A Demon's Core

The first thing I do is inform Noctis of my intentions. I do not know how much of my words she can actually understand, but she ambles over towards the rift, with Calla in tow, so she seems to get the gist of it. When I tell the imps what I am about to do, Calla lets out a squeal of excitement and runs circles around the rift as the other imps gather. She looks like she might explode from happiness.

Now is actually a good time to continue with an experiment that I started a while ago but left by the wayside and forgot about because it was not as important as other things going on at the time. Can I target a specific sex when summoning a new creature? I know Noctis is female thanks to Violet rather unceremoniously lifting up her tail to check at one point. Noctis did snap at her at the time but was unbothered beyond that.

If this follows the same pattern as with the imps, then it should not require as much mana as when I summoned Noctis. I have even more mana crystals than I did then so I should have more than enough. I focus on summoning another creature like Noctis, but male this time, as I reach out to the rift. I was correct about the mana cost. As the creature appears I estimate it only took about half as much mana as Noctis did.

Calla rushes forwards to hug one of its legs, quickly followed by Violet, causing it to growl. Noctis immediately growls back, much more aggressively, and it whimpers and goes silent. Noctis is already establishing a hierarchy, it seems. It is unsurprising that it would submit to her. As big as it is, it does not compare to Noctis. But it is still much larger than how Rose described the vahxa and it still has the fire in its eyes which Rose said vahxa do not.

This is not a vahxa is it? I ask Rose.

“I don’t think so.” She says, unsure of herself. “If this is its normal size then it’s far larger than any vahxa I’ve ever seen. Then there’s also the fire. That’s not normal for Vahxa. But it still looks quite similar in most other aspects so I’m really not sure.”

Perhaps this is a subspecies of vahxa. Or maybe vahxa are a subspecies of whatever this is. If they are not vahxa then I need something else to call them. They are vaguely wolf like...very vaguely. And they do seem to come from the same place as the imps and other demons. So perhaps ‘hellhounds’ would be an appropriate name for them. Not that the demons necessarily come from Hell. I do not know if ‘Hell’ is even real. From what I know of it, the very idea of such a place sounds rather silly. But I like the name ‘hellhound’, it has a nice ring to it.

Violet confirms that it is male, but under Noctis’s gaze he does not react. Two successes is not enough to definitively confirm that I can control the sex of summoned creatures when it is only a fifty-fifty chance anyway, but I do feel more confident about it now. Which is good because I definitely need to get some male imps when I start summoning more.

Does anyone have an idea for a name for him?

“I name! I name!” Calla exclaims. She still has not let go of his leg.

Oh? And what name would you suggest?

“Hmm. Fire!” She declares.

You want to name him Fire? She nods resolutely.

“Has fire. Name Fire.” She declares. This child is almost as good at naming things as I am.

Are there any objections to the name ‘Fire’? The other imps remain silent. Then that shall be his name.

I still have enough mana left that I could probably summon another one right away if I wanted. But I will let Fire settle in first. Though space is going to be a concern again if I summon too many of these hellhounds. They are much larger than my imps after all. I suppose that should be my next focus. Spreading through the entirety of this floor.

Noctis leads the new hellhound back to Room 3, a beaming Calla skipping along by her side. Room 3 might end up becoming the hellhound’s room. That should be fine. It is as good a room as any other for that purpose. I am sure Calla would be thrilled by it. She already spends most of her time with Noctis and she was quick to latch on to Fire as well. Maybe I should warn her against doing that in the future. Despite how Noctis is with her, I cannot be certain that all hellhounds will be as immediately docile as soon as they appear.

But watching Calla playing with them now, chasing after them and climbing all over them whenever they stop moving long enough for her to reach them, I think it should be safe as long as Noctis asserts her dominance first. Fire is submissive to Noctis and Noctis is protective of Calla. I do not think Fire will do anything to intentionally harm Calla. But Noctis does snap at him occasionally for being a little too rough.

Lily might be a little less thrilled about it. She is wringing her hands together as she watches them. She was worried enough when it was just Noctis. But now with two hellhounds, it is understandable that her anxiety would be further compounded watching her young daughter interacting with beasts so much larger than herself. A feeling that is likely to only get worse as I summon more. But I have no doubt Noctis will keep them in line. I am sure Lily knows that too, but it will still take some time for that anxiety to recede.

