Rise of the Weakest Summoner

“I agree with you, my Lord.” Selene chuckled softly behind her slender hand. “We better keep our sights on the objective ahead of us or we might end up getting sidetracked again. No offense to your mother and her serious troubles, Miria.”

The panthergirl snorted cutely. “It’s alright, Selene. This was supposed to be a quick and fun quest to slay some monsters, not an entire pursuit of some vile bandits who dared to bother Mom. Things always get out of hand wherever Master goes, don’t they?”

“Hey, and what is that supposed to mean?” Asterios raised a brow at his playful mate, evoking a few laughs from the girls.

“You can’t really deny it, Ast.” Tina smiled softly while grazing his hand. “While you might not be the cause of all those troubles, you certainly have a knack for finding your way into them and offering your help to the involved.”

“Sometimes it feels like that trouble keeps finding you instead,” Silvia added, clearly referring to their first meeting and the follow-up afterward.

“Maybe it’s all because you are such a charismatic True Dragon, Master,” Bryn suggested thoughtfully. “You attract the attention of the entire universe.”

“I’ll have to stop you before your theories cause Miria to start putting me in a position equal to a god’s.” Asterios raised his hand in surrender.

The bubbly feline grinned at him innocently. “You mean you aren’t a Dragon Go—mmmmwwhhhmmmm!”

He sealed her lips with a kiss before she managed to finish her sentence, pacifying the sly girl with enough affection to make her purr once more. After backing up, he let Miria rest her forehead on his chest.

“Let’s consult the expert in Dragon things and see if there’s any truth to Bryn’s speculations,” he said, glancing at his lovers to receive their opinions, which definitely aligned with his intentions. “Rusi should remember to take proper breaks no matter how excited she is to learn from her wise mentor. And we could use their help in reassuring the Nest Mother.”

“Should we fetch Grea?” Selene pondered out loud.

They all exchanged glances before Asterios shrugged. “Nah. Let’s keep this meeting professional, at least initially.”

The girls snickered in agreement, and just to make sure, they took a peek at what their sultry researcher was up to. Easily noticing that the demon lady was deeply focused on her work, they didn’t see a reason to interrupt. She would most likely not mind being left in peace anyway. The only thing she would feel betrayed being left out of was another orgy.

That would be extremely difficult to earn Grea’s forgiveness for certain.

Therefore, the six of them consulted their bond to find the current location of the emerald-scaled lady, finding Althea in her new home. Rusilthea was with her, of course. They were having a pleasant lesson in the wooden bower and everyone could sense the deep joy and respect coming off the younger Dragon. It didn’t seem that Rusi was a difficult student, contrary to her image from the other realm.

Without further ado, they left the town and went deeper into the woods before Asterios transformed and invited the ladies onto his back, knowing they enjoyed riding him a lot. He couldn’t blame them. While it wasn’t perfectly comparable, Althea had taken him on a brief trip atop her serpentine body too and he found it just as fascinating as his mates had whenever he offered them the same.

Perhaps one day he would get to ride a True Dragon too, though finding a friendly one felt like a fantasy.

The draconic transport arrived at its destination a few minutes later, letting its passengers down shortly before the target area. Everyone slowly approached the studious pair, not wishing to disrupt their focus too much. They were content waiting for their friends to finish, especially since Althea had sensed their presence in her close vicinity.

Judging by the bits they overheard, the current lesson touched on the topic of one’s affinity and how the perception of it affected its strength and potential. For Lesser Dragons, their confidence and belief played a big role in their development. Althea insisted that it had been confirmed that mentors who act cold and strict with their disciples produced worse results than the more supporting and respectful ones. The environment one grew up in mattered greatly.

Rusilthea didn’t lack confidence in herself. At least that was how it looked from the outside. Asterios wasn’t going to believe that too strongly, however. Those who struggled a lot with their self-worth often tended to hide behind a mask of artificial gallantry or toughness. Not that he accused Rusi of being mentally fragile or weak. She certainly had her own insecurities and doubts like everyone else, though. Including him.

