Rise of the Weakest Summoner

As much as Asterios enjoyed peacefully lying atop the slightly ticklish grass with the exquisite Dryad embracing him from the side, one leg draped over his waist and one hand grazing his chest, he knew they couldn’t laze around too much. Thankfully, Tia was an understanding woman, aware of that fact too, and didn’t keep him restrained for long. She was the first to sit up with a satisfied sigh and a fluffy peck to his chin.

Gazing down upon Ast’s figure with a charming smile, she offered him a hand, and he happily took it, joining her by wrapping one arm around the supple lady’s waist. Tia giggled softly and stole his lips for a deeper kiss, her front rubbing against his as their tongues danced together. Ast’s fingers found their way to her smooth cheek, brushing it lovingly as they shared affection.

Parting ways, they gazed into each other’s eyes before looking around the altered scenery.

“I must say, your new rug does fit the wood rather nicely,” Asterios commented.

She glanced straight down, then directly at him with a raised brow. The action brought a small laugh out of him, the meaning behind it not escaping his mind. She chuckled sweetly alongside Asterios and nodded, switching her attention to their surroundings.

“The throne stands out so much with all of the floor covered in these mesmerizing green stalks,” she replied, playing with the grass daintily. “I’m not sure what to think about the branches, though. They feel a little… surreal. Not that any of this is real, to be precise.”

“It feels real enough.” He squeezed her waist cordially. “What happened, though? Is this your doing?”

“Yes and no.” The seductive Dryad mulled over it. “I didn’t intend to change anything, but it’s clear that my actions in the middle of the ritual have resulted in visible alterations.”

“What did you do?” Asterios glanced at her curiously.

“I intended to transfer all the energy into your third source, but it began filling up extremely fast,” she began. “Whoever conjured this powerful cluster was of immense spiritual capacity. Though, considering the observations you and your companions made, it is possible that more than one being made up its energy. Nevertheless, it was too much at once. So, I had to improvise.”

“You didn’t hurt yourself in the process, did you?” he asked, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

Tia smiled at him warmly. “No, I didn’t. Quite the opposite. It seems that I only made myself better. And it happened because I decided to use myself and this projection of my Tree to dilute and process this incoming energy even further. Some of it was inadvertently lost, for which I sincerely apologize.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad you received your share.” Asterios smirked at her apologetic expression. “As long as all of this new grass doesn’t bother you.”

“I love it.” She let out a musical giggle. “And it’s made the previously hard floor much fluffier so I can think of a few uses it has just become much more comfortable for.”

He rolled his eyes at her cheeky grin. “Anyway, the job is done, right? The sphere has been fully absorbed? The others are safe?”

Looking into the distance absent-mindedly, Tia confirmed with a nod. “Everyone is alright. You should be able to rejoin them whenever you wish to and continue your quest.”

Finishing, she found his gaze once more and awaited his next words. Asterios stared back at her briefly, before getting up and patting the vibrant stalks off his butt.

“Let’s make a quick round to check if everything is fine on this side too.” He extended a hand down to her.

With a beaming smile that radiated pure warmth and joy, she shot up to her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, making him chuckle while grazing her gorgeous back. A minute or two more wouldn’t hurt. Tia might be connected to him as deeply as his other mates, but she definitely could get lonely here from time to time. She didn’t deserve to be dismissed so fast after fulfilling her role.

Still completely naked, unbothered by each other’s enticing forms, and knowing the chances of anyone else seeing them were near zero, they strolled through the inside of the Tree side by side. Literally. There was no gap between them as Tia continued to drape herself over his arm giddily.

Their relationship was fairly close up to this point, but she’d clearly been starved for some actual skin contact. And he couldn’t really blame her for it.

Tia brought Asterios to the throne and sat him down atop it again. After taking a good look at her lord, she knelt before him with a wide smile. He could feel her gratitude now that he had fully taken the Dryad as his own like the True Dragons she’d talked about always intended to. It became obvious to him that she couldn’t be apprehended by another now, her powers and body safe from harm, dedicated only to him.

Well, they already had been due to her current whereabouts, but with the goal of one day returning the Dryad her due freedom, it was a step that brought Tia peace of mind.

