Bonded Summoner

Book 9. Chapter 19: Sanctuary

Jake stood in the State of the Sage, his Heroic Beast minions fighting alongside Fhesiah, Tanda, and the rest of their allies. Various types of demonic Rift monsters had gathered. There were demonic wyverns, heavily armored demons, robed casters, and some form of hellhounds coming from the different Rifts.

Six Rifts had formed near each other in a hexagon, or perhaps six-pointed star, something Jake hadn’t seen precisely before, with the landscape largely empty of them.

This was, likely, one of the last clusters of Rifts the enemy might form. Jake had learned that the enemy often made a large grouping of Rifts like this when they were trying to make a last-ditch effort to form a more advanced challenge, such as a Greater Rift.

But it didn’t matter. If they cleared them fast enough, their enemy wouldn’t even get the chance. Part of him would want to let it establish so that they could farm it for loot and experience, but he understood the truth of the matter.

By leaving Rifts open long enough, Tartarus would get its own version of Conquest Points, even if it never slew a native. And it would use those to spawn more nonsense elsewhere.

Perhaps not even on this world. It was irresponsible to leave them alone for long.

Tanda fired her bow as the Highlands jungle appeared around her, her summoned spriggans casting spells and disorienting the incoming horde of armored demons. The Sons of Rome, Warrior Brotherhood, the natives, and Love and Justice worked beside them, fighting through the large number of planar demons, a type that Jake hadn’t run into too often.

The demons were much larger and stronger than mere orcs or beasts. The earth cracked with every step from the monster’s mass. The giant infernal demon in heavy plate crashed into Longwei’s Valor-covered form, its four arms with blades slashing at him.

But the deadly weapons just scraped off uselessly, unable to penetrate the armor even without his Valor cladding. With a laugh, Longwei punched the demon powerfully, denting its armor and sending it stumbling back. His Tiger’s Fury had built up, and his body was being enhanced by covenant-enhanced armor, the fiery-red energy pulsing through him. He dashed forward much faster than Jake would expect, and with a spin of his glaive, he brought it down powerfully, cutting through the monster’s plate through the dented area. This was what Longwei had chosen for his covenant: to receive Tiger’s Fury-like benefits and improve his defense, with or without Valor. They had only been on the world for a little over two weeks in total, and Clan Hart was already about to move on as the world moved into farming mode. That meant their charity and compassion work would become a larger focus, a rebuilding or enhancement of villages and towns to leave the world better off than when they arrived.

Antonius enlarged himself with his Valor, standing tall over the din with his shield and his covenant-enhanced runic short spear. The Valor-covered implement was extended longer as runes activated. Then, he stabbed rapidly into a target with a shout from behind his unfaltering protection, puncturing three deadly holes that reached out the back of the sturdy, scale-covered hellhound.

After shrinking down, he came back to Jake, marveling at how the weapon had still been so effective with its increased magical length. It had produced an effect that wasn’t that dissimilar from what Avaron could do, just without light magic. “This spear and Longwei’s armor are out of control, Lord Jake. If everyone has stuff like this, will any fight feel challenging?”

Jake chuckled. “I know what you mean. But that’s a Legendary-grade item you’re holding. Every elite can earn one if they save up, but getting a full set of Legendary gear will be something that will require a lot of work. Well, that, and binding more than two or three will be a huge strain on your resources.”

There was no such thing as a free lunch. To inscribe the complicated runes and allow the material to hold enough magic without unraveling, the items required top-grade metals and monster materials to absorb the top-grade enchantments.

He did just push his mass-market capabilities to Epic, and using much simpler covenants to assign one superior-enhanced property, like sharpness or sturdiness, for example, he could still get more out of these bound items than ever before.

Antonius chuckled. “Won’t matter if I kill things so easily and can’t even get hurt! But I understand how the Ledger works, too. If everyone goes in with this kind of gear that we didn’t rightfully earn, not only will the enemy become stronger when it spawns, but we’ll get nothing for it.”

Jake replied, “We’ve long since had our Mysticus and Zorina Divine a safe guild contribution system that doesn’t allow people to purchase something harmful to themselves. We’ll set proper guidelines for their usage.”

The general guideline was if you collected monster materials and crafted something yourself out of them, you could never harm your Ledger negatively beyond the difficulty scaling. However, having someone craft them for you and exceed the grade or sum of the components with superior skills, their policy was definitely to go above and beyond in their merit and resource collection than just mere Credit or resource earnings.

No matter what, until the Third Tier, Jake didn’t think it was a good idea for his people to wear a full set of this gear, aside from the true elites involved in every world event. People like Jake’s family, or Rookard, Morwen, Timone and Dahlia, Vesuvius and Darris were fine, as their merit no doubt matched wearing the best of the best gear. But someone who farmed Monster Dens and Rifts safely should only max out at using a lower-end one after saving extensively.

