Rise of the Weakest Summoner

“Yes, My Lord!” Kathy shouted back, answering in the name of her entire party.

“Good. At ease, we don’t need to be so stiff about it in private.” Asterios nodded approvingly as the six became less tense and threw curious glances at him and the others.

“And who is this if I may ask?” the vice-captain added.

“Meet Visenna. She’s an observer. You don’t need to concern yourselves with her too much as her role is related only partially to what you are going to experience,” Tina introduced the new lady. “Right now, we should focus on the important matters associated with your future. Ast?”

He walked to stand by her side as they both faced the combatants. The rest of the ladies took their new friend with them as they made space for the upcoming ceremony, taking a spot that would allow them to witness everything from up close without interrupting the proceedings. The young Lesser Dragon didn’t mind being guided around, currently fascinated by the artificial lair, directing her curious eyes literally everywhere.

“Right. I believe you’ve already talked plenty with your direct superior so I’ll keep it short,” Asterios began. “To this day, you couldn’t really be considered true members of our elite unit even after wholeheartedly offering your service by coming under our wing with the blessing of King Welrond. And no part of that was your fault or any issue on your side. We simply weren’t ready to offer you the respect and benefits that you deserve. But, we are now ready to finalize this deal. And judging by your attire, I take it that you have made your final decision too.”

“It will be our honor and pleasure to serve you and your family, My Lord!” Kathy responded firmly and loudly. “We have already received so much and can’t imagine what else we might be deserving of!”

“Trust me, a lot.” He chuckled. “But one step at a time. What’s the situation with the tigers?”

“I talked with King Welrond and Esil,” Tina chimed in. “As of today, their summoning contracts have been kindly and willingly revoked. We decided that the new squad that’s going to be created in place of my old team is going to take over those proud beasts, which will allow both sides to visit each other if only they desire.”

“That’s smart,” Silvia complimented her. “I’m glad you were able to find a mutually-satisfying solution. I’m sure Father is going to use this as an opportunity to keep the Royal Division close to us, showing everyone that our kingdoms are in a good relationship.”

“Yeah. And this allows us to continue without worrying about any unforeseen complications from two lineage contracts,” Asterios noted.

“Two?” One of the guys from Kathy’s squad raised a brow at them.

“Yes, two. Because we have just designed a Summoning Ritual similar to that of Silvia’s family,” Asterios continued. “If you have any doubts, voice them now, because, in a moment, you are going to follow through and summon your new partners for months or years to come.”

The six people exchanged glances of excitement and wonder. After Kathy recollected herself first, she rebuked her companions and brought them back in line, all of them standing taller, awaiting his next words.

“I’ll take your silence as permission to move on.” He nodded respectfully and waved his arm. “Decide on the order, because in just a second, you are going to step into a magical circle alongside your ex-captain, now becoming your commander and supervisor. Through Tina, you will call for… certain elegant and powerful entities, who are looking forward to meeting you. They are going to be not only your trusted steeds but also actual work and life partners, hopefully becoming close friends as their side of the contract offers them this nation and this realm as a new home to live in and learn. Treat them like you would treat your current friends from the unit.”

As he was speaking, a fiery trail slithered through the air and burned the grass in a perfect rendition of Grea’s design. The men appeared slightly confused while Kathy grew only more enthusiastic and positively nervous. She’d already heard this much straight from him, but the chances she had guessed who or what it would be were relatively low. That didn’t stop her from looking forward to it.

Letting them discuss the order, Asterios turned alongside Tina to face the array. She smiled at him affectionately, and he reciprocated the gesture while pulling off the scaly necklace. Giving her a moment to gather her hair, he tied it around her slender neck, brushing it gently with his thumb and evoking a delicate blush on her noble cheeks.

Then, he looked at their upcoming peacekeepers and elite sentries. “Who’s first?”

“I am, My Lord.” Kathy saluted lively and sauntered up to them.

