D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2197 Twin Issues Part 1

Kat ---

Fortunately, the four additional guards were individuals unfamiliar to her from previous encounters, a detail Kat considered a significant advantage. However, they were quite ordinary in appearance, and Kat was confident that with appropriate makeup, anyone could be made to resemble them closely. Perhaps the sole female guard might present a slight challenge due to the scarcity of women among the guard or combat-ready personnel, but that was the extent of it. In fact, despite Steel's insistence to the contrary, two of the guards bore a striking resemblance, looking very much like brothers.

Kat was prepared to meet them when Steel veered off the main street, two blocks prior to reaching the quarantine zone. Kat remained silent, continuing to walk as she attempted to decipher their reason for the detour. A palpable tension filled the air, leading her to suspect an ambush or some overlooked threat, a suspicion that would soon prove unfounded.

After an indirect route involving some backtracking, possibly to evade observation, Steel approached one of the nearby houses and unlocked the door. The instant it opened, a surge of additional noise emanated from within. Numerous voices engaged in conversation, yet Steel appeared unfazed.

Upon entering, Kat understood his lack of concern. In the living room, approximately half of the group she was scheduled to meet had already settled in. Two guards observed their surroundings through window panes, while Scar lounged on the couch and Brook occupied one of the armchairs. The source of the remaining commotion was the kitchen, and though Kat couldn't see inside clearly, she surmised the rest of the party was located there.

Kat directed a glance at Steel, who began to retrieve crates from an unseen source, placing them on the floor. "Alright, get ready to suit up; you'll be departing soon. Kat, would you mind fetching the others from the adjacent room?"

Kat nodded and moved to comply, but Scar interjected, "Why does she get to skip wearing that gear while we're forced into these suits?"

"Because Kat can withstand the poison without issue, and you cannot," Steel replied with a sigh.

"I'm telling you, my coat is already enchanted for protection," Scar insisted.

Steel shot him a stern look. "And Vanilla possesses regeneration, likely ensuring her safety as well, but my priority is caution, so you will wear the suit. Furthermore, we lack the time for thorough testing. If it truly works, you should have disclosed it sooner. We've invested considerable resources in developing these suits."

Scar grumbled in response but proceeded to stand and prepare himself for dressing, allowing Kat to proceed into the kitchen... where, frankly, she wished she could express surprise at the scene. Strictly speaking, everyone was gathered at the table, yet Vanilla was serving as a makeshift seat for Maryland and Kat... at this point, she wasn't the least bit astonished.

One peculiar observation, however, was the presence of both twins, engaged in hushed conversation. Kat considered eavesdropping but, deeming them to be in order, she turned to the two idlers and announced, "Steel is here with everyone's suits; proceed to the other room and collect yours. We'll be departing shortly."

'Vanilla' rose, briefly lifting 'Maryland' before striking a pose that effortlessly hoisted the latter onto her shoulders. This was, in theory, a rather impressive maneuver designed to facilitate moving Maryland out of the room more easily. In practice, the ceiling's low height resulted in Maryland making contact with it. "Ah, hell, damn it Mar—I mean, Vanilla. Watch where you're going."

"Technically, I remain in the same spot," Vanilla retorted. Hearing their voices further confirmed their identities as Marigold and Vanya, though it was prudent to refer to them by their 'current' designations to avoid inadvertently compromising their cover.

Eventually, the pair separated, and no sooner had they done so than Vanilla rushed over and embraced Kat warmly. "Ah, Kat! I've been so looking forward to meeting you. For the very first time, truly! I've heard wonderful things!"

Kat rolled her eyes and reciprocated the hug briefly before Maryland approached from behind Vanilla and lightly struck her on the back of the head. The gesture had little effect, so Kat, deciding against causing trouble for the pair, ended the embrace. Nevertheless, she inquired, "Where are the others?"

"The remaining guards are over there, and I'm uncertain about Carl's whereabouts. He'll turn up," Maryland stated.

Kat nodded and turned to leave for the guards when her gaze drifted back to the dwarven twins who remained in place. "We'll get them," Vanilla assured her. Kat nodded and whispered a word of thanks before proceeding to gather everyone else. The guards were easily located; upon spotting her, they promptly headed over. However, Kat could not find Carl anywhere. It wasn't until she circled back to the living room that she noticed the elf already present, retrieving his suit.

Just moments from undressing, Vanilla was questioned by Maryland, "Vanilla! What are you doing?"

With a scoff, Vanilla retorted, "Changing? Obviously?"

Maryland growled, "The suit goes OVER your normal clothes. You don’t even have your amour on! So why are you stripping?" Caught in the act, Vanilla couldn't help but flash a smug grin before proceeding to don the suit correctly. The rest of the group had already dispersed to change. Kat rapidly reviewed her mental roster of everyone and confirmed, to her satisfaction, that they were indeed who they claimed to be. At the very least, their appearances closely matched their profiles, leading her to dismiss any suspicions of illusions.

A few minutes later, the twins entered the room, drawing a stern gaze from Steel. "Why is it that both of you are here?" he inquired, noting they hadn't immediately proceeded to their designated changing areas.

They exchanged a glance before shrugging. "Look, both jobs you two were working on ARE important. I was going to leave things as is when you came to talk to me about swapping places. That was fine... but now suddenly you seem to both want to go?"

The twins looked at each other again, then sighed in unison. Each started to speak, only to pause as they realized the other intended to speak first. This back-and-forth repeated several times until one of them stepped back. Though their hands were concealed, Kat couldn't discern which twin it was. However, their spoken words offered a significant clue: "I know that I... that I really don’t want to get into one of those suits but... but it feels wrong to leave my brother to deal with this on his own. It seems dangerous and... and I wonder if I should be getting over myself."

Steel released a prolonged sigh. "Rocky, there are two projects and two of you. Maybe if you’d come to me about this earlier I’d have found a way to fit you both in, but we are here, now, ready to leave. The only reason I’m not talking about ’major interference’ and ’leaking classified intel’ is because obviously you both knew about this because of how everything played out. Frankly though? At this point I don’t give much of a shit which one of you does go, but it has to be one of you."

Lan averted his gaze while Rocky sighed. "Isn’t there some way we can work around this?"

Steel’s eyes narrowed. "There was some way EARLIER as I said but we’re at the point where it is essentially too late. Even if I wanted to find a replacement for you on the other team, I can’t do that instantly. If you’ve been here all morning it means the other team is already down a few hours of work."

Rocky winced at this reprimand. "Ah... sorry about that. I just... I didn’t think my input was all that important?"

"It’s really not your call in this instance. I was already going out of my way to make allowances for your phobia." Steel raised his hands, halting any further words from Rocky. "I’m not complaining about that part. It was a poor initial decision on my part... BUT you can’t have those allowances made then come back and ask me to cancel them. This isn’t a school project, we’re talking about work that needs to be done yesterday, in both cases.

Furthermore, the fact you think this will trigger your claustrophobia and still want to go is a risk. I don’t mind wanting to better yourself... but this is an important operation. One of the single most important missions, perhaps in the last century if not longer. Taking on additional risk by bringing along someone that might react poorly to the environment is a hard sell. So, what’s it going to be?" Steel asked, his tone firm.