Goetic Justice 2

She pressed his face into the fluffy wool of her chest, Ryan breathing in lungfuls of her earthy scent as he leaned into her. She wrapped her arms around him as if she hadn't seen him in months, her warm breath blowing in his hair as she nuzzled.

"You're safe," she whispered, her relief evident. "When Haures destroyed my body I feared the worst. Did I buy you enough time to escape?"

"It was...Azazel," Ryan replied as his faculties slowly returned to him. "Haures had me cornered, but Azazel appeared out of nowhere and killed...destroyed him. Sorry, I still don't really...understand how all this works."

"Azazel..." Nahash muttered, her voice trailing off as she glanced up at the sky. It was if she expected to see him there, gliding above the clouds. "None of us can predict Azazel's whims, he does as he pleases. He seems to have taken a liking to you, or perhaps it's merely a passing interest. Either way, I am grateful to him for saving your life."

"He told me that a game is afoot, and that it would be a shame to see me fall at the first hurdle. He knows something that he won't share, I'm sure of it. Something big is happening Nahash, and somehow I've ended up at the center of it."

He pushed his face into her soft wool, hiding the tears that were beginning to sting his eyes, the events of the day suddenly catching up with him. Fear, shock, and loss overwhelming him. "Just when everything was getting back on track," he grumbled, his voice cracking. She stroked his hair in an attempt to calm him, Ryan quickly composing himself. "But at least you're back and in one piece."

He took a step away from her, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and looking her up and down.

"I'm fine," she confirmed, "as long as I have energy I can just reform if my physical manifestation is dissipated. Sometimes it can take a while...but fortunately, the summoning circle that you drew here is still beneath the grass. The salt seems to have stopped the weeds from overrunning it completely. The presence of a circle makes the whole process a lot faster and easier."

"So does that mean Haures will come back as well?" Ryan asked, a touch of fear creeping into his voice.

"Yes. Just like me, he will reform and resume his hunt eventually. He is a Great Duke of Hell, he will be relentless in his task until it is either completed or he is dismissed by his summoner. I fear that we have not seen the last of him."

"Can he find us here?"

"Unlikely," Nahash replied, appraising the clearing and the solid walls of tangled thorns and vines that shielded it from the outside world. "A clairvoyant will know that we are here, but it is unlikely that anyone would be able to enter without the use of extremely powerful magick. My sisters are well fed with energy and Azazel has left his mark on this place."

Ryan glanced at the tribe of Seirim who were lurking a short distance away like frightened beasts, wary of coming too close to Nahash.

"As for you," she said, turning her attention to her sisters as her tone grew more stern. "Ryan is your guest, your benefactor. Do not feed on him as you would a wandering mortal."

They crept closer, staying low to the ground, their heads bowed.

"Forgive us, sister," one of them said.

"Forgive us," another repeated.

"I apologize on their behalf," Nahash said, "sometimes they forget that we are no longer living in the desert and that they don't need to prey on every mortal that crosses their path to survive."

"They didn't hurt me or anything like that," Ryan sighed, "they were just...doing their thing."

One of the Seirim sidled up beside him, at waist height to him despite her hunched posture, bumping her head against his hip apologetically. He reached down and stroked her downy fur, careful to avoid her pointed horns. Sensing that they had been forgiven for their transgression the rest of her tribe moved closer, Nahash no longer able to conceal how happy she was to be in their company again. Ryan's apartment might have been her home for a time, but the wilds were where she really belonged. Her people had an incredible affinity for the forests and deserts in which they had resided for so many thousands of years, and he had made a point of taking her on trips to beaches and parks whenever he got time off work.

The sisters hugged and nuzzled, rubbing their noses together, almost like an Eskimo kiss. Ryan noticed that the weeds at their feet were beginning to bloom, buds opening up into colorful flowers despite it being the dead of night. Small insects fluttered about them, moths and firebugs flitting between the plants, seeming to circle the Seirim in a leisurely cloud. The forest almost seemed to be responding to their mood, as if the joy of being reunited with their sister was being expressed through the plants themselves. Ryan still couldn't be sure if what he was seeing was real or just an illusion, but the dulling of his faculties that usually accompanied such mirages wasn't present, which suggested the former.

