A Vampire's Guide To Summoning Demons (BL)

After five days, they reached the boundary of Mistfall. And regardless of whether Dulce took it upon himself to request a single lodging for all four of them or if he let the coachmen book a room for each, they all ended up in his inn room by the end of the night.

And it was all because Ruoxi always found his way to the Vampire’s room, prompting the others to try and prevent his attempt. The Incubus was always quick to say he couldn’t sleep without being watched over, and each time, his claims were met with disbelief.

But as they stopped for another night so the horses and the coachmen could rest, Ruoxi was fast asleep once again, just as he had been for almost every night of their journey.

Dulce didn’t find this strange, trying to encourage the others to get some sleep as well, to no avail.

By the next day, they would be in Alderth, and long accustomed to their passengers’ strange requests, the coachmen singled out inns which could provide spacious, lavish single rooms. The more beds, the better, and this was due to Dulce going to personally make the request of them.

So on one such night, Ruoxi was fast asleep. His hair was tied back, a habit he picked up when Dulce gave him one of his old ribbon to the displeasure of the room. His vibrant hair tied back better showed the paleness of his skin, strange for someone who sat for hours in the sun.

It was almost like all the undertone of gold that made his skin glow had faded completely, leaving behind a concerning pallor.

Dulce was seated by the fireplace again, Asael and Kath’tan choosing their positions for the night. It was quiet, like it always was, without the chatty, nosy Incubus striking up a conversation with any and everyone.

The Vampire had a book in his hands, reading by the light of the fireplace and the burning candles that brightened up the room, none put out because most of the occupants of the room were still awake.

Now, save for speech, Demons also had the ability to communicate with telepathy, but this was only done with those they had built trust with. Unless in special situations, strangers would never use telepathy to communicate.

So when Asael heard the Fiend’s voice in his heard, his usually impassive expression formed a scowl. He shot to his feet and walked over to grab the Demon by his coat to drag him out of the room.

Dulce startled at this, Asael was acting completely out of character. "What’s wrong?" He whispered, his voice still carrying enough panic despite his quiet tone.

"We’re going on a walk." Asael said flatly, a black ball forming in his hands as he walked past.

Dulce was completely distracted by the roiling ball of shadows that floated over to him, losing his chance to ask more questions before the door shut. He peered closely at the ball, it was familiar. It was made out of the same substance that Asael’s weapons were made out of.

He relaxed, Kath’tan hadn’t made any protests either, so he could believe Asael’s words for the most part. The ball of shadows bobbed next to him harmlessly, but he found that he couldn’t return to his reading, silver blue eyes following the strange object.

He reached out to lightly poke it, expecting his finger to go right through, it was more a tight mass of oscillating shadows, it wasn’t exactly solid. His finger didn’t go through, however; instead, he ended up nudging the surprisingly light ball a short distance away.

When Dulce pulled his hand back, the ball floated back to its original position next to him. Eyes sparkling, he was struck with an idea, he rose slowly to his feet, and just as he thought, the ball floated after him.

After satisfying himself with the fact that the ball would chase after him no matter where he went, he reached out to grab it. It felt like nothing, like grabbing a mass of air, but he didn’t mind, fiddling with the ball was a far more pleasant way to pass the time than reading.

-+-

Outside the inn, in the mostly quiet streets, both Demons stood, their heights similar.

"Stay out of my head." Asael bit out, displeased.

Kath’tan, on the other hand, was completely unbothered, until Dulce gave the word, the axe hovering over his neck would never drop, so he had more or less gotten used to it. He had far more pressing issues, "Do Incubi sleep so often?" He repeated the question he had asked in the room.

Asael’s displeasure had yet to fade, to think that this aggravating Fiend had sent a telepathic message just to ask that. "And how am I supposed to know that?"

"And despite sleeping so much, he looks sicker and sicker with each passing day." Kath’tan went on, clearly not expecting an answer.

"Don’t Fiend nobles like to keep Cubi captive?" He drawled, "You should know quite a bit."

Kath’tan frowned, actually thinking about it. He never thought much of the delicate creatures which were shown off as a symbol of wealth and power... "Captive?" He repeated, trying to wrap his head around the notion. Ruoxi was the first Cubi he had any direct interaction with, and despite the Incubus’ elegant manners and smoothly spoken words, he was incredibly strong.

Asael clicked his teeth, starting to reconsider going out of his way just to have a conversation. "Do you think Cubi are born to be paraded around?"

Kath’tan’s frown remained stubbornly on his face, no doubt thinking seriously for the first time about a concept outside of himself.

Running out of patience, Asael decided to say the obvious. "Ruoxi was captive, that’s why he refuses to return." He personally had no grudges with the Cubi, but there was one undisputable fact, they did need to eat.

And although Cubi were the weakest of the species, which was the reason why so many were in captivity, their ability to charm creatures wasn’t something that could be defeated with strength or weapons, it made them unpredictable, hence dangerous.