[TWS] Chapter 290 – The Value of Blood

After lazing around on the bed for a little longer, Asterios and the girls got up and left their temporary residence. Right away, they noticed that the people had returned to the streets and wore slightly more relaxed expressions. Their group still attracted lots of attention just by showing up, but the villagers rarely ran away or hid from their sight. Presto must have spread some positive information on them while they had been talking.

Thanks to that, they decided to take one more trip around the settlement, this time as a full party. Without feeling like they were intruding on the residents and their lives, they could properly enjoy experiencing the Lizardkin’s somewhat primitive architecture and way of living. Zoe was especially curious and excited to learn more about this place as the origin of her people.

The more courageous Lizardkin even approached Asterios and the others during their walk to ask a question or two about them, the outside world, and their business with the chief. Save for the last topic, Ast’s group happily indulged the residents, in turn learning more about the people.

While living in such a harsh environment was definitely rough, no one seemed to dislike it. Many took pride in being able to persevere and even thrive under their current circumstances. The small part of draconic heritage that ran in their blood had clearly made the Lizardkin fiercer and tougher. Tiny bits of pride and arrogance could be spotted in their way of talking about their ability to adapt to living in difficult conditions and stand strong against any adversity. Asterios felt even more hesitant about taking the Ancestral Flame away from these people.

Before paying the chief a visit, they stopped by a small restaurant or tavern, invited for a meal by the owners. Miria was ecstatic about trying out the meat from the evolved beasts they had encountered on their way here and Zoe quickly matched her enthusiasm. Everyone grew curious and they finally caved in.

As they were waiting for their meals, leaving the choice to the owners, who were at the same time the only cooks, the couple’s son shared some tales from his hunts. The man looked to be around Ast’s age and certainly could boast of an adequate physique for his occupation. It seemed that these lands were home to plenty of dangerous and crafty creatures which had come to be thanks to the draconic influence over the region.

But, while they were dangerous, they also were extremely delicious. Miria basically melted while stuffing her mouth full of juicy venison which came from a stag with wings and a tail resembling that of a Dragon. Hunting such a creature was quite difficult and mostly done by True Dragonkin since the stag could obviously take into the air.

Everyone else approved of the dishes too. Zoe visibly tried to act more restrained and polite in terms of table manners when compared to her best friend, but the girls could clearly see her being just as amazed, which made them exchange smiles with Asterios. After he let her know that they didn’t care about how properly she held herself around them, the Wolfkin blushed lightly and toned down her reservations a little bit, fully enjoying the new environment and experiences.

With their bellies bursting with fulfilling food, they stumbled out of the fine diner and headed for the center of the village. They arrived at the building where they had first met the chief without any issues and the guards let them in immediately. Thankfully, Presto was present in his office and one of the sentries led them to the chief. The man welcomed them with a smile and open arms, seating everyone down around a small table.

“I heard you’ve been traveling around the village and experiencing our culture, Great Lord. Hopefully, you find our boring little settlement enjoyable,” he began.

“We certainly do.” Silvia nodded politely.

“Yes! The food is heavenly!” Miria added with a wide grin.

The chief chuckled lightly. “That certainly is true. I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to survive on normal meat and vegetables after decades of living accustomed to these. But, anyway, does your presence in my office bear any specific reason, perhaps? May I somehow help you?”

“In fact, you possibly could,” Asterios answered. “First of all, how are your reserves of Dragonsteel?”

“Well, we have enough to get by, that’s for sure. There’s a small emergency stash hidden in this building’s secret cellar but most of it has already been turned into weapons and tools a long time ago. Reforging weakens the metal so we rarely do that. If that’s what you are after, Great Lord, then just say a word and we will collect as much of it as we can. I would only respectfully ask you to consider leaving us at least our weapons for the sake of everyone’s safety,” Presto replied and bowed his head almost to the very table.

“Please, rise.” Asterios placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “We don’t intend to take your Dragonsteel away. We did come here in search of it, yes, but I think we have discovered a solution that could potentially benefit both sides.”