Eventually, Nahash left the welcoming embrace of her kin, looking to Ryan.

"We will use our powers to make your stay more comfortable, with your permission this time," she added. Ryan nodded, and soon after he felt the familiar sensation of Seirim magick altering his perception.

The bonfire was back again, tall and roaring with orange flames, he could feel its pleasant heat on his face. There were piles of silken cushions arranged nearby, and he walked over to the nearest one, taking a seat and letting himself relax for the first time since leaving the apartment. One of Nahash's sisters approached him with a wooden cup, and he took it from her hands, sniffing it experimentally. It smelled good, and so he downed a mouthful of it, its warmth and fruity taste spreading through him. Another retrieved his rucksack and placed it beside him.

Nahash sauntered over on her long legs, taking a seat at his side as he took another gulp from the cup.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "The food and drink is real when we need it to be."

"Not at the moment," he replied, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I feel a little sick actually. I think I killed a guy today..."

"You needn't feel guilty. His goal was to kill you, and he would have done so if you had not stopped him."

"I guess you're right," he grumbled, setting the cup down on the grass and crossing his arms over his knees as he stared into the fire. "When I woke up this morning my biggest concern was that the traffic would be bad and I wouldn't be able to get to work on time. A few hours later and...here I am. What do we do now? We can't go back to the apartment, we probably can't even go back into the city without running the risk of being recognized."

"We have to find out who those men were and why they attacked you," Nahash replied.

"I'm no detective, how am I supposed to-"

She gestured to his pack, and his eyes widened.

"Of course," he exclaimed, "the grimoires! There must be demons who can help us, entities who can tell the future or read minds. But...how will I compensate them? When I summoned Orobas, I offered to scatter around metal plates engraved with his sigil. When I resurrected Azazel, I drummed up a whole media storm. But I can't do that now. If I go back to the city, I might get recognized, and if I leave the forest Haures might come for me. I just don't have access to any resources, and there's no point carving sigils on trees that nobody will ever see."

"You could offer to pay them when this is all resolved," Nahash suggested, "but I doubt that many would accept those terms. If you die or are otherwise indisposed, the contract will not be fulfilled."

"Do we have any other options?" Ryan asked.

"There are...other ways to appease a demon," she replied, her tone becoming sinister. "What a demon wants from you is energy, in the simplest terms. Humans produce energy that demons consume, either by sustaining themselves or by expending that energy to use their powers. A demon has a finite store of energy, and it will not expend a drop in order to help you, not unless there's a guaranteed profit."

She stared into the crackling flames again, the light reflecting in her ovine eyes.

"Some will be satisfied by worship, either by the summoner himself or using the methods that you are familiar with. Spreading their sigil and generating belief, myths and legends, things like that. Another source of energy is human fluid, both vital and sexual. You know that some entities, the Seirim included, feed on carnal energy. The fluids produced during intercourse hold powerful magick, such an intense outpouring of sensation and emotion is almost irresistible to us."

"Yeah, I noticed," Ryan said as he glanced at the Seirim that were sitting nearby.

"The third option is blood. Murder, sacrifice. The blood of oneself, or an unwilling victim, is similarly imbued with powerful emotions and sensations. Terror, pain and other dark emotions will satisfy certain demonic entities. One might request that you sacrifice a goat, another might require you to bleed a loved one, letting it feast on their confusion and fear."

Ryan swallowed hard as he imagined what kind of horrifying entity might demand such acts to be committed in its name.

"So our options are blood or semen?" Ryan asked. "I think the one that doesn't end with me gutting my own mother is probably the best solution."

"Ryan," she snickered, "do you presume to be able to satisfy a greater demon? We Seirim are but familiars, our needs are modest, our energy requirements low. I am not certain that you have the necessary...experience."

"Hey," he protested, his cheeks burning red. "I've had a couple of girlfriends, I'm not that inexperienced."

