“This should be far enough,” Selene said, lightly tugging her arm, still in the clutches of the much shorter girl. “They can’t see you anymore, Tina.”
Miria giggled as their blue-haired sister-mate groaned and finally let go of their wrists. Cheeks still rosy, the embarrassed Summoner cast a glance to the side, not finding a hint of Asterios and the other half of their party. Meeting the eyes of the pair she had dragged with her, she flushed again as they smiled cheekily.
“Not a word,” she warned, pointing a finger at them.
The panthergirl mimed sealing her mouth shut and stood there trying not to break the seal with the joyful grin that kept twitching at the corners of her lips. It made Tina even more self-conscious and she hid her face in her hands.
“Get yourself together, girl.” The fox lady swept her fingers through her long hair, capturing Tina’s attention. “Males need compliments too, even more than we do since they receive them much less often. You just said what we all think anyway. I’m sure he felt warmth in his heart rather than jolly at your unexpected words.”
“She is right. Master always compliments our looks. Why can’t we do it too without being shy about it?” Miria snickered.
“Bold coming from someone like you.” Tina scoffed playfully.
“What is that supposed to mean?!” The feline girl scowled in response.
“You know exactly what. You can’t speak your thoughts properly without being in heat either,” the other lady answered. “When was the last time you didn’t hide your face in his neck whenever you said something relatively enthusiastic about Ast, huh?”
It was Miria’s turn to flush a tad.
“Can’t disagree.” The fox-eared woman nodded with a seemingly pitiful expression. “You are only honest when you are in bed with him.”
“Selene!” The panthergirl’s eyes widened to the brim and she started smacking her best friend on the shoulder with her fists.
Tina laughed openly and soon the beastfolk pair joined her. They calmed down after a minute or two and exchanged smiling glances. As much as they bickered amongst themselves, it always felt nice to share a moment with like-minded people you cared for. With Asterios being a central piece that connected them, they shared the most important interest that mattered, the feelings they all had for him. In front of those, most squabbles appeared insignificant.
“Alright. We have a job to do.” Tina took a deep breath and scanned their surroundings. “They shouldn’t have any issues noticing our battle from back there.”
“Shall we warm up a little first?” Selene raised a brow at her. “Wouldn’t want any of us to pull a muscle after you so confidently promised Asterios to be careful.”
The other girl sighed at the continuous teasing. “Yes, we should. But you are working very hard on making me go back on my word in regards to your person.”
Miria gasped in mock disbelief, then smiled wolfishly. “Wanna team up against her while we get ourselves ready for the main show?”
“With pleasure.” Tina smirked dangerously and the duo glared at their cunning colleague.
The foxy goddess chuckled awkwardly. “I’m in danger.”
And that was the only thing she managed to get out before two sets of blades whizzed for her neck. Ducking under both the dual shortswords and the scythe, she hopped backward, materializing her translucent cyan spiritual armor that covered her shins, waist, torso, arms, and shoulders. Bringing out her great katana, she completed the unique look fairly characteristic of her tribe. A true warrior princess of her culture.
The other two were already fully ready to duke it out too. Miria embraced her full bloodline and zipped around in her Werepanther form, her already adorable face gaining even cuter but just as fierce feline features. Tina’s skin had been mostly swallowed by a mix of azure and silver scales, with vertical pupils and a tail to join them.
However, the Summoner lady didn’t use Esil’s wings this time. No, rather than that, it looked like her contract with Rusilthea further stirred the draconic energies she had been absorbing and siphoning from Asterios. Behind her back appeared a pair of wings that would not look out of place on an actual True Dragon like the person they adored so much. The skeleton was dark blue while the membranes between it took a bright gray shade.
She was definitely going to uphold at least one of her promises. The one about utilizing more of the Lesser Dragon might she now possessed in her repertoire.
Too bad Rusi wasn’t there with them to witness it.
Yet, Selene didn’t exactly have time to ponder over such things. Not without two of her sister-mates throwing themselves at her with almost manic smiles. Perhaps teasing two of the most timid females in her beloved Lord’s harem wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but Ancestors be damned if it wasn’t entertaining enough to risk it all. Their reactions were just priceless.
