Pacter
Story by Isaac Cahn on SoFurry
hey guys another writing challenge is here. so last night (or two night ago i can't recall) we were talking in the writing group. one thing let to another and modern D&D happened then we talked about Warlock and said "why not have an app for people who are looking to sign a contract to an other worldly being" at the time i was more or less joking but the one in charge of making the prompts went "that is a good idea" and it lead to this. full disclose i never been on a dating app, i have seen videos on how they work so i am going off that but yeah. Also while writing it immediatly lost focus so instead of trying to put it back on track i went f it and allowed the madness to spread.
This Week's Writing Challenge: "a 'dating app' that connects would-be worshippers with dark, eldritch powers from which to choose to serve'
I hit the last page of my search results. I groan. Fuck. I put my hands into my hands and just rubbed my face. Why is finding this stuff so hard?
I hear my dorm room door open up. I turn to see my roommate, Donney, holding some fast food again. “Hey,” he said putting the food on the table, “how's the search going?”
I groan. “Not going good. I’ve been trying to find something more concrete but nothing i found seems credible. They either give me completely different info about the place or the authors themselves are just frauds.`` I sigh. I can feel a headache start to form.
“Why not take a break for now? I brought you some Wendy’s.”
“All right,” I closed my laptop and sat at the table with Donney, “so which is mine?”
Donney reached into the bag and handed me my burger. “Your useral.”
I take the burger and unwrapped it, “thanks, how much do i owe you for?”
“Its fine,” Donney walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a couple cans of Coke, “parents were happy with my latest test scores so they sent over a bit more money than usual. This is just my way for paying you back with all that studying you helped me with.” He then tossed one of the cans towards me.
I try to catch it but missed. It hit the corner of the table and got punctured. Diet Coke started to spray onto me. “Shit,” I reached out and covered the hole with my hand.
Donney let out a chuckle. “Today is not your day it seems.”
“You're telling me,” I carry the punctured can into the adjacent bathroom and drop it into the sink. A carbonated stream shoots out of the can with a hissing sound and hits the mirror. I grabbed the hand towel and started to dry my face off.
I walk back into the room and I see another coke can by my burger. Donney started with his food. “So what made you decide to look into the culture of Demons anyway?”
I sat at the table, “wanted an interesting topic for my project. Ms. Balera said no one actually did an anthropology report on Demons so she gave me a go ahead.” I take a big bite out of my burger.
“With your lack of proper results, we can probably guess why no one did it before.”
I nodded my head and swallowed. “While it is not completely false. I did find some good results but every one of them contradicted another report in a different way. Some reports said the climate there was closer to a desert while another said it was a tundra like, and these are the ones from the reliable scientists.”
“I see.” Danney started to drink his Coke.
“Even if we consider the Demons World ‘Hell’ it still feels like i am basically grasping at straws trying to find any concrete personal info about life there.”
“So what now? Are you planning to change your topic?”
“No,” I sigh, “in fact this lack of knowledge of the place is actually more interesting than anything we can find in our world.”
“I see.”
“I just wish there is a way to find more concrete info i can use.” I take another bite of my burger.
“Like what?”
I thought for a moment, “well, one idea is if i can get research from that side over here.”
“You would trust a demon’s research over a human?”
“Yep,” I sipped my coke. “They live in that world, they should know how it works more then any human can.
Danney inhaled deeply, “I am going to regret saying this, but have you heard of Pacter?”
“Pacter? No, I don't think I have.”
“ it is basically Tinder for extra dimensional beings. Heard you can find demons on it looking for someone to make a pact with.”
“Interesting,” I opened the app store and typed in the apps name. Surprisingly it's a real app. I download it to my phone.
“Wait are you seriously downloading it now, Sal?”
“Yeah, you told me about the app. Why shouldn’t I download it?”
“I didn’t think you would just do it!”
“Look, if it makes you feel better, I am not going to summon these guys immediately. It’s illegal for me to summon them without the license but not to talk to them. At the very least we are safe.`` I take another bite of my burger.
Donney just had a tired look on his face, “sometimes i think you are the smartest and dumbest person i know.”
I get a notification on my phone that the app has finished installing. I open the app and see the logo. Pacter, find your sugar being. Odd marketing but okay. I immediately get taken to a screen to make an account. I started to put in my info.
Donney groaned, “why are you like this?”
“Look, I'll be fine. I am not going to summon someone without telling you first or a professor.” For an icon, I opened my gallery and put in the most recent pic of me I had. Wasn't my best pic of me but i doubt they wouldn’t mind. Before I finished, it asked me if i was a Pacter, someone looking for a being for power, or a Contractor, looking for a minion to empower. I clicked Pacter and was finished with the account making. Multiple Icons started to fill my screen of potential Contractors looking for a human.
I hear Donney sigh again. I feel him move over my shoulder looking at all the images before me, “so how you want to--” I get a notification that someone matched with me. “Already?”
I tap on the Icon. “says its name is...uh how do you pronounce it?”
“I am too scared to try.”
The pic was a pile of flesh, or goop, with tentacles sticking out of it. “Definitely Eldritch, I'll tell it I’m not interested.”
It sends me a message. Give onto me your flesh so that you may bear my children in the name of the Great Ones.
Not interested. I replied before blocking it. “Maybe there is an option where i can limit who matches with me.” I go to the setting and mess around a bit. “Hey Donney, can you look online and see if there is a way so only a certain group can find me on Pacter. I don’t want Eldritch beings matching with me again.”
Donney sighs and looks up my question online.
As I continue replaying not interested to all the Eldritch beasts asking for my flesh and body, I match with a fish person with a familiar name. “Oh I'm surprised to see someone I know on here.”
“Who?” Donney asked.
“A guy I knew in highschool. We kind of feel out of touch after graduation since he had to move. He was sort of the middle of transition when he left.” I messaged him. Hey Conrad.
Sal? He responded.
Yep, from HS how's it going for you?
Oh man, i cant believe its you what are you doing on here?
Looking for Demons to talk to. You?
Looking for some hosts to bear my children.
Neat. nice pic by the way.
Really? Thanks it took hours to really sell the sexulized fish person on here.
Does it work?
You’ll be surprised. I see you are in the area, want to hang out again? I can’t say human words anymore, but I have been learning ASL. I even have an electronic voice I can use.
Can’t. Trying to find a demon for a project I need to do for college. I’ll contact you if I get some more free time.
Send me a line when you do.
Will do. I close the chat, “that was fun chat. Now back to looking for demons.” I received another message. From another Eldritch beast. This is getting old. “Hey Donney were you able to find something?”
“Oh yeah, you can limit where you show up in the settings. Go to showing and you should stop from showing up for non demons.”
“Okay,” I got another message. Against my better judgement I open the message and see I have received a video. It plays on its own. In the video was a naked man laying on the Eldritch Beast. Tentacle slowly caressed the man's naked body slowly. The man would move and change positions but he will always be covered in tentacles. The scene changes and the man is now gone. Something was coming out of the beasts. I realized what it was immediately. The screen fades to black. Words appear. This can be you.
“Nope nope nope nope nope nope,” i immediately block him and close the app.
“What's wrong?”
“An Eldritch horror just sent me a video of molesting a man and then showed me its dick.”
“What the fuck?”
“I know!” I go over to my bed and collapse. “I’m just going to call its quits for now and try again on another day.”