“Yes?” The chief looked up at him curiously.

“Do you maybe still have some tin to spare?” Asterios raised a brow at the man.

Presto’s eyes glimmered with understanding. “Why, of course, Great Lord! While it’s not exactly a lot, I’m sure we can locate more deposits if the need arises! Should I send our scouts to take care of it?”

“Let’s wait with that for now.” Asterios chuckled at his enthusiasm. “It would be a waste of their time and effort if I end up unable to recreate the feat of your ancestor. I can’t be completely sure about that without trying first. Do we have enough for a little experiment?”

“Naturally!” The man stood up in a flash. “I’ll arrange everything in just a moment! Please, meet me at our sacred grounds in about fifteen minutes! I think that's a more than adequate place for such a miracle!”

Without waiting for a response, the village chief burst out of the room like the wind. The girls chuckled at his behavior while Asterios couldn’t help but smile wryly. He really hoped things would work out as the Lizardkin didn’t seem like bad people and Asterios could see himself abusing their beliefs for his own gain less and less. They certainly weren’t perfect existences, but which race really was?

Following the chief’s instructions, they moved to the small shrine after the mentioned time had passed and unlocked the obstructed staircase on their own. As expected, the man was already down there, waiting for them with a big smile. A small, wooden crate stood by his side, filled to the brim with chunks of tin ore.

Presto picked one up as they arrived in front of him. “I hope this much will be to your liking, Great Lord.”

“Just Asterios. And yes, this should be more than enough.” Asterios took the piece from the man and rotated it in his fingers as the girls examined the box full of metal too. “Is there anything you can tell me about the process itself?”

The chief rubbed his chin. “Hmmm. From what I remember, it was enough to let the ore soak in the blood for a few hours. We usually left it right under the Ancestral Flame as it’s the most abundant source of spiritual energy in the area. There’s not much else to it.”

“The question is, can it change with your blood and his energy, or do the two have to match?” Grea mused while wrinkling her nose.

“There’s only one way to check,” Tina said with a shrug and picked up a wide, flat bowl.

The girls filled it with tin ore just enough to cover its entire surface without creating a second layer. Miria held up another bowl and they did the same, making sure that both deep plates were more or less the same in terms of ore quantity and placement. They brought the first one to Asterios, sitting down on the ground so that he didn’t have to pour his blood into it while standing.

“Should I prepare the medicine, my Lord?” Selene asked as he dematerialized his sleeve. “This might require more or less the same amount of blood as our summoning attempt.”

“Let’s first see how it goes. I’m way different from back then and I’m curious just how much everything that happened after changed me. I’ll let you know when I’ll need your assistance.” He smiled at her warmly.

“Actually, I don’t know if it makes any difference since I know nothing about Dragons, but the other one bled while in its true form, right?” Zoe joined in with a slightly hesitant tone. “At the very least, it should be safer and less exhausting with a bigger body.”

Asterios paused and they all turned to their canine companion. Zoe smiled awkwardly while meeting their gazes until Asterios chuckled and shook his head.

“Good thinking. We almost forgot about that. Thanks, Zoe.” He nodded appreciatively.

“Oh, it’s nothing. You might want to test it out in your humanoid form anyway.” Her smile grew a little.

“If it works in his draconic form, I don’t really see a reason not to use it all the time,” Tina said. “As you mentioned, it will definitely affect him less.”

“Yeah. Give me a bit of space, then. We don’t want to damage anything here.” Asterios stepped back while the others retreated under the skeleton.

The face of the village chief as Ast’s body gradually shifted into that of a full True Dragon bordered on zealous reverence and unspeakable awe. Silvia expected the man to tear up in just a moment like a few equally stunned people she had seen in the past, who had witnessed her father’s true ability. Though, she definitely hadn’t expected to find herself in that situation like ever. Yet, her might trumped over his and she had no doubt it was just a matter of time for her to experience something similar.

Transformed completely, Asterios carefully moved closer to the edge of the skeleton and laid down. He fit inside the chamber without much of an issue. The other Dragon must have been slightly bigger than him so he had some space for movement inside the manmade cavern.

