Bonded Summoner

The party arrived at the Sect, which was at a large, gated manor. It was an Eastern-style building, following the Asian theme much like the castles. It had large gardens and small creeks throughout the property, and Jake knew a large outdoor courtyard was in the middle of the oversized building.

Behind the large manor there was a tall, craggy mountain with many caves carved into it that rose high until it reached the ceiling of the floor. It felt ancient yet somehow manufactured, and Jake couldn’t put his finger on why he felt this was the case.

Perhaps, because it was moved and placed at this location. There was a purple haze above the mountain, so he reasoned that this was where many disciples of the sect cultivated, the building injecting a certain amount of Aether into the mountain.

“I’ll go on ahead, and make sure they’re ready for your arrival. Excuse me.” Old Man Xuan practically teleported, flying away much faster than Jake could track.

Fhesiah chuckled. “Spry for an old guy, isn’t he? Those at the Nascent Soul have immense power, even as old as he is. They are no joke to be trifled with. Only by summoning our Divine would we stand a chance at all.”

Bree’s strong tail swished behind her. “That you could at all is definitely a testament to your strength. Tier 3 is where the final contests usually take place between Tartarus and the Framework.”

Jake was still learning about that last statement. Apparently, the Framework disallowed fighting at above the third Tier directly unless it was completely within the void of space. Even then, the Framework focused its challenges to the third Tier for numerous reasons.

They started to walk toward the building, but Nessa was watching Jake, and he felt a small longing in the flame of her hearth. He hadn’t bonded with her yet, but he found the feeling rather peculiar. It’s like he knew her emotions anyway somehow. It seemed to be related to his senses as a Hearthian.

Though, her snake tail had also moved toward him at more than one point during their trip on the platform, but she had stopped its motion before she actually touched him. The snake tail was now frozen mid-motion just like that, its tip nearing him before it was pulled back.

Nessa’s smile was beaming as she took his arm. “Yes, I would like for us to be more…closer.” She blushed, and her tail almost wagged behind her, which did interesting things to her undulating tail half-sphere as it reversed direction repeatedly.

She floated next to him, and he found that her height was just right, floating as she was–but she was a bit shorter than the rest of his girls.

The inside of the manor was a very eastern-style home, with tatami walls and floors. It had extravagant paintings, pottery, and gold embellishments throughout. The place was massive once again, and they were guided to their destination. It seemed it had several wings, and much of the manor was for receiving guests.

Before they entered, Nessa stopped them. “If you don’t mind, could you denormalize your appearance? Or at least, bring yourselves to the peak of the second Tier for your size, anyway. I feel this will be the way to get the most support. And Fhesiah…”

“Ah, be a dragon, huh? I’m with you.” Fhesiah shifted her appearance, becoming a dragon once more, while everyone else returned close to their usual size and Bloodberri became a snake girl once again.

Berri stretched, her body rising high. “The Framework item makes me feel a little stuffy. This is only a little better.”

Thankfully, the hallways, doors, and rooms were oversized, allowing for a lot more space within than Jake would expect an Aetherian to need. Apparently, they were ready for even tamed beasts.

Even Nessa became larger as Jake did, causing him to look her over with surprise. She was a few inches shorter than him, but it seemed calculated, to him.

“What? Fhesiah properly sent over your…measurements, before. I made sure that I would be…ready to match you.” She blushed.

“Ready, huh.” Jake looked over at Fhesiah suspiciously. She had an enigmatic smile on her face as she floated through the air, and he had an idea of just what kind of measurements might have been included. Cultivators had fine control over their bodies even in the second Tier, so it seemed Nessa was at the very least able to modify her height.

[What? As always, I’m just trying to help out, you know how important the first night is. We wouldn’t want one of those situations where the boat was unable to fit in the port. That’s no fun to wa–I mean, it’s no fun for anyone involved.]

They were still hiding that their races had reached the Third Tier to everyone but their closest allies. Odds were, it would come out when they actually faced the Obsidian Blades soon, as that was to be their next goal after the events on Aetheris. Once they crushed their enemy in that initial confrontation, their enemy would likely use all sorts of means to scan them and try to learn what they could.

