Rescue

NOTES: Contains gore. Chapter four contains explicit gay sexual content (male human / male summoner).

Pt. 1: Calm before the Storm
----------------------------
  Fast clicking of a keyboard was the only noticeable sound in the small room illuminated by afternoon sunshine. It hasn’t rained in weeks and the air outside was hot, dry and filled with red dust freely floating everywhere. As such, when Saul first smelled the familiar acidity of incoming rain, he opened the window next to him in anticipation before returning to work.
  Normally, he was used to having his job at an UAC post a short stroll away from his apartment, but after a Baalgar accidentally teleported into the adjacent building’s receiver designed only for smaller demons, he was assigned to work from home. The Cyberdemon survived without injuries, but the structure was pretty much demolished, so most of his colleagues received the same orders.

  Suddenly, Saul felt warm tingling somewhere behind his head, ruffling his hair with waves of warm air flowing around his shoulders.
  “Come on, Lerix, sneaking up on me like that?” he giggled and turned around before promptly letting out a few curses. Instead of the Summoner he expected, a floating demon skull was nibbling on his hair, looking at him with a harmless but scary, bony expression and flames coming out of its rigid face.
  “For fuck’s sake, get out, shoo!”
  Saul jumped out of his chair and started motioning his arms towards the open window through which the invader silently entered the room. After a few more seconds of shouting and arm flailing, the Lost Soul seemed to understand and hesitantly exited the room with a fading screech, leaving behind quickly dissipating smoke and smell of sulphur in the air. Some Elemental must have lost the little fella, Saul thought as he watched the skull get smaller before disappearing behind a building.

  “Having fun?”
  A smooth, flanging voice broke the silence somewhere from behind. Saul looked back at Lerix, floating at the opposite end of the room, leaned against the door frame with a mild grin on his face. He was wearing his usual attire, a modest, white and short-sleeved tunic and fustanella, strangely discreet for a demon. So was his physical look: where other incomers chose to come as close as possible to humans’ smooth figure and features, the only visible changes on Lerix’s body were thin blue lips and a pair of amber eyes adorning his otherwise demonic face.
  Saul wasn’t sure how the demon was able to see before getting the eyes, but he was sure about liking them; almost human-like with sharp edges, glowing golden irises and a piercing, yet sympathetic gaze.

  “Did you bring in that guy?” He asked, even though he’s never seen the Summoner perform whatever the name of his race suggested, nor any kind of a prank.
  Lerix shook his head, “No, but it was amusing watching you like that.”
   “Great, remind me to scream and flail my arms around more often.”
  The tall demon chuckled and disappeared with a red flash. Right before Saul sat down back in his chair to finish the report he was working on, he heard Lerix from another room.
  “I’m going to make myself a cup of tea; do you want some, too?”

  Tea was a strange specialty of Summoners – other demons liked many different types of drinks, ranging from water (apparently much tastier for them than for humans), through sweeter beverages (more popular with demons following the cuteness trend) to alcohol, to which they obviously had higher resistance than humans. But while Archviles loved to drink coffee and energy drinks, Summoners were a bit more… classy, even in their behaviour.
  Not starchy and stiff, not in the slightest, they just seemed to be somewhat healthily reserved, calm and collected; at least on the outside, when sober.

  Saul decided that the work could wait – he was almost done, anyway – and left the room. Even when he thought he was relaxed, a little tea time with his lovely demon had a calming effect on him. It wasn’t anything formal anyway; oftentimes when the two had nothing interesting to talk about, they just cuddled together on a sofa, enjoying the warm drink and each other’s company.

  The kitchen was small but practical, with a dining table on the side. When Saul entered the room, Lerix was just pouring boiling water into two mugs before whispering a few quiet words that were followed by a dim red glow forming on top of the cups, the steam rising from them suddenly disappearing. It was a more effective alternative to putting a saucer over them to keep the tea warm while it was steeping.
  “I hope the rain’s going to be good,” Saul said when he leaned against the kitchen unit, smelling the comforting smell of nearing downpour, before looking at the floating demon. The Summoner paused and took a deep breath.
  “It’s going to be a thunderstorm, and a big one. I suppose that’s what you mean by good?”
  “How do you know that?” The human asked, surprised by the demon’s abilities.
  “Simply. Details aside, Argent works well with this dimension’s equivalent of it. There’s more of static electricity than usual here.”
  With that, he inhaled again before nodding and seemingly getting lost in thought, closing his eyes, their amber glow ceasing.
  “Yes, a big storm.”
  “Are you okay?” Saul asked, grabbing his cup of tea in the meanwhile. The Summoner opened his eyes again and looked at him.
  “Yes, I was just thinking about something. I’ve got an idea.”
  He grabbed his own mug before floating towards the nearby table next to a window.

  The sky outside was getting very dark, with large, sinister clouds turning into various shapes high above the surface. There was a strange silence, but it wasn’t quiet; every sound from the outside was echoed and dampened, but still audible. Storms on Mars were usually stronger than those on Earth, but Saul liked them more. The demons did, too – in Hell, they were moments of horrific downpour of burning acidic water and dust. The fact that rains here were beautiful, purifying streams of more-or-less clean water was incredible for most of the newcomers, but they soon adapted.
  There were already groups of humans and demons alike on the streets outside, waiting for first drops to have fun in. The Hell Spawn were the ones to get ecstatic from the rain, dancing in the streets with droplets flying off them. There was something addictive about seeing them enjoying themselves that it was difficult for humans not to join the parties.
  Even the Summoners have often gone wild during the rain, flashing lines of red light reflecting off the falling water, mixing with the loud hits of Mars’s lightning. Saul smiled at the thoughts of what he and Lerix have often done during the rainfalls outside, their bodies glistening in the deluge, his demon’s wings wrapped around his back… He shook his head to clear his mind and sat at the table next to the Summoner.

