Book 2. Chapter 7: Movie Marathon

Book 2. Chapter 7: Movie Marathon

Jake luxuriated in the feeling of the new bond, joining the valkyries as he held Fhesiah in his lap. He could feel that he too got just a little bit stronger as a result of the new bond, the [Hearth Bond] providing him 5% of Fhesiahs attributes, which were even stronger than before.

Jakes new familiar, the [Young Voidwyrm], was quite proud of itself, and shared Jake and Fhesiahs feelings of victory. Jake sent a mental thanks to the creature. He would come up with a name for it soon. He just hadnt had time to.

He had looked once again into the materials for Odins Summoning Ritual for the soul matching familiar and found once again that he could not purchase several of them, making him wonder what Tier the ritual was even meant for. He had hope at the market they had just gone to, but once again came up empty-handed. That made him look into attempting to summon a familiar that matched his present needs for now.

Jake had realized that while the [Arcane Eye] was effective, it still had a few blind spots. Its vision could not pierce through walls or the ground without entering them, and it was slower than what he needed. Jake had reviewed familiars of all types, compared their pros and cons, and eventually settled on choosing a familiar that excelled in sensory.

There were various creatures that excelled at enemy detection or at sensing complex magics and interacting with them, but many of them shared the same problems of the [Arcane Eye]. Too slow, only good at one or the other. But Jake found there was a rare option that might only work for him, and his high attributes.

A wyrm was a sort of snake-dragon, and they carried that same 'pride of dragons' that they all shared. When forming a pact with such a creature, the prideful creature understanding and agreeing that it was lesser and that it would serve the other was quite rare. For Jakes level, his [Presence] is incredibly high, and that was why he was able to give his offer: his special mana, and any other special energy contained in Jakes hearth.

His hearth mana was unique enough that the creature of the void was interested in consuming this tasty snack, fueling its growth. As the both of them grow, the advantages they both bring to each other will become greater. The creature accepted its servitude, for the small price of small amounts of mana that Jakes [Energy Hunger] ability sucked in at a rapid pace. Jake wouldnt even notice the price.

What Jake receives would be the [Young Voidwyrm]s superior sensory capabilities. Being a creature of the void, it sits on the edge of physical reality, space, and the void itself. Targeting the creature was near impossible for anyone of Jakes Tier, the wyrm being able to freely phase in and out of normal space. It had what was a sort of tremor sense, able to feel and see through walls, and perceive both minds and magic as they touched the void in ways that Tier 1 or Tier 2 casters likely could not even begin to understand, without those areas being their own specialty. A Psionic or Void Mage might be the only ones that could even detect or otherwise harm the creature.

Fhesiah could detect the creature within her radius, but she was quite special for her Tier. Her lighthouse radius for divine sense was over ten times what a normal cultivator of her Tier would have, thanks to her soul being much more powerful, having been a Tier 3 cultivator before. Still, Jake shouldnt become complacent, as a Tier 2 psionic creature or specialist may be able to hide their minds from the young voidwyrm. Jake would just have to hope by the time they could encounter such a creature, that the voidwyrm would have also advanced from Tier 0.

No, for its age and tier, the [young Voidwyrm] was a master of the void. Jake was ecstatic that the creature answered his call, as the runner-up was going to be some type of pixie or imp, or, barring those types of creatures, a magical bat or owl. Within just a few hours of summoning the creature, it had already paid dividends: helping Fhesiah enter foundation establishment safely.

This creature was quite intelligent, and its inquisitive mind had it taking in information rapidly. While it couldnt or wouldnt talk, it understood Jake and his desires well enough. Thankfully, Jake had quite a bit of experience in understanding the emotions and intent even without it having inner thoughts, thanks to Fhesiah and Ophelia.

Jake was quite thankful for this recent addition to his family. It circled in the air in triumph, and phased out and snaked inside of Jakea strange thing, but he felt nothing. The wyrm coiled up around his hearth, like a cat in front of a fire. The creature was not very large, being little more than a foot long and an inch thick at the moment. It easily wrapped itself around his metaphysical hearth core inside the center of his chest.

Unlike how Fhesiah or most creatures would level up within the framework, this creature, being a familiar, did not have a level. It would simply get bigger as it got older and had more of Jakes energy until eventually it would raise itself in Tier.

Fhesiah stirred, and she turned and grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips. The kiss lingered, and he tightened his hold on her. He said in his mind to her, Congratulations, Fhesiah. Your [Spiritual Temple] was really something.

She pulled away and gave him a beaming smile. She spoke aloud, We really outdid ourselves. Where is your little- oh, inside your body? What a strange, interesting creature. Still, I approve. Wyrms are a sort of dragon, after all. Its amazing that it decided it was willing to be your familiar, I wonder if their mother also promised youd be a nice husband?

Jake just smiled wryly at her teasing. Jake wasnt even sure a creature of the void could really have a gender or parent, their birth a result of clashing exotic energies and souls within the void. This was part of the reason he had difficulty naming the creature in the first place. Hed give it more time before he had a better understanding of them, before giving them a name.

Itd already been several days since they closed the last [Rift] and headed back to their [Refuge]. Each member of Jakes party was working both as pairs or as individuals to improve their skills over the last few days. Unfortunately, Jake was not able to purchase the [Technique] he was interested in, being short on contribution points. They had completed five rifts in total and earned just under 2000, but the one that Jake wanted was 2500. Instead, they managed to buy the one for Ophelia for only 1500 contribution points, or CP.

