[TWS] Chapter 308 – Deadly Deception

“Be careful,” Althea warned, with her usual, soft voice tinged with a sharper note due to her draconic form. “Its skin keeps releasing poisonous fumes and secretions. I don’t know if they were always this strong or if the consumed toxins strengthened it, but don't let it get into your wounds.”

Asterios angled his head to take a glance at her without losing sight of the snake. “How are you holding up? You’ve been clashing with it for a while.”

“I’ll be fine in this form.” She attempted a smile at him with her long muzzle. “It’s my duty to protect the Tree, even at the cost of my own life.”

“No!” Civienne shouted from the Dragon’s lady back, hitting her scales with her fist as they watched the serpent crawl to the side. “As the current queen, I forbid you from dying a needless death!”

Althea chuckled in amusement. “I’m afraid my oath precedes your investiture by far. This is not a matter in which you can parley with me, child. I’ve been lenient with you and your behavior enough. I can’t oversee any more of it.”

The queen set her lips in a firm line while her icy gaze drilled into her teacher’s back, powerless against the protector of her race. And the Tree.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary,” Asterios said, interrupting their little argument. “I’ll force the serpent to focus on me. The protection granted by my mates will assure my safety. You just focus on watching over the Tree and chime in whenever there’s no risk for your condition to worsen even more.”

“I agree with Asterios’ recommendation,” Bryn joined in as she flew up to float between the two Dragons. “I can see the monster’s poison gnawing at your vitality. Please, leave it to us. Master needs a mentor and we can’t have you die.”

A brief moment of silence descended on them as everyone watched the abyssal snake slither through Althea’s lair, knocking down numerous trees on its path.

“I shall act the way befitting my oaths,” she finally replied with resolution in her voice. “But, I will keep your words in mind. Now, it looks like this is as far as we get to prepare ourselves. The beast is coming.”

Asterios quickly roamed his gaze over the small figures of his beloved mates and they all nodded at him, understanding his worry and silent request without the need to rely on their intimate connection. Grea hastily retreated a little bit as Queen Civienne joined her on the ground next to the fallen stump. Giving Asterios one last affectionate peek, Miria took their side too, letting him and the other girls focus on offense.

Seeing the rustle of the thin trees heading their way and hearing the loud cracking of broken bark, Asterios released a booming roar in the direction of the commotion and pushed himself forward with both his strong draconic legs and his wide, leathery wings. He left a faint, shiny trail behind his ferocious frame, gleaming in the colors of all the magic that coated his body.

Sensing his challenge, the snake launched itself into the air, revealing its ominous form previously obstructed by the loose forest. It hissed madly as it soared to meet him with its jaw unhinged and its deadly-sharp fangs dripping with misty venom that melted the ground wherever it fell.

Deciding not to test the strength of his additional armor, Asterios spun around his own axis to dodge the attack instead of blocking it. His hind legs kicked the serpent’s head, redirecting it away from the Tree as they separated from their brief encounter. He instantly flapped his wings and dove after the monster, gathering a mix of his black and red flames in the depths of his throat.

His opponent began bobbing and weaving the moment it hit the grass, almost as if knowing that Ast’s breath was coming. A column of unyielding fire scorched the ground to ashes while trying to land on the snake’s elusive body. It failed to hurt the beast, but it at least herded it around the Tree, blocking it from moving any closer.

Then, a number of swirling tornadoes rose in front of the slithering monster like a field of deadly traps. Each one was taller than the snake and spun in the opposite direction while filled with deafening waves of dark azure water. It was forced to slow down or risk getting launched into the air again, with much less control over its flight this time.

That allowed Ast’s flames to finally lick at the serpent’s frame but they didn’t do more than just singe its scales, sending small clouds of toxic mist into the surroundings on each contact. It looked like he would need to focus his breath on one spot for a longer time to evoke any meaningful effect on his enemy’s tough and clearly magically reinforced skin. With how fast it was moving, that possibility seemed far from likely.

Receiving a mental ping, he stopped his fire. The snake’s movements relaxed a tiny bit as it was no longer chased by a relentless pillar of crimson-onyx heat. But, that proved to be a mistake as Selene’s vulpine shape suddenly emerged from behind one of the whirlpools. She whipped a somersault to the back, smacking its snout with all ten tails she could currently muster, which were adorned with the same spiritual armor of cyan blue that covered Ast’s joints.