  “So, what were you thinking about?” Saul asked when he took another sip of his tea. Lerix reached into a small box on the table and took out something resembling a stone amulet. It was circular with runic inscriptions on it, some of them unreadable due to the material being chipped away and covered with scorch marks in other places.
  “What’s that?” Saul inquired further.
  “This is an artefact that has teleported a few weeks ago, out of nowhere, to the middle of a street not far away from here. The UAC assigned me to find out what it is,” Lerix explained while turning the amulet around several times in his long, thin fingers before continuing, “It resonates with strong magic, but it’s also protected by it. All my usual, safe,” he put an emphasis on that word, “procedures failed. I thought about trying to connect my consciousness to it, but the conditions weren’t ideal at the time.”
  “Is that procedure dangerous?” Saul asked. Lerix often used infernal magic with good intentions but, according to his own words, they were only the most basic of incantations, not worthy of a High Priest, ranging from moving things quickly and letting tea steep more efficiently to studying recovered Hell artefacts in the interest of science he grew fond of after his arrival.
  “It depends. If one is not careful, their soul can get trapped or lost in the artefact, with their physical bodies turning into empty shells; technically alive, sure, but I wouldn’t call it living.”
  The Summoner’s lips were mildly twisted in disgust, “It’s the same as with the Possessed. There have been some tries to give them some form of their souls back, but the original is forever lost. The only difference is that with artefacts, it is possible to retrieve the contents back; with a complicated and bloody ritual, since it’s the exact opposite of what Hell’s cause was about. Getting a soul back from the ownership of Hell requires sacrifices.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before Saul broke it, “And how about you? Could you do it safely?”
  He knew Lerix was experienced in the dark arts, even if he probably wanted to forget about it. He was one of the youngest High Priests of the Blood Temples after all, and a very eager one at that, carrying many hidden scars as a result. But as strong as his loyalty to the Hell Lords used to be, the stronger was his regret afterwards; collected on the outside, fragile on the inside.
  He didn’t seem to be hesitant now, though. As intense as his angst was, he never seemed to abandon his roots, using them in a more gentle way.
  “Yes, I think I could. I need a few things; one is a good environment for committing rituals, one that allows my energy to be stronger than usual.”
  Saul remembered how Lerix detected static electricity in the air and put two and two together.
  “So… it works both ways, then? The stronger the electricity is, the stronger the Argent?”
  “Yes, that’s it, basically. The storm would be a perfect time to do it. The other thing I need is for my safety; an anchor in this reality, so that I wouldn’t get lost in the amulet, since it might work as a psychic gateway to the Hell dimension. And I think the thing that reminds me of Mars the most is… you.”
  Lerix said the last word with softness that made Saul look away and blush.
  “What do you mean by that?” He asked, flattered but unsure of what the demon meant, who replied with a mild smile before reaching his red, skinny hand towards Saul.
  “For me, you’re a clear resemblance of most of my good memories of this place. This apartment, street, or cup of tea, those aren’t enough for me to navigate myself back in case of emergency or possibly ever. But I’ll always be able to find my way back to you.”
  Saul reached his own hand and grabbed the one Lerix was reaching with, their fingers interlocking.
  “Are you sure about this?” The human asked. He trusted the Summoner, but was still nervous and afraid about him. Lerix gave him a small smile and squeezed his smaller, softer hand.
   “Yes, I think we’ll be fine. Give me some time for preparation. I think you won’t need any, but I need you to be there with me. Meet me in my room when the storm becomes strong.”
  Saul returned the smile.
  “I’ll see you there.”

  A few minutes later, Saul was completing his previous report, waiting for the mayhem outside to get intense. It was already raining, a torrent of water punching against the window loudly. He finished his work when the first lightning strikes hit, clouds flowing through the sky at incredible speeds while people and demons from the streets below could be heard shouting and screaming in joy.
  With a sigh, he stood up and left the room, arriving at Lerix’s door a moment later. He knocked and entered.

Pt. 2: Reek of Death
--------------------
  The demon incomers have often changed their UAC-standard rooms more to their liking. Many newcomers wanted to be as close to the human style as possible, while others wanted to bring in the parts of their former homeland that were more cosy and less horrible.
  Fake wood and cobble facades were typical, giving these rooms a very comfortable atmosphere. Imp packs often wanted to have a campfire in the middle of their rooms, but had to settle on holographic heating devices for safety reasons. Imps also weren’t the only ones to have multiple beds in their rooms – Pain Elementals had smaller ones as well for their Lost Souls. They and Cacodemons, with their high energy output required for flying, often had a place in their rooms to stash something to munch on, too.

  Lerix’s room was pretty normal for a Summoner, especially when he wasn’t working on something. When that was the case, it looked cosy and neatly decorated with strange ritualistic objects and symbolic tapestries, along with some strange-looking archaeological tools and instruments in-between proudly displayed recovered findings and artefacts.
  Right now, though, the room was a little different. Long, dark drapes were muting the already weak light coming in that was instead replaced by magical flames, small enough to be allowed (for UAC-approved business, anyway). In the middle, on the floor, was a drawn pentagram with candles on each of the symbol’s tip. There were complicated-looking runes everywhere around and inside it and in the very centre was lying the medallion from before.

  “Damn, that looks… complex,” Saul said when he entered the room. Lerix, sitting on the bed on the opposing end, looked up. He was wearing a black robe with red markings. The hems on its collar and arms were painted white, a distinguishing mark of “white Argent” between other Summoners. Even though Lerix didn’t meet with others of his kind much, explaining it by them being too weird even for him, his affiliation was important during procedures like the one right now.

  “This is just basic acolyte routine, a ritual you could theoretically do alone. I don’t intend on ever doing my usual rites again. It took me a while to think of a good use even for this one. Normally, there would be an unwilling soul in the middle, not an artefact to explore. I’m frankly quite surprised the UAC even lets me do these, with all of the cultist madmen running around.”
  He stood up and floated towards the amulet and sat down in mid-air in a meditative pose.
  “So, how are we going to do this? Should I come closer or something? I don’t want to break up those markings.” Saul asked, unsure of what to do, not intent on stepping and subsequently destroying the demon’s hard work.
  “The runes are just temporary. Just avoid stepping on a straight line of the pentagram,” the Summoner explained, slowly bobbing in air up and down. He sounded tense. Saul remembered the last time they tried to do some magic of (sub)consciousness exploration. It turned out well in the end, but it was horrifying, to say the least.

  “Alright, step right there, in that corner,” Lerix pointed at the pentagram’s tip directly opposing him, so both participants faced each other, “Now, sit down.”
  Saul obliged and waited for more instructions.
  “Now, since you’re not a direct subject or helper here, you won’t need to do any incantations, which is probably a good thing. I’ll grab the medallion and once I stop moving and saying anything, you’ll hold my hands until I hopefully wake up. Got it?”
  The only sound in the room was now the muted tapping of raindrops outside with an occasional thunder. Saul gulped and nodded.

