[TWS] Chapter 332 – The Beginning of Surprises

Walking through the gate, Asterios carried no expectations, but they were still greatly exceeded. For about half a day's worth of work, the underground lair was really coming incredibly close to its counterpart from the elven land. The one most striking difference was most likely only the lack of the artificial sun and moon that should illuminate the whole cavern. The walls were still just walls too, not yet hidden behind a cozy illusion.

Yet, everything else was pretty much all finished. The previously empty space had been filled with thoughtfully placed trees, bushes, hedges, paths, and all other kinds of floral designs or decorations. It felt just like Althea’s previous lair, but not to the tiniest detail. And that was good since they weren’t aiming to simply recreate it one-to-one.

Althea was beginning a new chapter in her long life. Having something familiar by her side would help keep the warm memories fresh, but it was a good idea to introduce some gentle change too, which would symbolize her change. A mix of both approaches, one could say.

Hearing steps behind his back, Asterios glanced over his shoulder and watched the girls join him. They had slipped out of their ceremonial robes already and returned to their usual attire and gear, which was obviously much easier to go around in while working and taking care of other things. Besides, he had no doubt that it was not the last time he would get to see them in those charming dresses.

Meeting his gaze, Tina flushed a little and lowered her face shyly while looking up at him. Asterios raised a brow at his blue-haired girlfriend and she made a few quick glances around. Still smiling at him adorably, she grasped the front of her skirt and lifted it gingerly. Reaching far enough, she brought an invigorating image to Ast’s eyes, flashing him the cute red ribbon still being the only thing functioning as her underwear. After noticing that he had noticed, she hastily covered herself and blushed even deeper, looking away.

She really had to wear it for the entire day.

Soon, everyone’s attention was brought to more pressing matters as Radir, Suanori, and the elf duo arrived in front of them. Cynthia stepped forward with a big smile.

“What do you think? Will it do?” She gestured around, spreading her arms wide.

“With a little bit more here and there, it will be perfect.” He nodded appreciatively. “You didn’t have to rush it so much, though.”

“Oh, we haven’t. Things just flowed. And still flow,” Suanori answered with a light chuckle. “Save for the formations on the walls. Those are taking quite some time due to their complexity.”

“Having some issues, old man? Getting out of touch already?” Grea grinned at her father and he smirked back at her.

“Come here and let’s see who is losing their touch. I would be surprised to see you remember even half of the shit after scoring yourself that handsome boyfriend of yours,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are you implying that I’ve been slacking off on my responsibilities?” She mirrored the motion and squinted at him.

“I bet you are working hard on your responsibilities multiple times a week.” Radir snickered. “Just perhaps not the ones you should be.”

“That’s it! I’m going to show you why exactly your generation is already obsolete!” Grea huffed and stomped his way, stopping by Ast’s side to place a peck on his cheek. “Don’t wait on me, love. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She grabbed her father by the scruff of his neck and led the man away as they started chatting quite vehemently. Asterios could only shake his head at their interactions. He turned back to the rest of the team after his eccentric mate disappeared from their sight.

“Need any help here?” He glanced at the remaining trio.

“I could use some. It gets much easier to work on the terrain with the support of your mana,” Suanori responded. “We’ll be done faster that way. And I’m pretty sure Imadil and Cynthia could use some of your energy too.”

“We are constructing an artifact that shall transfer real sunlight and moonlight depending on the time of the day, sending it here to illuminate this cavern,” Cynthia chimed in. “It's quite an ambitious project that’s a bit out of our area of expertise, but it should be doable. You might have to refill the part that will be embedded into the ceiling once in a while, though.”

“Sounds good. Just let me know what to do.” He smiled and glanced at his mates.

“We’ll leave you to your work, then. It’s going to progress much quicker and smoother without any… distractions.” Tina chuckled quietly as her charming cheeks colored a bit.

He smirked at her as a few giggles joined them and followed the trio as the ladies left through their own gates. Suanori pulled him right into their work and his thoughts focused solely on finishing Althea’s lair as soon as possible and in the best way they could achieve it. A good day of honest effort was always met with a satisfying evening of rest. Which, as he’d assumed, would be even more entertaining than usual with the girls definitely planning something more for the night of his birthday.

