Chapter 464 – A Shadowy Rescue

Miria watched as her mother lunged right into the swarm of the incoming enemies, her heart tightening briefly. It didn’t matter that the older Pantherkin was pretty much in her element, reliving the experiences she had gone through plenty of times during the long past days of vigilantism. This clearly wasn’t anything the skilled fighter would need to fear, save perhaps for the presence of various magic spells and techniques.

But, that much wasn’t enough to shake the veteran’s confidence gained over years spent on the battlefield, dancing with death on a daily basis.

Once more donning her full equipment, Oria’s fully black figure outclassed the melee warriors who led the charge. None had even a chance to scratch her dark leather armor or slice into her full-body suit. The scary mask with a white depiction instilled dread into her opponents almost as much as her already bloodied blades, humming with vicious ferocity as they slashed through air and people without a shred of hesitation.

Inhaling a deep breath to recompose herself, taking a page from her mom’s book, the younger panthergirl rushed to join the fray too. While her gear was blackened similarly to her current party member, she did not need any skin-tight suits, her exquisite fur taking that role instead. Plus, it was equally if not tougher than the material offered to her mother by their talented artisans.

She had chosen a stylish True Dragon mask to conceal her muzzle, the front painted crimson to further embellish the terror of facing one of those merciless creatures. For Ast’s realm, it was the perfect intimidation tactic. The cultists might be daring, but coming face-to-face with a mighty warrior wearing the likeness of a legendary beast known for its strength and ruthlessness easily shook their convictions.

With some luck, part of the group would be paranoid enough to think that another hidden organization was intent on culling them, one that was also devoted to a True Dragon like they were.

Still, Miria could do more.

Much more.

Therefore, with a big grin, she reached deep into her heart and touched upon the love and affection she held for her master and mate. It was so simple to call it to her after her bold and risky advancement. She felt guilty for all the worry and pain her decision had caused, but they all knew it was the correct one.

With that not-so-small change, she wasn’t just Miria, the familiar of Master Asterios. Nor Miria, the True Mate of a True Dragon. And neither was she Miria, the simple Pantherkin female lucky enough to inherit her father’s Werebeast bloodline.

Including all that, she was now a vessel.

And in a moment shorter than a single thought, she filled herself with everything her formidable draconic lord wholeheartedly had to offer her.

A shiver ran down her spine mid-sprint, her body gaining a feeling of weightlessness. In the corner of her eye, she saw her fur change drastically, replaced by ominous black smoke that seeped out of her frame from every uncovered surface. Her blades thrummed in her hands, responding to the overwhelming energy with eagerness of a child spotting its favorite treat, its mind full of elated memories that would soon flood in once more.

The poor cloaked fellow who crossed her path was frozen solid by the literal death incarnate charging straight at him, the reaper’s feminine shape blending with the dark passage as it shifted around like lethal mist. He swung his spear in desperation, taking a panicked step back, and his eyes widened to the brim when his weapon made contact with its target.

But not from the extent of the damage it caused.

Rather, from the complete lack of thereof.

The sharp tip passed through the dark avatar’s neck like through smoke, causing the victim of the blow to disperse in an ancient haze.

A startled cry broke out of his throat as sharp pain stabbed him in the thigh. One glance down confirmed that he had truly been stabbed with a vicious blade being held by a strong arm that poked out of a pool of darkness beneath his feet. It retreated as fast as it had shown itself, and before the man had a chance to do anything other than fall to his knees, the embodiment of death reformed in front of him, separating his head from his body with a single smooth vertical chop.

Raising her eyes, Miria met the gazes of seven other individuals all around her. They stood with their weapons shaking in their fingers, unmoving, indecisive. Fear gripped their minds and hearts. One of the noctis women looked over her shoulder anxiously, wondering why no spells flew right at their enemy while she and her allies held the intruder back, but all she could find was an impenetrable edge of darkness that had somehow separated them from their companions.

The next time she faced forward, the murderous attacker was gone. Her lips barely parted to shout in alarm or horror, she didn’t know, when the likeness of a ferocious humanoid True Dragon materialized before her, an unyielding blade already sunk far into her slowly dying heart. Her killer’s heterochromic irises, one black and one red, stared into her soul with complete indifference.

