[TWS] Chapter 269 – Dormant Instincts (Patreon)

The girls looked at Asterios with admiration while Grea practically vibrated from pure awe and excitement. The demon lady bounced forward and approached the morphed Selene with Asterios still sitting on the back of the impressive, big, white fox.

“You did it! Bloody hell, you did it on the first try!” Grea’s expression shone with pride at what he had achieved. “And what was that surge of energy?! It was so strong and… hot. I think I need new pair of panties.”

Asterios chuckled wryly as she nibbled on her bottom lip and he slid down Selene’s smooth side, giving her a gentle brush while at it. The fox lady was still recovering from their recent joint operation and she only tilted her vulpine snout towards them while panting lightly.

Grea lunged into Ast’s arms without even trying to hold back her excitement. He couldn’t very well deny it to his beloved mate so Asterios accepted the rough, passionate kiss that came his way and gave Grea’s tender behind a good squeeze with both hands, knowing just how much she loved him acting a little possessive with her.

As expected, the crimson-skinned beauty purred into his lips as hers twisted into a lovely smirk. But, as much as Grea would love nothing more than to keep escalating things until she ended up with Ast’s tongue exploring the other pair of her moist lips, she bit on his mouth and withdrew her face.  Shooting him a coy, obedient smile, she remained by his side, with his palm still on her butt.

The others had already arrived closer at that point and smiled at the trio in front of them. Quite a few barely noticeable blushes tinged a bunch of pretty cheeks. Asterios smiled back at them and glanced up at Selene.

“Let’s talk after we go through. Contrary to the usual gates, this one is actually taxing to uphold in its current state. And Selene is currently trying to sneakily take the entire strain onto herself.” He used his other, free hand to graze her furry leg.

Everyone could tell how tough it was just from the visible effort in her body posture. Selene didn’t deny nor confirm it but she turned her head away to avoid their gazes. She really wanted to appear strong and dependable, especially at her current level, but naturally, she wouldn’t drag it out enough to risk making any mistakes.

Before they moved, Miria’s lips drew a cute loop as she realized something. “Will Venuzathor even fit anywhere in Selene’s mansion?”

The girls looked up at the towering entity, exchanged glances between themselves, and then turned to Asterios and Selene.

“I don’t think it opened anywhere in the city,” the fox lady replied through spiritual energy.

“She is right. While we were at it, I also tried to alter the location a little bit to see if I could. I sensed the place Selene had in mind for our sparring and focused on it since it seemed not that far from her home. But, just in case, watch your step. And your wings,” Asterios added.

Then, he walked through the shimmering gate first with Grea still glued to him. Selene entered the dark crimson mist second and the rest of the girls followed after them. Venuzathor slipped through last, giving them enough time to make sure that everything was good for his arrival.

They found themselves in a bright white pit. The ground and the cliffs surrounding them were so bright that everyone had to squint and cover their eyes for a good moment or it felt like they were staring straight at the source of the glow. After about thirty seconds, everyone more or less figured out where they were.

“Is this a surface mine for marble?” Miria looked around the massive quarry with awe. “Oh! Isn’t that your peak up there, Selene?”

Everyone directed their gazes to where the joyful panthergirl was pointing and noticed a mighty mountain of a similar, slightly more creamy shade, rising high into the sky. There was no doubt that the capital of Spiritual Foxes was located at the very top.

“Correct,” Selene confirmed. “This is an old quarry, currently out of service. No one will mind a few chips and chinks here and there. Getting some of the marble crushed and excavated by Master and Venuzathor during their bout will be more like a kind welcome gift for the workers returning to this place somewhere in the future.”

Asterios could tell through their bond that there was something more to her choice of this place but he ignored it for now.

“It does feel like a good arena.” A rumbling clicking echoed through the pit, coming out of Venuzathor’s massive throat. “There aren’t that many trees in the close vicinity too, which is certainly a plus. We can fight comfortably here.”

“That’s the goal.” The fox lady nodded her vulpine head. “Now, hop on, girls. Let’s give them some space.”

No one argued as all the women jogged up to her, throwing good luck at Asterios in passing. They all gathered on Selene’s back and she lunged forward, starting to run through the air after the first initial steps. Asterios and Venuzathor escorted them with their gazes before refocusing on each other.

“I assume you know how to bring forth your true form,” the mighty Dracodon began.

