***The Mortal Planes***

***Amon***

I materialized inside the summoning circle. Being instantly transported from one place to another was a jarring experience, but I had gotten used to it and immediately focused on my surroundings.

Upon recognizing the place, I turned my attention to my summoner and had to curl my lips upon recognizing her. “Oh... little princess Janice. I wouldn't have taken this contract if I had known that it's you again.” I nudged the perfectly executed warding glyphs that enclosed the summoning circle with my foot. “I see you haven't changed the wards, nor gotten lazy with powering them properly.” My eyes wandered over to the artefact that I assumed was giving the wards the necessary boost to keep me contained. Sadly, I had already learned during my previous visit that it was outside my reach.

I drew my attention away from the item and allowed my thoughts to wander until Janice would begin her spiel. They inevitably circled to my original reason for taking the contract.

The work on my staff had been enlightening and went smoothly as if guided by the other's hands. Only that this time I was sure that all of it was my own doing, my creation. Not some whispered arcane knowledge that came from my predecessor.

After hours of working on my equipment, my intention had been to test the finishing touches and alterations on my newest weapon, so when I felt the tug of contractual magic, I willingly obliged in the hope of being tasked with some quick slaughter. Sadly, being summoned by Janice made that highly improbable.

In any case, my latest creation even left me somewhat proud of how far I had come.

Kasdeya's amulet had been just the beginning in my mind. Danielle's art had inspired me to work on a completely different set of ideas. Watching the artist apply her craft to magic had been eye-opening, to say the least.

Janice frowned as she studied me from head to toe. “You seem different from when we last met. Your eyes and your horns at least...”

I shrugged and flicked my tail, testing the wards behind me. “The Infernum requires its inhabitants to adapt or die. There is no in-between. What you see is my latest evolution, but let's get to the point. Do you have more questions regarding soul magic? I was sure that the weeks you grilled me the last time were enough to satisfy your curiosity until the end of your mortal days.”

I held somewhat conflicted feelings for the woman. On one side, she had summoned me, and then held me, essentially, prisoner while she grilled me for every possible application of soul magic. Even if she had paid a more than appropriate price in souls, I was somewhat miffed at the treatment. By the end, I had been a dried-out husk who simply rattled off all the knowledge that my various souls provided – like some kind of recording device.

A demon's unique ability to access a soul's knowledge was certainly not intended to be used in such a degrading manner.

On the other hand, I respected her resourcefulness and thirst for knowledge. She was a powerful leader, reaching for new heights for herself and her people. I knew a kindred soul when I saw one. She was leagues above Betsy and her friends... which reminded me that I had to visit the shrink again if she hadn't expired already. There was just too much on my plate right now.

It would be too easy if all the different dimensions would simply run on the same timescale.

The human crossed her arms and glared at me. “I think you know well enough that I am not just some mortal.”

Sighing, I gestured at the summoning circle. “That much is clear. Fine. Immortal then. None of the other foolish mortals who summoned me added even half as many protections as you did. I am led to believe that you have more reason than others to fear for your soul. So, what's your question then, little princess.”

“No questions this time.” She started walking back and forth. “And it's no longer 'princess'. It's been a decade since I called upon your knowledge, and I fought hard to take my parent's place. I am Empress now. The reason for calling you is to provide a distraction.”

I looked around, making sure that it was the same room. “The last time you called me, you wouldn't let me out of the summoning circle in fear of me potentially harming your subjects. What happened to that?”

“Things change. The city is being abandoned, the last civilians have been evacuated long ago and now I am pulling my troops out too.” She sighed. “We have held onto this harbour for more than a decade, but the Alliance's forces are relentless. As much as it pains me to admit it, holding onto this location has no longer any strategic value for my people. It's nothing more than a drain on our limited resources. No nation on the mainland would trade with us anyway, so I am cutting my losses.”

“To return to your question: There is nobody left that I care about for you to harm,” she explained. “Letting you out of that circle is much less of a risk now.”

“I told you that I am not one of those demons.” I sniffed and straightened my stance, somewhat irked that she wouldn't believe me. I also hoped it would make me look affronted. “I stick to the contracts I make and I try to achieve outcomes that benefit both sides.”

“Oh, I never had doubts that you would honour the contract. All the theory I looked up made that much clear in regards to denizens of the Infernal Plane.” Janice waved her hand dismissively. “What I had no way to know is whether you would stick to the letter of the contract or honour its spirit. Apparently, there are demons who are easy to deal with and those who are not. Even if you say that both sides benefit, I am certain you would see to your own gain first and foremost.”

The fact that the summoners of this world knew of demons who would willingly take the short stick appalled me. Then again, thinking of Jebril, I could easily see how these mortals could come across a demon that at least seemed nice to them. If only for the fact that Jebril would have to stick to very roundabout ways of causing harm.

I smiled devilishly at Janice, admitting that she had a point. “Few mortals possess the mental capabilities to get their contracts right. If they had, you people wouldn't have such a huge cultural problem with summoning demons.”