The base Framework items they used to accomplish their sort-of disguises were easy to override for anyone expending effort. Since they had gone to lengths to hide things, this meant that most still haven’t felt his wives’ presences. Jake was able to keep his active because of his Champion Aura producing a similar effect even in the first Tier.

Thanks to their forays into the dungeon and since they were nearing level forty, it was actually not a big stretch to believe that their races reached it as a result of some potential improving item, rather than from when they entered the Tier. As always, he was once again thankful for Hestia’s foresight. Her encouraging them to take a vacation to have children and more had countless advantages.

Either way, Jake wanted their Alliance enemies to underestimate them as long as possible.

The party arrived in a large room with their mostly normal appearances, with numerous tables and futons laid out in an Eastern style. The tables were low, and were meant to be sat at on the ground on the padding cross-legged. The center of the room had a large path between the two series of tables, allowing people to move about.

The stone gray and purple robes of the Unbreakable Stone sect were present, but there were also representatives from numerous others, though it seemed the top mixed purple with their colors of robes.

It seemed each spiral of Aetheris had representatives at this place, with over a hundred large tables lined up with people, and over a thousand were present and likely represented many others. Many of them were quite strong from what Jake could tell.

Jake also saw Nessa’s people, Aria the giant celestial nekomata, Xara the Blizzardblade Clan leader, and Xu Weiyan and his Radiant Flame Sect Elder, and Elder Wang. Even more were present, in their own area, but they were mingling with others as well. Astalder the Norse Berserker was in attendance, and he had a large stein of ale and was drinking and talking to some Roman and Nordic warriors, and a handful of martial cultivators, from what Jake could tell.

And Hearthtribe had some representatives as well. Oman the rhino archer, Sunmane and his wife, Vexana and Jarrix, Davonius and Avina, and numerous others. There were dozens of beastkin that had started to make names for themselves over the past few years who were present. Some of those had helped with the Conquest and subsequent Dungeon Raid of both the Mystic Expanse and Aetheris.

These worlds were some of the many that the Obsidian Blades and their affiliates were completely banned from, and so Hearthtribe participated quite heavily on these worlds rather than continuing within the dungeon alone.

Rhia, Falcor, Mysticus and Zorina were present as well, and Berri made note to speak with Rhia later. It seemed that Jake’s assumption about Aether being similar to arcane energy was likely correct because he could see just how much they had all grown.

At the end of the large room there was a raised section, where it seemed the most esteemed elders and leaders sat. A table appeared to be vacant, set aside for Nessa and Jake’s party. As Jake and his party headed to the table, it seemed that many were in awe of how large Bloodberri was, and Berri just smiled knowingly–she was easily thirty percent bigger in her true form.

There were a few tamed beasts within as well, since beast taming was a common profession on Aetheris.

Nessa greeted a few on their way to their table, but with how Old man Xuan was looking at them expectantly and motioning for them to sit down, they just gave cursory greetings.

Eventually, they found a seat and Old Man Xuan floated above the edge of the platform to speak.

“Welcome, welcome!” Old man Xuan laughed, “Thank you all for waiting to begin for our guests of honor, and thank you all for coming to our victory celebration dinner. The triumph over Tartarus and joining to the Framework has proven wise for the future of our people, for the haze of Aether, the breath of the world itself, has already begun to grow denser. Our disciples have grown stronger at a faster pace in all our world’s history, and it’s in part thanks to all of your valiant efforts. But Lady Nessa is our hero among heroes. First, by rescuing us from Tartarus in the Battlegrounds, then by convincing us to join the Framework and earn potential for our world in a series of victories. Then, by aiding us in defending our home against the evil cultists, and winning even more potential for ourselves.”

The people in the room gave nods and cheers, and grunts of affirmation.

He continued, looking over the crowd, “And of course, it’s also thanks to the many within this room, whether you fought in the war or not. For you listened to her plea, and you organized your sects and clans and fought with your all. Neither the Mystic Expanse nor Aetheris would have been saved and improved without the many valiant hero’s efforts, and for that, I thank you all.”

“During the next few weeks we will celebrate our victories, as well as venerate our heroes. No expense will be spared, and we will enjoy the fruits of our victories. Elders, you’ve been invited here to meet with her, as well as her many staunch allies. The people you see in front of you are the leaders of Hearthtribe, members of the alliance that teamed up with Warrior Brotherhood, the Sons of Rome, and Nessa’s Love and Justice guilds. Without them, we definitely wouldn’t be where we are today.”