“Take a spot in the middle and remember to keep your mind open. Try not to pry too much into the connection as we are hoping that it will find a good fit for you on its own. The rest is in your and Tina’s hands.” He patted the woman on the shoulder.

Nodding respectfully, she followed his orders. Tina sent Asterios one last glance and recomposed herself. He took a few steps back and watched her raise her palm over the circuits from outside, and Hydran made a slight cut in her finger.

~We are ready,~ she communicated to Rusi.

~Same here. Any specific instructions for us?~ her draconic familiar replied.

~No. Actually, maybe there are…~ Tina changed her mind and Asterios could hear the sly tone in her voice, the ladies giggling playfully after sharing a few more thoughts.

As soon as three drops of blood fell onto the burned marks, they lit up with a strong crimson glow. Slight spiritual winds tickled everyone around, warming up the air and causing the nearby grass and trees to sway gently. Then, surprisingly, Kathy opened her mouth and spoke words no one had instructed her to.

“In the name of Lord Asterios Hestizo, I kindly call for thee, a friend and companion, to serve my master together with the respect he deserves as we offer you this peaceful utopia to make your new home, either temporary or permanent,” she recited, shocking even Tina. “If you may have me.”

Soon after she finished, a new pulse of mana shot outwards and an azure gate began forming slightly above the octagonal circle. Everyone waited with bated breaths to see the creature that would emerge… only to gasp in utter astonishment as a long, shiny Lesser Dragon flew out of it, reflecting the artificial sun with its dark honey scales. It snaked through the air under the ceiling before slowly descending towards the circle, the transformational mist surrounding its long body on its way down. Touching onto the grass, it morphed into a humanoid female with long hair of the same color and a warm, cordial smile.

“I answer your call, friend.” The new girl curtsied politely. “In the name of my esteemed Nest Mother Rhufija, I volunteer for your companion. Let’s get along well, shall we?”

Kathy’s jaw hung loose from utter disbelief, just as the jaws of all her colleagues. Meanwhile, Tina had an impish smirk on her lips, clearly having that bit schemed, at least regarding the actual entrance, not the words the pair had used.

Coming out of her stupor at the other woman’s tilted head, Kathy started a proper conversation with the newcomer. They introduced each other, talked briefly about their circumstances, trying their best not to get lost in the fascinating discussion about everything from both realms, and quickly came to an agreement, adding a few smaller clauses to their contract that could be considered valid only between them. It looked like the ladies were already finding a common tongue and becoming best friends.

With the contract formalized, the duo moved aside and plopped down on the grass, instantly lost in their own little world, chatting away. Now more eager than ever, the others followed the same steps, for Ast’s lack of amusement, quoting their new captain almost religiously, turning her words into some kind of a ritual phrase. 

Each member succeeded at summoning a companion without fail. Colorful Dragons emerged from the portals in a similar fashion as the first one. Four out of the remaining five turned out to be males, creating same-gender pairs with their new partners. That counted two women and four men in total. Asterios wondered if, with their mental insistence on matching good friends, they hadn’t influenced it too much, creating duos of what could be called best buddies.

But, in the end, everyone was happy.

“Alright, guys and girls. You will have plenty of time to get to know each other and have fun in a moment.” Asterios clapped his palms together a few times to get their attention after the rituals were over. “There’s one more thing you need before becoming true members of the Dragon Guard. One thing that you will require for tomorrow.”

“And what’s that?” One of the human guys peeked past his new ally.

Snapping his fingers, Asterios brought out six massive chests out of his spatial storage.

“What do you mean what?” He grinned at them as the pairs approached the boxes. “You don’t think we will let you go into battle in just those amazing but rather thin uniforms, do you?”

Lifting the lid of one of the ornate containers, he stunned his peacekeepers into complete silence, hearing some chuckles and giggles behind him as the girls witnessed their reactions.

“Suit up, ladies and gentlemen.” Asterios smirked at all twelve individuals. “Commander Tina has an important rehearsal for you to master.”

