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uninvited guests

You walk the path through a cold, dark forest. The snow has been falling for days, and you feel that if you don't leave now, you might never make it to the summoning circle in time. It has been years since you first started down this path. You've always wanted to have a contract with a demon. It's not like all of them require blood sacrifices or things like that. Some simply want time and your dedication to them. You figure they're like many of the gods and spirits of this world: beings that like being noticed and loved, and just like people enjoy good food and company.

The night is, however, much much darker than you intended. Your lights don't seem to make much of a difference, and there is no moon to help you see. The thick canopy above blocks out moon and stars alike, leaving you with nothing but the reflection of trees and snow of your lantern. Even that appears to be going out...

Something crunches behind you, and you quickly turn and flash your light around. There is nothing, no one... except for a set of footprints alongside yours in the snow. They've just stopped about five or six feet behind you.

You don't know what to do. Maybe it's just someone's demon playing a little trick on you? Or something else in the forest that you hadn't known about. You can't be too far from the summoning circle. You've been walking for hours! It has to be close...

Slowly, you adjust the pack on your back and make sure it's secure on you. Then, without warning, you bolt toward the circle. You have no idea how far you'll have to run, but you can't stay around and wait to find out what it is that's behind you. You can't hear the footsteps over your heavy breathing and your own feet, and you don't dare to look back.

Finally, there is a warm glow in the distance, and a thick line of trees obscuring noise and vision. You can hear laughter, though. This must be it!

You manage to launch yourself past the ring of trees and slide into the encampment like a baseball player. You're wet and muddy, but you don't care. You turn around and look at the trees, at the snow you just bowled through. There are no footprints.

"Whoa, there!" someone says and they help you up. You find it to be a dark-skinned man with gold-rimmed glasses and a nice smile. He has a couple of furry goblins on his shoulders, who look worried at you. "You okay?"

You nod, embarrassed, and explain what happened.

He looks concerned. "There should be nothing like that in the forest, but we've had a strange couple of years. Maybe the spirits are finally bold enough to come back." He puts out his hand. "I'm Alfie, by the way. I'm a Senior Summoner here, so if you need anything, you let me know. Can I take your coat? Your bag? The bonfire can get pretty hot very fast."

You hand over your things and the little goblins take them towards a log cabin at the far end of the camp. Alfie gives you a ticket to hold onto and then lets you get settled in. You stand close to the massive fire in the center of the ring of trees, trying to get yourself warm and keep the fear out of your head. Alfie said they were spirits, so maybe that's all it was. You've dealt with more and in scarier situations! You've traveled to some strange places in order to find rare books and obscure information just to stand here! You're just cold, that's all, and tired. That spirit just got the better of you.

Then, there are screams. You turn and see a couple of other summoners breaking through the treeline much like you had. They seem to have been here before, because their friends help pick them up and hug them tight. A woman with long, dark hair and a practical army of demons barks some orders at her companions. The demons run and fly away into the woods. Maybe the spirits aren't as peaceful as everyone thought. You walk toward the bonfire, hoping to get warm.

You come across a pitch-black demon with little horns and red eyes. They look disgruntled and irritated despite simply standing next to the fire and staring into it. Unsure about who they are or who they're contracted to, you go up and say hello.

The demon looks at you, gives you a once over, and then smiles a smile with too many sharp, thin teeth. Then another mouth smiles. And another. And another. Soon the whole demon is covered in mouths.

"Little summoner," they say. It sounds like each of the mouths is speaking in unison, but the mouths don't move. It's all in your head. "New at this, are you? We should love to host you." The demon looks up. "Oh, I know we were not what you were expecting, but we do enjoy your pathetic attempts to contact us so often. We thought we might finally accept your disgusting invitation to your little world."

The screaming happens all at once. You turn around and see everyone running towards the fire. Behind them are creatures you cannot describe in forms and shapes that seem... formless and shapeless. There are too many limbs, too many eyes, too little skin and hair and fur. They come in all sizes, flying and crawling, and squelching toward the circle. When the summoners and their demons are safely inside, Alfie and some of the other senior summoners hold out their hands and draw symbols in the air. The summoning circle lights up and a shield of light encapsulates you all like a dome, keeping out the creatures. You feel a little tingle in your body and you're suddenly very warm.

"Sorry everyone," the woman you saw earlier says. "We're using you all to power the shield, like we do to summon. If you feel light-headed, please sit down and we'll get someone to help."

"What are they?" someone asks.

"WE," the demon beside you says, "are your guests."

The demon grows tall, and you step back. The demon sprouts more eyes and tentacles, and something about their aura makes you want to weep.

"You silly earth creatures," they say, this time their mouths moving together. "You think we are gods and demons and monsters. We are all those things, and none of them. You keep inviting us for your little party. Century after century. Thousands of souls wanting to know, wanting to see and hear. Well," they say looking around with their many eyes and gesturing with their many tentacles, "now is your chance."

The demon-creature-monster shifts. One of the tentacles has something in it, and it lowers to you. You're shaking. You have no idea what this horror has in store for you, and you don't know if you'll be able to react if anything goes horribly wrong...

It's a book.

"Sign the book," they say, pushing the book forward. "Sign, and summon your silly demon. We will be here to collect your books at the end." All of its mouths smile. "We like books."

"We can't just summon our demons and be done with it," Alfie says. He's shaking, but he's standing up straight with his goblins clinging to him, ready to help. "We have challenges and prompts to receive. If you don't allow us to continue with our rituals, there will be no books."

The creature scoffs and rolls its many eyes. "Yes, yes, this one has seen many of your ridiculous challenges. This one has been the keeper of your summoners for eons." A low groaning chatter emanates from outside the dome, and the strange monsters scatter. "We shall invent these things for you, but you must work for it. The more time we spend here, the more irritable we become."

Another tentacle slithers in the air and pushes against the dome. When enough of the tentacle is coiled and piled against it, the dome shatters and the lights go out. The tentacle shoots out toward the line of trees and snaps off from the creature. The limb continues to fly forward, slamming against several trees in a perfect circle. The trees collapse within the circle, and a vast darkness appears inside. It swirls like clouds or fog, and lightning strikes without thunder accompanying it.

"Go, then," they say. "Find your prompts there. Beware a wrong turn. You will merely end up where you began in the snow."

The creature drops the ledger book at your feet and then hoists itself above the crowd of summoners. It uses its tentacles to walk toward the dark portal. On its way, the creature drops a strange purple orb on the ground.

"As ever, you have two weeks," they say. "We await your results."

The creature enters the portal, and leaves for good.

Alfie and the woman with the many demons look at each other, seemingly unsure of what to do. The woman shakes her head and turns to the rest of the group, a smile on her face.

"Well, not the worst we've had," she says, cheery. "Camp is still set up, and we can still summon our demons for contracts. If everyone would please sign the ledger like usual, and we'll get the summoning underway." She sighs. "And please, if you enter the scary portal, be careful. The buddy system is recommended."

The crowd doesn't move much at first, but eventually they all break out of the circle and start lining up to sign the book. You see people talking about the void as well as the orb that the creature dropped. Some people who have already signed the book walk over to a set of large wooden doors, which seems to be a library of sorts. There are many possibilities for you right now.