Book 3. Chapter 16: The War Moves Forward

Book 3. Chapter 16: The War Moves Forward

It had been three days since Tanda left, and Jake was putting the finishing touches on Hearthtribes new enchanting workshop. Jake had finally finished the Auril Etchers, and integrated them with a few of the higher level devices. Several workstations looked a lot like a lathe, but were meant for carving and shaping wood using the tool while infusing the ink, mana, and auril into it.

Jake had finally found an excellent combination of mana and auril to make ink, with Fhesiahs help, to facilitate tattooing the items with the beastkin peoples runes. The weapons now were absolutely deadly, and Jake was more than impressed with what they were able to accomplish. Their amberwood arrows and javelins had some interesting effects depending on their auril manifestations.

Itd only been a few days, but Brock had already managed to unlock his. It was not particularly good for arrows, but it created a much larger barrier around his shield. The man was now constantly doing incursions, taking his two, almost three, mates along with him.

Wow, Chief! These look really neat!

Jake just wryly smiled at the cute goat beastkin girl, that was Brocks third prospective mate. She had short white hair with her little goat ears poking out high on her head, along with black horns and a tanned body.

These beastkin really moved fast, he found. Her name was Mindy, and she was going to be a healer, having picked the advanced specialization after awakening. Her goal was to enchant equipment for her party, currently. Jake thought it would be better for her to learn something like alchemy, but apparently, Serena was doing that instead, while Bria was working on amberwood carvings. She would be making bows, arrows, and weapons of all kinds out of their wood.

Brock was cooking, or rather, grilling, surprisingly. When he heard that Jake loved to cook and why, he took it on with a passion. He grilled and smoked meat a good portion of the time he was not training or running incursions, as his good will for the people of Kenwodi and those around the world.

Jake responded to Mindy with a smile, It might be some time before they can be used effectively, but I think its nice to see what to aim for. You have to practice using the machine to get good at using it, after all.

Mindy nodded. Yeah, it takes me a while to etch a single item. Having the item held and moved for me hardly helps. But I can tell once I get as fast as you, um, if I ever get as fast as you are now, Chief, Im sure I will appreciate it!

Jake had found that there were many methods for spreading the ink for both simple and mass production. For something like an arrow shaft, simple spiraling lines along it aided both the flowing of auril, but also storage or enhancement from manifestations when dipped into a weak ink. There was a hawk beastkin that filled the shaft and feathers with their auril, and it made the arrow fly much faster and straighter, having nearly no effect when infused to the arrowhead by itself. The arrowhead could have just the auril rune, and it would be enough for it to last the few moments an arrow was in flight before it struck the target.

Fhesiah interrupted his thoughts, [You know, youd have a fourth mate already if you had just expressed interest in Tanda. You just have to sing the song of her people, and I bet shed be all yours. Still, there are a lot of options here in Kenwodi. Theres this healer in her flock, Avina]

I do like Tanda, I think she would work out well in our family, as well as our party. Of course, shes beautiful, and I do find her attractive. He chuckled. Her tail wagging and her ears betraying her emotions are cute, too. Then, I like her keen mind, and her desire to both fight and learn. She values many of the same things, but would she be willing to leave this world?

[Who says she really has to? This is going to become our home base of sorts. Our goal was to join this community, and it will be just like our refuge. Our guild will recruit from here, and well ensure that we have the right leadership here to take care of it at all times. Im sure shes worried about maintaining the balance, but well leave that to our Tribe, with all the enemies gone, it should be easy. Well do such a good job, shell get antsy for something to do if we stayed, well, besides have children? So for now, just think of your song in case she meets you half way, as Ophelia put it.]

Jake sighed. He was not going to be good at coming up with a song, that was often accompanied by a dance. To some extent, their language was quite musical. Just speaking in her language sounded like a song, especially now that he had gotten a little better at speaking it.

Worried about the people in the villages again, Chief? You shouldnt be! Were doing great, our people are embracing a lot of changes. You and Ophelia have built all those gondolas, and you even cleared Wildheart to the southeast. That wall is being built in record time, and people wanting to join our guild are showing up in droves! The Chieftess added a ton of Alliance Nodes, and many people are joining the Framework. You should be overjoyed!

Jake chuckled. I was just thinking about a different type of challenge than the war, is all. If you wouldnt mind, could you tell me how things go for courtship of your people? Like, I suppose Brocks clan situation is somewhat similar to mine, now. How did he approach you?

Mindy blushed. Um I met Serena during training, and she liked my effort, and that I had already awoken? Im not very strong, but I was working really hard! The Framework helps a lot, to always feel like your efforts are worthwhile. So we talked, andshe felt like we were compatible? So then Brock sung his song about the dreams for his clan, and, well Were all a part of Hearthtribe, right? I wanted to help beastkin, and others. My heart was moved, and I returned his song, and we fought a courtship duel. Brock proved he was strong enough to protect me and has great potential, so now were courting.

Jake somewhat understood. His tribe was being joined by many beastkin with similar goals, so many of their goals would be quite compatible. Things would change somewhat as the war was won on Highlands, in terms of how clans might specialize.

What happens next?

W-Well, next I kind of spend time with each of his clan members, alone and together? And umeventually, if our hearts beat as one with the whole family, he gives me his necklace? Then, umm She blushed.

Jake thought back to when he met Brock on the sparring field. Not even one day had passed. He did all that in one day, or rather, a few hours? But Mindy here didnt have her necklace, yet.