Not that they required more than one to make a drastic difference, increasing their chances of victory in events or increasing their rates of survival and success. Jake did eventually find that there were items exactly like this on the market–and they were all Tier 3, using the same level of Credits.

Antonius had turned to watch the battle continue. Fhesiah swung her claws in a dance, drawing in the enemy magics into her chest, mixing her own flames within the alchemical furnace that was her lungs, and turning them into more powerful golden, chaotic breath attacks. Whether it was the demon hound’s hellfire breath or the demon caster’s blast of blight energy, she understood it enough to draw it in, mix it with her fire, and breathe it right back at them, devastating their lines.

Fhesiah had been hard at work, attempting to master her abilities she earned when she reached the Second Tier. Despite her making the fight look easy, what enabled it was deceptively challenging. In addition to her constant alchemical experiments in her lab to fully understand the essence of different magics and materials, she read countless information crystals to master every element, and the outcome was as they saw.

[Don’t forget the fun method too, Husband. That new crystallization technique of yours has given me all sorts of...epiphanies to go along with the level ups and enjoyment.]

How could he forget? He replied mentally, “Truth be told, I’m impressed by your efforts in all the areas. You always play hard, but you work just as hard as the rest of us.”

[Aww, it’s so nice to feel appreciated! Still, I’m a long way from being able to draw in something as esoteric as karmic or fate magic. No matter how much I try to acclimate myself and understand them, it just doesn’t seem possible. The Framework text says anything I understand, but maybe I need something more. I’ve heard those bells like a million times now, and nothing.]

Jake couldn’t help but grimace at that–both at how she’d been using those bells like crazy the last few weeks and also at the topic of being able to manage those kinds of threats. This was his next major project, aside from mastering as many Runic spells as he could to become a true runemaster.

Each of his girls had tried to come up with their own counters or protections to these types of magics, and the best that could be offered was Ophelia’s new Guardian Aura, combined with improving the overall strength of their souls–a blanket sort of protection that was truly starting to pay major dividends.

A stronger soul meant a stronger spiritual body, and a stronger spiritual body meant a stronger body. An improvement to the soul would be rather marginal in strengthening the body, but the effect was there. And they were starting to finally see a level of sturdiness added to their body that couldn’t be quantified with mere physical strength alone. And he knew that karmic attacks and curses and the like would fail to influence their powerful souls.

Then, there was Jake’s void, of course, so they did have a fair amount of protection. But Jake wanted to shore up this weakness in a way that was truly final because he knew if his family had a single weakness to exploit, the enemy was going to find it and use it. Because Tartarus would never give up–just like these Rifts in front of them proved.

It could actually see its loss written on the wall and stop spawning them until the Alliance reclaimed its territory and the conquest percentage went up until the moment of the Raid and so on. There was nothing in the rules that said it couldn’t just give up and then focus all its efforts elsewhere.

But after thousands of years, it had never once given up on an individual world.

Antonius was unaware of their mental conversation or Jake’s musing as he watched both Fhesiah and Tanda dominating the remaining enemies. “Damn. Here I thought I might be catching up to you guys, then I see how tall the mountain really is.”

It was at that moment that the final enemy was defeated, and it was like the six Rifts interacted at once, the six-pointed star appearing beneath them with massive lines across the landscape. With a flash of red lightning from the Rift, a demon easily twice the size of the one Longwei faced, at nearly three stories tall, spawned with a roar, sending a large wave of hellfire out in a ring.

Hearthtribe alliance mages quickly cast barriers or allowed Longwei and other Valor users to take the brunt of the blow for the rest. Tanda and Fhesiah readied their more powerful attacks, but Jake was a bit faster to the punch.

Pyros, in the form of his Champion of Hestia staff, flashed as he infused a whole lot of mana into it at once, though he leaned on the Mana Font. Several hundred runes flew out in quick succession as Jake crafted the hearthflame constructs to hold them, and further mana was drawn from the Mana Font to increase their overall strength, nearly free of charge.

Five runic spears that pushed the limits of their Tier pulsed before being launched at the Boss creature like being fired from a ballista. The five spells powered by his wives’ special flames exploded, knocking the creature back despite its incredible bulk.

He hadn’t added the power of sacrifice or his Dao of Family, but it was devastating enough to tear through its plated armor and weaken it drastically. He had used Vajrafire, Pure Heart, Holy Light, Draconic, and Frostfire, the power of the Sage enhancing the output to nearly those levels without it.

The monster was huge, however, and despite the mystical flames spreading across the roaring demon’s muscled body, the fight had only just begun. The warriors and Fhesiah gathered around the boss, taking its attention as spells and arrows were launched at it from all directions.

Jake was still playing with his Resonant States and their covenants, trying to fine-tune what he wanted from his limitations and benefits. It would take some time to finish up what was to be his Technique and what would likely be enhanced by Hestia and follow him into the next Tier, and he was taking his time and testing the capabilities.

