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

--- Lily --- (Moments before the end of chapter 1516)

Lily felt her heart clench when the link between herself and Kat was cut off. It was only a few moments of panic later that she realised 'cut off' was the wrong word. It was still there, technically, but it was felt almost mangled. The few muted things Lily could get through their link didn't make any sense. It wasn't memories or emotions it was just… something.

It proved the link still existed and that calmed Lily immensely.

Hunter fired a few shots at the drake but before they could even reach their target they were stopped in mid-air. Lily frowned at this as she looked over the drake, finally realising what was happening. All of the blood and other bits of drake that were scattered around the area were slowly making their wake back to the dragon, and Lily was able to realise what that meant.

*It's a TIME drake not a space one! That also probably explains the link. Kat's time and my own are no longer in sync. So she's… probably fine? I really hope she isn't about to be aged into oblivion… I mean… judging by everything else it should just be rewinding the last few moments. Wait!*

Lily realised what that meant and started flying over as quickly as possible, keeping a careful eye on the slight distortion in the air that signalled the edge of the time bubble the drake had created. Lily wasn't sure just how far back the drake would bring everything… but she suspected the answer was going to be before it took most or all of its recent injuries.

Which also meant that Kamiko would end up in the air once again. In the air, with wings too small to allow her to move around on her own. While Lily wasn't worried about the fall causing her issue, she WAS worried about the dragon remembering what happened and reacting.

Lily was rewarding for her concern in short order. Not only were Kat and Kamiko rewound as Lily worried they would be, but the attacks Hunter and Bower suddenly shot backwards towards them. Lily couldn't tell where Hunter was, so she was hopefully safe. Bower on the other hand, had to dodge out of the way at the last second not having expected this. Lily wasn't able to keep a proper eye on him.

No instead she summoned a large paper airplane a bit below Kamiko and hoped she'd get the idea. Just before everything resumed, Lily watched as the bubble seemed to shudder for a moment, the drake's crystal crown grew a touch, and then her link with Kat was restored.

Lily was ecstatic about that but had to push those emotions to the side to focus on Kamiko. The pink haired demon had clearly been conscious because as soon as she was free to act on her own initiative she put away her naginata and grabbed onto the plane Lily had left for her. Lily held the plane together and directed it over her way.

As that was happening the drake was glaring around but not making any sudden movements, simply watching warily. Kat was taking the chance to breath and regenerate her mana. She clearly wanted to reach out to Lily, but understood that it wasn't quite the time for that. Lily needed to focus, and Kat could tell that much at least.

Then Hunter shot at the drake. Lily felt her heart clench. They didn't really know what was going on just yet, the drake was acting more cautious… and while that was good in Kat and Lily's mind as it meant a chance for them to recover their spent energy… Hunter clearly thought otherwise.

If Lily had time to think on it properly, she would have asked if Hunter knew something they didn't… or if she had not yet realised that Kat and Lily were tired. Lily barely had any mana. The fact that she had enough for Kamiko's plane was testament to Kat's determination to buy them time. Kat wasn't at her full strength of course.

They both wanted this chance to rest… alas, Lily could only look on in horror as the crystal atop the drake's head shattered.

Then promptly reformed as it was before, with the drake turning its gaze to where Hunter had fired from. The lamia appearing for a second before vanishing… but the drake was not to be denied. It roared at the direction Hunter had been in, sending the slightest amount of mana through its scream. Which was more than enough. Hunter flickered for a moment then came into view.

Lily wanted to sigh, knowing what would happen next. Kat moved, dashing towards the drake, angling herself diagonally to ensure that she was moving between the drake and Hunter to prevent it simply charging after the lamia. *Dammit Hunter!* Lily bit her mental tongue, hoping that message didn't get sent to Kat. She was annoyed yes, but it may have been for the best. Maybe.

Lily shook her head to clear it right as Kamiko passed below her. Lily hopped down onto the plane and transformed. "Kamiko, I'm glad you're all right. Do you remember what happened?" asked Lily.

"Yes," answered Kamiko. "I remember striking the beast, tearing into it… and then it appears to have reversed time and sent me back to the sky. I am unsure if it would've turned its gaze to me had Hunter not taken a shot at it, so I thank you for removing me from its path,"

"Woah… awfully formal of you Kamiko," muttered Lily, thinking her pink haired friend sounded more like Hunter then herself at the moment. "Wait… never mind that's not important. What the heck are we going to do about this thing?"

"I am attempting to be as clear as possible with my words. There can be no room for error. Still… I will try and tune it down a bit. I'm not sure what we can do against the drake. Those crystals feel very wrong to me… and normally I'd suggest breaking them or disrupting them by making the dragon use that ability again and again… but it seems to have created more crystal," said Kamiko.

Lily grimaced as she looked down at the dragon, Kat was fighting it up close and personal again. Kat was making sure it didn't move forward, and Hunter was taking shots at it occasionally when it seemed to be trying to slither around Kat. The drake was started to dodge a few of those, but that also tended to leave it open to attacks from Kat. Not particularly damaging ones, but some attacks at least.

"Yeah… it does seem that way. So… yeah no idea what we can do about it? Because I really don't. This is so far out of my wheelhouse it's not funny. I mean… I talked to Thyme, the dryad you remember them right? And um… I got them talking about space and time magic a bit…

"But they didn't say anything at all about stuff like this. I mean… I can't even begin to guess what's happening here," grumbled Lily as they pulled in to land. Not a moment too soon either as Lily let herself drop to the ground, her mana touching up against empty once again. *I really need to work on my spells more, or maybe some kind of battle meditation?*

"I suspect that the dragon is… eating time," said Kamiko as she pulled a shovel from her storage space. She didn't know how to help with the battle right now, that's what this conversation was for… but that wasn't any reason to just stop. So she was working on a bit of a bunker.

It might not protect them, in fact it probably wouldn't, but it let Kamiko do SOMETHING right now, and that was helping keep her nerves down, stay in combat mode.

"It is? That's… weird. So it was eating time when it reversed what happened?" asked Lily.

"Maybe? I'm honestly confused as well," returned Kamiko.

"So… do we want it to keep using that ability or not? And… while I feel like we don't want those crystals getting larger… why isn't it constantly using that very same ability?" asked Lily.

"It could be that the dragon itself can't trigger the ability consciously. It needs us to damage until it activates… it would be a strange limitation but not the strangest I've heard of. If it's true though… I really have no idea how to get through it. We might need to speak with Hunter about this," said Kamiko.

Lily grimaced, the drake was still fixated on Hunter. It wasn't making any real progress… but getting over there to ask Hunter questions? Yeah, that was going to be a tall order. "Would getting Bower over here be a good substitute? I mean… I don't know how we could get to Hunter safely. The drake is really going at it… I mean, Kat's doing well and all but… yeah best not risk that…"

"Good question…" mumbled Kamiko.