Book 4. Chapter 31: Mates Forever

Book 4. Chapter 31: Mates Forever

Jake woke up with Tanda nearly on top of him. Ophelia was at his side, taking Tandas invitation to just sleep after their session was over. Tanda was ready to share at least part of her special evening, but Ophelia still wanted her intimate time with Jake to be private.

At some point yesterday, they had once again reached Summoners Bond: Love Level 5. Something about being intimate with one another connected them beyond their deep feelings, perhaps on some level those times connected them down to their very soul.

This seemed even more so through the summoners bond, where all thoughts and feelings were laid bare.

As Tandas consciousness started to wake from its slumber, Jakes thoughts and feelings stirring her, her tail started to move lazily. She began to stretch, enjoying the feelings of being with Jake, until the tail was nearly a blur as she woke.

Mmmsuch a wonderful date. Thanks for taking care of me, my mate.

It was really great. Once this war is done, I much look forward to spending a lot more time with you.

I dont mind sharing my time with your mates, but I do think I will like having you to myself sometimes.

Whatever you like. I know I enjoy having you all to myself.

She smiled, kissing him. Jake caressed her fur and the curves of her womanly body, Tanda pressing herself tightly against him enjoying his ministrations and the feelings of their lips on each other.

Then, something shifted inside her. The flower within her bloomed, the metaphysical hearth lighting aflame. A tiny flame like that of a match, but her heart began to beat heavier, pulsing out auril in pleasant waves. The auril was pumped into the vines, and a vortex of energy was drawn in.

Like a bellows for a forge, mana and the various energies contained in the Refuges Hearth and the void were drawn in with every beat, to empower the flame.

Mana was prominent and released into her body, and Tanda did what she could to feel and try to control this new energy brewing inside of her. Jake did his best to guide her, but the two found that it was difficult. Her heart beat fast, and quickly disrupted her efforts to hold onto and manipulate it.

She willed her heart to beat slower, her song changing with her emotions. With that, he guided her in playing with the mana, and moving it into shapes. Still, she only had a few seconds between each beat, disrupting her actions with it.

She frowned. Just how will I ever be able to use this? And more importantly, how will you be able to use auril? It feels like, if anything, it will be a detriment for you to have in your bodies.

Jake did his best to move the auril around. He had used it before with [Energy Sharing]. However, the energy had the same problem. After it left his Hearth, the pulses would disrupt the mana he attempted to wield at the same time.

Jake chuckled. You really want to help out, huh? Theres no way auril will be a detriment. As long as your auril stays in our core, Im sure itll be fine. I dont doubt having this life energy in our bodies wont make our body stronger just from its presence alone, just like the beastkin. Ill try to figure something out.

Tanda blushed. I just want to help you and Ophelia, too. We need all the strength we can get to save my brethren.

She was still on top of Jake, but he hugged into her tightly as he scratched her ears and sent calming reassurance over their bond. He inspected it, finding her new hearth on the other side of it.

Just like his and the other girls, the hearth sat at the metaphysical doorway of her soul. It drew in various energies, though mana was certainly prominent. Her hearth was a lot closer to Fhesiahs, in that it was not a core. It did not store much energy, but it would perhaps bring enough mana per second that she could cast decent spells in time.

But sharing this doorway was Tandas Auril Heart. It had its own connection and not to Jake, which connected off to the heart of the world, or was to the world itself in some other way. Every beat sent out echoes into the worlds spirit, like a radio channel that was only for beastkin or the worlds inhabitants.

Metaphysical vines had wrapped around her heart and a sort of flower bloomed, but Jake did see that some might be growing to follow along her bones somewhat. Perhaps more flowers would bloom, or mana could follow these tendrils in a much more reliable fashion.

For Fhesiah, not all cultivator things showed on status screens, and that included her hearth. But Tandas Auril Heart was shown, even if it hadnt quantified the precise effect it had on her stats. Jake made sure nothing changed when she Tiered up.

[Enhanced Auril Heart]

[Your heart and spirit have been enhanced by becoming a champion, and your race being compatible, containing a spark of your patron deity. The weight of your spirits connection to the world is increased, allowing you to perform a half-tier higher in this respect than you would otherwise. This improves your stats further, your auril capacity higher.]

Jake was happy that this persisted for her unique plant inside her.

[Hearthfire Ivy]

[When planted, the Hearthfire Ivy seed develops and becomes attuned to the organism it was planted in, becoming a part of them. Changing to become the same as the host through the echoes of ones soul, it establishes a permanent symbiotic connection. Draws in energies from the void, burning them brightly for growth within the occupant. Shares excess energies with Auril Heart and with the host.]

Jake frowned. This sounded almost like it started out as its own entity, but cloned Tanda and bonded with her? Brigid gave her this thing, and it became a permanent part of her. As Jake prodded the hearth with his bond, she giggled.

That kinda tickles, Jake.

Whatever this ivy ultimately was, it was now a part of his lover, permanently. Thinking of permanence

Jake did his best to send his feelings, his affection, over to Tanda as he prodded the hearth connection. Tanda had not been with his family overly long, but she fit in with them well. As she weaved effortlessly into the fabric of his family, her mere presence illuminated their lives with unbridled joy and boundless positivity.

Tanda, the fierce and loyal ravenwolf girl, exuded a captivating charm that embraced everyone she encountered. In her, Jake found not only a partner but also a source of inspiration. Tanda's positivity and love for life and nature taught him to appreciate every moment and embrace the beauty in simplicity.

