Fiendish Fables

[SS 2.101] Back to Haunt You (Part 3/3) (Patreon)

Published:

2026-10-28 17:03:01

Imported:

2026-10

Tags:

Self-Summon

Content

“Ah, Angelica, it’s lovely to see you.” The man struck out a hand when she approached, treating her like an old friend, as if there were no bad blood between them.

“You as well, Mr. Veksen.” She reciprocated graciously, though the very words made her want to wretch. The Order she’d put on herself to maintain social norms was really doing a lot of the heavy lifting in maintaining her composure. Though it probably wasn’t actually physically slimy, the moment his hand touched hers, it repulsed her to no end. But it was something she had to put up with for the moment as she put her plan into play.

A mosquito-shaped Angie was Recalled to her wrist, and before anyone could spot the small bug, she dove straight into Mr. Veksen’s sleeve. It was her job to perform Bug Bite on his body, in as many unique spots as possible, with as many stacks of Irritant as she could get away with without lingering for too long. Her Duplicate definitely had the more disgusting job, and Angelica was thankful that she took it on without complaint—all for the same glorious goal.

But Angelica was also getting her hands a bit dirty as well. When the normal handshake should have ended, she grabbed the back of his hand with her own free one, palming it on both sides, as if she was genuinely ever so delighted to be in his company once more. This caused the shake to go on for so much longer while they spoke, the awkwardness of which would normally kill her, but didn’t even faze her at present.

Her job was to distract him while the bug buzzed around inside his clothing, but she was also on the attack. Not that anyone would notice, but her nails briefly got significantly longer through Transfiguration, extended just enough to tap his skin, needing only that much to inject a few stacks of her own. Sadly, she couldn’t perform Bug Bite using her own flesh, or she’d coat his entire hand.

“It’s a shame things didn’t work out for you at our company,” he mentioned as if he wasn’t the entire reason why it hadn’t. Not just framing her for negligence to make her lose her job, but every day working for him had been a nightmare, what really had made her spiral deep into depression and the rest of her mental health issues. It was like sucked out her soul well before she knew that was a literal ability. “But you’re looking well. Hopefully things turned out for the best.”

“Yes, they did,” she reported truthfully. It really had been good for her in the end, even if it took her so long to understand. “Thanks to my departure, I was able to pursue a new passion that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. So really, I have you to thank for that.”

“Well, that sounds wonderful.” It was kind of hard to tell whether he genuinely didn’t remember all the terrible things he’d done, or if the feigned ego stroking he’d received had made him forget in the moment. But, he also made no attempt to tow the line of that conversation further, not caring to ask about her passion—very clearly wanting the encounter to end as soon as possible, so he could go strike up another with someone more important than her who had a chance of increasing his standing. Without a doubt in her mind, the man would leave no ass unkissed before the night was over.

Finally, the handshake broke off, and they both turned to go about their respective business. Just before the release, though, Angie had landed back on the original's hand and was promptly reabsorbed, thankfully only coming with the knowledge of what she’d done, rather than the direct play-by-by. It was better for her to vanish entirely than to have her be spotted trying to return to her original spot a few roofs away. She could use Conceal, but it was hard to say how many Demons and of what Rank would be watching the place that evening, and surely a one of their kind fleeing the event would draw suspicion if caught.

Angie would just have the night off, at least until the end when they could have her sneak out and pretend like she was watching the whole time for Corticia’s sake. And actually, it would be kind of comforting having her there, ready to be Summoned at a moment’s notice. Along with the intelligence boost, with additional levels in Duplicate, Angelica had greater control over the initial creation, able to set more conditions like what form Angie appeared in from the start.

On top of that, the clone could be created at a distance that was ever increasing with each level. So if Angelica found herself trapped in another awkward social situation, she could spawn Angie as a well-dressed stranger from around the corner who came over to drag her away. That was definitely a nice safety net to have, and she kind of wished she’d thought of it from the start, since it would have helped ease her anxiousness a bit.

Though that had greatly calmed down as she left the terrace, her business concluded, ready to head inside. It took so much effort to hide the devilish smirk from overtaking her face, or she would have looked like a crazed lunatic to any who witnessed her. Mr. Veksen wouldn’t fall victim to her deeds for a while. She’d use Delayed Release to push out the poison’s activation by several hours, after the event was over.

It would probably trigger after the man had gotten home, and was likely just about to fall asleep after getting comfortable in bed. The releases had then been staggered, so just when he thought it was going to end, he’d be hit with another wave. This would be the worst night of his life, a minor repayment for the many more she’d suffered.