  Lerix reached out his arms while his eyes were locked on the amulet in front of him, blank and glowing with golden light. His wings were erratically moving and trembling before wrapping themselves around his face where the eyes were. He started speaking words in the infernal language, his voice deep, rough, but still unmistakably his. It wasn’t loud, but it seemed to vibrate the air around.
  Saul had no idea what he was hearing, but after a few unintelligible lines, Lerix’s head started to glow, the artefact inside it activated. An especially loud thunder boomed throughout the building with a flash as the demon quickly wrapped his long fingers around the medallion. He was shaking, but his mouth was now static. Red lightning connected from his head through his body and arms into the amulet and with another thunder and a flash, everything stopped.

  Lerix was still floating in the air, but his arms were limp, with the exception of his fingers tightly clutching the artefact. The wings were almost dangerously firmly enveloping his neck. His eyes were closed. Saul realised what he had to do and wrapped his own hands, covered in sweat, around Lerix’s.
  “Please, come back okay,” he whispered before staying in place to wait.

-----

  It’s been a long time since his mind travelled into the abyss between worlds. There was darkness all around him, except for a little light in front of him. Muttering a few words, the light started to increase in size until it engulfed him in sickeningly yellow colour. His other senses started to pick up different stimuli, too – chilling feeling of cold, smell of rot and sulphur, and a subconscious feeling of something being terribly, horribly wrong. The medallion indeed worked as a gateway to the other side and was now hanging on his chest.
  “Don’t worry Saul, I’ll be fine,” he said in his head before moving on as the flat colour around him started changing, turning into various shapes.
  Soon, he found himself standing on the edge a cliff in a desolate, rocky, uneven environment. Below was an endless sea of, to the best of his knowledge, poisonous gases – quite possibly, there wasn’t even a bottom. He turned around to get an idea of where he was. Surely the amulet wouldn’t transfer him to some random spot in the middle of nowhere. As it turned out, it mostly didn’t.
  Behind the steep edge wasn’t a plane as one would think there’d be. The whole cliff was actually a sloped hill, dangerously luring anything to drop into the depths below. Lerix looked towards the top of it. He saw spikes, poles, crosses and cages made of splintery wood and rusted steel. Some were standing alone. Others were covered in blackened blood or bits of unidentifiable decaying mess. At the very top, there was a small and flat stone structure from which the Summoner could feel the only bit of life force around.
  Each time with a red flash, he scoured the surroundings before zapping towards the summit. If the gory leftovers didn’t leave him sick, this did. A lone and biggest cross on the hill’s peak was still occupied.

  His eyes laid on a mass of red muscle and brown fur. Chained and nailed to the tarnished, clawed up pole was a Baron, one from the olden plane of Hell. They were more cool-headed and highborn than their distant neoteric plane brethren who were sometimes called rough or even savage.
  Lerix wondered for a second how the tormented demon even got to this sulphurous, Argent-thirsty part of Hell – it definitely wasn’t a native. Then he realised the Baron was the source of the life force he’d sensed before. He closed in.

  The bruiser looked very bad. Even his already red skin couldn’t hide the amount of blood either flowing down in little crimson streams or staining and darkening the battered body. Several massive chains of blemished metal scraping the muscular chest held the giant in place while his wrists and lower knees were both wrapped in manacles and pierced with heavy nails. The fur on his legs, when it wasn’t torn out in patches, was coloured and hardened from his own blood.
  His chest was slowly moving up and down and, when noticing a newcomer, opened his eyes a little before letting out a pained, raspy sigh.
  “Another one. Go on. Pathetic coward, leaving me to die here,” He spat out in the deep, rumbling demonic language, “What now? You’re one of those who don’t even fight themselves. Will you call a pack of servants to mutilate me further?”
  “I’m not here to hurt you,” Lerix said, startled at the sight.
  “Such nobility! Not taking credit for the things whatever hellspawn you summon does to me!” The Baron chuckled before painfully coughing and continuing, “I would applaud you by ripping your limbs off, but I can’t. Proceed, maybe one of your little minions will do what you’re trying to prolong.”
  “I won’t summon anyone and I won’t hurt you. I’m here because this led me here,” the Summoner replied and raised the amulet, showing it to him. The crucified focused his eyes on it and the floating demon holding it, noticing the unusual face and white-hemmed clothing. There was a moment of silence.

  “Someone… came?” the Baron finally slowly replied. “You’re not with the dark horde?”
  Lerix let down his arm and explained, “No, not anymore. We have found this talisman and, trying to discover what it’s for, it led me here. What happened?”
  “It… worked. You’re one of them! I… I heard the call of the peaceful. I wanted to live in safety… protect others, not hurt them. I wasn’t cautious about it. My brethren, deaf to the voice of serenity, found out,” he recounted, “and punished me by throwing me in another plane of Hell, weak and wounded of course, unable to fight.”
  “What about this artefact? And what’s your name?” the Summoner asked further.
  “My mark. Tainted with my life fluid. I used it to find my way to the other world. Then they caught me,” he sighed. The colossus looked Lerix in the eyes, the golden gazes meeting. Then, he said something unusual of his kind.
  “Please. Get me out of here. Kogrhiken will forever be in your debt,” there was desperation in his voice that he was previously hiding, but it was clawing its way to the surface. It made Lerix’s guts twist in anguish, making him remember what he used to do, his results not dissimilar to who was hanging in front of him.

  But he couldn’t take the tortured fellow with him. He would need an actual portal for that, a journey through which Kogrhiken probably wouldn’t survive in his current state.
  “I can’t on my own, I’m sorry. But I’ll return. In the meantime… I’m no Archvile, but I can try…” he flied towards the demon and, whispering in infernal tongue while touching the worst-looking areas on the Baron’s body, healed them on the surface level. It stopped the bleeding and eased the pain in the very least.
  “What shall you do? They will come back. They will know. They’ll kill me,” the injured bruiser asked, his voice stable again. Lerix replied by spreading out his arms and pronouncing a long sentence. The artefact in his head glowed red before a translucent, pinkish-red sphere of lightning appeared in front of him, growing in size until it encapsulated most of their immediate surroundings. The Summoner looked at the amazed Kogrhiken.
  “That will keep them out for some time. I know how to find you.”
  They exchanged a long look.
  “Go, then. I will persist, with you saving me from a sure peril. Thank you.”
  “Not yet. I’m sorry I can’t do more now.”