An old man next to him in wooden brown robes mixed with purple stroked his long beard. “Hm, I see. Hearthtribe and their allies have been very supportive and helpful where others were not. Most were little more than fodder for our enemies. The unorthodox cultivators… I’m afraid without Nessa, Mysticus and Zorina, Ruby, and Sati’s help, we’d have all fallen prey to their evil tricks.”

Old Man Xuan nodded, and then gestured over to Fhesiah. “That’s exactly right. And all of you should also know of Lady Faye. She brought together many of the other heroes that helped the Mystic Expanse–the Radiant Flame Sect, the Blizzardblade Clan, and the Celestial Nekomatas among many others. Then, her concoctions helped save us from the unorthodox cultivators, just as it had for them. Now, there are two more pieces of news, and I will allow Lady Nessa to be the one to deliver them.”

Nessa then floated and took the stage, her tail once again forming the half-sphere around her lower half.

“First of all, those who fought or supported those who did, I want to thank you personally. Without your aid, we would not have won. And you especially, Uncle Xuan. I couldn’t have done it without you helping me convince the many allies I see before us.” She bowed in thanks, pausing briefly.

Nessa then gestured to Jake and family, “Now, I want to introduce all of you directly to the Hart Family. Baron Jake Hart is the leader of Hearthtribe, and ruler of over a dozen worlds, one of which is approaching the third Tier. In the upcoming conflicts, there is none that will match his heroism and support of both Aetheris and the Mystic Expanse. And it is for this reason–”

An old man floated upward and spoke up from near her on the stage, an old man with icy blue mixed with purple robes. “Now, hold on a minute here. You say none shall match his heroism, but I have not seen him until now. Where was he when the Mystic Expanse and Aetheris required aid?”

Jake thought about speaking up, but Nessa was too quick to reply first, “Baron Hart came when he was called upon for aid on the Mystic Expanse, helping us with our very first thwarting of the cultists. It was thanks to him, his family, and Lady Faye, that we caught and defeated them at all, snuffing them out early before they could become a true problem. Then, Mysticus and Zorina, as well as Sati and Ruby are all his subordinates. Their aid is nothing more than an extension of his will. It is the same for his Hearthtribe, or even Lady Faye and her alchemical concoctions. He did not come because he did not need to, which I think you’ll find had given us more opportunities to grow and benefit. Your son and the Sword Saint wouldn’t have had a slot in the Prime Instance if Baron Hart was here, as an example. Isn’t their paths to Nascent Soul nearly set in stone thanks to those events?”

The older Aetherian sat, looking rather embarrassed and coughed. “Of course. My apologies.”

Jake decided to add from his spot, “Hearthtribe comes to the aid of its allies, or any that requires help against the evil of the dungeon. But sometimes too much aid removes all struggle, and renders those in need even more dependent as a result–weaker in the end. It is our goal to find the right balance for those capable of fighting for themselves, and I feel with Lady Nessa’s help, that balance was met. Rest assured for the future, that if the challenge was greater, so too, would be our aid. We had thousands of Hearthtribe in the dungeon ready to move, and we in Clan Hart as well, at a moment’s notice.”

Nessa smiled. “Let us not forget that Clan Hart has been undefeated against ten Champions, a truly astonishing accomplishment for those in the first Tier–and two more defeated since reaching the second. So it’s for these reasons, among many others, that I plan to cement our alliance by blood–through marriage. Love and Justice and Hearthtribe will become one, and with this, our empire’s strength will be large and powerful enough that we shall have control over our destiny in the upcoming War Trial. The value of this cannot be overstated.”

Old Man Xuan nodded. “Who can’t remember how we had no control over being forced to fight in the Battlegrounds, our very fates ruled by the poor performance of others? While both of our worlds can still be Contested, we now have more control about when or how we fight or contribute to the war. And being under a larger umbrella like Hearthtribe and Love and Justice, we can decide which worlds are forced to face the storm of Tartarus.”