[Bug Bite Lv.8]

Sadly, she wouldn’t actually get the Irritant experience until the poison was released, but that was fine. It’d be a little treat later to pleasantly remind her of what she’d done. Part of her had also wanted to use Leech Happiness on him to drain him of every drop, but that would undeniably tie the bad experience to him meeting her. This way, there’d be nothing to tie it back to her. And while she may cast Starvation a few times on him later if he crossed her line of sight, the DGS clearly believed she had done plenty already.

[Malice heinously increased]

When Angelica got back inside, it would seem that the main event had started. Guests had begun taking their seats at the arrangement tables that lined the main halls. Many toward the front were reserved for special guests, likely the wealthiest and most important of all. There was probably a spot for her somewhere, but she wasn’t going to bother finding it, preferring to linger back amongst the plebians who were forced to stand when all the seats were taken. At least she made some effort to be where she could be spotted easily, in case her mother went looking for her while up there giving speeches, so the woman wouldn’t think she’d become a deserter.

The mayor came out, thanking everyone, and then… blah blah blah, who cared. Angelica stopped listening almost immediately, and instead went back to reliving the inevitable suffering she’d caused her former boss, relishing in his future suffering. It made holding her smile all that much easier. After a few minutes, the man wrapped up his blathering and then everyone applauded as Corticia took the stage.

So Angelica made sure to lock in, at least for a while. Even though it was her mother, damn was the woman spewing nothing but boring garbage that made it hard to focus. Stuff like how great things were while they were bad in other places, and the amazing plans for the future. Basically a bunch of ego stroking and grand standing. But eventually, the effort bore fruit. Her mother said something about the importance of family, and how happy she was that her daughter, Angelica, was there to support her. This made the two of them share a direct glance for a moment, her purposeful positioning ending up worth her time. And that also made a few heads turn in her direction, sending her nods and smiles.

Undoubtedly, that moment right there was the entire reason she’d been invited, so that Corticia could make that note, and Angelica’s presence would be acknowledged. Everything that would follow was far less important, and even if she left now, her duty as a daughter had been fulfilled. Since she would likely no longer be in the spotlight, Angelica began slipping further back into the crowd until she was up against a pillar with a clear line of sight of an exit down a nearby hall.

She wasn’t planning to run off or anything, but this is where she was the most comfortable. And her mind immediately slipped again. She at least made somewhat of an effort to listen to the rest, but the urge to dive into Editable Reprint was strong. It kind of made her want to summon Angie once again and give her an Order to listen to it all, then get the gist later via reabsorption. But it felt too cruel when she wasn’t even willing to do it herself. She kind of wished there was a Skill that helped her focus. Maybe there would be if she delved deeper into Gnostic. But whatever, since she’d fulfilled her obligation, she was fine letting her thoughts run wild, until something in particular demanded her attention.

[A Summoner has been deterred]

Scuffing what?! That was new. She’d deterred Demons and humans, but never a Summoner before. What the hell was one doing at her apartment?! Her first suspect would be her mother, but the woman was right there before her eyes. Then… someone from Zenmoon? Maybe they’d found out where she lived and were scoping the place out, perhaps even knocking on her door before the Deterring Field shooed them away. Hopefully, it was something like that; those plausibilities being all that was currently keeping her from freaking out. But what about Cherub?!

[The cat is sleeping]

Okay, that was good at least. She didn’t imagine he’d be the type to suddenly pounce at or even really be scared of intruders, but he should at least wake up if his space was being invaded. It was probably nothing, and yet she couldn’t just leave it be. Annoyingly, because of the magical blocker on the building, she wouldn’t be able to have Angie Return to check on things, at least not without having her sneaking out. If needed, she’d go through with it, but wanted to see if it was something more easily resolved.

Angelica took a few more steps back away from the crowd, pressing herself against the corner perpendicular to the mostly vacant hall, so she could easily slip down it if needed. She put her hand behind her back and moved her phone into it from Second Stomach. An immediate surge of relief washed over her when she saw the missed call notification from Vystal, making her believe the situation was as she suspected. Huh, and there was one from Rastille too… and Pathos. Not just calls, but dozens of texts too that she didn’t get a chance to read.

And it wasn’t only the three of them, there was also a bunch from an unknown number. Who… just so happened to be calling her right at that moment. Angelica jammed her finger on the volume button, quickly muting the ringing that she didn’t have the foresight to silence ahead of time. After a deep breath to calm herself from the craziness of all this, she answered in a hushed voice. “Hello?”