The moment they spent listening to the lecture was entertaining. Asterios and Tina shared a look, reminded of their time at the academy. The pair shared the thirst for knowledge and pure enjoyment of absorbing new knowledge they could later make use of on their own. She was once more glad he had insisted on her finishing the school instead of dropping out, though at the same time sad his opportunity to do that was stolen from him. But, she couldn’t change the past, only affect the future.

And with their plans for the upcoming academies, there was hope for a great one.

“With this, I think we should wrap our already long session up,” Althea said, gently closing the notebook Rusilthea kept open to take notes during the lecture. “We have guests who require our attention.”

At that, the younger Dragon glanced their way and blushed faintly. “Oh. I’m sorry I didn’t notice. That was rude of me.”

Asterios regarded his draconic mate with a curious gaze. “Are manners part of your curriculum too?”

As Althea chuckled quietly, Rusi embarrassingly ducked her head. “I believe it’s only proper to address my benefactor with the respect he deserves. I’m learning much more than I ever expected from Lady Althea. My gratitude can’t be expressed with words.”

“You don’t need to be so stiff with us,” Tina said kindly. “It’s not that it doesn’t suit you, but it certainly feels off after our previous interactions.”

Her contracted familiar laughed lightly. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m still thankful, though.”

“Well, if you are looking for a way to express that gratitude, you might want to consider helping us out with convincing Rhufija to our case today,” Asterios offered. “We plan to take the final step a bit earlier than intended.”

“I’ll do everything I can to show my support.” Rusi hastily stood up. “I’m not sure if there’s anything else I can do besides everything that has already happened, but let me join you and be there at least. To be honest, I would love to bring my mother here so I can learn from her and Lady Althea at the same time. It sounds so exciting and unique.”

“That’s what we are going to do.” He nodded in agreement. “Are you with us too, Althea?”

“Naturally.” The Dragon lady gracefully moved to his side. “Even if I believe this will be just a mere formality. We made sure of that.”

“Good. Time to see if you are right. I’ll hide in your shadow once more, at least until we need to open a breach,” Asterios replied.

Rusi opened a gate to her home while he did as he’d said. The girls offered to wait for them here and the draconic pair stepped through it on their own. After moving through the passage, they searched for Rusi’s mother and headed for the impressive tower belonging to the Nest Mother.

It seemed that their arrival in the Lesser Dragon community hadn’t gone unnoticed as one of the leader’s mates was already waiting to let them in. Just like the last time, it was Hevial, the blond-haired man. He didn’t look too happy seeing them, but there was not much he could do about orders from above.

Soon after, the trio found their way back to the same meeting chamber they had been welcomed in on the day of their initial meeting. Rhufija and her mates were present, the Nest Mother inviting them to join her by the coffee table, to which the ladies obliged.

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s still a little bit of time before our agreed-upon date,” she began with a calm tone. “What brings you three to my doorstep, then? Ah, apologies, I meant you four.”

“Is that how we’ve been found out?” Althea asked curiously.

“Don’t take this personally. I felt like our defenses were inadequate after your crafty intrusion. I still can’t confirm if it’s him who is with you, but there’s something different about your mana according to our new arrays and I would be confident to bet on the reason for that,” Rhufija answered. “It’s alright to come out. No one else should notice.”

Asterios did as instructed and materialized himself behind his mate, placing his palms atop Althea’s shoulders as she rested the back of her head on his front. “I’m glad to be of help in spotting holes in your security, Nest Mother. As for why we are here, we are simply ready to progress with the thing we discussed. Are you?”

The woman held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “I spoke a lot with both of our mutual acquaintances. There was hardly anything negative they had to share about you and your rule. But, the fact that they didn’t try to hide those opinions behind walls of positivity only shows their honesty. I’m good to go at this very moment.”

He wondered briefly what kind of complaints related to him the ladies could have, but it was difficult to figure out on his own. However, he was glad to hear they weren’t solely singing his praises. It would be good to later ask them about everything so he could work on his flaws more, getting rid of things they were dissatisfied with if possible.

“Perfect. Glimmervale is the most beautiful at the hour of the setting sun. Let me get the door for you.” Asterios smiled warmly.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Mortiz protested, which wasn’t too shocking. “It’s too risky.”

“We’ve already gone through this multiple times.” Rhufija sighed deeply. “Our entire lives are risky. I’m going alone. You three have the responsibility of looking after the settlement. We can’t ignore this opportunity.”

