Rise of the Weakest Summoner

Everyone was up and dressed in a flash. Since Umbra had been accompanying Oria from the beginning, they knew things were still relatively calm and there wasn’t any need to rush to the feline lady’s rescue immediately. However, that didn’t alleviate Miria’s anxiety, and they watched their cheerful friend stumble around with a slightly panicked gait while checking if she was properly prepared. Only Ast’s loving assistance succeeded in easing her chaotic mood a little.

In less than three minutes, they were already in Eabiarhia, entering the beastfolk realm through Miria’s gate back home. They didn’t want to alarm Oria’s pursuer in case they proved to be someone formidable or sensitive to spiritual energy, as rare as it might be in this place. As far as Ast’s group knew, the stalker could very well be one of Selene’s people gone rogue. Oria’s story had already made it clear that their realm wasn’t free of vile scum. 

Thankfully, Rook wasn’t home, so they avoided having to explain the rush to him. Miria didn’t like the feeling of lying to her father about her mom being fine while she could be in danger at the very moment, but she respected his decision from yesterday and would do whatever she had to make him comfortable. With him out in the village, she didn’t have to think about it much.

As they made their way through the cozy streets, a certain worried wolfgirl ran up to them. Zoe’s breathing was slightly labored as she struggled to finish taking care of the final belts and straps holding her leather armor together while mid-sprinting. She barely stopped in front of them, Asterios helping her catch her balance with a proffered arm, which she took with a shy smile.

“I came as quickly as I could after hearing Mrs. Blackclaw’s voice. My mom got spooked a bit but I’ll have to apologize to her later for leaving without an explanation. I didn’t want her to suspect anything. She is very sharp,” their canine friend explained.

“I’m happy to have you with us.” Miria nodded decisively. “Let’s go, Master. I hope everything goes as we planned and nothing bad happens.”

“We’ll keep your mom safe no matter what.” Asterios caressed her ear dearly.

He then intertwined his fingers with Zoe’s and the pair plunged into the shadows. A moment later, they reappeared in the middle of a forest, recognizing the area from their previous trip. They were still a decent distance away from the creek, and Oria was a few minutes of walking ahead of them. The ladies hastily joined the duo through a few crimson gates, as ready for things to go down as everyone else.

~I haven’t noticed any people in our close vicinity, but…~ Umbra began his report.

“There are two animals that seem to be keeping themselves at the edge of Oria’s keen senses,” Asterios finished for him, also noticing their presence. “Nothing else is around, which in itself is weird, like all the other creatures have been either chased away or spooked enough not to come close.”

~Can you describe them for me?~ Oria asked.

Ori had already been on the move, sent to scout things out by Tina, who shared her sight with her aerial familiar. Using a Summoner technique to enhance his vision up to that of a hawk, she ordered him to fly high enough not to risk being detected, even if they doubted that the pursuers would pay attention to some bird crossing the forest above the tree crowns. Better be safe than sorry, though.

~They… kinda look like hyenas but less ugly.~ Tina hummed to herself. ~Their bodies are lean and slim, covered in fur that’s mostly whitish with black, brown, and dusty spots in weird, irregular patterns. I think their big, flat, round ears look quite unique for canines, paired with their semi-long muzzle. Like, those ears are really almost as big as their heads.~

Zoe clicked her tongue while Miria’s expression grew grim.

“Painted Dogs. That’s what their species is named. Though, they get mad when called that, instead insisting they are Painted Wolves.” The wolfgirl shook her head. “In fact, they are kind of neither, a unique breed located somewhere between wolves and dogs. And they no longer appear in this realm as wild beasts, meaning those two are Weredog beastfolk.”

~And they are one of the best trackers,~ Oria added. ~Alone, they tend to be aggressive but cowardly. In a group or with the advantage of numbers, they are the most vicious beastfolk you could find.~

“Which means they most likely haven’t been sent here only to gather information about you,” Asterios guessed and could feel her agreeing with his thoughts. “Are we still proceeding according to the initial plan?”

~Yes,~ she answered firmly. ~With two-on-one, they will definitely feel cocky. If I act like whatever ambush they are preparing for me succeeds, it will be easier to make them stupidly spill whatever they know as they are gloating over me. I’m sorry, Miria.~

The younger panthergirl took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It’s okay, Mom. Please, be careful. But, if I sense a shred of danger from them, they are going to end up in shreds before you can blink.”