He suddenly looked a little startled and turned to the Roman warrior. “What was that? Did you say something, Antonius?”

Antonius chuckled and shook his head. “Being cheeky, huh? I suppose you have every right to be. Try not to forget us little guys once you rise to the heavens.”

“Never.”

Antonius glanced at his spear, suddenly becoming thoughtful. “And I know that, somehow. I can feel it. Like, I can feel your desire to protect me when I use this, or such? Maybe it’s just my imagination, or is it that hearth of yours? I don’t know. Is it silly?” He frowned.

Jake’s eyebrows went to the top of his head. He had heard this somewhat, but more from the beastkin. He had chalked it up to some connection to Avalara, but even his Roman ally was feeling it. “Maybe not–you’re not the first one to say so, and that is how I feel as I make my allies’, friends’, and wives’ armor. But try not to lean on the item’s strength too much. The stronger your foundations, the better it and you will perform when you require its strength.” Jake smiled at him. “You’ve come a long way since we first dueled in front of your people.”

Antonius snorted. “I’d say. Swapped out my Technique and did a Trial while taking the Valor Awakening Serum. Almost died, but... now I have a lot more strength and confidence in what I’m capable of. I’ll continue to work hard even if I have this spear; don’t you worry about me, Chief.”

Eventually, they killed the Boss monster, which closed all the Rifts at once. Jake continued ferrying his wives for the day, but it truly was feeling like they needed to move on. They made preparations to say goodbye for now and chart out their course.

Finished with their Rift stomping for the day, Jake met with a bunch of his children who had happy projects and personal progress to share with him, then went back to his lab. He had spent a lot of time here lately, and with good reason. Every hour he spent here helped improve his guild's strength, both now and well into the future.

As he looked over his miscellaneous projects in the works, he couldn’t help but sigh a little.

Facing the Nameless Monk was a wake-up call that they had to step up their game. He was far from the only one working at the moment, each of his wives pushing to exceed their current capabilities.

He had tons of excuses why he hadn’t been prepared for the Nameless Monk. Knowledge about higher-tier powers and capabilities was just so far out of reach and expensive to even catch a tiny glimpse that there was no way he could have been prepared for such a foe.

And there were countless energy types and magical phenomena–how could Jake truly prepare for each and every single one? Then, Jake had only prepared and researched for a few years. Amara was shocked at how much they accomplished and how fast they moved forward with Clan Hart’s help, but to even obtain mastery over the Second Tier could take decades–even at their current pace. What about the Third Tier? Or the Fourth?

Finally, they still weren’t at the peak of their current Tier, only a few of them reaching level 42 now, with Jake, Sati, Nessa and Fhesiah a bit ahead of the rest. How could they compare to not only enemies at the peak of it–level 50–but also people who were boosted by bringing themselves down from the Third or Fourth Tier, with maximum skills and peak-strength souls, and experience?

The strength of the soul was incredibly difficult to maximize at your current Tier. The cultivation of the soul, or general empowerment of it, was something difficult that few mastered, even specialists that spent their whole life on it. It required time, knowledge of special methods, and expensive resources. Of course, being a Champion sure helped, but it wasn’t enough.

But these problems or issues were only excuses. Excuses did not win battles and did not earn victory over an opponent willing to spend and do whatever it took to win. Framework challenges did not guarantee a fair fight on an individual battle or conflict level, only on a Sector-wide level.

His family had pulled out the win and prevented the monk from fleeing, but only barely. Hestia had reassured them that his other plans might have worked to stop the monk, but that was far from good enough in Jake’s mind.

Jake and his family’s methods now bridged the strength gap, allowing them to beat enemies at the peak of their tier and, perhaps, not quite true elite enemies brought down to it.

The champions and aspects they faced in this Tier, aside from the monk and maybe Loviatar’s Champion that Ophelia had faced, were like average or perhaps below-average Tier 3 champions.

It was Jake’s understanding that, while it varied on a per-Divine basis, they could have more than a hundred across the Core Territories, Frontier Sectors, and more. If his family were struggling to beat average ones, then that meant there were hundreds out there that could crush them. Tartarus always seemed to know how they could get a leg up on their opponents.

On top of that, his family had gotten a bit lucky. He knew that the true strength of Aspects of the Evil Divine was that their strength was not static. With time spent on the world, they could consume sacrifices, monsters, and magical resources.

They would become more powerful as time passed, even exceeding their Tier–like the Aspect of Greed, the giant beetle. The Aspect of Balor was even marked as incomplete, and if they had arrived just a few days later, it would have reached those levels as well.