“I have seen the contracts your kind makes.” Janice shook her head. “I would need an army of lawyers to close every possible loophole. Add to that the intricacies of the demonic language, and my people would have to possess perfect memories to get it right. I don't even know how many words you have for killing someone.”

I thought for a moment, trying to translate the demonic that I was used to, to her language. Then I raised a hand, raising four clawed fingers. “You can just ķill someone, allowing him to respawn. Then you can ĸill, taking away all his belongings. You can kįll for the sake of taking his souls and weakening him. Then you can kiļļ, causing the final death and therefore claiming all that he had.”

She threw up her hands. “See? How is any mortal supposed to know what you meant when all of your magical contracts automatically adjust to their language? How am I supposed to know which kill-order I gave to you?”

I smiled, proud that I learned at least that much during my time at the hatchery. The caretaker had been very particular about teaching us the demonic language and proper contract lingual. Once I escaped, it had only taken a little additional research to get myself caught up to proper demonic law and contract making. “The inefficiencies of other people's language systems are not our problem. Paragraph 12Ǽ.4-9: If the other party doesn't understand, it's up to that party to ask for clarification before signing the contract.”

“And none of you would care one bit to point out the pitfalls of some important meaning being lost in translation,” Janice clarified.

“Of course not!” I scoffed. “Do you even know how long it would take me to properly translate even a single page of a demonic contract to your language? I would have to write a book, maybe two if I desired to point out all the pitfalls.”

“Why are you people even making up words that convey entire concepts?” she ranted. “It's insane and confusing.”

“Why not?” I countered. “It makes communication so much more efficient and faster if your entire race has the mental capacity to do so. Using a mortal's language is like torture for us. It would be like forcing you to s-p-e-l-l o-u-t e-v-e-r-y d-a-m-n-e-”

Janice raised her hands. “Stop! Just stop it. I understand. Let's just get to the issue at hand. I want you to create a distraction while I board my last ship and lead my flotilla out of here. It's almost for certain that my enemies realized that something is going on – though I doubt they will catch on too quickly that it's a tactical retreat.”

“So you want to use me as a magical nuke,” I clarified. “I am not certain that I like the idea, given that I don't know what your enemies are capable of.”

Though, it would line up neatly with my original intention of testing my new equipment.

“I seriously doubt that they have a way to attack through spiritual means, or they would have already used it against my undead soldiers. I have to point out that they have some powerful immortals on their side, but I don't think that they would seek a direct confrontation with a demon. My last encounter with one of their ilk taught them respect, and since then all they do is send their minions against me.”

“So you don't really know anything,” I clarified.

“It's a war,” Janice huffed back in reply. “Assuming anything about your enemy just gets you killed. At the very least I can say it's extremely unlikely for them to be capable of fielding anything that gets you more than just banished back to the Infernum.”

I scratched my chest, thinking about the proposal. “So I create a distraction and do a little fighting to create a headstart for you while you run away.”

“You have to stay within city limits, though. That's my restriction.” Janice was quick to add a condition. “And you have to do something showy to ensure that their forces stay focused on the city instead of just following us.”

“Are you certain that you want me to succeed at my task?” I asked. “Any other complicated special achievements to consider, like not harming anyone?”

“You can harm anyone aside from myself and my people,” Janice replied. “I just want to ensure that you don't run away as soon as you fulfill the contract.”

“So you want me to die a glorious death, covering your back.” I scoffed.

“The last thing I want to be known for is to be the foolish necromantic empress who summoned a demon and left it to roam the world on an open-ended contract.” She tapped her foot, apparently getting impatient. “Even if my people never returned to the mainland, I doubt the Alliance would leave us be after that. My only hope is that they stop their warmongering for economic reasons once we settle outside their sphere of influence. Showing off with a contained demon-summoning would also create a lot of respect. They will think twice before following my people over the ocean.”

I was unfamiliar with this strange way of thinking. It felt foreign to me. “You should place all of your efforts into killing off your enemies and leave none of them alive. Allowing for loose ends just ensures that someone will come back for revenge at some point.”

“Alas, I lack the strength to finish them off.” Janice spread her hands and shrugged. “Believe me, I would have done so if I could. I am currently on the run. If the Infernum is as dangerous as you make it sound, then I doubt that you haven't ever run away from something that's stronger than you.”

I tilted my head and hummed in contemplation of the human's words. “I have to admit that you might have a point – though it has been some time since I had to run for my life.”

“So you will do your side of the deal?” she asked. “I might not be willing to allow a demon free reign on this world – I am not that desperate for revenge. I can bide my time, but it would be so satisfying to have them encounter a nasty surprise when they try to take the city.”

Her eyes wandered down to the complicated summoning circle, leaving me to guess that she also didn't want to have such a potent spell fall into her enemies' hands. By summoning me one last time, she likely intended to make the most use out of it.

I sighed and summoned a scroll from my storage space, then changed the contract by infusing it with my magic. The Infernum would take care of the details, such was the enchantment on it. The alterations weren't that much of a deviation from a standard contract for services rendered.