It was clear the trio wanted to further express their disapproval, but Rhufija had the final say in their relationship and she wasn’t afraid of enforcing it.

“I would offer to leave one or two of my mates in your hands as a token of goodwill and a kind of guarantee, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to feel that way with them present, nor any degree of safe with the level they are currently at.” Asterios showed an apologetic smile. “We’ll be quick. Maybe grab you a souvenir or something. Try not to stress too much over this.”

Turning away from the three males, he took a deep breath and began his thing. The sealed tower was the best place to take care of the passage. Asterios had a much better grasp on the technique now, confident that he didn’t create too many unintended traces while tearing into the realm’s fabric, but he didn’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to this peaceful community.

A few seconds later, he cut through the air with his black claw and gestured at the ominous crevice with his scaly hand. “Hop in. Twenty-minute adventure. We’ll be in and out in a blink.”

Rusilthea and Phatru confidently walked into the crimson breach, proving to their Nest Mother that there was nothing to fear. Rhufija hesitated for a moment before she followed after them with some tension visible in her elegant frame. As she disappeared, Asterios offered the men one last nod of silent promise and went in too.

He emerged in Althea’s lair in a flash, finding the Nest Mother staring at him with wide eyes.

“I can’t believe I have just experienced a True Dragon’s legendary travel technique,” she admitted as Asterios sealed the tear. “Where are we? Is this your domain? Your sanctuary?”

“It’s my home,” Althea interjected. “Or, to be precise, a truthful recreation of how it looked before it was lost. Asterios made it for me for the sole reason of making me even more comfortable after I joined him as his True Mate and left the country I have been nursing for centuries. I hope this shows his compassion properly.”

“This is underground, isn’t it?” Rhufija looked up.

“You have sharp senses.” Tia’s giggle echoed around them as Asterios conveyed her message through spiritual energy. “That is correct. This is a protected space similar to your tower. A tier or two more advanced, though.”

“Who is it?” The Nest Mother frowned as she tried to find the person speaking.

“Tia. The Arch Dryad you spoke to the last time, of course. This place exists thanks to her,” Asterios explained. “Besides being Althea’s lair, this place is also where she teaches her disciples in peace. It’s safe to try things out here without holding back too much.”

“Ah, right.” Her eyes were wide as she processed the information, looking towards the draconic pair. “You really weren’t exaggerating about her power…”

“Shall we move outside so you can see the city your people will be able to live in if they accept our proposal?” he offered. “I would suggest we fly there, but our subjects aren’t yet used to this kind of draconic creatures casually hanging out around the realm. There’s one they tolerate and you will see why in a moment.”

“I think I have an idea that might help.” Tina stepped closer to him and started describing her plan in whispers.

After she was done, Asterios grinned at her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I love seeing you come up with new uses of your abilities. Aces are so amazing to watch.”

She rolled her eyes but the timid smile couldn’t leave her pouty lips. Urged to go on, he chuckled and turned into a True Dragon again. Tina drew two sigils in the air which were mirrored by her gloves and borrowed powers from Esil and Hydran. An orb of water locked inside a bubble of air gathered between them and she directed it towards Asterios.

The bubble stretched as she mentally instructed it what to do with visible effort. In just a minute, it wasn’t an orb anymore but a thin blanket attached to Ast’s whole underside, from the furthest edge of his draconic chin to the very tip of his long tail. A bluish surface covered him from below. The girls quickly realized what they had just done and shared excited smiles.

“Come on. We have things to see.” Asterios winked at Rhufija, lowering his side for her and the others.

With everyone on his back, he spread his wings and flew into the tunnel leading out of the lair. Coming out at the other end, he gained altitude at a gentle pace. However, he didn’t move as high as he usually would. While Rhufija’s keen gaze would have no issue peering into the town from a distance that made him look like a tiny shape in the endless sky, he didn’t need to do that anymore.

The liquid camouflage allowed Asterios to fly unnoticed much lower over Glimmervale as long as he retained a correct angle. All the ladies could comfortably watch people go about their lives from above, equally fascinated by the new activity. The Nest Mother’s eyes snapped from one person to another, jumping over buildings and structures, taking in the might of the quickly developing capital.

