Bonded Summoner

Book 9. Chapter 21: Solidifying Plans

Jake was luxuriating with Yona and their new bond, their lovemaking over for the moment and replaced with enjoyable relaxation. He scratched the area between her ears and all around them, lying in the bed within their Refuge without a care in the world. Her hearth flames wrapped around his, quieting his desire and helping him find peace.

Yona’s hair had a thick undercoat beneath the top of her head, near where her ears connected. That meant she had a nice area to scratch, which soothed both Jake and her as her chest rumbled a loud purr.

Her hand drifted to her necklace, a pleasant smile on her face. “I know the kids are going to comment on it. A few times, I’ve seen their eyes drift to my neck, as if looking for it. And when they were smaller and didn’t know any better, a few had asked where it was, nya.”

Jake chuckled at that. “Kids are not exactly tactful. That probably wasn’t a pleasant reminder that I hadn’t taken interest in you.”

Yona shook her head. “It didn’t bother me–I was so happy to just be here and felt so blessed. Besides, most of them were rooting for me! I know... some of them have probably said some things to you. That was all their idea, and they didn’t tell me until later that they were doing it!”

Jake frowned. “You mean Blaze coming up to me and telling me how great you are at coloring and how your feet totally weren’t lame but kind of cute was not your idea?”

Yona laughed. “I guess that was obvious, nya. Oh! Is it almost time for breakfast?”

Berri replied, [It’s way past breakfast, and the kids all noticed you and Daddy Jake were missing! The gossip is getting out of control. Some are saying you are using your secret ninja skills, helping Daddy beat the bad guys. Others know that is not true, and you are probably just helping him clean his workshop.]

Ophelia added, [And others like Rena and Clara have guessed it–that you’re going to show up with your necklace soon, and they’re so happy for you.]

Yona’s purr became even louder, her smile growing wide as she thought of the kids. “I can’t wait to show them. But...in just a little while longer.” She hugged Jake tighter, her tails wrapping around him a little possessively. Blood added, [After speaking with Yiming and Seamus, we went ahead and finished our preparations to start heading to Morvalis. So unless you think we should stick around a while longer, you truly have nowhere you need to be right at this moment, Milord. Rest well.]

“No, that’s fine–we can begin the trip now. Did you at least speak one final time with Jarl Eric and Geomarch Darren?”

Blood triggered the Refuge to begin its movement, then replied, [Of course. They have fully signed on and had the vast majority of their men who participated in their reclamation join. They’ve been fully onboarded and given their milestone objectives and agreed to Hearthtribe’s cultural and meritocratic requirements before they can have their own command. For now, they’ll work closely under Yiming and Seamus’s watch, learning and mastering our doctrine for joint combat with our diverse people. And of course, they’ll begin to work towards earning some of those lovely Guild Points for our many benefits.]

Fhesiah sighed. [It’s too bad. We’re going to have to crank up that female recruitment, because both the northerners and the southerners are a bit of a sausage fest. Thankfully, the ratios throughout the guild are still good, and Serthune will make that even better, but Nessa and I will have our hands full with our matchmaking soon enough.]

Jake nearly rolled his eyes–her definition of sausage fest was still 1:1. But it was true that even in their warrior-like and tribal societies, the ratio was probably closer to 6:4 men to women serving as Adventurers.

Nevertheless, Jake did understand the truth. It all felt silly, this focus on a harem guild, but something about their matchmaking was truly working. Some warriors he met that felt like underachievers or lazy at first suddenly had begun to focus and become more determined, disciplined members as a result of their pairings.

And most couples or families they created had stayed together, with very few not working out. He knew it wasn’t like they mandated girls join their successful warriors or anything like that, but with how their suggestions worked and the weight of their leadership behind them, it still almost felt like it somewhat.

Nessa added, [We do our best to give them a bit of choice where we can. I wouldn’t exactly call it a formula because it is more of an art, but we’ve found a few methods to balance out parties and help them succeed. It’s not always perfect, but we do our best to mix talent and motivation levels with the charitable and reserved so that parties are balanced emotionally to go along with their skillsets–the result is usually strong. Unless being a bit lopsided can work wonders.]

