Chapter 33 – Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

Hearing the scream, Asterios turned his head around while opening his eyes, to check if everything was okay. He found Miria standing a few meters behind his back with a small towel in her hands. She looked completely dumbstruck and taken aback by whatever she was seeing. Her widened to the brim eyes were directed right above him, clearly towards the center of the summoning circle.

“SPIRITUAL FOXES TRIBE?!” Miria shouted once more and left her mouth agape.

“Hm? A Pantherkin? And a Werepanther at that? Interesting…” A soft and mature, ladylike voice arrived at Ast’s left ear with a melodic undertone.

Asterios got a feeling that whatever stood in front of him in the formation they created, was definitely something or someone Miria recognized. Or, at least their race or species. He finally moved his gaze back to the front and was met with a tall figure of a woman, currently ignoring him and curiously observing the panthergirl.

The lady, because Asterios thought there was no better-suited term for the beauty currently towering over him, had dazzling, long, almost snow-white hair. A medium-sized lock hung on the left side of her face, clipped with a small tube near its end, while the one on the opposite side was much shorter, reaching only to the woman’s chin.

Two, pointy, fox-like ears of the same colour sprouted from the top of her head. The stranger’s face matched the voice they heard previously almost perfectly. Very noble and sharp edges of her face just added to the overall maturity. A gentle, lady-like smile painted her lips the whole time and her deep sapphire eyes with vertical pupils emanated an aura of knowledge, maturity and a tiny bit of mischievousness.

She wore what in Ast’s realm would be called an exotic or ornamental one-piece dress, almost wholly in white with dark blue themes, which showed a great deal of her body here and there. It started around the woman’s neck and extended down in the shape of a triangle, leaving her shoulders and armpits completely exposed. This style was sometimes found in the main Demon continent.

Then, the snowy material covered her quite sizable chest, leaving a cut pattern revealing a bit of the woman’s cleavage before continuing down unobstructed. It went to the back, but not for long, as Asterios could clearly see the exposed skin on the sides of her waist before the dress became wider again near the girl’s pelvis.

It was obvious to him that her back was uncovered too, judging by where the material came and went. The whole dress clung tightly to the perfectly toned body, showing every line and edge of her waist and belly, and then flowing down somewhere around to her knees, but the part that was hanging there, seemed to be cut in half, presenting itself from a rotated angle, covering only most of her underbelly.

And that was protected by another layer of clothing in the form of a piece of black panty, seemingly of the same, extravagant material. It most likely didn’t bother the wearer that her dress allowed to have a peek at it from many angles, especially during movements. Behind her waist, a fluffy, fox-like, white-furred tail was very slowly moving from side to side.

Black tights covered the lady’s long and slender legs, ending with elegant yet durable looking boots. Her arms were covered with sleeves, left one of a sapphire colour and the right one being black, both starting above the back of her hands in a diamond shape and ending in the space between the elbow and armpit. She was holding a smoking pipette in the right hand on the level of her face while the left arm hugged her waist.

Finally moving her eyes from Miria to Asterios, she pushed the tube away and it disappeared in blue, magical smoke as it sailed through the air.

“Are you the one who summoned me, youngling?” She stared down at Asterios and asked with the same tone as previously.

He stood up, dusted off his knees and gave a small but courteous bow with a hand over his heart. Asterios was sure that an entity of her demeanour would look positively at someone who showed proper respect.

“Yes, my Lady. My name is Asterios and I’m a Summoner. Welcome to my realm, Kraedorion. Are you feeling well after the transfer?” he asked.

“Oh why, thank you, I’m great. The atmosphere here is a little different, but the levels of spiritual energy in the environment aren’t that bad,” she answered while glancing around the glade. “If you don’t mind me asking, Asterios, is that Beastfolk girl behind you from Eabiarhia or does the race we two share inhabit your world too?”

