*Beacons have an emergency mode?*
Yes
*Ok not important.* Kat sped up her thoughts and the world slowed. The mist slowing its rapid charge, as Kat focused inward.
*Is there anything that could go wrong if I accept due to ranking up?*
It is likely User Kat will be perfectly fine. Interdimensional travel is exceptionally well tuned, but User Kat's Rank Up's have been strange before, and D.E.M.O.N.S makes no guarantee.
Kat clicked her tongue in annoyance. *Dammit. Ok fine. System, if I run over to the girls and run back can I still accept the summons.*
Of course.
And so Kat did just that she sprinted forward stopping at the edge of the rock and yelled "Something bad has happened to Minor. I don't know what's going on but I have to find out"
Lily looked on at Kat's cracking form with worry. Callisto and Sylvie nodded as if this was to be expected and Vivian had a beaming smile like always. "Don't wait up for us. Go make sure they're ok"
Kat nodded. Sylvie spoke up next "Come back as soon as you can though" lower lip trembling.
Lily didn't say anything, but it looked like she agreed with Sylvie. Kat turned to Callisto, but she had already started packing up the supplies. Kat dashed back to the summoning circle. *I accept.*
And was whisked away instantly. The fires of the teleportation swirled, but this time she could actually see the bubble around her. As she travelled, the purple mist started to leak from her again, but seemed to be stopped by a transparent barrier.
As the time passed, her vision became increasingly obscured by purple mist… until she arrived. The mist exploded outward taking up as much space as it could. Kat tried to reign it in instinctively and succeeded.
*That's something at least.* As the mist retracted and her vision cleared, Kat looked around frantically for Minor but instead… she saw Minor's grandmother. She had the same blue coat and seven tails she had before, though they were now looking significantly more frazzled. It was only noticeable because Kat's eyes were being empowered by the mist of demonic energy.
In fact, the rest of her outfit has fallen a few steps down. The sash she appears to be wearing seemed to be part of the kimono, and it looked like it hadn't been washed in a few days, and was filled with wrinkles if you looked in the right places.
"Um, hey… where's Minor?" asked Kat confused
"That isn't important for the moment. I called you here because I need your help" said Grandma Maemari.
Kat's eyes went wide. "Who are you and what have you done with Minor's grandmother"
The fox scowled at Kat "I'm at my wits end here. I summoned because I had no other choice and I won't take your stupid jokes"
*Woah, where is the calm but angry vixen she was last time. Now she's just angry.* Kat held her hands up in a placating gesture and folded her wings up trying to make herself look as reasonable as possible "Look, I mean no disrespect. I just find it hard to believe after last time that you'd willingly call on me for anything"
Kat felt the temperature in the room drop. A significant feat considering how resistant she was to the cold. It still wasn't chilly, but it was a nice breeze. The room though had chunks of ice starting to form in the corners.
Grandma Maemari grit her teeth like the words were causing her physical pain to say "If I had any choice I would. But I need you specifically for this. Will you help me or not?"
Kat sucked in a breath of cool air. *I really don't want to… but if Minor is hurt then fine.* "I will help" Kat braced herself for the hoard of chains she was sure to see but instead, she watched as multiple sigils appeared and shattered.
*Um… System? I was sort of expecting a contract there.*
User Kat was not offered anything, and neither User Kat nor Entity Enuko wished for a contract
*Wait you know people's names?*
Why would D.E.M.O.N.S be unable to discover this information?
Kat bit her lip. *Sort of just thought it you took them from my head.*
"Come" said Grandma Maemari, Enuko Kat reminded herself. Enuko spoke clearly but the literal frost in her words made it clear that it was an order.
Kat took one light step forward… and shot careening into the wall. *What the hell was that.*
User Kat's body is currently being reconstructed. Errors in movement faculties is to be expected.
"I said I don't have time for your games" growled Enuko
Kat wobbled as she tried to stand up. "Forgive me, I was in the middle of ranking up. Kind of a big deal have my whole body upgraded and I was interrupted. Why the hell do you think I have this mist following me around"
Enuko growled but dashed over to Kat and grabbed her by the arm before throwing Kat over herself like a sack of potatoes. It was rather awkward because of Enuko's tails and Kat's wings but Enuko didn't even flinch.
The world blurred as Enuko moved. Even Kat's enhanced vision could hardly keep up with the passing scenery as Enuko sprinted through the house before stopping in place outside of a thick wooden door.
As Enuko stopped the howling winds she generated rushed past pushing her tails into Kat's face and pulled at her wings, though the disruption caused by the tails prevented most of the gale.
After this, while Kat was spitting out tail fluff, Enuko was ever so slowly opening the door. It was an unbelievably careful action, as if one minor misstep could doom the world. She grasped the handled, and smoothly opened the door before stepping in.
Finally, she carefully put Kat down in a corner and Kat could get a better look at the room. *I'm surprised she even took the time to be careful putting me down.* Though Kat's thoughts rapidly changed when she examined the room.
It was a completely barren place save for three things. The first was the large window at the other end that gazed out into the mountains. A nice view but the least important feature of the room. The next thing Kat noticed as the numerous sigils carved all around her. Kat enhanced her vision further to try to see them all through the purple mist that was just now trailing through the door.
What she saw though stunned her. What she thought were large sigils were in fact, sigils made of sigils, with runes so tiny Kat wondered how you could even manage to carve them at all. The originally high count completely dwarfed what Kat could see in even a small section of the carvings.
Gulping Kat turned towards the last feature of the room. Minor. *Oh no.* Minor was on a small bed that closely fit her frame. She looked even paler than last time Kat had met her, and she was now starting to thin considerably. Where before she looked like a frail girl, now she looked closer to a skeleton in clothes.
Kat gulped, as she looked up at Enuko for answers. When the fox didn't say anything and continued to move around the room and check the various sigils and runes Kat spoke up. "What is wrong with Minor"
Enuko froze. She glared at Kat and Kat felt as though her soul was being stared at. The temperature started dropping again, before Enuko grimaced and looked away. "I suppose I do need to explain if you are to fix the problem"
*Don't be rude, she's just worried about Minor* "I believe so. I don't see how I can help this situation at all" said Kat with a calm she no longer felt.
Enuko turned her gaze to Kat once more, but clearly looked over her shoulder, as if speaking to the wall instead would help her demeanour. "I'm… I'm not quite sure myself but I have a few guesses
"See, Minor had been saying she wasn't meant to control the body, and I didn't really listen. Until she collapsed. After that she was only conscious for bits and pieces but from what I could gather she couldn't control their body anymore
"Not that she was giving up, but that the control was being wrest away from her. There is no force that could harm her within my compound… except perhaps one"
Enuko took a deep breath like she was about to admit to acts of genocide, before continuing "I believe it has to be Shizuka, Major"
*Um… what?* Kat spoke more eloquently then her thoughts betrayed by abusing her mental acceleration to 'get more time' to speak "I don't quite follow"
Enuko looked like she was ready to punch something but reigned her anger in "I think that there is an issue in their combined mind. And I need to send you in to help"