“I had some practice. Miria filled me in on what she knows about the transformation of her kind since it doesn’t look that far off. I still need lots of practice but I can get the Dragon out with a decent time,” Asterios replied.

“Let me give you some tips, then. I might not possess the ability to change forms at this moment, but I am aware of the technicalities.” Venuzathor nodded his sharp head. “Rather than filling your circuits with mana and initiating the change, reach deep into your Dragon’s Heart and open it up completely. Let your true self out of the cage it’s kept inside while you are in your humanoid form. At first, you will feel vulnerable, but with time, you will grow accustomed to doing it without fully exposing your most crucial organ. Or organs since you have two. Try it now.”

Asterios closed his eyes and focused on his mentor’s instructions. He consciously ignored Miria’s way and dove deep into the scorching hot source. But, while at it, he tried to simultaneously do the same with the dark one. He was already somewhat familiar with them so he found the locks relatively quickly. Without further ado, he snapped both open and put a lot of effort into spreading his Hearts as wide as possible.

Power surged out of him like during the usual shifts but with much more might behind it and a small spiritual explosion kicked up the ghastly dust that covered the smooth, white ground. Red and black mist swirled around him in a flash and expanded immediately. Within just a few short seconds, Asterios stood in front of Venuzathor in his full draconic form. While he wasn’t that much smaller than the Dracodon in terms of height, the sheer mass and length of the ferocious entity were incomparable.

But, he didn’t feel intimidated. On the contrary, he felt the challenge rising inside his heart.

“Very good. It looks like my senses weren’t mistaken. You have already made both of your Dragon’s Hearts submit to you completely. This will make things much easier going forward. I was afraid it might have been a bit too early for a fresh whelpling with no prior guidance and experience to fight seriously.” A satisfied curl twisted Venuzathor’s draconic lips.

“Submit?” Asterios raised his heavy brow at him.

“You must have fought them earlier back on the other side. It’s a natural order of things for all Dragons. Their Dragon’s Hearts are innately filled with the individual desire of their bloodline. It’s like a rite of passage for one to finally conquer that strong ancestral will and make its power fully theirs. Younglings attempt it often but it usually takes years of fruitless tries,” the Dracodon explained. “It’s admirable to beat two at once. Even more during the first challenge. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Oh. Then, I don’t think I have a reason to.” Ast’s chuckle rumbled through the flat arena “We talked things out rather than fought.”

A brief silence fell onto them before Venuzathor let out a booming laugh. “You keep surprising me, young one. It’s an even greater feat that many have attempted but few have succeeded in. The will of a bloodline is stubborn and unrelenting. To win it over with just words is considered impossible.”

“Well, I agree with that assessment. But, there’s always something that one wants over everything in the world. I was lucky that we have a common goal and made it an effective card in the negotiations.”

“That’s very good. I’m growing more and more excited the longer we talk. It takes decades for Dragons to achieve perfect harmony after the initial conquest, being fully accepted by their Hearts. You already have that. We can go all out.”

Venuzathor spread his thick legs a bit more and took a deep breath. Opening all three pairs of his wings menacingly, the Dracodon released a powerful roar straight at Asterios. The force of the incoming sound waves was so powerful that it sent ripples through the air between them, giving Ast’s scale-protected muscles a slightly uncomfortable massage.

Right after Venuzathor went silent, Asterios mirrored his pose and copied his actions. Even with their size difference in mind, the roar that he let out of his jaws was not much weaker than the Dracodon’s. It was slightly higher-pitched but it still sounded menacing, ferocious, and domineering. His own sound waves made Venuzathor’s wings flutter lightly as the Dracodon took the hit without a flinch.

Then, they both lowered their heads in respect, and the duel began.

Asterios knew that he definitely lacked in the strength department so he decided to bet on speed and agility. He wasn’t sure if it would work for someone so inexperienced in combat with such a body but he at least had some general knowledge about potential weak points and vulnerable areas of entities similar to the one he was facing.

He lunged forward with a strong flap. A loud whizz sliced the air as he appeared in front of Venuzathor. The Dracodon snapped his killer jaws at him but Asterios spun his body and avoided the deadly grasp by mere inches. He went past Venuzathor’s head and flapped strongly to alter his course, all the time keeping himself almost glued to his opponent’s back.

But, before he could chomp on his mentor’s wing, it escaped him with a surprising speed and another one smacked him down with unexpected strength like a fly. Asterios bounced off Venuzathor’s back and increased the distance between them before the enemy had a chance to counterattack.