Berri had long-since helped make sure all children and families overwhelmed with too many children had a home. The HQ had expanded space for families repeatedly, and the amount of food provided through the kitchens to ensure the thousands of people had proper nourishment was staggering.

Being that Harmony Peaks might be a target of reprisal, the families with many children should stay at Cascadia or Lifes Haven. Right now, Lifes Haven was the safest location with the powerful defense tower overlooking it, and Jake pushed for as many moving into this large ghost city as possible.

They heard some good news from Vesuvius, that his underground scouts had encountered not just one Tribe of reptile beastkin, but two. Using their blimps, they already began extracting them to rejoin their brethren, and would be moving to Lifes Haven.

Morwens people already visited the swamp and desert, and let Jake know that they would not need necklaces at these locations. The auril at both was like a negative reflection of life, and actually empowered them. Building an HQ at either of those locations was desirable, though she had extreme hopes for the tundra now, specifically for her peoples home.

She was nearly certain that their dream home would be there, in the deep north or deep south. For now, they had a war to fight, and her people had already closed several large Rifts as she liberated a few villages.

Tanda smiled at Jake from where she was standing, with her Father and clan-mothers. The auril is truly dense here, Ive never felt anything like it. I can feel my heart beating harder, consuming some of it. Shouldnt you summon Oran now?

He nodded, and summoned Oran. Pushing a staggering amount of Hearth flames into it, Oran manifested in motes of light like usual. Right away, Jake could see intelligence in his eyes. It gave a toothy grin, and sat near the center of the room.

Oran started growing vines of its own, reminding Jake of the fight of Lifes Haven. From what he could see, it was another wreath, but surrounding Oran in a circle. Jake was sure these preparations were going to aid in healing the Heart of the World in some way.

Jake then brought out his [Mana Font]. For now, the device kind of looked like an octagonal cage. He set it down at the center of the formation Fhesiah made, not overly far from Oran. The eight sides of the cage pointed to the eight cardinal directions. Each side of the cage had a sort of gate or hole which connected to Fhesiahs formations, drawing in the energies through the room.

Each gate had Jakes enchantments on them, seen as separate pieces. They would connect to the formation to draw the energy in, but also keep the energy within the cage. The energy flowing inside would power the device, and a sphere on a pedestal in the center within condensed the energy within.

There was enough room for Jake and his girls to sit inside closely, but unfortunately, he had to exclude Bloodberri. They were just too big, as even getting into the cage was a bit awkward for Jake. It had a floor and a ceiling to it which had more enchantments and the only way to get in was through the gates he made.

He wanted to make it bigger, but his resources were just too limited. As it was now, Jake had to climb through the hole of the gate, and he didnt have much clearance. If Fhesiahs wings werent more flexible than they looked, she wouldnt fit either. Bloodberri was simply too big.

Timone and his family gathered off to the side of the cage.

Berri looked at it sadly. Im sorry Milord. Thats the first time being bigger wasnt better!

Its okay, Berri. Theres just a lot of you to love.

Berri smiled, but Aisling laughed, as she narrowed her eyes on Bloodberri, looking between Jake and her. How does that work, anyway?

Fhesiah was quick to whisper in her ear, causing Aisling to giggle. Oh! How convenient. For us, the men are the ones much bigger, the women usually not that much larger to where it matters much. The bigger women usually choose the bigger, stronger men, besides.

Jake groaned as he now knew more than he really wanted to know, and Aisling now knew more about his situation than he wanted his sort of mother-in-law to.

Alright, its just about time now. Lets get inside this thing and get ready.

He activated the device, the energy being drawn inside. A vortex of mostly mana, auril, and qi settled inside it. The energy became denser with each passing moment, and as Jake stepped inside, he felt the weight of the extra energy against his skin and pressing down on his body.

Fhesiah, Ophelia and Tanda got in as well, sitting around Jake.

Tanda was shocked. W-wow, the auril is super-thick here! My heart and body is feasting right now.

Fhesiah nodded. If not for my hearth, this area would be extremely detrimental to my cultivation, but theres plenty for me to make use of here. She looked at Jake. Oh, it looks like this is really advancing your core. I wouldnt be surprised if you hit the fourth level shortly.

Ophelia made a surprised sound. Mine just did! I guess ours have a much lower capacity than his.

After a few minutes, Jake received the notification that his core finally increased in level, his mana capacity increasing significantly. The speed in which he drew in energy increased even further, along with Ophelias.

Berri looked left out. Maybe I can fit in there just a little bit? This room is pretty good I think, but it seems extra special in there? Maybejust my tail?

Jake gave Berri a sad look. Im sorry, I really wish I had enough materials for this thing. It was on such short notice, too. Were lucky we had enough lying around at all. Maybe I can help grow your core from here with [Energy Sharing].

He did his best to fill up her core, and found that it wasnt overly challenging at all. With the pace Jake and Ophelia were bringing in this dense energy, she hit the fourth level quickly, too.

Thanks, Jake! Now I dont feel so left out. Im sure I will be able to help plenty when its time for us to work.

Jake chuckled. Youre helping in another way, anyway. He felt her feelings over their bond, and tried to find resonance with her. He entered [Runebound: Saint], taking on the covenant of a powerful healer.

Not long after, the Heart of the World stem stirred. The plant grew and widened, becoming massive. Jake could feel the malevolence, a taint far greater than was felt before, getting closer rapidly from underground.

Oran, or Cernunnos taking over its body, spoke. Well all be okay for a time, do not panic. Get ready to summon me in truth. It gave a large, toothy smile as it looked at Tanda. Lets turn calamity into opportunity once more, child.