[TWS] Chapter 304 – A Spectral Guest

“How come we are supposed to watch out for possible monsters on the other side while the passage has been sealed off for a long time?” Miria glanced between Civienne and Althea as they stepped through the gap. “We haven’t seen any on our way here either.”

“That’s because the open tunnels have been long cleared,” the queen explained. “Our predecessors made sure to eliminate all the threats that could possibly endanger the undergrowth and the capital above. Additionally, we host regular expeditions into these depths to keep things in check. You can say that every soldier ends up navigating these tunnels at least once in their life, sometimes faring against a monster or two that made its way into the caverns.”

“Meanwhile, the sealed-off part has been left alone since its creation,” the Dragon lady continued. “And, it was an intentional design to not just leave the monsters alive but even ensure that they would be deadly. Technically speaking, it’s just another safety mechanism in case anyone finds a way to break in.”

“It doesn’t seem to have worked that well at keeping people away,” Tina commented.

“There are only two possible reasons behind that,” Silvia joined in. “They are either strong enough for the monsters to be nothing more than a slight inconvenience, or they know their way around the system.”

“Since they had to settle down there even before stealing the Elder, they would need to have someone just as knowledgeable on their side prior to that event,” Selene pondered out loud. “I’m not sure which option is worse.”

“Both are equally as bad,” Civienne replied. “On one hand, a powerful enemy might make things tough with their strength, and on the other, a knowledgeable enemy might make things difficult if they know how to utilize the temple’s defenses for their own benefit.”

“We’ll just have to be damn careful,” Grea said, moving her gaze all around the spacious passage. “There aren’t that many angles from which something or someone can surprise us here. Unless the traps are masterfully concealed.”

“Maybe we should ask Umbra to accompany us, in the end? He does have experience in spotting traps,” Miria suggested.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. My spiritual senses are much sharper now than during our delve back then. All thanks to Master.” Selene smirked softly at Asterios and brought all of her tails out. “I’ll keep an eye on our surroundings and the road ahead. Worst case scenario, I’ll have a shield ready.”

“Same here.” Bryn nodded. “My spells became much faster after I equipped the tiara. You can rely on me, Master.”

“I do. And always had.” Asterios smiled at the duo. “Now, let’s pick up the pace. We have a cult to burn down and a tree to save.”

“Should I bring out more light, Master?” The Valkyrie asked.

“Do the two of you have any trouble seeing in this darkness?” He turned to their temporary companions.

“This darkness isn’t all natural. I can enhance my eyes in a similar way to you, but Civienne doesn’t possess any special traits or spells that can aid her,” Althea admitted in the queen’s name. “What about your mates?”

Asterios briefly closed his eyes and focused his mind on strengthening his vision. Then, he reached for the deep connection he shared with the girls and pushed his mana into them. At the same time, he finished a complex sigil with his fingers and held his palm against it as the sophisticated pattern glowed bright crimson. When he opened his eyes, the girls gasped quietly.

“It’s so bright and sharp.” Silvia slowly spun around. “I’m no stranger to perception enhancement but this is on another level.”

“I still remember when it was you who borrowed my sight, Master.” Miria giggled giddily. “Now we can comfortably rely on you.”

“Damn, you all look so fierce now.” Grea snickered. “It’s kind of sexy. In a dangerous way.”

“What?” Tina frowned at her. “Oh.”

They all exchanged glances and realized that their eyes mirrored Ast’s now, with their pupils turning vertical if they hadn’t been before, and their irises faintly glowing with a powerful sheen, matching their usual eye color. In Grea’s case, just the thin pupils were a new addition, making her look even more demonic as they were the largest out of them due to the lack of irises limiting them.

“I haven’t forgotten my origins as a Summoner,” Asterios answered Althea’s question with a warm smile. “Rather, I find myself capable of things I never considered possible. But, I guess my father did a decent job at combining Summoning Magic with draconic qualities.”

He summoned a vial out of his storage and tossed it to Civienne. She quickly recognized the potion and downed it without a shred of hesitation. The queen’s eyes flashed briefly and she nodded at him in thanks.

Before they continued, she started whispering something under her breath while lowering her head and Ast’s group watched her curiously. After just a few moments, a greenish wisp floated through the air, splitting to reach all of them. Diving down, it coiled around their feet before disappearing.

