Bonded Summoner

A few days ago, Valtor had triggered the raid. Like a beacon, a point was designated on the conquest map. The location was several hundred miles away from any HQ, and was positioned nearly dead center on the continent.

Valtor had told Jake that this was quite common. Should they lose, the monster tide would be released and attack all over the continent, pushing the conquest heavily in the enemy’s favor. Should the Alliance win, it would merely become the first of many entrances to Tartarus proper.

As such, thousands of warriors had made the trek across the land, to arrive at this moment. Dinosaurs, blimps, Jake’s airships and even by foot, the many beastkin, Emberborn, Elysians, Adventurers, and Eternum had arrived.

The weather was good, without a cloud in the sky. It was hard to imagine that somehow, this idyllic scenery was going to somehow be tarnished with some sort of attack by the enemy.

Nearly an entire month had passed in preparation for this moment. Jake and the girls’ skills were nearly maxed out, and their gear was in tip-top shape. His skin glimmered even more purple in the light, as they had spent plenty of time practicing his Void Body Tempering.

His body was sturdier than ever, and he felt an even better connection to the void. Surprisingly, the Framework didn’t seem to believe he had reached any kind of threshold, to increase his Bloodline ratings.

His attributes were increasing regularly, and he could tell he drew in more of the void with every breath. Similar to when he faced the grasshopper mentalist, the breath his void lungs could take in could disrupt many things near him.

This effect had only grown as he increased his tempering, nearly doubling in strength. Then, Ira seemed to grow even more rapidly as a result. Jake could tell the creature was still restricted to half his strength, but that strength was immense for his Tier. On top of that, Ira could even draw on some of Jake’s void energy, making it able to accomplish much more than it had been a month ago.

Despite Jake’s core hitting level five when he gathered those Divine Sparks, his core was still becoming brighter and denser as a result of the tempering. A qualitative difference was occurring, his hearth becoming more powerful.

Fhesiah had required quite a few more sessions than the rest of the girls. Her bloodline energy reserves had increased significantly, her draconic body nearly covering itself in scales when she drew upon it.

In contrast, her kitsune fur had become darker. Her flames were much more vibrant, and her Moon Hex even more devastating. Perhaps the biggest way she had improved was with her kitsune magics, spending more time mastering her bloodline capabilities.

Despite hitting level 25 some time ago, the pond in her Spiritual Temple kept growing with their tempering, besides. She was now in the great circle of Foundation Establishment, and she could truly advance and form her core at any moment.

Perhaps the one to improve the most, was Tanda. As she leveled up from Fhesiah’s pills, Jake’s cooked Auril Beast meats, the dual cultivation sessions with Ophelia, and the occasional Rift, her body became filled with an unending vitality.

Her fur and feathers became more vibrant, and the purple hue in her hair and fur alike became even more prominent–just like Jake’s skin. Her enhanced auril heart beat powerfully, her every breath in tune with the world itself.

Underneath her skin, the metaphysical hearthfire ivy vines had truly grown. Their void body tempering did help the plant, and this matched what happened with each of the girls. Thanks to them finding harmony, she really did advance her skill in runic casting as well.

Ophelia had truly mastered her new core, her vajrafire lightning a large part of her fighting style. Riding on Valora, she had finally mastered fighting on the mount using her Technique. She even worked well with auril, using it to aid her efficiency and her power. Her attacks were fluid and filled with power, as the two girls worked in tandem to create devastating attacks.

Then, Blood and Berri fought like a well-oiled machine, whether with their tail and half-living weapon, or their spells. Blood controlled the battlefield, while Berri crushed or healed everything with holy might.

They stood at the top of a hill, overlooking a deep valley.

“It’s beginning.”

Fhesiah’s gaze was high in the sky, the sun directly overhead. The surroundings began to clamber, as Jake saw the flickers of golden hexagons scatter across the horizon covering the sky, as if surrounding the entire world.

