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

Chapter 1614 Just a Few Quick Thoughts Really

--- Kat ---

The group landed softly on the ground near the hatch. It was… odd. Kat had spread her aura over the treants as a bit of a test and they almost seemed to drink it in. Unlike Meg who it simply bounced off of, especially as Kat wasnʼt pressing, and Lily who it seemed to naturally flow through the treants seemed to gleefully take in the external sense of calm. Kat mentioned as such.

”I imagine itʼs because treants are naturally in tune with nature… and this place isnʼt all that natural. Sure itʼs a nice walled garden but it likely feels quite wrong to a treants senses. I hadnʼt thought of it properly before… now that youʼve brought it to my attention though? It seems obvious as to why they are on such a hair trigger.

”They have this tiny patch of forest, trapped in this walled garden. The forest canʼt really grow outwards because theyʼd need to destroy the vines and things attached to the walls… something the treants canʼt do. Instead they just… exist in this small fishbowl thatʼs lightly torturing them,” explained Meg.

”Should we… maybe break a wall or two then?” asked Kat.

”Oh no, not at all theyʼd probably still attempt to kill us for trying to help. They arenʼt smart enough to understand long term consequences. All instincts you know? They might be taking in your aura for the moment but I have no idea how calm theyʼll remain if we push their buttons.

The fact that weʼre walking over the grass at the moment and theyʼre so fine with it is probably the best weʼll get,” said Meg.

”Wouldnʼt that be because grass used to being trampled? Not just by humans but by well… everything treants included?” asked Kat.

Meg shrugged, treants really werenʼt all that common on the missions she took. Her training meant she knew a great deal, but it was all general knowledge alongside tips and tricks of how to pick out what sort of treant you were up against. Meg… hadnʼt been all that interested in those parts. They were either targets, or they werenʼt.

The slight variations and likely behaviours in fringe scenarios was unlikely to help her on a hunt. Not often enough to be worth looking into, not when there were so many other monsters to research as well.

Kat hopped down into the hatch, with Meg following closely behind. ”So… where are we going?”

”All the way to the bottom. Now that the people here know we exist we can just use the second elevator on the bottom floor,” answered Meg.

Kat nodded, that was perfectly reasonable so she simply climbed down at a normal pace. Meg was a touch annoyed with this and simply jumped the rest of the way down hopping from wall to wall and slowing her speed to ensure she didnʼt crush the top of the elevator upon landing, leaving the hatch open for Kat.

From there, every step of the way? Meg was waiting at the correct corner to ensure Kat knew where she needed to go but waited not a moment longer. *She does realise that this isnʼt exactly speeding things up? Is she doing this so she can mysteriously vanish around corners? Or does she actually think this is faster?*

[Gonna guess sheʼs just messing with us. If Meg was actually annoyed or trying to get us moving faster sheʼd say something. Maybe make some threatening gestures. As it stands? Sheʼs just moving a bit ahead of us. Though why ARE we moving so slowly?]

*Because I donʼt really know what to expect? Kamiko sent us the full story of what theyʼve been up to but that hardly compares to seeing the people that still live here. Iʼm trying to work out how I want to act? Do I try and stay aloof? Do I chat like normal?*

[Arenʼt you overthinking this? Shouldnʼt you just act natural?]

*Yeah maybe… but I donʼt want to get caught up in this whole mess any more than necessary. I do NOT have the political grounding to understand the shitshow this is going to cause. I know just enough to be certain that things will be rocky… but I also understand that being ʼtrappedʼ in a gilded cage for the rest of your life isnʼt something to look forward to.

So… yeah itʼs hard, even before you get into the people in cryo-pods.*

[Ah…]

*Yup. Thatʼs not even getting into whatever things Meg has said here. Not saying sheʼd lie, or that she even cares enough to cause real problems… but I can see her misleading people for the heck of it and if we contradict something well… maybe weʼre the oneʼs doing the misleading?

Honestly what I want most is to talk to Kamiko and get the full story but I donʼt know if pulling her away is a good idea. Certainly leaving everyone else alone with Hunter and Meg for company seems like a poor choice.*

[Bowerʼs there as well.]

*Oh right. He… has sort of just faded into the background now that the drakeʼs gone. I suppose he doesnʼt quite have as strong a presence as the rest of the group huh? I wonder if thatʼs intentional. *

[I think itʼs… well I want to ʼunintentionalʼ but more realistically something he learned first on the battlefield and then later as a hunter. I doubt itʼs good to stand out too much in the army. The tallest nails get hammered down first or something like that. Once he took up hunting I imagine it was something that he later refined to hide from monsters in the woods.

Not sure he even notices he does it now. Itʼs not like heʼs afraid to speak up but… yeah when he doesnʼt need to he fades into the background well. Hunter does the same thing, but I think we naturally pay her more attention.]

*Do you think itʼs because sheʼs a demon?*

[Hmm?]

*I mean… Iʼm wondering if we pay Hunter more attention because sheʼs a demon, either for positive or negative reasons. Do we do that because she feels more like a peer?*

[I think youʼre worrying over nothing. Weʼve spent a lot more time with Hunter then we have with Bower… and now sheʼs even more important because keeping an eye on her means keeping an eye on Meg too in a way. Sheʼs been arguably the most important member of the team for the entire mission. The only person you pay more attention to is ME.

Which, while flattering is understandable because I do the same in reverse and Iʼm quite certain Iʼm not a demon.]

Kat nodded once Meg vanished around the corner again. Meg was now taking to making silly hand gestures for a moment before she did, but Kat had no clue if any of them meant anything. It was… odd seeing Meg so playful.

*Is she just happen weʼre nearly back to Hunter?*

[Iʼve decided itʼs best to just not think about it.]

Kat agreed as they arrived at the elevator. Meg called it up and Kat strode in. Lily was of course still resting in her cleavage and felt no desire to do any walking herself for the time being. Once the elevator started to move Kat felt her thoughts starting to drift again. Theyʼd been doing that a lot since she met Meg again.

Kat let out a quiet sigh. Back when it was just Lily and her Kat found it easy to just… be. Oh sure her thoughts wandered around a bit but they never lingered on the heavier topics. Now Kat was already worrying about accidentally causing perhaps generations of issues for people that had been living in isolation.

[Seems itʼs your turn to overthink everything.]

*Your plan is just pretend to be a cat the entire time.*

[Yeah? And? It nicely avoids all of the issues youʼre worried about. If they come to ask for advice from a CAT? Then that means theyʼre crazy and I canʼt possibly make things worse.]

*Counterpoint? Theyʼve probably never seen a real cat before. They might think youʼre actually a font of wisdom or some magical beast. Theyʼll definitely think youʼre adorable and I can see a whole bunch of them trying to pet you.*

Lily shivered as she imagined a dozen random people all trying to come up to her and pet her. Likely with know idea of HOW to properly pet a cat as well. Lily knew sheʼd not be happy with them if they tried pulling at her fur… and even if they didnʼt just normal pets might be enough for her to automatically retaliate with trying to scratch out their eyes.

[Ah… yeah ok that might be an issue. Iʼll just stay here then.]

*Between my boobs?*

[Yup. Itʼs nice and comfy here. Like two warm pillows.]

*Iʼm glad youʼre getting more comfortable talking about that sort of stuff then.*

Lily wouldʼve blushed as the implications settled in… but she quickly pushed them aside. [Nope. Not going to end up a mess. Your boobs are comfortable and that is a truth of the universe! I need not be ashamed for uncovering this fact!]