“This should give us an additional advantage,” Civienne said. “Noctis see pretty well in the darkness, but their hearing isn’t anything special.”

Miria made a few jumps with an excited chuckle, and each of her landings was completely silent. Asterios noticed that their shoes weren’t exactly touching the ground. A barely visible cushion of greenish energy padded their soles. He didn’t feel a difference, which was good.

“Do we know the way?” Asterios asked.

Civienne brought out a locket from under her uniform. “A splinter of the Tree of Life. It will guide us. The sanctum has been built around it.”

And so, the queen took the lead with Selene by her side. The others assumed a mixed formation, taking into mind their usual roles and abilities. It had been a while since Asterios walked in the middle and it brought up some warm memories.

About fifteen minutes later, the fox lady sensed their first obstacle. While the corridor was empty, she pointed out at the earthen walls, explaining that some entities were hiding in the mud. Grea sent out Aura as bait while everyone else got themselves ready.

As expected, the hidden beings reacted to the floating woman’s passing and emerged from their muddy refuge, most likely sensing their surroundings through spiritual energy or essence. They turned out to be massive, humanoid-shaped root monsters without any visible faces. Seven of them lumbered into the passage, blocking it almost completely.

The girls wasted no time. Miria, Selene, and Tina rushed in with their weapons in hand. Asterios and Silvia decided to stay behind for now, not wanting to cause a visible commotion with their flames. They had no doubt that the frontline trio could deal with a few simple monsters without an issue.

Rather than split up, they focused on the first enemy together. In a flash, the giant tangle of roots was turned into slices as they slashed it into oblivion with their sharp blades. Not seeing any further movement from the pile of pieces, they continued forward.

Something whizzed past them and a long bolt pierced into the second monster. In an instant, a thick frost started enveloping its body and turned it into a glacial statue. Selene didn’t waste the presented opportunity and materialized one of her spiritual arms to shatter it into bits, the impact shaking the air a little bit.

Just as the other duo reached the next pair of lumbering giants, a wave of wind pushed past them and a swirling cone of air obliterated one leg each from the monsters as they stood close. Civienne’s arm was outstretched with her rapier pointed forward and her hair fluttering from the aftershock.

The moment the trees fell down, Tina was already on them. She pushed her palms to the ground and a whirlpool of violent water swallowed the fallen monsters. Creaks, pops, and snaps filled the air as the vicious waves tore them apart and ground the poor creatures into a paste.

At the same time, the three remaining enemies hadn’t been sitting idle, just watching their brethren getting slain like cattle in a slaughterhouse. Two of them sent wooden tendrils out of their arms thick like tree trunks while the rest hoisted chunks of earth from the walls and chucked them at the party.

Selene evaded the angry roots, jumping atop them, and running up the monster’s elongated arm. Before a boulder smashed into her, she launched herself up, spun around, and landed on a spiritual platform Asterios had prepared for her, crouching over it while upside down. She was already in a drawing stance and pumping loads of their mixed energy into her artifact weapon.

With a quiet fhoomph, she disappeared, at least for Civienne. The others were capable of partially following her lightning-fast movements. In a blink, she reappeared on the ground behind all the monsters, with her curved blade held to the side. A whitish flash illuminated the passage for a fraction of a second before complete darkness returned.

Asterios and the girls realized that it wasn’t exactly an explosion of light but a simultaneous emergence of thousands of spiritual cuts at countless angles throughout the path the fox lady had covered. Everything, including the flying boulders, burst into tiny fragments and dropped to the ground. The walls, ceiling, and floor looked like someone spent decades taking their anger out on them with a blade, turned into a corridor of deep gashes. Selene stood up and sent everyone a gentle smile.

They took a few minutes to refresh themselves and carried on. On their path, they continued to stumble on various groups of monsters, though most of them didn’t pose that much of a challenge to the party. Everyone slowly grew more comfortable fighting together, using each encounter as good practice to learn each other’s fighting styles.

As for the monsters themselves, it almost felt like they were again moving through an earthen dungeon. There was plenty of rock, vine, wood, mud, and even some insectile opponents crossing their path. Though, the bugs themselves were massive. A beetle covered with an almost impenetrable shell caused them the most trouble. But, after Bryn locked it in one of her barriers, Asterios and Silvia just roasted the monster inside, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

About an hour or two into their delve, Selene sensed a change in the environment ahead and they slowed down. Nearing the area she mentioned, they sent out Miria in her panther form to scout things out as she was the one to blend in the best out of them. Asterios additionally supplied her with a displacement spell, just to be sure.