  Lerix looked at the amulet he was holding again. He closed his eyes and tried to find his way out. If he were to fly forwards, he’d move in dozens of directions without realising it. There was darkness all around him. He had no idea where he was, he was lost. But somewhere over the second or third horizon, there was a light. Not physical light but rather something more supernatural. He flew towards it.
  For the chained Kogrhiken, the weightless demon in front of him suddenly vanished in a cloud of faint red and yellow light. The sick smell of sulphur and the bite of cold wind disappeared. He felt empty and numb as his consciousness travelled across the valley of space. Without the bright glimmer of hope he was heading for, he could have travelled through the blackness of limbo forever. But the light, his destination, was getting brighter and brighter and a moment later, it devoured him.

-----

  He’s been there for too long. What if something bad happened to him? Fingers on Lerix’s rigid, floating body were getting colder, only receiving heat from Saul’s trembling hands.
  “Come on, where are you?” he whispered, his body tense. He didn’t care about his limbs getting sore and aching. How long has he been sitting here? Ten minutes? Half an hour? The thunderstorm outside has been slowly getting weaker, making the human dread what the effects of the less ideal ritual conditions could be. The candles started to darken one by one, sucking out the already dim lighting in the room.

  Suddenly, Lerix gasped and opened his eyes. He lost his balance and his hovering body took a short dive before he stabilised himself.
  “Lerix!” Saul cried out and stood up, embracing the demon, “Are you okay?”
  The Summoner hesitantly returned the hug, making Saul shiver with his freezing body. He took a moment to respond, coming back to the softer human language, “Yes, yes I am. Thank you. But I need to hurry. I’ll explain.”
  He then broke the embrace before standing up and stretching his tired limbs to get the blood flowing.
  “What happened?” Saul asked, relieved to see his companion alive and talking. Lerix started to explain while quickly cleaning up the room and changing his ceremonial clothing to a more public attire.
  “There was a demon, a Baron from the old plane. He wanted to escape, he got caught, tortured, almost killed. He’s still there; I couldn’t take him with me. I tried to tend to some of his injuries but they’re pretty bad. I still know where he is, the amulet still has it. I need to take this to the UAC, they’ll know what to do. Some of the other Summoners might even know the name of that place.”
  Saul listened to this, dumbfounded, processing what the quickly moving demon was telling him.
  “Can I… do something to help?” he asked, feeling a bit useless. Lerix pulled the dark curtain to let a bit of light in and drifted towards Saul, stopping right in front of him, recognising the human’s worries. He gently grabbed his hands.
  “You’ve already helped me, a lot,” he quietly said, smiling.
  “How?”
  “I had no idea where I was. Without you, I would have been lost there, forever,” the Summoner explained before pulling the human closer, this time him being the initiator of a (now considerably warmer) hug. “You don’t know it but it was you who navigated me back. I told you I’ll always be able to find my way to you, Saul.”
  They stayed in the embrace for a few moments, with Lerix resting his chin in Saul’s hair while his partner had his arms wrapped around his back and body, listening to his strange, quiet breathing and heartbeat.

  “I need to go, that poor soul needs help,” Lerix finally broke the calm silence. Saul released his arms and looked up at him.
  “They won’t want you to go there again, right?” He asked.
  He was assured by the demon’s calming voice, “No, I’ll share the knowledge from the amulet with several Summoners so that they’ll be able to create a stable, more physical portal. And then I’ll have to explain to them why I did this whole procedure without a permit.”
  “What, you mean this was illegal?” Saul gasped.
  “No, not really. Don’t worry, I didn’t put anyone but myself in danger and it’s just saved someone’s life. They’ll listen to reason,” Lerix said in almost a bored tone. Saul smiled and reached behind his back again, pulling him down for a kiss.
  “See? If you ever question yourself… remember that you’re now rescuing someone from Hell. Most people wouldn’t go as far as to risk their own life just to see what’s inside some stone talisman.”
  Lerix opened his mouth and closed it, a strange expression forming on his face. He let out an affectionate sigh of relief and gave back the kiss to his human other.
  “Thank you… I’ll… I’ll see you around,” he whispered afterwards, his and Saul’s foreheads touching. A second later, he disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving behind only brief stripes of lightning, hanging in the air for a short moment before also dissipating.

  The rain outside subsided into a slight drizzle and the joyful screams from the streets below also died down. Saul went to walk up to a window before noticing a particularly visible exhibit on Lerix’s shelf. Looking at it closer, he realised it was what the kind-hearted demon sometimes called the eye opener; the stone tablet that made him realise the morality of his past actions; the source of both his affection and regret.
  It wasn’t displayed in any sort of showy way, but it was still the most eye-catching thing in that part of the Summoner’s collection, mostly due to the attention he seemed to give it in keeping it polished and dust-free.

  Saul didn’t know why, but he decided to pick up the robe Lerix has thrown on the bed in hurry and fold it. He just felt nice about doing it while finding strange features on the piece of demonic clothing: a looser pocket-like bit on the shoulders, so that the pads Summoners had could fit in there without problems; wide lines of very smooth and soft fabric in places where the torso and spinal eyes were placed; and, obviously, holes on the top of the back for the wings.
  When he was done, he laid it on the unusually long bed and left the room.

Pt. 3: Lonesome Sorts
---------------------
  Thankfully, the UAC bureaucracy was fairly quick in emergencies like this. Through talking and quickly explaining the situation to several people, Lerix soon found himself in front of the door to a room containing a massive teleporter. He was surrounded by several human scientists and a Summoner, all of them wearing long lab coats, white even in the base hallway’s dim light.

  “That procedure you have done was of upmost hazard, what were you thinking?” the floating sorcerer kin asked Lerix with a condescending tone, her initially sultry voice now livid and wildly flanging.
  He turned to her and uttered a response, “Only one I’ve put in danger was me and without it, we wouldn’t have found the prisoner. Would you rather leave him there to die?”
  “You have involved a human in the ritual, is that not a danger?” the other Summoner shot back.
  “He was an anchor to let me find my way back; he didn’t even touch the amulet,” Lerix replied, slowly getting irritated.
  “But have you considered the fact that the artefact could have released its powe—“
  “Yes, all of the typical protections were in place; possession inhibition, soul rot restraints, the Argent cage, it couldn’t have been safer—“
  “But what if—“

  “Enough!” a scientist cut both of them off before clearing his throat, “Virwid, I’m sure if something were to happen, it would only affect Lehrixin here, who, as you know, was assigned to find out what the artefact was about. That said, it was risky,” he raised his hand when Lerix wanted to object, “and losing a specialist such as you would have been… dire. But you still have our and hopefully the rescuee’s thanks.”
  He checked the tablet he was holding and looked up at the two Summoners again, “Now, we have some work to do. You two, figure out the exact location and we’ll go prepare the teleporter and call the military.”
  Excusing himself, the human and his colleagues left, leaving the two floating demons alone. They looked at each other before entering the teleporter chamber.