Screams filled the woman’s ears as she fell, witnessing in slow motion how her comrades were being obliterated by the single mysterious figure that kept flowing around them like something ethereal. It shouldn’t be possible to move this fast and unpredictably. The moment her body finally hit the cold ground, all six other noctis had been taken out of this world, a solitary predator standing amidst the clean carnage before it was gone.

Finished with the group, Miria dismissed the shadowy prison and dove into a nearby patch of darkness. She had been keeping an eye on her mother this entire fight and it was time to step in. The casters in the back rows were starting to get desperate. Their techniques no longer took survival into consideration. It would soon become a fatal last stand to cause as much damage to the opponent as possible.

As Oria confronted her own targets, Miria suddenly appeared between the further lines of noctis. Though, considering their hopeless attempt at staying in formation, those couldn’t be called lines anymore. Regardless, the mage she emerged behind split perfectly into two from head to waist, causing his friends to notice the disturbance.

Delicately tilting her head to the side to evade the incoming Ice Lance, the panthergirl spun around and made a wide slash. The move confused her enemies greatly as seemingly nothing happened, at least until heads of three people went flying as if sliced off by the sheer force of the masked trespasser’s will. She snorted internally as she stepped behind one of the falling bodies but didn’t come out on the other side, spooking the casters.

The fact that she utilized the power of darkness didn’t mean that the spiritually-sharpened arcs of force she launched as projectiles had to be coated with the same black mist. As her mother had recently taught her, the most efficient strike was the one her enemy wouldn’t be able to spot coming at them. Thus, invisible crescents of thin mana.

Having no idea how to combat their assassin, especially since light spells didn’t seem to work, only resulting in the radiance being absorbed in a flash, the cultists began throwing their magic around in hopes of hitting the shrouded female. Miria simply made use of their frantic behavior and cut them down one by one, fluidly hopping from one person to another and snuffing out the candle flames of their existence.

In just a few minutes, the light of life had diminished to one single flicker. It faced Oria, who walked towards it with a leisurely step and a deadly sway, sauntering ahead like a predator savoring the last moments before it would consume its prey. Her vest bore marks of damage from a few elemental spells and her suit was cut open in a bunch of spots, but she was just as fine as at the very beginning. That didn’t give the last man standing good prospects for survival.

So, he did the best he could.

He detonated a smokescreen trinket and ran.

Looking over his shoulder at the massive explosion of white dust, he didn’t notice the emerging shadow in front of him and slammed right into the obstacle with his face. Falling onto his butt, he gaped at the misty personification of darkness towering over him. Tendrils of black mist wrapped themselves tightly all around him and lifted him up, the tip of his captor’s blade pressing into his stomach.

“Where are the kids?” Miria growled out.

“I will never betray the master! You can kill me all you wa—hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” The man wriggled as if repeatedly struck by lightning when the sharp metal traveled south, quickly reaching the bottom of his pelvis. “Wait, wait, wait! The south-eastern chambers! The ones behind the torture section! Heavy metal doors with no windows or keyhole! Only the hideout’s manager knows the passwo—”

His words cut off alongside his neck, his head rolling off his shoulders and onto the ground.

Miria blinked owlishly at the headless corpse, spotting Oria on the other side.

“Mom!” She whined, dropping the shadows upholding the man. “I didn’t even get to test the thing you showed me!”

Her mother shrugged. “It works best on females anyway. Besides, that manager must be somewhere in that pile over there. Tough chance this grunt would know the mentioned password then.”

The younger panther grumbled under her nose and sheathed her blades, adjusting the amount of power she drew from her beloved master. Her fur returned to its original form and the tunnel seemed to brighten a little bit, no longer swallowed by depressing shades.

“Why didn’t we just use Umbra’s help in the first place?” Miria asked while turning towards the bloodied remains of their opponents. “Things would have ended instantly and we would already be back with the sister.”

“Because this is a great opportunity for you to practice more,” Oria answered, coming closer to brush her daughter’s arm. “You might be an extremely mighty girl but you still lack experience and any good opportunity to test yourself should be taken seriously.”

“Practice ended the moment slitting the throat of one of these bastards somehow caused a weird chain reaction of everyone else running straight for our position.” The furred girl huffed, crossing her arms. “That didn’t happen the last time we infiltrated one of the hideouts. At least until we were discovered.”

