Primum Non Nocere

Chapter 5

The news wasn’t released with any ceremony, just as a final sentence in the latest update of the Doctor’s experimentation log.

“Final experiment planned in one week. Will need more assistance than usual, plus one to monitor in case I become incapacitated.”

Even though Aestuo didn’t have much of a scientific interest in what was happening to the vampire, he had followed along with some interest. This was his first time corrupting a human after all, if he could even really call it corruption. The last time he had done a corruption deal he’d ended up with an alcohol problem that took years to recover from. By comparison it seemed like Kurt was actually having a pretty good time, at least from what Aestuo could see from his notes.

He switched tones often, writing in detached prose whenever discussing his methodology, but developing a more floral style when discussing his results, in the manner of a particularly self indulgent naturalist. In his most recent addition, he had waxed poetic about seeing the world with new eyes (literally), speaking at length about the rich wealth of texture his eyes had been unable to see before the change. The weave not just of fabric but of the threads that comprise it. The softly serrated edges of the filaments of a bird’s feather, the small pores on the skin of his hand. Everything consisted of so many small pieces and interlocking parts that had been completely invisible to him before. The world was opening to him, like a coy lover slowly unfurling beneath him as he reached into his depths.

The vampire might have had a bit more of a flare for the erotic than Aestuo did, but he understood the sentiment. Becoming was something that was pleasurable. Aestuo didn’t think he personally would compare it to sex, but the intensity of it was similar. For him it was a sudden sense of ease and satisfaction that made him realize just how uncomfortable he had been before. For him, becoming something else was relief dialed up to an 11, the relaxing of a body he hadn’t realized was painfully stiff. It was an increased feeling of familiarity rather than ever exciting novelty. Though then again he had never really been human, maybe becoming something that wasn’t human felt completely different than continuing to develop into something that never was.

Selat read over his shoulder.

“Reading the good doctor’s diary again?”

“Looks like he’s calling it quits.”

“So he’s finally settling in then?”

“I don’t know, feels like it’s greater finality than that. Like, I get the feeling he sees this as a process with a defined end.”

“Hm, like a version of The Great Work?”

“Maybe, though the way he’s going about it is obviously pretty non-standard, don’t know if he really knows that’s what he’s doing though. Seems more like he’s stumbling into it on instinct.”

“Do you want to tell him?”

“Nah. I want to see what happens. You never know how that one will turn out.”

“Will you volunteer then?”

“Well, I can’t say I liked the recovery after he drained my blood the first time, but he does want a trip sitter. What about you, any interest?”

“Not particularly, no. I don’t want anything from him.” Selat paused. “You do actually have some form of payment in mind for him this time right?”

“Oh, yeah. This time he’s actually got something I want.”

“hey”

“Hey.”

“you still looking for that monitor?”

“Yes. No one else who reached out wanted to. I was beginning to worry I’d have to ask a human.”

“aren’t most of the guys you’ve been dealing with scientists though? None of them want to take notes?”

“…”

“what does ‘…’ mean?”

“They were more interested in the prospect of participating.”

“whatever it is you’re doing I’m going to have to watch. there’s no need to be coy”

“First, I want you to know that this isn’t me attempting to live out a sexual fantasy.”

“it’s not like I’d really care if you were but go on”

“I can’t say I have any basis for why I think this will work, but my instincts are telling me that I need a large volume of blood and sexual energy to surpass my limits.”

“so cum”

“Yes, cum.”

“what am I walking into here exactly”

“Sorry?”

“I get the feeling you’re not the same guy I fucked. guessing there’s a reason none of them felt like just watching”

“You’ve read my notes right?”

“yeah”

“:]”

“come on”

“Don’t make eye contact and you should be fine. I don’t think my force of attraction is as strong as yours but it’s fairly potent. I’ve also adjusted enough that I can actually focus during sex.”

“I don’t know you seemed pretty damn focused to me”

“I mean I can stay more or less lucid. I’m not just acting out of pure id and can focus more on what my partners need from me.”

“I’m not letting you pay me with sex this time.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“I want a vial of your blood, to be delivered upon the conclusion of your experiment.”

“What for?”

“spell component.” Aestuo knew Kurt wouldn’t ask too many follow up questions. He didn’t know too much about magic after all.

“Alright. I plan on renting a ritual space. I’ll let you know when the date is set.”

Rented ritual spaces were generally used by casual practitioners who didn’t have the money or space to set one up in their own living space. The space would be a magically sterile room rented by the hour. The practitioner would have to bring their own tools. A bed would be provided if necessary for the ritual, but it would cost extra on account of the cleaning fee. It was worth it for the sake of not having to clean up afterwards himself. Kurt was reasonably sure that whatever state he was in when this was finished, he would have basically zero interest in removing bloodstains before they set.

He wasn’t sure what this would do to him, nor did he really want to at the moment. All he knew was that he had been seeing the shape of the ritual first in dreams and then as a haunting image behind his eyes that he could see even in his waking moments. Something in the deep recesses of his mind, leagues further down than even the bestial instincts that awoke when he turned himself, told him that this was the key to what he wanted. Though beyond that, as a man divorced from supernatural visions, being at the center of a demonic orgy where he would be practically drowning in blood was damn appealing. It was the absolute peak of shameless vampiric hedonism and he loved the very idea of it. After his initial early stumbles, he had shed his humanity with grace befitting the supernatural power he enjoyed. Having Isaac’s confused, tacit, and slightly begrudging support was helpful. He still didn’t really understand why Kurt felt the way he did, seeming a little more comfortable with seeing it exclusively as a trauma response. It probably was partially a trauma response, but it wasn’t trauma that made him enjoy this. That was his own breed of insanity.

He had always enjoyed improving himself, by working out or learning new skills, but this was even better. Aestuo had been right, he did have a lust for power, though in a more literal sense than the demon probably meant. Power and sex were entwined concepts in his mind. He was the one that could stand over a man and make him cum with a single word, the predator that made his prey beg to take them in his teeth. Power was an instrument of sex and sex was a reflection of his power. Not to mention how good it felt just to sense the magic under his skin, to feel how much stronger and faster he was, and to consume his partners in every aspect, until every part of them was his. To be beyond human was already amazing, but he could tell something lay beyond that as well. Something he wanted desperately.