 

※ ※ ※

 

The cleared-up main square of Glimmervale was full of an almost deafening chatter as words and sentences bounced off the surrounding buildings. No one was sure why the gathering had been called, but it didn’t seem like anything too serious considering the relatively long time people had been given to reach the raised stage, currently taken over by the Committee as their ruler’s advisors prepared the scene for something. Alongside them, a band of traveling minstrels was set up, led by a familiar face of a unique demon lady that frequented the inns and pubs, sharing stories about their lord’s adventures.

Suddenly, a shadow fell onto the plaza from the otherwise completely clear sky. Those who raised their gazes to investigate it began pointing above their heads, and soon all the eyes were on the mysterious phenomenon too. The thing they saw resembled the shape of a True Dragon and was made of pure crimson flames, making the residents smile and most of the travelers and adventurers anxious to the bone.

The fiery silhouette plummeted towards the crowd, and after making a few flashy spins around its axis, crashed into the stage from above, sending a wave of comfortable heat into the audience as the fire dispersed. Kids laughed and screamed in joy while several outsiders shouted in fear and panic. Those in the know only snickered at the first-timers.

From the scorching explosion, their Lord and Guardian emerged with a friendly smile.

“Greetings, people of Glimmervale,” Asterios said, dusting off some ashes from his shoulder. “Thank you for gathering here so quickly even in these early hours. I promise it won’t be long. I have just one, maybe two small announcements to make. Will you be so kind as to listen to them?”

An echoing response of affirmation reached his ears, widening his cordial grin.

“Thank you. While there is no good or bad news, let’s start with the less fortunate one in comparison to the other.” He started pacing over the stage while keeping eye contact with the gathered. “In a day or two, I’ll need to take upon myself an extremely important journey abroad. I can’t predict how long it will take since the circumstances surrounding it are very… mystical. Nevertheless, it’s something crucial to me and my family as it involves one of our closest friends, who is in need of assistance. Therefore, I just wanted to let you know that myself, Miria, Selene, Tina, Silvia, and my mentor Althea won’t be available to help you personally with your issues for a while.”

Some people let out downcast and melancholic sighs while others nodded in understanding. In general, it was rare for someone to be truly negative with their reaction, most of the gathered simply displayed their disappointment for nothing more than theatrics and making others laugh.

“But!” Asterios raised a finger to regain their attention. “You know how seriously we take the comfort and safety of everyone living or temporarily residing in our beautiful, ever-growing city. And that’s why, there’s someone I would like to introduce to you. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please warmly welcome… the Dragon Guard!”

As he bowed forward with arms spread like a professional presenter, seven elongated shapes surged out from behind the line of buildings in the direction of the stage. The band began playing a lively, adventurous tune. People gasped in shock and wonder as seven Lesser Dragons of different colors and shades slithered through the air in a tight formation, led by one with gleaming, silver scales. Each had a rider in shiny armor, a mix of red and black from what everyone could see from this far.

Making a few circles over the city, fluidly switching positions and arrangement, they then descended to the very roofs of the central buildings and floated towards the stage from the front. Three stopped on its sides each, and the leading Dragon slowed down in the middle. Then, it let its rider hop off, revealing the person to be Tina, and hovered next to the little lady while peering at the silent crowd.

Their polite Lady was dressed in her usual blazer and skirt, but right now, they were dark crimson and dark gray respectively, almost bordering on black. Over them, she wore beautiful, seemingly ornamental armor consisting of black greaves resembling draconic legs that covered her limbs up to the line of the skirt; a fierce chestplate of the same shade that bore Dragon Valley’s sigil in the center; matching bracers and arm protection that mirrored draconic arms up to her shoulders, where fancy tassels sat atop, alongside pauldrons shaped in sideways-facing heads of a True Dragon from its upper jaw, holding onto a black cape resting over her back, also with flying Dragon painted on it; and finally, a masterful helmet also in the fashion of a draconic head, its eyes matching her eyes as the snout ended shortly above the bottom part of her face, leaving her lips and chin uncovered.