But because Clan Hart had moved so quickly and thwarted their plots one by one, they were unable to rise much in power. The enemy was focused on the quick, landslide victory from the get-go and had sent engineered or designed powers that fit their betrayer-aided plots. They did this instead of true elite enemies that might have been better at facing his family in a team battle–though Jake also understood that this was also part of the limitations of the Frontier Sector. It brought its allotted power into the Sector, and then moved its pieces around. It may not actually have many elite Champions in the Sector at all. Or it was saving or preparing them for the battles that truly mattered...like the War Trial.

So Jake knew that once again, he had to push things to the maximum and think about how he could exceed his Tier. The way he saw it, he had three main things that made him and his family special–beyond each individual special wife–that allowed them to punch above their limits. By pushing them as far as they could go, they were likely to push past the boundary into being able to stand up to any elite.

The Divine Energy from being Champions or the adjacent. The Hearth Bond. And finally... the void. One may imagine that Jake’s runic magic and talent also allowed them to surpass the Tier as he had done in the past. But his ability to do so had largely been because of his Divine Hearth in the first place. It was why he had the mana of enough quality and quantity to establish powerful spells. Otherwise, casting a single spell that transcended the Tier and then running out of mana would be rather pointless–it would only eliminate one of their enemy’s cards most of the time.

So that had Jake thinking a lot further on the topic that he could influence much himself. What was a Hearth Core? When he originally obtained it, it felt like a direct upgrade to the Mana Core: Spiral. That it was better in nearly every conceivable way, with no downsides. More mana capacity and more mana regeneration. The Mana Siphon benefit from his bonds was significant.

However, Jake had done quite a bit of research and testing, as well as reading the information Amara had provided for him on them. There were actually several weaknesses not mentioned in the Framework text that he had determined.

The first was that hearths were like beacons, as the energies were drawn through the planes, including the void. In terms of being able to detect a person using mana sensory capabilities, a hearth could be discovered two to three times further away than a normal mana core, and perhaps even further with certain methods.

While Jake and his wives were skilled and had a strong capability to close off the mana leakage in their auras, the other means of sensing people or creatures was not limited by this.

Lately they had succeeded in hiding with illusions and artifacts, but he didn’t think this would be the same for much longer. They had gotten lucky that their enemies were so inept–that they relied on simple mana sensory instead of being able to monitor other planes of existence for detection. Jantaka’s truth seekers said they could see Clan Hart from over a hundred miles away–and that was without knowing what to look for. If they were hunting Clan Hart, they’d find them half the continent away in a few hours.

The second downside of hearths was range of mana cohesion and control. The dropoff in hearth mana’s effectiveness as it got further away from their bodies, even as a completed spell, was significant. Jake had noticed that the Grecian mages and runic priests in their capture the flag match had launched their attacks further upfield than he would normally be comfortable doing himself.

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He knew that the dropoff would cause a fair amount of mana spent to be wasted, yet they didn’t seem to experience this. Originally, he thought a part of it was the physical component with the Grecian mage’s spells and some other method that the Runic mages were using, but it turned out to be a limitation with Jake’s hearth mana. He could convert it and measurably make his spells go further–nearly thirty percent before experiencing the same dropoff.

Of course, Jake and his family were elites, and these two downsides were difficult for them to even see in practice when comparing against the average mage thanks to their high levels of Mana Control equivalent skill. That, and their incredible affinities for mana–or the very least, Jake’s.

However, if they fought a true elite, especially one with a type of core or mana that might help them attack from further away, the contrast would be rather stark. They could likely strike them with powerful spells from nearly twice the distance, putting his family on the defensive. Thankfully, they had Tanda’s archery to counter that issue, along with Ira, and of course, Ophelia’s incredible speed on Valora.

That meant, as a whole, that Hearthians were master mid-range casters and melee, specialized in domains and enhancing auras. To go against this with a spell or an artifact that Jake crafted would likely be a waste. He could try to reduce the weaknesses by making something to improve their range or hide their auras across the planes, but he thought it better to play into their strengths, as he would likely get more out of the items then.

And he could make a separate item for stealth purposes, of course, likely for his team members who carried out a bit of subterfuge, like Fhesiah.

What did Jake and his family need? Most recently, they learned that enemies with esoteric and vague abilities may give his people a lot more trouble than an elite warrior. Jake had even suffered a mental attack once, but his void bloodline, though at its early stages at that time, had protected him. But what about his wives?

Certainly, Avalara, Fhesiah and Bree had powerful minds and souls, but many of the rest would be susceptible to these kinds of obscure attacks. Tanda had suffered the most from the Veridrith’s droning mental attack when the many Champions clashed.

Did Jake need to make an item for that? Or should he just ask Hestia for an upgrade to his Hearthian Presence? He could always rely on one of his wives to create a counter to handle this issue, too. Already, Ophelia was considering making this a part of her focus, for Jake to make a covenant on her armor or shield that would help protect those near her from things like curses and other magics that targeted the mind and soul.