I now know how much mana it takes to summon a hellhound, so I select enough mana crystals to cover that cost to keep in reserve and use rest to start on claiming Room 1. I ask Violet to start making a hole in the wall from Room 3 into Room 1; keeping it hidden in the kitchenette cabinets again. Noctis, Fire and Calla are all curious about what she is doing and come over to investigate. Noctis and Fire try sticking their heads in the cabinet along with Violet, getting in her way and interrupting her work.

“Shoo. Shoo. Both of you. I need to work now. You can look when I’m done.” Violet demands, trying to push them away. Calla giggles but tugs on Noctis’s leg until she turns and walks away with Fire following behind.

When she finishes, Calla spends some time going back and forth through the hole. Noctis and Fire both try sticking their head through in turn, but neither of them can get any further than that. I could ask Violet to make a hole big enough for the hellhounds to go through, but I do not think I want holes that large in my walls. They will just have to stick to using the doors. Calla can open them when riding on Noctis so that is not a problem.

There is not much else for me to do but let my mana regenerate for now. When it comes time for the imps to sleep, both the hellhounds try to follow Calla into the bedroom, but Lily puts a stop to that. She will allow one in, because she knows Calla prefers to sleep with them, but she does not want more than that. Noctis is not giving up her place by Calla’s side so Fire is left all alone. Poor guy, even if it is only for a few hours, I still feel bad for him. But I will bring in more soon so he will not have to be left alone for long.

The next day starts off following the same pattern that I have gotten used to now. Using half of the mana from my core to expand more and the other half to make a new mana crystal. I offer this one to Lily so she can try training the same way as Violet and Rose.

I have given Violet and Rose mana crystals so that they can hopefully figure out some way to use magic. Would you like to try as well?

“Why need magic?” Lily asks, not showing much interest in the idea.

To help fight against potential threats to our home. Hearing that makes her frown.

“Not want to fight. Only protect child.”

I understand. I do not like having to fight either. I hope it will not come to that again. But even if it is only to protect your daughter, even a little bit of magic could probably help with that. She considers that for a while, then nods.

“Okay, I try.” She declares.

I gave the others orbs, but I can make other shapes if there is something else you would prefer.

“Orb is fine.”

I explain the exercises I had Rose and Violet doing and she is soon absorbing the mana from the crystal, albeit slowly. When Calla sees the pink sphere in her mother’s hands, she of course asks for one as well. Lilly hesitates but says that she does not have another to give. I assure her that I can make another one tomorrow, but she still looks uncertain.

“Not dangerous?” She asks.

It should not be dangerous. All she can do with a mana crystal is absorb the mana from it and then refill it. But it could be helpful for her in the future if she starts learning now.

She still has a nervous expression. I have not assuaged all of her worries, but she agrees to it. She focuses back on the crystal to keep absorbing mana from it. Calla watches for a little while but there is not anything exciting to see so she soon gets bored and wanders off again. When she finally drains the crystal of mana, she starts filling it again. She is even slower than Violet, but she was able to do it without any further assistance from me. I let her know to ask Violet or Rose if she has any questions about it.

I am actually quite curious to see how Calla will handle a mana crystal. More than that, I am curious to see how she will grow in every aspect. She is still a young child. Her development will surely be impacted by her connection with me. More than any adult imp would be. I will just have to wait and see. I can not help but be reminded of Fourth and the impies I never got to see. All the more reason to make sure that never happens again.

Later that day when Violet and Rose go out, I am contacted by Violet shortly after they leave.

‘There are animals sniffing around the entrance’ She says and I detect a hint of concern in her tone.

What kind of animals?

‘They are kind of like biters, but a little smaller and without the spikes.’

How many are there? She does not respond for a while as she is presumably counting them.

‘Eight that I can see. Rose says that is too many for us.’ Are they here because of the human corpses? I did anticipate the possibility of attracting scavengers or predators when I asked the imps to dump the bodies outside. But they assured me that the humans have already been eaten or dragged away by now, leaving only a few bones and clothing scraps. I did not think more would keep coming.

Have you seen these creatures before?

‘A few times, but not this many. They did chase us once, but they’re too slow to catch us’ She says with an unmistakable tone of smugness. ‘But we’ve never seen them this close to our home.’ Maybe it was not the humans that attracted them. It might actually be my imps that they are after.

Do you think you could beat them with the help of Noctis and Fire?

‘I think so. Rose isn’t so sure.’

Come back up and get them. I think it is better to deal with these creatures now rather than let them become a long term nuisance.

It takes less than a minute for Violet to make it back up to our floor. She must have rushed up the stairs. I tell Noctis and Fire to follow her. Fire hesitates until Noctis barks at him from the door and he scrambles to catch up. Calla wants to follow as well, but there is no way I am going to allow that. This is not a casual outing. It is far to dangerous for her. Lily holds her back, despite her protests.