He would be using two sigils for this. One for the watcher, one for the six other participants. Kurt knew it had to be six. He didn’t know why, but he knew it had to be six. The watcher would monitor his condition while he drank the blood of the six participants. Then, the participants would fuck him and something would happen, though he still wasn’t entirely sure what.

He had Aestuo come through first to evaluate how sound his set up and methodology was. The demon seemed to have changed slightly as well since they’d last spoken. A line of dark spines now ran from the base of his skull to the base of the snake’s skull at the tip of his tail. He noticed Kurt staring.

“A reward for what I did to you.”

“Seems a little light.”

“There’s a lot more happening under the hood.”

“Oh really? What sort of systems are you working with?”

“You’ll probably get a real kick out of this one, I had the metal my blood uses to transport oxygen changed.”

“What to?”

“Lithium,” the demon grinned. “Be careful with those fangs.”

“What possessed you to do that?”

“I’m a hitman. Never hurts to have options on jobs and being a living battery certainly helps me make electricity. Besides, it isn’t like it can kill me.” Aestuo’s eyes narrowed for a moment, he seemed to have noticed something, but did not comment on it.

“What was that?”

What was what?”

“That look.”

“What look?”

“The last time someone looked at me like that they tried to kill me in an alleyway a few minutes later.”

“You aren’t afraid of me anymore,” the demon said in a measured tone.

Kurt wasn’t afraid of him. When had that happened? He supposed it could just be his increased familiarity, but the way Aestuo said it made him reconsider.

“Does that mean something?”

The Demon looked at him long and hard. Kurt’s eyes were drawn to the edges of his eyes, the delicate capillaries surrounding the green irises were black with lithium. Even though he knew it would burn him badly if he tried, he couldn’t help but wonder how it would taste. Ever so slightly, the demon shivered.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” His tone was still measured. It made Kurt want to break that composure, to push Aestuo onto his knees and fuck his mouth until the demon’s tongue loosened enough for him to admit that he was the stronger one now. He excised the thought from his mind. The demon was just here to help him set up. He had to keep a relatively clear frame of mind going into this.

“Do you have any idea what this ritual will do to me?” Aestuo looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s your ritual, shouldn’t you know what it does?”

“You know then.”

“I have an idea.”

“Do I want to know?”

“No, but not for the reason you think. Very few people engage in this one without knowing beforehand exactly what they’re getting into. You have the privilege of experiencing this completely blind. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Would that stop you?”

“No.” Kurt admitted.

“Then why do you care?”

“I…”

“Nervous?”

“Yes.”

“Without giving too much away, you will enjoy it. Everybody enjoys this one, but considering what I know about you, you specifically will enjoy this alot.”

“Okay.” The vampire took a deep, vestigial breath. “Is my methodology sound?”

“It’s unconventional but it’s sound. Dead flesh suffused with all the essence of life. It’s a good choice for a union of opposing states.”

“Is that important?”

“It’s the goal of the whole thing.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“You shouldn’t, you know.” Kurt looked over at the demon who was now pacing around the summoning circle for the participants. “You only paid me to watch. I might just enjoy the idea of watching you implode.”

“You’re not helping my nerves.”

“I’m not trying to. Working with demons should make you nervous.” The demon bent down and licked his finger. Then he erased a chalk character with it and replaced it with a more fitting synonym. “You gotta remember, if you were one of the kinds of people I’m supposed to torment, I’d be doing everything in my power to trick you into letting me.”

“You aren’t lying to me though.”

“I’m a fucking twink warlock who lives in a shitty 200 foot box of an apartment.” The demon did not smell like his adrenaline levels had gone up and the sound of his heartbeat remained completely steady. Aestuo raised his eyebrows. “See, can you ever really be sure?”

“Point taken.”

“Make sure you check my work when I’m done as well, remember I could have screwed with it.”

“You weren’t such a contrarian the last time I summoned you.”

“When a magician starts to think he’s above the forces he works with, that’s when he’s at his most vulnerable. God complex is a leading cause of death for beginner mages. And before you ask, it’s a leading cause of death for gods too. If you’re something that can be killed you always have to remember that somebody might put a gun to your head.”

“If you say so.” They’d need a pretty big fucking gun at this point, but Aestuo was right. Isaac had caught him off guard and he was just a human. “Though I’ve found demons tend to be the worst offenders in that regard.”

“I won’t deny that. The older ones tend to get a little full of themselves.”

“Not the younger ones?”

“Oh, you think I’m being unserious then.”

“Well I feel like if you think you can lecture me, you must not be taking me seriously.”

“Oh I can still lecture someone I have a healthy fear of. I’m not trying to patronize you, I just don’t know when to shut up.”

“Unless you’re lying to me.”

“Now you get it.” The demon winked and snapped his fingers.

“Since I hired a spotter and not a magic tutor, how does the circle look?”

“It should hold. You’ve gotten better at working with the language.”

“I learn better by doing. Having to actually solve problems using it and messing around with the syntax and seeing what it would affect, helped a great deal.”

Kurt shifted one of his fingernails into a claw and slashed open his palm. Borrowed blood running through the creases of his skin. He allowed some to drip into the chalk of the summoning circle and withdrew his hand as it seeped through the rings and sigils. The cut he’d made on his hand closed as if it were never there and he flexed his fingers and palm a few times to ensure it had healed correctly. Sulfur filled the air, stinging his eyes and nose with its rotten stench and then six demons crawled from the ground beneath the circle.

Kurt had worked with almost all of them independently before. First, there was The Philosopher, who took the form of an incredibly tall man with deer-like antlers, the face of an owl and five inch long talons in the place of fingers. He, like the first two demons Kurt had met, had a snake-like tail. Though his tail was of a species the vampire couldn’t identify, no matter how many field guides he searched. Though, given the way the philosopher spoke, as if every word was completely foreign to him despite his fluency in human language, it was perhaps one long extinct.

Next was The Scientist. He took a form not unlike a knight in armor, until you took a closer look and realized what you were looking at was silver chitin. It called to mind several species of mimic insects, though Kurt imagined the most apt would be a Pennsylvania Lightning Bug, something that mimicked its prey, just until it got close enough to snap its jaws shut. Luckily for him, Kurt was playing the predator today.