“What do you mean, lopsided?”

Fhesiah replied, [She’s getting at how sometimes we can make a group of high-energy, super-motivated, and driven heroes into a group, and it’ll work out well. You know, a bit like ours? But usually, we’ll try to have them be more balanced out. So those that often go with the flow or are fine with doing the bare minimum are pushed along by someone with just a bit more motivation than them. So they want to be better. But not so much that they fight against it tooth and nail.]

It had certainly done wonders for Astalder, and Longwei had changed in odd ways that made him even more effective than he was originally.

Jake sighed happily as he continued to scratch Yona’s scalp, her purr still filling the room as he spoke aloud in response to his wives paying attention. “I’d like to enjoy this for longer, but I know we have an agenda or goals to work toward. Clearing Morvalis and Serthune will feel like it’s just busywork before we return to The Burning Steps and knock out each of their Dungeon Raids, but we have to keep the bigger picture in mind. Ultimately, we’re preparing for the War Trial. Each of us has our own projects to improve what we have, but what difficulties do we have to overcome?”

Berri perked up at the last bit. [Oh! Blood has a list for that already, I think? Here!]

[Clan Hart: Dynasty Ascension Protocols]Objective: Bramvalen Nobles Sufficiently Cowed - [Completed]Objective: Cosmic Lineage & Eugenics Optimization - [Pending]Objective: Establish Infant Demigod Combat Regimens - [Drafting]Objective: Total Biosphere Subjugation - [Partial Complete]Jake frowned as he began to read the long, almost endless list, nearly chuckling at some of her focus on this dynasty of hers–it wasn’t the first time Blood had shared the list with him and gone over some of the details.

Thankfully, he knew that while the second item about cosmic lineage and eugenics sounded pretty cold and clinical, the plan was just a detailed list about making sure she ate well during pregnancy and the importance of breastfeeding, even as a weird elven snake-mother.

But the fourth item still gave him pause, freezing on the line item. “What...what is this about? Total Biosphere Subjugation?”

Blood groaned and then sounded a bit agitated. [Thanks for helping, Sister. How about you allow me to handle the things in my purview?]

Berri sounded worried about her sister’s anger. [Erm, Sorry. My bad!]

[You probably did that on purpose, didn’t you? So maybe Jarl Eric will hear a little rumor about another sport to rival your–]

[Nooo! Anything but that! It was just a joke... I’ll make it up to you!]

Blood cleared her throat, though Jake knew they continued conversing in their own head. [Anyway, I understand that it sounds...aggressive. I’ve...recommended to the spriggans–]

Jake snorted at that. “Recommended? Coming from you or Berri to them, that’s like the voice of a goddess ordering them.”

Blood continued, [Recommended that they find homes for their seedlings among our holdings. They’ve spread well enough along Highland’s jungles, and now it is time for them to seed the stars. With their efforts, they will reinforce...or depending on your point of view, annex unused but important resources of every allied world. Like an aggressive weed, they will grow and... infest every frontier and tame the wilderness, including the beasts and monsters that inhabit it.]

That was...incredibly smart. Jake had just had the thought about using Bree to deny Tartarus of monsters to control, and she had already begun implementing something just like this. And a plan that would be perfect for when the worlds entered conquest. They could draw the local beasts away from Tartarus’s control radius.

Blood puffed up in pride at that, and she also shared how this plan was multifaceted. It wasn’t just to control the wildlife but also a deterrent for more intelligent destructive behavior of the natives and to have trusted agents wherever they went.

She said, [Here is the actual short-term agenda, each with their own subitems, but for our discussion we’ll start at the top.]

[War Trial Preparations]Finalize Covenant Raid Gear & Group Spells.Fortify Planetary Defenses for the upcoming War Trial.Prepare life and death resources for Avalara's Hearthian Bond.Prepare yin and yang flame resources, planetary arrays, and CP for Sati’s Hearthian bond and Water Moon World Merger.The items were rather normal to him until he got to the final one. Jake sat up suddenly, disturbing Yona. He asked, “What’s this about a world merger?”