And then there was the monk’s ability to pop in unannounced and potentially escape. In actuality, they had a bit of an answer to a threat like this, but because Fhesiah’s Champion abilities were sealed at that particular moment, her curses of the sun and moon were not even an option.

Not that this would have been enough to stop him, necessarily, but it would have made it ten times harder for him to escape after he got blasted by everyone. That particular enemy may have been able to just cut off the cursed piece of his odd spiritual body and escape, besides.

Because the threat came from different planes, just waiting until they knew they were around to activate a counter may not be enough, either. By the time they showed themselves, it could already be too late–just like in the case of the monk, but with an assassin instead. They had amazing detection between Ira, Fhesiah and–

Ira suddenly flicked its tail in irritation, a series of replayed thoughts and feelings arriving in Jake’s mind.

It had failed to detect an enemy once. Just once!

Jake turned inward, his Gaze training on the creature. “I’m sorry, Ira. You are an amazing guardian, and I know it’s not fair to think this way–we’ve won so many times against many different enemies. And it’s likely thanks to you that the enemy hasn’t divined a path to ambush us until now. But that is the nature of our enemy. We could choose a strategy or build that would win easily nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand. This enemy will still just use the one path and win.”

Ira appeared to nearly grumble at this, letting out a long breath as it sighed. Jake’s comment didn’t seem to cheer it up.

He moved to thinking more out loud, looking over a catalogue of their recent materials and their properties in his Menu. “I really need something that can be active all the time and something that can protect us from interplanar threats. Ideally, also prevent strange magics like karma or fate manipulation. But how?”

Ira placed a claw on an item nearby–one of the many hearths he had experimented with.

Look.

Ira had repeated a feeling of wanting to look more closely; the feeling before someone squinted their eyes to look.

Jake let out a breath. Certainly, looking at an active Hearth with his Umbral Gaze, he could tell that the radius of effect traveled through the planes, including the Astral–the plane of the gods. Even more so than a soul that touched it, and this was the reason why a hearth could be detected from so much further away. Within its radius, he could definitely make it protect against stuff like this, for a cost.

Jake had already thought of using a Hearth, but felt it was a little lacking. While the hearth could make a zone of control of sorts, to create a barrier his enemy couldn’t escape once they entered just went against a hearth’s nature.

An image suddenly appeared in his mind in response to his thoughts.

Skull.

Jake’s eyes widened a fraction. That almost felt like a word being spoken to go along with it. Ira was certainly becoming more... responsive and active since it consumed the most recent treasure, but that it suddenly became more involved in this task was still surprising.

Ira’s serpent-like dragon body snaked around the room, as if pacing and slithering through the air. Jake could feel its irritation and focus at the same time.

He smiled at this, doing his best to follow the creature through the planes as it traveled around like a fox pacing its territory. “You really want to help, huh? To protect us in more ways.”

Jake reached out his hand, and Ira snaked through his touch as it moved through the planes. “I appreciate you, Ira. Thanks for the help.” Running his hands through the creature’s streamers and snake-like body, the creature seemed to croon in response but then took a haughty attitude as it went back to rest wrapped around his hearth now. He got an odd series of feelings that he pieced together.

I’ve done enough now. You can do the rest.

Jake arched his brow at that–perhaps nothing had truly changed for the creature. Then turned to the item in question. As for the tainted crystal skull, certainly, the enemy had used it to create a barrier they believed Jake would be unable to leave or call for help from. The item almost looked like glass, a nearly translucent, prismatic, gem-like structure.

And it had many...eye sockets, with its shape strange and alien. The skull was tapered and almost conic, reminding him a bit of the Aetherians.

There wasn’t a lot of taint left in it. It seemed that it had stored the energy as fuel and was used, but it almost felt like the item was a mere vessel.

Inspecting the item more closely on his workbench with his special viewing glass, he had difficulty understanding how the item was even used. The stakes were Runic, but there didn’t seem to be any kind of inscriptions or man-made additions on the skull that he could see–aside from the corruption inserted into it.

He was somewhat reluctant to purify the item before learning its usage, but the item would be useless to him anyway if that was the only way it functioned. While he could harvest tainted energy from other items, he certainly didn’t want to rely on such a thing for his toolkit to power it.

As he began to clean the tiny, nearly microscopic, porous channels throughout the item with his hearthflames, he noticed that they were fractal patterns throughout. They were not nearly as random as they first appeared, nor were they paths for mere veins or nerves. Perhaps there was some intelligent design at play here, but fractal patterns were definitely a natural expression.

The item eventually cleaned, he gave it a try and infused mana into it. The item didn’t respond overly much except to brighten and maybe vibrate a tiny bit, reminding him of one of his family’s early crafted items. The Quakeshell Carapace would vibrate when mana and monstrous essence were injected, providing a dampening defense.