The third had introduced himself with a series of metal clangs inimitable by a human mouth. Clang, as Kurt called him, was still mostly human. His features were identifiable enough that Kurt had recognized him, though it was as a shattered corpse left in the wake of a hundred year old mine disaster that had haunted his nightmares ever since he had stumbled across the pictures as a child. Though now, instead of burns that had melted away patches of his flesh in the wake of a methane explosion, iron burst through his skin at intervals where fragile man was overtaken by indomitable machine. He was the reason Kurt knew his fangs couldn’t penetrate metal, though the demon did still have plenty of skin for the vampire to work with.

Then there was The One Who Makes The Hand Waver, a thing of black spikes that made him nauseous to look at for too long. Their form shifted and twisted as if trying to escape itself. It was as if, to borrow a phrase he first heard used by his freshman year roommate, they were clipping out of reality. Or as if their body was a shadow trying desperately to reconcile a far more complicated shape than the vampire could imagine.

The fifth, He Who Tempts With Undiscovered Riches, had been chosen for somewhat obvious reasons. He was a soft bodied demon, with smooth flexible skin and a nest of tentacles serving as hair that obscured the core of his body, which was small and lithe like a gymnast. He had insisted indignantly that his appearance was once considered incredibly frightening by humans and not at ALL the subject of eroticism, however Kurt had found that when he touched the demon in the right places, his indignation flew completely out the window.

His final assistant in this ritual was the only one he had never met, but this one had reached out to him specifically. He had introduced himself as Glass, which Kurt could now see was rather apt. His skin, bones, muscles, and even his shoulder length hair were completely transparent, the only thing with any color were the red veins beneath his skin that ran from the inside of his gazelle-like horns to the tip of his arrow head shaped tail. If Kurt had never done this before, he may have worried about breaking him. However, instead he noted the slight discomfort the others seemed to have around him, even Aestuo stiffening slightly as he pulled himself from wherever it was that demons crawled from. Glass was not someone he could take lightly.

“Does everyone agree to the terms set in writing prior to the summoning?” Kurt asked.

The other demons looked to Glass to see what he would do. The translucent one barked out a laugh.

“I had heard you were forward.” His voice echoed, the sound resonating through his body. “Perhaps dangerously so.” He attempted to cross the circle, but a bolt of electricity leaped from the barrier and into his finger tips. The demon withdrew his hand, scowling at the character Aestuo had written earlier.

“Do you agree to my terms?” Kurt held steady, not daring to show any fear or hesitation.

“I suppose I have no choice.” The demon shrugged.

“I need a verbal yes or no.”

Glass frowned.

“Yes, I consent to your terms.”

“And the rest of you?” Kurt asked.

The other five echoed the same response. Glass spat in Aestuo’s direction.

“Bastard.”

“Just doing my job as spotter, He Who Brings Low the Mighty.” Aestuo’s eyes flicked to Kurt for a moment ensuring he’d heard the other demon’s name. “Besides, it isn’t my fault the doctor likes specificity.”

“Sleep with one eye open,” The translucent demon replied anyway, before turning his attention to the vampire. “You need my blood then.”

“Only if you still want to give it.”

“I agreed to,” Glass pouted. “Fair is fair.”

“Would you like to get it over with first?”

“Fine.” The demon stepped out of the circle and bent his neck.

Kurt did not bite right away, that wasn’t his style. He knew first hand how awful it was to have your blood drained without first being put in the mood for it. Instead, he bent down and scooped the demon up, carrying him to the rented bed.

“Put me down, damn it!” Glass protested. “I thought we were getting this over with!”

Kurt put him down on top of the sheets.

“If I don’t prepare you, this will be a miserable experience for you.”

“Don’t think just because you’ve bound me you can hurt me, blood drinker.”

Kurt had to push back the urge to prove that he could hurt him before replying, “Vampire bites don’t hurt. They’re just incredibly uncomfortable. Though, if you would like to feel like your veins are being filled with tar, be my guest.” Glass quieted, his red eyes lingering on the mess of scar tissue on the side of the doctor’s neck. “I’ve heard that if you’re relaxed and willing it actually feels pretty good, but I don’t have the experience to verify.”

“Hm. Well, go ahead then.” He had a strange look on his transparent face. Something in the family of guilt, though Kurt didn’t know why the demon would’ve felt guilty.

The vampire brushed that aside for the moment and instead let his eyes trace the veins beneath the demon’s glass-like skin. He was similar to a human in structure but Kurt knew from experience that wasn’t always a perfect tell when determining a demon’s erogenous zones. That was fine with him, this was foreplay after all, it was meant to be exploratory.

First he took the tip of the demon’s tail between his fingers. His skin was as smooth as his namesake but supple like human skin, making it feel almost like satin. The demon’s breath hitched as Kurt felt along the notch in the arrowhead. Though Glass kept a straight face, the vampire could see his heart beating faster in his chest. It was a good start, but he wanted him to be more relaxed, more pliant beneath him. He did take it into his mouth before he continued, eliciting a quiet gasp from Glass. Next he began to explore the Demon’s legs. There were no tricks, no spines, no gaps in his skin to hide extra limbs, just smooth glass and the veins and arteries beneath. He couldn’t help wanting to trace them, the branching paths of them all leading from the demon’s extremities to his heart. For the moment he satisfied himself by kissing along the path of Glass’s tibial artery up his calf and further to where it met his femoral artery at his thigh. The blood flow to the demon’s leg began to slow and Kurt could see it being redirected to his cock. It was fascinating, the demon couldn’t hide his reactions if he tried, all of it was exposed and laid bare in front of him.

“Beautiful,” Kurt couldn’t keep an awestruck whisper from leaking out. He followed the tracks of the gonadal arteries with a single finger, forgetting his purpose and admiring the complexity of them purely from the point of view of an examiner rather than a partner. The demon let out a soft whine, half muffled and barely heard, as the vampire gently kneaded his balls, examining the complex mesh of veins and arteries entangling them. Glass moved his arm in front of his eyes as if he could hide from the curious fingers and the noise he had made. Kurt didn’t attempt to move it. That would only put the demon on the defensive.