Nessa continued, “If that wasn’t big enough news, there is one more that will require more careful consideration. Upon claiming ownership of Aetheris through the Framework as its planetary lord, I learned… of an amazing opportunity. Aetheris and the Mystic Expanse are marked as Exceptionally Compatible for merging worlds. For those unaware, less than one out of a thousand world combinations are marked at this level of compatibility, and the benefits will be substantial. To me, what could this be other than a sign of fate and destiny itself?”

Jake was shocked, and so was Blood and Avalara. Out of the dozen worlds they had claimed, among the many possible combinations, most were marked as a mild compatibility. This meant that when the worlds merged, about half of the energy from both worlds would be lost, and the outcome would barely even be considered an improvement at all.

Even Ankhmar was only marked as moderately compatible with Highlands. The loss of material and magical potential was only a little better than forty percent, thankfully, for the source world being infused only. Exceptional was somewhere around a ten to twenty percent loss, meaning much of that loss was primarily from the energy consumption from merging and shifting the world, and similar.

Of course, the Framework also paid a bunch of the energy costs, since that was a large part of what the CP cost went toward. However, it could only provide so much generic energy for each of these actions–even if two worlds were complete twins, there would still be some loss. Merging two world cores was also rather complicated, as one might imagine. In the case of Avalara, most of the energy was simply infused into her slowly over time, much like the reward for winning the Dungeon Raid and completing the World’s Trial.

Talks moved to the implications of this. Thankfully, the top sects and clans of the Mystic Expanse and Aetheris were close now. However, even though they came to each other’s aid and experienced more than one Battleground together over their history, it wasn’t as if it was easy to accept two cultures, nations and histories sharing a world. Even if many aspects of them were similar and they were brothers in battle.

As Jake listened on and watched the people discuss, it looked like their desires for power and greatness might actually win out in the end. The resulting world would reach nearly the peak of the second Tier, making it close to where Highlands was currently.

Combined with the special nature of Aether, it meant that the world would ascend far beyond what it was now. This meant that the number of Nascent Soul cultivators the world itself could raise would skyrocket, improving all of their fates in perpetuity.

The talks moved to single meetings, where now many elders came over to Nessa and Jake to congratulate them on their coming union. However, an Aetherian man with long, black hair came over. He wore stone gray and purple robes, a member of the Unbreakable Stone Sect, and scowled at Jake as he addressed Nessa by his side.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“So this was the man you were waiting for? I see that he is strong, but he isn’t even a cultivator. Could he even be your Dao Partner in truth? I can’t help but feel you’re making a poor choice for your future.”

Nessa frowned and was going to rebuke him for his insult, but Jake squeezed her hand.

He then flexed his Presence, pushing its influence on the world. Then, he included his dao of family, the flames of his aura brightening. The effect caused several grunts and sounds of surprise within the room, and eyes widening as his spirituality washed over them.

His Aura transcended the third Tier in many ways, and it was easy for them to feel just how powerful the spirituality contained within was. And likely, thanks to the hints of divinity within it and his dao, they might feel it was even above the earlier part of the Tier. Ophelia and Tanda both could do the same by bringing out the power of their seals, as well as Fhesiah flexing her special golden flame. Then, of course, any of them could call upon their Divine to cause similar effects to occur.

Jake’s wives were all filled with pride, and their hearths stirred by the flaring of his Hearth’s flames, wanting to connect. Nessa, Bree and Sati looked heavily effected, their breathing picking up as a result as well, their hearths longing for some kind of connection. Ruby seemed a little confused, and she looked at Jake with wide eyes.

He said, “I’ve begun to walk the path of the dao, but even if I couldn’t, I’ve always supported all my lovers in walking their paths. Rest assured. With me, Lady Nessa will have a dao partner that aids her in reaching the peak above all my peers.”

The man shrunk down under Jake’s gaze, filled with embarrassment. His eyes seemed to search left and right, for anything to say. “I…apologize. I can tell that you have the strength to back your words, and…support Lady Nessa, as you say.”

Nessa said, “You are a worthy warrior, Tai Xishi. But you should know that I only speak the truth. From before I met you, my heart already belonged to another–to Jake here.” She blushed a bit at the proclamation, and Jake couldn’t help but be a little shocked by it.

Jake now understood that Nessa could both see the true essence of people, and that she would know if anyone lied when they spoke with her–over any medium. And since she could only speak the truth as well, that meant her feelings for him were strong, and for an even longer time than he had realized.