The monstrosity hissed in pain as its head bobbed up, failing to skirt around a few of the spinning torrents. They cut into its sides but failed to penetrate deep enough to create meaningful wounds. It still wasn’t confirmed if the summoned or created entity had an actual fleshy body or if it was pure darkness and poison melded together.

But, the doubts were cleared soon enough as a flash of light whizzed through the battlefield and aimed for the serpent’s head. While the beast managed to tilt itself just in time to avoid getting skewered by a celestial javelin of gold radiance, it didn’t completely evade the blow. The shimmering tip tore through its scales and left a deep gash across the roof of its flat head, which revealed ugly, purple flesh and began oozing a black, oily substance.

It glared at its assailant, the proud Valkyrie hovering in the air high above it with a spectral figure floating right behind her back with an arm in an after-throw position. Judging the target of its ire too difficult to reach, the serpent crawled around the remaining whirlpools with its mad gaze fixed on the white-furred fox standing in front of it.

Before reaching Selene, it seemed to change its mind and skirted to the side just short of getting in her range, avoiding the trap she had set up with Silvia and Tina. Still glad that they succeeded in deterring the monster away from the Tree, they counted their attempt as a win.

Unfortunately, they soon learned that the cunning entity had no intentions of backing away and it flung itself back at the fox lady, taking a sharp turn and hissing angrily. She put up a barrier between them, her tails glowing with power, but something crashed into her side with the force of an avalanche, sending her tumbling with a pained yip. It was the snake’s tail, which had snapped at her during its deceptive maneuver, making it obvious that this was its goal from the very beginning.

The spiritual shield broke into pieces alongside Selene’s focus as the snake’s head collided with the barrier, heading right for her prone form, which lay on its path to the Tree. Before it could sink its fangs into her mystical figure, Asterios dropped from the sky with a furious growl, smacking it into the ground with a resounding thud.

They rolled away while struggling against each other. The serpent nipped and snapped at him, trying to land a poisonous bite, but Asterios evaded those attempts while grappling with the wriggling fiend using his claws and magic-coated body. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bite back. Or rather, he didn’t want to take that risk, even with Bryn’s spells protecting his mouth. He needed to remain at full strength in this fight.

Noticing a coiling pressure tightening more and more around his draconic frame, Asterios chose to breathe his fire at the monster from up close, trying to deter its biting attacks until he could escape the tight grip continuing to constrict with his body in the center. His amber, flaming claws left deep marks on the snake’s scales but they failed to dig deep enough to hurt it gravelly.

Then, another flame joined his own. A light malachite fire wreathed the beast’s form while spilling over him harmlessly. He welcomed the gentle heat which was accompanied by the scent of freshly soaked wild pines. For a fraction of a second, Asterios wondered how his own Dragon’s Breaths smelled as he’d never paid that much attention to them besides the initial few times when the leftover fumes remained in his windpipe. He couldn’t help it after experiencing Althea’s pleasant flames.

A moment later, one more glow combined with the red, black, and green ones. It was a fierce orange, instantly identifying itself as part of Silvia’s powers. It didn’t have a characteristic spell besides the tingling of her magical bloodline so Asterios assumed it was a Dragon thing rather than his ability to smell fire he might have just noticed.

Their combined efforts hurt the snake enough to force it to stop squeezing him and start frantically seeking an escape. Its coiling grip on Asterios loosened just in time. Tina’s protective water armor and Selene’s shielding plates of spiritual energy were getting under too much pressure from the toxins eating away at them, almost getting through to erode and poison his own layer of natural protection in the form of crimson scales.

As they stopped rolling around, the misty fumes created by the boiling poisonous secretions began gathering around them and Asterios had to release the evil monster or he risked accidentally inhaling some. He wasn’t going to retreat without a final say and he spun around while aiming the edges of his wings at the snake’s body.

It hissed in pain as the gold-clad tips sliced through its skin a few times, creating a weaving trail of gashes over its long belly. The force behind Ast’s attack sent it flying to the back, downing another batch of still-standing trees. The condensation of flames ceased as Asterios backed off too, moving closer to the Tree.

A thick stormy cloud formed above his draconic form within a blink and a heavy rain poured onto him with enough weight to annihilate rooftops. But, he just angled his head to the side and nodded appreciatively at Tina, who was flapping her borrowed wings right next to him.

The cold water washed off any leftover toxins from his magic-coated body and cooled him down a tiny bit after the flaming bath he had taken. She wasn’t in her part-draconic form, just utilizing the strengths of her summons, most likely unable to focus on it while also sharing her magic with him.

