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

Chapter 1347 Chapter 1347 The Treasure Hunt BEGINS!

There were no further questions after Lily's, so Thyme called the competitors to the stage and set them all up with their collars before adding in one final piece of advice. "The starting locations are semi-random. You have all been, randomly assigned a section of the arena, and it is inside of that you will randomly appear. The sections are triangles radiating out from the centre. You could end up right next to the centre, or right at the edge of the net. Two people might end up in spitting distance, or everyone could be far away. Just keep it in mind.

"Now, when I give the signal, you are to run through the portal. I suppose you don't HAVE to but you'll be wasting time. Once I say the word go, the contest is one. No fighting before you enter the portal. Is everyone ready?"

Lily looked at her competition and gulped. Blue had a nice one-piece swimsuit in a wavy pattern. The fae was currently frowning down at the collar she was wearing, fiddling with the edges of it despite the fact it wasn't uncomfortable. Lily was a touch surprised at that. It was clearly enchanted for comfort and Lily knew she'd quickly forget it was even there. Blue though… she looked worried about something despite the fact she was, in Lily's mind, the biggest challenge.

Next to Blue was March who stood tall. Taking up almost as much space as the other three competitors put together. She had on a wetsuit and was already in a sprinters position, ready to charge forward as soon as Thyme made the call. Marigold in contrast was showing off. She had a bikini on… that could really only be called a bikini because it covered up a few specific patches of Marigold's skin. Lily doubted it would actually stay on properly for very long, even if it was enchanted to help.

Lily had to lean around to look at Romilda. She'd chosen a wetsuit like March but the effect was quite different. Romilda had the metal that usually accompanied her covering her four limbs alongside two small bands. One around her crown of her head and one around her throat. Lily wasn't sure that was the most efficient way to space the metal out, but Romilda looked quite used to it so there was probably a good reason.

*Well a reason other then the fact that she looks a bit like a princess this way. Tiara on her head and bangles around her arms and legs. Little surprised she didn't go for like, metal booties. Gloves might limit the flexibility of her fingers too much… but the bands around her ankles?*

[I'd guess this is the standard formation that her family gets taught and that usually dwarves would have on heavy metal boots. Sure she's barefoot at the moment, but if she was taught to keep her bands a bit further up it probably isn't worth changing things for one event. Might mess with her control too much, or perhaps her combat instincts?]

*Huh, that's a good point. Though you really shouldn't be chatting with me. Um… hmm… I'm not certain I can keep the link closed entirely on my own, not under pressure. So… can you make sure I don't hear or feel anything from you for a bit? It's going to be annoying on my end, but fair is fair.*

[Of course. Good luck Lily.] Lily shivered as she felt her connection to Kat closing. Lily hated the feeling a lot more now that she'd gotten used to it always being open. The almost connection that she had in her mind, that feeling that if she just reached out she could still hear Kat's thoughts was right there and poking at her mind. Lily fought down the impulse. It wouldn't do to cheat. Not when she was trying to prove she was capable by herself.

Lily's head whipped over to Thyme when the dryad started to move. Everyone else focusing on them a moment later. "Everyone ready? Collars in place and comfortable?" Everyone nodded, even Blue who still had a frown on her face. "In that case, I officially ready you for the start of the run. On three, please start running. One. Two. THREE!"

Lily transformed, making sure to finish said transformation on the ground. Her claws digging slightly into the wooden flooring as she shot herself forward. Despite her speed, March was faster exploding into motion as soon as Thyme had called three. The large human was already disappearing into the portal.

Form there, Marigold and Lily entered at almost the same time. Lily had a slightly slower start because of the time it took to transform, but Marigold fell short of the instant acceleration Lily could achieve as a Memphis, getting close to her maximum speed in just a few steps. Lily didn't see it, but Romilda entered the portal next, the metal around her body pushing her forward. Blue strode in last, not in a hurry. Frown still firmly fixed on her face.

When Lily hit the portal she was instantly hit with the feeling of cold wetness. Opening her eyes, the next thing Lily noticed was the darkness. It wasn't completely black, there were a number of glowing plants and sea life, but the sky was a distant thing, the sun's rays barely reaching these depths. Lily realised in that moment, that the ocean arena was deeper then she'd imagined.

At the very least, the collar let her breathe, and kept her from feeling the intense pressure of the depths. Ensuring that she wasn't crushed under the weight of all that water. It didn't save her from the feeling of wet fur, but Lily could accept that as a minor annoyance for now. As a quick test, Lily summoned up a bit of paper off to her side. It floated there for a few moments before Lily quickly dismissed it after feeling the drain.

*Damn. I have to pay extra mana to keep my paper around. The water is breaking it down… or perhaps I'm too fixated on the paper being close to perfect and the water is disrupting that? But the perfection is what helps lower the cost. Hmm… something to test when I'm not in a contest.*

Lily let out a breath to calm herself, surprised to see that there were bubbles as she did. *Wait… so how does. No don't get distracted with that sort of thing. You have a contest to win. I'm sure Kat is laughing at how easily distracted you're being.* With that out of the way, Lily looked around to study the area proper.

She was surrounded by spires of coral that reached upwards towards the light. None of them were a solid colour, and there were plenty of connecting structures around the place. It was quite nice to look at, especially they splashes of light that lit up the nearby area. Lily was sure she'd need to look around these towers for treasure. *Though Thyme never said how many chests there are… damn. Should've thought of that earlier when I was asking questions.*

The other thing of note was the fish nearby. Lily had to quickly chomp down on the desire to pounce at them. The memories of her delicious lunch making her restraint all the harder to hold onto. *No. Do NOT eat the fish while other people are watching. You can come back and catch them later with Kat. She'd love the chance to do something for you. So DO NOT POUNCE ON THE FISH.*

Once Lily shook off those annoying thoughts, she noticed the fish were all rather small. None of them were larger then her current form, which was a little strange. Lily knew enough about the oceans to know that you could get some truly large fish, especially around coral reefs much less impressive then this one. It was prime hunting grounds because of all the weaker fish normally around.

So did that mean there was something else going on here with the fish? Some magical effect? Had Thyme deliberately removed any of the dangerous predators? Or… were some of these small fish secretly much more powerful then they looked? Lily scanned all the fish again, this team, instead of suppressing her instincts completely she leant on them until her eyes settled on a bright red fish with blue dots.

Her instincts screamed at her to leave that one alone. *Hmm… so there Is odd going on here. Just based on instincts I know not to try to eat that one… but is it poisonous or is it strong? I still can't say. Though at least it tells me there are dangers around. Ones that can harm me if I'm not careful.*

Lily took another look around, a bit annoyed at herself for just sitting around for so long. *I'm not sure where to go is the issue. I can see that there is more 'ground' to cover down below us, and I'm sure there are plenty of ways to hide a treasure chest in amongst the coral to my sides. Where am I best going? I can't even see the damned net! How large is this area Thyme expects us to cover?*