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

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*Why is Bing so aggressively familiar!* Sue had been carefully trying to work out how to get away from this conversation for a while but Bing wasn’t really giving her a chance. As casual as Bing was, she also made sure to include everyone in the conversation when she could. Sure Sue had just given yes or no answers so far, but that said more about Sue’s lack of desire to engage with Bing then it did about Bing.

“… have you ever considered being a chef Bodeir? You always seem to take food so seriously. I mean, I’ve considered it a time or two and then I remember that time I managed to burn water despite coming from a family renowned for their ice powers and decide it’s not a good idea…”

Sue really had no clue how to deal with Bing. *She dominates the conversation, but she’s also super casual… and polit. While Bodeir’s…* “I have meditate on my calling a number of times and yet my answer has no changed in a number of years. I am afraid that I do not believe the path of the chef is my calling,” *Like that. I can’t tell if they’re getting along or not!*

Sue’s attention started to wander until she heard her name, “…so what about it Sue? What’s it like being a demon?” asked Bing.

*Ah shit. I missed the first part of that question. Um… and like… how do I answer this anyway? It’s not like being a demon is all that different to a number of other sentient races. We’ve just got exceptionally long lifespans and require much less training to progress in power. We’re a lot like higher level dragons really… but do they even have those here? Not sure I could use them as a comparison. I mean they have mana… and qi… but do they have ‘dragon god’ dragons? Or the weaker versions…*

“Um… it’s… well I suppose I can’t really compare, I’ve never not been a demon after all,” said Sue eventually. “Do you guys have dragons here? The really big ones that just grow forever until they can sneeze and destroy a mountain?”

Bing nodded, “Yup we do. Or at least… my tutors have warned me that we do. Never seen one myself,”

.....

Sue nodded as well and said, “Yeah demons are a lot like those dragons. We just get stronger by existing and so a lot of us just use our extensive lifespans to take up hobbies. Of course, not everyone will keep going up in power forever, and some people decide combat IS a hobby. Those guys can be ridiculously strong,”

Bing frowned and asked, “What do you mean you don’t keep going up in power forever? Isn’t that how dragons work?”

Sue shrugged and said, “I don’t know enough about the specifics of dragons to say they always work that way… but demons sadly don’t. We go up in rather distinctive tiers and very rarely do we get any warning before it happens. Sure we might get little signs a few days beforehand, but considering it can be years, decades, centuries or longer… a few days warning is nothing really,”

“That doesn’t seem particularly fair. Isn’t it possible to get stronger through effort?” asked Bing, clearly not pleased with that particular aspect of how demons work.

“It is possible, but not the same way. A bit like mortals really. We can work out our muscles, well most of us,” not sure how Kat’s regen works. Would it let her work out? “and of course we can get more skills… but you could be the most powerful Rank 1 in existence and it doesn’t make you any more likely to Rank up. I’m the oldest of my three good friends, but also the weakest because I’m still Rank 1,” explained Sue.

“Does that bother you?” asked Bing, and a glance showed that Bodeir was concerned as well.

Sue winced. *I can’t lie and say it doesn’t bother me at all. Guess I’ll have to actually give a proper answer. I bet Kat will here this as well. Sorry I didn’t talk about this with you Kat, but you never asked!* “It bothers me a bit, but more for lifespan reasons then power ones. For my hobbies and goals I don’t really need to Rank up… lifespan is directly related to our Rank. Sure some abilities we get can enhance it, and we’ve got great medical care… but there’s still a limit. I’m not too worried just yet… but if I get too old without ever Ranking up? The chances that get there eventually drop,”

“Well what are your hobbies? I know enough to guess you’re a Succubus, but how much does that mean?” asked Bing.

“That is the question isn’t it?” postulated Sue. “I’m about as close to the stereotype as you can get. I love sex, and like to be pretty adventurous with how I go about it. I’m always down to fuck new people, or find a new fetish… but I don’t know how much of that is because I’m a Succubus.

“It’s an issue of numbers really. Because the first few generations of Succubi were really into sex… they had a lot more kids then other types of demons. Now, many years later, Succubi are still the demons most obsessed with sex… but is that because we’re Succubi, because we learnt it from our parents, or because we make up the largest percentage of the population?”

“Huh… I never thought of it that way…” said Bing with a grin. “I guess I just imagined there was a balance of all types of demons… but obviously you need to have sex to get little demons so whichever ones are doing that more…”

Sue nodded, “Yup. And Succubi ended up with a lot of… ‘crossbreeds’ essentially. It also means most people have a Succubus or two in their family trees… and if they happen to like sex… well some says maybe that’s why?”

Sue was actually getting into the conversation and didn’t notice that Bodeir had managed to sneak away. Bing did… but she was also enjoying the conversation and was happy to let Bodeir ‘escape’ if that’s what he really wanted to do. “That does complicate matters I’m sure,” said Bing, “I guess it’s one of those, eaglet and the egg problems. Is the other demon here like you?”

Sue didn’t even think anything strange of the question, “Oh no not at all. Kat’s such a sweety, powerful too but completely asexual,” Bing looked a bit confused at the term, “did that not translate right? She has no sexual desire at all,”

“Yes… that is… I could tell you were saying that… but it was overlapped with another word. Very strange… and… no sexual desire at all? How would something like that work?” asked Bing.

Sue tilted her head to the side, thinking on it for a moment, as she did though she explained the translation issues, “You either don’t have a word for ‘asexual’ in your language, or you’ve never heard of it before. That’s why you got the impression of a word and an explanation. As for how it works… well… it’s just how it is? It’s not something I can really imagine properly.

“I mean, I’m normally at least a little bit horny and I find it very natural to look at a nice set of muscles and get a little hot under the collar. Still, I do know that it’s… well it’s quite uncommon in Succubi, but not the demon race as a whole. A lot of Shadow demons are asexual. Not sure how those guys have sex at all considering what I know of them… hmm… maybe I should try and seduce one? For science obviously!”

Bing laughed at Sue’s idea, “Yes of course. I am sure you are not interested in the act for any other reason then the pursuit of knowledge,”

Bing shook her head and said after her laughter died down, “I wish I was free to explore that side of things at least a bit more. My father has forbidden me from dating, and my mother supported him. Apparently it’s a big deal for me as a maiden of the Holy Icy Wind sect that I remain pure.

“Not sure if it’s actually important to our cultivation technique or not though. I mean, both of my parents insist that it IS a big component of the technique I was given to study… but obviously I exist right? So how pure can my parents really be if they had me? It’s not like I don’t know where babies come from. You know anything about it?”

Sue shook her head, “Sorry I can’t say I do. Where I grew up sex and romance was a rather well known and well studied topic, especially amongst the adults. Everyone over twenty-five would convince us just to be ourselves. Though other teenagers were annoying shits,”

Bing nodded in commiseration.