"No, you misunderstand. Imagine a demon that feeds on torture and agony, then imagine the sexual equivalent of those acts, the intensity required. These are not mundane sex acts, I honestly can't predict what such a demon would ask you to do. I can, however, be sure that such acts would overwhelm you. You are a simple, loving creature, Ryan. That is no insult."

She leaned closed, and they shared a hug for a few moments.

"This is some Clive Barker shit," Ryan grumbled as she released him, taking another sip of his drink. "Didn't you say that there weren't any evil demons? Getting off on torture sounds pretty damned evil to me..."

"A demon merely seeks the most efficient means of extracting resources," she explained. "The method varies by individual, but some find pain more effective than pleasure. That doesn't make them evil. Is a lion evil for eating a zebra? Is a tarantula hawk evil for its treatment of its prey?"

"Yeah, but those aren't sentient creatures," Ryan protested. "They're animals, they just run on instinct, like biological machines."

"Humans like to separate themselves from the natural world," Nahash mused, "but the lines between man and animal are more blurred than you realize."

The Seirim was about four thousand eight hundred and eighty years older than him, so she probably knew what she was talking about. Still, the thought of being at the mercy of such an entity still filled him with a sense of foreboding. He dragged his rucksack into his lap and rummaged through it, searching for his grimoires.

There were many texts that described the Goetic demons and the art of summoning, both new and old. There was the Pseudomonarchia Daemonium, a relatively ancient text describing the demons and their properties that was written in 1563. While useful, it was packed with Olde English and arcane Latin incantations that were of little interest to him. Instead, Ryan got most of his information from the Ars Goetia which was published in 1904, and Aleister Crowley's Illustrated Goetia, which were both more contemporary takes on the same material. The Illustrated Goetia especially came across as a Summoning for Dummies guide, and Ryan had referenced it extensively during his early attempts.

He opened the book and skipped to the section that listed the Goetic demons and the powers that they could employ in order to serve their summoner. Now it was just a matter of poring over the seventy-two entries and finding a suitable subject...

CHAPTER 3: LESSER EVILS

Ryan rubbed his eyes, nudging Nahash to get her attention as he leaned across to show her the page. Her sisters were curled up nearby like giant cats, sleeping around them in haphazard piles. The roaring flames of the bonfire were now smoldering embers, he must have been researching for hours. He wondered idly what the logic was and if the Seirim had intentionally simulated the fire dying down, or if the illusory bonfire behaved as a real one would.

"I've got it down to two," he said, trying to suppress a yawn unsuccessfully. "Gamori, number fifty-six. Her office is to tell of all things past, present and to come, and of hidden treasures. She can procure the love of women, and she governs twenty-six legions of spirits. The second is Vapula, whose office is to make men knowledgeable in all handicrafts and professions, also in philosophy and other sciences. She has thirty-six legions."

"Gamori is a good choice," Nahash said, "her powers may reveal what is happening. But why Vapula? She is a teacher, her powers cannot reveal hidden truths or grant you any protection."

Ryan stared at the ground, his companion watching him curiously as he formulated his reply.

"Back in the apartment...I felt so powerless. Armed men came into our home and tried to kill us, and I couldn't do anything about it."

"You killed one of them," Nahash said in an attempt to reassure him, but he waved his hand dismissively.

"Luck. In any other situation, I would have been killed, and you would have been bound to a brazen vessel. You'd probably be cast into the ocean or buried in cement, never to be seen again. I can't do anything about demon panthers spitting fire, but if we're going to be facing off against humans again, maybe Vapula can teach me how to handle myself. Soldiery is a profession, isn't it? Marksmanship, self-defense, they're all skills that can be taught. It's a stretch, but it can't hurt to try."

"Perhaps..." Nahash said with a nod. "I see that you chose two of the three females listed, is it your intention to offer them sexual energy in exchange for their help?"

"Do you...mind?" Ryan asked sheepishly, turning his eyes towards the ground again. "This isn't something that I'd ever do if I thought I had another choice, but..."