He didn’t mind. It was usually the girls who had fought for him in the past as he mostly supported them from behind. Now, they faced an enemy that could harm them greatly by just getting close and he was more than happy to use his draconic bloodline to stand at the frontlines while it was his beloved companions who ensured his protection and safety.

As the snake glared at him and the others, reevaluating its approach before making its next move, Asterios reached out mentally to Selene, who was tended to by Bryn after the blow she’d received. They both assured him that the fox lady was fine, mostly protected by the bluish spiritual armor hovering over her fur, and the Valkyrie was actively cleansing all the toxins that had made it through before they would reach the sensitive skin.

That did nothing to ease the rage he felt against the fiendish serpent for hurting one of his precious mates. The more in line he became with his true nature, the stronger some of the emotions grew in his heart. He knew that he couldn’t succumb to those draconic urges flowing through his veins or he risked making a mistake in the throes of his blind anger.

So, he channeled anything he felt into the strength to push forward, fueling his spiritual circuits and body with that boiling-hot energy. As Venuzathor had taught him, his greatest advantage was his calm and calculating mind gained from living as a human for almost two decades. He focused on it as much as he could. This wasn’t a battle where he could let loose his beastly side and drive his fangs and claws into his enemy.

The serpent went on the move again and everyone observed it warily. It was hurt but not out of the fight yet. They were sure that it would not stop until it was either completely obliterated or fulfilled its mission given to it by the Noctis Matriarch. She’d seemed to put a lot of trust in it, sacrificing even her own life to bring it into the fight.

This time, Asterios didn’t give it time to come up with another attempt. He jumped into the air and rushed at the monster by flying close to the ground. Noticing his advance, the snake coiled around itself into a neat pile, hiding its head inside the protective dome. Asterios knew it had to be another trick so he slowed his approach, intending to only graze its body with the sharp edge of his wing, which had worked quite well in his previous attempt.

Just as he neared the beast though, it suddenly expanded in every direction as it uncoiled. He was unable to fully dodge the sudden expanse but twisted himself just enough to avoid getting pulled in and trapped inside, which definitely had to be the snake's plan. Smacked away, Asterios crashed into the grass and rolled a few times, quickly locking its gaze back on the enemy, expecting it to follow up with another attack.

But, to his surprise, the serpent completely ignored him and was already speeding toward the women and the Tree. He rushed right after it from behind as Selene, Tina, and Silvia blocked its path, preparing their spells, leaving Bryn to begin casting an emergency shield just in case. Spotting a bunch of toxic liquid dripping out of the snake’s maw, Asterios had a feeling that a new attack was coming.

~Watch out!~ he cautioned the three ladies as the void-touched fiend stopped, elevated its head, and spewed a sinister, acidic jet of venom out of its mouth.

His worry was unnecessary though, as the pressurized stream missed all of them completely and whizzed towards the Tree, which had been its target from the very beginning.

“No!” Althea shouted in panic, knowing that the barrier wouldn’t make it before the first bits of the venom reached the bark.

She shoved herself into its path and the toxic sludge coated her emerald scales as she whimpered in pain. Civienne’s terrified scream rang through the air as the barrier popped up into existence and cut off the venomous jet in half, blocking it off. Althea didn’t control her momentum any further and crashed into the ground with a powerful tremor.

The serpent continued to shoot its acid at the protective layer as Asterios neared its position. Bryn’s spell was flickering under the assault, waning in strength moment after moment, just showing how serious of a threat the snake’s toxins were.

Before he could make it, Selene and Tina showed up above the beast’s head, both wielding massive spiritual weapons. The axe and the hammer struck its top, snapping its maw shut, interrupting the stream just as the Valkyrie’s technique shattered, repelling the last bits of the evil venom.

With the situation under control, Asterios began adjusting his flight from a desperate charge to a more tactical pace, thinking about their next move. The girls’ blows injured the monster, though it wasn’t as much as Bryn’s first hit on it. Her element was clearly advantageous against it.

But, his eyes widened as he saw the serpent’s cheeks puff out. He had seen and worked with enough snakes to recognize that motion. It usually accompanied them taking a sip of water, which meant their maw was completely full of something. And that something clearly hadn’t come from the outside.

“Get back!” he roared, speeding up again.

Connected to him deeply, the ladies started retreating immediately, Selene blinking away with a cerulean flash while Tina flapped her wings as strongly as she could. The monster opened its mouth and a thick cloud of black gas exploded in every direction. Asterios cut right through it while holding his breath, made it to Tina before the poison, and crashed into her with his belly, wrapping himself around her as the mist swallowed them whole.