With that thought, he went ahead and channeled Berri’s holy light mana, which included her monstrous nature. The item really lit up in more ways than one, sending out a weak, pulsing barrier–he could see with his Umbral Gaze how it created a weak field across the planes.

Blood’s Holy Dark was even more powerful, projecting an odd feeling of death, a heaviness that was difficult to describe. A weight on his chest, like he was trapped in a coffin and buried. With all the taint near him and how he was focused on facing Avaron and Cassius, perhaps he hadn’t noticed the feeling it had projected at the time.

They had gone through the trouble of identifying the original creature the skull was from. It was a Celestial Planeswalker, an angelic creature of the void that may not be that dissimilar from Jake’s Umbral Envoy. It was in fact a Tier 3 monster material, and the monster could make a sort of barrier of protection for itself.

This caused him to frown at the channels drawn throughout the skull. While the lines almost looked natural, this feeling as though he were trapped in a tomb did not match. Perhaps even these natural lines had been perverted in some way.

Jake thought he might be able to use the item as it was. He could create a covenant that could use the conditions where an enemy entered uninvited; it would trigger the tomb that they could no longer escape. But something about it just didn’t ring well with him.

He didn’t think he would normally have close to the expertise necessary to carve such channels and create a new item. Comparing the fractal patterns within the Demonic Runes for words like tomb and coffin, however, he noticed that they were actually quite similar to what he saw on the item.

And words like home and sanctuary in demonic runes, the lines curved in a rather similar way, he felt. Almost in reverse, or mirrored...but not quite, he could see various differences in the patterns. Certainly, a tomb was a sort of home, the final resting place of the dead.

This made Jake feel that the crafter, or the one who likely modified this item, was a cultivator. Only they had this understanding of the universal truths and resonance...well, he took that back. Jantaka and his people’s capabilities were largely beyond his understanding, having special sympathetic and empathic magic that connected to the planes in unique ways and produced outcomes Jake could scarcely comprehend.

The Third Tier was a different landscape, with all sorts of different layers of spirituality and divinity ingrained in the seeds of worlds as they grew to reach this threshold. There could certainly be different sympathetic or resonant magic systems he was unaware of.

Of course, Jake made a perfect note and recording of the current locations of the channels. He could redraw them as they were if necessary. Then, he called Berri in.

She appeared in motes of light and placed her hand on the item. “So you want me to fill in these lines? Why?”

“I want to start from a blank slate, then redraw them. Well, a near reverse of them.”

Berri hummed. “A near reverse of them? Shouldn’t I just reverse them now in one go then? It may save you some time.”

Jake knew he could count on her. When it came to these kinds of things, she was incredibly capable–to the point where Blood was often confounded. “Not a bad idea.”

“Let’s put it in front of a mirror, and I’ll get to work!”

Jake side-eyed her a little. “You seem oddly motivated in this.”

“Hehe, it’s not every day I get to help you directly, Jakey. Plus, I can feel it. This item...it’s wrong. I want to fix it, and so does Blood.”

They got out a mirror, and she redrew the channels within the item, doing her best to reverse them in the three-dimensional space–not a simple task at all, but she managed it. And dealing with its dense, gem-like structure was not that easy. It was bone mixed with monstrous essence in it, so she was able to connect to it and mold it, but it was so dense that it required quite a bit of investment to manipulate–Berri’s energy and essence inserted as Jake fed her energy through his Nexus ability.

When she was done, Jake was happy to flood the different mana into the item to see the results. He was surprised, but now the item was truly reversed. Blood’s Holy Dark now produced a lesser result, and Berri’s Holy Light mana now produced a feeling of home or sanctuary. But Jake thought he could do a little better–improve on the channels and add his enchantments with a few iterations.

Berri frowned down at the skull. “It works now, and I don’t mind it. But are you really going to keep the item like that? A skull is pretty macabre to have in a human’s home, isn’t it? I could probably make it into a glass ball if you want.”

Jake chuckled at that and shook his head. “I know you can, but that doesn’t change the reality of the item, only the perception of it. I think it’s better to leave it as is. A perverted, defiled item had been used for evil, and now it has been restored to be used for good. Thanks for the help, Berri. I think I have what I need now to really get started.”

Berri beamed. “You’re welcome, Jakey! Let me know if there’s anything else you need help with...” She kissed him fiercely, and hugged him tightly which he was more than glad to return. She pulled back and continued, “Or, if you can use a break. Blood and I would gladly...”

Jake hesitated, and Blood was the one who smiled widely. “Almost convinced him, my dear sister. But the lord is busy and focused, which I love so much to see too. Let us get back to forging more auril bone and hide bodysuits for our brethren.”

Berri pouted at this, and with one more kiss and a loving embrace, this time from Blood herself, she disappeared, leaving Jake alone once more. The first thing he did was link his test hearth to the item and create a covenant that utilized it. His sanctuary would protect those within its range from all manner of attacks and inhibit enemies that entered it in a special way.