  It wasn’t the biggest portal hall he’s ever seen – those built for the few rare Cyberdemons or even Araneas looked more like hangars to accommodate the largest of demons – but it was still pretty big. The ceiling was almost completely dark and every non-walkable surface was covered in pipes and boxes containing various tech. There was only a small fail-safe switch console near the portal platform however, as most of supervision happened in the control room above, its large window hidden in shadows. When active, the whole chamber glowed red and was warm enough to feel uncomfortable. Now though, it was just as dim and bleakly blue like the rest of the UAC-styled lab.

  “When you were there, did you recognise any of your surroundings? What was the place like?” Virwid asked Lerix who was following her through the room. Her voice seemed calmer and friendlier than before.
  “No, I didn’t. There were no real structures there, either. The surroundings gave me no clue as to where I was. Only a big, sloped cliff with poles and crosses on it,” he replied, reminiscing of his trip.
  The demoness in front of him stopped before turning around, “Did you say… a sloped cliff?”
  “Yes, what’s so strange about it?”
  “Could you be more specific? What was sloped, precisely? The cliff itself or the top of it?” she seemed anxiously curious about it.
  “The summit was tilted. The cliff itself was perfectly vertical. It looked treacherous for someone who walks on the ground,” Lerix said. Virwid started floating in circles, her wings moving around irregularly.
  “A hill… cut by a cliff… an executorial place… sea of gas…” she muttered, lost in thought. Suddenly, she snapped and looked up, “I believe I have figured it out.”
  “Go on,” Lerix nodded.
  “Duningir Sanctum, a sister place to Kadingir. I cannot believe I haven’t realised this sooner,” she started to explain, “That Baron trapped there betrayed Hell, is that correct? He wanted to follow the society that in turn, to some extent, follows the Slayer’s beliefs. Kadingir was meant to be the place of Hell Walker’s eternal suffering, and Duningir… is for his disciples.” She went silent for a second, “We got it.”
  Lerix didn’t share her positivity, “Are you sure about that? Kadingir is quite big; the other sanctum could be large, too.”
  “I wouldn’t worry about it. May I ask you to show me the amulet?” Virwid asked and grabbed the talisman when Lerix handed it to her a moment later. She looked at it and suddenly, she began whispering words in the demonic language. The artefact in her head started to glow with a weak red light. For a few moments, she turned completely rigid.

  Just when the amber-eyed Summoner started to worry about the Virwid’s sudden (and quite outrageous) act, she woke up again.
  “What in the… you give me a lecture back there, questioning the simplest of my abilities and now you don’t even bother setting up a psychic coil? What is wrong with you?” Lerix asked, infuriated. If she’s so careless about Argent sorcery, why did she waste his and everyone’s time back in the lobby? Her response was… a laugh; a playful one, the kind that rings pleasantly in your ears instead of scraping them.
  “I am terribly sorry about that. I’ve never actually questioned your abilities. You did precisely what I have wanted you to do back there. Let me explain,” she cleared her throat, “the scientists would have wanted to ask you the same questions I did, but it would take much longer… the amount of paperwork would also be much bigger.” She explained while still chuckling in-between words. Lerix slowly began to understand.
  “You… you’ve caused that scene to get quick arguments out of me?” he asked.
  “Yes! I do apologise for sounding like an unpleasant person, I didn’t mean anything bad with it and the scientists hopefully decided that writing down a report is unnecessary. The inner bureaucracy is exhausting in this place,” she justified herself further, making Lerix join her in giggling.

  “Back to the artefact, what did you find?” he inquired when the two of them calmed down.
  “I didn’t go all over to the place you have described; I only saw a blurry landscape. But I know where it is.” Virwid said.
  “Really? From an unfocused, hazy outlook? The place didn’t seem particularly remarkable when I was there,” Lerix pondered. The other Summoner looked away slightly.
  “Let’s just say that… I’m familiar with the place well enough to know,” her voice was a little different, tainted with something unpleasant. Lerix quickly realised the implications.
  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Should we move on?” he asked politely after a while.
  “It’s alright, don’t be. Just a few bad memories,” she explained, turning her face at him again, “all of us have them, right?”
  Lerix cynically smiled, “There’s no denying that.”

  Her voice returning to normal, Virwid asked after a moment of silence, “Excuse my nosiness but… the human you used as the anchor, he helps you, right?”
  Lerix reminisced back to Saul, “Yes. I suppose he does,” he replied, “he’s very important to me.” He looked back at Virwid, “Have you got someone special?”
  She shook her head with a quiet but clear ‘no.’ She turned around and set out towards the exit to get to the control room, “Let’s get this done.”
  Lerix followed her, regretting his question a little.

  It took some time to finish all of the necessary preparations: finding a good location for the teleportation destination was the first thing to be done, then it took a while before the dispatch team (two Archviles protected by a Hell Knight, two Imps and three humans) arrived, asking the Summoners about the landscape and surroundings of the place in Dudingir. Lerix gave them the amulet to let Kogrhiken, the imprisoned demon, know who sent them.
  Then, finally, the portal’s power generator managed to create enough power for a stable two-way connection. The rescue team gathered in the main room while the scientists along with Virwid and Lerix gathered in the control room above. With a loud ambient hum and a strange screeching noise from below, a red flashing sphere appeared and expanded on the teleporter’s platform. The soldiers walked into it and disappeared. After a short while, so did the portal itself.

  “Teleportation successful, ETA thirty minutes. Control crew stays here, the rest are asked to leave,” the Arachnotron supervisor announced matter-of-factly from the back of the room.
  Virwid leaned towards Lerix, “I’m going for a tea. You don’t want to aggravate Linzy there when she’s nervous. And she’s very nervous now.” She said, referring to the brainy overseer’s dry and emotionless speech.
  “Sure, I’d be delighted,” he replied, a smile on his face hiding his own nervousness.