Suddenly, the world was enshrouded in darkness, a heavy feeling beyond their understanding towering over them. An unmistakable fear or terror loomed, as smoke-like tendrils eclipsed the sun, and only a fraction of the sun’s light could be seen. The entire world was witnessing this event, the unmistakable enemy of all sentient beings ready to consume them.

Dozens of tendrils like the roots of a tree surged toward the world of Highlands, wrapping around the sky as if to embrace the entire world. But the golden light of the Framework rebuffed the tendrils, stopping their advance.

This was a stark reminder, that The Framework was the only thing stopping the world of Highlands from being consumed in but a mere moment. The people of many worlds would be unable to do anything to stop it, if not for this odd war game.

A hole opened in the barrier, just above and ahead of where the armies of the Alliance were waiting.

A tendril entered, shifting as the Framework was layered onto it. Becoming even more like a tree’s roots, the black and gold mixed and merged as the tendril extended down from the sky.

It pierced down rapidly, like a lone finger descending from the heavens in the dim light. The target was in the predicted location, deep within the valley. The size was absolutely immense, wider than several city blocks, and it moved with a haste even greater than an object falling.

The tendril larger than the biggest skyscraper Jake had ever seen slowed to a halt just before it hit the ground. He had expected a large crash, but instead it merged with the ground as it connected, like a giant tree growing roots.

A giant gate grew within the tree, though Jake couldn’t make out much from where he was standing. Above the giant tree, the tendril became smoke-like once more, and then the black tendrils covering the world seemingly receded or disappeared, as if they were never there to begin with.

Light from the sun was restored, leaving the ominous, massive tower in front of them.

Berri looked on in amazement, completely awed by the experience. “W-Wow. That was kinda cool. Can we watch that again?”

Ophelia was shocked as well, gazing unblinkingly at this terrible tower in front of them. “You’re right, but it feels wrong to praise the enemy?”

Berri scoffed. “Fraymie can do the same thing too, it was a part of it! Fayfay, quick, make that crystal thingy. I wanna watch it again!”

Fhesiah chuckled, and seemingly complied as she took out a crystal to record it. “Sure thing, dear sister. But you will have to wait to watch it once more. We don’t have unlimited time here.”

Jake nodded. “That’s right. We only have a few hours to begin the Raid at most. We have prepared plenty, but it takes people time to get ready and enter. Those of us in the Prime Instance must enter first.”

Tanda looked at the tower with determination, her Champion’s Halberd at the ready. “We’ll beat this terrible enemy, and kick it off our world once and for all.”

Given that Jake and his Guild had earned the most Contribution Points, and thus Conquest Points, he had some level of control regarding the Prime Instance. Even if some betrayers or otherwise malicious parties came out of the woodwork and rushed for the portal, they would not be able to take control of this.

A Raid Instance was made up of Fifty people. Of course, the best warriors would be within the Prime Instance. They had decided to balance out their party with a wide variety of classes and people.

[25 Slots: Clan Hart ]

[10 Slots: Auril Heroes of Hearthtribe - Vesuvius, Roxo, Darris, Rookard, Seamus, Ravenwolf Clan]

[5 Slots: Warrior Brotherhood - Longwei, Yiming and their wives]

[5 Slots: Elysians - Nadessa, Drysander, 3 Dryad wives]

[5 Slots: Emberborn - Morwen, Bedwyr, 3 Priestesses of Arawn]

Hearthtribe had several of its own instances planned. The makeup of each instance was a similar makeup, designed to have a powerful balance of classes and roles.

In numerous instances, it was merely Jake’s party of twenty-five replaced with more beastkin, many of them with clergy-based classes.

Clan Brock with Rhia and Falcor, Takoda’s Clan, Clan Oman, Grayson and Sunmane, Valtor and Amara, Avina and Davonius, Vexana and Jarrix, and Dhruva each led their own instances. Their balance was usually to have twenty-five beastkin, then a mixture of Elysians, Eternum, Emberborn and their undead servants, Adventurers, and a party of Warrior Brotherhood.

