“You may take short breaks as needed, but keep a consistent pace until the work on all three chapters is fully completed.” Angelica was sure to add that little caveat to her command. If it really came down to it, she now knew how to cancel the order, just having to say her name again with her wishes. That caveat was nice, in a way, almost like a verification that she really wanted to stop or couldn’t keep going, a moment of reflection.
[Order accepted without resistance | Current Contract: Draw 3 chapters]
Her hands got to work right away, opening a new file on her computer and grabbing her drawing tablet all on their own. They then got to sketching immediately, bringing the first page of her next chapter to life just as she’d imagined it. The quick progress was astounding. Normally, she’d pause between brush strokes, really have to ponder her next move, but now it was all instinctual, flowing in an order that just felt right without stopping.
Merlina’s Boutique typically consisted of fairly short chapters, just enough pages for a single amusing scene to take place, a small story to unfold. And the art for them was nothing complex, simpler sketches with rudimentary colors and shading, far less detail than she’d put forth in any high-paying commission. And she used plenty of details to speed up the process. Repeated backgrounds every so often when she could get away with it, along with effects she’d drawn previously that could be used on repeat.
If she were to ever publish it properly, she would likely redo the whole thing from scratch, but with the self-imposed serialization schedule she’d inflicted upon herself, that was the limit of how far she could take them. While she still loved it in its current form, giving all of herself, all of her time for the better part of a year to its creation, with this new power of forced motivation and guidance, maybe she could finally take it to the next level.
Unfortunately, the process wasn’t fully automatic. Angelica tested both closing her eyes and glancing away. In either instance, the work continued, but the quality would drop dramatically, the same as drawing manually with her eyes closed. So at the very least, she still needed to look and pay attention. There went her plans of catching up on subtitled shows and movies. Wait, with Tongues, would she still need subtitles? Worth testing. At the very least, she could still stick with music or shows with no real plot.
The problem now, though, was that since she’d given herself a Named Order, she couldn’t stop for a moment to turn something on. It would have to wait for a “break.” The Summoner probably should have been a bit more specific for what “as needed” meant, but whatever it was, she definitely didn’t qualify for it yet, her body refusing the notion. However, she also didn’t really feel the need to redact or cancel it yet. Watching the work come to life before her eyes was all the entertainment she presently needed.
That break did come eventually. Right after she finished the first chapter, the “Demon” noticed her hold over herself weaken, allowing her to take free action again. At the same time, it also felt like a clock was ticking in her ears, letting her know that the respite wouldn’t be long, even if there was no proper timer.
She took the opportunity and went to the bathroom, then reheated a small bowl of her leftover takeout, pulling up a show to watch as she scarfed it down. Angelica would also need to do proper grocery shopping very soon, having planned to do it today, but that wouldn’t be happening now. Since there were still a few cans left of Cherub’s food, it wasn’t as urgent and could wait until tomorrow.
By the time she was done with the last bite, her body was aching, desperate to get back to work. And she went speeding off with the second chapter, completing it almost as quickly as the first. Things got a bit wonky with the third, however, which she started after feeding an impatient and endlessly meowing Cherub. While there were minor details she’d want to improve on the first and second, the third was a wholly different beast. Since Angelica hadn’t been thinking that far ahead yet really with her story, there weren’t as many ideas for the chapter to work with. She still had the base structure, but not the wit, the charm, the small details that made the comic her own signature brand of storytelling.
That was reflected on the page. As a chapter, it was fine. Crude, but fine. She could post it if needed, but it would certainly be the weakest one since the launch of her comic. Maybe in the future, it would be better to assign this as an unnamed Contract, that way she could pause and dwell for a bit while also still not really allowed to slack. However, as a baseline, it was still fantastic. Drawing this way took care of the bulk of the effort, and she could go back and revise it to add the extra spice. And just seeing the general ideas in front of her made the additional aspects churn quickly, so she could go back and add them right away.
Which she did, and as the new ideas flowed from her, she was hit with another burst of inspiration. Literally.
[Hybrid Skill: Inspiration Lv.1 unlocked]
[Creativity Increased]
[You feel inspired. Act quickly before it runs out!]
The system didn’t need to tell her twice. Art flowed from her fingers like it never had before. Everything was crisp and concise, perfect lines and details, on a level she hadn’t yet really reached as a creator. After refining the third chapter to more than her expectation, she went back to tidy up the first two, finishing them in no time. All combined, she’d completed the trio faster than she’d normally finish one, and they were all fantastic.