-----

  “Milk?”
  “Of course.”
  “Sugar?”
  “Right now? No. No, thanks.”

  The labs’ cafeteria was somewhat cosier than the rest of the building but still cold, metallic and not bright enough to feel really accommodating. The tea was tolerable, though.
  “So, what are you doing here, anyway?” Lerix asked after taking a slow, savouring sip.
  “Well, besides being one of the people who greets incoming Summoners and helps them get used to this world, not much,” Virwid started talking, sampling the tea beforehand, “One day I’m helping the scientists work with streams of Argent, another I’m summoning a stuck Cacodemon repairman from a pipe junction he can’t get out of.”
  “Sounds like a varied life,” Lerix noted.
  “It is, and I quite enjoy it. My occupation does include ancient artefacts but it’s not my focus,” she nodded and continued.
  “I guess you meet a lot of people here, don’t you?” He asked more.
  “Not really. The personnel here is all mostly the same and, don’t get me wrong, they’re nice people but,” she sighed, “I can’t help it but feel awkward sometimes. It’s like I’m both happy being with people and feeling crowded. Strange, right?”
  Lerix listened to her talk, realising her problem. “But you’re fine with talking with me here, aren’t you?”
  “Yes, yes, I am. Why are you asking?” she hesitantly asked.
  “I think you’re getting along with people just fine, you just prefer talking alone with them and share thoughts in a more personal setting,” he explained.
  “Huh,” she pondered for a moment, giving Lerix time to take another swig of tea, “I guess you’re right? I… That gives me ideas, thank you,” she went quiet and started playing with her fingers.

  “Are you okay?” Lerix asked, watching her for a while.
  “Of course, I’m just wondering – when we’ve talked in the portal chamber… Do you think I can find someone, too?” she somewhat unsurely questioned. Lerix put down the cup of tea and smiled.
  “I don’t see a reason why not. You definitely seem like a nice person. And you help people, both conventionally and in your own way,” he encouraged her. Virwid looked away, on the ground, back up on Lerix and then down again at the cup of tea, her face blushing.
  “Thank you. I think there’s… a few people I haven’t talked to as much as I would appreciate; as much as I should have. If you would excuse me, I have to go. I’m very grateful for your help, Lerix,”
  She finished her drink, stood up and left. The now lone Summoner wasn’t sure what to make of it and he wondered what Saul would think of the conversation. He’d probably, with the purest heart, tell him he should start a dating service.

  Rest of the operation went relatively smoothly. Sometime later, the base’s lights strobed and blinked, indicating a sudden energy spike. Lerix arrived at the teleporter chamber’s door and a minute later, it opened.
  The soldiers, their armour stained with dust, walked out of the room, leading the very confused Baron out. He looked tired, reasonable but a rather unusual sight and was still covered in blood and grime, but he didn’t seem to be injured anymore; the Archviles did a good job of patching him up on the spot. His amulet was hanging around his neck.
  “You!” Kogrhiken called out when he saw Lerix, “You’re the one who found me!”
  The Summoner approached him, paying no attention to the cold smell of sulphur, blood and musk coming out of the group.
  “I cannot thank you enough, I really can’t. I don’t know how this world works, but if you ever need the services or skills of a Baron of Hell like me, I’m forever in your debt.” the Baron said, his voice rough, brutish and slow, but very much grateful.
  “I’m happy to help,” Lerix told him, “I hope you’ll like it here, Kogrhiken.”
  “I already do, do not worry,” the demon suddenly paused, realising something, “May I know the name of my redeemer?” he then asked.
  “Lehrixin, or Lerix for short.” the Summoner introduced himself.
  “Lehrixin… I’ll always remember that name.” Kogrhiken said, bringing both of his massive hands on his chest.
  “Weshouldgo, youneedtorest,” one of the Archvile medics noted, speaking so quickly it took everyone else involved a second to decipher what he was saying. The Baron’s smile froze for a second before starting to heartily chuckle, his deep rumbling spreading throughout the hallway.
  “Pleasedon’texhaustyourselffurther,” the other Archvile added, only making Kogrhiken giggle more before complying and saying his goodbyes to Lerix.

  “Everything went well and we have a new dweller. Should I stop somewhere for dinner?” Lerix sent a message to Saul who quickly replied, “Awesome, tell me everything when you get home. Your turn was yesterday, I’m making Imp pot today. The edible kind, not smokable.”
  Lerix smiled at the prospect of that and, after exiting the building into the now night city, disappeared with a flash and headed towards the other end of the town.

Pt. 4: Warm Respite
-------------------
  Not even a minute later, the main door’s lock system’s affirmative jingle announced a verified incomer. Lerix barely stepped into the hall before the mouth-watering savoury smell hit him.
  “Hello, Saul,” he greeted his human who was just leaving his room.
  “Lerix, hey…” Saul replied longingly before hugging the floating demon, resting his head on his stomach and wrapping his arms around Lerix’s legs. The Summoner slowly lowered himself and knelt down a little in mid-air, accommodating for a more natural embrace given their heights. Shared warmth and warm feelings spread through them.
  “That smells really, really good, what is it?” Lerix asked after a moment of loving serenity, again noticing the spiced scent coming from the living room. Saul looked up with a quiet, flattered titter, “Something new I’ve tried out, I wonder what it’ll taste like,” he grinned, “I hope you don’t mind spicy food.”
  Lerix chuckled at that, “Really? I’m the only one who uses the hot sauce while you—“
  “Drink all the milk, yeah, I know,” Saul finished his sentence, smirking. “I threw potatoes in it a while ago, so it’s gonna be done in… I don’t know, half an hour, twenty minutes, maybe more? Anyway,” he moved away a little from the embrace and nodded, “how did it go?”
  “What can I say?” Lerix began, looking somewhere into distance, “Barons are tough, he’s going to be alright – he was fine physically there. He hasn’t lost his sense of honour either, so I’m hopeful about his wellbeing,” he explained, referring to worse cases of refuged demons.
  Saul pulled himself closer again, “You’re amazing,” he said simply, closing his eyes.
  “Really?” the Summoner asked from above after a short contemplation.
  “Yeah. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
  “But I didn’t even—… Thank you,” Lerix stopped himself from arguing. He’s had the whole trip home to think about it, about why others around him acted like they did. Sure, he didn’t go out of his way to find the stranded demon, that was just a coincidence, but he did act helpful without thinking twice about it – was that why others were commending him so much?
  At first, he thought of it as just a part of the job he had to do, but it probably really was something more, right? But then, who would be sick enough to just do the minimal task of figuring out that amulet’s purpose and leave the poor bastard back there to die? Surely he wasn’t better than most people and demons out there – they just saw this act as unusual, even if it hopefully wasn’t. …Right?
  Thankfully, Saul ended his puzzled pondering by breaking the hug. “I’m going to take a shower before the pot gets done, wanna join me?” he asked, his eyes meeting Lerix’s. The Summoner grinned and squinted his eyes, targeting Saul.
  “Absolutely,” he said with a purring voice.