Usually, a tamer with a powerful Auril Beast would be included, often more than one. Many of the Auril Beasts themselves took up a slot or more, depending, and would make for excellent tanks or off tanks.

There would be many sort-of pick-up groups that formed. They had formed several days prior, working out their party and group cohesion. Jake knew that Nolan and Brenin, the Chiefs they met near Lakemere were here today, were leading their own Raids.

One of the major benefits of doing the Dungeon Raid, at least for those taking on the normal instances, was that they could benefit from just one or two bosses and end their Raid. It was a bit of a gamble, but they would still gain benefits from defeating only a single boss and leaving.

Completing only one boss was worse than completing a solo Trial, but it was still often worth it for both the world and for themselves to benefit. If their Raid Instance completely failed, Tartarus would gain some of what it lost from other instances back.

It was important that the leader of the Raid didn’t go beyond what their Raid Battlegroup could handle. If they completed two bosses and left, it was usually equivalent or better than completing their solo Trial.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Jake and his Battlegroup. There was no retreat for them, or there would be the Monster Tide. Monsters would storm out of the tower-like building in front of them, and Rifts would open all over the globe.

Jake addressed the thousands of brave souls that prepared to take on the Dungeon Raid, all to win more potential for themselves. He reiterated what he had learned from both Valtor and Morwen, that if they’d had any deaths before or during the second boss, it was really best to turn back around.

Tartarus was good at luring Battlegroups into a false sense of security, and often, the final boss was much more challenging. If they had already lost people before then, it was much safer to back down.

Gambling the world’s potential away wouldn’t do anyone any good. Jake didn’t think any of the beastkin were particularly greedy, but he imagined many of them were vengeful. This was their means of taking back what was lost, and so they would fight hard and valiantly for their lost brethren.

Timone added onto that, trying to deter risky behavior with his authority as the Ravenwolf Chieftain. While Jake’s authority reached far, especially with how respected he was as the savior of countless beastkin across Highlands, the Ravenwolf had lead the beastkin for a thousand years. The few that wouldn’t listen to Jake’s guidance would surely listen to Timone’s.

They marched down the hill, arriving at the entrance to Tartarus. The ominous gate had a swirling portal, that would take them into the Raid Instance.

Jake addressed the Prime Instance Battlegroup, the many allies they had met and worked together with to get ready for this moment.

“We’ve fought long and hard, and prepared together. Us few decide the fate of Highlands, and there are no others I’d rather have than you on my side. I’m proud to call you all allies and friends.”

Proud smiles and nods came from his many allies, the many warriors ready to fight. Nearly all of them had been present for Life’s Haven and Nature’s Crossroads, along with their major accomplishments in the East and West Coast, reducing Clan Hart’s burden.

Jake wasn’t sure they’d be here now without their help. His family alone would have lost the race against time, without having such capable allies. Certainly, the warriors of Highlands had fought hard for their brethren, more than pulling their own weight.

He continued, “I’m confident we’ll win this battle, we only need to fight hard together in this final challenge. Hearthtribe and Warrior Brotherhood, let’s reclaim this world, saving the first of many against this terrible evil.”

The surroundings all cheered, including Jake and his wives. Seeing the many Battlegroups arrayed in front of him, he was surprised to see their organization and equipment. The balanced Battlegroups would likely form tight bonds, the many comrades in arms facing difficult tribulations together.

He imagined the next time Hearthtribe was called to battle, many of these same Battlegroups could form. After they accomplished this Raid, they would go on to many other worlds seeking battles and gaining their remaining levels within this Tier.

Only those in Jake’s Battlegroup were truly ready to immediately enter the next Tier, the rest likely going to spend the next year or two gaining experience.