“What now?” Miria asked, bringing the first bowl to his side.

He puffed some hot air at her, making the panthergirl giggle cutely, and lowered his head to his front leg. They watched as he carefully opened his jaws and bit on his limb. Slowly and with utmost precision, Asterios scratched his sharp teeth over his scales until he managed to pry one of them off and the fist-sized plate fell next to Miria.

“It should be easier to make a cut like this,” he said with his powerful voice, positioning the created opening near his small mate.

Miria was a bit hesitant at first but quickly resolved herself. Holding the bowl in one hand, she unsheathed one of her shortswords and coated it with mana. She didn’t want to hurt her beloved master more than necessary so she was determined to do it right on the first try. She wouldn’t fail him when he trusted her.

She pressed the tip of her blade into Ast’s tough skin and took a deep breath. Making use of all her available strength without invoking more of her bloodline, she pierced and slashed through its surface in one quick move, creating a perfectly straight line. Drawing her weapon back, she hastily brought the bowl close and frowned in confusion as no blood flowed from the wound.

Selene showed up next to her with a soft smile and her hand surrounded by light blue spiritual energy. The fox lady was magically pressing onto the cut and preventing it from unnecessary leaks. Miria smiled back at her and they worked together to let some of Ast’s blood slowly flow into the bowl without dripping anywhere else. Soon, the chunks of ore were halfway covered with the scarlet liquid and they stopped.

Tina brought her own bowl and they repeated the motion while the others watched the steady trickle of crimson fluid in full control of the spiritual vixen’s technique. Both containers were ready in a flash and Bryn stepped in to heal up Ast’s wound. She picked up the scale afterward and put it against his skin to try and reattach it, but Asterios puffed at her softly, stopping the Valkyrie.

“Leave it be. I don’t really fancy sitting on the ore like a hen on a basket of eggs so we’ll need something to hold and leak my spiritual energy in my place,” he said and she nodded.

Shifting back to his usual shape, he thanked the girls with a gentle peck each and they moved one of the bowls under the Dragon’s Heart. As for the other, Tina moved it away from the Ancestral Flame and they gathered around it together. Asterios focused deeply and transferred as much of his draconic mana into the scale as it could take. Just in case, he only used the crimson energy. Later if things worked out, they would most likely try with the onyx one, or perhaps both at once.

“And now we wait.” Grea put her hands on her hips while staring at the bowl with Ast’s scale in it. “Any ideas on what to do in the meantime?”

“I do have some.” Asterios nodded. “Do you mind if we return to our quarters for the time being, Presto?”

“Not in the slightest, Lord Asterios.” The man bowed deeply. “I’ll personally let you know the moment anything changes within the ore. I’m sure it won’t take long. I have a good feeling about this.”

They left him inside the underground chamber, scurrying back and forth between the two bowls, and returned to the surface. Grea snickered, laughing at the chief’s craziness, but Asterios quickly pacified his own crazy mate with some intense tail rubs. Everyone chuckled at the barely walking straight demon lady and headed to their residence while having lots of fun.

Arriving back home, Selene jumped to her realm and brought some chilled drinks for everyone, which were perfect for the heated atmosphere. If not for Silvia’s constant efforts to shield them, most of the girls would have experienced it much, much worse than just getting all sweaty in a blink and being non-stop parched.

“What did you have in mind back there, Ast?” the princess asked as they settled down and satisfied their thirst.

“I think I’m going to return for a moment,” he answered. “I don’t want to leave this Dragon’s Heart behind, but I lack ideas on what to do about it. I’m pretty sure promising them a stable supply of Dragonsteel doesn’t come anywhere close to compensating for the loss of the Ancestral Flame, which is kind of vital to their tribe.”

“You are going to ask Althea,” Tina stated.

“That’s the plan.” Asterios nodded. “Maybe she will come up with something of similar value I can give them. She knows much more about both kinds of Dragons than any of us.”

“Consulting your elders is always a good decision,” Bryn said and then smiled wryly. “Well, most of the time.”