Thanks to her arriving at the place the fox lady sensed, Ast’s party could see it on their own through her eyes. It looked like another towering gate with steep stairs leading to the entrance. But, this one was of pure emerald shade. As previously, the sigils and arrays carved into the greenish stone were hollow, without any light or glow filling them. Taking a look at everything she could, Miria quickly returned to the group.

“Is that it?” she asked the two ladies immediately after changing back, knowing that the others had filled them in on what she’d seen.

“I think so.” The queen nodded.

“And there are no guards? Not even a single one?” Silvia pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I would have been sure they would put someone on the lookout at least in front of their hideout.”

“Maybe we are wrong and it hasn’t been breached. Maybe they are camping somewhere around, still trying to find a way in,” Miria suggested.

“Or they are just that confident in their hiding spot,” Tina added. “They had to have gotten in if they dug out the Elder from underneath.”

“What now?” Bryn asked. “Do we try to open the gate? Or do we wait for someone to come in or out? Entering through the front entrance might give us away immediately if it opens on its own.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be loud, just like the other gate,” Grea grunted.

“Are there any other entrances?” Miria scrunched her nose cutely.

“Possibly. But we’ll need to retreat a bit and try to locate them through the side passages,” Civienne answered. “It took a moment to navigate here without a clear way in a straight line.”

“I have an idea.” Asterios ruffled Miria’s hair. “Let’s get closer.”

Warily observing the gate, they slowly approached the entrance, ready to pounce on any enemies emerging out of it. Thankfully, nothing happened to the very end and they found themselves in front of the emerald wall.

“Now what?” Grea set her hands on her hips and raised a brow at Asterios.

“A few things, possibly. If the seals are down just like with the first gate, nothing should be blocking us from slipping inside, right?” He glanced at the local duo and received tentative nods in response. “So, first off, maybe Aura can find a way through some unperceivable gap and check the other side.”

“Ah! And then she can open a gate for us!” The panthergirl beamed at him.

“Not exactly what I had in mind since there are two of us who can’t use that method, but that’s certainly correct.” He chuckled lightly and continued to pat her slightly dejected ears. “We are all connected so I might be able to move us with Shadow Movement. Turning myself into a wisp of darkness and seeping through gaps is still a bit too much for me, but I can transfer to a place we’ve technically been to.”

“Got it.” The demon woman grinned. “You heard my man, right? We have a job to do.”

Grea’s familiar floated out of a pink gate, flashed them a smile, and turned into gas. They watched as her transparent wisps examined every nook and cranny, even those they weren’t aware of. Soon, Aura returned to their side, but after turning into pure energy again, the initial smile was missing from her glowing lips.

“Sorry.” She grimaced sadly. “It’s sealed incredibly tight. It might be the attribute of this mineral or something.”

“Fuck.” Grea huffed in annoyance. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s not your fault. We’ll figure out something else, right, Ast?”

Asterios stroked his chin. “Maybe. I’m not sure if it will work, though. But, I guess it’s worth a try, at least.”

His eyes roamed over the girls before stopping on Selene.

“How can I help, my Lord?” She caught on fast.

“I think you are our best bet considering your spiritual affinity,” he replied. “I’ll need access to your whole back, so could you—”

With a sly grin, Selene hugged her figure and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, her oriental dress disappeared, exposing the fox lady’s gorgeous figure to everyone present. She hid her perky breasts behind her arm, not wearing any bra underneath her clothes, as usual, and the only piece of underwear protecting her modesty was the black panties protecting her most secret place. Her toned stomach and delicious hips were all on display.

Before Asterios could say anything, she spun around and presented her bare back to him, using her free hand to gather up her mesmerizing, white hair to the front. She winked at him over her shoulder, squishing her fair bust to her figure strong enough for it to peek past her frame, which didn’t feel accidental.

He sighed quietly at her antics and shoved his fingers into Selene’s bushy tail, evoking a surprised moan from the fox girl as he stroked it, noticing a slight flush on her noble cheeks. Finished with his payback, he focused on the task ahead.