A soft chuckle echoed through their minds.

~I wouldn’t have it any other way.~ They could feel Oria’s warm smile. ~I leave my back to you, Daughter.~

And so, they continued to track the trackers while Ori watched them from above. With everyone working together to hide their party, there was no chance those two would notice Ast’s group stepping on their heels. They would have to be True Dragons or other insanely keen creatures to peer through so many layers of concealment, starting from simple spiritual barriers and ending in a manipulated environment.

Oria acted like she was trying her best to investigate the issue, hunting for tracks and clues about it. She gradually grew more accurate and began heading in the right direction, following the same path they had taken the last time. Though, she didn’t walk into any crazed animals or beasts for some reason. It was either luck or the duo had interfered somehow.

Asterios was the first one to notice a change in their behavior. Shortly before she arrived near the gentle stream, they regrouped ahead of her and started leaving marks in the terrain. Oria naturally noticed that, and after consulting with the others, she chose to follow the new traces instead.

She was brought into a tiny clearing amongst the trees, around which the pair attempted to conceal themselves. Judging by Oria’s sharp gaze, she was able to suspect their location, briefly sweeping her eyes over the trees and bushes behind which they were hiding. She also found Ast’s eyes through a myriad of flora and smiled gratefully. It seemed that the connection was already helping enhance her senses.

One of the dogs yiffed from its spot and her head snapped in that direction, her ears standing at attention. As that was happening, the other one morphed into a humanoid form with a sizable double-crossbow in their hands and shot something at her back. Oria heard the twang, and it was clear she should be able to dodge at least one of the two projectiles, but after realizing what was coming at her, she only spun around, showing a shocked expression as two sets of spinning wire wrapped themselves around her body.

With her thighs and arms tightly bound by tough metal wires with magnetic weights attached, she dropped onto her back with a soft thump. Miria’s upper lip rose threateningly, but Asterios quickly covered her mouth as gently as he could, stopping her from growling in fury at the perpetrators. Her cheeks colored a tad, but she nodded gratefully at him.

Before Oria could push herself off the ground with the strength of her back, the shooter set their foot on her chest, keeping her down with a wicked grin. The other person lazily strolled to join them, a leery sneer on their lips. Both of their expressions made them look very punchable right now to Asterios as he tightened his fists. Even after both of them turned out to be females.

If not for their hairstyles and the different patterns over their beastly appendages, they could be mistaken for the same person. Their thin and lanky builds were nearly identical, and the savannah-colored set of leather armor each of them was wearing seemed to have no differences. For now, Asterios decided to call them Long Hair and Short Hair.

Short Hair snickered fiendishly as she pressed her boot harder into Oria’s chest. “And that’s it? Oh, how the mighty Death Hound has fallen. We really had no expectations from those brats, but you? Such a disappointment.”

Long Hair laughed hoarsely, and everyone agreed that it didn’t sound attractive in the slightest, contrary to their outward looks.

“Give her some slack, L. You would be just out of shape after a decade or two of pretending to be someone you aren’t. Or playing house.” She gagged in disgust. “I think I saw another looking like her but younger. We’ll have to deal with her litter too if they are related. Again.”

“I’ll take care of it, R.” Short Hair licked her lips.

The female glanced down with an unamused expression. Leaning forward, she grabbed a fistful of Oria’s hair and pulled her up to their chests, evoking a hiss from their captive. Miria voluntarily pushed her face into Ast’s palm as her tail straightened up from tension, a slight vibration tickling his skin.

“What’s with you?” The woman frowned. “No insults? Questions? Shouting? Demands? You are making this boring.”

Oria opened one eye to stare at her oppressor with a defiant smirk. “L? R? What are you, Left Bitch and Right Bitch? Your boss must be so proud of his naming sense. I’m glad I was active before crooks fell so hard.”

The duo looked at each other and exploded in those creepy laughs of theirs almost like they couldn’t hold it back, which proved to be correct as they stopped just as abruptly, ugly snarls adorning their faces. They cocked an arm each in perfect sync and hit Oria straight in the face with their fists, sending her tumbling to the back with a yowl until she hit the nearby trunk.