Angelica didn’t stop there, using the still-lingering Inspiration to start on a fourth. But she barely made it halfway before the effect tapered. Her mind suddenly felt heavy and sluggish, almost like a hangover, though not as pounding. Both the skill of Inspiration and her will to continue vaporized. But would it have to?
Hybrid skill? She thought back to that. Did that mean it could be both active and passive. It was worth trying. Activate Inspiration.
[Inspiration activated. MP draining over time]
The wondrous effect filled her brain yet again. She got back to work right away, finishing the page and starting on a second, but then it fizzled out again, and the artist was back to her previous mental block. It hadn’t lasted nearly as long as the first execution. But that wouldn’t matter if she could just use it again. Activate Inspiration.
[Insufficient MP]
Well, that was annoying. Angelica supposed it meant she was out. Hopefully it would come back on its own, that’s what her instincts were telling her, as if it worked like energy and she just needed rest. If not, the system sucked to give her such an amazing power and then make it never work again. However, during that short burst of Inspiration, she had been hit with another:
[Creativity increased]
Glad that she did, because she wasn’t certain she’d heard it right the first time. The aspect definitely stood out compared to the others, especially in a Demon Growth System. Was Creativity valued amongst Demons? Maybe for things like trickery? Well, it certainly suited her. Feel free to bring on all the Creativity improvements!
Perhaps part of why she felt so sluggish now wasn’t just due to the use of Inspiraton. She was just plain tired, understanding why when she looked at the time. Some sort of Fatigue Resistance would be nice, but if she hadn’t obtained it during her trash trial, just being a bit sleepy certainly wouldn’t serve as the trigger. Angelica was ready for bed. However, there was a bit of a problem.
Her two bulging bags of laundry were still on her bed. That had been on purpose to force her to deal with them, but now of course she was cursing her past self. “Angelica, properly fold and put away all the laundry on your bed.” The tired woman’s body got to work, not even registering her lethargy. It’s why she’d gone with Named again, because she knew she’d just try to fight against it otherwise. Definitely the right choice, but she still regretted it a bit while on the verge of falling asleep while held captive by the work.
And unfortunately, the process took longer than expected. Apparently “properly” meant “perfectly” to her mind. Each piece of clothing had to be folded without blemish, as if she was going to put them for sale in a boutique. Thankfully, it didn’t force her to correct anything that was wrinkled, probably because she didn’t own an iron. She was also glad that she’d specified on her bed, because she wouldn’t be surprised if it counted some garment that was hidden somewhere throughout the apartment she didn’t know about.
Eventually, her dresser was stuffed, likely the first time it had been actually used to its full potential since she’d moved in. Admittedly, the organization felt a little good, but she was ready for bed.
One more message before she could fall asleep, though:
[Summoner Rank: Initiate Lv.5]
Angelica hadn’t heard about that since the trash-collecting Contract ended, having largely ignored it at the time and honestly forgotten about it since because it hadn’t popped up again. It had reached level 4 then, right? Then why was it only hitting 5 now? She’d given herself plenty of Orders throughout the day, completing a good chunk of Contracts.
Did leveling up then have to do with the difficulty of the Contract? Surely laundry wouldn’t have been more complicated than the chapters she’d drawn. Perhaps it all pooled together and the levels came when enough had been done? That sounded reasonable since it’s how she assumed the Skill levels worked. So if she wanted to improve as a Summoner, she’d need to keep giving herself orders, the more complicated the better.
But what exactly did that benefit? Were there Summoner-exclusive Skills? Wait, why was the Summoner aspect even part of the Demon Growth System? Had it just been integrated because of some fluke? Was there a separate Summoner Growth System? Angelica couldn’t think about it anymore and collapsed into bed, falling asleep quickly while Cherub hesitantly curled up against her feet.
She had a bit of a tougher time resting through the night, however.
“Come to me, hellspawn!”
It was a rough batch of dreams.
“Obey my command!”
They were all about Demons and Summoning.
“I need to save them, even if it means relying on a Demon!”
Summoning herself, being summoned by others, forced into Contracts against her will, having to carry out dubious Orders. So many calls, so many requests. They beckoned her to fulfill their wishes, promising rewards and riches in return. It felt like some carnal instinct wanted to accept, to lean into the life of a Demon, but she somehow mentally refused them all. Eventually, she woke up groggily looking at the sun out her window. Instead of getting up, though, she rolled over and returned to sleep, enjoying more tranquil dreams this time. Mostly…
“Do my bidding, Imp!”