Deflecting a vicious water scythe to the side and letting it shred the ground next to her with unimaginable ease, she kicked Tina away, holding her strength back only partially. The shorter girl grunted in dissatisfaction as she was thrown back, but her durable scales absorbed even the force of the blow. With another assailant appearing in the corner of her vision, Selene spun around and cut right through Miria’s furry midsection, splitting the panthergirl into two halves.
Only for both of them to dissipate into dark mist, reminding the Spiritual Fox about her friend’s newly gained abilities.
A fist emerged from Selene’s own shadow and she barely flinched out of the way, the powerful knuckles missing her chin by a hair’s breadth and creating a stinging vertical line over her cheek. She instinctively crossed her blade in the front and that saved her from the real blades, which released loud metallic noise as they struck the katana. Letting herself be blown away, the fox lady hastily raised a protective dome above her head a split-second before lighting struck it and rattled her bones.
Looking over her shoulder, she found Tina with Hydran shaped into an impressive bow in her hands, directed into the glowing sky. The small woman had a literal lightning bolt nocked on the bowstring, crackling and sparking as it fought to be released from its captivity. Surprisingly, Tina didn’t launch it straight at her but into the air, where the projectile arced as if it had actual mass and peaked above the spiritual shield. It then winked out of existence and another lightning strike hit the dome, a thunderous roar rolling into the distance.
“I swear if I hear Miria or Tina whine about being left behind in terms of raw power one more time in the future I’m going to spank their sorry arses right in front of my Lord’s face!” Selene snickered to herself. “Oh, I can already imagine lining them up on my lap as their charming little pert behinds stick out towards him in all their gorgeously nude glory. That’s when they will learn what true embarrassment means.”
“You wouldn’t!” Miria shouted with an equally offended and frightened tone as her mana-sharpened blades pierced into the barrier and sliced to the sides.
That cracked the surface enough for Tina’s arc of wind that she launched with her weapon back in scythe form right when the panthergirl had made her move to cut the entire thing in half, forcing their joint opponent to evade it by dropping into a temporary bridge.
Standing back up with an amused smirk, she faced the two slightly blushing girls boldly.
“You are right. I wouldn’t.” Selene quirked a knowing brow at them. “All it would achieve is make you two even wetter for him.”
Now the duo was positively boiling with how red their faces became and she had to whip out multiple spiritual swords to block the combined attack that came with them straight up charging at her with pure fury. As their weapons locked with a loud clang and their faces were brought close just inches apart, the land behind her was obliterated into rows and arcs of deep gashes rivaling that of some vicious riverbeds.
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Oh, it was so fun getting them worked up over the hidden desires of their hearts.
And other parts of their bodies.
“That’s it! I’m playing your games no longer!” Miria growled as her features twisted threateningly. “You better keep your tails in sight because I’m coming at you with everything I’ve got!”
The panthergirl jumped away and dropped to all fours before even stopping, carving deep marks in the dark stone as she skidded to a halt. She was quickly transforming behind the black mist, and not only as the size of the mystical cloud grew too. In a blink, she stepped out of it in her beast form, rivaling Ast’s true shape, and roared menacingly, her fur slightly smoking with tongues of darkness licking at the air around her.
Admiring her sister-mate briefly, Selene followed suit.
With the help of cyan energy that swirled in circles around her figure, the fox lady turned into an actual fox too, only a tiny bit smaller than the giant cat standing before her with murder in its eyes. The remnants of the spiritual fog formed the same translucent armor over her legs, torso, and each of the tails. Even her head was protected by the styled plates of cyan power.
A tinkling animal laugh was all it took for the panther to shoot forward in a blur and the fox responded in kind. The two magnificent beasts met in the middle and clashed by chomping on each other’s frames, the force of their collision sending shockwaves into their surroundings. It was a battle of two Titans.
“That’s not even remotely fair!” Tina shouted from the sidelines, watching her friends go at it so animatedly. “It’s not like I can turn into anything!”