“What is that?” Her voice cracked faintly as she pointed at the back of the main square.

When that lifted its massive head and opened one eye to stare right back at her, seemingly aware of their presence, she shivered in her seat, retreating behind the edge of Ast’s bulky body.

“That’s Venuz.” Miria giggled. “He’s a Dracodon from a different realm. Master summoned him here to protect the town from bad guys. He is very strong and looks scary, but is actually a very nice guy. Master learned a lot from him and their duels are a sight to behold!”

“I can confirm that King Venuzathor is a wise man,” Rusi said. “He knows a lot about our weaknesses and shares his knowledge on how to eliminate them willingly. I’m pretty sure he killed at least three True Dragons and over ten Lesser Dragons who challenged him.”

“Who would be stupid enough to do that?” Rhufija looked stupefied.

“You know lizards and their ego. As for our kin, they supposedly take him for one of them and decide there’s no other choice than to fight, unwilling to listen to his explanation. I kind of can understand that, but still, not everything is a devious ploy to lower our guard, right?” The younger lady laughed awkwardly.

“That’s news even to me, but I think you can see how your subjects should be safe with a formidable guardian like him overseeing their education and service, even if there currently aren’t any True and Lesser Dragons other than us here.” Asterios snickered. “It should be exciting to live in such a place, no?”

The Nest Mother stayed silent for a while as he flew over the town, left alone with her thoughts as she peered at the bustling ground beneath them.

“They truly look happy and comfortable under your rule,” she whispered. “I feel bad for being confident that I would be able to spot them acting after being threatened. This kind of unity amongst so many different species is hardly possible to fake. I think this is enough.”

“We could always talk with some people if you would like?” Silvia suggested.

“It’s alright. I’m willing to follow my gut feeling and trust you.” Rhufija showed a delicate smile. “I apologize for our rudeness and hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship and cooperation. It might be the first one in the history of our respective kinds. At least the publicly known one. I certainly don’t intend to keep it a secret, spreading the tale as far and wide as I can. Do you mind bringing me back to my realm so that I can start the preparations for your second event earlier than we assumed?”

“It will be our pleasure.” Phatru bowed respectfully.

“A word of warning to the two of you, though.” The Nest Mother nodded back at her and Althea. “It seems that the mystery of your unusual offer has already reached the ears of some nearby mentors. You should expect additional eyes and ears on you during your presentation. They might not be happy about you monopolizing so many younglings with great potential. I can remind everyone to be civil about it, but I can’t be too forceful with them for the sake of our nest. I hope you can understand my position.”

“We do.” Althea took her hand into hers and squeezed it tenderly. “And we won’t ask you to go out of your way for us. We will fail or succeed with our own efforts. If the universe wishes for us not to achieve our goals this early, we will simply learn from the experience and use it for our future attempts in other places. The world is a vast and populated place. We can’t fit into every society we lay our eyes upon.”

“Smartass.” Phatru snickered. “I’ll need to seriously rein you in before you turn all those youthful minds into old gloomy sages. My daughter won’t be your prey, you hear me?”

The two friends laughed together, clearly not worried about facing the other mentors. Believing in them, neither did Asterios. He brought them back to Althea’s lair, where they escorted Rhufija home. She bid farewell to them in her tower and pressed her mates to work on the upcoming gathering, mindlessly answering the bombardment of questions they directed her way after her arrival. She was committed to making this work for her community.

And so, time flew by thankfully without any other incidents requiring Ast’s family’s undivided attention. Oria and Suanori held their meeting and made initial agreements on plenty of things. While the elf guildmaster handled things on this side, the panther lady was tasked with distributing the stolen goods after she paid a visit to her fallen comrades and spent some time taking care of them and herself. 

All those things should take enough time to allow Asterios and the girls to resolve the issue of Umbra’s realm if they jumped straight to it at the very moment.

But, before they could do that, only one more thing stood in their way. The recruitment of their Lesser Dragon forces and the official formation of their Dragon Guard unit. It was pretty much connected so it was treated as a single matter. 

