Chapter 511 – Legions to Come

“You ladies are too much sometimes…” Asterios shook his head with a fond smile.

Both fox-eared women turned to him. The older one smirked knowingly.

“Can’t help it. Our senses are even sharper than those of the typical beastfolk.” Lerisee tapped her nose. “Both a blessing and a curse of high spiritual affinity.”

“Still, those senses could be put to a much better use than teasing each other.” He met her eyes.

“Oh?” She raised an intrigued brow at him. “And what would that be?”

“It just so happens that we have started thinking about expanding our forces as the dimensional gates go up,” Asterios said, letting his gaze roam over the marble city around them. “It would make it easier for the residents to accept the unfamiliar newcomers if a few individuals took positions in trusted departments. Or for the visitors seeing some familiar faces amongst the peacekeepers and patrol squads.”

The vixens exchanged a glance, and he spotted an excited glimmer in the Matriarch’s eyes.

“The time has come.” Lerisse grinned.

“Indeed.” Selene matched her expression.

When they turned to him together, a shiver ran down Ast’s spine.

He had a really bad feeling about this.

The next moment, he was ushered towards the main temple on the highest peak, guided by the tribe’s current leader and tailed by its most powerful member. It was obvious they kept him between them so that he wouldn’t run off anywhere. He was effectively trapped between the cunning females.

They strolled through the main area, greeting a few servants and acolytes, before arriving in the restricted part of the impressive structure. Not a single soul bumped into them as they navigated through empty corridors, reaching an oval platform in the far corner of this vacant area. That platform turned out to be an elevator running on mana, which brought them down into the depths of the mountain with a quiet hum.

Questions were starting to pile up in Ast’s mind, but he remained silent, knowing that everything would soon be explained. Either through words or actions. That part wasn’t so certain.

When the descent stopped, Lerisse snuck one more foxy peek at him and pushed ornamental double doors open. A gust of wind coming from the inside forced Asterios to cover his eyes briefly, which widened to the brim as they stepped onto something akin to a spacious balcony.

The ledge hung high in the middle of a massive rectangular cave, clearly made by the Foxkin. Its sheer size beat that of Glimmervale’s main plaza, and its height definitely towered over Ast’s personal castle. The figures visible at the bottom of the artificial chasm were no bigger than his thumb, perfectly conveying the sense of scale. Singles and groups went through complex techniques inside their arbitrary training spots, moving like one entity.

“What is… this?” Asterios stared at the fox army with a dumbstruck expression.

“The forces you were talking about.” Lerisse turned so that her sides faced him and the stone field, respectively. “You didn’t think it was only Ronye who made progress in her cultivation thanks to your assistance, did you?”

He gaped at her incredulously, regular and harmonious shouts echoing through the secret facility.

“How many?” Asterios blinked between the two ladies.

“Fifty units are ready, with a hundred more well on the way,” Selene replied with a proud tone, her palms clasped over her waist.

He chanced another glance at the practicing Spiritual Foxes below them. “Very… impressive.”

“I’d hoped you would be pleased.” The Matriarch mirrored her stance, a satisfied curl adorning her soft lips. “We take great pride in our training programs. This group was created thanks to your invaluable support, in the end.”

“What do you mean?” Asterios frowned slightly.

“The vault.” His dazzling mate let out a delicate chuckle. “Kaguya might have been an egotistic hoarder, but Lerisse wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t do everything in her power to share the recovered knowledge with as many of our people as possible. Just like you took Ronye as your disciple, she began teaching worthy males and females how to properly harness their lineage.”

“Not everyone gets a chance to study the ancient texts, but such groundbreaking wisdom needs to be reintroduced slowly and carefully,” Lerisse added. “The manuals of our strongest ancestors, paired with all the foreign mastery you shared with us, are pushing our species into heights previously thought unachievable. Tails are materializing at a pace only found in legends and bedtime stories. We are approaching a new era of Spiritual Foxes.”

“And that era can only thrive under the leadership and guidance of one of the most benevolent True Dragons in the known universe.” Selene stepped closer, grazing his cheek with her smooth fingers. “All the foxes in this facility are ready and willing to follow your every command, Venerable Patron.”