Another yipping snicker escaped Selene’s muzzle. “Should I count that as whining?”
Miria found a brief moment to snort in the middle of their mighty brawl.
“You know what? Fuck you!” The small girl yelled at them, rolling her fingers into fists at her sides, causing both beast ladies to pause at the abrupt expletive. “I’m done being the nice and proper lady! You want me to be honest with myself? I’ll grant you your wish. Get that ass ready because I will be the one doing the spanking today!”
Lightning sparked all over Tina’s lithe frame, originating from her clenched fists. Her hair began floating up as a victim to all the condensed static being released in a single location. Silver glow filled her entire eye sockets and set them alight. The dark ground around the blue-haired Summoner was illuminated in a considerable radius.
Then, completely defying the laws of this realm, stormy clouds began gathering above their heads. They swam through the sky in a circular motion, creating a massive cyclone as they coalesced right atop the epicenter of everything. Tiny flashes penetrated the heavy blanket as an occasional discharge happened amidst the fierce atmospheric sheet.
Miria and Selene gaped as something else gathered in the eye of the storm. The explosions lighting up the clouds seemed drawn to the middle, turning it brighter and brighter. Until they all stopped out of a sudden.
An enormous lightning strike descended from the sky and struck Tina’s position, swallowing her whole. A blinding flash forced the ladies to cover their eyes right before the loudest thunder they had ever experienced smashed into them like a solid wall thrown into their faces, the quaking stealing their legs from underneath them. They were swatted backward like a pair of flies, digging their claws into the pavement to lock themselves in place against the deafening blast.
Where Tina had stood was now a deep crater the size of a small village. As for the person in question, she was now slowly floating up into the air, the arcs of lightning jumping off her frame becoming bigger, stronger, fiercer, and increasing in number. They zapped the pit and its vicinity with a unique noise that made both beastfolk’s fur stand up at attention. A literal storm wrapped the tiny girl up and began forming… something.
The clouds dropped more lightning strikes as that silvery energy took shape, this time of normal size, not the ground-pulverizing kind. Thunder echoed repeatedly as the lands were illuminated with a myriad of intense flashes. Bit by bit, the lines consolidating around Tina’s body connected with each other and drew a see-through depiction of a mean Lesser Dragon huge enough to swallow either of the transformed ladies whole. It coiled and crackled with the Summoner girl as its heart.
With one last zap, the sky calmed down.
The draconic beast’s roar cleared the clouds up within a blink, the shockwave smashing into the two spectators watching the moment of its birth. Its sharp eyes opened, filling the empty spots with an azure glow, and they fell upon the duo on the ground. Small crackles and zaps slithered over its transparent scales, with Tina’s lightning now connecting her to its frame like a heart connected everything in a body through blood vessels. The glare she directed at her sister-mates mirrored that of her apparition.
“Uhhh… Truce?” Miria chuckled anxiously, taking a peek at her vulpine partner.
“Please.” Selene’s snout twisted with a nervous smile.
The Dragon’s jaws opened as it lowered its head and the duo’s eyes turned into saucers.
“RUN!” They both shouted at each other and sprinted in opposite directions.
Less than a second later, a thin beam of silver cut right through the spot they had been at, continuing into the pyramid city and slicing two of them in some parts. As the fierce ray lifted into the sky, the suspiciously silent line it had left in its wake without doing much damage made the women instinctively shudder and get away even faster rather than slowing down.
And for a good reason as the entire trail then blew up with enormous power, creating a deep trench in the face of the realm, leaving a deadly lightning blanket in its wake. Needless to say, a good fourth of the necropolis was gone, pieces of black and purple bones trying to imitate rain for a good few seconds.
As far as it went for capturing its residents’ attention, there couldn’t be a more effective way.
But, that didn’t mean the beastfolk duo was out of the woods now.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Miria whimpered pleadingly as Tina chased after her and tried to catch the panther with her sharp teeth, carving chunks of stone each time she missed thanks to her target jumping from shadow to shadow. “I’m a victim too! It was Selene! Selene kept making fun of you! Goooooooooooo afteeeeeeeeer heeeeeeeeeeeeeer!”