Didnt Serena and Bria have their necklaces on the first day?

Mindy blushed again. Um, well The first mate is a little different, and Brock awakened in Serenas protection on top of that, so they kinda skipped steps? But Bria and him justclicked I guess? Im a little jealous, but as the clan gets bigger, it becomes harder for all the hearts to truly beat as one and sing the same song, unless youre truly compatible. So I have to sync with three people, where Bria just had to sync with two.

Well, thank you for sharing that with me, I appreciate it.

Anytime, Chief! Um, whos the lucky girl?

Jake called Ophelia using [Call Summon], after he arrived at the next rift. He had found several auril beasts in the last few runs, but hadnt found anything overly more powerful or more useful than the stegosaurus and the raptor. Apparently, the most ferocious and powerful creatures were at the center of the largest and deepest of valleys, and they hadnt gone out of their way to go there, just yet.

They cleared the rift with ease, and headed over to the next mountain. Jake now had tens of thousands of conquest points, and had earned many T1 Credits. He was close to having enough saved that he was going to purchase an [Epic Servant - Head Administrator] Token soon, likely after he reclaimed the Alliance HQ. He wanted to make sure there wasnt any more important things to obtain, as he should get special options when he reclaimed such an important structure.

Among worlds that were lost, there were many non-combatants that could be effective at aiding the Alliance outside of fighting. These people, that were not great at fighting, were not a priority for the Framework to resurrect. Usually, it would wait until the world was reclaimed, leaving those peoples souls to drift in the void of the Framework itself. This was the most efficient usage of its energy.

However, if a combatant like Jake could use a non-combatant, he could sort of pay the cost of having the soul retrieved, and placed under his service. Like the summoning tokens, it would evaluate each of their souls, and only summon someone that is willing to serve under a person like Jake. If Jake was some kind of tyrant, it wouldnt summon anyone that wasnt willing to serve under such a person, but perhaps someone a little more desperate. To some extent, the longer they drifted in the void, the more willing they might be to accept such an arrangement.

Jake would have some level of control over the person, in terms of being able to decide where or how they lived, and order them around to accomplish tasks fitting their job as a servant. Like how the Framework protected against attacks on one another, it would also protect against abuse of the servant tokens, to some extent. That person would be on the hook to do as ordered until their contract expired, sort of like an indentured servant as repayment for paying the cost to resurrect them sooner.

Of course, for Jake, the details of how a servant contract worked mattered little. There was absolutely no way that a champion of Hestia would abuse some sort of servant or otherwise take advantage of them, right? Jake was in need of an efficient Administrator, or seneschal type person. Blood and Ophelia were doing an amazing job all things considered, but really, someone dedicated to managing and appointing people was needed. The person having knowledge of the Alliance was paramount, and Jakes guild and the number of initiated requiring some form of direction was growing at an alarming rate.

Jake, theres a [Rift] over there. It wasnt on the [Conquest Map] before.

Jake looked over to where Ophelia was pointing, and found that she was right. There was a [Rift] there. Jake looked at his map within his menu, and thought it to be quite strange. They were high on the mountain now, so their visibility was quite far. This rift was located in a spot that it shouldnt be. There was no village in that direction, and it would not be on the path where beastkin traveled. There was only mountainous terrain near there, even if the Rift resided in the valley.

Well, I guess we should go check it out and clear it? Its out of our way, but we should make it there within thirty minutes or so? I really wanted to clear to that last village today. But what would come out of that rift, actually attack?

[Hey, that sounds interesting. Call me once you get there.]

Call you? I thought you were busy working on your experiments.

[Im just trying something out, making some pills right now, its no big deal. Just call me, I can do both.]

Jake sighed. Jake should have known her attention span

[Dont you think thats a little rude, husband? Ill have you know that I dutifully absorbed heavenly energy in a cave for months, even years at a time, without stopping for fun. Clearly, its just that I am the one best suited for investigation. It has nothing to do with me wanting to have fun, what with you always finding dinosaurs, and getting giddy like a child and all. Not at all.]

Jake just wryly smiled at that. Of course not. Alright, Ill call you when we get there.

They went into the valley, heading through the forest towards the rift they saw. About halfway to their destination, they noticed that the forest was blighted, the trees only barely being able to fight back against it, but much of the greenery falling victim to it. They even cleared a contingent of skeletons before eventually arriving at the rift.

Jake said aloud, This is really odd. They are definitely behaving like there are people somewhere. Well, lets destroy it for now, and we can look for people afterward?

Ophelia replied, I think thats for the best, too. If there are no people here, thats worrisome.

[Go ahead and call me. Im ready.]

Jake called her, and immediately after, her Pill furnace and Cauldron popped into existence. She was floating in the air, like she was laying down sideways with her head resting in her hand, lounging as she monitored her concoctions. She even pretended to be sleeping, with her eyes closed.

Fhesiah said, Alright, go ahead, Im having a look around. Ill let you know if I find anything.

Jake just narrowed his eyes at her. Just how was she having a look around like that? She looked like she was on vacation, not a care in the world.

Dont you remember, Jake? Lighthouse! sheesh.

Jake shook his head, he supposed it didnt matter if she made it look like she was expending effort or not, if she was really having a look around with her divine sense, even underground. At least she was fully equipped.

They would just wait for Ira and Fhesiah to check the area to see if it was safe, and they would begin.