BXBX NOVEL Chapter 527: the Way Out
Chapter 527: the Way Out
There were a few interesting things of note. The first was that the corpses of the guard rats had turned to mush when they went past. It wasn't clear if they decomposed quickly after the Summoner was killed or if they were always going to disappear so quickly. Checking the patrol rat corpses didn't help because those were already mush when they were left behind.
When they got to the 'small' hole that the three demons had previously struggled with they found a stone staircase leading up to it and Stone went first, lifting the ceiling of the small tunnel to allow the group to walk through this time. Sue started to make a few comments but Stone threw a rock lightly at her and just glared.
The giant rat was an interesting sight once they reached that room. The unlike the guards, the bones of the giant rat had remained. They were still in the room but the flesh had become a brown mush covering the ground. Stone raised up a walkway to avoid the muck and made sure that it curved slightly to avoid the ribs. They all took the chance to avoid the mess.
By the time they got to the ice caves, Sue was starting to flag. She'd had a big day and was not yet as robust as the others. Stone just patted her head lightly and threw her over his shoulder. She complained lightly at the time but Stone just asked, "You sure?" and she stopped all further complaints, simply accepting the help for what it was.
It did mean the group sped up at that point moving at twice the speed. It took no time to reach the drop and Stone easily lifted a platform with everyone up and out of the hole, moulding it into a staircase after they'd stepped off, making sure it was structurally sound and that whoever came here next could get up and down without help.
As they entered the mines, Kat and Kamiko were also starting to feel the wear of the day. Kat was better off because of her regeneration. Her muscles were in good condition and her fatigue was mostly mental. It was still starting to get to her and only the knowledge that they would be able to rest soon kept her running.
On Kamiko's end, she was more used to this. She'd spent years practicing with her weapon, training until she couldn't move. Running for days on Contracts. She had more experience with real fatigue and was able to ignore it easily. Her mind was actually much fresher then Kat's, and despite Kat's greater strength, Kamiko's muscles were more used to this, not needing regeneration to keep her going.
When they made it outside Kamiko and Kat practically tore off their earmuffs and dumped them in the box. There was a slight desire to stick around and chat but it was clear that nobody really had the energy still. Kat had also realised the reason Sue had gone so hard on the sex jokes while they were walking was actually because the other demon had been getting delirious. So much so she'd fallen asleep at some point as they were leaving.
The K's just looked tiredly at Stone, who could see, despite the lack of bags under there eyes, that they were tired and there was nothing more they could do. So he sent them off with a nod and they disappeared.
Back at Kamiko's house Kat still hadn't really let things come back into focus so she didn't notice how late things had gotten. When the pair stumbled inside Nira looked up from the couch where she had a stack of papers before her. The table nearby had a bunch of food on it all under covers but Kat's mind hardly registered that. "Are you ok? Why are you both so late?" asked Nira, concern touching her voice.
"Muuum? Mum!" mumbled Kamiko "Their was… rats. Lotsa rats. So many rats mum. We got them all doe. Yup. Got the big rat. Or… no it was a smaller rat. But it was the BIG Rat"
Ok, Kamiko might be willing to admit that she was more tired then she thought after hearing herself speak. Kat was tired enough that the answers all seemed very reasonable to her. Nira though, smiled thinly at the pair and said "Well, I'm sure that's quite the story you'll have for me. You need to go bathe first though"
"Can't we jus' sleep?" asked Kamiko
Nira stood up and then she was suddenly beside the two girls, dragging them by the arms. She was strong enough and had enough control that when they fell behind she lifted them up slightly and pulled them forward so they were moving at a decent speed. When they hit the drop, Nira just lifted them both and took the full impact on her legs, not even needing to bend her knees.
Eventually they got to the bath and Nira put the two down against the wall before turning on the water. It didn't take long for the tub to fill and when it did the two K's had already started drifting off with their heads on each others shoulders. Nira wasn't having it though and threw them both into the water.
Kat, for her part, was willing to stay face down for a bit. *I don't really need to breathe that much. I can deal with this for a while.* Before she could finish the thought properly Nira had jumped in as well and turned them both over to face up. "Now, you pair are going to get clean and then you are going to eat. Ok?" instructed Nira.
Five minutes of dozing later and Kat felt much better. She'd sunk into a light meditation for a bit and was good to go once again. Sure, she still needed proper sleep or a longer time for meditation, but pulling herself out of the water was possible now. "Should we go eat now?" asked Kat
Nira nodded and answered with, "If you're both awake enough for that"
Kamiko blushed but nodded, "Yeah… sorry about earlier mum. I didn't mean to say that exactly…" said Kamiko
Nira grinned and sung, "Oh my dear sweet Kamiko, it was A DOR A BLE. You haven't done as much cute stuff with me lately and I needed that. Now, come on let's get some food in you both and you can tell me all about it."
Once they were dressed and sitting at the dining table the younger two demon's started eating rather ravenously. Kat had picked up a large noodle dish with large chunks of something that tasted and felt a lot like chicken. The sauce was a little spicy and very tart. She was surprised how well it worked together.
Kamiko had chosen a large fruit that looked like a watermelon. It had been carved out and filled with more fruit that had been mushed slightly with large chunks sticking out in places. It was a bit like a fruit only version of nacho cheese and chips with the chips included. Kat didn't even want to know what that madness tasted like.
Once the first round of food, for Kamiko at least, was finished Nira spoke up. "So. Now you can both tell me more coherently what happened"
Kamiko flushed again and opened her mouth but no sounds came out. Kat however was willing to pick up the slack and went over the whole story with Nira. Kat could see that Nira's eyes got a little bit sharper as the story went on. She clearly wasn't exactly pleased with how things went.? "… and that's it. We walked back through the tunnels after that"
"I'm not happy this Stone character was able to send you both on such a mission" said Nira with a frown, "And sure, it worked out at the end but what if you'd gone out to fight without back up? It sounds like you wouldn't have managed. That is certainly above your paygrade. At least normal swarm rats isn't really a concern, but after that first Giant Rat you should have known something was wrong. Such a fight just during a punishment? We are not that cruel to such young demons"
Kat shrugged unapologetically. She didn't have any reason to know that and everything worked out in the end so she didn't feel like there was any real issue. Kamiko on the other hand looked down at her hands awkwardly. "Well… I mean… the giant rat wasn't that outside of the realm of possibility?" said Kamiko with question heavy in her tone.
Nira sighed. "The size maybe but not the size and toughness both together. It just isn't how that works. Not with swarm rats unless the whole swarm got the toughness, which it clearly didn't"
"Sorry Mum" said Kamiko
Nira sighed again, "I'm not really mad at you… just worried Kamiko. I know I could heal you if you got hurt but I still worry"
*And she probably thought it wasn't too bad because of Sue's shields which prevented Kamiko from taking damage. Finding out we were up against something pretty scary must have rattled her.*