“Attentiooooooooooooooooooon!” The other lady shouted into the hall, boosting her voice with spiritual energy.

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked up. Spotting not only their Matriarch, their Eternal Guardian, but even their Venerable Patron, they all hit their palms with their fists and bowed at the waist.

“The time has come,” Lerisse continued into the silent now cavern. “You have been honing your skills, bodies, and senses with one goal in mind. To serve our community and our benevolent benefactor to the best of your abilities. As of today, that goal becomes attainable. Your help is required. Your loyalty, expected. Are you ready to give back to the one who has been generously showering us in favor without expecting anything in return?”

“Hoooouuuuuuuuuu! Hoooouuuuuuuuuu! Hoooouuuuuuuuuu!” The group boomed as one, thrusting their fists into the air.

Their spiritual leader returned her gaze to Asterios. “And there you have it. What is your command, Great Patron?”

He understood he had been ultimately backed into a corner by the cunning vixens. It was impossible to refuse to say anything in front of the situation the two of them had so slyly crafted. Directing a faint squint at the scheming women, he moved past them and leaned over the edge of the balcony, setting his palms atop the guardrail. Tens of expectant faces pointed right at him from far below, waiting for his next words.

Taking a deep breath, Asterios sighed heavily. “In a few days of time, my community will be in need of faithful guardians to ensure peace all around the domain. In recognition of your devotion and tenacity, I’m going to offer you a limited number of spots for that position. Not all of you will make it, but only because of that limit, not because of you. Still, you will receive an opportunity to make your Matriarch and Guardian proud. What say you?”

“Hoooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!” The crowd boomed even louder than before.

He couldn’t hold back the small smile forcing itself upon his mouth. “Then, continue your duties. You’ll hear from your superiors soon enough. Dismissed!”

A long smack traveled through the artificial chasm as men and women struck their palms with their fists, returning to their previous arrangements right after. Turning around, Asterios found Selene watching him intently with a tinge of rosiness staining her ladylike cheeks.

“You are getting better at this, my Lord.” She nibbled on her bottom lip delicately.

“Hard not to when my mates keep throwing me to the sharks at every damn chance.” He shrugged with an incredulous snort. “I’m starting to think there are more layers to the already layered overarching plans you girls are cooking up behind my back.”

“I don’t think we would be able to hide even more from your acute intuition, my Lord.” The vulpine beauty graced them with a noble chuckle. “One polite request from you and our hearts would be laid bare in front of you.”

They peered each other in the eyes for a long while, broken by the scoff coming from the third person around.

“Right now, it’s not your heart that you would wish to lay bare in front of him.” Lerisse leveled the younger Spiritual Fox with a glare, causing Selene to once more reduce the distance between her thighs. “The two of you need to get out of here, promptly. You are lucky the draft is upwards, or we would be having a completely different conversation with the trainees below.”

Her face blooming, his white-haired lover caught his hand into hers and hastily took them off the balcony to the amused laugh of the Matriarch. They didn’t stop until they were back in the levitating elevator, their fingers still intertwined.

Selene was avoiding looking at him, so Asterios pressed an affectionate peck to her forehead from the side, capturing her attention.

“You aren’t holding back, are you?” he asked with a hint of concern.

A trace of a scowl made it onto her usually dignified face. “No, my Lord, I’m alright. I simply would think that getting as strong as I currently am would give me much better control over my physique. Yet, no matter how far I ascend, it only seems to make it worse. Especially when I’m near you, and you act so… charming.”

“Do you hate it?” Asterios wrapped an arm around her.

“Do you?” Selene searched his eyes from up close.

“Not even when you involve me in your dirty tricks.” He smirked, making her chuckle openly. “You know I love every aspect of you.”

“I guess I’m destined to radiate my attraction to you forever.” She let out a playful sigh.

“Only in front of Lerisse.” Asterios grinned. “I don’t think anyone else knows you well enough to pinpoint that. Save maybe for Miria now.”

“Right. That cheerful troublemaker might be far more capable than my kin sisters after her recent ascension.” Selene rolled her eyes. “Speaking of which, are you going to pay her a visit next? I’m sure your favorite panthergirl would appreciate the company.”