She reached across and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You forget that I can see into your heart, Ryan. I can sense your emotions. You needn't make excuses and justifications." She closed her eyes, exhaling as she concentrated, a familiar sense of warmth and dizziness washing over him as she probed his mind with her magick. "I sense turmoil in you, guilt. You dread consorting with these demons and your heart breaks for me, you believe that you are betraying your commitments to me."

"That's pretty to the point," he grumbled as the sensation faded. "I've been hurt in that way before. In fact, it's only thanks to what Becky did to me that I'm here at all."

"She broke your heart," Nahash confirmed, "and her acts precipitated the events that led to you summoning Orobas."

"Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing. In a way I'm grateful to her, if she hadn't been a cheating bitch, I would never have met you. But if there's any chance that I might make you feel at all like I did when I uncovered what she had been doing...I think I'd rather take the torture than the sex."

"The two might not be as different as you imagine," she muttered ominously, "and you don't yet know for sure if either demon will accept your proposition. But your fears are misplaced, Ryan. Demons feed on sexual energy purely as a means to sustain themselves, any romantic attraction is merely simulated for the mortal's benefit. I am a Seirim, my purpose for millennia was to extract energy by seducing mortals. I have been with countless men and women over many thousands of years. Do you think that my past experiences change the way that I feel about you, does it change the way that you feel about me now?"

"No..."

"I am a demon, my body is a mere manifestation. We do not place the same importance on physicality that humans do. Pleasures of the flesh are fleeting and transitory. If you should wish to revel and indulge in earthly pleasures, do you think that I would seek to prevent it?"

"I suppose not. Revelry is kind of your thing, after all."

"In fact, I am surprised that you have not asked me to do more for you so far. I can use my powers to create any illusion that you can imagine. I could conjure a harem of women tailored to your every taste and fantasy, I can influence your senses to make their touch feel as real as the earth beneath your feet, monitoring your emotions so that every momentary desire is fulfilled. Yet all you seem interested in is me, at my most mundane. It is endearing, but there is so much that you have yet to experience, Ryan. You are mortal, your time on Earth is finite. I want you to enjoy everything that it has to offer."

Her words calmed him, and he began to feel a little better. Of course, Nahash was not a jealous creature, her reason for being was to tempt people into indulging in all manner of carnal extravagances. She knew that he loved her, she could smell it on him like a bad cologne, and that seemed to be enough to clear her mind of any doubts.

"If I seem worried it is not because of possessiveness," she continued, "but because I fear for your safety. Some demons can be...tricky. I am certain that this will not go the way that you expect it to..."

"You're probably right," Ryan sighed, "but I have to try. It's either that or spend the rest of my life living in this forest. I've gained so much, I can't lose it all again so soon."

"If your mind is made up, then we must proceed," Nahash said as she rose to her feet and extended a hand to him. "This time I can help you prepare. These demons are not of high rank, but they will not be as easily controlled as Orobas. The proper precautions must be taken."

He nodded, taking her hand, and she lifted him up from his cushion.

"Let's summon some demons."

***

"The salt circle is still functional," Nahash said as she paced around it on her cloven hooves. "There is ambient energy collecting here, I made use of it when I manifested. You will need both a Triangle of Solomon to confine the demon if it should become unruly, and your own protective triangle to minimize the risk to yourself."

"I have chalk, but no salt," Ryan said as he appraised the circle. It was just barely visible beneath the tall grass, the plants unable to grow on the salted earth. "I can't use chalk to draw on the ground like I could on the floor of my apartment. How are we going to draw them?"

Nahash shrugged, an oddly human gesture coming from the goat-like demon. He had noticed that she was starting to pick up modern mannerisms, her archaic speech patterns too were becoming more contemporary as she adopted new words and phrases.

"I'm not sure how this is going to work," Ryan grumbled as he searched through his pack. "I managed to swipe everything that was set out on the table in my apartment, but I'm missing a lot of important stuff. You're supposed to bathe thoroughly before summoning a demon, and I can't do that here. I don't have any linen robes, I don't have any candles or incense. I have my oil of Abramelin and my wards, it's a good job I kept them handy. I was kind of worried that something might come through the circle into the apartment uninvited."

"A wise precaution, it has been known to happen. As for the candles...there may be something that I can do about that."