Rise of the Weakest Summoner

~The group was small and ordinary enough to dismiss at first,~ Umbra spoke in everyone’s minds. ~Judging by how they are slowly trickling in, this might be just one of the regular waves that come here for an obvious reason. The corpses must belong to those who try to break the order or fail to find a cycle of their own.~

“Which means we might be facing almost unlimited reinforcements if we take too long dealing with each pack,” Asterios added and glanced at Oria. “Anything we should watch out for? You seem to know something about this.”

She didn’t immediately deny his words, confirming his guess. “Their bites might be slightly infected and cause minor diseases, evoking the appropriate bodily reactions. Other than that, they are just your usual rabid beasts. I’ll be the bait, you take them down as soon as you can.”

“What? No!” Miria protested immediately. “If anything, I should be the one to do it! I’m much more durable with Master’s support and my activated bloodline!”

“This isn’t about who is the better person for it. They will be aiming for me and any other tactic will simply become too chaotic and awkward.” Her mother leveled her with a firm no-nonsense glare, briefly meeting Ast’s eyes before refocusing on the matter ahead. “I’ll explain later. Just try not to wreck the place. We need all the clues we can get if we want to figure out the culprit.”

She didn’t get to make a step as a black-and-red blur shot by her side. Miria, already fully embracing her bloodline transformation, charged at the nearby wolf with an angry growl. Oria cursed under her nose, practically snarling at her daughter’s stubbornness, and followed right after. Everyone understood that their feline friend’s actions were undisputedly rash, but they aligned pretty much perfectly with Miria’s emotional nature.

Especially with someone this close to her directly involved.

Asterios and the girls spread out right away, deciding to allow her to run wild until it became clear that the older woman was right, which felt inevitable with how serious Oria had become. Zoe stuck with him since the other three could handle themselves much better without his assistance. Even Umbra joined them for a brief moment of excitement, the dark familiar’s shadows poking out of various obstructed spots.

According to him, the number of their opponents counted up to thirteen. One was already down after being violently beheaded by the furious panthergirl. The others kept their distance, showing various levels of intelligence and cunning. While in an accidentally formed pack, they clearly weren’t used to working together in taking down their opponents. It became even more apparent when a black bear almost squashed a raccoon with a swipe of its heavy paw, gifting it with a few shallow gashes.

Fire could be problematic in their environment, so Asterios shelved that side of his draconic abilities deep down into his Hearts for now. Silvia could be seen doing the same, simply relying on her martial prowess with the crystal artifact. Thankfully, she had Tina with a living water scythe in hand next to her. The pair looked comfortable working together while the vulpine goddess floated above their heads and gathered spiritual javelins and other projectiles to accurately rain down on their enemies.

If the girls went all out, this would end in a flash. But, at the same time, the peaceful creek wouldn’t stay that peaceful anymore, and the traces Oria had mentioned could get obliterated in the process. Thankfully, the ladies knew restraint. Constantly growing stronger by Ast’s side, they spent a lot of time making sure they exerted only as much of their newfound powers and abilities as they were aiming to.

People always liked to remind themselves and others that training was crucial to becoming strong, but it also worked the other way. Without proper practice, one couldn’t control oneself enough not to accidentally hurt someone else, thus it was critical to become weak when necessary.

And with Selene’s recent boost, that was more than necessary.

Miria and Oria fought shoulder-to-shoulder as the younger Pantherkin refused to fall back. To the older Pantherkin’s credit, she didn’t scold her daughter amidst the fight or intentionally butt their heads over it. She cooperated to the best of her abilities to ensure that both of them remained safe, waiting for the moment her daughter would finally see through her dissatisfaction.

With Asterios staying in the middle of everything after gaining the high ground, he could easily tell that Oria was right. The beasts that had been explicitly engaged would lash out at their attackers while the others visibly crowded the area with the two panthergirls, having eyes only for the more mature one. The trio had to find their opponents actively while the duo fended off constant attempts on their lives.

Or rather, on Oria’s life.

Zoe served as Ast’s guardian, assuming that role on her own. She wouldn’t move far from him even when the beast she was currently challenging stepped away to dodge. It gave him all the time to observe the battlefield, think clearly, and support the others just like in the old times. He had tested his emphasized killing intent with a weaved draconic will into it, but the monsters were unaffected by fear, blind to any difference in power between them and anyone else.

Thanks to that, his spells and sigils were at the ready. Sharing a deep bond with most of the girls and figuring out the connections between Summoner techniques and his draconic side back in the past, he could assist all his mates with the same tactics he had used on Miria a lot. That now included Tina and Silvia, of course. And, with his raised capabilities, he could control multiple skills at once, currently speeding up and slowing their perception according to the movements of their enemies.

