Chapter 957 - 957 Chapter 957 Gilded Cage?

957 Chapter 957 Gilded Cage?

As the flames died down, Kat noticed two things that were a bit different about this summon. Well, in truth she quickly spotted the first, slowed her mind down, and berated herself over the fact it took her so long to recognise the second thing. The first, an less significant item she noticed was that she wasn’t the only demon here. No, this time, Kat had been summoned alongside someone else. At the very least, Kat could blame her notice on the fact that the figure was very familiar.

They had purple skin, long winding horns… and well… it was Sue. Kat had spent more than enough time with her friend, for that’s what Sue was. Crazy and sex obsessed as she was, Sue had earned herself the title of ‘friend’ after being good company, and helping out with Sylvie’s presents. Sue hadn’t really noticed Kat yet.

It was driving home just how much better Kat’s abilities were now that she was Rank 3. Sue had barely even registered the fact she was out of the transportation flames, let alone recognising the fact that Kat was beside her. Just to prove a point, Kat kept her slowed time up, looking around for a bit to determine that yes, Sue really was that slow in comparison now.

The second thing Kat noticed, was much more concerning. As stated above, Kat was looking around in slowed time mostly just to judge herself against Sue. That might’ve been a saving grace in this case. The more Kat examined the room they were in, the more she grew concerned about the construction of the place.

The summoning circle took up the entire room. No, it would be more accurate to say that the room WAS the summoning circle. They were trapped here in this room, and that was just one of the little things that pointed Kat’s thoughts in that direction. Besides the fact that the circle continued to the edges and even started to climb the walls slightly, the walls themselves were a white stone with runes chiselled into them. The runes seemed to be dying down in this slowed time, but they may have simply flared when Kat and Sue were summoned and were returning to normal now.

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The other problems were just as noticeable. There were no windows. Not a single slither of natural light got into the room. Furthermore, the door wasn’t a simple wood construction, no it was a large behemoth of a door that was easily twice as tall as Kat and twenty times as wide. It was a dark metal to contrast with the white walls and practically GLOWED with power. Compared to the walls, which Kat wasn’t entirely sure about, the door had PRESENCE.

Personally, Kat suspected that the door would be tougher to get through then the walls. Even if she was underground, like Kat was also suspecting, the door itself was NOT the weak point in the room’s construction. It wasn’t clear if the door was designed just for this room, but it was NOT opening for anything it didn’t want to. Kat noted that it didn’t even have hinges, certainly not on this side of the door. In fact, if it wasn’t for its shape and the different materials, Kat would’ve guessed it to be part of the walls.

That’s not to say the room didn’t look nice, no. Despite these features that screamed ‘trap’ or perhaps ‘containment’ the owners of the place really went out of their way to make it seem like they were simply welcoming honoured guests… of all sizes. See, that was the other thing that… well perhaps it wasn’t strange considering they intended to summon demons here, but it was not something Kat’s mind would instinctively gravitate to.

The room itself had a number of tables and chairs in the nearby areas. The centre where Kat and Sue had been summoned was clear for quite a while, and there was a straight line to the door that left enough clearance to fit a monster truck down it with space on either side for an escort. The chairs and tables though, they were all made to be various sizes and shapes. Well. Most of them.

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Without fail, there was always at least two chairs for a normal sized person. Sometimes they also had a little side table next to the chairs, other times they were basically high-seats so that the humans could sit at the ‘big tables’ without issue. The tables themselves were all the same design. A fancy wood carved table with a garden of flowers carved into the table top and a thick layer of varnish to keep it all level. All the non-standard chairs? Well they looked perfect for a number of demons Kat had seen.

The easiest design to pick out where the large half dome chairs that were clearly for beholders to rest in. There was a few different sizes, with the largest being perfectly sized for a medium sized car. There was of course quite a few that were simply chairs, but large… but another interesting design was the one for Lamias.

Kat wasn’t entirely proud to admit the fact it took her a few minutes of staring at the large pillow on the floor, wondering why they’d not just have another set of chairs for beholders… only to realise, it’s probably for the Lamias that prefer that kind of seating. Though of course, the strangest furniture Kat managed to spot was… somewhat hard to explain, even if it was obviously for shadow demons.

It definitely wasn’t a chair. Calling it a chair would imply there was something substantial to sit on. Instead… it was a box with a concave section that folded into something that vaguely resembled a chair… while also containing a slightly raised painting of a single chair that fit in well with the curve. It wasn’t raised much, not even a full fingers-width… but it was noticeably raised.

*Is that even appropriate for shadows? I guess I never really thought about how they’d rest. It’s never really come up. Can they use normal chairs? I mean they must be able to right? I also know that they can pull themselves off the wall, they aren’t confined to them. Hmm… yeah this is definitely weird. Thoughtful perhaps… but weird.*

Furniture wasn’t the only thing spread out over the room though. There was also a number of plants that rested as centrepieces for many tables. Well, a slightly closer look revealed they weren’t real plants, just carved plants that had been painted multiple colours. Kat wasn’t entirely sure why they went that route instead of using real plants. Perhaps it was for allergy reasons? Maybe they didn’t want to accidentally provide a demon with something they could use to escape? Kat didn’t know.

Further complicating that question, was the fact that alongside two walls, the back and left wall, was a large buffet table. One seemed to contain only meat, and the other only had fruits and vegetables. There was a third, smaller table with sweets on it off to the right but it really was tiny. Where the two buffet tables were completely filled wall to wall, and it was a BIG wall, the sweet table had one cake, three cupcakes, a candy bowl that was only half filled, and a bar of chocolate.

Next to the sweets table was a second table with a few drinks on it. Two teapots, one for a normal sized individual and one three times the size, a water jug, a barrel next to it on the ground, and finally a pot of coffee. Though for some reason the coffee was only in normal size portions.

On the one hand, it was clear that no expense was spared when it came to furnishing the area and providing food for any potential gluttony demons. It was all very nice to look at and at least somewhat enticing… but Kat could tell that it was also very much a gilded cage. The most telling part of the latter perhaps being the fact that there was no summoner in the room. Someone had managed to pull Kat and Sue into this world without even being there to greet them.

*I’d really like to ask Sue what the best course of action is but I’m not sure if just dropping back to normal time is the best idea right now. Lily would also be great to get advice from… but her mind isn’t fast enough for this. Dammit. What do I do? Everything in here seems to be a way to get whatever they summon to relax or at least feel somewhat comfortable. I just wish I knew if it was because they’re trying to make a good impression… or if there is some other magical reason.

I mean, it’s possible that this is all just to keep the a demon trapped in this room… or even just slow down any escape. It’s one thing to break out of a flimsy defence that’s been degrading over who knows how many centuries. It’s another to dig through tonnes of rock and dirt when there is nice seating and free food on offer if you just… hang around or whatever. Hmm…*