D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2186 Appoline Answers A-Questions

Kat found herself subjected to intense questioning. Appoline compelled her to delve deep into her memories, revealing precise details about the encounter, the exact sensation of the burn, the formation of the wound, and about half a dozen other factors like the surrounding temperature, whether she detected the taste of blueberries or other foods. Kat couldn't grasp the relevance of all these inquiries, but Appoline was the acknowledged expert.

Nevertheless, Kat had to continually nudge Appoline to finish her pie. She kept getting sidetracked by her notes and questions, and the pie was certainly cold by the time it was eventually consumed. The other guests were... less engaged, with Hedera appearing particularly concerned at times. This even prompted Hedera to ask, "Do you think... do you think you could survive without your head?"

Kat offered a shrug. "I suppose it hinges on what you mean by 'without' in this context. Could I survive having my head severed? At this point, I'm quite confident the answer is yes. Given how things operate in D.E.M.O.N.S, I'd be sent straight to the hospital, and I'd eventually be alright. The thing is... I imagine many demons, particularly at my rank, could manage the same, even without regeneration."

"Which leads me to believe that's not quite what you were asking..." Kat let her sentence hang as Hedera simply shrugged. She wasn't entirely sure what she had meant but was keen to hear more. "Now... as for whether I'd be fine without medical intervention? That's a more complex question. I'm quite certain that if someone just reattached my head and held it for a second or two, I'd be okay... but anything more than that? I genuinely don't know.

"I believe it would depend on whether I can regrow missing limbs. I was explicitly told I was incapable of it before... but I was significantly weaker then, and I managed to regrow my heart after it was practically gone. With assistance, certainly, but that sort of implies I'd manage it. The question is... would I need to regrow from my head or my neck? If the answer is my head, that's a substantial amount of body to regenerate before my demonic energy depletes... but I think, in theory, I could manage a head."

"Huh... hmm... I'm uncertain what would occur then..." Hedera mumbled.

"You regrow from whichever part you prefer," Appoline interjected casually, continuing to jot down notes.

"Wait, what?" Kat inquired. Apolline glanced up. "How do you know that? Why is that the case?"

"Oh, well, most advanced regeneration techniques are focused on maintaining the soul's connection to the body, as otherwise, you'd be deceased. Consequently, in most situations, the soul has a brief window to decide whether it wishes to remain with the heart or the brain. Whichever it selects generally becomes the 'primary' body from which regrowth occurs. Sometimes, the outcome is 'both,' but that's considerably rarer and primarily a trait of monsters rather than sentient beings, unless they possess the ability to duplicate themselves," Appoline elucidated.

"Huh... that's... hmm... why is it a choice?" Kat asked.

Appoline offered a shrug. "It simply is. Perhaps there were too many instances where one option was clearly unsuitable, leading it to become integrated into the magic. Perhaps it's merely a choice that has always been available as the heart and brain typically serve as the key anchors for the soul. I'm aware both are feasible, or rather, my books suggest as much. I've never personally witnessed it,"

Appoline slowly lifted her gaze from her book to study Kat for a few moments, but Kat simply shook her head. "Not unless I have someone like Thyme looking out for me, and even then, I'm not certain anyone could. My bones are robust enough that I'm unsure what it would take to decapitate me. Still, it's best not to further traumatize my girlfriend."

"That stands to reason," Appoline stated with a nod. "If she's too frightened or irritated with me, she won't be inclined to learn properly anymore. It's best to avoid that." Kat sighed, but she nodded in agreement. She had already been trying to tune out this conversation for obvious reasons, but now she was resolute in ensuring Lily learned absolutely nothing about it. Just to be safe.

"So... what's the update on the poison?" Kat inquired.

"It's certainly a Rank 3 poison of some variety, but not Rank 4. I've eliminated several possibilities, yet the challenge lies in confirming its identity because I suspect you were simply able to overcome numerous side effects that should have manifested. I believe this due to the remarkably slow rate at which it spread.

"The mere fact that it spread at all indicates it must be at least Rank 3, but the absence of further complications suggests it's not Rank 4... which, naturally, complicates matters. The lack of significant side effects actually makes this harder to determine. For instance, 'Shockweb Poison' is a Troll's Bane variant that focuses on incapacitating and paralyzing a regenerator, ensuring that even if it doesn't kill them, it makes them much easier to handle...

“Yeah I do,” Kat agreed with her own sigh. “Still... you’d say it’s something that’s at least Rank 3?”

“Well it could be a poorly brewed Rank 4 potion but that just means it’s still Rank 3 in my opinion, though it does mean it would be written down in a different area... and honestly I don’t know too many Rank 4 potions,” Appoline sighed.

“What makes a potion Rank 4?” Kat asked. “Do they even have Ranks?”

“Eh... yes and no. It’s more of a back end system for alchemists then anything else. A potion’s Rank is determined by how effective it is compared to someone of that same Rank and affinity performing the action... but it gets messy for things like healing potions where they are graded based on what they can heal and it’s essentially a completely different system because...” Appoline trailed off waiting for the others to answer.

“Everyone loves healing potions,” Kat and Hedera said in unison.

“Exactly. But the general rule of thumb, other than actual grading, is that the main ingredient is from a monster of that rank, and no more than fifty percent of the ingredients are from the same rank or one below. So for a Rank 4 potion with 5 ingredients means that it needs, one Rank 4 ingredient, at least two Rank 3’s and then the other two can be whatever you want. Though it’s just a rule of thumb because ingredients depend on their type and potency as well as just mass.

“If you grind a one kilogram horn into powder and dump it all into the potion that’s a lot more mass then simply using a fifty-gram berry which is why the true rating is based on the effects. Then there’s also the fact that proficient alchemists can do better, and poor ones can only manage part of the effects. It’s a whole thing,” explained Appoline.

“So... any bits of advice for fighting her next time?” asked Kat.

“Don’t worry about anything airborne, at least for you personally. Troll’s bane can’t really be aerosolized because of how much potency you tend to give up. Might still cause other effects, but not semi-permanent ones your regeneration can’t clear without help. Take a look at this Greave’s weapons as well. Potions that potent don’t tend to last too long out in the open air.

“If you’re fighting her for a few minutes, and she doesn’t re-apply the potion mixture then you should be fine... but if she throws a bottle of stuff at you, you still might want to dodge that. Troll’s bane might not be capable of aerosolization but it can be absorbed through the skin, a couple nastier ones I can think of go about it that way. Though the fact that she needed to cut you makes me think it wasn’t any of those.

“Just...” Appoline sighed. “Without you being able to properly tell me if the burning was from a cycle of poison and regeneration or simply the main effect of the poison I’m going to struggle to give you anything more specific.”

“Sorry,” Kat said with a wince. “Even looking back at my memories it’s hard to tell. I wasn’t super focused on it and I wasn’t losing any notable amount of demonic energy during the process.”