Additionally, they hadn’t spoken about it yet, but she had imprinted herself even stronger in his third source, which had grown exponentially. Asterios didn’t know what it truly meant yet, but one thing was clear, she was a larger part of it instead of taking a ride alongside its energy. They would need to explore this matter more, which could perhaps allow the Dryad to interact with it in more ways, definitely helping him out further with his development.

Accepting Tia’s playful pledge, Asterios took his gorgeous retainer to take a peek outside before they split up once more.

And the moment they stood at the entrance to the gigantic trunk, they froze in shock. The changes weren’t limited only to the inside of the Tree. A similar but much more lush blanket of beautiful grass extended almost as far as they could see, presumably in all directions. It moved mysteriously as if caressed by a gentle wind, but nothing affected the air inside this mystical space right now.

Moving further out, they admired the new sight with awe. Glancing back, they were sure the Tree had grown in height and width, which might not have been as obvious from the interiors. Asterios and Tia became aware of one extremely significant detail too.

It cast a shadow.

How? Well, there was a breach in the thick layer of dark clouds like on the day it had emerged in this space for the very first time. And just like on that day, a massive ray of light shone upon it at a sharp angle. The difference was, it seemed to stay on instead of dispersing after a while.

“The land in between isn’t so empty anymore, I guess.” Asterios chuckled, peering far into the distance. “Your new lawn reaches almost to the noticeable borders of the volcano realms.”

“It’s almost as if it’s trying to connect them,” Tia responded softly. “Like it’s trying to create a bridge between the two opposing fronts.”

He snorted. “Honestly, if anything can unite these bloodlines, it’s definitely nature itself. I’m glad I have the literal embodiment of it with me.”

Her brown cheeks darkened as she looked at him with an adoring smile. “I won’t disappoint you.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“But now, you should return to your women. I’ll investigate this change further and let you know my findings. Thank you.” Tia ducked her head.

Asterios lifted her chin up. “No, thank you for everything. Without you, this would have been a much bigger struggle.”

“I bet the girls would have come to your aid shortly after me.” She winked at him knowingly.

“I don’t doubt that.” He snickered. “But that doesn’t invalidate your input. Take a moment to rest up and I’ll see you later.”

“Rest? After you have filled me with so much energy?” Tia giggled impishly. “Good luck with your investigation, Master. Let me know if you need my help with anything.”

Nodding, Asterios stepped into her embrace for the last time and focused on waking up while hugging the dazzling beauty dearly.

※ ※ ※

 

“It’s alright. Everything is fine.” Silvia’s calming voice cut through the loud shrieking noise, currently muffled by the frame of the towering Black Dragon shielding them from the worst of it. “You’ll carve holes in the floor at this pace.”

Nothing the noble lady said fully reached the distressed panthergirl. Miria walked back and forth in the shade of her unconscious master, feeling very powerless and anxious. Finally, the redhead stepped into her path and pulled the beastfolk girl into her.

“You know Tia took Ast to safety. Selene is continuing to put up barriers, so even if he could feel anything, it wouldn’t be much. Tina is constantly pouring water on his body, cooling it down,” she said cordially. “You aren’t powerless. As you can see, I’m not doing anything either. You know we all are better and worse at certain things. Asterios always leaves things to us when he knows we can easily handle them. Now it’s your turn. Let him and the others take care of this.”

Wrinkling her fully transformed nose, Miria nodded faintly. “I know… I’m sorry… I’m just really bad at staying put…”

“No, you are just very emotional and caring, much more than we are.” Silvia smiled amiably. “And that’s part of the reason why Ast fell for you. Trust in him like he does in you. Like we do. Sure, we might be able to do something if we cooperate, but you heard Tia, she has a solution, one that doesn’t involve us stepping into this weird light.”

“You are right… I’m just being silly…” The panthergirl chuckled wryly. “How long do you think—”

“The aura is changing,” Althea interrupted her and both girls turned to look at the Dragon lady.

They found her gazing upwards and followed her eyes. As she had said, the bits of light that were piercing the cover Asterios had made with his wing and body in a few spots were fading slightly.