“Irk, Merlina?” She recognized Sperado’s voice immediately. They’d never actually communicated over the phone yet, which is why she didn’t have his number saved. “Why’d you answer me out of everyone?! I’m not the right person to deal with this. Hold on. Hooooold on. Here, I’m handing you over to Pathos.”

“Merlina?” Another familiar voice spoke into her ear. After confirming it was her yet again, Pathos continued, her words a bit hurried. “Are you alright? Is Gelic alright? Is she with you?”

“Err, yeah, we’re fine. Why wouldn’t we be?”

“That’s…” The voice paused for a moment. “How familiar are you with the Danxer Sect?”

Weird, that was a name she didn’t expect to hear randomly. “Umm, somewhat. Gelic did a job for one of their members a while ago, and I think you mentioned—” Angelica found her words trailing, because her attention was suddenly caught by her mother’s speech. Corticia had been thanking a few of the big wigs who had already donated before the event had already started, and of course at that moment, she heard a word that was quite relevant to the topic at hand.

“And I want to especially thank our friends from Migrore for their generous donation. It’s so lovely to know that even across the sea, we can make an impact with the work we’re doing right here.” Angelica’s eyes drifted to the table where three people were clearly at the center of attention. Two of them were older Summoners with names she didn’t recognize, but they were clearly marked as members of the Danxer Sect. And the third, whom she didn’t recognize at first due to the disparity, made her eyes widen when she scried the truth. What the hell are you doing here, Lustre?!

“Merlina, are you there? Is everything alright?” Pathos checked in again after the sudden silence.

“They’re here,” Angelica reported. “The Danxer Sect is here. What’s going on?!”

“Are they using themselves as bait?” It was Pathos’s turn to sound confused, but then she asked another crucial question. “Do they know you’re there, or have they identified you as Gelic’s master?”

“Uhh, no, I don’t think so,” Angelica answered to the best of her ability. She had gotten no indication whatsoever that her fabricated identity had been seen through. So yes, they should know Angelica Hallow was there, since it was made obvious by her mother, but no one should have any reason to believe she had anything to do with Summoners.

“Okay, listen to me very closely, Merlina. We need to get Gelic somewhere safe right now. We received a non-interference request from the Danxer Sect just a little bit ago. They’ve sent Demon Hunters after her, and they’re out there searching the city right now. They’re going to try to kill her!”

Result for the poll was to leave these be, so I shall leave them be.

New:

Passive Skill: Smooth Talker Lv.2

Updated:

Max MP: 2,469 > 2,572

Duplicate Lv.24 > Lv.33

Fabrication Attunement: Embraced > Intertwined

Transmissive Speed Studying Lv.3 > Lv.5

Fluttering Bumble Lv.7 > Lv.9

Shedding Lv.3 > Lv.5

Order Resistance Lv.8 > Lv.14

Order Rejection Lv.4 > Lv.7

Obstinance: Compromising > Impartial

Summoner Rank: Novice Lv.25 > Lv.26

Auto-Color Lv.20 > Lv.24

Evoke Lv.31 > Lv.32

Runic Artist Lv.4 > Lv.9

Ambidextral Mastery Lv.18 > Lv.19

Health Factory Lv.1 > Lv.3

Poison Eater Lv.12 > Lv.14

Frostbite Lv.10 > Lv.15

Toxic Imbuement Lv.7 > Lv.10

Potently Toxic Lv.7 > Lv.9

Bug Bite Lv.6 > Lv.8

DEMON GROWTH SYSTEM

True Name: ******a ***** | Alias: Gelic | Species: Pestilent Puck | Cult: Zebub

Demon Rank: Puck Lv.26 / 30 | Essence: 1,973 / 1,785 | GP: 6 + 3 Worth GP

Summoner Rank: Novice Lv.26 / 30 | Experience: 15%

Health: 91% | MP: 2,033 / 2,469

Worth

Might: Sharp

Vigor: Firm

Competence: Shrewd

Lucidity: Keen

Obstinance: Impartial

Beguilement: Appealing

Creativity: Inspiring

Malice: Willing

Attunements

Glacial: Intertwined

Famine: Embraced

Destruction: Intertwined

Fabrication: Intertwined

Gnostic: Intertwined

Pestilence: Symbiotic

Fraud: Intertwined

Suffering: Embraced

Balletic: Intertwined

Inferno: Embraced

Oppression: Touched

Pedant: Embraced

Pride: Embraced

Egoism: Embraced

Conductive: Aware

Thalassic: Aware

Active Skills

Passive Skills

Hybrid Skills

Combo Skills

Summoner Skills

Traits

Runes

Secrets

Achievements (26)