He glanced back at Miria who was keeping herself quiet after her previous shouts, quickly stopping herself before she unintentionally disturbed her master in this important moment. Summoning an entity didn’t guarantee them agreeing to a contract and she didn’t want to have a negative impact on his chances in what would pretty much be a negotiation.

Ast sensed her worries and mentally instructed Miria to come closer, not worry and speak openly. She was his summon and a valuable companion, so if she had any doubts or thoughts, she should share them as he would always take her opinions under consideration first over pleasing a stranger. Miria smiled at him and did as he instructed, arriving by her master’s right side before she spoke up.

“Yes, I am from Eabiarhia. My name is Miria and I’m Master’s contracted familiar.”

The woman nodded in understanding. “That would explain your reaction to seeing me. We do hail from the same world.”

Miria lowered her head a bit. “I’m sorry for screaming earlier. I didn’t expect Master to summon someone from my home, Miss…”

“Ah! Where are my manners! Selene of the Spiritual Foxes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miria of the Pantherkin.” Selene’s eyes started shimmering in brighter blue as she glanced over the panthergirl and then Asterios. “And… you…”

The duo caught a slight disappointment when she addressed Ast, which was also visible by her face turning into a more neutral state. Miria didn’t like that detail.

“Master is a Human,” she informed the woman.

“Oh? Those Humans?” Selene raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, the ones mentioned in our legends. Specifically the one of Princess Kaguya, which was a member of one of your clans.”

The foxgirl pondered over something for a moment while scanning Asterios with her glimmering eyes until they returned to the usual state.

“You do have some decent looks, but… that would be all. Such a letdown… Figured that the legends were exaggerated...” She sighed in a tired fashion.

Miria was about to question her what she meant with that insulting comment, but Asterios stopped her by raising his hand. It wasn’t that he was afraid of offending Selene, he definitely wasn’t the type to suck up to someone just because they might have been strong, to keep his chances of forming a contract, but he wanted to take matters into his own hands instead of letting Miria handle everything.

“Is there something that makes you dissatisfied with me, Selene?” he asked straightforwardly, dropping the previous title.

She turned her neutral face to him. “To put it bluntly, you are… weak.” Miria’s brow twitched a bit. She was liking the vixen less and less with each sentence that left her mouth. “Or rather, you are weaker than me. You do seem to possess quite good quality spiritual circuits and a decent pool of mana, but those are still considerably worse than mine. And I will not serve under someone that isn’t at least on my level, if not higher,” she explained with the same, mature voice, but less interested tone.

“How did you judge that I’m weak? I did manage to summon you here and you answered my call,” he asked.

“That is true. Perhaps… dumb luck?” She chuckled, making Miria squeeze her hands into fists at the woman calling Ast’s careful preparation and dedication dumb luck. “As for how I judged you… I may as well be courteous enough to share a bit about myself. I, Selene, am a High Priestess of the Spiritual Foxes Tribe and a Spiritualist myself. Being one, I can operate directly on spiritual energy, be it inside or around me.”

She raised her hand to the front and flipped it so that her palm faced upwards. A similar, blue mist appeared around her forearm and hand and some light blue energy started gathering and swirling between her fingers, taking the shape of an orb. 

She made the ball change shapes into a cylinder, cube, rectangle, small shield and finally a spike, and sent it flying to the side with an uninterested swat of the hand. The projectile whizzed through the air and pierced a tree with ease, leaving a cleanly cut hole in the middle of it, passing further to damage more of them.

“This was just a fraction of my power. I can do a lot more with spiritual energy, almost anything that my imagination would allow. That’s why I care a lot about mana. I used my Spiritual Sight to investigate your circuits and reserves and thus checking for myself how strong is your potential. There was something that lured me here through your sweet voice, but unfortunately, I must have been mistaken, because your spiritual energy and essence are nothing special. There would be no benefit for me if we formed a contract,” she explained her reasoning.

Asterios could feel Miria’s annoyance reach dangerous levels so he tried to calm her down through telepathy. He explained that Selene most likely wasn’t able to see his inner source of energy with her ability. Miria instantly agreed, but still expressed her dissatisfaction to him. 