Old man Xuan laughed, and appeared next to Tai Xishi before grabbing onto his shoulder. “You sure know how to put your foot in your mouth, don’t you, son? I’ve told you a hundred times. The multiverse is vast, and sometimes, there are more to things than you can see with your eyes, or a quick sweep with your Divine Sense. Work harder, and be better.”

The man bowed to him. “I’m sorry, Father. I have brought shame to you. My envy clouded my eyes.”

“The true shame would be if you never learned, Son. Clan Hart is a group of true heroes, just like Lady Nessa, and her Divine Father. And you should show them their proper respect, just like any Sect or Clan Elder. Their powers might be different, but their strength is undeniable. I’m sure Baron Hart and his wives here will show us all a little more about how true that is soon enough.”

Tai Xishi nodded and apologized for being rude, and then was marched away to meet with other elders.

Avalara pouted, and folded her arms in front of her. “That was lame. He gave up without you even getting to rough him up a bit. He just felt that flame of yours and that was it.”

Berri sighed, and seemed to be imagining something a bit ridiculous. “Yeah, Faye-Faye said something about face slapping. I would love to see that too.”

Fhesiah grinned. “Well, it’s a wonderful flame, is it not? Our dear husband can crush most in this room without so much as lifting a finger. Isn’t that better, that he’s so big and strong the other stag backs off before the fight begins?”

Ava tapped her lips. “Maybe… but I much enjoy it to actually happen if that is the case, rather than mere posturing. Either way, it’s better if it’s much more…visceral.” Her smile became a little more wicked at the end, and Jake became more than a little worried.

How could he possibly handle the change of mood when he defeated some enemy in public and had to handle the amorous treant beastkin?

A meal was brought out and they got to enjoy some cultivator cuisine and wine. They enjoyed their meal with small talk about the worlds and sects, and Jake got to learn more about what level of focus Nessa had when it came to leadership and politics.

Nessa had really cemented herself as the world’s savior, rallying many cultivators to the Framework’s cause on both of these worlds. She had made numerous deals with the various Sects and Clans, as well as finding valuable talents and bringing them to the fore with the Framework. It seemed her ability to see the true essence of people and things had additional values beyond just seeing lies or evil, including things like their potential.

Love and Justice had grown, and she had a few subguilds set up and ready in the first Tier as feeder guilds for them, much like Jake and Valtor did. When their two guilds joined, Hearthtribe was likely to be established as the parent, but they would still remain partially separate.

This was because in all likelihood, Love and Justice could be used to remain Tier 2, while they continued to the third. Keeping them separate had advantages in PvP, and since as long as all members of their alliance met the restrictions for the 4X game, it did not harm their magical research benefits.

It seemed Astalder and his wives would handle Love and Justice, allowing them to carry the torch, even though many of their elites would be leaving to join Hearthtribe. Jake had been told about his story and how he wasn’t the most virtuous and trustworthy of allies at first. However, seeing how his cultivator and valkyrie wives had him well under control to be a real achiever and hero left him unworried about leaving it to him. Plus, Nessa had observed that over the years, his essence had changed for the better.

After the meal, Nessa played things expertly. While she and Jake were sealing their alliance by blood, those suitors of hers were put to use in sealing their own alliances between the two worlds in the same way.

She had already identified suitable partners for each of them, as well as the top warriors from each world, and had set up several meetings in preparation for this day. Even Tai Xishi had a meeting with a potential bride lined up in a side room, and he left the small meeting with a wide smile and a woman attached to his arm.

Blood was most impressed. “Well played, Nessa, I like this very much. Still, all of them seemed to accept it a little too easily, for some reason? I understand you may be talented, but nearly a hundred percent accepted. That seems uncanny.”

“When I defeated those Champions and the divine-equivalent, my trait only improved. Fhesiah and Hearthtribe’s reward system introduced me to this…matchmaking hobby, as it were. And…since I can see into the essence of who people are, I find that I’m actually good at this now.”

Fhesiah smiled, chuckling. “No wonder you’ve done so well for Love and Justice. I too have been doing this with Hearthtribe, and it has been working quite well. It takes a long time for the efforts to bear fruit, but countless lives have already been saved by the strength and coordination of the many beastkin and Elysian harems battling across Tier 1 worlds.”