They all chuckled together, except for Zoe, who couldn’t really get the reference.

“Alright. You go and chat up the pretty lady and we will keep watch here to share the good news with you as soon as they come, right, girls?” Grea smirked and glanced over all the others.

“I would certainly like to stay here if you don’t mind, Master.” Miria scooted closer to him and rubbed her face into his neck while purring softly.

“I have to stay anyway or else no one else can.” Silvia chuckled quietly.

“Sorry about that.” Asterios smiled at her apologetically.

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean it as a complaint. I enjoy this place too. Especially with everyone by my side.” She smiled back at him sincerely.

“I could go with you,” Tina suggested. “We can use my gate to get back to Glimmervale and move back to the Garden of Sinners with Umbra. I know you should be able to get back on your own without a problem, but just in case. And it will look proper for both of us to show up as I’m technically the lord’s wife.”

A faint blush covered her supple cheeks as she finished and Asterios reached out to take her palm into his hand.

“Of course. We should make it look the least suspicious we can,” he replied. “Anyone else?”

The others shook their heads, and it wasn’t like Zoe could even join the duo. Therefore, Miria promised to take care of her friend and use this time to spend some time with her while the girls just rested or wandered around the village too. After a minute or two of snuggly farewells, Tina opened a portal back home and she disappeared with Asterios. Just as planned, Umbra took them back to the elves and they resurfaced inside Althea’s lair, close to the entrance so as not to be rude and pop up right in front of her.

Asterios expanded his senses to check if their new draconic friend was home and found the emerald-haired lady inside the bower they had first met in. He knew she had noticed them too and led the way while walking hand-in-hand with Tina. It didn’t take them long before they found the wooden structure and joined Althea on the curved bench.

“Welcome back.” The Dragon lady smiled at them gently. “What do I owe this pleasure of meeting the two of you so soon? Or did you perhaps come to enjoy a quiet, relaxing moment in my lair?”

Tina immediately flushed red as Asterios smiled wryly. Bryn’s date was obviously not a secret amongst his other mates and the tiny smirk rising at the corner of Althea’s lips made it clear that she too knew exactly what she was talking about with that hidden tease.

“While your home truly is magnificent and calming, we wanted to consult you about something this time,” Asterios said after clearing his throat. “But first, how are you feeling? Is there any progress on the antidote?”

She sighed heavily. “I’m afraid not. At least not yet. As for my health, I am fine, as you can see. Thanks to your efforts, of course. So, what can I help you with?”

“We would like to kindly ask you to share your wisdom with us,” Tina replied, regathering herself.

They then proceeded to briefly explain the situation they had found themselves in. Starting with their departure, through the journey, up to the unusual discovery of a certain beastfolk subrace and their secret, they mentioned as many important details as they could. Throughout the captivating story with a few twists, Althea was visibly surprised, shocked, and amused.

“It looks like you can’t catch a break.” She chuckled at Asterios. “For a Dragon’s Heart to just remain there after the death of its owner is almost unheard of. It does happen, of course, but the chances are so slim. Your life is full of opportunities.”

“And an equal amount of troubles,” Tina added with a tiny smirk.

“I agree that it will be beneficial for you to assimilate that source. It certainly won’t remain there forever. If it’s leaking as much spiritual energy as to transform an entire region, it has to be damaged,” Althea added.

“That could be used as an argument with the Lizardkin,” Tina suggested, glancing up at Asterios.

“Is it any dangerous?” he asked.

“No, not really.” The Dragon lady shook her head. “You should have no issues absorbing it. Judging by what you told me, it should remain active for about a century more, at most. Perhaps a half is more realistic. The longer it stays leaking, the weaker it gets, naturally.”

“I still don’t feel like taking it away from them without giving anything back.” Asterios rubbed his forehead. “Do you maybe have any ideas about what I could do in this situation?”

“You really are nothing like them.” She smiled kindly. “In fact, I do. Why not take the dead Dragon’s place?”

“Take his place?” Asterios furrowed his brows at her.

“Make them your slaves instead.”