The Occult's Caretaker

18. The Earth Demon

A few weeks had passed since the water maiden and cult incidents and I had just remembered...

"I didn't get paid!!!", I screamed in an outburst.

Rolling in my bed before falling asleep, the realization had hit me.

"Boooo!"

I was so upset. Well, I couldn't be too upset, I got a beast egg at least... And a pig, but I can't buy anything with that!

Not only that, but with all the crises happening, everyone, including myself, forgot about my birthday! Not by a few days, but by months! Whole seasons have changed and I unwittingly aged up.

"I should retire... Get a normal paying job", I mumbled to myself.

As I lay in bed, I began to feel eyes on me. I tried my best to ignore it, but the feeling seemed to grow. I finally relented.

"Okay, okay, okay", I growled and opened my eyes.

A large black mass with red glowing eyes stood at the foot of my bed. When I finally sat up, it shrunk into a four-eared cat-like beast.

"A demon familiar?", I said, "You shouldn't be away from your master", I looked at it, confused.

"Unless... Shit!" I jumped up and ran to the closet.

A demon is near town and needs help.

At night, If I'm not already out, I dress as a man, not dissimilar to my brother, I might add. It helps to not be questioned as to why I'm out so late. I rushed to put on the male clothes and a fake mustache, grabbed my medical kit, and ran out the room.

Earth demons are bound to live their lives on the surface world. They cannot enter the Negative world without permission until after death. A demon, if injured, is bad news, it'll attract other demons that want to absorb its life force and power. Stronger demons are no problem as they have a greater consciousness, but lesser demons are brainless and instinct driven. They could go on a rampage in town if they go mad from the sudden increase in power.

The little familiar impatiently circled me as I ran down the hall to my mother's room. I banged on the door as hard as I could.

"Mother! Demon! Mother, wake up! Demon!"

"Goddamn it, child! I heard you the first time!", she said with one eye open, "Go ahead. I'll prepare everything here"

I nodded and ran to the stables to get my horse. When she saw the familiar, she panicked.

"Whoa, Lilith, it's okay, sweetie! He's not going to hurt you", I soothed her angst.

She does fine with most occults, but demons seem to be where she draws the line. Nervously, she stomped around as I attached the wagon to her and set off into the night. The demon cat led the way to the western forest.

Already, signs of demons were in the area, for animals were fleeing and the air was heavy. As I followed, the familiar suddenly hopped into a bush to the left. I yielded and jumped off. Entering the clearing hidden behind the brush, an Earth demon with long, wavy black hair and gold eyes laid against a tree, bleeding profusely. Lesser demons were drawing near, but luckily, this demon still had enough strength to hold up a barrier to keep them at bay. I rushed over to the edge of his barrier and loudly announced myself. If I tried to enter without his permission, I'd disintegrate in a blink of an eye.

"I am the Caretaker Jylan Aniceta, I am here at your request", I stated.

"Jylan...", he looked at me groggily and opened the barrier just enough for me to hop in, then closed it again. "Aren't caretakers only women? What a strange costume... You dress like a man, but smell like a woman", he commented and chuckled in what could only be described as delirium.