“They obviously upped their game since the big assault on their main base. It would be surprising if they took no action other than hiding away.” Her mom sighed softly. “And you can’t deny that unexpected situations like these are helpful in the long run. Never forget how weak you were. One day you might once more be reduced to that state, temporarily or not, and being unable to recall how you fought back then means certain death.”

Miria exhaled slowly too, offering her mother a small nod. “I know. We’ve seen magical traps like that already. I promise you, Mom, I’ll never forget anything you taught me, no matter how strong I can get with Master’s power.”

Oria grinned at her under her mask, knowing her dear daughter would sense it. “Good. But, feel free to show off your incredible abilities like just now whenever you want. I love seeing you dominate the fight so one-sidedly. It’s almost enough to make me consider regretting not passing the torch to you after I retired.”

Only thanks to her thick fur did Miria’s cheeks not show how red they were from the praise. But, her happily swishing tail easily betrayed its owner’s elation.

“Let’s find our target.” Miria turned around, starting to walk off. “I’ll scout ahead so keep close, Mom.”

As her figure lost its integrity and dispersed like smoke in the wind, the other woman continued to smile proudly. If she was perfectly honest, it was much harder to control her reactions than to fight anyone they had come against so far. Being aware that her amazing daughter easily overshadowed her sensory capabilities made Oria both delighted and terrified. With just one small slip up, Miria could notice how happy her mother was by her still willing to spend time together and even further learn about combat and other aspects.

The duo moved on, retracing their steps slowly and carefully. Miria stayed ahead to search for any potential enemies who might have missed the abrupt stampede. They didn’t run into any more cultists about halfway to their new destination, but neither of the ladies relaxed yet. Only after finding the section described by the interrogated man did they slow down. Then, just to be sure, the bubbly panthergirl asked Umbra to give it a look before they walked into the next room.

Confirming that the only presences were grouped up in the chamber ahead, Miria filled herself with Ast’s fiery energy this time and superheated her artifact shortswords. She could transfer herself inside, but Oria advised her against it. They didn’t know how the kids would react to a power so similar to their abusive overlord. A more classic and flashy rescue was the smarter choice.

Therefore, Miria stabbed her blades into the metal and unhurriedly led them around the edges, soon cutting out a new entrance. Giving the separated portion a light kick, she opened the door. What greeted her was not rustic but still fairly humane quarters that she expected to see. Instead, the pair found a large cell barely passing as space for resting. At the very least it was relatively clean.

Stepping past the doorstep and letting her weapons illuminate the relatively small chamber, she roamed her gaze over the dozen or so eyes of purplish shades blinking at her in confusion and uncertainty. She counted six very young noctis of either gender, wearing basic sets of clothes.

“Do any of you here go by Tiana?” she asked with a gentle tone. “Tatiana?”

The barest flinch from one of the girls didn’t escape her attention, but she didn’t show any signs of registering it.

“Even if she isn’t here, you can come with us. My mom and I got rid of the bad people. You are now safe to leave. If you don’t know what to do, the person who sent us to rescue Tatiana doesn’t mind sheltering you for as long as you need or want,” Miria added.

Oria moved to her side. “Were your parents part of this hideout?”

The younger panthergirl winced, only just realizing how badly she had started this. She should have considered that possibility before introducing them as those who killed everyone in the facility.

Her internal musings were interrupted by the person who had twitched standing up. The young female in her very early teens shuffled forward a bit, part of her face obstructed by her long straight hair, clearly unattended for quite a while.

“Is what you said really true?” She held her hands together in front of her. “Did Linu really find someone who can save us?”

Little by little, Miria lowered her weapons and slid the blades partially into the floor to free her hands and appear less threatening. She took a few tentative steps towards the girl while taking off her mask, showing the cutest little grin she could muster, which wasn’t that hard for her.

In the end, Master always told her how adorable she was when she smiled.

Seeing her lovable feline features caused the children to answer with a bit more interest and curiosity. This had to be their first time seeing an actual Beastkin. Especially one in full transformation.

“Of course.” Miria nodded, lowering herself to one knee. “Every pretty bird deserves to sing its song to the world outside its tiny cage, don’t you think?”

