136 Chapter 10 (1/2)
I was an avid reader. Our library back at the Felidae Estate had a large collection of fiction and any time I wasn't training or taking lessons, I would just hole myself up in there and lose myself in the world born of another's fantasy. Most of the novels were from the romance genre – and maybe because mother was the one who ordered the books, the majority of them were written from the perspective of the female lead. Despite cheesy titles like 'The Duke's Mischievous Wife' and the 'The Demonic Emperor's Cute Consort' they were surprisingly good reads and best of all, they were applicable in real life. They gave me a peek into the female psyche. They told me what girls wanted from a man.
Inexperienced as I was, I had no idea of how to deal with two girls who were suddenly thrust upon me as my future wives. Especially when Phobos and Deimos kept flinching away from me in the early days of our relationship. I know now what the reason for that was but at that time, I was utterly confused. Thankfully, the scenarios presented within the pages of the book gave me a model upon which to base my behaviour. I believed in their credibility, after all anyone who writes a book on relationships and is confident enough to publish it must be an authority on psychology and social sciences. And they didn't let me down. I placed my trust in them, complimented them often, did nice things for them and never forgot their birthdays. That was all it took for the girls to warm up to me.
Why? Just recently, the books had shown their worth by telling me what to do to console Ceres. In them, whenever the female lead was bullied by her step-mother/sister/brother she would be utterly miserable and it would be the job of the male lead to kiss them back to good cheer. What if kissing her publicly was a bit embarrassing, the results spoke for themselves, didn't they? Her smile afterwards was reward enough for me.
One of the most common ways for the female lead to meet the male lead in those novels was the 'hero rescues the damsel' scenario. At the height of her distress, the man would come charging in on his white destrier clad in his most polished set of full-plate and tear through all obstacles to save her. The contrast between her despair and the joy at being emancipated from it would manifest in the form of a strong favourable impression for her saviour. A very believable reaction. There was a reason it was such a popular trope.
Although, it did get a bit tiring reading about it after the umpteenth time. That was why the authors sometimes tweaked the trope to keep it fresh. One of the variations was a swapping of the gender roles: the strong female lead rescuing the male from danger. While it was fresh, I didn't particularly empathize with the scenario – until it happened to me.
When Ceres walked out of one of the tunnels leading away from the Queen's chamber in her Feral form, three tails swinging behind her with the mana-phantom of a fourth most of the way to solidification, I kind of understood what the male lead might have felt in that situation.
With every step she took, her purple smoke billowed out before her and smothered the ants in her way. Silence covered the battlefield like a gradually drawn blanket as she regally stepped over the prone forms of the fallen ants towards me. My magic had been restricted, I had been helpless to stop my comrade from sacrificing his life for ours, in my hubris, I had assumed I was capable of improving our situation but losing concentration, turned into a liability instead… let alone the excruciating pain from the ant toxin battering my senses. At my lowest point, she appeared magically. Nearly transparent blue flames flickered over her cinnamon brown fur and purple smoke twined around her. Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3… once they disappeared within the roiling bank of smoke, they fell silent. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Even the rest of my squad, Lieutenant Corvus as well as the Tier 4 ant had gone utterly silent. In that stillness, she walked up to me and cocked her head to the side to study my state. She had grown. Earlier the top of the head of her Feral form reached my hip but now, it would have reached my shoulder if I was standing. Sprawled on the ground as I was, she had to lower her head to inspect my condition.
I saw her eyes widen as she noticed the injury on my foot. Bringing her snout close to my leg, she huffed gently. A transparent flame charred my bloody trouser leg to my knee, exposing the puncture wounds. She licked over the wound and I could feel the toxins that were ravaging my nerves halt, then retreat from my body and seep out of my wound under her control. My relief was palpable. I nearly collapsed back onto the rocky ground, barely managing to prop myself up on my arms.
Ceres nuzzled my face with her snout before saying, ”Wait here,” lisping slightly due to the unfamiliar feel of her vocal organs in her Feral form.
Before I could collect my thoughts enough to form a coherent response, she had brushed past me and was walking towards the Tier 4 ant who had finally recovered from its shock at her sudden appearance and the doubtful fate of its subordinates. It was furious. Blue flames jetted out of its every orifice, condensing around it in a flaming armour. One, two, four then sixteen white hot balls of flame formed around its body circling behind it in a ring. The fluctuations I sensed off each orb told me of the ruinous strength condensed within each one.
Tier 4 ultimate magic: Bloodline Integration.