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

--- Kat ---

Kat was initially just planning to get whatever, perhaps going with Sue, Kamiko or Lily and sharing the food… but Lily put a stop to that. Instead Kat was convinced to get something extra spicy. Sue immediately pointed to a stall that was half wedged into a corner between two other stalls. The whole place looked like it was 'on fire' with plastic flames moving around the little stall. The stickers on the bottom had wrath, envy and sloth stickers alongside a giant fireball sticker. Lust was not on the list. Kat went anyway.

There was no line so it was easy to get up to the counter. Behind it was a Golem with black basalt like rock making up their skin. Despite this they still had a hair net, gloves and an apron alongside a more casual t-shirt and jeans combo. Kat was looking over the menu, displayed at the top when the guy said, "You got a fire based flame?" Kat shook her head. "Not sure I should be serving you then."

"I might not, but I still have a high heat tolerance. I just assumed all demons did until I met my friend. I assure you I can deal with spicy food, even if it's boiling hot," stated Kat.

"It's a lot more than 'boiling hot'. I… hmm… I'm really not sure if I'd be able to sell it to ya. Is there anything else you can say to convince me you're not going to just die from the heat?" asked the golem.

Kat had two ideas, "Well firstly I'm Rank 4 and secondly I have sufficient regeneration to regrow my heart if it has been destroyed. Twice in a row. It happened when I was at Rank 2 and I recovered mostly on my own,"

The golem's eyes went wide. "Damn, alright. I didn't meant to turn this into a 'how tough am I' competition. Just the Rank 4 woulda probably been enough because at that point I'm just not liable if you're still an idiot. Though… mind doing a small test first?"

"Sure," said Kat with a shrug.

"Right give me a moment…" the golem turned around to one of the boiling pots and stabbed a metal skewer into it, causing the broth to sizzle and bubble, splashing around the counter a bit. When the golem pulled it out he handed it over to Kat, "If you can hold this in your hand I'll let you order,"

Kat just went for it. She could practically feel Lily scolding her in the back of her mind but the shop was shielding the rest of the cafeteria from the heat so Kat hadn't imagined it would be much to right home about. Despite that, once it was in her hand she could feel it starting to heat up. Not majorly, but more like being cooked alive during a hot summer. It was more heat then she'd truly felt in a long time.

Kat kept the skewer in her hand for a while as she waited… and then got a dumb idea. "Can I like this?" Kat asked. She wanted to taste a bit of the broth beforehand. The guy had a few bubbling away so she might as well taste test it…

The golem rolled his eyes and said "Well I was going to wash it anyways so why the heck not,"

So Kat did exactly that. Pressing the dull end into the tip of her tongue Kat was surprised to find a surprisingly tangy flavour, sort of like biting into a lemon coated in chili powder. It was certainly an interesting flavour… but Kat found it lacked depth. There was the tang, the heat, and a subtle note of something else… but it was really subtle and not all that enticing.

"Well it doesn't hurt… but I'm not sure this is for me. What else have you got? This is just a bit dull to my palate," said Kat.

The golem dude didn't seem offended, "Fair enough lass. It was just the hottest thing I had back there. If you could handle that, even if it was a bit of pain, I'd be comfortable handing anything over knowing I wouldn't end up in trouble. Seeing as your fine you can take your pick,"

"Right well… what's your recommendation? I'm here to try something new but my favourite dish in recent memory was this like… lava soup thing someone did up for more. It's a bit hard to describe but…" Kat trailed off.

"No, no I get it," said the man. "In that case you've got a few options. The soup you just had, obviously is one but we've also got this pot here," the golem slapped a large metal drum that was taking up a lot of space on the floor with its own little burner. "Is considered our signature. It's kinda like a gumbo. Lot of meaty stuff with a bit of greens and of course a whole heap of spice. Though… while hot for the average demon it probably won't be hot for you,"

The golem moved over to the side and tapped another much smaller pot. "This one is the gumbo but with extra spice. I couldn't even sell it to Rank 1 or 2 customers unless they got some special resistance and even then it can still be touch and go. It's a good choice for you… but if you're eating with friends the fumes might be a bit much. The cutlery keeps the heat in but it doesn't do much for little particles of chili that escape. So… keep that in mind,"

Kat nodded along. A bit of a shame I can't get the spicier one without causing issues but nice to know. Kat refocused when the made skipped the next dish, the one he'd already talked about, and moved over to a sort of box thing. "In here we have some kebabs marinating. They're good, a midpoint for spice… but they're designed mostly for golem. The seasonings are all rocks and minerals. You could eat it, probably, but the taste and texture would be off.

"And honestly the rest of my stock would be a lot worse," the golem continued as he pointed to a few other cooking devices she didn't recognise at first glance. "they just get further and further away from your natural palate. So unless you like to eat rocks I'd just go with one of the first three,"

"I'll just take the normal house special I think. My friends really aren't into the spice," said Kat.

"The honourable choice," said the man with a nod. "Hand on the scanner while I plate this up. Just return your dishes once you're done,"

Kat nodded and did so. Feeling a sort of mental prompt asking if she was sure she wanted to pay for the meal. It was easy to send acceptance down the temporary link and soon she had her meal and was ready to head back.

By the time she got there everyone else had already sat back down. Lily had a fishbowl. Like a real fishbowl that had a sort of cloudy water in it and a bunch of sliced up fish inside. They were obviously prepped and ready for consumption… but it was a weird way to serve food. Lily seemed into it though judging by the feelings through the link.

Sue had picked up a salad and a large hamburger. The burger itself was nearly the size of her head, and it took up more space on the table then Lily's fishbowl. It didn't have too many different toppings but the few it did have were quite expansive. It made Kat wonder if this was meant to be Sue's three meals all condensed into one or if she planned to save some for later or something.

Kamiko of course, had gotten jelly. She'd also gotten some frozen yoghurt to go along with it, but consider the frozen yoghurt was a small cup and the jelly had a big bowl all to itself it was clear what she considered the main course. Kat set her own bowl down on the table and asked, "Were you guys waiting for me to start eating?" Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

"Yup!" said Lily and Kamiko together. While Sue just nodded, already digging into her burger. She was cutting off a large slice with a knife and fork, and Kat was going to comment on it until she picked it up with her hand afterwards. Smart really, considering it was about the size of a pizza.

"So what's with the fish bowl Lily?" Kat couldn't help but ask.

"Oh… um… apparently it's the house special at the sushi place. They suggested it when they saw my feline features. Apparently it's more satisfying this way? Not sure I agree because the fish aren't alive and they're barely moving but if it tastes good I'm not going to complain," answered Lily with a shrug.

"Fair fair… and what's with the giant hamburger?" asked Kat.

"It's from Jumbo Jule's," said Sue. "They specialise in large meals for Greed demons… but damn they just make the best burgers, or at least I think so. I'll probably only have… half maximum and save the rest for later if I can. Might be a good chance to test out that new storage ring ay? Though… what have you even got there? It feels like my eyes are watering just looking at it…"

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