Quoting the line the two of them had been given by the older sister caused the younger one’s lip to tremble. She then bit into it and charged forward in a blink. Miria’s muscles tensed and she could feel her mother do the same. As sad as it made them, they didn’t dare drop their guards in the middle of enemy territory. They had no idea how much brainwashing the kids could have gone through, including even Tatiana.

Fortunately, the little girl didn’t do anything other than slam into Miria’s chest and sniffle quietly as the pair embraced each other. One by one, the other children helped their weaker friends get up and they stumbled closer as a group. Oria’s heart throbbed painfully as she looked at so many mistreated young ones. They didn’t seem abused, but the conditions could definitely be considered abusive.

They spent a few minutes reassuring the kids about their intentions and what would happen if everyone agreed to follow them. Tatiana didn’t need any more convincing. She stayed in Miria’s arms, whispering from time to time when she would be able to see her sister. After a brief and gentle interrogation, it turned out that the parents of this group were long gone. It was a drop of relief in the sea of grief.

It took a moment to explain the method of escape, namely the shadow transfer, but Tatiana displayed her courage by volunteering to go first. Umbra took the girl to the prepared room in the castle, let her take a glance around, and brought her back to prove that she wasn’t sacrificed to the evil god behind the cult. Seeing how much the teen wanted to go back caused a domino effect, and the panther ladies had their hands full of candidates to take the next turn.

So, Umbra just took everyone at once, first checking if they would be able to bear the travel through the eerie space. Either because of their race or how they had grown up, none of the children had any issues with that. The entire group, including Miria and Oria, resurfaced in a spacious chamber that had several amenities already prepared, including easy to digest food, something simple to drink, and numerous bundles of clothes of various sizes. The room had its own bathroom so the kids could wash up properly before changing their attire.

While Oria started taking care of the newcomers, Miria used the moment of distraction to bring Tiana outside. She led the girl to the neighboring room, passing by a few maids who smiled amiably at them, curtsying with their skirts to appear more approachable.

But, as soon as the door to the room opened, all thoughts about those women flew right out of Tatiana’s head. She stood still as stone at first, just like the taller and older noctis woman who had been pacing back and forth by the opposite wall. A second later, they rushed to meet in the middle at the same time, hugging each other dearly.

Miria rubbed her eye to get rid of a small tear from her fur and closed the door, leaving the reunited sisters alone for now. Turning around, she gazed into her master’s fierce eyes as he smiled at her proudly. Stepping forward, she nuzzled her face into his neck.

“Good job.” Asterios lovingly brushed through her hair. “Umbra will clean up the hideout. You can rest now. We’ll need to keep an eye on the other kids, but I’m hoping they are all free of the cult’s influence.”

She purred loudly, enjoying his fingers around her ears. “Thank you, Master. I would like to stay, though. Mom and I were the first ones to meet them. They should be a bit more trusting towards us.”

“Got it.” He moved his palm to her furry cheek and brought her face up to his. “Take your time, and if you feel like that would help, feel free to stay the night with them. We’ll leave introductions for tomorrow.”

Lifting her chin up, Asterios pressed his lips to her cute feline muzzle. Miria’s eyes widened and she awkwardly jerked back, but he pursued her decisively, forcing her to relent. They exchanged affectionate kisses and nuzzles for a while, accompanied by the pleasant purrs that filled the air.

Finally drawing back, Miria shyly gazed aside. “I forgot to change back…”

Asterios chuckled warmly, giving her adorable nose one more peck. “No matter the form, you are still my beautiful mate. Fur or skin, I love all of you. Now go before I lose to the urge to snuggle my face into your fluffy belly and the two of us won’t get anything else done today.”

She let out a quiet giggle and brushed her cheek against his one last time, hopping back to the room with the children. He signaled to the nearby maids and let them know to start entering soon, at first into the chamber the sisters were in, since they would be the most accepting of their assistance.

In the next few hours, Asterios consulted his mates, families, companions, and friends on the matter of the noctis kids. They decided that they unfortunately had to keep them hidden for now at least. The castle servants were more than happy to receive some more duties assigned personally by their lord so that their guests were well-cared for and didn’t bore while locked inside this big fortress. Kindra and Luna offered to figure out their education, saying that just resting and playing around wouldn’t be healthy in the long term. They were going to start with interesting stuff like Glimmervale’s history and other aspects of the place the children had ended up in.

