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

As the boat pulled into the Holy Icy Wind sect, Kat's jaw dropped. The whole sect was made of breathtakingly clear ice that seemed to have little bits of confined light as edging. Every building was made from the same material, and they had mostly the same styling with little bits of flourish to make them distinct from each other. Behind most of the clear ice was a secondary layer of ice that was exceptionally foggy. It was clearly for privacy reasons… but the light contained within the edging bounced wonderfully through the fog, giving it an ethereal feel.

The dock space was on the outskirts of the town, making use of a particular cliff face. Instead of digging down as the Mountain Shaker sect did, they instead built out a long pier off the side of the mountain that floated over nothing. It was interesting to see a shipyard that was so high up. The only thing that made Kat frown was that there clearly wasn't any method of launching the boats. Kat could even see one taking off right now. It just… slowly started to drift off.

Creshe was nearby and Kat asked, "Why do they just have a floating dockyard and nothing to get the boats up to speed?"

Creshe shrugged, "Most ships aren't as sturdy as the Flying Rock here. Mountain Shaker specialises in sturdy construction and we can take the pressure easy," Creshe patted the railing fondly as she spoke. "Downside is… our acceleration is shit. It's somewhat intentional, but we wouldn't reach our top speed without the launcher. Keeping that speed is easy… but accelerating? That's a pain in the ass.

"It's a flaw we're not too worried about. We do have our launcher after all, and with it we can reach speeds that exceed most, and rival the best. Our ships just can't make it there by themselves. A minor price to pay for never being taken out of the sky by monsters. The Holy Wind sect however… they do good business with touring boats, slower things. We might be invited on one while you're here but probably not,"

"Hmm…" mumbled Kat as she continued to look out over the city. It was clearly separated into distinct tiers and the shipyard marked a sort of… halfway point between the second and third highest sections. The ship continued descending, the oars held out but unmoving. The sail full but fluttering oddly in the breeze. Then there was a pop and the bubble that kept the ship stable fell.

Sue and Lily shivered slightly as the frigid wind blasted them unprepared. Lily bounced over to Kat, who opened her arms and cuddled the little cat. The sailors… and Kat, didn't bat an eye. For them it wasn't worth worrying about. When Kat looked back over the railing, once Lily was secure of course, she noticed that a group of people were standing at the docks, all grouped up together. Probably waiting for them.

Kat's suspicion was proved correct. As the boat slowed it became clear that the large offshoot of the pier they were heading for was the one filled with formal looking people all standing around. Kat pursed her lips but didn't comment as the boat carefully pulled up beside them. Just as the boat pulled to a stop, Kat heard a door being kicked open and Bodeir walked out, servants in toe.

Bodeir had dressed up nicely, if warmly. His robes were lined with soft, puffy looking fur and his face was framed by a weird hat that had a veil on the back. The whole ensemble was done up in colours reminiscent of Bodeir's home. Dark reds, and browns with a dash of bright blues. Without saying a word, he strode forward confidently as the sailors rushed from another door and delivered a gangplank for the procession.

Hromdir got their attention with a very slight wave, indicating that they should be positioned between Bodeir and the rest of the servants. Shrugging and doing just that, Kat fell in line behind Bodeir, but Hromdir made a few more subtle gestures, and Kat mimed back the idea of 'looming' over Bodeir, wings out. Hromdir nodded, despite Kat's confused look. With another, much smaller shrug Kat did just that sliding up behind Bodeir… and realising for the first time that the elf was actually rather short.

Kat didn't need to do much to loom over Bodeir, as her natural height already did that. Letting her wings sit slightly more open then normal, and just the slightest tilt of her neck. Kat felt like she was doing a wonderful job when the person clearly in charge on the other side took a step forward and she flared her demonic energy just for a second, letting it seep into her eyes and flash purple. The poor guy stumbled and Kat was very pleased with the development.

"That is the third son of the Holy Icy Wind Sect Matriarch, Hamish." whispered Hromdir so softly, that even with Kat's enhanced hearing she wasn't sure she heard it. Hamish was a rather small, willowy figure. In a less hostile environment, that might've been the norm but this willowy youth displayed that fact clearly despite the harsh winds. They wore a simple but elegant suit with an ice blue rose as the clasp on his bolo tie. The suit was a dark blue that seemed nearly black, with pink lining around the edges of the sleeves.

"I greet you, Bodeir, in the name of the Holy Icy Wind Sect, may the winds blow good tidings your way," said Hamish with a very, very slight bow.

"I greet you, Hamish, in the name of the Mountain Shaker Sect. May your enemies quake when they hear your march," responded Bodeir with a similar, slight bow.

[*WAIT HE CAN SPEAK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!*]

Unconcerned with Kat and Lily's surprise Hamish continued to speak, "I can lead you to your abode now, or if you prefer, my people can escort your servants and luggage to your temporary domicile while giving you a tour of the city. Not all that much has changed since your last visit, but perhaps you would like a refresher?"

Bodeir 'thought' for a moment. Though… Kat and Lily were still debating if it was possible for Bodeir to think. Prior evidence suggested no… but the new evidence said… perhaps? "I will travel to my abode first I think. I know my way around the Holy Wind Sect well enough. We are great allies after all, I would like to think I won't be too surprised by what I find here,"

[Ok, there's no way this speech wasn't like… rehearsed or just written by someone else right? I'm not going crazy right?]

*That's the only thing I can think of. How can this be the same boy that wanted to demand I date him for money… using money given to him by his father. He actually sounds like an intelligent person right now!*

"Ah of course. Perhaps you remember our winter rose garden? We've made some improvements to the sculptures there. Our hot springs are still in high demand, though it is possible to use the imitation version within your lodgings if you are concern with crowds," said Hamish.

Bodeir gave a shrug in response and said, "I would like to find these places of interest myself. A bit of exploration gives everything you find a bit of extra spice you know?"

While Kat and Lily did understand the point… they were somewhat wishing they didn't. Who the heck is this and what happened to the idiot Bodeir that was tied up with rope and thrown onto the deck of the Floating Rock. Was the rope actually an intelligence draining artifact? Was Bodeir actually… smart? Or at the very least of a reasonable level of intelligence?

*Wait… Hromdir said, specifically, that Bodeir was dumb and it was the main thing holding him back in cultivation… so how the heck is he managing to make a perfectly acceptable speech?*

Hamish nodded, "My siblings have said things of that nature before. While I myself prefer a personally guided tour, I suppose I can see why some would prefer the call of exploration. As such, I will happily guide you to the residence we have put aside for you, this way," finished Hamish.

As he whirled around two maids stepped in behind Hamish while the rest held back. Bodeir marched forward, with his servant train behind him. Through some unseen signal, various servants started to share the load but Lily, who was watching the goings on behind Kat… couldn't work out the system. Some people carried multiple bags, some only one. Some had large packages, while others only carried a few small things. Despite this, everyone seemed to know what they were meant to carry, even Hamish's servants. There was no complaints. No jostling. Just a few swift movements and the baggage was all sorted out.