BXBX NOVEL Chapter 446: Beating the Heat
Chapter 446: Beating the Heat
It was very quickly proven to not be ok after about thirty minutes. The sun was shining, if it actually was a sun, Kat wasn't certain of that part, but the light and heat from the maybe sun, was shining directly on the pair and Kamiko wasn't having a good time of it. To compensate, Kamiko was burning demonic energy to help cool herself down a little and Kat was starting to notice.
This is because when she looked over at Kamiko the faintest traces of pink smoke could be seen. Most of it was hidden under her outfit and concentrated around her core body but it wasn't sustainable long term and Kat managed to catch glimpses of it leaking out of Kamiko's sleeves.
"You alright there?" asked Kat, who was starting to really recover. Her mind still wasn't in top condition but it was to the point where she could actually notice the details around her again properly and act on them. She wasn't certain if noticing the pink smoke even five minutes earlier would have let her figure out what was going on and what Kamiko's problem was.
"I'm fine" said Kamiko with a slightly tight voice that was never going to get past Kat when she was completely wiped let alone now that she was feeling somewhat better and was paying attention.
*I'm honestly surprised she could say 'I'm fine' but I suppose she is fine right at this moment? It's clearly not sustainable or comfortable but it perhaps counts as fine right now. What I need, is a solution. Hmm, would that work? Just grab a blanket and use my powers to freeze it? Seems like it would work.*
"Hey Kamiko where are the blankets?" asked Kat
*Another question, I've just had. How does she go about her day normally? She was fine walking behind Freddy. Was the temperature better controlled? Are we just in a hotter area of the world?* Kat was actually a little annoyed at her immunity to temperature for a second. She just couldn't tell the difference. To her, there was none. The temperature change was so small to her it might as well be non-existent but it was clearly enough for Kamiko.
*Actually, all the compounds we've been to so far have caused her no issues with the temperature… Perhaps all the houses are in a much warmer part of the world? I could see the compounds being wherever the temperature is most consistent. That seems like a reasonable thing to do.*
"Um… I mean… I know there's some in everyone's rooms… but I think we might have some spare in a shrunken chest in the kitchen?" said Kamiko not quite sure where Kat was going.
Kat nodded and pushed herself out of the chair while internally being surprised she wasn't feeling her body creak and groan. It made sense of course, her regeneration helped a tonne and even a normal demon wouldn't have those issues from lifting their own body weight but to Kat who had been human most of her life it was a slight shock. Shaking her head to clear the thought, Kat got ready. She took in the deepest breath she could, breathing as much air as possible right up until her lungs started to feel like they were pressing against her ribs. She let her energy infuse her limbs and slow down time. She didn't want to make a single wasted movement.
Kat took off. Moving at a 'walking' pace in her stopped time, which was still a blurry mess to the naked human eye. Kat was lucky demonic construction was rated for high rank demon, and that Kamiko's house was at least for Rank 6's (because it was always good to get the grade above just in case) otherwise she might have broken the door in her haste to get inside. Once the door was open Kat made her way to the cupboard containing the furniture and pulled it open to really get a good look.
This cupboard was one that stretched all the way from the ceiling to the floor but it wasn't very deep. Most of the setups were all in a line so that you didn't need to grab out multiple sets to get at one of the ones in the back. The few exceptions were for the full dinning table set ups that all seemed to have their own shelf.
There was also a blank shelf, right at arm height, that Kat assumed was where the set currently in use lived. For the other sections it was a surprisingly eclectic mix. There was a jungle themed dining set made of what looked like pelts and bamboo, another one that was glowing and looked to be made entirely of pieces that changed what colour they were brightly lit up, an interesting party option to be sure.
There was also one shelf dedicated half to spare beds and half to extra recliners that paired with the other sets of furniture, perhaps they were for use in other rooms. Some beds matched a dining set, like the primitive one that had a tiger patterned bed sheet, and others where entirely unique like the one with the old looking bed frame that supported the mattress with a 'spiderweb' that was made out of wood, and had 'tattered' sheets as the cover. It was all very fun looking but Kat could tell she was starting to burn up her time.
*I don't want to spend too long admiring this. It's cool yes but I need to get out before I run out of stopped time. Air doesn't seem to be an issue. I've slowed things down enough that demonic energy will become a problem first after that massively deep breath. It was probably overkill but I can just shut off the time dilation and rely on that for a bit if I need to.*
So, Kat stopped examining every interesting bit of furniture and focused on finding the box. The first box she found was labelled actually, and had 'camping supplies' on it so she quickly moved on, assuming correctly it stored tents, but would have been annoyed to note, also contained sleeping bags which would have sufficed. Not for her idea, but because one of them was enchanted for Kamiko.
At least the next box she found was more helpful. It was actually on a shelf of boxes, with quite a few. It did require her to get down on her knees, as it was the second lowest shelf in the cupboard, but Kat didn't care, time in the orphanage was regularly spent on the floor with the kids, so unlike some crouching down wasn't a problem.
The box she'd spotted, that sent her down this way, was labelled 'Elmony's Baby Clothes', only visible by enhancing her eyes because of the small size of the text. A very large part of Kat wanted to go through the box and have a look. Sadly, that part was quickly told off, because she had a job, and didn't want to anger Elmony next time they met. So Kat scanned the boxes, many of which included baby clothes for other siblings, until she found the one for blankets. Gently reaching back with two fingers Kat managed to grasp the chest and pull it out. It was somewhat difficult but Kat managed.
Once the box was safely in hand, Kat dropped the energy she was using to speed up her perception of time. She was down to fifty percent. Apparently stopping time so much was not good on her reserves. Using the air she had left, it was still easy to get back outside though. "Can you grow this for me Kamiko?" asked Kat handing over the box.
Kamiko shifted so that the box would grow and be positioned on the floor and not just over herself. Once there it started to grow, until Kamiko was forced to let go. She shifted a bit more and then continued to enlarge it back to its normal size. Once there, she opened the lock, knowing Kat wouldn't be keyed in.
"Ok, um, can you grab the oldest or just least enchanted blanket?" asked Kat
Kamiko nodded and started digging around. It didn't take long, because Kamiko had a particular blanket in mind. It was just a basic brown blanket they had. Reasonably soft for what it was, but entirely without enchantments. It only got used when one of her aunts that didn't like enchanted fabrics came to visit. Still it was well made.
Kat grabbed the blanket from Kamiko and gently laid it over her friend. Kamiko raised an eyebrow but Kat responded with a raised finger with a small amount of demonic fire at the end. "Oh dammit. How did I not think of that?" said Kamiko
Kat smiled at the acknowledgment her idea would work. Putting two hands spread out to be an equal distance from each other and the edge Kat pushed as much energy into the blanket as she could. It instantly lit up in purple fire freezing itself solid and remaining lit for now. "Oh yes" said Kamiko snuggling into the blanket "Thank you so much Kat"
Kat smiled back "No problem." *I wonder if I should do a second for me?* Then she realised that little trick used basically the rest of her energy and quickly decided not to worry.