“It is,” Selene confirmed, taking a more relaxed pose with her hands still extended forward to continue creating layers of protective spiritual energy. “My barriers are starting to hold on longer and longer.”

“Look!” Tina ceased her water treatment and pointed to the edge of Ast’s draconic frame.

Over there, an unusual effect could be spotted. It was like the light itself bent around his body and continued creeping inwards, achieving a mist-like consistency. It spread further and further on the inner side of Ast’s figure, lighting the shadows up. The glow traveled through the pattern of his scales and didn’t seem to hurt him.

“Drop your barriers!” Tina added, a small smile curling her lips up. “They are doing it!”

Selene was hesitant to follow her request, but after a few seconds of thinking, she withdrew her mana, letting her arms fall to her sides. The crawl of the affected light sped up significantly, and almost in a blink, it wrapped itself all around Ast’s frame, all over his black scales.

Asterios shone with a golden radiance while the glow past him gradually lessened. Bit by bit, it was getting darker and darker, the intensity of the cluster fading away alongside the troubling noise. That sound was still present and still loud, but it felt less sharp with each passing second, like the chorus making it up was losing its members.

In about thirty seconds or so, the chamber returned to its initial brightness, but the ladies didn’t want to risk peeking out of safety yet. Anything could happen, both good and bad. One look to the back revealed that Umbra and Abyss were now able to peer into the room without being hurt or uncomfortable.

Then, it started becoming darker than it had ever been. In the span of a few minutes, all the surfaces surrounding them began turning gray. However, they could all tell that was just due to the light’s scarce intensity. The tiles beneath Asterios were still pretty white.

Another moment passed, and suddenly, everything was enveloped in silence. With a flicker, it turned black, evoking a gasp from the girls. The only source of illumination was Asterios and his charged scales. It was incomparable to the strong cluster, lighting up only the nearby ground and ceiling, barely tickling the walls.

But, that was not where it ended.

Everyone stumbled due to a powerful tremor. Looking around frantically, they watched the chamber shake. A more powerful jolt sent a vicious crack through the very middle of the floor and most likely walls and ceiling judging how both sides of the crevice instantly misaligned, one ending up higher than the other. Thankfully, Ast’s body didn’t rest on the breach, but his tail hung off one side.

As the earthquake subsided, Miria chanced a peek past Asterios. “It’s gone.”

“What?” Tina frowned and walked out alongside the others. “It really is.”

Where earlier levitated the condensed energy, now remained nothing but an empty space.

“How?” Silvia asked ponderingly. “Did he absorb all of it?”

“Precisely.” A new voice echoed through the air, making them jump.

“Master!” Miria was the first one to respond, running back to the slowly rising Asterios. “I was so worried!”

She smashed into his snout before he could lift it, evoking a deep chuckle out of him. “I’m sorry. But it’s alright. I’ve never been in mortal danger and I’m glad to see you doing fine too.”

“No, don’t apologize, I understand.” The panthergirl shook her head while rubbing her face into his scales. “I’m glad you didn’t have to suffer for too long. Thank Tia for me, please.”

He knew she knew she could do it on her own, but Asterios passed the message nevertheless. Then, he began changing, quickly turning smaller while covered by black mist. In a flash, he was hugging Miria back in his humanoid form.

Save for one detail.

“You are still shiny!” She giggled adorably.

“Oh.” He looked himself over and found his skin emitting a gentle golden glow. “I guess I’m your torch for the foreseeable future.”

The other girls laughed softly as they approached the duo and he exchanged some hugs with them too. Abyss and Umbra appeared next to their spot, making him turn to the shadowy pair.

“Did getting rid of that cluster help you?” Asterios directed his question at the mocha-skinned lady. “Do you feel the control over the realm returning to you?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” Abyss gazed into the space where the sphere had been.

“Can’t blame a guy for hoping.” He shrugged lightly.

“But your clever actions did have an effect on something greater,” she continued. “This facility is clearly part of something bigger. I would be surprised if he left the fate of the seal in the hands of just one power source. This might not have even been the main one, just some auxiliary energy cluster meant to hide the real thing.”

“What now, then?” Tina wondered out loud. “I don’t see anything useful here, even if I can barely see anything.”

