Chương 105: [2.31] Duty of Friendship (Part 1/3)

"Hmm, a Cult?" Angelica tried to parse everything that had been said with her sleepy mind. Right, Gawk had mentioned that he'd be trying to join a Cult, and that if he found one, he'd try to see if they could both join together. Damn, it hadn't even been two full days and he'd already found one? She'd expected it to take much longer, if it ever even happened. But had she heard the last part correctly? That he'd only be allowed to join if she also joined up?

Kind of made it sound like some kind of scam or multi-level marketing scheme. She was already wary based on the name, but her friend's enthusiasm made it sound like he had no reservations. Was it really fine, or was he just being tricked?

"What can you tell me about them?" Maybe she could find something that sounded off and convince him it was a bad idea. She didn't want to dash his hopes, but if he was being taken advantage of, that'd just be even worse.

"I actually don't know too much," Gawk admitted over their mental connection.

"They're the Zebub Cult, definitely not as renowned as some of the bigger names. From what I've heard, they're not too popular, but they're the only ones who didn't dismiss me immediately for being a Puck. Well, specifically, it's a brand new subsidiary legion under them that just recently formed and is doing aggressive recruiting. I think that's why they're willing to consider us.

"When I met briefly with the Legion Heir, it was kind of obvious he wasn't too thrilled by a Puck recruit, but he was at least very nice about it and still was willing to speak with me. I think you'd like him. He walks around as a human a lot of the time too! And when I mentioned I'd have a friend who might be willing to join too, he was a lot more interested."

"I don't know, Gawk…" Yeah, honestly none of that really made Angelica feel any better about the idea. She hated to disappoint him, and was tempted to go along with it just for his sake. But at the same time, something just felt off.

"I'm not sure a Cult is right for me. Do they really put so much stock in people joining together that they'd not let you join otherwise?"

"Uhuh. Cults, especially growing ones, value camaraderie above all else!" he explained.

"Since Demons can have really strong personalities, it can be hard for them to get along with others. So if you join with a companion, it shows that you're social enough to make friends and work together. Less likely that you'll be a problem later, while also being more committed since your friend is with you. That leads to less Demons quitting the Cult." Hmm, the fact that they could quit at all was actually promising to hear.

The kind of cults Angelica was used to hearing about were typically one way in, no way out. Ultimately, she knew that this was likely more of a miscommunication than anything, her being stuck on the name. It was likely another aspect of Demon society she just didn't yet understand. Thinking back, the clerk at the Demon Registration Office had suggested joining a Cult, and the guard at the Rune store had said she'd need to join a Cult to enter.

So there was likely more to them than the name implied, but she was still wary.

"It's so important to them that the Zebub Cult actually raises the typical sign-on bonus of five Growth Points to ten if you join with a friend! But I understand if you're not interested, Gelic. No need to force yourself for me. If you're not interested, I'll let them know that it didn't work out and keep looking for other options!"

"W-w-wait, hang on!" she sputtered.

"I didn't say I wouldn't consider it. But let me just confirm. Ten Growth Points?! For each of us?!" If she got that, she could buy Identity Fraud and still have plenty leftover for Auto-Color. There'd be no more waiting. After she met with her mother, she'd be able to dive right into an art extravaganza as a reward for all of her hard work and stress.

"Mhmm! We'd have to pass their trial so they can make sure we're worthy of joining. But after that, we'd get them right away. Normally, since it's usually Gremlins being recruited, it's preferred that we put the points to Transfiguration, but since you already have it, you could spend them however you wanted! I'm already saving mine for the most part, so I wouldn't mind saving those for when I'm a Gremlin and can get it." That made Angelica practically jump out of bed.

She wanted to agree emphatically, but there was something else she needed to confirm first.

"So, if we do join the cult, what does that mean for our day to day? I'm still Bound, and my master usually has me on a tight schedule. Would this interfere with that?" None of this would matter or be worth it if she lost her freedom in the process.

"Hmm, it shouldn't," Gawk answered, though didn't sound too sure.

"Most Cults don't have hard rules on how much you have to contribute. Though, all of them operate a bit differently, and even within Cults, some Legions will have their own rules, so it's hard to say for certain. But we can ask! I think at the most, you'd be expected to participate under the Cult's banner if you decided to participate in one of the tournaments, but those typically aren't mandatory either."

"Hmm, depending on that answer, that could be a dealbreaker." She made sure to set his expectations.

"But it's worth at least meeting them." Angelica gave herself a quick smell check, to see if she needed to wash away her other worldly adventures from yesterday.

"I guess I'm free right now if that works."

"Great, I'll give them a heads up we're coming in case they're in the middle of something. Let's meet up at the usual Terminal Nexus. See you there soon." Angelica damn near busted down her apartment's door, eager to head off to Hell, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun on the way. She turned into her Puffball Imp form and got bouncing. Her last usage had been interfered due to rain, so now she could really let loose.

After the first few sproings, she could immediately tell the difference in her bounciness thanks to her Regressor achievement, almost like her body had been replaced with an even squishier material. It felt great, and she accelerated more per bounce than before. Getting to Bog Hoolie's Freaky Funhouse took no time at all, unfortunately, not letting her get up to her new max speed. She landed in a nearby tree and took a moment to scout the roadside attraction.

There was a current tour group walking around, checking out the other attractions. If Gelic wasn't expected, she'd be tempted to join them, and see what sort of oddities she'd missed out seeing in her childhood. Well, the oddities of the place she was going were undoubtedly greater, so they'd probably just be disappointed by comparison. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She was tempted to just go ahead and bust into the shack with the fairy circle, wondering if they'd be too weirded out by the suddenly opening door or just find it intriguing. But they were heading that direction anyway, so she bounced down and slipped into the crowd, doing her best not to get trampled on by an eager guest. Well, they'd be getting some extra magic today in their tour, because as soon as the path was clear, she hopped into the circle and vanished.

