D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2201 Spitting Poison

--- Kat ---

With a click of her tongue, Kat watched as a multitude of golems rained down from the ceiling. "BACK UP!" she commanded, surging forward into the fray. "They explode!" Kat clarified as some of the guards began advancing despite her urgent warning. This, of course, only seemed to pique Vanilla’s interest further. Thus, after the initial explosion, Kat reiterated, "Suit up!" and that finally compelled the entire group to retreat slightly.

Kat winced. Her intention had been to somewhat contain these golems, but it was clear that wasn't going to happen. She had to step back a few paces to intercept those attempting to scurry around her. Slamming the first golem into the second, she caught a dislodged limb and hurled it at the third. The confrontation concluded in mere seconds, yet the corridor was now ablaze. Still, Kat was determined to get everyone through safely, now that she understood the intense heat affecting them.

Kat inhaled deeply amidst the inferno, disregarding the heat radiating through the air, before exhaling a torrent of her own demonic fire. The group had been advancing cautiously, but Kat’s fiery breath halted their progress. She channeled a significant portion of her reserves, a full twenty percent, into the corridor, encasing it in ice. "Alright, it should be safe now."

Predictably, the first action Appoline took was to approach a patch of the frozen liquid and tap it with her foot. "How safe do you think it would be for me to take some as samples?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Kat confessed. "If you’re willing to let everyone pass first, I can gather a bit for you. Would you prefer I leave it as ice, or should I try to warm it up a little?"

Appoline nodded. "Yes, I can wait a few moments... and... hmm... warming it up might be best. I'm concerned it might explode within my ingredient containers if left to melt on its own. I didn't bring any specialized containers that can completely seal out oxygen..."

"That seems rather important, considering all the poison around. Why didn't you bring any?" Kat inquired.

"They are quite expensive, and I currently lack the funds for them," Appoline replied.

"Oh," Kat murmured, wincing internally. She felt rather foolish. Of course, that was the obvious reason. Kat supposed Appoline had acquired some additional equipment now that she was assisting Steel, and she was fairly certain the spatial storage item was new. However, the guards clearly weren't willing to invest extra for her to store ingredients more safely. Kat conceded that it was probably a fair assessment.

Eventually, the group had moved past the obstacle. Kat even had to nudge Vanilla further ahead. Kat had no idea what that peculiar individual intended with the ice, but it was likely related to collecting her own 'samples' for some hazardous research. Once Kat was sure the area was clear, she dug her fingers into the ice surrounding one of the golem 'corpses'. After a bit of chipping away, she could discern where some of the liquid remained. Though frozen, it possessed a distinctly different hue compared to the rest of her ice.

Kat decided water would be the most straightforward method. It would also allow her to monitor the process. Transforming her arm into water, she utilized some of her demonic energy to increase its volume and envelop the chunk of ice. It wasn't melting quickly. In fact, Kat wasn't entirely certain if it was melting at all. Nevertheless, she could afford to wait. "Let’s continue. This process won't be swift, and I can alert you all if anything unexpected occurs."

"Are you absolutely sure it's safe?" someone from the group asked. It might have been Brook; Kat couldn't be entirely certain with their masks on.

"Well, I'm fairly confident? It's still an explosive and highly flammable liquid that I'm carrying. If we encounter more golems, I'll likely have to throw it at one to prevent anything from igniting it while I'm fighting, but I'd say the risk to all of you is minimal," Kat explained.

"What about for you then?" Kat was certain it was Brook this time. "If you were to explode, it would be detrimental to us. You're supposedly the strongest fighter here, and losing you because your hand detonated would be a significant loss."

"There was a reason I instructed everyone else to fall back. The flames from these golems pose no threat to me. I could have them explode right next to my face and be perfectly fine. Heck, I could even swallow it and remain unharmed, or have it detonate beside my eye. The only potential risks in the latter scenario would be if ice shards were to enter my eye. Well, that or perhaps the liquid itself is harsh on the eyes?" Kat shook her head. "In any case, my point is that it won't harm me, and I possess regeneration regardless."

Silence descended, yet Kat could detect the suppressed chuckles of Vanilla and Maryland in the background, clearly amused by the notion that the flames could actually harm her. Nevertheless, it was time to continue their journey. Kat found herself fortunate, reaching the dormitory without further assaults from golems. This was puzzling to Kat, particularly as the shattered remains of other golems still lay scattered across the path they had traversed.

Lily was stationed at the dorm entrance, diligently listening for any intruders who might have slipped in earlier. No immediate signs of infiltration were apparent, but caution was paramount. While the ideal strategy would have been to escort Kat to the hidden basement first, Lily had exercised patience for as long as she could before proceeding down the corridor.

Upon entering the dorms, Lily descended from the ceiling, landing precisely on Kat’s head but artfully avoiding her horns. Kat merely reached up, beginning to gently scratch her girlfriend’s face. The others reacted with less composure, with several guards tensing and readying their weapons until they recognized Kat’s relaxed demeanor. "This is Lily, by the way. Don't mind her," Kat announced, continuing towards the trapdoor...

"Wait, isn't this the place where we're supposed to set up?" Lan inquired.

"No," Scar interjected. "Our objective is to fortify the basement."

"But weren't we instructed to secure the dormitories?" Lan reiterated. "This is the dormitory."

"We were granted permission to establish ADDITIONAL fortifications within the dormitory," Scar stated firmly.

"Actually, wasn't the directive that we could choose whether to reinforce the dorms or just the basement? This seems like a sufficiently advantageous chokepoint..." Carl suggested. His height made it easy to identify his suit, and his voice was quite distinctive. His voice was also fairly distinct.

"I'm not keen on taking on extra work," Lan grumbled. "I simply assumed we were meant to reinforce things here. If not, I'm perfectly fine skipping it."

"That's a rather poor outlook, young man," Brook countered.

"It might not necessarily be extra work," Carl offered. "We can deploy larger runes and won't need to be as meticulous with the spacing. Moreover, a layered defense might be the most prudent approach... although the ambient mana here isn't significantly denser. Hmm... would we need to interconnect the wards?"

"Well, what about the filter wards?" Scar inquired. "Extending them wouldn't be overly difficult, and even if our primary goal is to massively reinforce everything downstairs, preserving this area as a place for us to rest, or for the guards to maintain their watch, might be wise. There's only one entrance, correct?"

Kat offered a shrug. "As far as Lily and I can ascertain. I possess the innate ability to see through illusions, so we didn't detect any such features. However, this is a clandestine facility operated by a deranged scientist. I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of hidden doorways. Those, obviously, are not illusions."

The guards, deeming their presence less critical to the ongoing discussion, began to disperse, covering the corners of the room. This action did little to influence the argument, nor did it halt its progression. Kat, too, was uncertain about the most effective course of action to propose. It seemed no one could reach a consensus.

Kat clapped her hands together sharply, silencing everyone and decisively capturing their attention. Some faces registered approval, while others showed less enthusiasm. "Listen, we should all go and EXAMINE the basement first. Perhaps the geological composition of the rocks there will present challenges for reinforcement, or conversely, make it easier to secure this area. Alternatively, the available space might present an obvious issue upon first glance. Let's investigate, and THEN engage in our debate."

Brook let out a sigh. "Well, I was rather looking forward to shedding this suit, but you are correct. Let's venture forth and discover what the enigmatic basement holds for us..."