Self-Summon [Demon Summoning/Evolution litRPG] Chapter 77: [2.03] Bureaucracy is Inescapable (Part 1)

Read chapter 77 of Self-Summon [Demon Summoning/Evolution litRPG] by Drim on NovelPedia.

“Take a number!” Angelica flinched when the large monster skull at the entrance of the Demon Services Office burst to life, its eye sockets ablaze with blue flames, and its deep voice bellowing at her with the massive lungs it definitely didn’t have. There was then the sound of rolling metal scratching her ears until it came to a stop with a clink. Between the skull’s massive teeth now rested a glittering golden coin. “Hey, could you get me one, too?” Gawk asked from his spot by her feet. Since the skull was mounted up on the wall, it certainly would be difficult for him to reach. That made her wonder how he accomplished most tasks in his life. With a lot of trouble and effort was probably the answer. “Oh, sure.” She handed him the coin already in her possession, which he grabbed by wrapping the tip of his fleshy cornucopic tail around it. Then she turned back to the skull, trying to figure out how to get another. Should she wave her hand in front of it like one of those motion sensing dispensers? But maybe it realized she was now without a coin, and it spat out another. That small distraction had been just enough to briefly stave off the creepy feeling of familiarity that had been plaguing Angelica since they’d entered the building. Another glance around, and her fears had not tapered. As this was her first trip to hell, she had never been to this building before, but at the same time, had been to places just like it, more than she could remember. The dreadfully run office where she had to wait to get her driver’s license, slow and drab waiting rooms for various doctors, the tackily decorated lobbies of businesses while she waited for interviews for her actuarial internships. Somehow, the Demon Services Office felt like all of those places rolled into one. Had Hell copied the concept of human bureaucracy? Or… maybe it was the other way around. Perhaps the institution came from the Demons themselves, having perfected the art of torturous business and passed it on to the worlds they visited. That felt very demonic, indeed. Gawk seemed unfazed, however, and began inching his way to one of the nearby chairs. Well, he actually couldn’t go to the closest set, because they were much too small. Teeny-tiny even. They actually felt more like stools, raised seats atop tall seats for something the size of roughly a rat. Maybe there were really small Demons of that size, something like a pixie, or whatever the Demon version of a pixie was. And the seats went all the way toward the other end of the spectrum. Near the back of the waiting area was a ginormous chair, a throne fit for a titan, where a behemoth could rest their bottom. It was currently unoccupied, but Gelic couldn’t help but wonder just what sort of Demon would have need of it. And the door to the building certainly hadn’t been that size, or even close. So perhaps it was expected that they’d shrink down to enter, but be allowed to revert to their true form while waiting. All in all, surprisingly accommodating. And there weren’t just seats. There were perches where an avian Demon could roost, like Xinder. Some more viscous-looking fellow was in what was basically a large stone bowl, where they were blobbing out. And there were even a couple of rocky mounds with the glow of eyes poking out of the darkness at the bottom, for if they preferred to be hidden away from the light. Felt like it’d be cozy. Sadly, the last unoccupied one was too small for her Imp form, or Gelic would be genuinely tempted to try it out. Speaking of courtesy, Gawk had scooched his way past the chairs that would be more appropriate for his size before finally hopping up on one in the section which felt tailored to those more humanoid. Clearly, he was doing it for Angelica’s sake, so that they could sit together where it would be more comfortable for her. And actually, it was pretty comfortable. Despite looking like a hard slab, the seat had a surprising squish to it that absorbed and distributed her weight b