Miria almost lost it on the spot, and Asterios worried her killing intent would tip those assholes off, especially with his already leaking out too, but a reassuring thought from her mother that she was all good and just pretending managed to keep them from blowing up.

For now.

“You think you are funny, puss?” Long Hair sneered while coming closer. “I’ll show you what fun means.”

As she grabbed Oria’s hair and shoved the panther lady against the tree, her companion placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t go too far. It might have been dead or alive, but we’ll get shit on if we kill all of them, bringing back none,” she warned.

“Fine.” The other female spit to the side. “And you! Stop wriggling like a worm! The harder you struggle, the deeper the wires cut. These were designed for Weres, which you aren’t. They’ll saw right through your bones if they have to. Your friends have already proven that.”

Oria froze in place, which brought a foul grin onto her abuser’s lips. “What did you do to them?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Short Hair cackled.

“It might be entertaining to tell her. That lion was quite amusing with his stubbornness.” Long Hair snorted, and a pang of sadness flowed through Ast’s connection, quickly replaced by a strengthened resolve. “Or, we could show her. We just need a volunteer. And there’s a perfect one back in that village, isn’t there?”

Oria growled fiercely, showing her deadly fangs at the woman. Before she bit the female calling herself R, the tracker laughed again and let her drop against the tree once more.

“Look what getting a load in you can do to a proud female, Sis.” She slapped the panther lady hard. “Pathetic. I’m glad we didn’t have to witness that for long with our bitch of a mother.”

“That’s because you gutted her so early, you sicko.” Her sister smacked her up the back of her head. “We weren’t even old enough to escape having an assigned guardian. I told you we should have waited a few more years. Idiot.”

“Maybe. But without that, we could have missed our chance to get noticed by the boss, so you should be thanking me for that.” Long Hair spread her arms nonchalantly. “Anyway, enough family drama. We can reminisce about the good times later. It’s more fun to focus on making new memories.”

They both turned to look down at their prey with a sadistic glint in their eyes.

“So, that’s it? Because I’m the last one, you are going to torture me as much as you can before the fun ends for good?” Oria sneered at them. “I hate to disappoint, but I’ve never been the performer in our group.”

R cupped her cheeks with her gangly fingers. “Ends? Oh, no, we are just starting. There’s still so much fun to be had destroying your legends. Our schedule is packed.”

The feline lady snorted to the sides. “There’s no way the likes of you would be able to sniff out the others, no matter how lucky you have been with getting your hands on my suit.”

Even though her tone sounded confident, there was a trace of desperate hope in her black eyes, which wasn’t missed by the other women, just as intended.

“That’s where you are wrong, puss.” Short Hair smirked proudly. “We got that only because one of your friends seemed to have a fad for gathering mementos from the stuff that made him feel things. And from what it looks like, without the previous owners’ permission or knowledge. Or you are simply an exception as your belongings seemed to be the only personal ones amongst all that weird trash from all around the realm.”

Oria cursed under her breath, recognizing the behavior of one of her friends, which made the duo laugh again. This part wasn’t fake. She was equally frustrated at that person and disheartened to hear about her collector companion’s fate, feeling a tad nostalgic when she recalled all the trinkets she remembered seeing or even helping him collect in the past.

“But, really? A gator hiding in… a swamp? Damn, that was haaaaaaard to figure out.” Long Hair rolled her eyes sarcastically. “You at least have to give it to the lion. Going full hermit mode in the deepest caverns of the Frozen Wilds was impressive for someone of his nature.”

“She isn’t that much better.” The other Painted Dog moaned in frustration. “A silly little village in one of the most peaceful regions of the realm? Very sentimental, blegh.”

Snarling at them, Oria let out a concealed sigh of relief. Knowing that they hadn’t gotten to all of her teammates lifted her spirits by a lot, making it so much more bearable. The urge to hunt the two remaining members down to ensure their safety grew in her, alongside the urge to destroy whoever had caused them so much grief.

And she knew exactly how to quicken that process.

“Good luck going after the rest of my team.” She spit on one of the women’s pants, making it look like she had wet herself. “They were the brightest minds I’ve ever known, you mushbrains.”

“Gross.” R kicked her in the side of her face. “And we don’t need any luck. We already know where they are.”