“Going after the wings first. Good thinking,” the Dracodon praised him. “Don’t let the mass deceive you. Big things can move as quickly as small ones. We just don’t always show it.”

Without waiting for Venuzathor to make his move, Asterios jumped back into action. His only chance was to keep the pressure up to interrupt as many techniques and blows as the Dracodon would like to make use of. This time, Asterios flew a little higher, forcing his opponent to think that he had altered his approach after the previous close call. But, just as he reached Venuzathor’s head and the Dracodon raised it to match his flight, Asterios dove under him and spun around.

His sparring partner’s sharp fangs almost snapped on the tip of his tail but Asterios got a good hit in. As he twisted his body, he grazed the Dracodon’s throat from below with his claws and escaped under the draconic beast’s armpit. It proved to be the right decision as Venuzathor dropped all his weight down, eliminating the already narrow gap between his long belly and the ground. All of that would have squished Asterios into the marble floor and most likely trapped him under his opponent forever.

Wanting to continue the momentum, he tried to target the hind joints of the Dracodon before escaping, but he didn’t get to do much after emerging from underneath his mentor’s armpit. Timing the moment perfectly, Venuzathor pushed his left legs off the ground with enough force to create two small craters in the marble and toppled over in an instant.

Asterios managed to avoid getting squashed but the Dracodon’s sharp, tough back smacked him away and sent him tumbling. Venuzathor didn’t stop for a second and rolled back onto his feet. He started drawing a deep breath and Asterios could tell that it wasn’t another roar that was coming.

Quickly stabbing all his claws into the ground, Asterios did the same while reaching for his scorching hot mana. He released a violent stream of crimson fire out of his jaws shortly after a pillar of blue lightning shot his way. The two elements clashed slightly past the middle and fought each other for dominance as the air around the impact zone crackled and the marble underneath it started to melt from the jumping lightning discharges and dripping flames.

But, the blue beam quickly started winning and Asterios immediately abandoned his breath. He rushed to the side as the humming pillar chased after him like a light beam, slicing through the walls of the quarry and breaking large chunks of marble off those tall cliffs. Asterios knew he couldn’t run away endlessly and that Venuzathor’s breath would inevitably catch up to him. The massive Dracodon was turning on his thick legs faster than it should be possible.

Seeing the rumbling avalanche and heaps of kicked-up white dust, Asterios formed a new plan to save his draconic ass from getting electrocuted and began gathering flaming energy in his mouth. As his long tongue swirled around the condensing ball, it felt like he was licking a hot candy, but instead of melting away, it increased in size.

Satisfied with the amount of gathered mana, he flapped his wings and made a sharp turn toward his opponent. Before the crackling beam caught up, he spat the orb of crimson flames out and it whizzed ahead, crashing into the ground halfway between them faster than either of them could blink.

A massive explosion shook the quarry as the burst of flames and scorching hot energy rushed towards the Dracodon like a wave of a mighty tsunami. It was too far for them to reach their target, but that wasn’t their main objective. That wave of hot air carried an unimaginable amount of dust which completely obstructed Venuzathor’s line of sight and swallowed him whole. And since the scorching air was full of spiritual energy, the created curtain couldn’t be easily seen through even if the Dracodon’s eyes could read mana signatures like Ast’s could.

The beam stopped without a clear target to chase after and Asterios dove into the massive cloud of dust. He launched a bunch of small orbs of fire ahead of him to find Venuzathor’s silhouette when they hit something with a faint flash. It wasn’t perfect, but he was able to scrape the Dracodon’s scales with his claws while repeatedly diving in and out. One of his attempts caught Venuzathor’s wing and definitely tore the membrane painfully.

But, that moment didn’t last long as Venuzathor obviously wouldn’t let himself just sit inside the thick obstruction and take a beating. Asterios was too late to notice the simultaneous rise of all his intact wings and the sudden cyclone that appeared right in front of him during another charge threw him off the course. The wind was so ferocious and strong that he had to fold his wings or he risked either being flung into something or breaking them.

Crashing into the ground with a cracking thud, he directed his eyes to the clear now middle and saw that his attempts didn’t bring much fruit. Some spots over Venuzathor’s scales were scratched and burned but that meant pretty much nothing. Only one fresh scar showed up close to the Dracodon’s eye, almost reaching it. And, of course, the left middle wing had a long cut in it, which was starting to quickly heal.