Despite all the merges of family, it would still require quite a bit of convincing for many of the strong sects and families. Then, it would take a fair amount of time to, once again, campaign for the two worlds to merge and then merge them–because even the uninitiated natives, and the non cultivators, needed to give their votes of acceptance.

Because the two worlds were so close in size and strength, the world merger would place most of both world’s residents in stasis for several months to accomplish the changes.

When Highlands merged with Ankhmar, the difference between the two worlds was substantial. Highlands was nearly a full Tier above Ankhmar. This meant that only those on Ankhmar were placed in stasis. Most of the merging occurred over several weeks within the Southern Hemisphere, while Avalara worked hard on her own to balance and make changes to the northern, almost like when the curse was removed.

In addition, this was when Fhesiah and Jake worked hard on drawing up formations, and even transferred some of the buried animal bones to the areas with the pyramids. The death energy still wouldn’t be a full counter for the World Tree, but they had likely bought themselves decades.

Jake got to learn a lot more about individual allies, and meet many from the Mystic Expanse and Aetheris. He even grabbed a few templates while he talked, or coordinated meetings to collect them over the next two weeks during their visit.

Many of their Elders were there, representing the strongest Sects and Clans. Berri went to speak with Rhia, catching up with her and learning more about her growth. It seemed the Aether stimulated the Eternum’s growth in a different way from Highland’s high life areas, and so even Mysticus and Zorina were about to enter the Second Tier now.

Seeing Nessa handle the cultivators all expertly and grab benefits for all parties impressed him and all his wives. Ophelia got some time to study among some master smiths, and Tanda would get to visit a special garden and work with some arborists along with Avalara. Each of them would spend some time with some masters of their profession, in addition to visiting the special environments like they would within this stone castle.

And all they had to give up was Fhesiah making pills out of materials they provided–and plenty of extra supplies would be given, allowing her to skim some for herself–deals she would have gladly made anyway.

Nessa also traded some auril beast bones and hides, as well as some wood for the many crafters to work with, and Hearthtribe would receive plenty of the same from the different spirals on Aetheris. The wood spiral had tons of nature-related treasures to trade, and Nessa snatched them up, knowing how much the beastkin and Elysians would desire these.

Jake said to Nessa, “I’m really impressed. You’ve truly made a name for yourself on both the Mystic Expanse and Aetheris. These people here all respect you, an outsider. That does not come easily.”

Nessa seemed proud, but she looked over to Fhesiah. “Isn’t it also what you accomplished on Highlands? I did a lot and so did my guild, but Faye was such a big help. Her ideas, while I may have come up with many of them in the end too with the help of Nana, really helped out too. If not for her tournament, I wouldn’t have met Old Man Xuan so soon! And her influence with her alchemy cannot be overstated. I was constantly using her pills and concoctions as bribes, and just by me being friends with a dragoness had raised my standing with some of the top clans. Plus, I have become respectable at alchemy too, in part thanks to her help.”

Fhesiah chuckled. “I gave you the tools, and you used them well. While many might have been able to, you did, and that’s what matters. I think it’s going to be great that Blood has a kindred spirit on handling the more diplomatic aspects of our kingdom. Jake and I also handle them, but they are not something we enjoy very much.”

Blood nodded. “Yes, I am excited to know more about the Core Sectors, and what kind of contacts and allies you might have there. It will be some time before the War Trial reaches the second stage, but eventually, there will be hundreds, even thousands from the Core Sectors coming here looking for allies. It’ll help a lot if you have friends from there, and know–”

Nessa chuckled a little awkwardly, and she covered herself with her tail again, hiding. “Y-Yeah. About that…”

“What is it?”

Nessa scratched her cheek from behind her curled tail. “Well, my dad doesn’t have the best…reputation. And…I kind of pushed people further away, with my ‘stick up my butt’ as Nana would put it. I don’t have many friends in the Core Sectors, is what I’m trying to say.”

Blood waved it off. “Aw. Well, that’s okay. Seeing how proficient you are at it now, I’m confident that when the time comes, you’ll continue to be a real asset. You’ll know a lot more about who we should team up with, if there’s anyone worthwhile outside of Hestia’s Pantheon. I’ve already been in contact with some of Hestia’s many allies we met in our sort of welcoming party, but until our guild is in the Third Tier or willing to give up certain benefits, we cannot do much with them.”