Triggering the portal for his Battlegroup, his party and their allies were transported somewhere within the tower. With a lurch, they all arrived in a massive room.

The walls were covered in the Framework scripts, meant to be read by people whether they were joined to the Framework or not. They all received the same notification, besides.

[Welcome to the Dungeon Raid Prime Instance]

[Each Challenge is a Limited Time Trial. A period of rest will be given between each Challenge, granting access to a Node and allowing time for recovery. There are Three Challenges in this Dungeon Raid.]

[Your first Challenge begins in 10 Minutes. First Challenge: Hall of the Frost Giant King.]

Upon taking the portal, all the buffs and effects they had on them had been removed. Jake prepared his buffs and summons, making sure to get each of the girls with his Divine Reinforcement and Endurance Regeneration.

Summoning Bree and Jasmina while Ophelia summoned Valora, he added the same to them.

He had decided on Jasmina for various reasons, the biggest of which was her impact on the beastkin. Her ability to stir up and enhance the auril in the area supplemented his own Aura of Heavenly Flames, making for a powerful combination.

Oran had an almost similar effect, but Bree had really set herself apart in her strength. Her attitude change and bond had started sending desire to join them for different events. Alternatively, Isolyn and Ainora started shying away from any combat–like they didn’t want anything to do with Jake. He wasn’t sure what was going on exactly, but he was perplexed by the changes.

Morwen and her priestesses each added the bone reinforcement to the auril heroes, and Timone’s owl and hawk wives appeared to have vitality buffs to grant him and others. Yiming’s wife had some sort of defensive spell to add to the beastkin as well.

Unfortunately, it appeared Jake’s Divine Reinforcement and Aura of Heavenly Flames overwrote a few of the potential buffs they might have. They had tested this beforehand, and his girls really could not receive many buffs from others while he was around.

At the very least, there was a limit of the concentration type spells and what types they could receive. There were other, more exotic and temporary buffs that could work, but their impact on them was situational.

When the countdown timer reached zero, they appeared to be in a massive underground cavern. In front of them was a giant walkway, guarded by eight frost giants. Each was equipped with armor and weaponry, their size close to six meters tall.

Berri laughed. “Pfft, they aren’t big at all! So tiny. C’mon, Jake–buff me up!” Her excitement at taking on the giants was infectious.

Jake chuckled, and shook his head. “Hang on. Let Ira check how many we need to fight first.”

He sent Ira off through the void. It appeared the walls were made of some element that made it difficult for it to pass through, but did not fully prevent it. Traveling through the halls, Ira quickly mapped out the upcoming rooms, while Fhesiah used her Divine Sense as well.

Within less than a minute, they had mostly mapped out much of the path. It appeared they didn’t need to face all the enemies, but there were rewards for heading some of the ways: treasure chests.

He mentioned this to Morwen, to which she nodded. “Yes, the chests are valuable, and often worth going for–especially for parties not as prepared as yours. My staff came from one such chest. The bosses will yield loot as well, but what you’ve crafted gets quite close. Accessories from here can’t be beat, but they are rare.”

She flashed her staff, and Jake thought he understood. Her elder bone staff was only marginally better than the items he could, and did, craft for those in the Prime Instance or even some of his good friends.

He had made a dragon bone staff for Grayson, and he thought it was better in quality than Morwen’s staff.

It was really only accessories that he had trouble matching dungeon drops with unique materials.

The verdict back, he figured he could probably splurge a little on mana, at least this early in the Raid. They had a few hours to take on these trash enemies before the boss, which meant he would recover his entire mana pool a few times throughout.

He signaled Morwen and Warrior Brotherhood, and his Aura of Heavenly Flames carried his intent to the beastkin. They would begin their assault in but a moment, Jake’s family focused on four of them on the left, and the rest of the Battlegroup taking the four on the right.

The giants stood guard at the doorway, and it appeared unless they approached close enough or attacked them, they were content to wait there forever.