Yona then began massaging him and tried to bring him back down onto the bed.

Blood replied, [It is a proposal for something we learned in our inquiries. We were going to seek your decision on it soon but were waiting to iron out just a few details before we presented it. We were a little worried about any changes with Sati, knowing how...out of balance the world was. Turns out our concerns were founded, according to Jantaka.]

“How did you manage to consult him?”

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[Of course, we didn’t ask him how to magically terraform or engineer a world; that is not information he could share. But we were able to ask him to determine what the balance currently was and just what might happen if suddenly the fire moon’s energy became five to ten percent denser or more powerful overnight. The results were...catastrophic. Even now, the world is drifting out of skew by the day, the fire worshipers exceeding their peers. It may be a few decades, but if nothing is done, the world will actually be destroyed with or without Sati’s ascension.]

Sati replied, [I’m sure my Ishvara could...find a way to protect the world as I become more. But...something tells me this is the wrong path.]

[Quite the wrong path. As you enter the Third Tier and leave the world in your dust, the imbalance will only grow from your mirror, even if the default Framework upgrades may handle things for a while–that would be merely kicking the can down the road. Instead, we came up with two options for fixing the balance intelligently and giving us a lot more leeway. The first option we knew you would reject, though it’s a whole lot easier and quite a powerful option.]

“Let’s hear it anyway?” Jake leaned back into Yona, and she began scratching his scalp instead, her tails wrapping around him and massaging his legs.

Blood replied, [Using high-quality materials, we create a new water moon, then establish and implant Nessa as the new goddess of water to be the counter to Sati. It’s perfect; the two will grow close to in-sync, and it creates power for them in a way that rivals Champions.]

Jake sighed. “You’re right, that sounds like a step too far. It’s fine if it’s on accident through saving the world, like what happened with Sati. Doing it on purpose, even if it is saving the world and improving it, should only be a last resort. Honestly, I’d rather just choose the kick the can down the road method–hope that the Framework fixes it when we win the world option. What’s the final option?”

[It’s a complicated, multi-faceted plan that addresses all the core issues. A planetary array that will restrict the three elements to boost the fallen one and then cleanse and nurture the dead water continent–the scars from their loss remain to this day. Then, we alter the world’s religion to allow them to focus and aid in this same repair. Finally, we shall merge a Tier 1 world to become its new water moon and link it to the planetary core.]

A massive, glowing schematic of The Burning Steps materialized. It was complete with leylines, cities, and potential array lines as vague clouds of geometric shapes were drawn over it, with the world’s four moons and the energies involved.

“This...sounds quite complicated, as you said. As always, your work is quite impressive.”

Blood beamed. [Which I am happy to go into detail for you, Milord! If we expand our planetary arrays and pre-build the leyline anchors across the dead water continent, we can stabilize the foundation before the new moon arrives,] Blood explained. [This will trigger a discount on the Merger and ensure a smooth transition. But... it requires massive cooperation from the natives to power the arrays with their faith and mana. We need them to actively support the healing of the world, or the expenditure will be far too much for us to shoulder, considering our other demands.]

[They will,] Ophelia interjected. [I know the Wind Elves thanks to my time with them, and they will definitely support healing the world–it was what they were trying to do on their own. But If you just order them to change away from their worship of the wind, they’ll balk. They view rigid authority as a cage. But if we propose the 'Prism Shrines' concept we discussed–letting them worship the wind itself while funneling their specific oaths to compatible Accord deities like Favonius, Vayu or Shu–they’ll see this as a grand, freeing crusade. A 'healing wind' to clear the world's rot.]

They had discussed some of these options for how to win over the natives, as he didn’t think the natives were nearly as compatible with Clan Hart’s Divine outside of the Fire Continent. Surely, Guan Yu may win over some wind elves thanks to his incredible display as he had descended, but the wind elves weren’t all that militant or martial.