Violet is armed with a shield and dagger that she got from the humans. The shield looked small on the arm of the human that brought it, but it is quite a respectable size on Violet. It reminds me of Shield guy from that first group of humans that visited. She initially wanted to use one of the human’s swords as well, but they were too large for her to wield effectively with one hand and she did not want to abandon the shield so she settled for the dagger. Rose tried a shield as well but it was too big for her. So she is still using her hammer and knife.

You said you are faster than they are so please do not hesitate to run if it is too much for you and do not chase them if they try to run. Above all, please be careful.

It is frustrating that I can not even observe this fight, let alone participate. All I can do is wait and hope for the best.

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Life had been strange for her since she came to this place. Before, she had been part of a large pack of others like her. They roamed the volcanic plains and all other creatures feared them. She was one of the younger members of the pack. Barely fully grown. She was not among the weakest of her pack, but she was far from the strongest. That was only a matter of time though, she would grow stronger and dominate the pack eventually, or so she thought.

Everything changed when she felt something tugging on her. A strange kind of mana that she had never experienced before. She looked around at her packmates, but none of them were reacting at all. Could they not feel it?

She leaned into the feeling and her vision went white for a few seconds. When she could see once more she did not recognize where she was. The stone, fire and open plains of her home were gone. Even her pack were nowhere to be seen. She found herself in a strange cave with straight flat walls and floor. A new kind of environment that she had never seen before.

Though her pack was not here, she was not alone. She watched as a group of small bipedal creatures scampered away from her. She took a deep breath as she looked around, feeling the mana in the air. She could tell it was the same kind of mana she felt pulling at her before she appeared here. It was exquisite. It filled her with a warmth more potent than any fire.

Her location was not the only thing to have changed. She felt different as well. Her body felt lighter, her muscles stronger, more developed. Her mind felt clearer and sharper than it ever had before. There was also a presence in the back of her mind. It felt foreign and unfamiliar, but also comforting.

She could smell blood all around. This cave was littered with dead creatures. Some small, like the ones that ran from her, others much larger. She moved to the nearest of the larger corpses and sniffed it before biting into it. Its hide was weak, its meat tender and soft. Truly delectable.

One of the small bipeds returned, approaching slowly. It stopped when she turned towards it. She closed the rest of the distance and sniffed at the diminutive creature. The little creature’s entire body was infused with the same mana that pervaded this entire place.

The little thing pressed itself against her fur and tried to wrap its arms around her. She let out a surprised growl. Never before would she have let another creature treat her in such a manner. Even one of her own kind approaching her like that would be more likely to be interpreted as a threat than anything else. Yet this unusual contact filled her with warmth the likes of which the had never experienced before.

It broke the contact and left to another part of the cave. While she was still thinking about whether or not to follow, it soon returned with the other three behind it. Every one of her senses were telling her that these creatures were afraid of her. Especially the smallest one. Is that one still a pup? Normally she would have reveled in their fear and enjoyed chasing them down. But they also had the same mana spread throughout their bodies. Though not to the same degree as the purple one. She did not want them to be afraid. She licked the littlest one and it let out a pleasing chattering noise then reached up and touched her on the nose.

She liked these creatures and she would protect them. Especially the pup. It was so tiny. It, more than any other would need her protection.

Sometimes she heard whispers in her mind. She knew they were coming from the strange presence hidden there, but they were not directed towards her so she did not pay them much attention. This was the voice of the one who had brought her here. The master of this strange domain.

Suddenly she heard one word loud and clear in her mind. Impossible to ignore.

Noctis

That was the first time she heard her name, for she knew that is what it was. The pup repeated the name out loud and clung to her leg. A name. What a strange concept. She doubted any of her old pack could ever even comprehend such a thing.

The more time Noctis spent with these little creatures, the more her affection for them grew. The pup in particular. It was always happy to be with her. Always ready to play. The purple one was fun to be around as well. She was glad to be a part of this new pack despite how different they were from her.

When they lead her out of the cave for the first time the world outside was so different to anything she had ever known, full of so many new and exciting things to see and smell and taste. She would rule this land with her pack and all other creatures would fear them.

Every day in her new home with her new pack was filled with fun and joy. But the pinnacle of all that she had experienced was the day when her master spoke to her directly for the first time. She could not grasp the individual words, but she understood their meaning. Her master was going to bring another of her kind here. A male. A potential mate. The only thing currently missing from her new life.

