D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2279 Faraday Plans

--- Kat ---

The group had pivoted towards what they THOUGHT was a tower in the distance. It wasn’t, but it was hard to see through all of the pillars. All that they could see when they first turned off course was the fact that it was a lot taller, there were a bunch of extra lightning strikes around it and that was enough for them to investigate.

As they got closer it became clear that it wasn’t really a tower. The gaps in between the structure were a bit too large and it looked... a bit like a dome. As they got closer and closer they’d realise that perhaps it was something more once upon a time, but now, it was a dome made with Lichtenburg figures as its support. Perhaps it had been one giant lightning attracting pillar at some point in time but it wasn’t anymore.

The dome had transformed. Layer upon layer of interlocking Lichtenburg figures. Most places had no gaps at all, but other places had clearly started with a large gap and the growth of the figures had followed the trend, deepening the lines around the hole but not actually filling it up.

As they got even closer they found that the area had been something else once upon a time. Crumbling ruins of buildings were clear, mostly in that they were made of stone that didn’t match the rest of the area. What they had been originally was completely lost now. All that remained were a few odd walls and some structures inside the dome you could barely make out.

Getting inside was a question... one more on if it was worth it then if they could. Scorpions seemed to the guarding the structure. Perhaps it acted as a nest. There were only three on guard, and two of them were smaller then the ones that had attacked them before... but the scuttling of small creatures was visible and those were surely younger, smaller scorpions that might be just as dangerous with their... venom?

Was it still venom when it technically didn’t poison you but instead enhanced the lightning injected alongside it? Appoline clearly considered it one, but taxonomically did it count? Lily pondered this before Kat booped her lightly on the head. It really wasn’t the time be worrying about such silly things. It was dangerous and that’s what mattered.

So the problem was, do they try to get inside. It was the first hint of something interesting in the area, might count as a notable point for Weaver, and Kat was sure that SOMETHING would be inside. They’d found a few orbs along the trek, but there might be a chest... or... perhaps... a fragment? That was if they could get inside.

While the scorpions guarding were an issue, you couldn’t simply fly over them either. The dome structure was being all but constantly lit up with lightning and attempting to fly in might see whoever was in the air struck by that same lightning before it went to the dome. Kat could survive it easily, likely with few issues... but it would also be likely to freeze her wings up and drop her from the sky. A slight muscle spasm on the ground was one thing, but in the air it simply meant you dropped.

So it was dangerous to charge in, risky to go from above... underneath perhaps? The main issue with that was Kat had no idea how much potion liquid it would take to do so efficiently... and the scorpions had proven that they could dig through the ground far better than Kat and Lily could even if they had Appoline’s potion as an assistant. So, it was risky from all angles. Was it worth it?

Currently they were camped out on a small hill a massive distance away from the cage. They’d even backed up a bit, just in case the scorpions noticed them early. It had taken a bit of effort to ensure the umbrella would sit cleanly on the mound but they’d done it. Now, the question was, what next? "That looks like a veritable fortress. Do we even want to get inside?"

Appoline shrugged, "This is more your wheelhouse. I doubt I can get much out of this except maybe some scorpion eggs... but stuff like that is always volatile to keep as an ingredient."

"Why is that?" asked Lily, having transformed for the conversation.

"It’s because you can’t just kill the things inside the eggs because that effects their alchemical properties. ’Unborn scorpions’ and ’Dead scorpion eggs’ are for completely different purposes. So if you want them for the better stuff you can’t just preserve them... but that also might mean you have a breakout of scorpions which nobody wants."

"How do you normally handle something like that?" Kat asked as she glanced at the scorpions in question. They were so far away that they were probably unable to hear them speak.

"There are some very expensive cupboards I used to own that would preserve them without killing them. It’s much easier, if still insanely difficult, to put eggs into stasis and there’s still the risk that you take them out of the cupboard and suddenly they hatch or die soon afterwards, but it does still let you store eggs longer term. It doesn’t work for anything that isn’t in an egg, but because they’re... not quite alive yet the rules for storing them in stasis are a bit more flexible," explained Appoline.

"Huh... I wonder how that works?" asked Lily, somewhat fascinated.

Appoline shrugged. "I don’t know the specifics of course, those sorts of enchantments are essentially the pinnacle for the discipline... so of course I asked the same question when I found out about it. From what they were willing to share, the answer is twofold. The first is that because of what I mentioned earlier, before something is born the rules on how to keep it in stasis are a bit more flexible. The other half of the equation is the egg itself.

"Apparently being sealed from outside influence means you can... sort of freeze the egg, which also freezes the thing inside the egg in time, without directly... ’touching’ the time of the creature inside? The egg can almost be treated like an animate object that isn’t living at all. Because it’s not hard to preserve food at all with a whole range of enchantments. This is... similar from my understanding of it."

Kat sighed and wondered if she should bring the other two back on task... but it’s not like she really wanted to think about how to break into the scorpion nest either to check for something that MIGHT be there. Plus, they’d been walking for a while and everyone deserved a rest. So... for now at least, Kat was content to leave things go.

"So what’s the difference between preserved stuff and fresh? You said it like there was a big one?" asked Lily.

"Oh a huge difference," confirmed Appoline. "Living eggs tend to work as substitutes for a lot of the different parts a grown-up version of the species can be used for. Their flexible, and since you’re using the entire thing, you can use it for almost anything. Though the ’almost’ is pretty standard as well. You tend to lose out if it’s at all related to the reproductive process of either the monster or the potion, and for a lot of things it tends to be weaker, but longer lasting.

"As for dead eggs? Well the sad truth is that a lot of them are good for the same things. Once a monster is dead, and this is doubly true for ones that aren’t so special, is that they’re not good for much. There’s some potential there as stabilisers, they ’take’ on the negative aspects of a potion and ’die’ again to help smooth the process. They can also be used for reinforcement, and sometimes for bubble-like shields but that’s mostly it."

"Ah... that’s... really not much," agreed Lily.

Appoline nodded, "Yeah it’s essentially the same problem with improperly treated plants. If they die and wither, that’s a different process to cutting them while healthy, drying them properly, and then using the resulting ingredient either like that or in powdered form. Those are two completely different scenarios and that’s the same for the eggs. While they have a lot of potential... they’re a lot like a newly lit candle in that it can easily be snuffed out. Doesn’t matter if there’s a lot of wax still there, it’s not really burning yet."

Lily nodded, "Right so it’s too dangerous to get the eggs here. Is there anything else that might be worth it?"

Appoline shrugged, "Maybe some uneaten food they have? I wouldn’t put your hopes in finding anything good or useful. I suspect the scorpions themselves are still the best ingredients there. Though there might be some plants. I don’t think they’re omnivores, but that’s more of a guess. They might use the plants for other things too... but yes I suppose there could be some to look forward to..."