Selene sensed it and showed a reminiscent smile on her beautiful face.

For ladies like Zoe and Oria, he had his new Spellslinger and a collection of versatile spells. Protecting their skin from getting pierced was just a minor one when compared with precise physical enhancements targeting their bodies and senses. Anything too crazy could be too detrimental or destructive.

And so, they fought. The beasts were obviously losing, but slowly. Four more joined their dead brethren in the span of a few long minutes, a dwarf-sized ferocious beaver, a normal-looking jaguar, a four-winged eagle with dagger-like talons, and a wild horse. 

That one was a surprise.

The issue was obvious. The majority of the herd huddled around the two surrounded panthergirls. Even if they weren’t actively attacking the duo, they waited for their chance or simply danced around to avoid the blows from the other three, striking back when forced to. Because of that, Silvia, Selene, and Tina had to limit their arsenal or they risked getting in the way of their two companions, knowing better than to interrupt someone’s flow, even if mentally linked with one of them.

On the other hand, the created circumstances had brought forth a tiny breakthrough for the fiery princess. Just like the Summoner girl, she sprouted some scales over her hands, shoulders, neck, and cheeks. Naturally, they were beautiful amber in color, slightly iridescent when hit with sunlight. Tina looked proudly at her with her own skin covered in a more controlled manner by dark azure plates. It was clear that Silvia had been learning from her how to do that as the duo practiced together in their free time. They really had grown close.

Umbra was the most valuable member of their team up to that point, tripping and holding down the beasts when they least expected it, securing the others a certain hit. The pack was now below ten members and he could spread himself enough to incapacitate all of them with some effort, but he chose not to do that yet. 

This encounter couldn’t be counted with the deadly ones Ast’s party had experienced before. There was still something to learn from it. Especially for a certain bubbly feline who kept defending her mother like their roles were reversed. Which, in turn, made Oria’s words into reality.

It didn’t take much longer for her to recognize and admit her fault, which Asterios felt through their bond. She knew she was throwing everyone off with her persistence, making it much more dangerous than it could have been. Her desire to protect her mother as the stronger one warred with her shame from acting so childishly and inappropriately in front of everyone. And slowly, the latter was winning with each anxious peek she took at Ast’s face between her separate bouts.

Perhaps she wished he just shouted at her angrily and ordered her to stop it instead of objectively and calmly watching over her, but he simply didn’t do any of that, leaving the decision in her hands. As much as it bothered him to see her further turn ashamed and disappointed in herself. In any other situation, he might have relented, but with Oria present, he had a feeling that doing so would disappoint the girl’s mother, who was hoping to make a point to her daughter.

When another beast required Umbra’s bindings and Selene’s spear to the shoulder for Tina to comfortably take it down inches away from her dodging feline sister-mate, Miria finally snapped out of it. She grimaced at the reassuring smile the blue-haired girl directed at her and spun back to her mother’s position, the two of them smacking their backs together and slowly turning around to keep an eye on their opponents.

“I hate this so fucking much,” Miria growled, her ears lowered against her fluffy hair. “This is the worst.”

“Since when did my gentle little kitten use such foul language? Someone in your mate’s harem seems to have a bad influence on you.” Oria snickered cheekily before reaching back to stroke those adorable triangles lovingly. “This world is not nice, dear. Sometimes it forces us to act a certain way even if it conflicts with everything we feel and are. Rebelling against it at those moments can be much more dangerous for those we are trying to protect. You have to learn to quell your kind nature and emotions and let the right thing happen or one day they will end up hurting someone you care about.”

“Then why haven’t you taught me that before!” The young panthergirl snarled as they briefly separated so she could slice an armadillo-looking beast cleanly in two with her joined weapons.

“I had hoped I wouldn’t have to,” the older woman replied with a downhearted sigh. “But it’s just one of the many things I failed you in as a mother.”

“Do NOT say that!” Miria growled again, pressing her back against her mom’s angrily. “I… I’ll listen to you… But promise me you will be careful…”

“With you looking after me?” Oria chuckled affectionately. “Not a single strand of fur can fall off my tail.”

She placed a quick peck on her daughter’s cheek and dashed away, the beasts instantly locking onto her. Miria found Ast’s eyes and smiled a bit shamefully, but he just gestured at her to get back in action, knowing that would get her mind off all that self-depreciative stuff until they were done. There was just no place for it when her mother’s safety was at stake.

Oria threw herself right at the charging fox rivaling her in size. Skillfully ducking under its bite and parrying its claws with one of the blades, she drove the other one right into its heart from underneath its chest. A jackal flew at her from behind, its jaws open wide to sink its teeth in her neck and rip her head off, but before it could get close enough, a spinning scythe crossed its path and split its own head from its shoulders. The panther woman easily dodged the blunt projectile with a smile.