When the day of judgment came, they were as ready as they could be. This time, all ladies joined Asterios in Phasmantia even as he was the only one in hiding. Their group received quite some curious and confused glances as Rhufija led them to the open theater. This certainly wasn’t a completely coincidental decision. Everyone’s presence was part of Althea’s grand plan.

As they reached their destination, Asterios, Phatru, and Althea scanned the gathered audience. The number of young and eager Lesser Dragons remained around the same as the last time. But, the presence of the more mature individuals was much more noticeable. Mentors and other experienced adults lingered at the back of the auditorium, inquisitively examining the new arrivals. 

The question was, how much trouble were they willing to create for them?

While the amphitheater was buzzing with the noise of chatter amongst the young prospects, it all died down the moment Althea and Phatru walked onto the raised stage, Ast’s mates following them closely and forming a line next to the pulpit. Having everyone’s attention, the emerald-haired lady roamed her gaze over the spectators and smiled warmly.

“We welcome everyone once more. I can see many familiar faces in the audience, not to mention some fresh ones, including those at the very back.” She raised her head to acknowledge the presence of those mentors. “My friend’s daughter told me that she’s been approached by a few individuals over the course of the previous week. I remember their names and looks and won’t forget their honest curiosity and drive for knowledge, alongside the lack of manners and violent tendencies of select others, of course. Whatever the end result of this meeting turns out to be, you can be certain that we’ll reach out to you with an appropriate accord.”

Asterios spotted the select individuals growing slightly uncomfortable amidst the crowd and ingrained their identities into his memories too.

“Nevertheless, some of you have now an idea of what it feels like to work with us in another realm safe from persecution,” she continued. “Today, we will explain in detail what the circumstances allowing such a paradise to exist are, and what role my mate and our gracious host plays in it. To some, it might appear as shocking or perhaps even unbelievable, but even your respected Nest Mother has confirmed the legitimacy of our claims, following the concerns voiced by this community after our first presentation. But, before we get to that, please allow me to introduce today’s guests.”

At her gesture, the girls stepped forward and proudly faced the audience without flinching.

“The ladies standing before you are all females I can gladly call my sister-mates,” Althea announced. “Meet Miria, a skilled hunter belonging to a Pantherkin lineage from Eabiarhia. Selene, the strongest member of the Spiritual Foxes tribe from the same realm. Tina, a genius human Summoner not afraid to face her opponent up close from Kraedorion. Silvia, the fiery princess of the Human Kingdom from the same realm. Grea, the brilliant demon researcher specializing in Summoning and Sealing Magic from the same realm once again. Bryn, a proud Valkyrie healer-warrior valiantly fighting against the end of her world alongside her sisters from Heven.”

Althea gave the listeners a moment to process all the information as the ladies presented their unique features to support her claim.

“How are all six of them connected to what we are about to discuss? As you have guessed, they all come from different worlds visited by our powerful mate, who kindly aided all of us with our bigger or lesser problems without any prejudice or expectations. He is the persona that made all of this possible and who encouraged us to seek the fulfillment of our dreams and destiny. Mine is to create a path for you that isn’t so restricting and uncertain. There are many variables that might affect your experience with the old way, ranging from the threat of merciless predators to the danger of falling under a malevolent mentor. I don’t wish anyone to experience either of that.” She firmly met the eyes of plenty of younglings as she spoke.

Some mentors showed signs of getting slightly ruffled by her words but none of them had the gall to interrupt.

Yet.

“So, through the seven of us, he offers you a chance to avoid all of it—”

“Hold on.” Someone did actually disrupt the speech, however, it appeared to be the purple-haired female they were already acquainted with, Keruvia, as she stood up. “Since you are clearly intending to play on our emotions by getting this personally involved in the matter, I think we have the right to witness the details from the other side of the picture, the other perspective, don’t we? If you truly are honest and sincere about this, you won’t mind waiting a few more minutes for the individual who can provide it to arrive here, will you? Or is your intention not as genuine as you imply?”

Althea stared cooly at the woman without a change in her expression. The haughty smirk on the girl’s lips made it clear about her intentions. She was aiming to fight this battle no matter the response. And for some reason, she was confident that it would be worth the effort in the end.

Somehow, Asterios didn’t have a good feeling about it.