Time flew rather fast and a few hours passed quickly. It was a good moment to take a break for lunch as they’d made some good, even great progress. The formations in the walls weren’t yet fully done, but the magical contraption was mounted in the ceiling. Imadil and Cynthia had to get back to the surface to continue with the next part, which required them to set up panels that would absorb sunlight and moonlight.

Before he could open a portal to one of the girls, though, Asterios watched Umbra materialize himself out of the shadows right in front of him. The towering, misty form of the Lord of Darkness met his curious gaze.

~It is time,~ Umbra declared.

“Why do I feel like you don’t mean lunch?” Asterios chuckled.

~Please, come with me, Master,~ his summon continued.

“Uh oh. Lead the way, then.” He shrugged mentally and let the darkness consume him.

In a flash, the shadows receded and revealed the new surroundings. Asterios was a bit confused as he recognized one of the gates in the newly built defensive wall, most likely the southern one if he remembered correctly. But, his confusion was quickly replaced with surprise as he noticed the decorations adorning fortifications and the town behind them.

Plenty of crimson cloth hung over everything, creating long rows of arches made with expensive-looking materials. Some shield-shaped tapestries joined them here and there, also of the same color, albeit slightly darker. On those tapestries, he could make out the embroidered shape of a True Dragon captured mid-flight from overhead. It was all black and menacing. Above it, near the very top of the ornamental shield, a curved, wide crown of whitish silver gleamed in the sunlight. Depending on the angle it was looked at, it shimmered with all colors of the rainbow.

A giggle reached his ears and brought him out of his brief stupor. Glancing back, he saw his six beautiful mates approaching him dressed in those brilliant robes once more. With how much Miria was beaming at him, he had no doubt she was the source of that cute giggle from earlier.

“I told you Master would like them.” She prodded Bryn with her elbow.

“You are acting like they were your idea and design.” Selene chuckled daintily.

“Wasn’t I the one who insisted on the Dragon?” The panthergirl pouted at the fox lady.

“Like that element could have been missed in the first place, kitty girl.” Grea snickered. “Now, cease the useless banter, we have work to do, ladies.”

As they stopped in front of him, smiling warmly, Asterios roamed his gaze over their gorgeous faces. “What are those exactly?”

“You’ll learn in due time.” Silvia stepped forward and took his hand into hers, pressing a loving kiss onto his lips.

“They are celebratory decorations, what else?” Tina let out a soft giggle as she took his other hand and also briefly joined their mouths together.

“Please, tell me you didn’t hang these all around the town.” He stared between the two of them with an astonished expression.

“I don’t think Master likes us lying, so we won’t!” Miria grinned cheerfully, proud of her answer.

He sighed lightly and let his two escorts lead him past the gate, with the others following around them. “So, how far did you go with this?”

“Eh, not that far. We kept everything inside the walls. Ulyssen was really against throwing all this cloth over the forest.” Grea huffed as if the man had personally wronged her somehow. “But we made sure the town is super nice for you.”

His question wasn’t exactly answered but Asterios decided not to try prodding the girls for more information any further. They were clearly intent on keeping him in the dark with deflective and playful answers.

As they walked, he decided to alter his clothing a little bit to match their official theme. He kept the dark crimson cloak on but swapped his upper garments for a scarlet shirt and black vest with the draconic buttons he’d used during the gala he attended with Silvia and the others in the past.

All in all, he looked formal enough while retaining some of his somewhat fierce style. And the girls certainly approved.

The further in they moved, the more decorations were attached to various windows, balconies, and house walls, or even hung right over their heads, connecting both sides of the street. Besides fabrics and cloths, plenty of flowers fitting the red and black palette could be spotted at every angle. Draconic motifs and themes dominated the ornaments, though he could spot some quite characteristic details that clearly referred to Summoning Magic and spiritual energy itself.

While the streets weren’t completely empty, the people they passed could be counted on the fingers of one or two hands. Asterios had never seen Glimmervale so dead, so devoid of the usual bustling activity. He couldn’t decide if he was thrilled or scared to learn the reason behind that.