The rest of the battle followed a similar pattern. One or more creatures would try their luck while Oria fought them head-on without the barest flinch, not doubting her teammates for a split-second, leaving her back completely open and inviting to all attacks. She didn’t peek over her shoulder once, making Asterios feel like she was somehow used to fights like that. Her cold aura was back after the initial smile, her eyes focused and calculating.

Zoe dealt with stragglers who wandered close to her and Asterios while the ladies all kept their attention on Miria’s mother. Water scythes, spiritual javelins, and crystal spears skewered the bold animals and monsters without any discrimination. Miria too flew in herself, often bouncing off the nearby trees and receiving a boost from her beloved master to speed through a greedy beast with a powerful aerial charge.

As Oria had said, none of their enemies got close enough to threaten the hairs on her tail.

Even with more than three-fourths of their group defeated, the crazed entities didn’t seem willing to stop their pursuit of feral violence. They did start hesitating more and hanging on the sidelines for longer, but they were set on getting to the mature Pantherkin no matter what. 

It only worked in favor of Ast’s team as the situation was similar to the assault of Glimmervale, just to a much less brainwashed point. At least one heavily wounded wolf attempted to sneak away to lick its wounds when compared to the completely blinded and relentless monsters from the portal. Naturally, it didn’t make it too far as the girls didn’t want to take any chances, and it was already sick anyway.

Soon enough, they simply banded together on the remaining two enemies and the threat was no more. The area was once again littered with fresh corpses, which joined their older counterparts in marring the otherwise pretty riverbank. To make sure that the water wouldn’t get too dirty, Asterios and Selene moved all their kills away from the stream.

Miria was all over her mom the second they were relatively safe. The older woman humored her completely, letting her emotional daughter check every spot over her athletic figure. It brought up a cheeky smile onto her plump lips as the younger girl seemingly forgot her usual timidness while running her fingers through places she would normally not dare get close to, especially in public.

But, in the end, everything was fine, and the panthergirl gradually deflated, moving her downcast gaze between Oria and Asterios. The guilt and shame were clearly visible on her face but none of the ladies decided to comment on that, leaving it up to the two people Miria loved the most in her life.

He was the first one to approach her, making Miria shrink into herself and look straight down at the ground. She didn’t fight the warm embrace he wrapped her in but neither did she reciprocate it, just staying still and in the same form instead, even as he delicately kissed the top of her head.

“You understood what you did wrong, didn't you?” Asterios asked softly and she nodded weakly. “Then there’s no need for me to lecture you about it anymore.”

She trembled a little in his arms and finally rested her head against his chest, whispering an almost silent apology as her own hands reluctantly slid onto his back.

“And now, I think it would be good for us to learn why what you did could be wrong in the first place.” He moved his gaze onto Oria and Miria partially turned her head to peek at her mom too.

The mature Pantherkin ran her fingers through her lush hair with the other hand resting on her hip and sighed heavily while looking to the side. “Because it was one of the safest options for me to remain in the center of their attention since… they were after me.”

“And why is that exactly?” Selene raised an intrigued brow at her.

Oria remained silent for a while, staring off into the distance as she mulled over what she was going to say. Or she was simply getting mentally ready to reveal something she had been keeping from her beloved daughter for quite a long time. And Miria was starting to slowly realize that.

The longer she took, the harder it would be to make things right.

“You know that I was a huntress in the past. A special kind of one, traveling a lot and accepting jobs on the move,” she began and Miria nodded lightly. “I never specified what type of animal or beast I specialized in whenever you asked because I hated the feeling of having to lie to you. Those cheerful, adorable, pure eyes of yours were just too precious. But they were also the reason that allowed me to push through those difficult moments. I did take down a fair share of monsters during my time, do not be mistaken, but most of them… were of bipedal nature.”

“So, you were a paid killer,” Silvia spelled it out carefully.

“No!” Miria protested almost involuntarily, but her eyes were as confident as they were uncertain and perhaps anxious.

Oria let out a wry chuckle. “A paid killer. A contractual assassin. A mercenary executioner. Those were all names I’ve been called, and they aren’t exactly wrong. The true nature of our hunts wasn’t that different from the implied sort.”

“Our?” Zoe spoke up, stepping a little closer to Asterios, a trace of fear in her submissive posture.

“No, Zuri wasn’t part of it. She helped me out dramatically with settling down in the village, though. She might be the only one in the know besides my mate.” The Pantherkin woman offered her a reassuring smile. “I will share all the details properly with you later, finally able to get this crushing weight off my heart, but in a quick summary, I created a team of specialized hunters with a few like-minded friends of mine. The area we lived in was full of abusive bastards at the top of power. We started by taking them down anonymously. It felt good to see people’s lives become better as a result, so we continued for as long as we could.”