It replaced her Melee Specialization skill which had the subskills: spear, shield, flight, and winged combat skills with: [Ride of the Valkyries Lv. 1]. Jake cracked a smile, as she now could fly almost exactly like Fhesiah now, without flapping her wings. Her body and wings were infused with holy magic, and she was propelled by her will. She would practically skate over the ground, and her blows were infused with enhanced speed and holy might.

Her momentum was almost completely under her control, and she could transfer it to an enemy by slamming into them, or she could stop on a dime with ease. Jake felt like it was similar to if she was riding an invisible mount while she used the skill, the mount taking care of movement while the valkyrie utilized the momentum and power that the mount provided.

When Jake sparred with her, the disconnect from her ability to speed up, slow down, feint, and even slam into his shield with no or too-much force was challenging to deal with. He would brace his shield and body for the inevitable collision of the speedy valkyrie, only for her to stop and attack with a fast, nearly unstoppable thrust of her spear from an unexpected angle.

Not only that, but her wings would become hard when infused with the holy magical energy, and she could shield herself or others with them. It was now nearly impossible to land a solid blow against her without completely overpowering her, something that only an opponent like Berri was capable of doing.

Of course it cost her mana to maintain this state, and it especially cost a lot to block a major blow with her wings. Luckily, her bonded hearth mana core gave her a large amount of mana along with her valkyrie heritage, and the power and speed multiplier were very efficient, allowing her to match Fhesiah for longer than she could keep up her own enhanced speed and strength. At least, until now that Fhesiah entered [Foundation Establishment].

If Fhesiahs spiritual sea was a small pond of heavenly energy before, it was now a massive pond or small lake. Combined with her practice of runic magic and advancing her two energies, and her heavenly truths to match, Jake doubted that anyone in his team could be her match once again.

They had spent their days doing all sorts of training and fun activities, Jake trying to spend more time with Berri. They played sports both for competition and for fun, though most human sports were completely lost or required changing rules or the size of fields in order for the monstrous humanoid girls to really enjoy. Basketball just wasnt the same when Berri could dunk without jumping, or really even changing her own posture. Her head casually rested in her standing posture at about 3 meters tall, just inches beneath the hoop. Then her hands were large enough that holding the ball almost looked like a person holding a kids ball.

Jake sighed, I think theres a singing, dancing pig coming up in a few minutes.

Oh! That sounds good! Hmm would a pig taste better if it can sing?

Jake chose another. He thought originally when he saw it, that you would have to be a veritable monster to have the first ten minutes not move you. He wasnt sure he even wanted to try. The scene had no words, so usually most could understand what was going on, but perhaps many might not.

Berri asked, What was that place, that room where they looked all sad?

Jake replied, That was the hospital, the woman learning that she couldnt bear a child.

Berri frowned, Couldnt they just heal them with magic?

My world didnt really know about magic. There were some things medicine could cure, and other things they couldnt.

Berri sighed, This is all so confusing. In that other movie with the little people with no shoes and the other little people with beards there was all sorts of magic.

Ophelia said, I liked that one! I loved when that warrior killed that armored evil Knight shouting: I am no man! It was great!

The movie continued, and Berri laughed, That dog is so stupid! Hes so funny. Jake, do you think we could get a talking dog?

Jake chuckled, Probably? The multiverse is vast, so they might be out there? Still, I doubt that a dog that could talk would still be so silly and stupid.

Oh. Well, how about those balloons? Oh! What about that big bird? It looked really tasty!

Ophelia said, Shes right, Jake. You should make some jumbo chicken or something!

Jake said to Berri, What did you think about the old man? After his wife died, the old man was empty inside, lonely. He didnt care for the kid at first, only caring about accomplishing his goals. But by helping him and each other, they formed a connection. The old man found fulfillment and even a sort of family, by putting his goal aside for the child. Did you learn anything from this?

Berri looked thoughtful for a moment, before her expression hardened. I guess? Im not sure why you would want a fat and weak child as a friend, but helping them is a good way to make them one? I would want to help a Dark Lamia child instead. They would be a much more valuable and beautiful ally.

Jake sighed. He didnt know what to expect, but perhaps it was wishful thinking that he could get the message across using some kids' films. Jake had tried to get her to put herself in other peoples shoes, but perhaps because they were not Lamia like her, she just couldnt bridge the gap in her mind. She was different, disconnected.

Fhesiah chimed in his mind, Shell figure it out eventually Jake. Hestia promised there was a possibility of good within her kind, and I dont think she just meant that you could point her as a weapon against the enemy and good would ultimately be achieved. Still, I understand your want for there to be love and not only lust, or breeding.

Why, itd almost be like were tricking her, her wanting babies and not getting them. She might really go crazy if she didnt understand that part. Still, we need to figure something out soon, or we might have a relapse of the previous event, as fun as it was for me.

Jake just shook his head at that. He was definitely not looking forward to having to talk her down again. He felt like a hostage negotiator, but he was also the hostage. Just dont set her off and well be fine. Anyway, I think its about time we decide where we want to go

A notification interrupted Jake.

Ariminium World Task from Goddess Available. Visit a Shrine of Hestia to receive Task.

It looked like it was time to receive their goddess first task and appeared to be related to the world that they were currently visiting. This surprised Jake, as this world did not seem to really need their help. The [Sons of Rome] and various guilds were pushing the world towards the raid on the defenders side, and it was likely only a matter of time before they won and pushed the outsiders off the world for now.

After closing those five rifts, the progress had only moved one full percentage point, and Jakes party and those in their battlegroup were far from the only ones that were contributing across the globe. Jake guessed that their efforts combined with the battlegroup probably only equated to less than half a percentage point, if they were lucky.

Nothing was changing in the conquest progress bar, so just who needed their help?