Ast mentally scratched her ears and assured her that he wouldn’t pursue someone she didn’t acknowledge. Miria was happy to hear that, but also a bit down because she felt that Selene was in fact a strong Spiritual Fox and would be a good addition to the team if not for her rude attitude. He chuckled in their thoughts and told her that it was normal in summoning. Not every entity happened to be a kind girl who only wanted to enjoy exploring the Summoner’s realm. She blushed a little after realizing how airheaded that statement made her look.

That exchange happened in just two or three seconds as their connection was steadily growing stronger, so Selene only saw the master/familiar duo glance at each other for a short moment and then back at her, unaware of almost a full conversation taking place before her eyes. She did know a few things about summoning and magic in general from the records in her tribal temple’s archives, but not to such extent as to how the connection worked.

“I do see your point, but you shouldn’t judge someone’s strength just based on these two things. There’s more to that than just raw spiritual energy or essence,” he said.

“There’s no need for you to try convincing me. I will not change my mind no matter what you say, do or show me. From what I know, as a summon, I can demand from the Summoner whatever I want for my help. I want spiritual energy stronger than mine. You can’t fulfil that requirement, can you?” She showed a smirk.

Part of Asterios wanted to instantly call on his scorching hot mana to prove the woman wrong, and he was definitely picking up similar feelings from Miria, but he wasn’t sure if he even wanted someone who looks down on others so much in his team. The loss of two precious catalysts saddened him, but that was life. Everyone would be a Summoner if they were able to succeed on their first try every time.

Asterios sighed. “Alright. It’s not like I’m in a desperate situation. Looks like we are not a match, unfortunately.”

Selene nodded and her previous smile returned to her lips. Answering the weird call that reached her and coming here might have been fruitless, but she was content with visiting a different realm. Not many could boast of such an encounter. There was no point in wasting any more of her time. She had plenty of research to continue back at home.

“I’m glad that we both reached an understanding. Now then, I would like to be sent back. But before that happens, Miria, was it? Where do you live?” She turned to the panthergirl and inquired, almost ignoring Ast’s presence.

“Why would you need to know that?” Miria answered with her own question.

“I would like to meet with you back at home. Summons can cross realms at will, right? I feel like your knowledge and experience would be valuable to me. So? West from Squelching Glade? Below Nocturnal Sea? Or maybe in the north, in the Frozen Wilds? I don’t remember all the places where your kind usually settles down. And don’t worry, I will pay for your help appropriately.”

Miria frowned. “I have no intention of exposing Master’s secrets to any outsiders. No amount of money or valuables will change that.”

“Are you sure? I’m a High Priestess, remember? There aren’t that many in the Spiritual Foxes Tribe.”

“There’s no need for you to try convincing me. I will not change my mind no matter what you say, do or show me,” Miria quoted Selene’s own words against her.

The woman sighed. “Bummer. I still don’t get why you even got yourself into a contract with him in the first place. But, It’s not my style to pester others. Well then, mister Summoner, can you send me back or do we have to wait for you to rest? I can see that this little ritual of yours drained over sixty percent of your spiritual energy.”

~I soooooo want to slap her right in that big mouth…~ Miria sent Ast a mental message.

~I have a better idea,~ he chuckled and spoke back.

“How could I make you wait for gods know how long, Lady Selene? Since nothing that I do can make you reconsider, I should at least do my best to send you home safe and sound as soon as I can. Right, Miria?” Asterios made a courteous bow and smiled beautifully before glancing at his partner.

“Of course, Master! That’s the basics of good manners!” Miria answered with a smile too, already getting hints of what he was planning through their connection.

Selene was a tad confused by the sudden change, but she wasn’t bothered by it. That might have been their way of getting back at her for her previous remarks now that they would be sending her back. But… she still wasn’t sure why they got so confident while Asterios was quite spent.