A shadow of a reminiscent smile decorated her tense lips.

“Then, we moved into the bigger world and did the same, seeking out purely evil and malicious alphas, chiefs, bandit and gang leaders to remove. Sometimes during our investigations, we would receive payments from the people to do something in their stead. Thanks to our rather unique style of clothing and unblemished effectiveness, we have become a kind of folklore tale, mysterious, anonymous pursuers of justice and vengeance that made known criminals constantly look over their shoulders even if no one ever confirmed our existence.” She shook her head with slight amusement. “But, everything comes to an end at some point.”

“The group disbanded due to an internal disagreement?” Tina tried to guess politely.

“No, we have never had a single argument other than the times we had to pick which bastard to track down first.” Oria snickered. “Two of our members couldn’t take it any longer and mated properly with the aim of a child. Your instincts get very stimulated by constant near-death situations. We retreated into the shadows once more and trained our successors, passing the name onto them. Making sure we were all out of the picture for good, our team chose to split up as a final safety measure, heading in completely opposite directions as far as we could. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. That’s what brought me to this unremarkable village in the middle of nowhere and allowed me to fall for your father.”

She turned to Miria and Asterios, taking a tentative step closer to the pair, her eyes softly resting on the panthergirl’s face. Giving him a brief glance, the cuddly panthergirl left his embrace and hugged her mother instead, surprising the woman slightly.

“I know you aren’t a killer, Mom. If you were, so would I. We both took down the bad guys willingly. I would do anything to protect Master or you.” She nuzzled her face into the crook of her mother’s neck. “But…”

“It hurts learning that you have been lied to, doesn’t it?” Oria asked and she nodded. “Trust me, it hasn’t been much easier for me. Do you know how scared I was every day about you somehow learning the truth and storming back home to question me?”

“Dad would piss himself on the spot if the two of us confronted each other that strongly,” Miria replied and they both giggled softly.

For a minute or two, they stayed together without saying much more. The others let them, naturally. It was the right thing to give the pair the time they needed.

Unfortunately, they were kind of pressed on it and Miria thankfully was aware of that. 

“Okay, what’s this about then? Why are the beasts so angry at you, Mom?” She stepped back and raised a playful brow at the older woman.

Oria pointed a finger at the eerie contraption. “That piece of material right there that the mix of blood and the other liquid drips through is mine. It’s from the full-body suit I mentioned earlier. Not from that exact one, of course, but it must have belonged to one of my past sets. While we always properly disposed of all our gear, equipment, and traces, it wasn’t that rare for bits of our armor or clothing to be ripped off in the middle of a scuffle,” the Pantherkin woman explained. “This is a very nefarious thing that is supposed to make the meat at the bottom soaked in my scent that gets associated with this blood here, which in turn is combined with an artificial sweetener that makes any creature trying out the buffet crazy about it. It’s like a drug. Even herbivores are attracted to the aroma and get addicted after a bite or two, coming here regularly long enough for the imitation to not be enough anymore. Then they start the hunt.”

“Someone placed this next to the village so that the beasts could pick up on the real owner of the fabric easily,” Miria noted, her brow furrowing in thought. “But why? It wouldn’t be too effective in getting to you. We have scouts, sentries, and hunters.”

“Because this isn’t a means of assassination but harassment, as I have said previously.” Oria shook her head. “This might not be the only thing like it in this region. The perpetrator doesn’t seem to be sure that I’m here, otherwise they would have acted more decisively. Their goal is most likely to force me out of hiding to confirm my identity. The attacks on the village were spontaneous so far, but when this or another group of beasts reached their breaking point at the same time, a small squad would cause enough havoc for me to notice this technique and push me to investigate on my own.”

“And that would be easy to spot.” Zoe nodded while stroking her chin. “They must have gotten familiar with the villagers, recognizing who is a hunter and who is not. A random female trying to figure out the issue without any help couldn’t be a clearer announcement that she’s anxious about something.”

“What are our next steps, then?” Asterios asked. “We know the source of the aggressive animal problem, and we can solve it easily by getting rid of this… thing, but is that the right move?”

Oria regarded the trap with a deep consideration. “The blood and the drug have to be manually resupplied. The perpetrator must have a route involving all the nearby locations that they are doing this to. Which means, they are going to come back at some point, most likely finely calculated with the amount of liquids in the jars to keep the tactic going without a hitch.”

“Which works in our favor,” Tina pointed out. “We can lay down an ambush for them.”

“Or we could go a step further.” The fierce panther lady tapped her lips. “I can act like I have fallen for their ploy and try to extract as much information as I can before turning on them.”

Judging by Miria’s scowl, that wouldn’t go through this easily the second time in a row.