master was relieved. “Lead the way, Gelic.”

“Right!” The little puffball Demon was suddenly motivated. This all meant there was hope she could hunt Malignants on her own soon, assuming this little excursion went well and it was something she wanted to continue pursuing. However, there was one more matter keeping her from achieving the Summoner’s whims. “Erm, how do I get out of here? Where’s the exit to the outdoors?” They were in an interior room with no windows, so she genuinely had no idea how to actually get outside to begin the hunt.

Rastille guided her through the manor. Really, just to a window would have been fine, but they actually did go to the front door. The building itself was honestly more modest than she expected, feeling a bit toned down compared to the other Summoner manors. But after getting outside, she quickly realized that it must be basically a guest house for the lower ranked Summoners, since it led out to a whole ass estate that could basically be its own neighborhood with an honest-to-Vissiem castle as part of it.

Why did they stop making castles? They were so cool! Angelica wanted a castle of her own someday, the perfect place to live a loner lifestyle. Add it to the lifeplan. But exploring it for future ideas would have to wait, because it was time to hunt, and she bounced off into the night.