D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

Nothing seemed to be forthcoming though. Even as the wind started to go from a whistle to a whine and the boat started to creak, nothing was said. When the wobbling started Bodeir cast a saddened look down at his son before turning to Creshe and said, “It seems it is time to depart. I cannot hold you up any longer. Son, think on what I’ve said to you. While I have poked at a number of your insecurities, I will not be the only one to do so in the next week. I need you to be better then you are right now. I don’t care if that takes you months, years, or decades… but you need to make an honest attempt. If not… I’ll either have to go from overbearing, to puppeteering you so much I might as well add strings to your limbs. That or disowning you, and casting you to the wind,”

Bodeir Jr cringed but didn’t say anything. He just laid down on the ground, ignoring his father’s presence. Bodeir sighed again. “I really don’t want to do either of those things son, but my position makes it dangerous to do anything else. For me, and for you. I love you, and want you at your best… but I love you too much to let you die before me. If that means I have to start being heavy handed, I WILL,”

The last words seemed to slam down onto the deck with the force of a mountain. Kat’s aura flared out and took the pressure easily, protecting herself, Lily, and Sue without too much trouble. Kat certainly felt the effort, but it the pressure wasn’t directed at her and could be weathered much like a windy day. The sailors grimaced, all but a select few taking a knee and using the railings nearby as support.

Creshe soldiered through the pressure. She wasn’t close enough to Kat to receive any assistance from the demon, but while Creshe didn’t look comfortable, her clothes rippling in a non-existent wind. Bodeir Jr clearly got the worst of it. His face was being pressed into the ground and there was a faint trickle of blood leaking from his nose. As soon as said blood trail reached his mouth the pressure let up.

Bodeir gave one more nod to Creshe before walking to the edge and leaping off. As soon as he was gone Creshe whistled with her fingers and in that instant, the tracks changed and the boat was redirected onto the straightaway. Kat barely got a glimpse at the hanger before they were in the sky. They rocketed away from the ground, and the mountain the city was built on. When they cleared the first layer of clouds the sailors started to take out the oars again, setting them back onto automatic.

When the boat finally started to level out, the sail came down but the boat didn’t slow at all. They sailed gracefully through the sky for about a minute… when some flying creatures came to intercept. “FIRE THE WARNING SHOTS!” shouted Creshe and a moment later a synchronised serious of booms sounded out from the ship, scaring most of the creatures away. A few stayed close though… “Those within range FIRE AGAIN!” another round of booms.

Only a few of the creatures got hit, but most that did went down and the rest of them backed off. Apparently that was enough to make it clear the boat wasn’t easy prey. Creshe looked over everyone here for a few moments. Kat and Lily were still watching Bodeir Jr who didn’t seem like he was interested in getting up for the moment. Sue had shaken herself off and shuffled over to the railing to take a good look at the surrounding area.

Seeing that the demons were occupied, for now at least, and Bodeir Jr wasn’t going anywhere… she just nodded and walked off. It was her job to help out… but not babysit anyone. With the ropes, Bodeir wasn’t going to be doing anything stupid for the moment. Or at least, no so stupid that she’d need to address it. If he still didn’t want to talk even after his old man was gone? Well that was no business of Creshe.

.....

Eventually Bodeir Jr seemed to give up on the whole not doing anything… thing. He once sat up against the mast again and started to try and free himself to minimal effect. “Well? Are you going to help me or not?” hissed Bodeir Jr.

Kat looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, “And why should I do that?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be my Escort or something? Wouldn’t freeing me allow you the chance to feel me up or something?” ‘grumbled’ Bodeir.

Kat looked down at Bodeir with a significantly colder gaze, not even noticing the little embers of demonic fire that danced around her, ready for the command. “Ok, first off. I’m not the Escort, I’m the guard. Second off… I’m thinking your much less likely to do something stupid if you’re tied up. I’m rather tempted to leave you there,”

“Well I only need one guard. I could just order you to switch roles,” said Bodeir with conviction that only a truly ignorant little shit could muster. Frost started to spread along the nearby planks of wood. If it wasn’t a perfect circle and instead leaned a bit towards Bodeir Jr here… well… nobody was going to complain. Not even Bodeir if he knew what was good for him.

“Ok, first off, just because I’m a Succubus doesn’t mean I have an interest in sex. Secondly, even if I did have some interest I have a girlfriend and she’s much more intelligent, and better looking then you are. Finally, that is NOT how this works. We were hired, by your father, through an intermediary and nowhere amongst that chain was I ever told to listen to your orders. So no, you cannot just order me to take up Sue’s role,” stated Kat flatly.

*I really hope Sue’s not annoyed at me for this though.* A quick glance over at Sue actually showed her making a thumbs up, though hidden from Bodeir’s view. *Wait… she approves? I’m gonna need to ask about that later.*

“Whatever my dad’s paying you I’ll double it,” said Bodeir Jr, once again, as if that was a perfectly reasonable thing to say.

“Ok… first off… it’s really not about the money. Second off… where do you think you get the money from?” asked Kat.

“My allowance? Obviously?” stated Bodeir.

Kat gave a horrified glance at Lily. *Is… is he actually that stupid? Like… I think I pity Bodeir, the older one. A lot. This is… I mean… how is he even still alive if he’s so dumb? I just… I don’t understand?*

[I don’t either Kat. I… I can barely comprehend the level of stupid you’d need to be to say something like that. I thought that his Dad was being pretty fair but… my god Bodeir the elder is a fucking saint for dealing with this shit. How does he function?]

*I have no idea.* “Right… pretty sure that even if that was going to cover it… you do realise you get that money from your dad right? He’d never let you pay me… with what is basically his own money… to override his contract with me,” said Kat… slowly. Like she was talking to a five-year-old. Kat wasn’t hopeful that it’d get through.

“But that’s my money! I can do whatever I want with it!” retorted Bodeir Jr.

*My God. This is what peak idiot looks like. How the fu…dge am I going to keep this kid alive? Does he even have enough braincells to make sure he doesn’t just suffocate to death?*

“Right… I’m not even going to bother explaining the major issues with that logic if you can’t already see them. So… yeah not your escort I’m your guard and every single thing that comes out of your mouth only further reinforces that belief. That and despite the fact I’m pretty sure I can fight your dad… I really don’t want to. So… you’re going to sit tight for however long those ropes keep you there,” said Kat. Once again… very slowly. The slightly glazed look in Bodeir’s eyes not signalling good things.

“But why not? I offered you money right?” whined Bodeir.

Kat pondered if she could justify kicking the ‘kid’ really hard in the face for some vaguely defined safety reason. The best she could think of would be that it’d hopefully stop him talking… but Kat wasn’t all that hopeful.