He flew out of its range a second later and crash-landed, holding his beloved colleague tightly and gently to his draconic chest. As he stopped rolling, finishing on his side, he unwrapped his limbs and wings from around Tina and found the short girl just fine, staring up at him with a slightly disoriented expression. She smiled at him gratefully and he sighed in relief, causing her azure hair to flutter from his hot breath.

“Where has it gone?” Miria asked from nearby and they saw the panthergirl standing atop his shoulder, looking intently in the other direction.

Asterios let Tina down to receive support from Grea and craned his neck to follow his feline mate’s gaze. The black smoke dissipated low enough to reach an average person to their chest as it hung ominously like a morning fog of death. There was no trace of the serpent while Selene and Silvia hovered over it, scanning its surface with deep focus.

He frowned, looking around. Not wasting any time, he flapped his wings with all he had, evoking yelps of surprise from both the women on the ground and the panthergirl on top of him. She skilfully jumped down as he soared up, high above the stump, expecting an attack from a new angle from somewhere on the other side of the Tree.

“Below!” Civienne shouted, kneeling by Althea’s side.

The ground shook and soon burst open right next to Miria, Tina, and Grea. With its jaws open wide, the toxic snake lunged for the Tree from up close. It looked like all its recent actions were an even more elaborate scheme to deceive them than they had thought. Its sharp fangs sank into the wood with a victorious hiss.

Althea burst forward with a newfound spurt of energy and slammed into the beast to push it away but it held onto the Tree with its vicious teeth. She growled menacingly while coiling her own body around its long form, struggling to pull it off before too much of its venom made it into the Tree’s system, not caring for how much direct contact was in with the toxins.

“Behead it!” the queen ordered, gathering her mana into a massive blade of wind. “Quickly!”

“No!” Asterios countered, arriving by the monster next. “It won’t stop the flow!”

He positioned himself right at the snake’s split maw and looked it right into its crazed eye. It definitely held no emotion, but he felt like it was laughing at him for making fools out of everyone. Ignoring it, Asterios dug the claws of his front legs into the serpent’s gums near the end of its snout and the claws of his hind legs into its gums near the joining part of its jaws.

The monstrosity sensed his intentions but it couldn’t do anything in its current position.

Asterios inhaled deeply and breathed the most intense mix of flames he could muster down the snake’s throat, at the same time, straining his draconic muscles to their limits, supplying them with everything he could, including the external layers of mana the girls had coated him with.

Its ugly, purple flesh sizzled under the assault as the snake spasmed in pain.

Then, its jaws trembled.

And that was all it took.

Asterios’ strength immediately took hold of the created opportunity and a loud, echoing snap rolled through the wrecked lair as he literally folded the serpent’s head the opposite way in a single blink, the tips of its nose and chin meeting the poisonous skin with a perfect, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree angle each.

It did not survive.

Althea’s pulling yanked it away and crashed them both into the ground below the stump. The snake’s jaws flailed comically as they lost all support. She unwound herself from its carcass as Asterios descended to meet her. He dismissed the girls’ enchantments and returned to his humanoid form, with Althea following after him shortly.

She ignored everyone’s gazes and the desperate hug from the queen as she stared past them with a sad expression. Asterios turned around and saw sinister, black veins unhurriedly spreading over the Tree’s bark, originating from two deep holes out of four visible to them.

“It’s over.” Civienne was the first to break the silence. “That’s too much even for you to handle at your best, Teacher. All we can do is delay the inevitable. We have failed.”

The reality of the situation must have finally settled in the queen’s mind as she slid down to her knees, letting go of her beloved teacher and friend, staring blankly at the mighty Tree of Life as it was slowly and painfully consumed from within.

They weren’t sure if the poisons the snake ingested were what triggered the final reaction or if its own venom was just that powerful. But considering the fact that the noctis were dosing the Tree with their concoctions for literal ages, it could have been both. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been enough if Asterios was a second or two faster at ripping the monster’s jaws apart. But, it wasn’t like it mattered.

Althea walked to the stump, stumbling a little as her complexion returned to its previous, pale state from before Bryn’s treatment and the consumption of various antidotes. She placed her palm on its bark, looking up at the Tree’s towering might with a pensive expression.

Then, as if making some kind of resolution in her mind, she turned her face to Asterios.

“Perhaps not all hope is lost yet.”