He had been with men with similar personalities before. Both of them already knew what he wanted. The demon wanted him to take him like an animal so that he had an excuse to have a poor opinion of him. It always annoyed him when people acted like that, as if setting him up to fail and then watching smugly as he did was any real reflection of his character.

“Do you need a moment? I can stop,” the vampire offered. He knew the demon wouldn’t ask him to, but stopping to ask was important. He was putting the ball in his court now. Glass would have to admit that he wanted this rather than continuing to pretend it was all begrudging.

“You don’t have to stop.”

“Yes or no?” Kurt withdrew his hands completely.

“Fuck you.”

“Yes or no?”

“Don’t stop.”

“Thank you. Isn’t it so much easier when you’re honest with me?” The doctor trailed a finger up the demon’s neck and then traced along the line of his jaw.

“Bastard,” the demon growled as Kurt kissed him, though the tension had finally started to leave his body. Now he sensed it was the right moment. He took the demon’s hand, sparing a moment to appreciate the way his veins curled around his transparent bones. Then he brought his wrist to his lips, gently kissing the skin before biting down.

No matter how many times he tasted blood it never got old to him. There were so many complexities to even human blood, depending on the conditions the person was living through and the conditions the blood was taken under. For demons there was even greater variation thanks to their inconsistent biologies. Glass’s blood tasted like wine, in that it was strangely astringent. Kurt wasn’t sure if he liked it but he did find it fascinating. It was the kind of thing he knew would have been an acquired taste, like how he had tried wine at multiple parties, disliking it each time, until eventually something clicked and suddenly he liked Chianti. That made his blood a good starter though, he needed to pace himself. He still had five more to go after all. He released the demon’s wrist.

“That’s it?” Glass didn’t even try to hide his frustration.

“Save your stamina for when you fuck me.” Kurt returned bluntly. “It would be a shame if you couldn’t uphold your end of the deal.” His vision shifted focus as his pupils contracted and he knew his eyes would appear luminous in the low light. The demon could suffer consequences if he did not adhere at least to the letter of their deal, if not the spirit.

The demon, who had for this encounter taken the name Glass, felt fear. This was the first time since he’d become what he was that he was afraid of anything aside from The Beloved. Yet a vampire, something he was called upon to put down with almost monotonous regularity was somehow putting the fear of god into him.

He’d written off a lot of the buzz surrounding the vampire doctor. In his experience, humans only ever wanted power to lord it over other humans. Vampires were worse, they were just far enough from human to be a little dangerous, but still close enough to act like complete asses because they thought they were invincible. The doctor seemed different. He didn’t look at him with the superiority tinged confidence that another of his kin might’ve. No, the vampire had more sense than that, even if he didn’t betray any wariness he acted appropriately pedantic, demons were best with gaps in language after all. But that wasn’t what unnerved him, it was the way the vampire did look at him. There was no wariness, no brash overconfidence, his gaze held nothing but hunger, and the demon did not mean it as some contrived metaphor for lust. He meant that the vampire looked at him like he wanted to devour him, and had absolute certainty that he could. He Who Brings Low the Mighty didn’t think the vampire could have taken his blood without his cooperation, but something about him almost made the demon reconsider. Those cold blue eyes of his chilled him to his core, yet at the same time he almost felt jealous when he called over the next of the volunteers. He had gravely misjudged the vampire, he was far more dangerous than he had realized.

Next in the order, Kurt decided it would be best to get Clang over with. His blood was thinner than a human’s would be and it tasted like how used motor oil smelled. It could still sustain him like any other blood, but it didn’t taste good. Clang did however, have stamina that reflected his more mechanical nature, making him perfect for the second half of the ritual. He already seemed eager to start as well, Kurt could hear his fan running even from a few feet away.

“You need a tune up? Sounds like your radiator might be busted.”

“I’m just happy to see you is all.” The demon’s voice sounded like a tin can being torn in half even when speaking in words Kurt could pronounce. “You’re a real piece of work teasing He Who Brings Low the Mighty like that, Doctor.”

“Oh, you know I can’t help myself.” He bent down in front of the demon. Most of the particularly vascular areas of his body had already been overtaken by metal, all but one. “Maybe you ought to shut me up?” He licked the head of the demon’s still-flesh-and-blood cock.

“As long as you’re gentle.”

“Am I ever not?” He carefully parted Clang’s skin with his teeth before beginning to suck. Kurt didn’t bother to retract his fangs, after all he could hear the demon’s belt drives spinning faster and faster just looking at his bloodstained face. Before he could cum, the vampire pulled away.

“Really, Doctor? You know I can go for another round.”

“Can’t play favorites, you’ll get your chance.”

The demon clicked his teeth, but relented.

“Tease.” He grumbled.

The Scientist nearly tripped over himself in his eagerness to be next. It was endearing, in a way that sort of made Kurt want to bully him.

He grabbed a hold of one of the demon’s feathery antennae, making The Scientist let out a very un-demonic whimper.

“You can’t wait your turn?” Kurt asked gently, as if he were chastising a child, though he tightened his grip on The Scientist’s antenna making the demon cry out again.

“N-no.”

“No, what?” He loosened his grip, just in case.

“I can’t wait.”

“You really ought to learn to control yourself. Don’t you agree?” The vampire tilted his head towards the philosopher. They’d outlined this scene ahead of time during their initial communication. It was to be his payment to The Scientist for services rendered. The Philosopher had apparently agreed to assist on account of he thought it was funny.

“I’m afraid he’s never learned patience, Doctor.” The Philosopher stalked forward on clawed feet. “Could you assist me in educating him?” The demon bent down until his neck was level with Kurt’s cheek. Kurt cupped the opposite side of the demon’s jaw, turning his face to kiss him as the scientist watched. He kept one eye open, watching the scientist squirm. It had been so long since he last trusted himself to hold a man’s heart in his hands. He didn’t want to miss a second of the Scientist’s reactions, especially when he began to squirm even harder upon noticing his gaze.