Mock despair descended on Oria’s mature face, which the pair reveled in before the female called L leaned down to grin at her from up close.

“We only chose you before because my sister hates bad smells with passion. Joining the community of Weremoles that exists under the possibly worst-smelling natural gas deposit in the whole universe should be forbidden. Like, fuck, and they both went there? I will be surprised to learn they haven’t vomited themselves to death to this day and seriously don’t look forward to coming anywhere close to that shithole. Literally.” The woman made a sour face.

Starting to thrash in her bindings again, hard enough to draw blood, Oria growled viciously. “Bastards! Who the fuck do you work for, huh? I’ll murder your entire worthless camp! I bet your leader is some cowardly rat who hid in the depths of a communal outhouse as we were razing his chieftain’s stronghold!”

A kick to the gut made her pause as Long Hair snorted. “Patience, puss. We’ll tell you, of course. Right before you can’t take it anymore. The others had such delightful expressions when they heard it right before they croaked.”

“We have wasted enough time, then.” Oria spit out some blood to the side.

“What are you muttering under your nose, you—”

As the Painted Dog female drew her leg for another blow, something rustled to their side, and she barely managed to turn her head halfway before that something slammed into her like a charging stallion. A black blur shot through the clearing, driving the woman’s body through four thick trees until it finally stopped at the fifth one, the obliterated trunks falling to the sides while creaking loudly amidst a rain of splinters.

“What the fuck was that?!” Short Hair spun around and gaped at the destruction while taking a lowered stance.

As her eyes followed the ripped trail, they stopped at the feral figure of black-furred Pantherkin wearing leather armor accentuated with a deep red color. The crazed individual held her sister by the throat inside a half-blasted tree with both furry hands while growling in their captive’s face loud enough for the sound to echo throughout the forest. Long Hair choked heavily having her windpipe crushed, desperately clawing at her attacker with wide eyes, but to no visible effect.

“You popped out a damn Unlocked?!” the other woman shouted. “Fuck! This is going to be so shit!”

“I don’t think you have time to worry about that.”

Her head swung back again, and her eyes almost burst out of their sockets as the tight metal wire began releasing louder and louder metallic groans. Oria casually stood up while flexing her muscles until the bindings burst outward, her shallow cuts healing within a greenish aura.

“That’s impossible.” The female gaped at her in horror.

The panther lady took a step forward, and before her opponent could take one back, shadowy tendrils wrapped themselves around her limbs in many places, emerging from underneath her. Oria arrived right before her a few seconds later.

“Using your own words, the current generation is so disappointing.” Miria’s mother stared back at her with a cold gaze. “There’s nothing impossible without proper support from your companions.”

“How? These wires can cut through stone!” Short Hair shook her head in disbelief.

“What about steel?”Asterios and the girls slowly walked into the clearing, surrounding the pair. 

He smiled warmly at Oria while dismissing two of his spells from his Spellslinger, canceling the Healing Wave and Steel Skin he had cast a moment earlier. She reciprocated the smile before turning serious again.

Seeing the look in her eyes, the canine woman opened her jaws wide in a hurry. But, she didn’t get to smash them shut without Oria shoving her hand into the Dogkin’s mouth. Her sharp fangs pierced into the panther lady’s flesh, but that didn’t evoke even the slightest reaction. 

Instead, Oria yanked her arm back, tearing off a fistful of teeth on the way out. Holding a specific one between her bloodied fingers, she crushed it with an unamused hum, letting the acidic green liquid trail down her palm.

“I’m glad you villains have learned nothing new while I was gone.” She flicked her fingers a few times to clean them off, pulling out a vicious-looking needle the length of a finger from somewhere in her armor. “Miria, dear, try not to maul her to death too fast. Mommy’s skills have gotten rusty so she will need to practice a little at first.”

With a quick and extremely precise stab, she drove it into the other woman’s pelvic region, evoking a light grunt from her opponent.

“Oh. My bad. I think it was about… here.”

She pushed the needle a tiny bit deeper and the woman howled in pain to the limits of her vocal chords, forcing some of the girls to cover their ears.

Tina had a wry smile as she glanced up at Asterios. “With how incredible your and Miria’s moms are turning out to be, I really hope this doesn’t become a trend.”

He chuckled lightly and rubbed her arm.

Surely not.