Multiple spheres of spiritual energy smacked into the Dragon’s serpentine frame and threw it off the path. It abandoned its pursuit of the slippery feline and turned towards the armored vulpine.
“Already throwing your ally under the wagon, Miria?” Selene smirked. “That alliance didn’t last long.”
“Every beastfolk for their own!” the panthergirl replied breathlessly. “Besides, I’m not attacking you, am I?”
The foxy lady had no time to respond with a witty reply as Tina was coming for her ass just as she had promised she would. Launching herself up, she began running through the air to get higher and higher, giving herself more space to evade any incoming attacks. Contrary to Miria, she couldn’t dive into the solid ground, and blinking herself into another spot cost unnecessarily much mana, even if she could draw on her beloved Lord’s reserves almost infinitely.
So could the predator hunting her.
As Selene sprinted, she left sizable spiritual blades in her path, hoping they would slow down her opponent. Tina pretty much ignored them as she charged, the weapons striking her outer form and bouncing off. But, not without any effect. It was clear that the Summoner girl didn’t yet have complete control of this new transformation as bits of her silvery, lightning-covered scales were being chipped off.
It was still not enough to deal any significant damage.
A jet of crimson flames swallowed the Dragon from below as Miria breathed fire from the ground, aiding her sister-mate as much as she could. Tina emerged from the fiery cloud and flicked the tip of her manifested tail at the pesky nuisance. Lightning discharged from it and hit right next to the panther, who yelped in panic. Three more strikes attempted to smite the brave but foolish beast before the fox’s fangs tore the appendage off.
Selene growled in discomfort as the silvery framework zapped her gums until it dissipated, leaving a sharp aftertaste on her tongue and in her mouth. She felt her jaw hang loosely, unable to move those muscles. When Tina mastered this form, her defenses would be incredible.
What the Dragon Summoner didn’t lack was offense.
The white vixen yipped in panic and rolled to the side, throwing herself as far as she could. Tina finished condensing a ball of pure lightning in her jaws and shot it at Selene. The sphere hurled forward at an astonishing speed and rivaled in size the fox lady’s current body. Because of that, it still grazed her side as it passed her, sending vicious tingles through her nervous system and temporarily paralyzing the falling Selene.
It didn’t disappear, though, and met the ground just next to the necropolis. The land shook violently as it burst on contact and the explosion grew ten times in size, evaporating everything in its radius. A perfectly smooth hollow was left behind, its surface sparkling with jumping lightning. Another half of the remaining city was nothing more than a memory.
Miria boosted herself with her shadows and caught the nape of Selene’s neck between her fangs a safe distance from the ground, stopping her ally’s dangerous descent. Like a mother cat moving her little kitten, she placed the big fox down and licked its wound. Drawing on Ast’s spells, she got rid of the paralysis in a blink and healed it up as much as she could in a few seconds.
Selene stood up on shaky legs and brushed her muzzle against Miria with gratitude. They then both looked up at the massive translucent silver Dragon hovering over them fiercely. Its outer structure was slightly battered but it definitely still had a lot of violence to dish out before going back to sleep in its petite vessel until called upon once more in real danger.
“You might need to tone it down a little in the future, Selene, or we might truly die one day.” Miria giggled, gazing upon Tina’s projection with a hint of awe.
“It’s alright. I still have you to tease to my heart’s content.” Selene chuckled softly, causing the panthergirl to groan.
“I’m going to figure out a way to embarrass you in front of Master too, I promise you that.” Miria huffed at her.
“I shall eagerly await that blissful moment. Try to enact your torturous plan while I’m being embraced, would you? I’m sure that would feel heavenly.” Selene yipped dreamily.
A heavy sigh escaped Miria’s lips. There was just no winning with her devious sister-mate.
But, she could worry about that later.
Right now, they had to work together against a common enemy.
Tina wasn’t able to last forever, was she?