“Behave yourself.” The vampire pulled away from The Philosopher, only to wrench his head to the side by his antlers, exposing his neck. The Demon only sighed contentedly at the rough treatment. “You’re next after all.” His fangs sank easily through The Philosopher’s feathers and into the skin of his neck. The demon moaned loudly, pressing a hand over his eyes. From this angle, Kurt could see the demon give him a conspiratorial wink. He’d have to try to make him moan like that for real some other time. However it did achieve the desired effect on The Scientist. By the time Kurt had finished drinking from The Philosopher, the demon’s cock was already beginning to emerge from its slit. Not wanting to waste time, he yanked The Scientist up by his antennae and began to drink from him as well, copper filling his mouth.

At the moment he finished, The One Who Makes the Hand Waver made their way to his side. The demon was completely silent, like a shadow more than a creature of flesh and blood. When they extended their arm (or maybe a different appendage, it was difficult to tell), Kurt knew he should bite the space a few inches away from where he could see the dark spines of their body. As if he were spearfishing and the demon’s body was a refraction on the water’s surface. Their blood, frighteningly, tasted just like a human’s.

Finally all that was left was He Who Tempts With Undiscovered Riches.

“Thank you for waiting.” Kurt apologetically brushed the demon’s tentacles away from his face.

“I assume you have a reason.” He looked at him with his watery black eyes.

“While I drink, could you prepare me?”

The demon sighed in frustration.

“Must I?”

“I don’t want you to do this because of how you look. I want you to prepare me because I know you’ll be gentle with me.” The vampire kissed the soft, mint green, tentacles in his hands. “Wouldn’t you like to take me apart for everyone? Don’t you want to show them you can make me your whore?” The demon’s tentacles spasmed beneath his lips and the vampire grinned. He almost had him.

“Do not assume my tastes align with yours, Doctor.” The demon crossed his arms and then quickly uncrossed them.

“Well then could you at least hold me up while I get started?”

Kurt had worn an old YMCA t-shirt and sweatpants that he didn’t mind getting dirty, all of which he completely discarded. He hadn’t bothered with underwear. He was just going to take it off anyway. When his pants hit the floor the smell of lust in the room became almost overpowering. Kurt could practically feel the six sets of eyes boring into him as he stood naked in front of He Who Tempts With Undiscovered Riches. Far from intimidating him though, it only motivated him to put on a better show.

Kurt dragged his hand along one of the demon’s tentacles, gathering the slime that had begun to drip along its length. He had lube in his pants pocket but using that wouldn’t be nearly as erotic as having the demon watch as he fucked himself open with his slick. Before he began, he draped his large frame over the demon’s smaller one. As he did, he gently guided his tentacles to grip his muscular thighs.

“You’ve got a good grip right? My legs might give out.” Kurt had absolutely zero concern about that happening. Even if they did, he could levitate a few feet off the ground, it’s not like he would fall. This was yet another tactical move. By making himself seem more vulnerable he wanted to encourage the demon to touch him, to give him an excuse to hold him, and tempt him to take him apart, all the while thinking it was his idea. buried his face in the demon’s neck, taking a few (completely and utterly unnecessary) shuddering breaths before working a finger inside himself. He let himself adjust for a moment before biting down and taking the demon’s blood.

There was nothing like this. Sex and blood together, two forms of pleasure melding together into something that felt so good he had difficulty thinking rationally, but yet he needed to if he was to get what he wanted. The demon beneath him’s eyes were dark with lust now, his tentacles had begun to haltingly wander over his naked body, but Kurt knew that he could drag him down even further. He released the demon’s neck and then threw his head back and moaned, green blood still dripping from his teeth. If only he could still sweat. His hair sticking to his forehead would’ve enhanced the eroticism of the image he’d created: that of a handsome, physically imposing, young man arching his back and moaning like a whore in the arms of a demon. He pretended to stumble, throwing his arm around his neck as he inserted another finger. The demon’s tentacles tightened against his thighs, finally properly groping the soft relaxed muscles of his thighs and ass. Kurt felt the very tip of one curiously brush against his hole. He had him now. The vampire rocked backward against the tentacle and it slipped easily inside him. He didn’t give the demon any room to breath before he started fucking himself on it. The demon was hesitant on the surface, but of course he had agreed to participating in the ritual knowing full well what it entailed. All Kurt had to do was force his way through that hesitancy, to get him to let go of the hang ups he held surrounding his own eroticism, and get him to finally accept what he wanted to do to him, and the best way to do that was to keep him from thinking.

Suddenly he couldn’t move. The demon had wrapped himself around him so tightly he could barely move a finger. The demon panted, black eyes still swimming with conflict and frustration. One of his tentacles played at the corner of the vampire’s mouth. Kurt tracked it’s movements with his eyes for a moment as the demon seemed to consider whether or not to put it in the vampire’s mouth. The doctor decided it would be best to help him along.
“You know, I don’t actually need to breathe.” Kurt licked the very tip of it, just at the edge of what he could reach.

The conflict in the demon’s eyes was suddenly resolved.

“Whore.” He growled, though he still slid another tentacle into the Doctor’s ass.

“Whore? Who’s paying who, darling?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Why don’t you make me?” The demon roughly forced a tentacle into his mouth.

“Understand you drove me to this.” He drove a third into his hole, each pistoning roughly in and out at a different pace. “Is this what you wanted, monster?!” Kurt could feel the one in his mouth plunging deeper and deeper down his throat. “To force me to take you like a beast?!” Though his tone was indignant he didn’t bother to hide the crazed smile on his face. Maybe he had forgotten his tentacles weren’t hiding his expression anymore. “Are you pleased with yourself?!”

Kurt was, incredibly so. He had done this. He had reduced the demon to a single minded determination to fuck. Even bound head to toe he was the one who had the power here.

The demon shuddered and the vampire felt liquid spill down his throat and into his hole. Thick slime leaked from the ends of all of his tentacles, aside from the broad, flat-ended one that served as his tail. His grip loosened and Kurt carefully lowered himself to the ground. One down.

“Thank you, go get some water.” He put his hand on the slack jawed demon’s shoulder.

The Philosopher burst out laughing.

“You really are a nasty piece of work aren’t you?” The feathers of his head had puffed up, Kurt was familiar with the response, he was trying to make himself look bigger. He must have been a nervous laugher. Aestuo was motionless in his corner, his arms crossed, watching but not attempting to step in yet. Then again, he was Kurt’s spotter, not theirs. Glass still watched him warily, unable to act according to the terms of their summoning.

