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

--- Kat ---

The afternoon was split between more card testing and playing games. No more surprise knife interrupts were had, though everyone remained a touch more on-guard throughout the afternoon. Kat split off to prepare a quick stew, speeding through the chopping and throwing it all into a big pot to be watched, and occasionally stirred.

When the next morning came around it was finally time to start making progress. Meg took a bit of time to calibrate the compass further, dashing off to the sides to make sure of where it was going, then they set off… at a bit of a slow pace. Meg had confirmed they were actually NOT heading towards the centre of the forest first. Perhaps they'd get there eventually, perhaps not.

For now they were heading back towards town as a matter of fact.

This made Bower a bit antsy, as demonically charged dragon remains even in somewhat inert form were not things he wanted around the town, even if he was planning to leave for his 'vacation' soon. Alas, Meg was adamant that they all needed to work slowly as she lacked proper equipment to remain nearby. Ignoring the fact they had enough rope to tie around her of course.

With everyone's newfound power and Meg's addition to the team the Bubbles really weren't scary anymore. The first one was a forest FILLED with monsters. Apparently a good chunk of the wave had retreated here or something because it seemed like an endless horde… for all of about ten seconds.

Meg and Hunter breathed out waves of fire covering two thirds of the space and turning everything nearby to ash.

When more monsters filled the space, Kat asked for a chance to test her new strength. Using her fans Kat managed to send the second horde of monsters flying with a bit of effort… though she also managed to break her fans in the process. It was a shame, but they clearly weren't rated for her new Rank 4 strength.

Kat felt her reserves dip when she resummoned them in perfect condition, but she was officially looking for some replacements or upgrades.

Kamiko took the next lot of monsters that came this way. This was the smallest wave by far, and only the most aggressive monsters were even bothering to try and fill the 'empty' space now. Kamiko was able to freeze the closer half of the new horde. She lacked the range the others now had, but short sprint ahead and Kamiko was able to simply repeat her feat.

It took most of her demonic energy, but the monster horde was far from small.

For Kat and Lily it was really starting to drive home just how strong they were now and Lily hadn't even gotten the chance to show off yet. They left the bubble before she had a chance. It was just… very humbling to realise. The monsters weren't that strong, not compared to the drake they fought but… that hardly mattered.

It had never been more clear that they'd left behind the realm of normal even for those who lived in more magical worlds.

It was one thing to know that most people didn't bother to train and many couldn't make proper use of the mana and qi around them… but it was another to realise that you and a few friends of similar power could easily take out an army of 'lesser' mages. Kat was a bit concerned about how much she'd need to hold back next time she was called to participate in the tournament.

At Rank 3 she was already quite a lot stronger even with that bracelet. Now? Kat wasn't entirely sure any of the TEAMS of contestants could stand up to her at all.

This idea was reaffirmed when they entered another bubble, this one a large beach, with a split between monsters coming out of the water and monsters coming over the sand dunes on the other side. Lily sent a Rank 3 equivalent of her paper swarm spell and managed to wipe out most of the monsters herself.

Some on the edges were missed, and there was nowhere near the amount of monsters swarming them this time… but it was still quite a lot of damage.

"Huh… that's… how are we even meant to train at this point?" asked Lily. "I feel like I'm already starting to understand why Thyme does so much weird shit. It's the only way they can properly flex their power at this point. I mean… Thyme could totally just destroy the planet if they wanted to right?"

Kat considered it for a few moments. "Yeah probably. I'm… likely already at that point actually. Which I guess means Meg and Hunter are as well. Maybe it's different with magic planets but like… I'm sure I could cause an earthquake with a punch back home. Though restrictions might stop me from destroying everything in one attack I could work at it over time.

It's… a weird thought now you've put it in my head. Planets are surprisingly fragile at this level of power…"

"Eh most planets are tougher then you think," said Meg with a shrug as she inserted herself into the conversation. "A lot of the more magical ones have… I don't want to call it control, but… maybe like, sing posts? They can direct big monsters to problem individuals if they actually seem set on destroying things.

Plus, most planets that can support higher Rank life naturally also develop ways to harden themselves and prevent being destroyed.

"It's actually how you get rarer and stronger metals. That's the planet decided it needs more armour but not really understanding how to distribute it properly. It's not like a planet can think,"

"Wait really?" asked Lily.

Meg nodded, "Yup. The planet slowly reinforces… everything really and whatever materials that can conduct magical energy well sucks up more than their fair share of energy empowering them further then the surroundings. This happens either when they sit right on the stream, or possess the ability to draw in energy from their surroundings more directly,"

"Huh... could that be why these bubbles happen? The planet absorbed a whole bunch of time energy? Or maybe a tree did?" asked Lily.

"Hmm… technically possible I suppose but I find it unlikely. They feel a bit too… intentional. It is however why some worlds develop dungeons. It's not common on a multiversal scale but if a planet is particularly magically active it creates dungeons to 'contain' the fighting while providing paths to power," explained Meg.

"Wait… dungeons are REAL?" asked Lily.

"Eh… I don't know what you've read about them, and a lot of stories gloss over the specifics. Sometimes gods interfere and force them to generate for some reason, sometimes the planet manages to luck into it. As I said, it's mostly for higher ranked worlds, or really those that ride the lines between Rank 5 and 6 for the most part. Anything higher is just… naturally a heck of a lot tougher.

Planets for Rank 7 and above are massive compared to everything else and extremely magically reactive. They don't develop naturally all that often.

"Though to get back to the dungeons… a lot of planets that have creatures between Rank 3 and Rank 5 try and fail to develop them. Both the planet itself, the gods, and the people there. Everyone sort of works out that letting fights happen everywhere causes huge environmental damage, usually quite long term stuff as well.

"This setup feels like a poor-man's attempt at a dungeon. I'd guess that either this planet used to have a god, still does but the god is sleeping, or the people here were working on making dungeons alongside the demons that worked here before. Trying to craft a dungeon space and give them more challenges to force them to Rank up. It never worked obviously, everything here is too weak but...

that's my guess as to what they are," offered Meg.

"I'm surprised Hutner didn't mention anything like that," said Kat.

Hunter shrugged, "I possess limited knowledge of dungeons and their inner workings. They were not my area of study as they usually do not provide adequate chances to hunt. Its more about fighting your way through a mess of monsters. I've never looked into how they are made. I would take Meg's answers with a grain of salt.

Obviously she cannot lie, but she does occasionally try to seek out incorrect information to allow herself to more easily mislead others,"

"I wouldn't do that to your friends Lil Sis. Especially not after you called me by my name!" cheered Meg. Hunter froze, her face locked into an expression of horror as her hands slowly made her way up to her mouth.

"Oh don't look like that Lil Sis. You've already said it now! There's now way I'd ever let you forget! I'm officially Meg in your eyes and that warms my heart!" smiled Meg as she strode around Hunter doing a bit of a wiggle dance with her hands. Hutner just continued to stare in horror, unsure of how to put this back in the box.