  The bathroom was, luckily, large enough for both the human and the noticeably taller demon – who also usually had some space beneath him as he hovered above the floor – to fit in comfortably. The whole apartment was designed with Hell Knights in mind, so on the upside, there was enough space for everybody and on the (now moot) downside, when Saul had first moved in, the set-up was somewhat spartan.
  Saul envied Lerix’s fairly quick preparation for a shower a little; unlike the usual human dealings with pants, shorts and socks, accompanied by various stretching, standing on one leg and flailing arms around, untying the typical Summoner attire – a tunic and a skirt – was a matter of a few quick and elegant movements before the garments fell on the floor.
  The bright white cloth was replaced by Lerix’s slim body of a range of shades of blue and red with glowing amber accents. Saul felt his cheeks turning hot at the sight, Lerix’s posture and movement even more graceful and fluent than when they were hidden beneath his apparel, accentuating his slender torso and surprisingly wide hips. It was almost like he was ice skating in slow motion, his gentle movements hypnotising to watch.

  Saul entered the shower a moment later, closing the door behind him while Lerix turned on the water. A stream of warm droplets started falling down on them, quickly soaking them. The two took turns under the strongest part of the flow, soon completely wet and glistening with water.
  “Uh, Lerix? You… don’t mind the water getting in your…?” Saul pointed at the Summoner’s glowing eyes on his chest and back. Lerix looked at them and smiled.
  “I tried something, I’ve casted a… a layer, essentially, over them. It would hinder my vision a little, if I hadn’t actual eyes,” he explained, excited about the positive results. He gently pressed against one of the flames with the tip of his finger, “I wouldn’t risk it with a nail, though. But it should be…”
  His voice trailed off as he looked up and noticed Saul’s hair, completely drenched and weighed down, covering the top half of his face. While he did find it both endearing and funny, he couldn’t help himself but to aid the human pull it over the sides of his head to let him see clearer.
  Hair was such a strange thing – sure, it was soft, but a description of its texture and touch sounded much less pleasant than it actually was. While wrapping a strand of hair around his long finger (“Lerix, what are you—“), he reached for a bottle of shampoo, momentarily focusing on it before returning to Saul (who gave up and let the Summoner do whatever he wanted) and gently slapping and massaging the foamy gel onto his scalp.
  Saul mumbled contentedly from the rubdown while Lerix started on the top of his head before reaching almost every spot and corner. Even though Lerix sometimes accidentally jabbed him with his long nails, he was still careful and cautious, giving special scratchy attention to the human’s ears – which Saul seemed to enjoy a lot, judging from his grunts of delight.

  But Lerix didn’t stop there, moving his hands, still slick from the shampoo, down the human’s neck and shoulders, massaging and kneading them. Saul shivered from the sudden sensation, melting in the Summoner’s hands’ skilful embrace.
  “Mhmm, that’s the… that’s the spot, yes…” he muttered as Lerix pressed on a place he didn’t even know was sore. In a moment, soap replaced the shampoo in the Summoner’s palms as he began rubbing it on Saul’s body, exploring it along the way, enjoying the human’s smooth yet shapely form.
  “Can’t wait to do the same to you…” Saul mumbled while Lerix circled around him with eager curiosity before his slender fingers suddenly rested between his thighs, grabbing on to something. Saul gasped.
  Then again.
  And again, as the movement below his underbelly didn’t stop – quite the opposite, actually.
  “Lerix…” he huffed weakly.
  “Yes?”
  Saul didn’t reply for a moment while his demon lover slowly sped up. “…Forget it,” he resigned as the mild tingling feel grew stronger and more pleasant, turning from a neutral sensation into one that screamed for relief. He was embraced fully from the back, Lerix’s wings wrapped around his torso and alien head resting on his shoulder. He didn’t know whether he felt relaxed or tense, probably both.
  Lerix sped up, his breathing getting deeper, also. They turned their heads, looking at each other. Their faces were so close they could feel each other’s hot breaths. Lerix could almost see his reflection in Saul’s eyes while his human found himself lost in the fiery, golden almonds, the amber glow filling his sight.
  The culminating moment arrived unexpectedly. The tingling itch grew unbearable and before Saul could say anything, he let out a shocked gasp as pleasure wholly encapsulated him. He squirmed uncontrollably and he would probably slip had it not been for Lerix’s embrace holding him close and safe.

  Once the waves of heavenly sensations turned into warm, peaceful calmness, the two looked at each other again.
  “You have the most beautiful eyes,” Lerix whispered over the sound of running water. Saul smiled, always a little nervous from receiving compliments from his demon mate.
  “I don’t think so. You do.”

  Reaching for the bottle of soap and pouring a good spurt on his hands, Saul began the same treatment Lerix gave him minutes ago. He applied it on and massaged all parts of the demon’s body, carefully rubbing the various creases, bumps, nooks and creases of the intriguing infernal physiology but, at the same time, avoiding the red parts, such as his lower arms, inner thighs or wings – those were too irritable for normal detergent to be used. And they seemed to be slightly ticklish also, based on the flanged giggles the Summoner was making.
  While Lerix couldn’t get enough of Saul’s smoothness and, when compared to him, fluffiness, his partner loved to explore the unusual and complex anatomy of the winged demon, how strange the numerous features on his body were and how they all somehow worked together, forming an outlandish but beautiful frame.
  Wherever he looked, he would find something interesting, whether it was a strip of lightweight flexible tissue (supposedly not muscle, despite the appearance), various ridges on the slim chest, the collar-looking hems around the neck, the strangely-shaped top of the head with an ancient magical artefact inside, or the lanky four-fingered hands with pitch-black, perfectly cut, long fingernails.

