Gothic Library

Once more, Summoners gather in a forgotten forest in the dead of winter. For some, it is their first attempt to find such a place. For others, they come with their demons to renew contracts and, perhaps, make new ones. The snow crunches beneath their feet, and the wind blows frozen air into their faces. It is wet and cold, and even the most seasoned Summoner is ready to warm themselves by the fire. You are among them, and you wish you had brought an extra layer to keep your bones from freezing. The sun goes down, making the forest colder and quieter than before. Nothing moves, and the only sound heard is the steps of human feet all making their way toward a place once only rumored to exist in whispers. You can see lanterns in the distance that join yours, but there is not yet a sign of the clearing that has been used for centuries uncounted.

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Then, you see it: lights flickering in the distance between the rows of tree trunks. There is laughter faintly coming from there, and you pick up your pace. You finally enter the large clearing past the line of trees and find a huge bonfire in the center of the clearing. The heat from the fire is so intense that it's making you sweat already. Other summoners have already made their way there. Some are helping to set up the summoning circle, while others are talking with their friends and warming up. Demons of all shapes and sizes help as well. Toward the back, there is a large cabin that seems big enough to house everyone, as well as free-standing doors that must be at least two stories tall.

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A woman comes up to you, waving and smiling brightly. She has a little chameleon demon on her shoulder who is holding a reel of tickets.

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"Hello!" she says, "My name is Sage. I can take your things if you'd like. Get warm by the fire!"

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You gratefully hand over your pack and your jacket, and the chameleon demon rips off a little ticket to hand to you. Slowly. A little painfully slowly. You take the ticket and the little chameleon waves at you. You wave back. It's pretty cute and makes you smile.

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"So!" Sage continues as she hands off your things to a big muscled demon who stands next to her. "There are a few things before you being. At some point, you'll need to sign up with the Ledger Demon...  I mean..." She opens her mouth like she wants to correct herself, then shuts it again. "You know what, never mind. He wants to be called the Ledger Demon, so he is. Anyway," she says, pointing to a long queue with a squat, disgruntled demon at a table. "Sign up over there when you're ready! Looks like there's a storm coming though, so I think we might have to delay the summoning by a few hours. I'd head to the Cabins to get warm." 

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You thank her and walk to the bonfire to get warm. It isn't storming just yet, and the cabins aren't that far away. Besides, you're waiting for some friends to arrive. You take out your phone to pass some time.

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"Hello pretty thing," you hear whispered in your ear. "Look, Leraie, this one is lovely."

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You turn around to see who it is, but there's no one there.

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"Very pretty," another voice says, this one deeper than the other one. "Gremory, let's use this one."

 

You turn around again but find no one. You don't want to alarm anyone (nor make a fool of yourself if it's a prank), so you glare at the air and go back to your phone.

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A hand touches your shoulder firmly and the two voices whisper simultaneously, "We will wait for you in the Cabins. Don't dawdle."

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A chill runs down your spine and the touch disappears. It must be a prank. Someone's demon must be bored and you're the newest arrival to the clearing. It's nothing... right?

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Go to the Cabins

Search for the two mysterious voices who beckoned you

The story starts here...

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