Failed potion, Lusted demon (English version)

Chapter 2

Quarter to eight. Everything in place.

I don't know exactly when the demon will show its hairy snout.

Unfortunately, I wasn't given this information when I received the ephemeral message reminding me of the contract deadline at the beginning of the week. It was transmitted to me by means of a creepy, vaporous shape that appeared in a mirror, while I was busy combing my messy blonde hair. I just missed ending up one-eyed...

The voice from beyond the grave that matched this nightmarish apparition simply said "In three days, he'll come for you. Twilight will signal the end of your existence". After which, the spectral messenger returned to limbo.

I should probably count myself lucky to have at least a vague idea of what time of day Cobel plans to show up. The wait has been stressful enough as it is without having to stand in line at first light, nerves frayed from flinching at every whistle of air nearby.

It's the middle of June. The sun sets at eight o'clock at this time of year. The end is near.

His, not mine.

The metamorphosis potion is hidden in my sleeve. As soon as the monster appears, I explode the vial at his feet.

I've carefully prepared it forty-eight hours in advance. Not too early, so as not to impair its effectiveness, nor too late, in case this vile character decides to make his entrance earlier than planned.

In principle, metamorphosis potions can be cast up to eight days after their creation, but one can never be too careful.

The serious advantage that prompted me to opt for this solution is that, unless a counter-spell is concocted, the effect lasts ad vitam aeternam.

I had already tested its effectiveness on an old pervert in my third year of practice. The last time I checked on him, the wretch was still busy swallowing flies in a damp corner of my cellar.

I only regret not having had enough toad slime in my possession to try my hand at the spell more recently.

In any case, I didn't necessarily have any test subject on hand - I couldn't count on the old pervert to help me with that, since a metamorphosis victim can't undergo a second one...

No problem, I encouraged myself. I'm confident in my skills. I've had ample opportunity to prove myself and I've been preparing for this day for years.

Cobel certainly can't say the same. Demons are reputedly indestructible: they're almost impossible to kill and not easy to control. In view of this, he must consider himself beyond their reach.

I went through my grimoire in great detail to find the loophole that would enable me to resist him.

At first glance, the spells contained in the book seemed rather benign and not really useful in this respect: love filter - I don't want to get him too hooked on me... You have to see the beast -; truth serum - so he can tell me how much he'd like to suck out my soul, no thanks -; invisibility potion - it might have come in handy, but it only lasts a handful of minutes, too little to escape an opponent with supernatural abilities...

After projecting each of the options available to me one after the other, my choice finally fell on a good old metamorphosis spell, probably the nastiest in my grimoire - I imagine that, as a good infernal pactizer, it wasn't in Cobel's interest to hand me a book containing formulas that could really harm his species.

Let's see what you say about that!

By transforming this sinister demon into a cute little harmless frog, he shouldn't be able to lift me all the way to hell.