  Crouched and gently scrubbing Lerix’s shiny legs, almost feminine in their shape and smoothness, Saul had a perfect bottom view of his demonic mate any time he looked up. His slim but still very pleasing to look at butt was particularly successful at catching his attention. Being done with the legs and feet, Saul stood up and took a good look at the pair of indigo cheeks; they had a very different shape from those of a human – sharp, defined and not really round as they were a direct part of the demon’s elongated hips, but they were still inexplicably attractive.
  Slowly, Saul placed both of his hands on each cheek. They were softer than they looked, but, like the rest of Lerix’s body, nowhere near like those of a human. He heard a tiny giggle from above as he brushed his palms against the hued skin that he subsequently interrupted by gently squeezing what he was holding, eliciting a surprised twitch from his partner.
  Lerix quickly turned his head around and looked down at Saul.
  “What are you—?“ he wanted to ask, noticing his human mate slowly kneeling down, moving his face with a devious smile towards his bottom while his hands moved across Lerix’s upper thighs, every now and then gripping onto them.
  Slowly, Saul stuck out his tongue and moved it across the blue skin of Lerix’s butt. A little disappointingly, the only thing he tasted was the bitter aftertaste of soap, even when he curiously wandered in-between the cheeks. Skipping this foreplay, Saul decided to gradually slide his mouth lower and lower, turning himself around and passing between the demon’s legs until his lips suddenly smooched an unexpected, erect appendage, warm and mildly slick from its slit.

  Even over the shower he could hear the sigh Lerix made. He knew too well how he felt, the all too familiar feeling when one realises that they’re not leaving until that specific itch is properly scratched. Sensually, Saul covered the shaft with kisses, moving up, towards the tip. Upon reaching it, his tongue satisfied with the strange, yet delicious taste reminding him of something citrusy and seasoned, he opened his mouth further and closed it a second later, the sensitive head inside.
  Lerix slowly sat down on the shower floor before he would start shaking in mid-air, his wings unstable. “You’re so… nice,” he breathed out. Saul replied by rubbing the ridge under the tip with his tongue as hard as he could, giving his demon lover a short, blissful jolt. He already knew that despite the differences in looks, their organs worked very similarly, making their plays much easier.
  He did the same motion several times while tightening his lips and starting to move back and forth. Lerix’s occasional sighs turned into a continuous pattern of ragged breathing as Saul relentlessly assaulted his member with his soft, slimy tongue, not knowing if he was more excited from his act itself or its pleasurable consequence. He felt a hand reach for the back of his head, holding it and directing it lower and deeper.
  “Ugh, S—Saul…”
  Suddenly, the hand clenched its fingers into his temples, completely taking control over his movements. The weak, sporadic throbs Saul sensed intensified.
  A moment later, Lerix stopped in silence as he forced the kneeling human to take all he had all the way to the root, holding him there as he tried not to choke. It was as if time stopped for a second before a prolonged moan from above resumed it. The pressure on Saul’s head diminished just as his throat and back of the mouth got tainted by warm gluiness several times, slowly dripping down his pharynx.
  The time stopped again. Lerix was wearily panting while Saul kept on tenderly licking the softening appendage in his mouth, gulping down everything that came out of it.

  When their blood calmed down, Saul spat out the now soft and petite organ and sat up, taking a seat on his butt rather than the knees that were slowly starting to hurt from the hard shower floor. He looked up at Lerix, their eyes meeting again. There was a warm aura of love spread between them, this time stained with sinful but delightful dirtiness. Tiny streams of water splashed against their glistening bodies as they stared at each other.
  “So… how was it?” Saul asked to break the quiet. Lerix smiled, returning to his refined but still personal manners, and shortly replied, “Astonishing.”
  “Thanks,” the human said, licking his lips, and added with a whirring voice, “You make a good appetizer.”
  Lerix grinned, his face twisted in a dirty smile as he looked away.
  “Wait, that reminds me…” Saul gasped and spoke up, turning his head to look at the clock through the shower door, “Twenty… six… the time’s good, I was almost worried we’d be here for too long. Let’s finish up,”
  The couple stood up, quickly washed off whatever sweat has formed during their play and got out. They dried themselves, partially on their own and partially helping each other, especially when it came to wiping one’s back. As such, it didn’t take Saul with Lerix long to leave the bathroom and go get some clean clothes. The delicious smell of warm food permeated the entire apartment.

-----

  “Wow, Saul, this is,” there was a pause as Lerix grabbed another spoonful, “absolutely delicious. How did you even think of using,” another pause, “both hot spices and cream? It’s so smooth but it also burns like hellfire,” the Summoner admired Saul’s cooking from one end of the living room sofa.
  “Oh, I didn’t,” Saul began to explain from the other end, stopping to swallow what he was eating, “Plethkiili from bio research gave me the recipe. Would you imagine there’s an Imp pack of Pinky herders? Anyway, it’s pretty easy to make, just takes a long time. I started with the meat and broth yesterday and did the rest while you were gone.”
  He took a bite with a particularly tender piece of meat, “I like how it doesn’t need any sort of time precision. Just throw stuff in, change up the recipe as you see fit and that’s it.”
  Lerix looked up from his bowl, “Well, you are definitely very good at it.”
  “Aw, thanks,” Saul let out a flattered chuckle, “But you do make better sushi.”
  “And pizza,” Lerix grinned.
  “Oh, right, yeah,” Saul nodded, “I can never get it to not stick without putting too much flour in it.”
  The Summoner shrugged his shoulders, “It takes some practice. You need to knead it well before deciding whether or not to add more flour,” he explained. His grin widened when he noticed the mildly dirty smile on Saul’s face.
  “You’re certainly good at that,” he said while stretching his neck that Lerix massaged for him, “It might benefit you if I got better at it too, don’t you think?”
  Lerix threw another smirk at Saul, “Hm… I think you’re skilled already, but practice is always valuable.”
  “Are you implying something?” the human asked, finishing his meal.
  The Summoner chuckled while placing his spoon in the empty bowl of his own, “Not at all.”
  “Really?” Saul stretched the word while futilely trying to suppress a yawn.
  Lerix locked his hands together, “Well… maybe. It depends on what we’re planning to do tonight.”
  “And I suppose that you have an idea?” Saul asked rhetorically while crawling towards Lerix, falling into his embrace just as he gave him a short answer, “Many.”
  “And how will we settle on one?” the human quizzed the demon further, placing a hand on his chest. He responded like he usually did, “How about over a cup of tea?”
  “After this big of a meal?” Saul asked before warmly smiling.
  “Definitely.”