D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

— Kat —

A door swung open in the floor and Thyme strode out back onto stage as the sound dampening walls fell. “Welcome back everyone! Feel free to keep snacking if you want, I won’t be offended…” Thyme glanced at the dwarven team and noted that they’d eaten all of the food. Thyme let their gaze linger for a slightly awkward amount of time before clicking their fingers and summoning more. “Right.

“The number one thing that you all seemed to have questions about is the familiars. So many of you had so many questions you want to ask about them… so I guess I’ll start with that instead of my other plans,” Thyme waited for a moment to ensure that everyone had their attention facing the stage, including the familiars. “Seeing the issues they’re introduction caused in the past rounds… I’ve instead cooked up an interesting choice for you all.

“The first is to take your familiar along with you. A simple choice on the surface… but the second option is…” Thyme pulled a little Timmy up from the ground. Thyme was holding it by the back of its shirt and it was wiggling around as if it was annoyed by the action. “A Timmy! Now, they’re fast, strong, nearly indestructible… so what’s the catch?

“The catch is that they won’t help you fight and won’t directly help you with challenges. Yes, indirect help is perfectly fine. They also need direct and clear instructions. They default to just following you around but if you ask them to run in a direction? They will keep running in that direction without stopping until they hit the challenge area boundary and are put in time out. So do be very careful what you try to ask them to do, and probably put a time limit on any orders just in case… but of course speaking your orders allowed takes up precious moments doesn’t it?”

Thyme paused for a moment. “Alright yes I will take questions about the familiar thing. Most of the important stuff is out of the way and while I do have things to cover we can weave in a few questions as well,”

A dozen hands immediately went up, though nobody on Kat’s team had done so. *I mean… I don’t have much to ask. I’m planning to take you along regardless. Unless you don’t want to join me?*

[Don’t be silly I’d much prefer coming along.] Kat nodded as Thyme pointed to Crocus and Pansy, seemingly deliberately pointed to the gap between the two. Crocus was the one to speak up, “Um… so how are the familiars treated from a medical standpoint?”

“Familiars are treated with similar rules, and technically Timmys operate the same way but I doubt they can be properly harmed. Familiars will be taken in and healed, and then held for twice the length of your normal stay in medical… or until you enter and return from medical yourself,”

“Why the difference?” asked Pansy.

“It’s essentially to stop you using your familiars as potentially disposable pieces for dangerous challenges,” answered Thyme as both Pansy and Crocus glared back at Thyme offended by the insinuation. Thyme shrugged back at them. “It’s simply the rules. When planning them out we didn’t want familiar owners to be unnecessarily punished when they’re taken out together with their familiar… but also not simply allowed to leverage their swifter return times to act like they have two lives,”

Pansy nodded with a frown on her face but didn’t argue any further. Ash started to wave her hand a bit, and Thyme glanced over. “Is your question a follow up to this one?” Ash nodded. “Alright then go ahead,”

“I’m wondering where our familiars will be returned, I’m also wondering what rules there are for sending them to medical without them getting… quite so hurt. Or like… what happens if they get restrained? Does that still send them to medical? Oh and what happens if we get taken out but they don’t?”

Thyme nodded, “Familiars will be returned to you directly if you’re still out on the field or returned with you if you’re both in medical. Familiars can be restrained for any amount of time and won’t be automatically sent to medical but their partners can shout ‘FAMILIAR MEDICAL’ or ‘MEDICAL FAMILIAR’ to have them sent there right in that moment.

“Oh, and just ‘MEDICAL’ will send you both along, same with you getting eliminated. Familiars won’t be hanging around by themselves for a number of reasons. If you’re both in battle and your familiar is still healthy, I am willing to give a thirty second grace period for them to avenge you, but that’s only if they’re healthy and only if you’re in combat,”

Ash nodded alongside Thyme’s answers and when it was clear he was finished sort of leant back in her chair. Thyme glanced around and saw there were still quite a few hands, so Thyme picked Strigor next. “If we take a Timmy can we hand them weapons to throw us during combat? And can we hand them those fancy bracelets that store our stuff?”

“No, and no,” said Thyme with a shake of their head. “Once you enter combat Timmy’s will finish your last command, if you have one, and then just stand to the side. They won’t help at all during combat. As for the bracelet, I’m afraid those will be stuck around your wrist intentionally, as you can’t take them off you can’t hand them over… but a backpack full of separate equipment won’t even slow a Timmy down,”

Strigor didn’t seem entirely pleased with the answer but there was no follow up so Thyme pointed to Souris next. “Um… you mentioned something about a boundary? It’s not really a question about familiars but…”

Thyme nodded, “Sure I can address that now. Once you’re on the island you won’t be allowed to leave the marked area. The marked area is a big fog back that will go up on the ocean surrounding the island. No, swimming underneath won’t work. The fog will rapidly drain the charge from your bracelets at a rate of about half an hour every second so if you really must duck inside for one reason or another it is technically possible but it is not practical long term,”

Souris raised her hand again and Thyme gave her a go ahead gesture. “And how does that relate to familiars?”

“If a familiar is touching the mist, or underneath the water blow the mist you’ll experience a similar drain. If it’s a Timmy instead they’ll simply be sent straight to medical. This is more a safety for you to prevent a Timmy just hanging out in the mist because you sent them running off or something,” answered Thyme.

Cleavor was pointed out next. “Is there anything worth grabbing in the mists?”

Thyme just shrugged. “I’m answering rule questions and clarifications. There are no rules preventing me from putting stuff in the mist but that doesn’t mean I bothered. I will however make it clear that no, there is nothing PAST the mist. If you’re somehow fast enough to exit out the other side of the fog bank you will be immediately eliminated so don’t try,”

*What do you think?*

[I’d be willing to be there’s at least one secret hidden in the mist, probably a key or a chest. There will also be some sort of indication of where in the mist because you do NOT get a lot of time inside. If I had to guess you’re probably meant to get like… a boat or maybe a net or something to reach in and grab it without lingering too long.]

*Yeah that makes sense. It’d have to be something good because most people can’t fly like I can and swimming faster gets really hard, really fast. It’d cost a normal person at least… what twenty seconds at the lowest? That’s TEN HOURS of time. Though I suppose we don’t know how valuable that is yet.*

Thyme nominated Gardor to speak next. “Is there a lower limit to how deep we can go?”

“Theoretically no, there’s no rules against digging as deep as you want but practically the island was designed with a layer of exceptionally hard metal and stone in a thick layer a certain distance down. You’re allowed to dig deeper then that but you won’t find anything below it,” said Thyme.

Most people had lowered their hands but Nixilei had raised hers right after Thyme gave the answer so they asked, “Is your question a follow up?”

“Sort of?” offered Nixilei. Thyme gave the go ahead in response. “Will we need to dig around for secrets and stuff?”

Thyme scratched the side of their face for a few moments. “That’s on the border of what I’m willing to answer… hmm… hmm… I will say that digging randomly is never the only answer but that it might work. That’s the best you’re going to get,”

[So digging is probably involved in a task or two but it’s going to be somewhat hinted at that it’s required at least.]

*Yeah makes sense.*