“I can play nice, Philosopher.” He wiped green slime from his mouth. “But do you really want me to?”

The Philosopher had thought he’d known what he was getting into. He’d been around since the lighting of the first fire there wasn’t very much that surprised him now. He had thought he knew what a vampire was. The Doctor was not a vampire. He wondered when he had started calling him that. When ALL of them had started calling him that, they all knew his first name, why had they started to address him like a peer instead of a client, why did he feel like there was something in the undergrowth, why were his feathers standing on end, how had the situation spun this far out of control?

“Philosopher?” He snapped back to attention as the vampire tried to get his attention.

“Yes?”

“You’re shaking.” The vampire held his hand out above the demon’s, showing it was perfectly steady while the philosopher's hands shook uncontrollably. “Would you like me to calm you down?” The vampire looked at him with as much kindness he could muster in those kind blue eyes. Maybe he really was an MD rather than some fringe biologist as the Philosopher had assumed.

“You can calm me down.” The Doctor forced the demon to look him in the eyes and his fear evaporated.

“Now, do you want me to play nice?” The vampire smiled, coyly letting a fang peek between his lips.

“No,” The Philosopher admitted.

“Oh really?” The vampire licked his lips and even through the hypnosis the demon felt a quick jolt of panic before it faded away again. “So then how do you want me to be mean? Do you want me to tease you, to let everyone here know exactly the kind of demon you are, or do you want me to push you around, show you that you can’t do shit when I don’t want you to?

“Show me that I’m better off under your control.”

“Hmm. Like this?” he asked, before shoving the demon backwards, hard, making him fall onto the bed.

“What’s the safe word?” Aestuo asked from over in the corner. Why hadn’t he asked when He Who Tempts With Undiscovered Riches bound the Doctor, why was it only now, when he was the one being pushed around? The vampire stopped what he was doing, waiting for a response.

“Aloe”

“Good.” The prince of retribution drummed his fingers on his arms. Oh dearly Beloved, was he nervous as well? He had created this monster, what on earth did it mean that he was nervous.

“Don’t look at him, look at me.” Kurt forced the philosopher to face forward. The demon was psyching himself out. He needed to put a stop to that as soon as possible. Even beyond the general unpleasantness of trying to have sex with someone while they were stressed out of their mind, Kurt was worried about him getting too wound up to cum. That was still what all of this was about after all. “I’ll take care of everything for you, just focus on me alright?” The Philosopher reflexively avoided his gaze. Kurt grabbed the base of his antlers, forcing him to look him in the eye. “Focus on me.” He pulled the demon up into a sitting position before climbing onto his lap. “I’m the only one you need to be concerned with.” He lined himself up over the demon’s cock, but waited a moment before taking him, just long enough to make the Philosopher squirm.

“Please.”

“Please what?”

The demon clammed up suddenly, his eyes darting away again.

“Please what?” This time Kurt didn’t even need to grab him, The Philosopher’s head turned against his will and fear filled his eyes. “Just say the word and I’ll let you go, alright?” Kurt murmured, just loud enough for the demon to hear.

“Don’t let me go.” The Philosopher whispered. “Make me fuck you. Please. Take my hands and use them as your own.”

The Philosopher’s hands moved to Kurt’s hips and he winced at the discomfort of his body moving without his input.

“Are you sure? I’m going to make you fuck me like I’d fuck me, you had better be willing to keep up with my pace.”

“I’m certain.”

Kurt had the Philosopher’s body pick him up and lay him on his back on the bed. Practically the second he hit the sheets, he compelled the demon to ram his cock into him. The force of it nearly knocked the wind out of him, just how he liked it. He had the demon’s body thrust into him hard and fast, The Philosopher panting as his mind tried to keep up with the speed of his body. The demon came disappointingly quickly after that.

Another demon, at that moment known as Glass, sidled up next to Aestuo.

“You see what’s happening here don’t you?”

“Yup.” The larger demon answered.

“And you’re not going to do anything about it?”

“Nope.”

Glass spat on the ground in frustration. Aestuo followed the trajectory of it as it hit the ground.

“Real classy.”

“You’re new to this right? I know you aren’t used to being outranked, but I’m telling you as your superior, you need to stop this right now.”

Aestuo raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not gonna get me to violate the terms of the contract for you.”

“I’m not trying to-“

“Come on, you’re above playing stupid. What do you have to lose by going along with this anyway, a little dignity? You’ve been at this a while right? I know you aren’t used to being in the little guys’ shoes anymore.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Don’t patronize me either then, alright? This is a ritual orgy not a dick measuring contest.” Aestuo fished around in his pocket for non-existent cigarettes, the urge still nagged at him occasionally despite how long ago he’d quit. “This thing needs pretty minimal effort anyway, it’s not like you’ll be working all that hard.”

“You know what this will do then?” Glass narrowed his eyes. “The Doctor said he didn’t know.”

“And you don’t?” Aestuo snorted. “Some superior you are.”

“What is he trying to do?”

“He’s not trying to do anything, he just stumbled into it by feeling around blind. I just happen to know what he stumbled into.”

“And that is?”

“I don’t think I have to tell you.” Aestuo smirked. “I’ll be nice though, I’ll give you a hint, I asked to be paid in blood when this ritual concludes. Do with that what you will.”

“I don’t like riddles.”

“What a coincidence! I don’t like assholes. Just sit back and relax, maybe you’ll learn something.”

Kurt released the Philosopher from his control and the demon fell to the bed, legs shaking.

“Are you alright?” The vampire asked.

“Yes, just give me a moment to gather myself.” The philosopher knew his muscles would ache like hell the next day, but Beloved in chains it was worth it. His fear had not entirely subsided but it had been pushed down by well earned exhaustion and satisfaction.

Kurt on the other hand was far from satisfied. He had clearly over-estimated the Philosopher’s stamina.

“You.” He pointed to Clang, who pointed back at himself. “Yes, you. Come here.”

The demon did not seem quite as eager as he did before.

“You’re not going to pull anything like that on me are you?”

“Not unless you want me to.” The vampire grinned like a mountain lion. “You don’t strike me as the type though.”

“Well, you’d be right.” He flinched as Kurt touched his arm.