Wrapping up the consulting session, Asterios headed to the kitchens to grab something to drink when he ran into their friendly bard Viona. The charming lady waited for him in one of the hallways, so he approached her kindly.

“Hello. Anything I can help you with?” he asked curiously.

“Rather than that, I would like to help you, My Lord.” The spiritually-gifted minstrel curtsied. “I heard about the children. If you allow me, I would like to entertain them now and then. I’ve interacted with lots of kids on my artistic journeys and know how to gain their favor with songs, stories, and fun chats. But, other than that, I also know how it feels to be shunned because of what you are, so I believe we should be able to grow closer quicker than they would with any of your staff or mates. What do you think, My Lord?”

Asterios took her soft hand into his and placed another on top of it. “I would owe you a big time, Viona. I’m sure you have lots of work with your masterpieces so I appreciate your goodwill even more. Just make sure to speak to my mom as she is undoubtedly going to be a key figure in this small operation.”

“My Lord, if you think I can’t spin babysitting a group of rescued orphans into a magnificent tale of your benevolence and righteousness then you are greatly underestimating me.” She flashed him a sly smile. “And, don’t worry, this little endeavour won’t impact my usual performance. The hymn for Remembrance Day is almost done. I just need to polish it a bit.”

“Already?” His brows rose in shock. “We’ve literally just come up with an idea for it like a few hours ago.”

Viona chuckled musically. “What can I say? I was greatly inspired by what I heard. I’m extremely excited to play my part in this event and to spread the news about it far and wide afterwards.”

“Let me hear it before it goes public, alright?” Asterios squinted at her, and she made a polite bow in response. “I’ll let the staff know that you’ll be staying around. Pick any room you like that isn’t taken. And thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, My Lord.” She curtsied again. “I hope you and your ladies have a good night.”

As she sauntered away, he shook his head at how she had said that. Given the permission, the eager bard would undoubtedly write some spicier pieces on her lord and his ladies. A good raunchy song would go a great way in some inns and pubs. People craved saucy details that those in power tried to keep private.

Hopefully, his bedchamber adventures would remain just that for a little longer.

Taking his mind off such silly notions, Asterios explored his connection with his mates to check how Silvia was doing. From what he gathered, she was alone somewhere in her family’s castle, reading something in peace. Since it was quickly getting late, he decided to open a gate to her and pay his favorite princess a visit.

Unsurprisingly, the fiery-haired lady sensed his intentions and welcomed him with an enchanting smile, leaning over a stack of documents while sitting in one of the royal libraries. He walked up to her, leaned down to press a chaste kiss to her exquisite cheek, and glanced at the papers.

“What keeps you up so late, my fair lady?” The corner of his lips curled up teasingly.

Silvia released an exaggerated sigh. “The mess my father and husband have just created, my kind sir. Someone has to make sure their extravagant ideas have arms and legs before they are brought into the world.”

“Men. They would get nothing done without the fine touch of the women that support them from behind.” He snorted ostentatiously, evoking a faint chuckle from his companion. “I don’t envy you such a family, Your Highness.”

Silvia had to hold onto her bottom lip with her teeth so as not to laugh out loud. She glanced up at Asterios and scooted a bit to the side in her comfortable chair.

“I do what I can, My Lord. Would you perchance be willing to give me a hand with my troubles? You seem like a man a woman can truly depend on.” The princess peered into his eyes deeply, her gaze conveying honesty alongside the playfulness.

Asterios cleared his throat and preened under the praise, trying to channel his inner pretentious noble. “You honor me, Your Highness. I shall gladly offer you my services. Allow me.”

Instead of squeezing next to her, he put one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting the busy princess up. A quiet gasp escaped her as she held onto his neck. Asterios then sat down in her place and lowered Silvia into his lap.

She quickly found a comfortable position by wriggling her waist atop him and leaned back, resting her back against his chest. He pressed a kiss into her hair from above as she picked up her pencil with a sweet smile, her cheeks splashed with a trace of rosiness. Cozy silence filled the air as they basked in each other’s presence with Asterios happily watching Silvia review her notes.