“I…should be able to manage that, yes. It is important for us to seek opportunities where we can.”

The meeting of sect elders and clan heads continued for some time, and they learned much of the agenda for the coming weeks. It seemed like there was going to be an alternation between events at the Arena and at the Training Grounds across the various spirals. Each had an Alliance HQ, which they would be able to portal to, so Jake and his party may be able to enjoy some special environments over the next week.

It was getting late, so Clan Hart eventually begged off to head home for the evening. Nessa walked them out of the Sect, ending up on the heavily manicured front lawn, with numerous bonsai-style bushes with multiple levels nearby. Sati and Ruby were coming along, excited to go see the kids. “I’m looking forward to the coming weeks. I’m sure Ruby and Sati will be happy to be back with you, their summoner.”

Jake looked over at the two, and they both nodded. He could feel just how happy they were, it seemed they couldn’t wait to see his kid’s growth. “Did you want to come with us to meet them now?”

Nessa shook her head. “I would love to, but I should really stick around for a bit, there are a few more meetings I should mediate so we can enjoy our two weeks together.” She hesitated. “You are all… linked, right? Not only to your wives, but Ruby, Bree, and Sati, too?”

“That’s right. I’ve established bonds with all of them, our souls connected.”

“Well… I want that. I know that for you…it’s a lot more important than a ring or the ceremony. I would like to… grow our bond.” She blushed.

Jake was a bit surprised, his eyebrows rising on his head. “You know all that about it?”

Nessa chuckled. “Of course. I talk to your wives a lot, asking about you. Even Sati and Ruby enjoy your connection and had things to say about what they enjoyed about it.”

Jake asked, “You want to do it now? I assumed you would wait for the ceremony.”

Nessa nodded. “I want to…be closer to you. We’ll be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks, aren’t we? I’d like to make the best of this time…”

Fhesiah smiled. “That’s right. You two will have plenty of time to get closer before the ceremony. It’ll be like a two-week-long date. I think it’s a great idea to do the bond sooner rather than later.”

Nessa looked more than a little excited about that, and her tail wagged and undulated for a brief moment, before she caught herself with a blush. “You girls won’t mind that? Of course, I understand that I need to share…”

Tanda tilted her head. “Why would we? You two need to make up for lost time! And we get to enjoy you two hitting it off, and we’ll be right there too, right? It’s fine if you monopolize one of his sides for a while.”

That settled, Jake prepared his hearth flames. Creating the glyph of his contract with the flames, he gathered them into the proper shape. Sending them into the dantian where her hearth resided, they made their connection with no hesitation from her part–accepting the bond.

He was a little blind-sided by the intensity of her feelings. The girl had been staring at him with admiring eyes for much of the meetings and discussions. She also hung off of his arm happily and her tail would form a belt on him randomly, but he felt this went beyond that.

Jake was unsurprised that the bond was at level two right away, and just from feeling how sincere her feelings were, he knew it wouldn’t be long before they reached the third level. Based on everything he understood, and how Nessa always looked at him, it was clear that he was the one lagging behind in the depths of their romantic feelings in the bond. It was just like what happened with Avalara.

Zephyr and Jasmina’s bonds had long ago hit the fifth level, and Jake felt that it was because it was not the path of romantic love, but as comrades and friends. He was sure if he ever made a summoner’s bond with one of his children, it would be similar in that his bond would progress from a closeness following his love as a parent and their love as a child. He wasn’t sure if or when that scenario would happen, but it was reassuring that Zephyr and Jasmina’s bonds didn’t head down a different, stranger path against his own desires.

And Bree, Sati and Ruby’s Bonds were also only at the second level, probably because his expectations or romantic feelings didn’t match theirs. In Bree’s case, there was a small wall between him and her, as they both knew they could not cross the finish line until he faced her sisters.

He was sure Sati would accept a hearth bond immediately and without hesitation–and would fight to the death for it. Ruby…he wasn’t sure he understood her, or that she even understood herself yet. At the same time, he knew of her interest.