He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t think I can’t see what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, you naughty vixen.”

She batted her lashes at him innocently, then tugged at his hand. “Let’s take a stroll there. We wouldn’t want to arrive too early.”

Giving up, Asterios let himself be taken away by the gorgeous, smiling fox-eared goddess. He had to admit, it was difficult to admonish the plotting girl for her peculiar nature. And sometimes, the consequences of it were rather entertaining to watch.

※ ※ ※

Stepping out of the shimmering portal, Asterios and Selene landed at the side of a cozy beastfolk village. The gate’s guardians greeted them respectfully and noted down their arrival as per their duty. The pair was glad to see that the overseers were doing their job properly, regardless of who showed up. It was an important task. One that might save the day sometime in the future.

With their elbows linked, they headed into the settlement, passing by numerous familiar and unfamiliar faces. Miria’s woodsy community was much smaller than the mountain refugee run by Selene’s people, and thus, nearly everyone knew Asterios personally by now. Including the quite fresh architectural and exploration developments brought forth by the one and only, his name was on the lips of even the passing through wanderers.

And one such development stood in front of the pair just now.

Copying the outward style of the local hunting lodge, the newly raised Adventurer’s Guild building was just as awe-inspiring. The theme fit the area perfectly. This arrangement matched its surroundings so nicely that Asterios fell deep in thought, which wasn’t missed by his enchanting companion.

“That stunning?” Selene teased him joyfully.

“Just rethinking some of our previous ideas,” he replied. “Making the guild buildings share the draconic style and colors might actually not be as great as having them seamlessly fall in line with the local tone. Perhaps we could do it like this with all the future branches in my realm too.”

“It would certainly create a unique arrangement that could be associated with your institution.” She hummed ponderingly. “You would need to make sure people can recognize it for what it is, though, as you have explained that the reason almost all guild branches look the same is for the adventurers to easily identify where they need to go.”

“That uniqueness might be enough of a difference from the usual to work on its own.” Asterios stroked his jaw. “But, we’ll throw this into the bin of random designs to consider at a later date. Shall we enter?”

They slipped past the tiny rocking doors hanging at chest-height and arrived inside the warm saloon. Walls, tables, and benches were decorated with tons of furs, and all the furniture had been carved into animal and beast themes. A real hunting lodge for adventurers. Even the staff uniforms went along with the composition, using wild materials for a fairly established style of receptionist clothing.

The guild wasn’t exactly bustling with activity, but a fair number of people milled about, bearing shoulder badges of D-ranks and below. Humans, elves, demons, a mix of races obviously originating from Kraedorion. The parties were talking with beastfolk attendants, usually in the form of cute girls sporting adorable ears and tails.

However, as sweet as those features were, Asterios knew just how misleading such signs could be. Each female behind the counter would probably have no issue throwing an adventurer below D-rank onto the floor with one fluid movement.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. Those already here had been carefully selected for the first wave. They knew that any fuckup might potentially ruin it for everyone else. And they wouldn’t survive the backlash from their extremely eager colleagues back at home.

Not wishing to disrupt the operations, Asterios and Selene hastily navigated into the backrooms, appearing in front of the guildmaster’s office shortly. With a knock and an invite, they came in, having only a second to react before a black-haired bundle of happiness flung itself at them with a wide smile.

“Master! Selene!” Miria wrapped them both in a strong hug.

“Let the poor things breathe, Miria.” Oria snickered from behind her, sitting at her imposing desk.

Giggling bashfully, the enthusiastic panthergirl backed off, receiving affectionate scratches from her beloved master and purring openly.

“Guildmaster Oria. Zoe.” He nodded politely at the older Pantherkin and the Wolfkin standing by her side while holding a stack of documents. “How are things going?”

“You are doing this on purpose.” Oria displayed a tiny pout. “Regardless, there’s barely anything I could complain about. I was honestly a bit afraid of this, but it’s more familiar than I expected. It’s almost like I’m leading my group again, just with a splash more of paperwork. And maybe less murder.”

“The adventurers?” Selene raised a curious brow.