“Come on, where’s that bravado from earlier?” The vampire could already feel something shifting inside of him, something that blew past not human, and creeped ever closer to not vampire either. It made him braver than he normally would be in this situation.

“This just isn’t what I thought I was walking into is all.”

“In what way? I drank your blood and now you’re going to fuck me, isn’t that what we agreed to?”

The demon took a deep breath and exhaust blew from his nose.

“Guess I did agree to that, didn't I. Should’ve done my damn research.”

“Would you like to take it slow then?”

“Fine.”

Kurt motioned for him to sit on the bed and it creaked under the weight of the demon’s half-metal body. Up close, Kurt could see that there were differences in the wear on his parts. Places where he could read the gradual changes his body had undergone in the patterns of scratches. He was a living tapestry of his own evolution.

“You’re breathtaking.”

“You don’t have breath to take.”

“Well if I did you would have taken it.” Kurt kissed him just beneath one of the two jagged shards of shrapnel that jutted from his forehead.

“Flattery doesn’t do anything for my nerves, Doctor.”

“Does telling you it isn’t flattery make you feel any better?” The vampire kissed the demon’s cheek and guided his hand down to his cock.

“Don’t know if it does to be honest.” Clang wrapped his mechanical hand around Kurt’s dick.

“This is just a casual thing for me. Don’t read too much into it.” He said as he eased himself onto the demon.

Kurt moved slowly, making sure not to spook him. Clearly he’d come on a bit too strong with the other two, he could smell the nervousness in the air. It would probably be best if he tried to act a little bit more human. At least for the moment.

The demon was starting to heat up, the air shimmering around his engines, now too hot for a human to touch. Kurt put his hand on the demon’s shoulder for better leverage as he rode him. It burned, but not too badly, the wound fought to close as he kept his hand planted. The demon’s hand was rough on his cock as well. It was a thing designed to tear flesh and metal but yeah Clang held himself back so well, avoiding tearing his dick off. Knowing he could compel that much restraint was hot in and of itself.

“I think I’m close,” the demon creaked.

Kurt sped up his pace slightly and the demon put a hand on his hips trying to get him to move faster. Then he felt a sharp pain in his hip and he came alongside the demon.

“Move your hand.”

“Oh fuck! Are you alright? I didn’t mean to-“ Kurt tuned him out as he inspected his crushed pelvis. It would heal in a few seconds, but if he didn’t keep an eye on it, it would heal wrong.

“I’m fine. I’ll just need a moment to rest.” He took a look at the group. “Scientist, come here.”

There was one person present who despite his rising anxiety, had only increased his arousal, and that was The Scientist. His dick was already free from the slit in his carapace. Kurt knelt down in front of him and took it into his mouth. The vampire looked him in the eyes and, without putting any influence behind it, said one word.

“Cum.”

The demon collapsed forward as he did, bracing himself on Kurt’s shoulders. He swallowed, stroking the demon’s back as he finished.

“Good boy.”

His hip had healed entirely now, though he kicked a few times as he stood up just to make sure everything was moving properly.

“Would you like me to give you a little more attention, or are you alright?”

The demon very quickly scrambled backwards, post nut clarity hitting him like a truck.

“I- I’m fine thanks.”

“Alright.” The vampire turned to The One Who Makes The Hand Waver. “Are you ready?”

The demon’s spines shifted to indicate consent. If they were afraid Kurt couldn’t tell. They smelled like nothing, not sterile, not like ozone or cleaning products or rubbing alcohol, like nothing. It might have unnerved him once upon a time, but not now, not anymore.

“Could you take the lead?” Suddenly the demon was right on top of him. Shifting fractals moved faster than even he could see. Then, he felt something poke at his already well fucked hole. Well, not exactly. It felt like something poked at his hole just out of step with him, like the thing that was now fucking him was fucking into and through him and around him all at the same time. He held onto the demon’s spines as he adjusted to the feeling. It felt strange, yes, but it also felt incredibly good. The demon’s spines shifted, scraping against each other until the sounds formed a semblance of speech.

“Tight.” They said, before Kurt felt something massless pass into and through him at the same time. He hoped that would count.

Glass stared at Kurt warily from the corner of the room. Just as he was about to speak the demon raised his hand.

“By my power he who binds shall be bound in turn. May all tongues that speak falsehoods be cut out, may all masks be torn away and may the truth be laid bare for all to see.”

Kurt heard his jaw crack. Damn it. He’d been too obvious. Ah well he supposed it wasn’t the worst situation for this to happen.

First his lips began to recede. That had scared the hell out of him when it had happened the first time. Luckily he’d found that human form was as easy for him to return to as this one was. Once his teeth were fully exposed, the edge of his mouth traveled further backward, until it reached the hinge of his jaw. It couldn’t exactly unhinge properly if all that skin and muscle was in the way after all. Then, his spine began to lengthen, his arms and legs popping as the bones grew longer and the joints were forced to resettle. His fingernails clattered to the floor as they were pushed out by claws. Hair fell into his eyes as it lengthened, though the rapidly lengthening pointed tips of his ears poked through the curls. The irises of his blue eyes engulfed the whites, leaving them like balls of ice set into his skull, split by his cat like pupils. Finally his fangs grew to their full size, long enough to make a sabertooth tiger jealous.

“Was that strictly necessary?” The vampire cracked his back to clear away some of the stiffness of forced transformation. Normally he’d take his time when transitioning between forms to give his body time to adjust.

Glass’s eyes darted from Kurt’s forehead and then down to the base of his spine.

“You aren’t a demon?”

“No.”

“What the hell are you then?!”

“Not sure. Something close enough to a vampire to still be called one maybe. ” Kurt shrugged. “Would knowing really matter though? You still have to fulfill your obligation to me.”

“In cases of hidden forms the contract is only broken in cases of willful misrepresentation,” Aestuo confirmed. “The good doctor has not claimed to be nor does he believe himself to be anything other than a vampire. The contract still holds.”

“You can’t seriously think he’s a vampire!”

“Even if he isn't, it wasn't willful. You have him bound to speak the truth and that’s what he thinks is the truth. Sorry, but you don’t have a case.”

“You wanted to get out of fucking me that badly? I feel like I should be offended.”

“Is that all you can think about?! Wether or not I want to fuck you?!” Glass bristled.