For a few moments, Asterios drew a complex formation with a glittering, silvery substance over Selene’s entire back, from the top of her shoulders to the little dimples at her hips. After it was fully done, he took a deep breath and placed his palm at its center.

“Alright. Rest your hands on the gate. It might feel weird at the beginning. Ready?” he asked.

“And what does this spell do?” She peeked at him over her shoulder.

“It’s a surprise.” Asterios smirked at her.

She smiled back and nodded. The next moment, he activated the circuit with his mana and pushed Selene lightly. She let out another moan as a jolt of pleasant warmth surged through her entire being, almost ripping her out of her own body. But, as it turned out, she wasn’t that far off with her assessment.

Selene watched herself lay in Ast’s arms as he crouched down, holding her limp body close. Everyone else stepped a little closer with worried expressions, but he signaled to them that everything was alright. She then glanced at herself and noticed that her form was now translucent, almost ghostly, as she floated in the air slightly above everyone. She still lacked her dress, just like the original.

Then, Asterios glanced up, almost looking right at her, but missing the mark by just a tiny bit. She realized that he was trying his best to guess her location.

“You have about ten minutes. The range isn’t that impressive, so try to stay relatively close. When you start feeling somewhat dizzy, that’s the sign you are getting too far,” he explained. “Now see if you can phase through this gate.”

The others tried to follow his gaze but failed to locate her too, and they mostly glanced around in confusion. Selene grinned to herself and floated down, close to Miria. After staring the panthergirl right in the face, she moved behind her and slowly trailed her incorporeal finger down her spine. Miria’s hair and fur immediately stood to attention as her tail shot up and she let out a panicked squeal, causing everyone to look at her weirdly.

Chuckling to herself, Selene left the poor panthergirl alone, moved to Ast’s side, and pressed a ghostly peck to his cheek before rushing at the emerald wall. She didn’t hesitate, not even closing her eyes. With pure determination filling her mind, she flew into the stone.

And, thankfully, she phased right through it, appearing in a tall and wide corridor of the same color. Plenty of massive columns supported the passage, which split into different directions at various spots. The entire place was illuminated by acidic green fire flickering at hanging and standing braziers. Additionally, the hallway wasn’t empty.

Sporadically, people milled about, walking from side to side. They wore dark robes with their hoods down and she immediately recognized most if not all of them as noctis, the dark subspecies of nefarious elves. It was a good thing they hadn’t tried opening the gate instead of sending her in like this.

Refocusing on her main purpose, Selene quickly floated around the hallways, phasing in and out of any rooms she stumbled on. She needed to find a good spot for Asterios to transfer them to, which wouldn’t instantly get them discovered. But, all the chambers had someone in it.

Finally, she found what looked like a small resting area. There was only one person inside, a woman who was sound asleep on the sofa, with a book over her head. Selene could feel the limits of Ast’s spell at this distance so that was their best bet. There was not much more time to seek another place.

But, just to be sure, she decided to test how heavy of a sleeper the woman was. She floated up to her and proceeded to poke and tickle her dark skin and flesh. The noctis shivered and trembled, but remained asleep.

Noticing a pencil on the cushion, Selene gathered all her focus and attempted to exert her spiritual energy over it, even though she was out of her body, far from the source of her power. With a great amount of effort, she caused the pencil to shake, and it rolled down to the stone floor with an audible clatter.

Yet, the woman didn’t even react.

Phasing her face through the book as the final check, Selene confirmed that the noctis wasn’t faking it, and nodded to herself. Sensing the upcoming time limit, she flew out of the room and zoomed through the corridors to try and capture as many details as possible, noting the number and position of nearby people.

Then, she suddenly felt a powerful tug, and the world around her was squeezed into a mesh of twisted colors. She startled with a deep gasp as her eyes flung open, finding Ast’s face staring down at her with a delicate smile.

Reaching up to brush his cheek, she chuckled to herself. “Did you take good care of my body in my absence, my Lord?”

He shook his head and helped her up. “How did it go?”

Selene smirked at him, teasingly covering her chest, which just accentuated her size. “Splendid. I found a decent place for us to move in. It even has a little maid ready, though she seems to tend to sleep on her duties a little bit.”

“Well, then. Let’s pay her a visit and see what we can learn.”