Part 14: Max learns how to do demon contracts.
Big thanks to neuroparenthetical for helping edit my story.
Chapter 40
"A Witch!?" That time it was Ella who was saying it, not me. "What do you mean, a Witch?"
"Yes sweetie, a Witch," Rayna said, the mirth in her voice palpable, "an honest-to-the-devil Witch."
When Rayna had revealed the same thing to me, I'd had a million follow-up questions I'd wanted to ask right away: was Sophia like Harry Potter, and could she ride a broomstick? Could she cast magic spells using a magic wand, or was she like one of those old-school-story witches - the ones that lived out in a cabin in the middle of the forest, brewing potions in a huge black cauldron, and making poison apples? At the very least, Sophia was way cuter than that last type.
I'd been about to ask Rayna all of those questions, but she'd said we had to wait for Ella since she didn't want to explain the same thing twice. We'd sent her a text to meet up on the fifth floor of the Morrison campus library. It hadn't taken long for her to meet us there.
"Okay." Ella drew the word out. Just like me, she was not satisfied with Rayna's teasing. My succubus was reveling in the revelation and refusing to actually explain anything. "So what does that mean exactly? Is she like Hermione Granger, or like the Wicked Witch of the West?"
"As I said, she is a Witch, which means she can use magic - or, to be more precise, she can control mana, just like us." Rayna looked at me.
"Okay, so she's just like you guys. Does that mean she is some kind of demon or half of one?"
"Not quite," Rayna replied. "The first person in a bloodline to become a Witch does so when a demon grants them a piece of their power - their mana - to use at their discretion. Once the mortal has it, they can learn how to manipulate it to perform the kinds of spells and leverage the types of skills that a demon itself can. Of course, they'll never be as powerful as the demon that granted them their powers, but they'll still be far more powerful than a mere mortal."
"Okay," I interjected, "but why would a demon grant anybody their mana? Aren't demons kinda stingy when it comes to shelling out their mana?"
"Yes, that's true, but there are some benefits to making Witches. Witches are bound to the demon that made them; there's usually an explicit contract."
"A contract?" I asked.
"Yes, or what some might call a Demon Pact. Tell me, have you heard the saying that a demon never lies?"
"Ya, I might have heard something about that."
"Well, that just isn't true. We lie, just like any other person in the world. We lie just for the pure fun of it, even. Demon Pacts, however, are binding down to the letter. We demons can perform tasks for mortals for a set price - you know, make them rich, more popular, even..." she peered down at my crotch. "... make them feel less inadequate. So long as the task is within our power, the pact is sealed."
"And what kind of payment are we talking about? Is it... you know, a soul?"
Rayna snickered at my response as if I were a naive child who'd learned nothing but fairy tales. That didn't feel very fair, but I wanted the explanation more than I wanted to punish her for being snooty.
"Nooo, well... if the demon truly wants that, then yes, he or she can demand your soul, but they don't have to. In fact, we can ask for anything we want. We can ask for a soul, or we can ask for money, land, or even a simple meal. As long as the signee has it or will have it within their possession, then we can ask for anything we want.
"For example, there was this one time I made a pact with a lovely young village maiden who just so happened to fall in love with a young local lord. She asked me to make her his wife, and in exchange, she would send me some of the young lord's guard. So I seduced the lord, had a wicked threesome with him and the village maiden, did a few things while he slept, and, bing bam boom, they were married within a fortnight. I must say, I was quite proud of myself at how quickly I worked, but the men she sent afterward were subpar lovers at best. Still, that was the deal. That's why you have to be careful when making a pact. The way you word it can make all the difference in the world."
Hearing about Rayna's seduction of the young lord was very interesting, but just hearing about other men she'd already slept with sent a pang of jealousy through me. I knew that it all had happened in the very distant past, but still, the demon inside of me did not like the fact that Rayna had had someone else besides me inside of her. Luckily I managed to keep that part of me at bay. I wanted to learn more about Sophia, but then something else popped up in my head.
"Hey, if you can make this 'Demon Pact,' then does that mean so can I?"
"I don't see why not. You have the same abilities and skills that most demons have. Why do you ask?" She had a wry smile on her face. "Are you planning to bind more people to you? Maybe make them a deal where you can make a woman cum as often as she wants? Seems like a bad deal for you, Master, when you could just enslave them instead."
"Enough about that!" Ella exclaimed. "We've gotten off topic, here. What about Sophia?"
"Well you see," Rayna said, "when demons create Witches, it is normally done by a Demon Pact. They come to an arrangement, bind the mortal to them, and then transplant a part of their mana into the mortal's body. From there, the mortal is generally on their own to learn, though occasionally a demon does play favorites and offer some tutoring. Of course, the mortal does need mana in order to cast spells or use skills, so obviously they need to find a way to replenish it eventually."
"Replenish it? You mean..."
"Yes, taking mana from other mortals. Not only that, but they must do it in the same way their demon master does it. Meaning..."
"Meaning...?" I continued, trying to encourage her to move things along.
"Meaning if a wrath demon creates a Wrath Witch, then that Witch must gather their mana through violence. If an avarice demon creates an Avarice Witch - a Greed Witch, as they say, these days - then that Witch must gather mana by fueling human greed. And if a succubus creates a Witch, then that means..."
"They must gather their mana through sex," I said, finishing for her.
"Gold star for my favorite student. Remind me to reward you later tonight." Rayna smirked, then did that thing with her eyebrows: moving them up and down in a very suggestive manner. A small thrill raced through my body as I wondered what reward, specifically, Rayna might have in store for me. My imagination didn't get a chance to run away with me, though, as Rayna decided to continue with her explanation.
"Since I know you felt Sophia absorb your mana when she guzzled your cum like a true champ, I'm sure you know now that she, or probably one of her ancestors, made a Demon Pact with a succubus. By my reckoning, it was a very powerful one."