Lugh was somewhat fitting with his storms and summer winds. However, Favonius the Roman God of the Western Winds, and Shu, the Egyptian Goddess of the Peaceful Wind, and lastly, the Hindu God Vayu, the Cosmic Breath of Life, would resonate much further with the elves, Jake thought.

They had learned that The Burning Steps was quite a bit of a mutt, with its mixed Origins. That was, as they had always learned, one of the reasons the world had largely been ignored by others.

[The Earth Continent is the same,] Tanda chimed in, her tone turning analytical. [They suffered through the earthquakes, and they are traumatized. Worshipping Garona isn't enough for them anymore; they know their worldview was too small. Well, thanks to Berri taking her away, besides.]

[Garona made her choice! I didn’t steal her away!] Berri denied.

Tanda’s voice got a little testy, [Well, she’s also ‘choosing’ to eat all my plants. You better help me by making some more bone fertilizer and then by planting some more later; I can’t keep up with that glutton on my own. We won’t have a Sanctuary left at this rate!]

Avalara added, [I’d be happy to help some more! I’ve finally got my third lesser avatar. Let’s expand Garona’s farm–I mean, your garden!] she corrected quickly when she sensed Tanda’s intense dislike of that premise.

[Tanda's right,] Nessa added gently, bringing them back on topic. [If we present this not as a magical engineering project but as a divine mending... it changes everything. If we introduce them to Nuwa, the Accord goddess of mending broken worlds with colored stones... and maybe Gaia and Ptah, it helps fill in the gaps based on the troll’s desires.]

Blood added, [Using Gaia and Nuwa, as well as Favonius, Vayu, and Shu, will no doubt win Hearthtribe and the Accord some additional political capital, so this plan helps on many levels. As for the natives...]

[They might treat it as a holy mandate,] Jake realized, the pieces clicking together perfectly in his mind. [Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water are four elements instead of five. But if we frame the array construction as the natives’ way of participating in Nuwa's cosmic repair, they will volunteer in droves to perform her miracle.]

[Exactly,] Blood said, and her satisfaction for her plan that she had mostly worked out already was palpable. [But laying that kind of religious and magical engineering groundwork across all four continents takes time. Which is why I am proposing a schedule change. The Burning Steps' Dungeon Raid cannot be first, as we had planned. It has to be last.]

Sati added, [It will give the natives more time to practice their Bhakti Yoga and prepare their bodies. I had given the earth and wind temples Yogini Norisa’s texts with no strings attached, and they were incredibly thankful. I do believe they will listen to reason.]

Jake looked at the updated schedule. It made perfect sense. “We hit Morvalis and Serthune first,” he agreed. “We use those Prime Instances victories to pool the Conquest Points and loot we need for the World Merger, while buying time for our people to pitch this healing plan to the natives and begin constructing the anchoring arrays.”

He frowned as he realized he wanted to know a bit more about a not-so-small detail. “I know you wouldn’t have offered this plan without options already, but where exactly are we getting a Water World? We already dismantled Torrentia to feed Highlands.”

They had won what felt like the perfect world for this already, from the Dungeon. But that was already gone before they knew about The Burning Steps’ true problems, drained right into Avalara’s core. There was no getting it back.

[You’re right, I would never bring you a plan without the supply chain already mapped out,] Blood purred across the link, projecting a pair of planetary dossiers into his mind. [We have a primary target and a backup.]

She highlighted the first planet, a swirling marble of bruised blues and sickly grays.

[Primary target: a Tier 1 Water-Aspected World recently surrendered by Radiant Glory during the territorial reallocations,] Blood explained. [Radiant Glory’s Subguild cheated to win it, stripped its core resources, and left the leylines ravaged. The native population is decimated and desperate. We already sent a peacekeeping force there just to stabilize them–we had already sent a Quest out to our Subguilds, and they have been there for a time. But if we pitch the World Merger to them... we aren't just taking their world. We are pulling their dying planet into a rising world and heavily defended orbit and linking them to Fhesiah's healing arrays. It's a rescue mission.]