“I’m glad to see that you retained your human reason and logic. Many struggle to keep their minds clear after shifting.” Venuzathor threw another compliment at Asterios. “But, that can be both a good and a bad thing. There are times when giving in to your instincts is a much better option. You need to experience that first to take proper control of it. You never want anything to have control over you.”

“Yeah. I can imagine how much worse that can be over letting the emotions get the better of you.” Asterios nodded in response.

“That’s why, it’s time for me to get serious.” Asterios could feel the wild grin forming on his mentor’s snout. “I’ll fully draw your instincts out. Let go of your thoughts and let your very existence lead you. They won’t be able to catch up anyway.”

Only as a deep chuckle echoed through the quarry did Asterios notice the dark clouds gathering above them and ruining the previously perfect weather. Lightning began striking the ground and loud thunder rolled over the entire area. It almost drowned out the low growl coming from the mighty Dracodon, whose ridges between the armor on his back started glowing blue, creating running streaks over Venuzathor’s entire figure.

A shiver ran down Ast’s spine as Venuzathor’s glowing eyes met his and lightning struck the Dracodon with a blinding flash. Suddenly, Venuzathor was gone, completely disappearing from his previous spot without any sign of movement. Not even the thick layer of dust underneath his body had moved.

Before Asterios could even frown at that, another lightning struck the ground right in front of him and the Dracodon blinked into existence at the point of impact with a loud crackle; his sharp and deadly jaws open for action. Asterios reacted barely in time and felt a dozen scales get shaved off his neck as he avoided the powerful snap.

As he flapped his wings to lunge to the side, Venuzathor’s claws descended onto him, leaving blue streaks behind them as glowing paths. They tore through Ast’s right wing with a complete lack of resistance and smacked him away with strength high enough to knock the air out of his lungs even in his much tougher draconic form.

Asterios crashed into the nearby wall, creating a deep crater in it. He heard another thunder and noted a bright flash through his closed eyelids. It was obvious what was coming next so he hastily pried himself off and rolled to the side. Venuzathor didn’t give him enough time to fully leave the crushed surface as the Dracodon’s condensed breath smashed into the marble right past Ast’s body from basically point blank.

The violent explosion of lightning shook the entire mine as fragments of the pretty mineral shot in every direction. Asterios was sent flying while the dancing current ravaged his muscles and he slammed into the ground, tumbling in the dust for a good few bounces. As Venuzathor had said, his thoughts and senses could not catch up to everything that happened.

Therefore, before another attack came straight at him, Asterios turned off the logical part of his brain. Of course, as much as he could. But, reaching into his two draconic sources and proverbially asking them for help was enough to make that happen. The floodgates opened and his mind went blank as two almighty energies spread through his entire figure, working in perfect harmony.

Another thunder echoed nearby and Ast’s body reacted on its own. He twisted himself with a nimble movement and easily avoided a powerful stomp, getting back on his own feet. Using the same momentum that allowed him to regain his footing, Asterios spun around and smacked his tail into the back of the knee of Venuzathor’s front leg, effectively causing it to bend.

The lightning breath that Venuzathor had in store missed completely and sliced the ground next to Asterios with a loud crackle. But, Asterios didn’t stop there and lowered himself close to the ground, tensing all his muscles to their limits and reinforcing them with mana.

He didn’t think this would work considering the difference in their sizes and weight but he couldn’t be more wrong. His body smashed into the Dracodon’s side like a spring while Venuzathor was still mid-breath and tilted the mighty beast to almost perfect ninety degrees. Back on the ground right away, Asterios bounced off it with even more strength and a burst of flames exploded under his four legs as he pushed himself off. He shoved his shoulder into the Dracodon’s slightly more vulnerable underbelly and sent Venuzathor tumbling away as the entire place shook like during an earthquake.

A victorious roar escaped his throat and Asterios caught a good sight of his body. Crimson and onyx embers flickered all over the pattern of his scales, filling him with power. Deep red flames licked the underside of his feet as his claws and horns radiated an ominous black aura. Whatever was happening to him, it felt primal.

Out of a sudden, a pillar of lightning shot at him through the kicked-up dust. Instead of dodging or using his own breath, Asterios folded his wings in front of him at a steep angle. The blinding energy crashed into them and spread around him like a jet of water. An extremely prickly, crackling, sizzling jet of water. But, it did not penetrate his defenses.