“Behaving so far.” Miria’s mom waved her off. “Granted, we haven’t posted any sophisticated quests yet, so that might change. However, as of today, the people who came through the gate are of great help.”

“What are they helping with exactly, if I might ask?” Asterios inquired.

“All sorts of things. Don’t worry, they won’t put our hunters out of their jobs. The tasks range from simple scouting and exploration, through investigation of suspicious traces, to bounty hunts after more dangerous monsters,” she answered. “Naturally, there are also minor things to solve around the village that the lower ranks can take care of. At the same time, there are the hardest missions which require the adventurers to travel long and far in search of any undiscovered dungeons.”

“And you trust them not to cause trouble away from the settlement?” he wondered out loud.

“For now, they are always accompanied by one of ours. In the future, we plan to supervise them remotely with a technique that’s nearing the end of its development.” Oria glanced at her assistant. “Would you mind, my dear?”

Zoe placed the documents on the desk and started rolling up her sleeve. Bringing the cuff up to her elbow, she rotated her arm so that the inner side was visible. Closing her eyes briefly, she focused deeply, and some kind of a sigil became visible below her wrist.

Ast’s brows furrowed as he stared at the glowing crimson symbol. It pictured a crystalized heart with the letter D inside, written with a fairly ominous font. The whole thing was surrounded by clearly draconic wings that sprouted from the bottom end of the heart and extended upwards while bent around its sides, the tips meeting above it. Overall, it resembled a serrated spearhead.

“With the assistance of your elf smiths, and a kind hand from the dark goddess, we came up with a spiritual network in resemblance to the bond you share with your familiars as a Summoner. This mark works both as a tracker and an emergency communication spell, which should transcend dimensions. There’s a control room hidden beneath this place that will be manned by reliable operators who shall keep an eye out for the bearers,” the beastfolk guildmaster explained.

“Awesome, isn’t it, Master?” Miria was all giddy next to him, bouncing in place.

“These means of surveillance were initially brought forth for the residents of our realm who are interested in becoming adventurers and wandering into your world. Our people are something new there, their existence still a mystery. That’s why we are planning to have them identify themselves with this mark, which will be associated with this guild. Possibly all the guilds you open in the realms, including Kraedorion, but I’m still talking about this with Suanori,” her mother continued. “This much should hopefully reduce the number of incidents caused by fear and confusion to a minimum while allowing us to deploy a mediation team when necessary. You aren’t too angry we made this decision on our own, are you?”

Asterios stared at her in awe for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. “I’m getting fairly used to being the last one to learn about initiatives like these.”

His mates snickered quietly next to him.

“I’m more impressed than anything,” he added. “And I’m all for you introducing this system into the guild network. Some adventurers might be turned away by such a concept, but we can afford to lose a few old-fashioned groups. Our guild, our rules. As far as I know, no one else offers interdimensional adventures yet, so we should be allowed to make some unusual policies.”

Oria let out the breath she had been holding in. “A relief. Miria assured me you would be up for it, but after hiding the truth behind the others’ backs for years, I tend to assume the worst.”

“I already said I’ve forgiven you, Mom!” The panthergirl in question crossed her arms over her chest. “And see? Master loves it! Suanori told you too! It’s rare for Abyss to chip in, so you should be proud of convincing her to cooperate!”

“That’s right. Thanks to your resourcefulness, our people will be able to become adventurers much earlier than we first thought. When Lerisse learns about this, you are guaranteed to receive tens of applications in a blink. The portal won’t have a moment to rest.” Selene nodded along.

“Just one thing,” Asterios inserted himself back into the conversation. “That mark looks familiar, doesn’t it?”

Oria grinned at him. “It is a reimagined version of your Brand if that’s what you are asking, yes. That was my daughter’s idea.”

Miria shied away with her gaze, rubbing her fingers together. He kissed her rounded ear fondly.

“And the letter?” Asterios asked.

“It’s… Dragoneers…” His beloved feline mate took a peek at him. “You know, Dragons and Pioneers… It’s not stupid, is it?”

He laughed openly and pulled her into a hug. “It’s super clever. I like how it sounds. Even with so many draconic titles already coined in, you still find ways to come up with something equally incredible.”

“Ehehe~ Thank you, Master.” She nuzzled into him happily.

