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

--- Kat ---

Kat and crew found themselves outside of a fairly nice house that apparently held the tunnels in question. The house itself wasn’t too large but it had a rather sizeable backyard unlike most of the others houses here. How aware the owner was of everyone was another question though, as they didn’t knock on the door or try to say anything to them. Sheriff Not followed the commands of the prisoner which was to just unlatch the side gate walk into the back and then enter the basement through a door on the ground. It wasn’t locked.

Once inside the basement a bookshelf that was used to store old bits and bobs and only three books was pushed to the side to reveal a hidden door. You did have to crouch a bit to get into the next room but that was fine. The room itself though was a bit of a squeeze for the large party of twenty-one if you counted Lily in her Memphis form.

The small room looked a bit like a panic room. It had a bunch of canned food stacked up inside, a small area with a bookshelf and a fireplace as well as a considerable amount of sealed jugs that likely contained water. They didn’t linger long. Simply pushing aside the rug in the room to reveal yet another door leading downwards.

Kat did note that one of the guards remained behind after a not from the sheriff. Probably to ensure that the place was returned to how it was… though if they were hiding it from the owner or simply the less corrupt cops Kat didn’t know. She was tempted to ask why he remained behind… but Kat felt it best to keep quiet for now. Meg definitely noticed, and could ask if it seemed important. No reason to risk the operation. Not even after Kat heard the door shut behind her, leaving them in darkness.

Half of the police crew pulled the lanterns on their hips off and in one synchronized motions lit them up. Not even stopping the march for a moment. Despite their likely lacking night vision they hadn’t had any issues before the lights, nor did they stumble at the sudden brightness. *Do you think the ones that lit up the lanterns are the traitors? Or if this is just standard operating procedure?*

[I’m guessing it’s standard? I mean… none of the group acted like it was weird and this place is a big mining hub… and well underground. I imagine they have protocol for who uses what lights when. It’s plenty bright at the moment so obviously they didn’t need everyone to light up their lamps.]

Kat nodded mentally, accepting Lily’s reasoning. The most persuasive part to her was how casually the lot of them treated it. With Strdl being confirmed not to be with the bandits… a potential issue but not with the bandits. It meant that her reactions could be considered ’normal’ for the group. Well, if you ignored the fact that ’normal’ at this point technically meant spy because of the sheriff.

Meg was at the front of the group with the sheriff and the prisoner. Not too close, she didn’t want to make him nervous… or at least not suspicious anyway. Kat and Lily were next. Not quite in the middle but close enough to it with Kamiko right behind them. Maybe not the best formation but it was the one they were going with. Hunter took up the rear… sometimes. She wouldn’t always be there when Kat glanced backwards. Though Kat did try not to check behind her too often. Nobody seemed to be noticing Hunter slip in and out of reality or whatever her hiding trick counted as. So it was probably fine. Kat didn’t want to risk giving anything away.

Aside from that things were actually somewhat dull. Oh it was a maze for sure but when you weren’t expected to keep track of the twists and turns or think about where to go next it was just a long walk really. Hunter was in charge of mapping things out with Meg on backup for it. Sure Kat could slowly go through her memories to backtrack if they needed… but if they were at that point simply forcing their way up through the stone would be quicker. Just had to hope they didn’t trigger any cave-ins doing so.

Eventually, after at least a couple of hours they reached an intersection. It wasn’t the first, and nothing really stood out about it. They’d been through a few walls that looked fake, and if pressed the only thing Kat could really say about this stretch of tunnel was that the ceiling was perhaps a touch higher. It might not have been, but if pressed that’s what Kat would say.

Not rested his hand against the wall and pressed in, hard. The floor dropped away and Kat pushed a her demonic energy into her brain, slowing the world around her down to a crawl… and noticed that Meg and Hunter weren’t reacting at all. Things were still going to plan. Kat stopped the unfurling of her wings that had started on reflex and returned to more normal time. Simply allowing herself to fall.

As they started picking up speed, stone tubes pulled themselves from the walls sucking up various policemen until only three of the standard troops remained, as well as Strdl. Not even Sheriff Not was still around. Both he and the prisoner had disappeared into one of the tubes. Close to first. Strdl had moved herself over near the wall, and had clearly attempted to go into one of the tubes but it had swerved to avoid her. Something to note at least.

When Kat’s eyes could make out the grown below she knew it was time to act. The three falling police were clearly panicking with no idea what was going on. A slight mental nudge from Lily had her girlfriend reaching out with a shadow hand to pick them all up. At the same time everyone else was reacting.

Kat simply spread her wings most of the way and let them slow her fall. She’d probably be fine and so would Lily… but the three probably innocent men wouldn’t be so safe. Hunter and Meg could take care of themselves, though they were plummeting straight down still. Kamiko had pulled out a small parachute or something like that. It wasn’t enough to stop the fall completely, but slow it down a good deal certainly. Continue reading at empire

Strdl had done something most interested. Already at the side of the wall bits and pieces of stone had started to stick to her foot as she pressed it against the wall. Bleeding momentum and chewing through the rocks even as she gathered more and continued slowing.

Meg and Hunter hit the ground first… simply smashing through the spikes in the pit below them with Kamiko not long behind, though her landing was much easier as a large percentage of the spikes had been knocked over in the first two impacts. They were simple stone and not really made for durability.

Strdl slowed down to nothing just above the edge, and above a couple of spikes that had managed to stay up before detaching herself from the wall and landing lightly on the ruined flooring. Kat and her three extra passengers landed lightly before Lily dropped them to the ground. They all scrambled to their feet, panicked looks on their faces as they glanced around and the pit they’d found themselves in.

Kat was about to wonder what she should be doing when a slow clapping started to echo through the pit and the wall at the end went down to reveal Not smiling at them. *He’s not about to…* "Well, well well, it seems you’ve all managed to survive my little trap," *HOLY SHIT HE IS!* "I have to say you impressed me somewhat. With the wings I didn’t expect it to kill you sure… but I was expecting to see a bit more damage around, or perhaps the deaths of those three idiots,"

"Sheriff what are you saying!" called out Strdl from the side. I kinda feel bad for her.

[I mean… yeah but at the same time this dude is clearly working up a full villain monologue. I mean… he’s GOT to have practice that walk in and slow clap at least a few times to get it so smooth. Can you really feel sorry for her if she’s worked with THAT sort of a guy for years? Only the fact that he’s got scales has prevented him from having a moustache to twirl!]

*Look… I want to say you’re wrong but you’re really not. He does seem like the type to practice. His next words are going to be something like ’Poor Poor, pathetic Stridl..’ *

"Ah, my poor, deluded Strdl. You make for a competent deputy and an exceptional officer of the law… it’s a shame I can’t really have that anymore. My boss has big plans for the town and I’m afraid it’s just not going to work out between us anymore…"

[That was pretty close Kat. Though… were they like dating or something?]

"What… what are you saying my captain? Have I not served you faithfully all these years? Why would you… no I can’t. Why would you say something like that?" yelled Strdl.

*I’m not sure… I want to say maybe no? She seems like the plucky young deputy but with the scales it’s hard to tell their relative ages…*

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