Jake continued work on his special item throughout the night, fixing the channels, designing his covenant, and making some tests with lesser materials for his proof of concept. However, after several hours, he hit a snag no matter what scopes, restrictions, and rewards he created. A big one, too.

Power.

The superior materials for the hearth would possibly double the effectiveness and improve efficiency, but he knew it would not be enough. To protect against magic at all times and block off the exit to those that passed through his domain unannounced would be costly–much more mana and regeneration sacrificed than he was normally willing to give up.

He had seen it coming with how Avaron and Cassius had used both tainted energy and their Nascent Divine Essence in their blood in order to power the item for a short period. To fuel this item would leave Jake running dry in just a few minutes when he wanted something that could remain active nearly at all times. The Mana Font could work, but he didn’t want to rely on that, as there were many situations where he may not have this available.

Only that could protect him and his family from threats like the Nameless Monk or their future-divining enemies. With something only temporary, they could just wait until the effect wore off or was inactive before their surprise attack, after all.

Jake’s musings were interrupted by a sudden knock. He turned to the door and approved entry with a thought. The door was often locked while he was working. Sometimes, the lab would be a bit too dangerous for children to come wandering inside, and it was a better policy to limit entry than to count on him to remember to lock it every time he might change tasks.

Yona came in pushing a large cart with various refreshments and dishware, her two tails flicking as she walked in wearing her cute maid outfit. “Thought you could use a snack and some tea, soda, or Grokk! I know you’ve been locked up here for many hours. It’s the middle of the night!”

Jake smiled at her. “Thanks, Yona. I could use a break. I’ll take some Grokk.”

“Right away!” She grabbed the carafe and poured him a heaping large cup of it that looked comical as she handed it to him, and he took it in his much larger hand. As it was, Jake was over ten feet tall and still much taller than her around five-foot height even sitting on his work chair.

Yona gave him a wry smile. “Wasn’t sure if you wanted to resize yourself. But that’s okay... I always have Berri-sized cups ready!”

Smiling, he took a drink, enjoying the smooth and rich aroma as he did. The bitterness was just right, softened by the vitality contained in the drink. The energy enriched his body and spirit, and thanks to this, his taste buds seemed to reward him with a sweet flavor even without sugar or milk.

Yona smiled as he perused the items on the cart, grabbing a bagel and using some cream cheese with pineapple spread–Highland’s and other world’s magical ingredients, of course.

“Thanks, this is perfect. How are things with the kids?”

“They’re sleeping for the day, nya! Ever since you added the magic training and the sports, they have been excited and doing that much of the day and get tuckered out quickly. It’s been a little difficult to keep them focused on their other studies, but they’re good little kids and change tasks without too much of a fuss.” She sighed. “They grow so fast.”

Jake was amused by that–the expression was definitely true in the case of his kids. “You said it. How about you and your...cultivation?”

Yona shrugged. “I still find my time to cultivate and focus on myself from time to time. What are you working on?” She cringed a little when she spotted the skull among the many objects scattered about his workbench for a moment, then her expression softened. Probably, she could feel that it had a more homely vibe than it looked.

“I’m working on a protective hearth–I guess you could say I’m trying to make a home on the battlefield or wherever I go, a sort of sanctuary that our enemies would have to work extremely hard to conquer.”

“Oh. I like that!” Yona said, her voice brightening. “I’d say you already kind of do that, but I guess you’re meaning something a little more...substantial, then? I want to help. You keep working–I’ll do my best to help you in my own way.”

Jake wasn’t sure what she meant at first, but she answered his question with her actions. She floated up behind his chair and began kneading his shoulders as he turned his attention back to the crystal skull. It was an immediate, almost comical struggle. Jake’s shoulders were as broad as boulders, his musculature incredibly dense from his Hearthian core and his constant physical tempering.

Even floating to gain leverage, Yona had to lean her entire upper body over him, practically straddling the back of his neck just to reach the thick knots in his shoulders and back. But thankfully, she was plenty strong enough. She was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, after all, which meant she still had plenty of practical strength, despite her lack of desire for it.

She pressed her hands into his flesh, her dual tails swishing rhythmically as she put her weight into the effort, letting out a small, determined hum.

Jake let out a long breath, his posture finally slackening. It felt amazing. But it wasn't just the physical pressure relieving his tension; it was the proximity of her growing hearth. Pressed snugly against his upper back, her Bastet-aligned flames radiated a profound, soothing peace that seemed to act as a cooling balm on his overworked mind.

He went back to work for a time, comfortable but not all that focused. Was there a way to bring an array with him, wherever he went? Flipping through the pages of his notes mentally within his Menu, he thought about his options.