Jake felt a surge of approval. Saving a ravaged world by making it their moon perfectly aligned with their mandate. “And if the natives refuse the merger, or the politics stall?”

Blood expanded the second dossier. [The backup is an Aquatic Beast World. Our Hearth Vanguard Subguild is about to clear the final event that rewards its planetary rights. It has no sapient natives, just oceanic and island beasts. If the politics on the primary target fail, we use the Beast World. It’s a completely clean administrative slate; the Framework handles the orbital shift, and the beasts won't care that their sky or world changed.]

Jake smiled, profoundly impressed by the layers of her planning. She had a moral, diplomatic route and a ruthless, efficient backup. However... “Will a Tier 1 World really be enough? I suppose an entire world as a moon...it’s more like we’re merging the world and making a moon and restoring a continent at the same time, isn’t it?”

Avalara was the one who interjected, [That’s right, an entire world as a moon and continent is a bit different. It’s difficult to know exactly how they will get sliced up. We’re letting the Framework handle it, but it is definitely the case that a portion of the two worlds’ cores are merged when you do the merger–compatibility is still required, so this world being a mutt may actually help. Odds are, a good portion of the water will go to the ‘great well,’ the water continent, and an immense amount of mana will be used to stabilize the link to what will be their moon. We may want to use Option A’s idea to form the foundations up there, just without Nessa being the anchor.]

Jake frowned in thought. The Framework certainly reduced the price the closer the result was to the current situation, and that would be true whether they were talking about walls or planetary mergers. “What made you learn about this, Ava?”

[I had looked into getting me some more moons, too! As a Count, you’ll be able to buy them for the worlds in your Territory, but a specialized one like that...it’s super pricey. Valtor estimates that while we may be able to afford a water moon, there probably won’t be anything left for me. I may advance before...you can make the Hearthian Bond.]

It made some sense that a civilization would have to spend years farming in order to afford such an upgrade. It was a strong incentive to participate in the war–to enrich their homeworld.

As for making Avalara wait, Jake didn’t want that to happen. If it didn’t happen now, then likely, they would have to wait until they reached the Fourth Tier. The gap between a world and him would only become larger, they had learned. Tier 3 was a huge jump for people, but that jump was even bigger for worlds.

They had been happy that they had won that monthly Battleground event within the dungeon on Highlands. But actually, that win had set a clock. If they earned too much in there, she would be pushed past the threshold.

“Alright then. You’ve already started the peacekeeping logistics for Radiant Glory’s world, but you have my approval for getting them to agree to the merger and the merging. Let’s work together to make this happen.”

[It will be done, Milord. And with that, I should get back to helping Berri here with these bone bodysuits. She’s starting to imagine food or rallying her children for a game of: ‘hurry up and make these hauberks for me.’]

[Am not! Wait...no, that won’t work. But maybe Blaze could...] Berri hadn’t at first, but now she seriously started to consider passing the buck...at least for now.

Smiling at Berri’s antics, Jake realized something else–that they had already done quite a bit of their own world rebalancing effort before. “But one other thing. What happened with the death balance on Highlands? Was the Ankhmar merger, their deathly pyramids and our arrays, truly enough to balance the world tree? I thought there was a good chance we still required a high-end death artifact.”

[It was, but for a different reason. I’ll show you why when we get back to Highlands.] Avalara sounded pleased and unworried about it.

With that, Jake let out a breath and rested his head. It was definitely a lot to work on and worry about, but with Yona’s comforting embrace, he found it easy to let the tension drift away.

Yona scratched his scalp, her purr and flaming hearth erasing the tension and soothing his spirit.

They would get what they needed from these worlds and solve these issues. The quick victories were behind them. Soon, they would arrive on Morvalis, beginning a months-long overland campaign to root out the corruption, a grinding march that would likely end deep in the subterranean tunnels of Serthune. But for now, he could relax just a little while longer.