She sniffed him nearly every chance she got, and was watching him just as intently as Nessa was during the talks. And since she hadn’t actually wanted to talk to anyone at that small celebration among elders, it had gotten a little awkward as she shoed them all away to stare at him or otherwise watch what he was doing.

All Jake knew for sure, was that a hearth bond was something that would be reserved for his lovers alone. They were forever, and so it was important to him that their bond was built on love and not just lust so that their relationships could stand against the test of time. He didn’t doubt that he couldn’t get there with any of the proposed girls, but…he believed that these obstacles would make their love burn even brighter when they built their bonds and overcame them together.

At this point, he did have quite the conundrum. He did not know how to establish new Hearthian bonds.

Avalara had long since hit the fifth level with her hearth bond, and Jake had no idea how to advance it. Establishing the original hearth bond was simple and just required both of their desires and for the bond to be strong enough. But Jake had already tried a number of things, and none had a sign that they would work.

Which made him wonder about future wives, such as Nessa, or even Sati and Bree. Fhesiah had managed to witness a small piece of what Hestia was doing to them, but unfortunately, her mind was only barely there. She had told him that it was like Hestia had forged the connections herself, using the essence from herself and injecting it into Jake, and from Jake, to the rest.

But Jake couldn’t experiment with this easily, and Avalara herself was a very troublesome target. For one thing, while she had a True Avatar, it represented and was linked to an entire world. Could he even forge that kind of connection with her? If he could, did he even have enough energy? What would happen if he failed?

Jake didn’t have answers to any of these questions. But he did have some theories on how to achieve it with a more straightforward lover. There was a clear change of growth within their hearth cores after the first year or so of their vacation.

And sure, Highland’s energies were both recovering from the curse, but also rising as a result of the victory. Thanks to their Divine Hearth of the Refuge, this also meant the density of energies within their Refuge increased from the world it was docked at, too.

He still didn’t think this fully accounted for the rapid growth of their Hearths. There was one other thing that they had stopped doing a little over a year and a half into their vacation: making children.

Their hearths were slowly becoming more divine and storing more faith and dense magical energies, and Jake thought these energies could serve more than one purpose. One was likely to improve the strength of their Hearthian bonds, and another one was to generate new ones entirely, Jake theorized.

And by sacrificing some of the special flames their hearths condensed, they could create new children on demand, in spite of their children having a Tier 3 Race. Sacrifice was one of Hestia’s tenets and part of her domain, and so to Jake, it made a bit of sense that through her essence, it could be used for unique benefits, so to speak.

Jake hadn’t had a chance to test his theory as far as the having children piece went. He hadn’t improved his mastery of Divine Energy to the Advanced stages until after the final wave of children, so at that time he hadn’t been able to sense such a small amount of that energy leaving him.

Now, Jake had some level of confidence in being able to sense it, but he wasn’t going to make a child with the purpose of testing a theory.

“I love it.” Nessa said, interrupting his thoughts. She looked at each of his wives, “So this is what you all feel… Quite introspective, isn’t he?”

Jake frowned, thinking this didn’t seem right. “You can hear my thoughts already?”

Nessa shook her head. “No, but your thoughts are like…causing ripples on my lake, like small raindrops. It’s pleasant.”

Berri nodded. “It gets even better! Just wait, soon, we’ll all be able to have private chats! Though, I guess it’s starting to get kind of noisy, isn’t it? What, with all the politics and cultivation talk. Too much buzzing.”

Fhesiah chuckled. “Oh, and I suppose you have a better topic, Berri? Would you like to discuss the intricacies of introducing baseball to the cultivators, and the influence it might have on their world view? Or how about we speak more about your theory about how Tartarus would just give up the war, if it could only play baseball and experience true camaraderie and commitment of being a part of a team, instead?”

Berri’s eyes lit up. “Can we?! Finally. Dragons must be part snake because you have some good ideas sometimes, Faye-Faye. Now, hear me out. I think cultivators might like it more if the ball itself is a bit mysterious. What if it was like one of those balls that Zhang-Zhang gave our kids, and can move erratically when it is thrown or hit?“

Nessa laughed. “Yes, I can see why this will be a lot of fun. I can’t wait!”

The party separated, Jake and his wives and permanent summons headed back to their Refuge until morning. Then they would join Nessa at the Training Grounds for many of them to make their first real forays into the world of cultivation.