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

--- Kat ---

"So what’s the verdict?" asked Kat as she kept her wingbeats to a steady rythm. She’d flown around a good distance with Hunter blowing away the clouds every now and again so they could take in a bunch of info. They’d seen a number of small villages… though really they were closer to outposts then anything else. They tended to have one major building and only sometimes had anything else.

Most of those outposts were mines by the looks of things, with a large building that was probably a bunkhouse. Many of them were similarly cut off from things though based on the sleds she could see moving around if she enhanced her eyes they were more able to move around then the merchants they’d left on the ground. Read new chapters at empire

Other places looked to be mushroom plantations. It seemed like other than mining mushrooms were actually a major export for the area. Which made sense when they were so large. Kat wasn’t sure how much they sold for, but the mushrooms seemed to grow quite easily all over the mountain as long as it was cold enough for them. It made Kat wonder if it was worth trying them… or if the mushrooms were used for something other than food considering their size.

"Clearing the way would be the work of days and I suspect Meg won’t go for it," admitted Hunter.

"Not exactly what I want to hear… but I’m not exactly able to help them unless I pick up a shovel. I assume if you and Meg did help it would be by burning away the ice?" asked Kat.

"Yes but you must understand, while our flames are hot we would need to apply a considerable amount of extra demonic energy to not just melt the snow but also burn away the resulting water. There is quite a lot of ’trapped’ water just lying across the road and the damage we would cause by turning it into a flood instead of letting it melt naturally would be devastating.

"Already the damage is quite great, and the ecosystem will need to shift to accommodate the moving of the snow… but it is a regular seasonal thing that I am sure the place has gotten used to over the years."

Kat sighed, "So no chance of freezing an ice bridge for everyone to use or like ice boats?"

Hunter pondered Kat’s question for a few moments before instead asking, "I am assuming that’s what you would do if you didn’t have Meg and I around correct?"

Kat shrugged, a hard motion to perform with Hunter wrapped around her. "Probably yeah? I mean… I’m not sure I would’ve stopped because I can fly and probably would’ve just carried Kamiko if I knew I could… but assuming we took the road? Yes I think I’d have attempted to help, and ice construction seems to be the best way I can think of at the moment. I’m not sure how long I’d spend thinking about it either…"

"You feel unease at the fact we are likely not to help these people? They are not injured, and they shall not starve. Simply waiting will likely see them freed. The ice may not soon melt but the river will return to normal in a few days, five at most. If something truly exceptional happens and the river fails to recede then it is likely warm enough for the road to be cleared. So why worry?" asked Hunter, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"I… I don’t know if it’s just because you’ve been doing this for a lot longer then I have… or maybe it’s a different in how we grew up? Or just who we are as people but… I’ve always helped up with the little things. I watched over kids at the orphanage I grew up in all the time.

"So I guess I carried a lot of that attitude with me on quests, and I still do. I find it… perhaps not hard to say no. If I’m truly busy or I need to do something more important I can say no. I had to learn that skill looking after countless children as they came and went… but at the same time I WANT to help. So if I can I do," explained Kat.

"One could argue that the fate of the world is at stake and nobody here is likely to perish due to your inaction should you ignore their plight," stated Hunter.

"One could indeed say that but we’ve also been over just how much time we’ve already brought this world. Sure I’m not saying we give up or dally for long… but helping people that are right there? Something just… calls to me. Something tells me I need to help out I guess," explained Kat with a sigh.

"I rarely feel that pull myself. I can understand to a degree, I did argue for assisting the dragonkin trapped with in the mist dome… but such situations do not come up regularly. They truly needed help in a way that only I could provide and they were very much in the way. Additionally, the last drake piece was not moving when that decision was made," stated Hunter.

Kat let that thought sink in for a few moments. "Do you think you would’ve done anything differently if the piece was already moving?"

Hunter nodded, "Indeed. Though how things would’ve changed I am unsure. Meg needed to destroy both the piece inside the dome and the one you were watching over to ensure that the world would have ample time without the drake. Before that moment it was potentially a much more pressing issue.

"In the event I was rushed… I likely would’ve set a time limit. One or two days and we would leave. They could leave or stay as they desired but we would leave on whatever date we had chosen. Meg would likely convince me that if I was helping them I should generously give them extra time, four or five days, maybe six. Whatever she felt comfortable offering with her knowledge of the drake and its weaknesses,"

"So you wouldn’t have left them behind?" asked Kat, a touch surprised.

Hunter tasted the air, using that as an excuse to push her answer back a bit further as they glided over a particularly dense section of mushroom forest. The ’trees’ here were all rather small as they crowded each other out and fought for resources. Or maybe they shared it all very equally? Kat didn’t know.

"I suspect not. They are… were… trapped in a way I find particularly objectionable. If time was truly pressing I would’ve attempted to come back at the end of the mission, perhaps personally to ensure that they had a chance to leave. Yes, yes I think that’s what I would do had I been exceptionally pressed for time.

"I would tell them I could lead them to freedom, or at least a good chunk of the way if they prepared themselves for my return. Give them a rough estimate based on Meg’s guesses combined with my own, and then left without giving them too long to argue about it in my presence,"

Kat nodded as she started to turn around. "So… I guess it’s time to go back to camp and relay the bad news then? It’s nearly impossible to see where we came from even with the clouds removed,"

"Yes, though if it really bothers you so I could be convinced to argue your case and allow you to do something…" asked Hunter.

Kat pressed her lips into a thin line. "Why… why don’t you think my ice constructions would be enough? You didn’t really answer earlier when I asked the first time,"

"The bridge idea is doomed. You would need to make a particularly large singular patch of ice all at once with your energy or control the river with your alternate form and you simply do not have the practice. You likely have the reserves for the task, should you perform with proper control… something you lack," explained Hunter. Kat winced, "I mean this not as a slight. Most demons never bother… but for such extreme and somewhat delicate work it would be necessary,"

"It’s fine. The boats?" sighed Kat.

"The boats would likely be pulled downriver unless you specifically ferried them across yourself. Flying all the way, or convinced Meg and Kamiko to help manually pull them across. You’d need to keep each boat intact and in the end it would likely be faster to just jump back and forth one at time. The carts would equally likely to survive because you can just put them in your ring," explained Hunter.

"What the ring works on things that large?" asked Kat.

Hunter thought for a few moments. "Probably? The upper limit isn’t endless, and the carts are likely on the higher end of things but they are mostly mundane constructions and not all that special which helps,"

"And… we can’t just jump everyone across?" asked Kat.

Hunter sighed, "They clearly are more interested in heading deeper. We could help them… but it’s not truly help most of them want. Many may even reject the offer. Would you be happy helping only half? Or perhaps less then that?" Kat frowned, and had no immediate answer for that.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!