It seemed to be a distraction and Asterios somehow knew that perfectly well. Thus, he was ready for the two massive orbs of condensed lightning that rounded him from both sides. He swatted one with a swing of his muscular arm, tearing through it with his claws covered in crimson flames. As for the other one, he literally chomped on it and consumed the spiritual energy as black smoke wafted from between his teeth.

But, even with his primal instincts in control of his draconic form, Asterios wasn’t a god. He wasn’t even an experienced Dragon. There was only so much that his innate knowledge and reactions could do against a much more powerful, wise, well-fought enemy.

He noticed the flicker of something more sophisticated underneath him but it was already too late. Complex runes glowed with white light and shackles of electrifying lightning bound his limbs and torso. He suddenly felt like the weight of a hundred mountains descended onto his shoulders, pushing him into the ground. He had clearly missed when Venuzathor had prepared a trap for him and led him right into it.

Knowing well that this was more than enough of an opportunity for his opponent to end things with a grand attack, he definitely didn’t feel like giving up. He was going to give it his all with this last technique. It didn’t matter if it won him the match, nullified Venuzathor’s technique, or was completely overpowered by the Dracodon. He wasn’t going down without a fight.

Ignoring whatever Venuzathor was preparing in front of him, Asterios drew his long neck a bit to the back and started taking a deep breath through his nostrils. He wasn’t going to show his enemy what kind of technique he was preparing, even if the chances that the Dracodon would have the slightest idea about it due to what Asterios was trying out were close to zero.

The patterns on his belly shimmered with a crimson glow as more and more fire and energy gathered in his chest. At the same time, tongues of black flames escaped his jaws as they condensed in his mouth and throat. Before he was ready, one more energy joined the mix and a bright amber crown materialized between his horns as an additional layer of spiritual armor covered his body.

Noticing a clearly empowered lightning breath rolling his way, Asterios let go.

He opened his jaws and craned his neck forward. A big, orange formation appeared vertically in front of him. The last thing he noticed before his view and hearing were completely obstructed and muffled was the shimmer of multilayered barriers rising into a dome over the edge of the quarry, filling the sky with cyan and golden glimmer.

A ferocious helix of crimson and onyx flames blew out of his wide jaws like a beautiful but deadly spiral as big as his entire frame, if not bigger. In the very middle of that helix, violent, amber fire rolled forward with a wild sway. That relentless combination of pure inferno crashed into the incoming vortex of condensed lightning, which also seemed enhanced with something different.

The area under the point of contact was instantly blasted into a melted oblivion. A deep crater of liquid rock appeared underneath as the very level of the spiritual energy concentrated in the air pushed the glowing lava past its edges in the form of rolling ripples originating from the central point. Tongues of crimson, amber, and onyx flames fought against lightning flickers, destroying the ground even more in the process.

But then, Ast’s flaming pillar ricocheted off Venuzathor’s lightning column and shot into the sky at a sharp angle.

“What is going on he—” A woman’s booming voice managed to break through all the noise but it was cut short.

The combination of flames pierced through every single layer of protection Bryn and Selene had raised over the quarry without stopping for even a fraction of a second. The sound of shattering glass filled the air as thousands of colorful particles and shards exploded around the sharp-edged hole. The newcomer woman’s eyes widened to the brim with dread taking over her face as the pillar of death rushed right at her.

There wasn’t even enough time for her life to flash in front of her eyes before it reached her and she flinched involuntarily. But, besides the air around her suddenly starting to vibrate from the amount of spiritual energy present in her close surroundings, nothing happened. She raised her clamped-shut eyelids and her mouth went agape.

A mesmerizing figure of a giant, white-furred fox with ten tails stood in front of her as beautiful, cyan patterns ran over its entire body. A thin, cone-shaped barrier disrupted the flow of the flaming pillar and redirected the fire all around them. Cracks constantly formed in it but they healed up just as fast.

The enchanting fox glanced back at her with a mischievous glint in its white eyes. “You need to pay a bit more attention to your surroundings, Lerisse, fufufu~”

A moment later, the flames subsided and disappeared completely. It looked like the battle down on the ground had come to an end. As for Lerisse, she stared blankly at the divine figure floating right in front of her as her brain tried to reason with her that it was not possible for her to be seeing what she was seeing.

Unfortunately, the smirk on the fox’s snout was way too clear.