“Attention!” she shouted, and all the other riders wearing similar getups, with the difference in their militaristic uniforms being fully crimson alongside their full pants, jumped off their Dragons too. “Greet the citizens!”

Every legendary beast became surrounded in their own color of mist, and soon, in their place, stood humanoid individuals of elven beauty wearing slightly more loose robes albeit of the same red and black palette. They had no visible armor as they paired up with their riders and lined up at the front of the stage, saluting to their hearts.

“Dragon Guard pays respects to the people of Glimmervale!” they exclaimed in perfect sync.

“Assume positions!” Tina gave them new orders and they marched to make two rows, one at each of her and Ast’s sides. “At ease!”

Relaxing their muscles a bit, the two groups remained still and respectful. Their commander smiled proudly and nodded at their master. Asterios nodded back and stepped forward, gesturing at the new protectors as he addressed the crowd. He was glad the Lesser Dragons loved acting in front of people as much as they did. They had been worried a little if this much theatrics wouldn’t be too much, but their new guests were more than happy to show off.

“I’ll let you all familiarize yourselves with these twelve in the upcoming days, but this squad, under the lead of Captain Kathy, is going to watch over all of us from now on. I hope they will be able to fit in and have as much fun hanging around with us as they are going to assist everyone and watch over this magnificent settlement,” he continued. “What do you think?”

Unfortunately, the silence prevailed. The people stared at him, completely stunned. He had never experienced such a quiet moment in this plaza. Arguably, it was even quieter than during Venuzathor’s summoning. It made him chuckle nervously.

“Ah, right, I guess this is slightly surprising. They are real, though. Actual, living Lesser Dragons. As far as I know, there are no more of them in this realm than the individuals we house, and that’s because these six have been brought here by us. Summoners, remember?” Asterios stopped next to Tina and rested a hand atop her armored shoulder, to which she nodded affirmatively. “So, yeah. The name Dragon Valley might not necessarily come only from my infatuation with those glorious creatures. Who would have figured, right? There will be more of them in the future, and who knows, maybe someday I’ll become one too?”

That finally made the crowd chuckle and laugh, breaking out of the mighty daze. Men slapped each other on the back as they snorted, women giggled and rolled their eyes at their silly overseer. They already knew him well enough to recognize his jesting as inserting pretty much anything Dragon-themed into every matter was a running joke amongst the population. Some even believed he was an actual Dragon, stealing princesses left and right to lock them up in his castle, Princess Silvia being just the beginning.

Such fanfiction was rather quickly spreading throughout the city’s libraries and Asterios had a hunch about who might be behind it, choosing not to confront the perpetrator and their supporters yet.

“Until then!” Asterios shouted over the boisterous crowd. “You will have to do with these friendly guys and girls! Please, be kind to them and don’t overwhelm them too much with your questions or gifts, at least in the beginning. This is still a new world to them so they need a moment to acclimate. Now, I’ll give them a chance to properly introduce themselves and jump back to my other responsibilities. Thank you for your incredible support! Bye!”

With a warm wave, he plunged into his own shadow, and all hell broke loose in a flash. Tina, alongside the Committee, tried to get a grasp on the situation as quickly as possible, but they still struggled with the overly excited residents and outsiders. Reveals like this one didn’t happen often.

Some would argue that they didn’t happen ever.

Atop one of the rooftops at the edge of the plaza, seven individuals stood together, watching the proceedings from an elevated position, safe from the eyes of the people below. A deep shadow pooled behind them and Asterios emerged from it, facing Miria, Selene, Silvia, Bryn, Grea, Althea, and their temporary eyewitness, Visenna. 

Nodding politely towards the lady, he matched the grins on his lovers’ faces. “The introduction behind us, it’s time to gather things and head into Umbra’s realm. We’ve been putting it off for far too long, don’t you think?”