Just then, the door to the office burst open, and one extremely fatigued foxgirl barged in.

“Zoe! Listen! We need to prepa—” The intruder yelped after spotting Ast’s group and jumped back in disbelief. “How are you already here?!”

“The gate, Ronye. That’s the whole purpose of it.” Selene looked at her impassively, not reminding her about the fact that Asterios could transfer them between the locations just as easily.

The already red from physical exertion Foxkin turned even more scarlet from embarrassment.

“What news had you rushing all the way here, Ronye?” Zoe finally joined in for the first time since the beginning, looking at her friend worriedly.

“Most likely that the archway in Heven is nearing its completion, meaning the three of you will be able to meet up and register your party in just a bit,” Asterios answered her question instead of the heavily breathing young lady.

The Wolfkin’s eyes turned into needles as her tail began swishing behind her thighs. “Truly?”

“My Lord wouldn’t joke about such things.” Selene offered her a cordial smile. “You can start discussing this as my hasty junior intended to.”

Zoe’s face snapped to her superior, and Oria chuckled. “Go. I’ll handle the rest of these.”

Miria’s best friend bowed quickly and jogged towards Ronye.

“Girls?” Asterios stopped them before they ran out of the room, both beastfolk pausing in the doorway to look at him. “After you group up and before you register, make sure to visit the Sver’tuil smithy. It wouldn’t be right if only Zoe was properly equipped for your new vocation, would it?”

Their eyes widened to the brim, and they thanked him profusely before sprinting away to chat in private.

Selene’s laugh echoed through the chamber. “I don’t remember seeing her this lively ever. You certainly know how to pamper them, my Lord.”

“It’s the least I can do to make sure they are safe out there.” He flicked the sly woman on the forehead. “Their party composition isn’t bad, but it’s not perfect either.”

Oria shuffled some pages and brought three of them in front of her eyes.

“One Wolfkin specializing in close combat with a polearm, mostly relying on Physical Strengthening. One Spiritual Fox specializing in mid-to-close combat with the manipulation of mana and enhanced martial arts. One Valkyrie without a specific specialization who supports them from behind with ancient spells and artifacts.” She tapped the desk with her claw. “You are right. They are missing a vanguard at the very least, assuming Atra can take care of recovery. But, I think I know a fitting candidate.”

“Who?” Miria tilted her head cutely.

“Ulgier, the son of my friends who lived with the mole people that you met some time ago.” Her mother smiled. “I was going to reach out to them about this soon, and I bet Grigorji and Narmaya passed on everything they knew to their son. He should be a good frontliner, even without any prior experience.”

Before the panthergirl could praise her for the genius suggestion, Asterios groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“He’s also a guy…” He sighed heavily.

“So?” Oria blinked at him without understanding.

“You want to put a young beastfolk bearing the bloodline of a powerful bear amidst a group of three gorgeous females who are clearly smitten with me.” Asterios gazed back at her seriously. “How long do you think his male pride and confidence will last when they compare every single thing he does with how I would do it so much better?”

“Oh,” was all she could utter.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Intentional or not, no normal guy won’t at some point go mental when all he keeps hearing from his companions is boasting about another dude. As much as I would love for him to join them, I simply can’t do it to your friend’s son.”

Silence fell upon them as everyone processed Ast’s words.

“Well, I’m sure they will be fine on their own.” Selene shrugged. “And Ulgier can still find a party in the village if he’s interested.”

“And it all depends on the girls, ultimately.” Miria scrunched her nose adorably. “I have a feeling they prefer to go as a trio too. At least speaking for Zoe and Ronye. Don’t know about Atra.”

“We can ask as we bring her the same news we brought to the other two,” Asterios announced. “I’m curious about how far the gate’s construction has gotten anyway.”

“You go and do that, my Lord, while the two of us give Guildmaster Oria a hand.” His vulpine lover embraced his arm seductively. “It’s only right after we distracted her secretary.”

Her feline sister-mate agreed in a flash, and he was soon kicked out of the office. Chuckling to himself, he messaged Bryn and stepped through the crimson gate that appeared beside him.

It had been a while since he inspected the Descending Spire on his own.