“That’s all that should matter right now isn’t it?”

The demon looked like he was about to say something and then seemed to think better of it.

“You can’t lie to me either, can you?” Kurt ran a claw across the sensitive skin beneath his chin. “You don’t need to say anything, you’ve made it clear you want to kill me.”

The demon attempted to back away but Kurt quickly grabbed his shoulder.

“I’m not mad, it’s just your nature. I’ve gone mad with power, of course you’d want to kill me.”

“So you admit it.”

“Of course I do, it’s something I’ve been aware of every step I took on my path to becoming what I am. Every step was for my own gratification, and I don’t regret it at all. If anything I still want more.” He pulled the demon closer to him. If he looked closely he could see the transparent hairs on the back of Glass’s neck stand up. “And you’re going to give it to me.” His eyes drifted to his spotter. “Of course if you refuse, I could always ask someone else.”

“Bastard!”

“Oh but you love it don’t you?” He wrapped his claws around the demon’s erect cock. “Do you fantasize about fucking your quarry often or is it just me? Or wait no, let me guess, you fantasize about your mark fucking you, right?”

“Sh-shut up!” The demon sputtered.

“If you hadn’t forced me into this form I could’ve fucked your mouth while I sucked your cock, but I can’t exactly do that now can I?” He could barely talk with his teeth this exposed, let alone give good head. “You know what, how about this? If I let you blow my back out, will that make you feel like you’ve won? Will that soothe your ego? Of course I’d still only be letting you do it.”

Glass tried to shove him to the ground and Kurt remained motionless. He wasn’t that weak anymore.

“Come on, use your words.” He chided.

“I’m going to fuck that smug attitude out of you!” The demon grabbed onto his hair.

“Oh? How do you plan on doing that?”

“Kneel.”

Kurt obliged, showing the demon he would cooperate but only if it was on his own terms. This only seemed to enrage Glass, who attempted to push his front half towards the ground, once again to no avail.

“Do you want me to bend over for you?” Kurt asked.

“Yes,” the demon replied through gritted teeth. The vampire bent over putting his elbows on the ground and raising his hole to his begrudging partner.

“Like this?”

The demon just growled in response before grabbing onto his hips and shoving himself in.

Glass wasn’t particularly skilled but Kurt began to feel his heart beating faster as the demon took him. It must’ve been the rush of being so close to something new. He already felt so good and he was at the very precipice of something that could be even better. Wait, his heart was beating? It had been inert in his chest for months now it shouldn’t be- The thought was interrupted as the demon finally came.

Glass felt the vampire slip from his hands as he came. As he opened his eyes he half expected to see that he had teleported behind him, ready to snap his neck for trying to kill him, but what he didn’t expect was to see a pile of red goop on the floor in front of him. He stumbled backwards in shock as Aestuo rushed towards him.

“I didn’t! It wasn’t-“

“Yeah, yeah I know it wasn’t. Anybody got a knife?”

“He was supposed to give me a set as payment though I’m not sure where it is,” The Philosopher piped up.

“My horns oughta be sharp enough,” Clang offered, “though I figure blood isn’t going to do much at this point, what you need is-“

“An accelerant. I know, just come here.”

Aestuo slashed one of his fingers on Clang’s shrapnel-like horns and magenta flame poured from the wound. He allowed some to drip over the goop on the floor and the whole pile caught fire.

“He should be out of the woods now.” Aestuo sighed.

“I think I found your knives.” The scientist pulled a plastic shopping bag out from beneath the bed.

“Gimme that.” Aestuo motioned. The smaller demon gave him the bag. There was a note inside.

“Aestuo,

If this kills me, I trust you to distribute payment on my behalf as follows:”

The demon scanned the note reading the list.

“Alright we’ve got a set of knives for The Philosopher, reproduced exactly as specified.”

The Philosopher removed one from its leather wrapping. Shale, pounded into a blade, with a soft, wrapped-leather, hand guard, just as he remembered it. He must have been getting nostalgic in his old age to feel such warmth at holding it again.

“For Clang, a 2nd generation Volkswagen Jetta, still in good condition.”

Aestuo tossed him the keys. Hell yeah! The demon felt like a kid on Christmas. He couldn’t wait to start working on her.

“An ounce of weed for The One Who Makes The Hand Waver?”

Finally. They took it from the other demon. They hadn’t managed to find a strain in hell that didn’t make them violently paranoid.

“Scientist, it says you already got yours, Glass, you need the link to his research.”

He Who Brings Low the Mighty grimaced. If he had known things would go this spectacularly badly, he would have asked for something else.

“And last but not least, He Who Tempts With Undiscovered Riches, for you I’ve got the complete works of Gengoro Tagame.”

As Aestuo began removing the books from the bag, the other demon pushed his hand back down, his cheeks burning bright green.

“Could you just give me the bag as well please?”

“Alright, no sense being embarrassed though.” Aestuo shrugged.

When He Who Brings Low the Mighty returned the very first thing he did was storm into the prison of The Beloved. The lord of demons sat chained to his throne as always, playing with his ruby studded, golden bonds with his one free hand.

“What on earth was that?!”

The Beloved released the chain in his hand.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” He smiled. It seemed the lord of hell had regained his sense of humor after his hand had been unbound.

“You told me to visit that vampire and fulfill my role, but that prince you favor was there protecting him!”

“I told you your role would be fulfilled, not that you would fulfill it, favored servant.” Glass could feel The Beloved’s eyes on him from beneath his blindfold. “You have become arrogant and unsympathetic. It weakens you, and clouds your judgment. You were once one of those that crawl upon the skin of the earth, you ought to remember that they are complex creatures. Read the Good Doctor’s notes. They will be illuminating to you. I’ve given you an opportunity to learn, take it.”

He Who Brings Low the Mighty grumbled as he stalked out, but The Hated One knew his words had been taken to heart. His servants were imperfect. They did not fulfill their purposes with the mechanical efficiency and unquestioning loyalty he once had, but that meant that they could surprise him on occasion in ways he found entertaining. Like what Aestuo had done to that human, turning him into a hedonist that nearly matched a demon. The Hated One could not create celestial machinery with his former lord’s precision, but it was more interesting to see things go wrong in strange ways anyway.