Once I was done, I read over the finely written letters that filled the paper. “It is done. Do you want to check it?” I turned the contract so that Janice could read it. All demonic contracts were enchanted to automatically adjust to the reader's language, so it wouldn't be a problem.

The necromancer took a short look, but it was clear that she wasn't checking for any hidden clauses. Her interest lay only in the broader terms we had set previously. “It is good enough, I guess.”

"Mortals," I scoffed and threw the contract through the barrier. "Though I guess you at least looked at it. That's more than others did.”

“Didn't we just establish that going through all the possibilities of a translated contract is impossible?” She produced a quill from a storage space and gave her signature, then dropped the contract to the ground.

“As promised, all the souls used for summoning you and the ones you take during your time here are yours to keep. And with this, I am out of here.” She turned and stalked towards the exit, the speed of her strides falling just short of turning into a run. On the way, she picked up the glowing artefact that had been connected to the summoning circle.

I expected the wards to collapse, but they did no such thing.

“Hey!” I gestured at the ground. “What about the barrier? How am I supposed to do my job?”

“Don't worry. The wards will break down in an hour or so, now that they no longer get a power boost.” She lifted the artefact so that I could see it while continuing on her way. “More than enough time to extract myself and the last of my people from the town. It will also take my enemies some time to realize that the last airship out of here wasn't just the usual transport. All that will be left is a skeleton crew of undead to man the walls – and you.” Janice gave me a wave over her shoulder. That was the last I saw of her before she turned around the corner.

And then she was gone, leaving me to contemplate the degrading wards. Now that they no longer had a power source I could already feel them diminish. If I put my mind to it, I could probably hasten my release, but it would take a lot of power. Power, that I would likely need to properly fulfil my contract.

I reluctantly had to admit that Janice wasn't the average foolish demon summoner who would inevitably get herself killed after rolling the dice too many times. She had made the deal in a way that didn't require her presence to see it fulfilled. By setting firm boundaries on my operating range and keeping me contained, she had ensured that she was well and truly out of dodge by the time I would be set loose.

“She would do well if her soul ever made it to the Infernum...” I grumbled to myself, hoping that I would never encounter a demoness who had Janice's soul as her primary one. The thought had me shake my body in disgust, but only because I thought a demon who had her personality shaped by Janice's soul would be a very good one.

I settled down on the ground, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes.

For the next hour or so I had time to contemplate the possibilities. I had the knowledge of armies to call upon. The horrors of multiple worlds lay just a single thought away. It was just sad that I would be limited to what was achievable within the short time I had to work with.

Nonetheless, there were atrocities to plan and terrors to unleash. I didn't intend to sell this chance at getting the souls of some powerful warriors too cheaply.

It felt like no time at all had passed before the wards snapped and I was free.

I slowly got to my feet and pulled what looked now like a pencil out of my chest pocket. A thought was enough to change its shape and size to what I needed. The wooden shaft elongated and thickened, while the metal tip formed into a long blade.

The accomplishment had left me grinning. The inspiration of applying a spacial enchantment to my staff had come from the succubus pillar in front of Ashley's quarters. And thanks to watching Danielle at her art, I now knew exactly how it worked!

Having reshaped my staff into a sword made for a much more efficient weapon for indoor combat. If there was enough space, I would always prefer a weapon with a longer range, but one had to choose the tools which the situation required.

I strolled towards the exit and left the room. Once outside, I encountered a few of the undead guards which usually surrounded the necromantic empress at all times. Although, her personal guard was much better equipped than these guys. Their armour was dented in places and what little cloth was left on their bodies was torn to rags.

I pursed my lips at the sight and figured that these troops were some of Janice's resurrected enemies, their bodies drafted to service her in a new purpose that their original owners would have probably despised.

One of the better-looking ones stepped forward and struck a fist to his chest, causing a little dust and sand to fall off his armour. “The Dead Guard greets you, Amon. We are to follow your every command as long as we stay within the city's boundaries. The Empress has decreed so.”

I blinked and smiled at the undead who were looking at me with somewhat wary expressions. Maybe implementing some of my ideas wouldn't be so hard after all. “You guys aren't simple reanimations. Did she bind your souls? When I heard her mention you, I didn't expect much more than some mindless apparitions.”

A flicker of disgust shone in the leader's dried-up eyes, but it was extinguished a moment later as his face went blank and emotionless. “We are those who have sinned against the Mirai. Whether by warring against the Empress or otherwise. By serving her one last time until our decaying bodies fail, we might earn our freedom in the afterlife.”

“Just how many of you guys are there?” I asked, already wondering whether the Infernum would account me responsible for their deaths if they extinguished under my command.

“There are thirty-thousand of us manning the walls,” the leader replied like clockwork.

The numbers baffled me, but then I thought about this being a harbour-city, a major trading hub of an entire region. Maybe those numbers really accounted for a skeleton crew as far as this city was concerned.

I shook my head and laughed while I patted him on the shoulder. It was hard to hold back the tears. “Oh, wow. Janice must be really pissed at you guys, because man, did she pull one over on you!”