Certainly, the Array Flags and Mana Font he designed were portable and easy to deploy. But he needed something active at all times, and he certainly didn’t like the idea of routinely deploying them no matter where he was going or what he was doing. They were weak to tampering, besides. No, his people had the numbers to manage this when combined with their usual scouting efforts.

After a time, slipping through that serene comfort as he mused, Jake felt a sudden, unmistakable spike of heat over their bond.

It was a flutter of raw lust from the lovely maid. Her soft hands were working over his massive, sculpted frame, and the physical reality of their closeness was clearly getting to her. Her core rubbed against his back as she shifted her weight, and her breathing hitched slightly, her tails wrapping around his body to catch her from falling off in surprise, despite being able to just float.

Jake’s own breath caught in response. In the past, the seal or his void bloodline might have muted this sudden physical pull, forcing his instincts to wait until a deeper bond, a true connection, was completely established before he could truly desire her in that way.

But after his time with Sati and with Odin's seal slowly unraveling to reveal the true depth of his void's hunger, his reaction was immediate and visceral.

A heavy, pulsing desire settled low in his gut. He didn't just appreciate her hard work or her nurturing presence. He wanted her. And he wanted the lithe, lightly tanned catgirl maid now.

They had spent the last two weeks grinding Rifts, organizing armies, and building defenses. The world was finally stabilizing, and they were preparing to leave for the next phase of the war. There was no imminent crisis bearing down on them. It was the perfect time.

Jake reached up and gently caught her wrists, bringing her massage to a halt.

Yona blinked, floating back slightly. “Was it not hard enough, Master? Or uh,” she fixed her laced dress up on her chest a little, looking a bit bashful. “You didn’t just feel–”

Jake interrupted softly, “No, it felt perfect. It all did.” He turned his chair around to face her now floating body fully as she dropped down to her feet. Looking down at her, his gaze dropped briefly to the adorable maid outfit she wore so proudly before meeting her dark eyes. The intense affection and desire radiating from him made her blush a furious crimson. “But I think you've done enough working for one day. Actually, you've done enough working for the last several weeks.”

Yona tilted her head, her tails flicking in confusion. “But the kids' breakfast still needs to be made, and I was going to tidy up the play–”

“Bloodberri and the others can handle the kids,” Jake interrupted, offering a warm, promising smile. He reached out, gently running his thumb over the back of her hand. “The Rifts are handled. The world is safe for the moment. I have the time, and I want to spend it with you. I think it's long overdue that I took you on a proper date.”

Yona’s eyes went wide, her lips parting in a silent gasp. Her heart began to hammer a frantic, joyful rhythm that Jake could feel echoing in the air between them. “A... a date? With me? ...Now?”

“Now, or quite soon.” Jake confirmed. “You’re not tired, are you? Unless you’d rather have a lot more time to prepare, we can do it tonight instead, or–”

She shook her head at his first question, but before he could solidify his plans, two women appeared in motes of light.

Fhesiah and Tanda arrived wearing matching, mischievous grins.

“Oh, thank the heavens,” Fhesiah sighed dramatically, snapping her fan open and covering the lower half of her face. “I felt a bit of that. And it’s so exciting! Our Jake is finally wanting the little kitty!”

“We’ve got the kids handled!” Tanda added, her tail wagging so fast it was a blur. “Bloodberri is already in the kitchen taking over breakfast. You don't need to worry about a thing, Yona!”

Yona looked between the two women, her mouth opening and closing in shock. “Wait, what? You know all about this already? Were you...listening?”

“You know how it works. We felt the spike in the bond and heard his thoughts and plans.” Fhesiah shrugged, stepping forward to grab Yona gently by the arm, her fluffy tails from her kitsune form wrapping around her. “Now come along, little kitty. You have some time to get dolled up. Our husband finally remembered there was a lovely catgirl just waiting for him, and we are going to make sure you look absolutely devastating for it so that maybe he regrets it a little.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t want him to regret anything...” Yona looked back over her shoulder at Jake, her dark eyes shining, her tails flicking in a mixture of flustered panic and overwhelming excitement.

Fhesiah smiled. “Just an expression, dear. Also, I did say a little, did I not? If you don’t make your man regret a little that he didn’t make a move on or at the very least meet you sooner, are you even a woman? It’s right up there with handbags and a closet full of shoes.”

Yona frowned at that and looked at her dainty, shoeless feet.

Tanda chuckled. “Don’t worry about her, Yona. She’s just messing around.”

Yona looked back at Jake once again.

“I’ll see you soon,” Jake promised, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Okay!” Yona squeaked, finally letting herself be dragged out of the lab by the two grinning women.

As the doors closed behind them, Jake looked back at the crystal skull resting on his workbench. The solution to his energy problem was still out of reach, but for the first time all day, he didn't care. The war could wait until tomorrow. For now, he had a beautiful, devoted maid and nanny to romance.