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

“I… no I have no idea, what the fuck?” mirrored Sue. “I… if they thought Lily was a person they’d just bring tea for everyone right? Or… no well… but she got tea? Is it good tea? Is it cat edible tea?”

“It tastes nice,” said ‘Lily’ “So I’m going to say yes it is good tea?”

Sue just stared down at Lily happily lapping and her tea, and then over at Bodeir who just glared at the bowl. He wasn’t thirsty yet… but everyone was guessing he would be thirsty long before he got free of the rope. “I… are his servants normally this mean to him?”

“Nope,” Kat, Lily and Sue, all jumped in sync with each other. Kat had moved to protect Lily and Sue with her fans out. Sue had summoned up her hammer, and Lily jumped into Kat’s sleeve. The servant who just spoke had been the same one that delivered the drinks earlier. But… *didn’t I see this guy leave through the door to the lower decks?*

“How did you get back here?” asked Sue.

It’s really not that hard. There are plenty of windows in the side of the ship, and quite a few cannon emplacements. It’s not hard to sneak out of one, and it’s a then a simple matter of jumping back onto the deck,” said the servant.

“Right… um… are you that spy Bodeir was meant to find?” asked Kat.

The man shook his head. He was the oldest looking mountain elf Kat had seen. His skin no longer brown but grey instead, though his hair still looked rather luscious. His skin actually seemed to have tightened up over time, instead of getting droopy like a human. “No. My name is Hromdir and I was the personal servant of Patriarch Bodeir until he tasked me with watching over his son to the best of my abilities. I treat him much like my grandson, and as an infertile old man, I’m happy with that. Well… I share similar thoughts to Bodeir the elder in regards to his attitude… but still, he’s like a grandson to me… so…” Hromdir shrugged in a ‘what can you do’ sort of way.

“Yeah but… isn’t it a bit cruel to give him a pet bowl for water?” asked Kat.

“Eh, the lesson wouldn’t really stick otherwise. Servants can still be petty, and Bodeir the elder doesn’t really know how to punish his son properly. One thing the younger Bodeir managed to inherit is stubbornness. He has rather high pride and is actually quite accomplished as a cultivator despite his… lacking mental aspects. If he was just a bit more intelligent he’d be far and away the best cultivator of his generation…

“Alas, his extreme talent can only make up for so much of his mental deficiencies. Mountain elves can’t begin cultivating till they least fifty, and even then it is somewhat risky till they approach 100. The fact that Bodeir Jr can cultivate well is a showcase of great talent… and the fact he’s an idiot means that in a few decades he’ll fall behind. Sadly,” said Hromdir.

“Right… but what’s with the bowl?” asked Kat again.

“Ah, well, dehydration is a great humbling tool. Bodeir needs to either escape his father’s rope, or accept my mercy in offering him water by drinking from a pet bowl, as you said. He won’t just spill it to reduce the temptation, water is much to precious a resource to us as a people, it is nearly ingrained in our bodies, and certainly ingrained in our culture. That means he must stare at it. Constantly nearby, constantly tempting. His pride, or his thirst. I know which well break,” said Hromdir confidently.

“Ok… so is this… a lesson or something?” asked Kat.

“Indeed. He neglected to inform the servants about this trip, for obvious reasons. He ordered us to prepare different lodgings despite having one prepared for him, with food and everything. He defied his father’s orders, despite still being under his father’s command. These all show signs of a weak master, and as Bodeir says… Bodeir needs to learn. His freedom has come to an end… and if I can help get those lessons to sink in… well… I can discipline an unruly grandchild,” explained Hromdir.