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

We're back to Kat.

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Kat spent twenty minutes trying to hash out a compromise between everyone here, but it wasn't to be. Meng was unwilling to allow Jian and Shun to retain any short-term functionality. Her suggestions and 'compromises' were all about how to most effectively cripple the other two cultivators, ensuring they couldn't chase after Meng. Though it wasn't just Meng that was the issue. Jian wasn't willing to accept anything harsher then a slap on the wrist. Shun might have accepted some of the options, but Jian was having none of it. So… Kat moved off to the side and started to make a snowman of Lily, while chatting with Lily.

*I just don't know what to do here Lily. It's been half an hour and they're just staring at each other. I've finished like five copies of you and I'm getting better at ice sculpting, even if I'm massively cheating with my demonic energy and strong nails. I think we're going to fight in the end.*

[It's quite understandable Kat. Jian doesn't trust Meng not to kill him, or get pretty close to that, while Meng doesn't trust Jian not to be a problem in the future. It's easy for us, we won't have to deal with a lot of the consequences when we leave. Meng will. Giving Jian any sort of 'reasonable' deal is just asking for him to come and stab her in the back later.]

*I know, I know. It's pretty obvious that Jian doesn't like her, and just as obvious that Meng can't think of killing someone as anything other than 'efficient removal of obstacles' or something like that. Sure Jian has calmed down a bit, and not so easily tricked anymore… but his anger is just a cold anger now. It's still burning and I fear that Meng might be right, he will stop at nothing to hunt them down and be an endless source of issues.

The real problem, I suppose, is that he goes away powers up and then comes to attack Meng. Perhaps with a suicide technique. Just grab a shit tonne of bombs and tackle Meng. I could see it happening after Bang's attempt at killing me. So… it seems like a much more reasonable fear. I wonder if I should just kill them myself.*

[I'm still annoyed at that by the way.]

*Hey, you've been fighting off the occasional cave monster, don't complain about me. We've both been trying to hide our fights from each other.*

[Hang on, I told you eventually.]

*Indeed. EVENTUALLY. I told you what happened to me as I was flying around looking for Meng.*

[Yeah but everything died under a barrage of paper. The critters here haven't been too strong. You however, took a massive explosion to the face and just said 'it didn't hit me'. Well, I'm pretty sure KatE getting hit counts as you getting hit.]

*I bet I could say it out loud without getting choked. Still, it really isn't a big deal. Honestly, summoning KatE at all was the bigger drain on my body. Though, I will also say that having her, or that part of me, tank the explosion was much better in the long run. Not sure how much damage it actually would've done to me…*

[Kat, stop thinking of ways to injure yourself to test your durability. This is why I'm annoyed. Your attitude isn't 'Glad I wasn't in that' but 'Huh, I wonder if I would've survived that' which are two very different mindsets. One is vastly preferable, if Meng has an issue with seeing people as obstacles, and obstacles as things to kill, then you have a problem with seeing a deadly situation and questioning HOW deadly it would be to you specifically.]

*But it's useful information! I need to know what attacks I have to avoid, and what I can just let hit me.*

[What you really need is a lower pain tolerance. Then I wouldn't be so worried all the time.]

Kat gave a mental shrug. *I regret nothing.*

While Kat and Lily were chatting, Meng and the other cultivators were just staring at each other, waiting for one of them to make a move. Meng was waiting for them to attack Kat now that the demon's back was turned. Meng planned to intercept the attack with her body, freeing herself from the oath and then going on the offensive. Of course, if she took a moment to think about it, getting Kat to punch her on the shoulder would be just as effective, and much less deadly. Sadly, Meng was too focused on the other two.

Jian had taken out his bow and was performing basic maintenance. He had a backup weapon in case Meng made a move, and he hadn't taken his eyes off the older female cultivator even as he worked, but it helped keep his mind sharp. Arrows were also checked over for bends, and Jian took far too much glee in pointing them at Meng in order to check how straight they were. Jian was still itching for a fight and didn't trust anybody here. Despite that… he was starting to lose track of Kat amongst the snow-Lilys. It was just weird to see, and his instincts didn't know what to make of it.

Unlike the rampant paranoia of the other two, Shun thought the standoff was going to continue for quite some time. So Shun had pulled out a pair of sunglasses earlier and gone to sleep. Nobody had noticed this fact. They just thought he was getting sick of the sun shining in his eyes, but in truth, he sneakily added planks as support under his robes and was leaning against them, and sleeping. His eyes were shut under those glasses, and he was paying no attention whatsoever to the goings on around him. Shun was perfectly content to sleep like this for however long was necessary.

*So what do you think I should do Lily? You sort of avoided talking about it, but I could just go up to Jian and shank him. Well, he probably wouldn't just LET me shank him, but I could make the attempt. If I wanted to get serious I suppose I could just throw demonic fire at him till he froze to death. Shun is… probably fine.*

[I don't understand why they haven't run away. Sure we'd need to chase after them, or at last Meng would insist that we do, but they've both acknowledged Meng as the superior combatant. With our help, I doubt it'll be much of a fight.]

*I think it has more to do with the fact Jian feels he can't run, and Shun feels he has to stick around as long as Jian is ready for a fight. If we could take out Jian, Shun would either run, or allow himself to be put in a long-term illusion. So really, we just need to take out Jian. Probably. What I want to know is… lethal or not?*

[Kat, this really should be your decision.]

*Fine. I still want advice but if it's purely my decision? I want to just freeze him, possibly to death, and then continue on. He's an assassin that was trying to kill a child. I have very little sympathy for him.*

[Kat… do remember that Feng and Bing are both MUCH older than us.]

*Oh… right. Forgot about that part. They still act like teenagers though, and isn't that what really matters? There's also the fact that Jian is still an assassin. Even if he's not a child-murdering one. He might be, but we've got no proof either way.*

[I won't think any less of you for killing him. This is not a peaceful world, and we can't just hand him over to the cops. There is a very real chance that leaving Jian alive would cause the deaths of innocent people, or more importantly, deaths of people we care about.]

*Hmm… I agree. Do you think we're becoming a bit too ruthless though?*

[I don't know. As much as I'd like to blame it on our racial changes, I was pretty apathetic towards people I don't know before. I don't care to watch the news because so much of it is bad, and I just don't care. It annoys me more than it informs me. Then again, if we want to take a 'letter of the law' argument. Meng is basically the head of the government here. If she tells us we can kill people, we are legally allowed to kill people…]

*And seeing as she's an assassin the idea that she wouldn't give us permission to kill HER problems is ridiculous.*

[Exactly.]

Kat nodded at the words and stood up, taking in her most recent snow-Lily. It was alright. Not her worst certainly, but not quite her best either. Part of her wanted to just keep practicing to pass the time, to put off the confrontation they were soon to have… but that was silly. Kat was ready, and if Meng gave a signal she was as well? It was time to kill an archer.