Soon enough, they arrived at the edge of the main square. At that very moment, Asterios stopped to gawk at the impossible number of people that filled the place to the very brim. Most likely everyone currently present in Glimmervale was gathered here. Lots of laughter and loud chatting filled the air alongside pleasant and lively music played by a traveling band of minstrels. Though, one of them was the centerpiece of the entire show, with the rest of the group playing a more supporting role.

But, before he could examine the unusually charismatic woman majestically playing her intricate violin while surrounded by floating smudges of various shades, something smashed lightly into his back and he found Miria’s ecstatic face right over his shoulder.

“Welcome to your birthday party, Master!” She nuzzled her cheek into his, purring lovingly straight into his ear. “You must be starving after sharing so much of your mana with Suanori and the others. Let’s grab you something to eat before the news about your arrival spreads to everyone and it turns into complete chaos!”

Tina and Silvia relinquished their hold on him and let Miria drag Asterios into the crowd. The girls chuckled to themselves and went right after them, knowing well where the panthergirl was heading. As she’d predicted, people began noticing his arrival and shooting him wide smiles while waving, nodding respectfully, or trying to say something over the loud noise, which was nigh impossible.

Miria brought him to the northwestern corner of the plaza, right by Venuzathor’s podium, which stood behind the prepared stage, making it look like the massive Dracodon was keeping an eye on the performers as well as on all the visitors. It didn’t seem like the music and shouting bothered him in the slightest or disturbed his nap.

Rows and columns of tables set with a plethora of foods and drinks filled the area. Everything was easily accessible as the benches and chairs had been moved away so as not to block anyone from getting some for themselves. Naturally, all of them were taken to the very last spot and a lot of people simply ate or drank standing, chatting with their conversation partners.

“What would you like to get, Master?” Miria pushed herself into his side and looked up at him while cutely tilting her head.

“Anything is fine, honestly. I’ll let you choose. That way, we can enjoy the food together.” He ruffled through her hair and she bolted away after shooting him one more beaming smile.

“Then, I think I know exactly what you might like to drink, my Lord, fufufu~” Selene took her place from the other side and directed a sly smirk at him while guiding them to the end of the tables.

Arriving at their destination, they stood in front of a collection of kegs and barrels full of various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The queue to each of the bartenders was hilariously long, especially for the stronger drinks. But, as Selene waved at one of the demons manning the taps, the man shouted something to his line and people hastily scattered, making space for them to approach, looking their way joyfully and raising mugs in greeting.

Ast’s brows shot to his hairline as he finally got a good look at the ash-skinned demon man. “Svertaniel?”

“Yours truly.” His old companion smiled while leaning over the counter. “Glad to see you doing alright. Or perhaps better than alright.”

“Not to mean any offense, but what are you doing here? Filling people’s drinks no less?” Asterios shook hands with him and the man gestured behind his back.

“A certain merchant contacted me and asked if I wouldn’t like to escort a delivery of some high-quality alcohol from the Demon Continent so that it could safely make it to one of the local lords’ birthday and I jumped right on that ship,” Svertaniel explained, stepping back to pour another mug from his keg and setting it down between them. “Would you like to take a sip, Your Lordship?”

Asterios glanced into the wooden cup and his eyes widened in a flash. “Wait… Isn’t this…”

“Dragon’s Piss. A drink without which your grand banquet wouldn’t feel complete, my Lord.” Selene hugged him and her palm joined his own around the mug, bringing it to her mouth to take a few quick gulps.

“Captain Moreso sends his regards,” Svertaniel continued. “A shame he couldn’t join us, but his spirit lives with us in this… spirit.”

The fox lady sighed heavily after pulling the cup away and a faint shudder passed through her body. Asterios snickered and wiped her mouth with his finger as some remains of the enchanting liquid still burned with rainbowy flames above her lip.

“Careful. You don’t want to end up like that time with all those people around, do you?” He smirked at her.

“You can always refresh me before we reach that point, right, my Lord?” She grinned impishly and pecked his cheek.

“Guys! I got the food!” Miria’s voice reached their ears and they looked back.

The panthergirl was struggling to hold onto six full platters while balancing them on her extended arms. Before she could drop any of them, the other girls ran to her help and took a few portions off her hands. Asterios nodded politely at Svertaniel and followed them to a different spot where they could eat in relative peace.