Honestly, she had no clue if that caused any effects that a random tourist could see, but the world could always use more wonderment, though surely the Demons wouldn't hide a circle where it would be in constant danger of removal. Gelic found herself waiting for a few moments upon her arrival, standing off to the side of the various Circles, so she wouldn't impede Demons on their commute like last time.

It wasn't for too long, just enough time for her to think about what sort of training she could do to fill the idle time, leaning into her most recent lifeplant tweak. But that was interrupted before she could commit to anything.

"Gelic!" Gawk excitedly called out as he flew over to her. When he was close enough, he extended his wing out for a shake, having apparently come to like the custom. Gelic went to reciprocate, but that was when she realized she was still an Imp, and would only make a fool of herself if she tried the gesture with her nubby wings. So back to a Puck she went, happily grabbing his wing with hers.

And it was probably for the best, since she should put her best Rank forward for the meeting when Growth Points were on the line.

"Ready to head out?"

"Oh, can we go somewhere else quickly first if we have time?" She requested. Her idea for training while waiting had landed on using Frost Touch on herself to build her Cold Resistance, mostly because it was still stuffy in this place, and she had to acclimate again. But there was definitely a better way to raise the resistance quickly.

"I want to swing by a frozen sector to bump up my Cold Resistance, and to see the kind of place where I was born." She added that last part to add a bit more reasonable sentimentality to the idea, even if it was just leaning into her fabricated backstory.

"Uhh, sure, we should have some time." Her friend clearly wasn't expecting the sudden proposal.

"They said they were in a meeting but should be done soon. If it was a longer wait, I would have suggested food, but we can do that after to celebrate if we get in! A detour like that should be just about right. Going to a frozen sector, though… that's a bit more complicated. Most of the main cold cities are run by the Cytus Cult, and they keep them pretty well locked-down. It's difficult to go to them without asking for permission first.

"Ah, but if you don't have a preference and just want to feel the cold, we could go to Frostore! There's not really anything there, just warehouses and such. It's pretty much only used for cold storage. Never been there myself, but it's apparently one of the coldest places you can go!"

"Sounds perfect. Lead the way!" [Cold Resistance Lv. 8] Before Gelic could even open her eyes at the new area they'd been teleported to, she already got a level. [Cold Resistance Lv. 9] Looking around, there really wasn't anything, basically just blank white snow with glowing rocks inside something akin to street lamps to help light up the area. Following each road, at the end there were large cave entrances, assumedly the openings to the aforementioned warehouses.

But yeah, there definitely wasn't much reason for the average Demon to visit or stick around. [Cold Resistance Lv. 10] She took her first deep breath since arriving, and wow, it hurt, even more than the fires of Hell when she arrived, like she was being frozen from the inside out. [Cold Resistance Lv. 11] Thankfully, with each level gained, her condition was rapidly improving. And the levels were coming ridiculously fast. [Cold Resistance Lv. 12] Up, up, up! [Cold Resistance Lv. 24] The longer she stood there, the better the cold felt. And it wasn't just relief from freezing, it started to feel good, like lounging in a pool. For the first time, she really understood what it meant to Attune to one of the Demonic Natures, and felt like she was close to a breakthrough.

"H-hey G-g-g-Gelic. C-c-can w-we g-g-g-go?! I-It's c-c-c-c-cold!"

"Just a moment longer!" Yes, she just needed a few more moments to embrace the cold. She didn't want to make her friend suffer, but his resistance should be building too, so hopefully he could stick it out just a bit longer. [Cold Resistance Lv. 27] [Vigor massively increased] [Vigor has improved from Pliable to Baseline] [Glacial Attunement has improved from Embraced to Intertwined] At that milestone, the cold basically all but vanished, reduced to not much more than a nippy breeze.

And the cadence of Cold Resistance levels practically halted, still trickling up, but the seconds would turn to hours or days, this training method basically defunct now, at least for rapid increases. If she hung out here for a while, it'd still definitely improve, but it'd be much more marginal.

"Alright, we can go." She turned to give Gawk the happy news, but could only gasp.

"G-g-g-Great." Her flapping friend had become a Gawksicle. Apparently, the moisture around his eye had nearly frozen solid, with icicles dripping down from the front of his cornucopic shell. Damn, it had hit him so much worse, and Angelica felt so guilty that she didn't realize sooner. His Glacial Attunement was likely a lot lower, and he didn't have a layer of hair underneath his armor like she did, nor did she have open eyes that'd do poorly in the cold. So of course he'd fare so much poorer.

"Ahhhhhh…." He let out a huge sigh of relief when they returned to the Terminal Nexus. The arid area quickly cleared his potential hypothermia, steaming away his frozen contact lens.

"You were right, that was good training, Gelic!" Despite having basically been tortured by her suggestion, he was in good spirits.

"My Cold Resistance got to Lv. 15, my Glacial Attunement to Touched, and I just got a new Eye Protection Skill!" He turned it on, and it looked like a monocle goggle appeared over the opening of his shell, covering his eye entirely, like he was peeping out of a ship's porthole.

"Let me know if you think of any other great training methods. But we should get going now. Don't want to be late."

"Yeah…" She absolutely still felt guilty about the act, but their next location quickly pushed those emotions away. Contrasting the barren landscape, this new city was a lot more like Moltocai, a magical plane unlike any she'd ever seen before.