Silvia created a wide flaming ring under the ceiling and received quiet thanks from the short Summoner lady. Her technique emphasized the massive crack splitting the chamber into two. Right after, the ground shuddered once more, making the halves slide further up and down before ceasing to tremble.

“First I suggest we leave,” Selene insisted, her tone tense. “My barriers are powerful but even they might not last forever underneath an avalanche of rock and stone.”

“Maybe we’ll still manage to check a few more—” Miria didn’t manage to finish as another rumble interrupted her.

“Allow me.” Umbra floated up to them, spreading his body wide.

No one argued and they quickly huddled up together. As promised before the recent events, they let their shadowy friend act according to his judgment, which highly likely matched their own. The darkness swallowed them right away and they felt themselves moving at quick speeds. Umbra dashed towards the exit the way they had come in, the defenses completely turned off. The underground facility jolted again, this time much stronger.

As he arrived at the vertical tunnel Abyss had carved, something snapped and numerous cracks littered the pristine surfaces. Everything crumbled moments before he dove into the circular passage, dust and particles chasing him vehemently. He shot out of the hole with a burst of sharp pieces, avoiding them easily. The surrounding area quaked, and in a blink, a sizable rectangular part of the ground collapsed downwards by about the average height of the chambers below, creating a tiny valley.

When things calmed down, Umbra released Ast’s party and Abyss floated up to them on her purplish cloud.

“Awww… It’s ruined now…” Miria pouted sadly.

“What is? The Darklings’ sacred grounds or our chances of finding any hints?” Tina joked, looking just as disappointed.

The bottom of the funnel they had entered through was demolished, including the whole area. But, on the other hand, they could see more bits of white poking out of the dark rock everywhere, the tremors chipping away the layer of stone covering it.

While the Darklings would have certainly been overjoyed to explore the facility, maybe this was a better alternative.

“All of that for nothing.” Selene sighed.

“Hey, at least Asterios got something out of it. Even if it’s the ability to illuminate his path a foot or two ahead,” Silvia replied, evoking some light laughs from them.

~It will pass soon,~ Tia chimed in. ~His gains are much bigger than that, I can assure you.~

“You sound livelier too,” Tina pointed out.

A sweet giggle answered her. ~I’ll fill you all in later.~

“This expedition wasn’t for naught,” Abyss said, capturing their attention. “I have studied the cluster as much as I could during the assault. Its spiritual signature is much clearer to me now. I don’t doubt there are more of those things scattered all over the realm. I’ll be able to pinpoint them much easier now.”

“But you can’t do it all from here, can you?” the fox lady asked and she shook her head. “Then we still need to somehow find ourselves in their vicinity. There’s no way another one is close unless there are hundreds of thousands of them.”

“Even he wouldn’t be able to create more than a handful of these spheres,” the mysterious woman informed them. “Ignoring the sacrifices necessary to be made, each condensed bundle requires a tiny part of his own power. And he isn’t the type to part with it easily.”

“We are back to square one, then.” Miria propped her fists on her sides and looked around intensely. “How are we going to figure out the location of the other facilities?”

“Places of conflict,” Althea joined the conversation, thoughtfully brushing her chin. “Even if we exclude Kaguya, this region was always full of activity. The Titans lived here before she killed them. The Horror made it its home before we restrained it. All sorts of beings were drawn to the power of this buried cluster.”

Everyone processed her words for a moment and found themselves quickly agreeing with the wisdom coming from Ast’s respected mentor.

“That shouldn’t be too hard, then,” Umbra said. “I have at least a few spots in mind that can count as eternal battlefields for no reason other than territorial disputes. Not all of them might be what we are looking for, but it’s a start.”

“And we can ask our new friends!” Miria clapped joyfully. “Maybe they will know something or the artifacts they mentioned will carry hints!”

“You are right.” Asterios ruffled through her hair. “Hopefully, they won’t kick us out for desecrating their holy grounds.”

“Look at it the other way, my Lord.” Selene smirked and leaned forward to grab a piece of chipped-off white mineral. “They can now make some killer jewelry.”

He shook his head and started shifting again to let the ladies ride his back on the way home.