As they dug into various meats and salads, Selene urged him to sip on his Dragon’s Piss, describing it as the greatest experience of her life, and certainly worthy of his own draconic origins. He agreed to taste it, but not without reinforcing himself with that very lineage, making sure no one noticed anything.

The liquid burned like molten lava but carried a tinge of almost impossible sweetness. It surprised him so much that Asterios choked a little and let out colorful flames as he coughed into his hand, making the girls laugh at the flashing spectacle. A bit more aware, he was able to take a few more controlled sips before relinquishing the mug to the real connoisseur. Thankfully, Silvia had grabbed more drinks for them all and shared her delicate wine with him while Miria continued to feed their master and lover different dishes.

“Oh my, I would have never thought I would get to know someone this important.” A slightly familiar feminine voice made Asterios stop receiving Miria’s treats for a moment as he tried to place it properly in his memories.

The other ladies moved aside and revealed a blond-haired woman with golden eyes and a charming smile, emanating the warm aura of a mature woman. Even though she did not wear Adventurer’s Guild uniform, that much was enough for Ast’s mind to connect the dots.

“Venera? You too?” He gaped at one of their advisors from the past.

“I couldn’t reject an invitation to a friend’s birthday, could I? It’s my honor, Lord Asterios.” She curtsied respectfully. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Ven! I missed you!” Miria launched herself at the woman and started giggling while jumping with her in a hug.

“For sure. Our constant journeys kept us so busy we kind of forgot to drop by and check how you are doing at your post.” He responded with a polite greeting of his own.

“They certainly have. From looking for lost children to looking after an entire town. That’s a lot of progress in less than a year. I still can’t believe it. In my memories, you three are no more than fresh adventurers looking for some thrill and more experience.” Venera laughed lightly. “And don’t worry. People come, people go. It’s a core part of this profession. We are but a step on the adventurers’ path to glory. And I’m proud to be one of yours, even if a small one.”

“You are more than that and you know it.” Selene shared a quick hug with her too. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. Perhaps Master could ensure that we are able to stay in touch no matter the distance in the future.”

Asterios rolled his eyes at the mischievous look his vulpine mate directed at him and shook his head. “We’ll consider it. For now, I’m glad to see you, though certainly surprised by your presence. But, don’t take it personally. I had no idea any of these people would be here, not to mention our past friends and allies. I had an inkling that the girls were preparing something for the evening, but a grand festival for the entire town certainly wasn’t it.”

“You can’t be as shocked as I was about the invitation and the news it carried. Or your new appearance. I must say, these eyes suit you. You’ve become much more regal and proud,” she complimented him with a quiet chuckle.

“It is true that Asterios possesses all the qualities of a respected leader and admired monarch,” Silvia joined in, showing up by his side. “My Father knew what he was doing when choosing him for Glimmervale’s governor.”

“I think you make an amazing couple, Princess.” Venera curtsied towards her. “Oh, pardon me but as much as I would like to chat more, it looks like my time is up. I promised some of my colleagues from this place to join them for the festivities. I hope we’ll be able to meet later in the evening.”

Ast’s group nodded at her and she pushed to the crowd to reach a duo of girls waving at her. They quickly recognized Ellie with Truvi on her shoulders and chuckled at the sight. It looked like the trio of receptionists had already hit it off rather well during their short time.

He turned back to the girls who were grinning and smiling at him. “Well, who else did you bring here? Or am I going to keep finding out on my own for the rest of the—”

A loud chime of a bell interrupted him and they all jumped a little, laughing it off together afterward. It was a tune they knew all too well. An announcement was coming, and since the people were already gathered, they directed their gazes to the small stage. As expected, the members of the Committee lined up in front of the bards and minstrels, with Ulyssen taking place before the sound-enhancing artifact.

Asterios had a feeling that he was in for a lot more surprises today.

★━━━━━━━━━━━━Author's Notes━━━━━━━━━━━━★

Apologies. Looks like I got a bit ahead of myself again :v Here's one chappy for now. I'll try to finish the second one quickly and hopefully share it alongside BIAW's one.