She headed to the place where she had first arrived here. It was the only place in this cave where the mana felt different and she knew that was where the male would appear. Near the glowing pink orb that was the source of all the mana here.

When the male appeared in a flash of light and mana. Noctis could see that he was smaller than she was. He did not look like a pup though. Was he merely a runt? Or had she grown since she had come here?

The red pup and the purple one moved forwards to hug him and this impudent male had the audacity to growl at them. She would need to teach him his place. When she growled back with as much menace as she could muster, he whimpered and went silent. She was pleased that he understood the situation so easily so it did not have to come to bloodshed.

He did not cause any more problems after that and showed Noctis and the rest of her pack the proper respect they deserved. Especially the pup. He also enjoyed playing with the little pup and the purple one. Despite his earlier impertinence, Noctis could see him becoming an acceptable mate. Not that there were any other options available.

When it came time for sleeping, the pup’s mother would not allow both Noctis and the male into their sleeping cave. Only one would be allowed the privilege of sleeping with them and that is not something Noctis would concede to the newcomer.

She looked forward to another day of play and fun ahead of her. The purple one started digging at the wall. Noctis and the male became curious tried to see what she was doing but she pushed them away. When she finished digging they were allowed to look and could see another cave on the other side. The hole was too small for Noctis to crawl through, but the pup was having fun going back and forth through it.

Later that day, her master spoke to her again. She was to follow the purple one into battle to defend their territory. It was inevitable that this would happen eventually. The creatures of this land had not yet learned to fear them. But they would.

The male hesitated, but Noctis would not tolerate a coward as her mate. Only the pup and her mother would be staying behind. He followed at her command and the purple one lead them to the cave entrance where the other red one waited. They both carried tools to help them fight. Noctis thought them strange. Were they not confident in their claws? The large shiny circle on the purple one’s arm seemed particularly odd to Noctis. But she dismissed the thought. The method with which one fights does not matter. Only the outcome is important.

When the purple one opened the last wall between them and the invaders, Noctis was appalled at the little creatures that had the audacity to invade her territory. They were barely half her size. They did not look even remotely intimidating. Their only advantage was their numbers. But that would not be enough to save them.

When they saw her approach they all growled and moved closer, a few more that she had not seen before approaching from the sides, spreading out in an attempt to encircle their supposed prey. They would dare to challenge her? She would teach them of their folly.

Noctis let out a thunderous roar, silencing the invaders. Some of them whimpered and tucked their tails between their legs. Even her own pack mates distanced themselves from her a little due to her intensity.

Despite that, the lead invader started growling and snarling again. The purple one was the first to charge with Noctis only a step behind. When the closest of the invaders leapt at the purple one she effortlessly batted it aside with her shiny circle while lunging at another with her shiny, pointy stick.

Noctis bit down on the neck of the first enemy that came within range, feeling its bones crunch between her jaws. She swiped at another with her claws leaving deep red gashes in its side. The male was similarly biting and clawing at any who approached him. The red one was struggling to keep them away from her until the purple one retreated to her side. It was better for the little ones to stick together, Noctis thought. They could cover each other’s backs to keep enemies from attacking them from behind.

Noctis had to deal with her own group of enemies arrayed around her in a semicircle. All trying to snap at her while also attempting to stay out of range of her teeth and claws. But they were underestimating her. She lunged forwards in a flash, pouncing on the one directly in front of her before it could even react. Her claws and teeth sank deep into its flesh while she kicked out at another with one of her back paws, raking her claws across the side of its head.

She heard a pained roar from the male before feeling jaws clamp down over one of her own legs. But rather than crying out, she took a deep breath and a stream of fire erupted from her maw. Those who could not get out of the way in time were quickly overwhelmed by the intensity of the blaze. She turned her head towards the one that was still biting her leg and it quickly let go when engulfed by the flames.

A burst of heat from the side let her know that the male was doing the same. The few invaders who were still uninjured began to flee. Some who were injured but still alive tried to follow, but did not get far before Noctis or the male finished them off.

He was bleeding from a few places where he had been bitten, but was not otherwise impaired. He performed admirably. Noctis checked on the little ones and saw the red one was bleeding from her arm but there were no other injuries. They were surrounded by the bodies of multiple slain foes. Noctis was impressed. These invaders were small compared to Noctis, but to her littler pack mates they were surely far more daunting, especially being outnumbered as they were.

Noctis hoped the survivors who escaped had learned their lesson and would not return. But if they were foolish enough to come back, she would be happy to teach them again. For now though, she was eager to return to the cave and to the little red pup that was surely waiting for her.