Taking a deep breath, he found harmony with Tanda, his hearth flickering to the beat of her auril heart. He found resonance with his Guardian Ophelia, taking on the Runebound state. Willing his girls to draw their runes, all five girls added to the runic formation.

The runes coalesced, Berri’s smile wide. They completed their spell, [Group Runic Magic: Giant’s Growth]. An apparition of a giant formed around Bloodberri, and she grew even larger than she already was.

She grew a little larger than the size that Ophelia would with her Valkyrie Champion ability, just a bit shorter in her casual posture than the giants. This meant that with her now ridiculously long tail, she was at least as massive as they were.

Her maul filled with mana as it gave a low growl, and she charged forward with Ophelia on Valora. The beastkin began launching their ranged attacks on the move, Tanda also firing her bow as she flew through the air just as the frost giants roared in challenge.

Giant spikes of ice floated above all eight giants, before launching at Bloodberri. Ophelia’s shield with the hearth floated in front of the lamia, taking the blow as Bloodberri ignored them, trusting their sister to guard them.

The giants acted as trained soldiers, forming up to meet their oncoming foe with their shields or giant clubs and spears at the ready, even as they guarded against the javelins and arrows.

Longwei and Yiming clad themselves with Valor, and Timone and Dahlia charged rapidly at the group of giants. Jasmina’s song combined with Jake’s Aura of Heavenly flames gathered the auril around the beastkin as they charged, forming into a floating barrier in front of them.

Using her [Maul of Hestia-Echidna], Bloodberri’s body filled with holy light and dark. The runes on their body were already near-blinding as they drove their [Holy Dark Paampu Attam] to the maximum.

As their maul struck a warrior’s shield, the explosion of holy light and dark along with the force behind the weapon was immense.

There was a loud crash as the shield shattered, and the giant struck was sent flying through the large archway. Their snake tail filled with blades spun and twirled at the next one, the momentum of the movement continuing.

The blades sliced into the next warrior as it tried to ward them off with a swing of his massive club, but Ophelia’s charge on Valora was already there. She deflected the tree-sized club heading for Bloodberri’s body, and sliced deeply into its leg as she charged past it, causing it to tumble.

Bloodberri’s maul shifted into a vicious axe as the face on it howled, her followup swing cleaving the head off the shoulders of the tumbling giant. Fhesiah blasted her flames into the next giant, and Tanda’s projectile exploded powerfully from Jake’s Aura, taking out chunks of the final one on the left’s flesh.

The Battlegroup made quick work of the giants, with Bloodberri killing one with nearly each swing, Berri laughing with glee as her weapon howled. It consumed some of their blood, feasting on it.

During a few of their Rift battles they did in the last month, it did this when the creature seemed special. There seemed to be a minor hardness or sharpness increase as it did, but whatever it was doing appeared to be rather marginal.

Blood too had a vicious smile, as she used her [Advanced Telekinesis] to easily best the warrior’s guards. She shoved mentally against their weapons or destabilized their center of balance by pushing on their joints.

It seemed they didn’t understand the extra weight along their weapon or body, and their parry wouldn’t arrive in time for her blow to slice deeply into them.

The Battlegroup hadn’t slouched, either. The dryads quickly wrapped up the giants in vines, slowing their movements, and the various beastkin drew wounds even on their tough and thick giant flesh.

The weapons Jake and Ophelia crafted and enchanted, powered by auril were viciously sharp.

Berri cheered. “Yay! That was easy. Let’s go! We’ll blow right through these. Let’s not waste the buff!”

Jake chuckled, and shook his head. Aside from casting the buff that lasted five minutes and covering his allies with his Heavenly Aura, he hadn’t needed to lift a finger.

There were magical traps in the giant hallways, but Ira and Fhesiah were more than capable of detecting them. They would fight through the giants with ease, but conserve their resources.

Their Raid had only just begun, but they would take on this challenge with all their might.