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

Kat sucked in a big breath of air and then let it all out at once as she came off the adrenaline high of the fight. Her mind resetting itself and leaving combat mode as she now carefully looked over the rats once again. They were bipedal, with bent spines that made it seem like they'd been forced onto two legs and weren't really equipped for it. There entire bodies were covered with hair excluding the gems atop their heads.

"Showing off the abs are you Kat?" asked Sue cheekily

Kat glanced down to find, she wasn't showing off anything. Black blood was coating her side and slowly flaking off already, even her clothes were mending themselves after the attack she'd taken. Her bones, if they'd been effected at all, were back in place and there really wasn't anything to show.

*Do I have abs? Hard to tell… I didn't really have any before, just faint ones when I tensed them if that even counts… most of my 'working out' was running places so only my legs gained significant muscle definition but that seemed to have disappeared for the most part.*

"I didn't realise you were looking so closely. I thought you liked guys" said Kat hoping it sufficed as a comeback.

Sue saw it for the weak attempt that it was, but smiled at the fact Kat was even trying to banter with her. It wasn't much, but she appreciated it. "Hey, one of the things I DO like is muscles. Just because I'm not gay doesn't mean I can't appreciate good abs when I see them. Sadly, you don't have any"

"Can we even get abs as a Succubus?" asked Kat thinking Elmony might be an outlier.

Sue shrugged, but Kamiko had the answer. "It's very hard once you get to Rank 1" said Kamiko "Training before your demonic fire starts burning is the best way to get them. If you're thinking of Elmony, she cheated a bit because she's already done things once. Apparently it was one of her big regrets so Mom made sure she worked out enough to get muscles second time around"

"What?" asked Sue very confused

"I'll explain it later if you want Sue, it's a bit personal and a long story" said Kamiko with a smile. It then turned more serious as she glanced between the two. "Now, enough distractions, what do you think of this fight? For me it was easy as they have no real defences against slashing weapons. I can cut them without trouble and they have no regeneration to help with the blood loss.

"Kat, I saw you took a big hit to the side there. How much damage did it do and how did it managed to tag a hit? I didn't think they were that fast but perhaps they weren't the same strength. If that's the case, how many do you think you could fight at once?"

*Woops, Kamiko's right I should be taking this more seriously.* "I let myself get hit. I could have dodged for a while but I traded a hit to my midsection for a strike to its head. My regeneration is really good and I'm already back to full energy. It cost my practically nothing and it was clear the rats weren't that strong" explained Kat

"Oh, I didn't realise. I… hmm… I guess that is a valid tactic when your regeneration is so could…" mumbled Kamiko

Kat nodded and continued on, "As to how many I could fight at once… I suppose it depends. I could probably fight a practically endless number of them as long as I didn't need to worry about them. No offence Sue… just… I can kite them around all day, and if I was forced into a corner, well, that just limits the number that can hit me. They aren't fast enough to deal serious damage until I'm out of energy and that would take a long time.

"With Sue though… I want to say somewhere between three and five? I don't know if I could stop any more then that getting past me. It depends on how fast they are. I could probably fight more if Sue was willing to fight these guys as well. I don't think they're outside of her skill range with that hammer. One or two good hits could definitely bring one down, but it'd be a bit risky. I think they might be a tad faster then her with the hammer."

Kamiko nodded and looked over at Sue for confirmation who shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. It's hard to keep up shields on other people if I get overwhelmed. Could I fight one? Almost certainly. I'd use the same tactic Kat did and tank a hit on my shield and use that as a chance to slam my hammer into its head. I don't know if I could keep your shield up at the same time though Kamiko… and I certainly couldn't fight more than one at a time. Maybe three in a row if they are slow following up.

"I think three strikes is about what I'd be able to shield. Then again… with regen between fights… hmm, better just say three it's safer for everyone" Sue finished off with a shrug as she ran her hand along her other arm letting her shield light up just slightly as she applied pressure to it.

"That's not a lot…" said Kamiko "I thought your shield was better then that… no offence"

Sue sighed, "It's a little better than that. The one around you can probably take four hits, but the issue is… these rats are a lot tougher than I think Stone suspected. They are about my match Kamiko. About the match of a Rank 1 demon. Sure, it looked easy for you both to take them out, but that's because they have no regeneration, they have less efficient blood, and their bones aren't as good. They still hit hard. Kat can be excused but have you forgotten that already?"

Kamiko's eyes widened and she looked down at the rat creatures in a new light. Kamiko had forgotten just how much of a jump her abilities had taken when she got to Rank 2. It wasn't necessarily much, but it was still a noticeable step up, and when in combat slightly more speed or an ounce more strength could easily mean the difference between life and death.

What if Kat's rat had been a bit strong and nocked her away. Sure she'd live, but then that would be two rats for Kamiko to deal with, and much more dangerous. On the other hand, if it had a weapon of its own and could properly fight her things would become deadly swiftly. "Shit" said Kamiko

Sue nodded, "Not so simple now is it?" said Sue smugly enjoying the simple facts the pair had missed. "Sure you can both take a few of them at a time, but remember I'm a Rank 1 unlike you both. Taking so many potentially lethal attacks on my shield is actually really good. I can reduce those strikes down to nearly nothing. I'm bragging a little bit, but it IS impressive for a Rank 1 demon"

Kat swallowed the spit in her throat as the implications really sunk in. *This is much more dangerous than I was really thinking, isn't it? Kamiko is four hits away from death at any given time. Sure, we have great healing facilities but… damn that actually is intense when you think about it that way.

I was thinking these Contracts were all easy. Even when I nearly died in the last one, I haven't really been scared but… I think I see now that I'm the outlier here. Regeneration is such a big step up… I… I didn't realise. I don't know how I didn't see how lucky I've been to grab that early on. Is it really worth continuing? I'm still safe here… but I wonder if the risks are worth it.*

"I suppose you're right Sue" said Kamiko while Kat was still lost in thought. "I might have been harsh. Would glancing blows be easier to deal with?"

Sue waved her flat hand from side to side in a 'so-so' gesture. "Somewhat. It does take less energy but not enough for it to really matter. I don't know the specifics but it's the way my shield interacts with the world. I can defend really efficiently against full strikes, but partial ones, while cheaper, are hardly worth taking for the discount, so if you are going to get hit use that chance"

Kamiko took in a breath before nodding and saying, "Ok let's continue on then. Do you want to try fighting on if we find more Sue?"

Kat took the lead when they headed off, making sure she was completely in front of Sue in case of anything flying at them. Kat was now more determined to protect the pair. She knew she could take way more then four hits from those rats, and in a long fight her energy could regen allowing her to tank even more.

"I'll be fine" said Sue "I don't really care for battle. Sure the little ones are nice stress relief, but an actual fight… nah I'll leave it to you"