“Well then, let’s get to it!” Asterios exclaimed, closed his eyes and threw his left hand forwards, supporting it with the other.

“How are you—” 

Selene stopped mid-sentence as all the fur on her tail, head and ears suddenly stood up to attention. A mysterious shiver passed through her body from the bottom to the top. She shot her gaze at Ast instantly and her eyes widened involuntarily.

She didn’t need her Spiritual Sight to notice the turbulent fluctuations of spiritual energy around the young Human. The air around him began to slightly blur and shimmer, and soon, his hair slowly turned from black to white, sending another shiver down her spine. Selene didn’t even notice when her mouth went agape.

What happened then, completely stunned her. The youth opened his eyes, which were now glowing in pure crimson, and gazed straight into hers. Another shudder. His gaze was filled to the brim with power, might, but at the same time affection, care, promise. The promise of dealing with the issue she was facing. That was if she was worthy of receiving that help.

Already overwhelmed with the amount of mana in the air, she didn’t expect to be hit with even more, but Asterios decided to draw on the scorching hot energy and slowly leak some of it outside of his spiritual circuits. A wave of blazing mana lightly burst out from his position like a gentle, warm breeze. Selene’s legs trembled when it passed through her body, stroking her circuits, and she fell limply onto her butt while staring with utter shock and awe up at the figure of Asterios, which began to be enveloped in dark crimson mist.

She felt out of breath. Because of being a Spiritualist and how sensitive she was, her body barely could move due to the intense pressure of spiritual energy in the air. Her spiritual circuits were so hot she almost felt like she was burning from inside. She could do nothing but stare at the overwhelming show of might, slowly realizing that she might have made the worst mistake in her whole life, possibly burying the chances of finally finding the solution for her troubles deep underground. Forever.

Asterios closed his hand into a fist and a crimson portal appeared behind Selene. He retracted some of the overbearing aura his leaking energy produced. Even Miria was beginning to get uneasy being near him as he sensed through their connection. He made his point so there was no need to continue. Hopefully, she learned her lesson for the future.

“Okay. The door is here. It was nice meeting you, Lady Selene.” He glanced down at the foxgirl, which trembled with almost every word that left his mouth. “Ah, right. You can’t even stand. Miria, could you help our guest return home?”

She happily skipped past him and began raising Selene up. The woman finally managed to break out of her daze when Miria interacted with her body and she used whatever strength she could muster to writhe out of the panthergirl’s grasp, falling back onto the grass.

“Wait! Please! I beg you! This lowly Foxkin has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Fang! Please, forgive me, my Lord! I will do anything to enter a contract with you!” She instantly started cowering in front of him, without even raising her face, which was plastered to the ground.

“Didn’t you say that nothing can change your mind? Please, leave,” he spoke in a neutral tone.

“I was blind! Foolish! I will not beg for empty forgiveness! I will do anything to earn it! Even if that will never come in the end! I will change anything! I will become anything! Just let me be your servant and receive a tiny bit of your essence!” 

Asterios looked at Miria who also was slightly perturbed by Selene’s pleas. They both expected that she might react like this, but not to such extent. Whatever pride she had, was completely thrown off the cliff. It didn’t feel to him like the usual begging for power by someone who was proven badly wrong and began trying to recoup losses. He felt… desperation from her.

Selene didn’t move, staying in a prostrated position all the time, waiting for any next words that would come from Asterios. She didn’t want to speak even a single unnecessary one to not offend him even more than she already did. He could very well just throw her into the portal, he had all the right, but she stayed unmoving and prayed in her mind that he would actually listen to her, no matter how improbable the chance was.

Asterios consulted Miria mentally and she also shared her sensing the desperation in Selene’s voice. She told him that Spiritual Foxes was a proud tribe that normally wouldn’t reduce themselves to this state even when faced with an enormously stronger foe. She still didn’t like the woman but was at least a little bit inclined to listen to her story. He agreed and they both sighed almost in sync. Miria giggled. 

Now, it was time to question the rude fox about her true intentions.